⇨ The Tourist Trap: WEEK 2

[ringleaders]

Who: Anyone, anywhere in Portland.
When: October 7st - 14th, 2017
Where: Portland area, in the new reality.
What: The week begins as the time of the Animal Fair finally arrives! Meanwhile, the truth of this reality starts to be revealed, and forces both human and celestial alike attempt to take advantage of a rare opportunity.
Warnings: Individually marked!

BY ANY OTHER NAME↴ Tensions thicken as various supernaturally forces react to the events of the previous week. Something critical is afoot, and it's only a matter of time before things start coming to a head. It's time to find out more about what's happened to this world, and what will happen in its future. ► A NIGHT AT THE FAIR: From the night of the 7th to the morning of the 8th, the Animal Fair is officially in town. There is a top level down below with more information, though you can also RP content from this elsewhere if you wish. The host, who is very likely something called a Wyld Fae (if you discovered that ICly), will be present, but they will only be appearing to you of their own accord and attempting to track them down by force will be ineffective. Just kick back and relax! Fairs are supposed to be fun. ► THORNS IN YOUR SIDE: Culminating in a full fledged attack against the Sanctuary, it would seem that The Rose Queen is declaring war on the changeling population of Portland. Though the vicious attack of thorns against the safe house was eventually stopped, it wasn't without damage, and the black roses that caused it are still popping up around the city and threatening the places where homeless and lost changelings would be likely to congregate. It's obvious now that this is a serious threat - will it ever stop without an intervention? ► HELL ON EARTH: As Anath's march draws near, the first waves of her demons will be entering the city. Primarily acting as scouts and foot soldiers, these demons will be attempting to secure loyalty from the local demon populace, as well as taking out any angels they can manage to catch. It's a level of aggressiveness against heaven's forces that hasn't been seen for years, and it's a foreboding hint of things to come. These demons can be NPCed by anyone, and will mostly be thugs or manipulators who don't know much about Anath's plans but do know that you need to join their side. They are also rowdier than most of the demons in Portland, and are a threat to the innocent mortal populace as well, if they decide to try to get their kicks here. ► THE WIZARD POLICE: The Enlightenment Council seems to have demanded control of the local Circle chapter, and now backup has arrived. These mages are being sent out into the city as if they are a police force, and will be attempting to demand control of various common supernatural areas, as well as questioning community members that they run into. Whatever is going on, it seems to have resulted in the Council instituting what is essentially martial law... of course, not everyone sees any need to heed their demands. If you are a demon, warlock, or other rogue element, expect to be harassed or even attacked by them. These character can be NPCed, and if you need additional information you can ask the mods.

Comments

[npcarnival]

"You're right. That is a problem. I don't know that I can prove to you that this isn't some kind of subterfuge. Just like I can't be sure you're not lying. But hey. You miss 100% the shots you don't take, right?"

"I have an agenda alright. It's just a question of if you share my agenda before I ask for your help."

[amusicaladventure]

"And what will happen to me if I don't."

Ordinarily, she wouldn't bite. But ordinarily she'd have never gotten into this position in the first place. After trying to preserve her own position with malicious compliance for days now, and with the mages she thought would be on her side painfully absent... she was feeling a bit reckless.

"The Severing was pointless. Sure, a giant shield went up. It left denizens of other worlds on the inside wanting out, and on the outside wanting it. Its failure, and the resumption of the old ways, is inevitable."

That was her position, and a genuine one at that. Of course, her opinion on whether or not the purpose of the Severing was a good one, no matter the result, wasn't included.

[npcarnival]

"This isn't a threat," he says, after a moment, a bit more soberly. "If I asked and you turned me down, that'd be it. I'd probably have to change my plans anyway, because the whole thing would be compromised at that point. But, I'm not a big fan of punishing innocent people."

"Why do you think it's inevitable, though? Genuine question."

[amusicaladventure]

"Entropy. Easier to break than to build. Easier to smash down a barrier than build it up. Time alone would do the job, and with countless other beings wanting to get through both from within and without? It's going to happen."

[npcarnival]

"Maybe," he says, after a moment. "But that's why they didn't build a wall, exactly. A wall you can break just by hitting it hard enough. The way this spell is built? There's nothing to hit."

A pause.

"That's a freebie, by the way."

[amusicaladventure]

Interesting fact; Ash filed it away. "Entropy is universal, though. I'm calling it a wall metaphorically, but any form it takes is subject to degradation over time. And believing it's a form that can't be opposed somehow is pretty much the definition of hubris. The butt-biting is so inevitable it might as well be its own cosmic law."

[npcarnival]

"Sure, when you look at it that way, a lot of things are inevitable. The heat death of the universe, for instance. The sun burning out. I don't know about you, but I wouldn't really like to sit around and wait for either of those things to happen."

[amusicaladventure]

"Both of those things are what, billions of years in the future and both really crap things to have happen on your watch? So if you're trying to persuade me the shield must go, bad analogy. It sounds like you want it down, then."

[npcarnival]

"Yep," he admits, pretty readily. "Like I said... I don't believe in punishing innocents."

[amusicaladventure]

"I think some people would argue that the ones it punishes are, by definition, not innocent at all. Wolves among sheep by nature."

Which undersold humanity a lot. They weren't sheep. Not at all. But she also didn't believe that demons, or fae, or even angels, COULD be 'innocent' as far as humankind was concerned.

Which didn't necessarily mean the Severing was right, of course.

[npcarnival]

"Humans are wolves among sheep. Don't lie to yourself. That excuse might work for demons and fae, but all angels have ever done is try to help this stupid planet."

[amusicaladventure]

Notch against him in that category, then. "I've met angels, you know." She chewed her cheek for a second, then said, "I'll give you a little bit of a freebie here. I believe in human self-determination. Angels have their own agenda, and whether or not an individual thinks it's good and right, it's still their agenda. So when it comes to my views, they stand and fall with everything else."

[npcarnival]

"Everyone has an agenda. Everyone does things for a purpose. That doesn't make them more or less innocent."

And for the first time, he just sounds the slightest bit agitated.

"You can't just pass through life doing nothing. I would have thought that someone at the top of the Circle ranks would have the guts to actually believe in something. But I guess that's the kind of thing the Circle likes to select against, huh?"

[amusicaladventure]

"I believe things," she said, flat and unamused. "And I agree. Everyone has an agenda. Part of mine isn't subtle -- it's ambition, which isn't any secret if you know anything about me at all. But sensible ambition. I don't backstab, I reward loyalty and trust with loyalty and trust, and I don't tear down others to get what I want, I build myself up. I get what you want, but so far your only reasoning is 'because innocents are suffering' -- and I don't buy that that's it, and to put it bluntly, that's not enough reason for me to get involved. And you may think that's cruel, but honestly, there are a million billion things out there I could be doing out of moral grounds. Catching thieves with magic and placing giant fuck-off wards on the San Andreas fault to stop earthquakes and all sorts of stuff that I don't do because in my viewpoint it's to the greater good for everyone that magic doesn't become public tomorrow.

"So let's not beat around the bush. I'm listening to your proposal, I'm not saying no. But I need to know what you're getting out of it, and I need to know what I'm risking and what I'm getting out of it."

[npcarnival]

"There's nothing to offer you," he says, and his tone has evened out again. "Some things need to be done for their own reasons, and if fulfilling that purpose isn't what you want, then I don't think you are getting anything out of it."

"But hey, worth a shot. Like I said. You miss all the shots you don't take."

[amusicaladventure]

"You don't know what's a good reason to me," Ash shot back. "But come at it from another angle. Tell me what it will cost me. Is it going to be obvious? Is my involvement going to be blatant, or can I conceal if I want to and am reasonably competent? How much effort is this going to take, how much time commitment, how much travel?"

This -- this was a risk, but. "At the very least, you have my word that I will not reveal your scheme so long as it doesn't directly involve something bonkers like human sacrifice on an altar. I hope you know the meaning of my word."

[npcarnival]

"I'm willing to believe that," he says, after pausing for a moment to consider all of that. "But I don't understand why you would earnestly want to help when you don't believe the problem I'm trying to solve is an issue in the first place. What do you get out of this? I think you outpaced me on that one."

[amusicaladventure]

"That's why I want to know what's involved. I know what I value." And she thought there might be a great deal of advantage to breaking down the shield, learning what made it tick, the methods of its creation and its destruction. "There might be something for me, there might not. I don't know yet."

[npcarnival]

There's a long pause, and then he sighs.

"You're not really making it easy for me, here," he says. "It involves getting something from your guests. But you can see how that would be risky."

[amusicaladventure]

After a moment, Ash sighed.

"...Man, I wish you would have said that earlier. Actually, I'm honestly disappointed that that's all you want me to do. No actual unweaving of the greatest spell of our age? No epic feats of sorcery on my part? I am pretty damn good at magic, you know."

[ringleaders]

There is an almost audible eyeroll there.

"There's a lot of pretty great mages out there. Not all of them have the advantages of your position. If I just wanted help with the magic part I'd ask someone with a far lower risk factor."

[amusicaladventure]

"I'd value the chance to actually study the shield, you know. I think I could learn a thing or two. If you can swing me that..." Really, she was disappointed he hadn't offered that as a carrot. "Tell you what. I may not get your item directly, but I can ensure it can be gotten directly. I think that'll be to both our benefit long-term."

[npcarnival]

It's because he didn't really want you to come in the first place, given Ash's apparently motives. But yet, he'll tentatively consider her proposal.

"...Okay. If you make it so we can get into the Council's private belongings, you can come see what we do with it afterwards."

[amusicaladventure]

"Easy," she said, and meant it. Not from the amount of hard work or time she'd have to put into making that happen, but because she knew she could -- both because of her unusual magic style and the fact that the mages she was bearding in their den would never expect the sabotage to come from her. Done properly they'd never even realize.

[npcarnival]

There's another long pause after that.

"... So, you'r really going to betray the whole Circle just so you can look at a cool spell?"