⇨ The Tourist Trap: WEEK 4

[ringleaders]

Who: Anyone, anywhere in Portland.
When: October 22nd - 31st, 2017
Where: In Portland, for the last time.
What: The seasons change as the Winter Court seizes a surprise victory, claiming both the Tree of Life's pendant and the blood catalyst needed to take control of the Severing Ritual. Meanwhile, interdimensional problems are about to get more weird. Check out the conflict results for the attack on the Circle as well as the Beast's attack on the Summer Court here.
Warnings: Individually marked!

DAYS OF WINTER↴ As the end of October nears, so does the grasp of winter. On the night of the 22nd, it will freeze overnight, and the temperature will drop for the following days. As the night grow long, world-wide magic slowly reaches it apex, set to reach it on the night of Halloween. With so many factors at play, knowing what to do with that moment of power may be a challenge. ► FULL CIRCLE: The Angels succeed in their planned attack on the Circle, managing to get to the living quarters of the Council members with the help of Ashleigh Mischief. The plan goes without much resistance from the mages or from the demons attempting to claim the ritual object for their own. Of course, when the fae make a surprise attack on the Angels after they flee the scene, it has the surprise result of the Winter Court ended up with the pendant in their talons. Threads for this attack can be done in this log. If you need mod direction at all, let us know, but otherwise feel free to NPC demons, angels, or random Circle members as you require. ► THE QUEEN'S GARDEN: Realizing that the Rose Queen is distracted with attempting to claim the pendant, the Beast will summon her co-conspirators to raid the Queen's gardens. The ultimate plan seems to be to get the Beast far enough into the gardens to kill the Queen, while also rescuing as many changelings as possible along the way. As it turns out, this doesn't go well. While they do manage to penetrate the gardens with Childermass's help, the Rose Queen, Ignatius, and Nightshade happen to all be there. Seriously outnumbered, even by the Beast's terms, it will take everything the group has to just make it out alive, sustaining heavy injuries as they go. In the end they will manage to rescue Greg universe and four additional changelings that were imprisoned there, but any damage done to the Summer Court itself will be negligible. Threads for this can also be played out here! ► REFLECTIONS: As the ritual draws closer, the line between this reality and the one you came from will also be becoming less clear. Regaining memories is not required, but it will naturally become easier to occur, especially if you're already started receiving them. It's a good time to start making connections, while you still have the chance. ► THE SEVERING: One way or another, the Severing is going to make an impact on both this world and the lives of those trapped inside of it. The Angels are going to be making an attempt to interrupt the Winter Court's ritual, as will the Summer Court and Anath's forces. Whoever comes up on top will be the ones to decide what to be done with it. Yet, with news that the Severing continuing could cause irreversible damage to the planet's spirit, it could feel like there are no perfect options. There will be an event header put up for this by the mods closer to the end of July. (NOTE: canon powers will returning while the ritual is in progress, so keep that in mind for planning - both sets of powers will be active.)

Comments

[npcarnival]

She knew he was coming as soon as he entered the forest, but her eyes still flash in his direction as if his presence is an unpleasant surprise. Well, mostly just what he has to say, really. She would take some butt pats happily.

"So, you would mock me in my time of weakness!" she snaps melodramatically.

[whattaprick]

Unfortunately for both of them, Lambert just isn't in a butt patting sort of mood right now. The despondency of the last few days has finally crystallized into restless energy, galvanizing him to move forward, so he scoffs at her petulance.

"Don't look that weak to me. Fae heal up fast, don't you?" At least, when iron isn't involved. Certainly faster than humans, at any rate...

"I came to talk."

[npcarnival]

Yeah, she's not really hurt much at all at this point. Just more tired. Her full magical stores will take a while to recover, but in terms of physical pain, she feels nothing. Having to repair herself in the first place is the tedious bit.

"...I meant emotionally, obviously," she will say. Then, however, she will just wave a hand, dismissively bidding him to go on. "Fine! What do you need of me?"

[whattaprick]

Fae having emotions beyond malice and mischief? Color Lambert shocked. He glowers at her another moment, then shifts his weight, looking grim.

"The winter court took John," he says, simply. "As soon as we got out of the Rose Queen's realm, like they were waiting--" He'll break off there, as he's only grown progressively tenser, gripping the poker he's holding hard enough that his knuckles whiten. With a conscious effort, he tamps it down and breaths, starting again.

"I want to get him back before the winter court can use him in the ritual they're planning," he finishes evenly. Hopefully, she even knows who John is, because he has no idea if Childermass might have used another name or not...

[npcarnival]

"Who's John?" she'll ask as if him expecting her to know anybody by name is extremely stupid. She's away that he's holding an iron weapon, but she's yet to comment on it. "And why should I care? It's his own fault for being weak."

She doesn't really know what ritual he's talking about, either.

[whattaprick]

Something in Lambert snaps taut at that, makes him gather himself up despite his injuries, glaring at the fae. Given what he's just seen the fae be capable of, one would think he'd be a bit more circumspect, but in this case anger trumps sense.

"John Childermass is the name of the changeling whose help you squandered!" he snaps. "And if that's really how you think about things, no wonder you can't get anything but animals to follow you!"

[npcarnival]

Despite all odds, that accusation violently grabs her attention, in a way that no amount of sulking can ignore. Her claws dig into the wood she sits on, her accent colours shifting from green to orange, and starting to glow like embers. Her wings flair out, and her tail snaps.

"I squandered it?" she growls, staring him down with slit eyes. "Men and changelings are as much beasts as the rest of them. You were lucky that I thought to aid your meaningless causes in the first place!"

She leaps down to the forest floor, approaching him.

[whattaprick]

Despite his injuries, Lambert stands his ground, refusing to be intimidated. It's easy to turn fear into anger, when so much of it is roiling under his skin. Fear for his sisters, fear for Childermass, helpless to do anything for so much of it except go from face to face that he knows and beg for help.

Although if it's this kind of help he can expect, maybe he'd be better off without it.

"Meaningless? You're one to talk!" He cocks his hip and shifts his weight, shifting the pitch of his voice. "'I don't like the Rose Queen's face, so I've decided to destroy her for a laugh!'" He drops it a beat later, exhaling.

"You helped them to satisfy your ego. That's all." And that's why he thought to come here in the first place: to appeal to that ego again.

[npcarnival]

She actually roars at him, now, which is perhaps a bit surprising. She is making a big show of being threatening, but makes no move to actually attack, beyond spreading her claws and wings.

"You know nothing of the Wyld Fae's relation to the Courts. I need no matter reason to attack, when all of them are better off gone."

[whattaprick]

Lambert would be more afraid of her right now if he had the energy to spare on being afraid for his own, personal safety. But he doesn't: all that fear's wrapped up in worry about everything else going on, and the idea that he's entirely helpless to do anything to save them. If he was the man he keeps remembering bits and pieces of, who could just rush into a fight and damn the consequences...

But he isn't. Not here.

"Of course I don't know anything, because until a month ago, I didn't know either of you existed!" He snaps back. Well, at least he can rush into an argument and damn the consequences. "From where I'm standing, I can't tell the difference!"