nysalogs | ❪ march event log: taken! ❫

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❪ march event log: taken! ❫

CW: This event log will contain descriptions and threads involving extreme violence, torture, and possible death. While we do not intend to push beyond any boundaries indicated in sign ups, players may opt out of any aspect of their group write-ups that they find uncomfortable.

Characters who have been assigned a role for this month's plot will find specific information about their groups and locations in headers below. We encourage that you thread among your groups within these headers, and as a reminder, only characters with plot roles may participate in rescue threads or hostage situations. All characters, however, are welcome to toplevel and tag in this log.

To receive special commendation and be recognized as heroes in a future post, hostages and rescuers must submit a short summary of their event participation HERE by March 24th.

OVERVIEW

While the riots and fanatic celebrating in Olympia and Wyver have subsided, neither city is naive enough to believe that life has yet returned to normal. There remains a tension among the citizens: not the slow simmer waiting to boil over that had preceded the aforementioned events, but an apprehension and fear that, despite the Royal Guard and Knightryder’s best efforts, the worst is yet to come.

In Olympia, as night falls on the 18th, their fears are proven true.

With their previous attempts at revolution through the riots having fallen short, the anti-Simwe radicals in Olympia carry out a more covert operation in their efforts to seize power. Having compiled a list of persons of interest, observed them, gathered intel and taken efforts to ensure that their movements will not be tracked, the radicals strike on the night of the 18th. The entire operation is discrete, and one by one people go missing from streets, homes, and businesses.

News that the kidnappings were a large scale operation doesn’t break in Olympia until the following day, but whispers have already travelled to a similar group of radicals in Wyver, who, fearing what a political coup in Olympia would mean for Wyver—or, more specifically how this could affect their chances to stage their own coup should Shanrian choose to step in—launch their own gambit for power with a similar scheme in the early hours of the 19th before dawn. Many are taken straight from their homes, or on their way to work.

For all their historical tension and division, Olympia and Wyver aren’t that different once the authorities become aware of what has happened. Both cities remain on the alert. In Olympia, Simwe orders immediate action from the Royal Guard, eager to win over the loyalty of her citizens by showing her commitment to freeing the hostages, while in Wyver, Shanrian is equally quick to take action with the Knightryders. The Altar of Volkkra is one of the most sacred institutions in Wyver, and the threat of the radicals drawing followers using its banner is too great to ignore.

ABDUCTIONS AND THE SEARCH

1. Radical groups in both cities have decided that certain citizens of their respective cities would prove to be valuable hostages. Perhaps you've been traveling between cities. Or maybe you've drawn their attention by being outspoken, excelling at your city job, or being an active citizen with a great reputation. What were you doing before you got snatched up? Did someone attempt to stop this terrible thing from happening, to no avail? Did you put up a valiant fight? Regardless of how it happened, you will be forcibly outfitted with an accessory that renders you completely powerless. The extremists are no strangers to magic, either.

2. Those that didn't sign up can still witness characters being abducted and attempt to stop it, though in the end they'll fail to stop the radicals. Characters who either witness these kidnappings or notice the absences can spread the word via missing persons posters, making calls to action, or embarking on searches. Characters that would ICly look for hostages but did not sign-up for the event can still go investigate, but will ultimately not find any kidnappers. All characters may also conduct investigations in locations not included in the clues.

3. With key figures around the cities abducted, several shops and organizations are left stressed and short-staffed. Characters may find themselves working long hours, and can volunteer to help the Guard/Nightryders as they're stretched thin, as well as other key locations such as the Institute, the Fields of the Exalted, etc. There are also children, elderly people, and pets who have been left without care, due to their guardians being kidnapped. Everyone is asked to lend a helping hand.

TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS

1. As rescues take place, extremists will be fleeing the following locations: Simwe Institute, the Sanctuary, and the Royal Guard Academy for Olympia, and a cave high on Namarak Mountain, or an island tower off the coastline for Wyver. Characters that did not sign-up can still catch and round up fleeing radicals as hostages are rescued, with additional details on what the extremists in a particular region are capable of in the group details below.

2. Hostages, both NPC and PC, will be gradually found and recovered between March 18th to the 24th. With how harrowing the experience is, rescuers and abductees alike may require medical attention and a helping hand. Perhaps you hope to support them with a shoulder to lean on, or by being there on Natha Station when any dead awake. Either way, the extremists may be defeated, but morale across both cities has taken a hit.

3. Healing doesn't always mean taking care of just the physical harm. Affected people in the cities, both PCs and NPCs, may have significant emotional scars from their experience. These are much harder to heal, and may not be going away anytime soon, but the people are doing their best to provide happy distractions to those who were taken hostage. Acts of kindness are encouraged and appreciated. Perhaps you can cook a few meals to take a burden off their shoulders, organize a fundraiser to help with relief efforts, or read a book to someone in recovery. A little bit of your time may go a long way.

FINAL OOC NOTES

Once again, hostages and rescuers may find detailed info on their scenarios in subheaders below. These may also be used as top levels for each group! Additionally, all characters, including those that did not sign up, are welcome to toplevel in this log.

For characters that are dying, please be sure to review the FAQ on death! We've updated it to provide more details for everyone this event.

Don't forget to submit a summary of your event participation to guide our plot forward and earn influence with the NPCs!

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Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

1. Forget-me-not
[It's no doubt become apparent by now that Mephisto is a little different than most of the other hostages. At no point can he be seen sleeping, nor does he ever look particularly tired. He'll refuse any offers of food, only occasionally drinking water. And even with everything they're going through, while not particularly cheerful, he seems more or less collected!]

...say. Do you remember what name I introduced myself as? I can't seem to recall which one I used.

[...more or less. The name he used was "Faust", but it's hard to say whether or not he's the only one who's forgotten.]

2. The Demon Within | cw: self-harm, gore
[Up until a certain point, Mephisto was holding up pretty well. He's been beaten a few times by their captors, enough so that he's long since found it too difficult to walk or stand, but it wasn't enough to break him. It's hard to say what it is that causes him to snap, but when it happens, it'll be sudden. Out of nowhere, from where he's been sitting curled up in a corner, he starts to laugh. It starts off quiet, but then it grows louder, bordering on maniacal. This will go on for seemingly hours until he's stopped -- either through physical means or pleading. But the results won't be pretty either way. At some point, it might even seem as though he's taken to forcing himself to stop, either by punching the wall hard enough to break his hand or scratching at his skin until it bleeds.]

[Even after the laughing stops, it's only replaced by quiet muttering, and sometimes outright talking to himself, occasionally addressing himself by a different name: Samael. Despite this, he's still somewhat lucid enough to talk to... but it might not be clear who it is you're talking to.]

3. Demon Shield | cw: self-harm, excessive gore, violence
[It's chaos when the rescuers arrive. Simply running in and breaking out the hostages wasn't going to work -- not with what they've used to secure them. But surely if the kidnappers are stopped, the hostages can be safely retrieved afterward, right? And it looks like this is your chance, you have a clean shot of one of the kidnappers, an opportunity to take him out before he hurts anyone else--]

[But the moment you take that shot, one of the hostages just appears in the blink of an eye, taking the attack in their stead. Whether it's a fatal hit or simply one meant to incapacitate, Mephisto takes it and remains standing, arms out stretched as he seemingly protects the kidnapper. And boy, is he a sight to behold: his clothes are an absolute mess, blood drips down from his eyes and nose, and his expression is strangely vacant -- how many times has he been used as a shield like this!? But more disturbing than that is the fact that he seems to be laughing under his breath.]

[Any further attempt to attack the kidnapper won't work so long as Mephisto is caught in his trance. Fighting him is probably not the best idea, considering just how much physical damage he's already taken... but what about a gentler approach?]

[ooc: YO LET'S DO THIS if you wanna work out anything more specific, hit me up on plurk

randomsnarfle or shoot me a PM and I can make custom starters!]

[Atsushi, on the other hand, isn't holding up nearly as well - though that may not be obvious at first glance. After all, considering the circumstances, it's not so strange to keep to himself, to sit huddled at the headboard of his bed, and not really talk to anyone or even make eye contact.

But he's not so far gone yet that he won't reply when talked to, at least.]

... Do you have so many names that you can't remember them?

[It might have been vaguely accusatory, but it comes out more tired than anything. Atsushi doesn't have the energy to care about such trivial things as double identities.]

Ah, a few. But I know there are only two I would have possibly given in this sort of scenario, and yet for some reason, I can only remember my real name.

[He doesn't sound too choked up about it.]

[But he had other reasons for reaching out to Atsushi. Closing oneself off like that was a recipe for disaster when brainwashing was involved. He didn't want to risk this young man becoming a problem -- especially not with You trapped here as well.]

Your real name should be fine, surely?

[Almost sulky, Atsushi hugs his knees a little closer to himself, a position that offers the comfort of familiarity, even if that familiarity arguably isn't a good thing.]

... Faust. You said Faust.

[No honorifics, now. Being kidnapped really wreaks havoc on your manners, it seems.]

If I wanted to tell you all my real name, don't you think I would have used it?

[He should probably it to tell someone in case he forgets, but he's not thinking of that as an issue just yet.]

Ah, but it was Faust, then? I see... how futile. If I kept that up, I might have just forgotten the most important thing.

I think we have more important things than fake identities to protect, here.

[Still, the statement comes out more tired than anything else, lacking all the bite of an accusation. Atsushi really couldn't care less what reasons "Faust" has for fake names, identities, and who knows what else. He finds it hard to care about anything at all.

But he realizes, at least, that that's not entirely natural for him, so he puts in the effort to keep the conversation going.]

... What is the most important thing?

Not at all. Giving up on the things that matter to us is exactly what they're aiming for. Breaking us down until we have nothing left but the will to survive above all else-- and then taking even that away, until there's nothing left.

[He doesn't realize he's predicting his own future with that--]

Hm. But I'd say the most important thing for me is remembering what I am. If I told you my name was Faust, then I wasn't intending to tell you that I'm actually a demon.

[...]

[He says, telling him.]

[Maybe "Faust" has a point with that... yet, even thinking that, Atsushi finds it hard to care. Something's off and he knows it, but he can't put his finger on what it is, exactly. All that wondering leaves him with is an increasing frustration that bothers him much more than it should, if he lets himself get that far.]

A demon?!

[... He's pointlessly repeating a lot of things, it seems, but that's one way to hold on - and with that simple statement, his curiosity is piqued in spite of his unusual frame of mind.

On the bright side: it really is just curiosity, with (perhaps surprisingly) nothing like judgment. One of his best friends is a vampire; he's learned to accept the impossible.]

[....]

[J-Just gonna pretend he meant to say that.]

[But if he can manage to get a reaction out of this guy, maybe he can draw him out a bit and keep the group together? It might seem like an odd bit of charity from someone who identifies as a demon-- but really, he knows he'll hold up better if the people around him aren't losing their minds too.]

That's right! Are you surprised? I bet you never expected to meet such a person in a place like this!

Mephisto Pheles | Hostage

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3. bang bang

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cw: gore, self-harm, let's traumatize Slaine some more: The thread

Yes good keep it going

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