tdm 03

[thestewards]

Oh we were comin' around You threw me back down
You had my trust in your hands You gave it up again

► All TDM threads may be considered canon provided both parties agree and are accepted into the game.

► Canon threads may be redeemed for influence and reputation depending on how you solve the issue at hand or how you engage with the prompt. They also count toward AC.

► Feel free to switch up your character's Jewel from thread to thread. Get a feel for how a Birthright Jewel may limit or enhance your character's abilities.

VIGILANDEN JUSTICE
Newcomers may have heard: just two weeks ago, the Blood attempted to sabotage the power plant just outside the city. For a brief time, the city plunged into darkness and during that time, Councilwoman Vera was shot and killed in the Old Town Bazaar by a young landen man. A small flower now grows where she died. No matter how many times it’s torn up, it grows back.

Following these events, the Strangers overwhelmingly chose to aid the power plant that keeps the lights on. With the perception that the Strangers are on their side, young landen men and women have grown bold. In the night, they creep into River East, where the Blood live.

Some of these gangs of landens do little more than paint Guild symbols on the walls of Blood homes: a hexagon with circles at each joint for the Guilds as a whole, the Tinker's hammer, the needle and jewel of the Crafters, the double-arrow of the Hunter Guild. They cover walls with incendiary words—words like bleeder and bastard.

Others are not so kind. They bring portable muters with them and break into homes. They steal both precious and mundane possessions, frighten children, and terrify parents. They go to the single altar in Draega and smash the treasures of the Blood’s faith, knocking over candles and lighting tapestries that honor the Darkness on fire.

Have you friends in Draega already? Perhaps you met someone at breakfast at the Queen’s Residence, and now as you walk the streets together, you come across one of these landen gangs. The news is full of reports about what they’re doing. Now, it seems, the choice is yours. Do you stop them or join them? The Queen has asked you to help broker peace between the landens and the Blood, but she’s also given you the worst freedom of all: that of choice. Perhaps you think it best to support these gangs in their desire to even the odds against the Blood.


WARM FRONT
The explosion at the power plant caused a surge of power that damaged elektriline heaters in homes across Draega, leaving many in the cold. The Queen, seeing her people in need, immediately dispatched her court to provide heating spells for these homes. She also asked the Strangers, both those still living at her residence and those living throughout the city, to lend their aid, too.

Members of the First Circle provide a quick lesson on how to cast warming spells. These can be wrapped around people or attached to items, such as small stones or large ovens. Depending on how much power is infused into the spell, it can last for an hour or two or upwards of a few days (especially when cast by a darker Jewel).

Many in the First Circle insist on going to the homes in River East—the Blood homes, places where they are more likely to be welcomed. Some certainly choose this because being around the landens makes them nervous and uneasy, but some outright refuse to help the landens, especially those who live in River North where the Guilds do their business. Prince Barret and Lords Jared and Yarl in particular won’t go to the landen parts of town, leaving you and your partner to canvas Old Town, River North, and perhaps even the slums to see if anyone would like your help.

Certainly, this will not be easy, and the Queen has promised a silver mark for each household you and your partner help.


POISONED GNATURE
Warmer weather claws its way across the land, lifting the temperatures above freezing for the first time in months. While much of the city reacts with relief, and the air in the Bazaar improves in spite of the violence and tension that hovers over the city like a black cloud, the farmers outside the city walls are dealing with their own troubles: cold-resistant mosquitoes carrying disease from the frigid mountains of Askavi.

Stagnant water fills troughs and furrows in the earth, becoming a toxic breeding ground for more of these awful pests. The mosquitoes have little interest in humans, but they’re hungry for animal blood. Most animals bitten by the mosquitoes die within a day, their meat rendered inedible.

Food is already scarce and stores run thin. If more animals die, people won’t just be a little hungry or disappointed in the tasteless porridge many are serving as a hold over until summer, they will starve.

The landen Guilds provide a thick, smelly paste that can be spread over the animals, and the Queen requests the Strangers aide the farmers. She, too, can be found working among the stables with Prince Verim or Prince Allairavar at her side, doing her part to ensure the city remains fed.


AIR TIME
Whether you catch the news on a Far-caster in the city or you're spinning the dial on your own device, you'll hear…

etiquette with evandra and aren
[Evandra's voice is a little bit rough and a little bit husky, the kind of voice that gives bad ideas to young men and headaches to fathers.] …understanding that some people— [She’s being polite about it, but she definitely means the Strangers.] —don’t know how to address a Queen!

[Aren’s voice is chipper and bright. He sounds more like an eager boy than the full-grown man he is.] Quite right, Evandra. For Blood females, remembering titles is easy. Every witch you meet should be addressed as Lady.

[Evandra sounds a little surprised.] Even though male castes have different titles of address, a witch is always called Lady?

[Aren:] That she is! A working Healer or Priestess should be addressed by their caste, but if you’re just being polite in casual conversation, calling her “Lady” is enough!

[Evandra:] As they say: whether warm or rainy, when you meet on the street, you address her as Lady.

the weather
[A soft-spoken man’s voice rumbles out of the Far-caster. He’s pleasant to listen to, with a soothing cadence to his voice.] …rains coming out of Askavi over the next week. Farmers are advised to cover their plants. When outside in the rain, Blood should shield and landens should wear heavy cloaks to protect their skin. Worried about lesions from the rains? The Medicos have a new salve that…

the news
[The man speaks at a brisk pace, hurried and harried as though he has too much to say and not enough time to say it.] …appointing someone new to the Ebon Council?

[Another man, nasally in tone. He doesn’t sound rushed so much as put upon.] It’s hard to say, Garret. With the Strangers in the city, it’s likely that Lord Grejor is waiting to see if any are willing to bring the young assassin to justice.

[Garret:] The landen who killed Councilwoman Vera is a member of the Crafter Guild and is currently being held by the Queen. There have been reports that the Queen means to implement some new process for judging offenses by the end of the week…

Comments

Ettiquette

[butforafew]

[The Far-casters wouldn't be out of place in the Empire. Much of the technology here wouldn't be out of place in the Empire, which makes those pieces that don't line up all the more jarring.

Still, it makes responding easy enough, and if it's a little bit paranoid to respond with audio alone, well. Emily's earned that bit of paranoia.]

I think that depends on whether anyone who would take offense and can do anything about it is listening.

hahaha oh I hadn't realized how much I missed these two

[sinistral]

He'd expected that his actions would draw stares or comments. Any intervention would, he thinks, but doubly so a man moving the way he moves. He definitely prefers to stay out of sight rather than in it but it had been a situation that couldn't wait. And now he'll just have to deal with the consequences.

Namely, the woman striding over to him looking like she very much wants something. Has he seen her before? Possibly. But he's seen a lot of people who he's never met before lately, so there's no telling for sure.

"Training," he says, trying to both brush off the question and brush her off. Whether she'll let it or him go, though, that's another matter. "A lot of training."

[4hearts]

Evie blinked. The idea of no titles at all.... "How would someone know who was in charge?" she asked, blurting the words before she could consider them. Then, she paused, eyes downcast. "Where I come from, there were two lands. One where some people had titles, but the titles didn't matter. Hierarchy was based on who could take the most and keep it. The other was ruled by a King and Queen, and their son, the Prince. There was law and order, within the hierarchy established by the Royalty. Princesses and Princes were more like a council, but even there, there were class distinctions."

She looked to the person. "Is there no hierarchy of society where you come from?" The idea was fascinating, at least in theory. Evie had dealt with social and political strata for as long as she'd been aware. Treat it like when you first got to Auradon, and had to learn a whole new set of rules. The open-mindedness then had served her well, after all.

"I'm Evie, by the way." She smiled warmly at the newcomer.

[4hearts]

Evie could handle herself quite well, whether or not Guts realized it. Her swordsmanship had kept her safe from pirates, even if the way she wielded a saber wasn't the most effective use of the weapon. The impassivity of his expression struck a nerve. How many times had the adults on the Isle given that look to the children? How many times had Evie worn it herself? No more. That's what she'd promised herself when she came back from the Isle the second time.

"Every person matters, whether they're in a house or out on the street." Her voice had turned slightly condescending, reminding her more of her attitude on the Isle than in Auradon. A mix of the two was necessary here, she was learning fast.

"Thank you." As if she needed his permission. Though, his lack of desire to actually help her cast the spell grated. She turned toward the child and took a few steps closer, moving slowly and keeping her expression friendly, but not too friendly.

"Hey there. Are you all on your own?" She knelt down to the girl's level as she spoke. "Do you have anyone who stays around here with you? I know you're probably a little scared, and that's okay. But I can help you with the cold, if you'll let me. I can use some magic to make you toasty warm, at least for a little while."

The child leaned forward just a bit, and Evie's smile widened. Before she could ask the girl's name, however, she darted past Evie on hands and knees, knocking into her as she scrambled away. Evie landed hard, winced, and turned to see what, if anything, had spooked the child.

Emily Kaldwin | Dishonored 2

[butforafew]

I. Vigilanden Justice
If pressed for an explanation of why she's out late at night when there's been a rash of violence in the city, Emily will swear that she simply wanted something to drink and maybe a little gossip. That she's minding her business, heading back from the tavern, and not at all out looking to run across one of the gangs that has been terrorizing civilians under cover of darkness. That her choice of neighbourhood to walk through is entirely and perfectly coincidental.

It isn't, of course, and the jolt that runs up her spine when she hears breaking glass and raised voices - a man barking orders, a woman pleading, the high, thin cry of a young child - is as much excitement as outrage.

"Go find the guard," she directs the nearest passer-by, only vaguely recognizing another Stranger out enjoying the night, and turns on her heel to dart down the nearest alley towards the sounds of violence.

II. Poisoned Gnature
The work is disgusting. It's also entirely necessary, and despite the aristocratic manners that seep in when Emily is at ease, she hasn't protested it once, hasn't idled, hasn't taken more than the necessary breaks to get some food and water and not keel over from the stink of the paste. She's seen too much of the horrors of plague spread by vermin to be anything other than serious, even if this wasn't at all what she'd been expecting to find herself doing when she made the bargain that brought her here.

She's checking over a young nanny goat to make certain she hasn't left any bare spots that might leave the creature vulnerable to hungry insects when one of said insects whines past her ear - the hundredth that day, or perhaps the thousandth. Her hand snaps up, crushing the mosquito mid-flight, and she opens her hand to inspect the small, crumpled wings embedded in the stinking gunk coating her palm.

"This feels like a half-measure. We need to do something about their breeding grounds, or this will all come to nothing."

III. Weather
[Emily's sipping a cup of coffee, weilding the caffeine like a bludgeon against the midday lethargy that comes of late nights and early mornings, and only half listening to the Far-caster. Half the broadcasts are nonsense, and even those that aren't often wind up giving her a headache, between the unfamiliar terms and the labyrinthine politics that almost make her long for the simplicity of fighting back against a coup staged by a madwoman.

The talk of dangerous weather catches her attention, though, and she regards the device with a faint frown, brow knit.]

Askavi...isn't that where the miniature bloodflies are coming from?

[What void-sent horrors did they put in the water over there?]

[sinistral]

There's nothing for it except to interrupt the altercation. Fortunately he's able to do so without seriously harming anyone; he tries not to do that anymore. It would've been easier to simply kill them but though Bucky doesn't really understand the nuances of the political landscape here, he is trying not to make that his default course of action. He doesn't have to live that sort of life anymore, he thinks.

He's not unaware of being approached, but decides to let it happen. He's pretty sure he can slip away from her at a moment's notice; she doesn't move like anything other than a normal person. Bucky's not even sure why he's allowing the interaction, save that he does need information about this place and there's something to be gained in firsthand interactions.

"There is no one like me." Not the full truth, but not entirely a lie either. And it's certainly truthful enough for this place, he thinks, watching the way her eyes linger on his arm. It's not the first look it's gotten and he doubts it'll be the last either.

[garmr]

He allows himself to get lost in the repetitive motion for a little while, rubbing the paste into the big, twitching flanks in front of him. The horse seems to have calmed down after her initial reticence, enough to look away at other things and let the work be done.

"Imagine the smell is to keep the bugs off. The Guilds said a plague is what's been killin' them."

Or at least, that's his understanding of it.

[garmr]

He doesn't respond. The condescension was a little annoying, but its not like he knew the other Stranger close enough for it to hold much water.

Guts stays put as Evie approaches, looking none too surprised when the child desperately scrambles to get away from them. Whether or not he was the reason in particular didn't seem to cross his mind. The history of the place and a bit of personal experience was enough for him to understand why she'd reject the help.

"Guess she doesn't like strangers," he remarks, before looking behind them with a sharp eye.

What does cross his mind was the possibility that they were getting eerily near to someone's trap. Using children as bait wasn't above a group of people who were hungry enough. There was plenty of desperation and animosity among the people around them to merit the suspicion. Beneath his cloak, a hand shifts to grip one of the throwing knives strapped to his belt.

"You done here? Let's keep moving."

[4hearts]

Evie scowled at the remark as she hauled herself to her feet. She brushed the dirt off her sleeves and ran her fingers through her hair. "Do you blame her? Stuck like this? Ignored by people who could help her, because of who her parents are?" Her words were sharp, personal experience coloring them without her realizing it. The only thing missing from this place was a magical barrier keeping the people who couldn't use magic stuck in one area.

Evie followed Guts' gaze as she made her way back to him. She glanced down at the slight movement below his cloak. Much as she hated to admit it, she wasn't feeling as confident as she had been. Not that she let that insecurity show. She was a VK.

"We'll be back later," she said, nodding to him. "Maybe if she sees us helping others, she'll be more willing to give us a chance." That was the closest she would get to admitting he'd been right in the first place.

She started to walk ahead, then checked her stride to keep even with Guts. "Did you know she'd pull something?"

[theladyofwinterfell]

"I see," Sansa says. It's soothing to watch him work on the horse, honestly, and while she's not much help she doesn't mind sticking around for the company. For all that he's gruff, he is interesting and that's enough to draw her to him and seek his friendship.

"I suppose it makes sense that the mud would drive them away. It would keep them from smelling the horseflesh as easily."

[sournois]

[ Arno isn't big on helping royalty, but he is pretty okay with helping strangers on the street when they need help. Sometimes. Not usually, though. And a brawl going on in a house isn't really his problem. There might be innocent people in there, or they could all just be thugs and the problem would solve itself after a while. But it's not like he has anything better to do, not really. So he lets Arthur pull him aside and eyes the commotion. ]

Oui? Do you plan on stepping in? [ Arno sure doesn't seem to be too invested here. ] The Blood can take care of themselves. This doesn't really concern us.

poisoned gnature

[thequitecontrary]

[ Mary has actually done hard farm work before, even if she doesn't look like it. Not that she makes a habit of it, but she's aware that sometimes certain things must be done. Still, if given the option, she's not going to do the down and dirty work.

Which leaves her with the horses, which works well because she loves horses. She's been meaning to see if she can offer horseback riding lessons here as a source of income, so it's good to get to know the stable owners.

She hears the man talking to the horse and it brings a smile to her face. It's nice to find someone who also cares about these creatures. Mary approaches both him and the horse and gently takes the horse by its reins. ]

I can try to keep her calm while you apply the paste.

[ That's definitely the cleaner part of this job, but since his hands are already dirty... ]

[haveyouseenmyhat]

Well, I guess it might be worth looking at.

[ why do people always want to show him inventions?? ]

[haveyouseenmyhat]

If nothing else, the looks on their faces would be pretty damn memorable. Can you imagine? A whole room of people gawking on account of some stranger biting one of them?

[ stop ]

[haveyouseenmyhat]

Well, I --

[ 'twasn't he, though? ]

We were asked.

[ it sounds like a lame excuse, even to him. dutch would tell him to wait and take whatever was left, wouldn't he? ]

[haveyouseenmyhat]

[ yes, arthur can definitely tell that this woman hasn't done hard work like this before. he figures her hands are probably all soft and uncalloused, not meant for this kind of work. shes's a proper lady, which is not the sort arthur usually keeps company with.

except...

well, that didn't work out, exactly. ]

Oh, would you?

[ he looks over at her, letting her have the reins and control of the horse. ]

That's mighty kind of you. Thank you.

[sournois]

[ Wow, that was surprisingly flimsy. Arno smirks. Now he feels bad for this guy? Congrats, Arthur, you convinced him. ]

If you would like some help breaking up fights, I'm afraid I'm better at putting an end to them entirely.

[haveyouseenmyhat]

That's usually how it fights go for me, too.

[ he charges in guns ablazing.]

c

[arrogator]

Don't know, don't want to know.

[There's a passerby's two cents as she's walking by. She's still not really sure how she feels about the Far-caster stuff, but knowing that the rain could give you lesions? That's actually important, she can't complain too much about that one.]

I just know I really don't want to end up with anything like that. This city's already a pain in the ass without having to worry about the rain too.

[sournois]

Very well, monsieur.

[ That's actually a relief. Arno will try to resist using his hidden blade, since he doubts the Queen would take too kindly to, you know, murder. He cracks his knuckles. ]

I doubt the locals will mind terribly so long as no one is killed. Shall we?

arno dorian | assassin's creed: unity

[sournois]

A. Vigilanden Justice

[ Ah, fighting. If there's one thing Arno can appreciate, it's the finesse of a good brawl. And landens don't even use magic, so he especially enjoys this one. Some bunch of thugs thought they could get away with threatening a family in front of him -- well, they're quickly finding out otherwise. He'd be causing a scene if the fight wasn't happening in an alley, but that's no accident. An assassin, after all, works better in the dark.

For this prompt, Arno's jewel is a solid Red. Really, these poor fools don't stand a chance. But it might be fun to watch as he dodges another punch and trips a man over his own feet. ]

Ah, excuse me. [ He holds up a bruised thug by the collar, though Arno himself has barely broken a sweat. Kind of a grizzly scene to walk past, I'm so sorry. ] Could you call a healer for me, s'il vous plait? I think I may have misjudged my strength with a few of these men.

[ The remaining men scramble to their feet, most of them running away now that a witness has appeared and distracted Arno. You look like a huge jerk here, mon frère. ]

And they were acting so tough before. What a shame.

B. Warm Front

[ These fire spells don't come easy for Arno. Let's say he's Rose for the sake of this prompt, which means he's had to cut back on the Eagle Vision to prioritize sparking warmth from his hands. Also he's just bad at it -- maybe ending up in the landen part of town is a blessing in disguise. He's certainly no stranger to the slums. ]

Feels just like home.

[ He's managed to use the spell on the scarf around his neck, but don't expect him to do any of the heavy lifting if your jewel is darker than his. He turns to you, his partner, and casts you a forced smile. ]

Well, at least here people will fear us equally for once, non?

C. Wildcard

[ Anything else? I'm open to it! Hit me with a pm or on plurk! ]

[haveyouseenmyhat]

Wait, hold up.

[ he turns back to arno instead of heading over to the house. ]

Was that not what you meant about ending fights?

[garmr]

[ The horse in front of him lets out a snort, as if it could sense that it was now standing in a den of bad ideas. ]

Gets the message across pretty quick. Words don't have that kinda elegance.

[haveyouseenmyhat]

[ this lucky horse is #blessed to have such good company. ]

Sure, sure. Actions speak louder than words.

[sournois]

[ What a weird thing to be nitpicky about, surely murder is totally normal? ]

The fight is usually over when my enemies are dead, yes.