#Plot Drop 002

[winterswarhq]

Plot Drop 002:

Lord Stark had approached Queen Valaena Targaryen about half an hour after her speech opening the week long festivities. He was stricken with worry, and it had already been noted by many in court that the North had arrived with but a tiny fraction of the hosts they were expected to bring. Queen Valaena accepted his request for an audience and they moved to the Small Council chambers with her councilors. Lord Stark wasted no time in getting to his point:

"The Others have returned"

The statement was met with laughter from several of the members of the Small Council, but the Queen wanting to be fair to one of her most loyal lords requested elaboration.

"The Others have return and already struck first blood at the Wall."

Lord Stark went on to share the tale that the Lord Commander had sent to Winterfell by rave. The men on the Wall had thought Wildlings were in the treeline right beyond the Wall, and when the Lord Commander and First Ranger took out a team of 50 men to deal with the party, they were not met by Wildlings, but by the undead Wights. They slaughtered almost all the men, only the Lord Commander, the First Ranger and 5 of the men they took with them made it back. Since then the Wights have still been lingering in the woods, but made no efforts to come closer.

Lord Stark continued to share how that was why so many men of the North were not present, but rather they were preparing food, and horses, and weapons and were going to begin a march to the Wall, to reinforce the Lord Commander's numbers, and to ensure that the Realm would be safe from the evil beyond the wall. He ended his tale with this request:

"We need you and your dragons, your Grace. We need your massive southern armies to march North. Only if we all stand together can we defeat this evil."

After a long silence from the Queen, she came to her conclusion:

"Lord Stark, I have the utmost respect for you. Winter is coming though. We need our men here, working the final harvests. Preparing for the millions of people who will need shelter, and our protection from that coming darkness. While I do not want to dismiss these claims.....it has been a long time since the Others have attacked, let alone be seen, verifiably." A long sigh, "I will need to send a party of royal representatives, people who's word I would trust without a doubt to investigate these claims, who could then report back to me their findings."

"Your Grace, this is a dire matter it will not matter what we do with food if-"

"Lord Stark, I have heard your plea, and made my decision. I will not do anything to stop you from recruiting lords whom want to send men of their own free will, but I will for now, order no one but my representatives to the Wall. Thank you for bringing this to my attention, and now let us return to the festivities."

Lord Stark could only bow his head, while he was disappointed with her answer he would not fight her, for he knew he would need her and the Targaryen dragons. Still he would not stop himself from showing his displeasure and he did go off to try and recruit more lords to his efforts.

[rumblcs]

status: closed ! who: caroline & klaus ! @ofniightshade where: klaus & caroline's home !

" klaus ! " caroline calls out as loudly as she could after the door to their nearly pitch black home slammed behind her. the vampire slides down the wood, resting her back along the slab, too tired to move any further into the home. the site of her werewolf bite throbbed wildly as she felt the fever starting to set in. unlucky as she was, this was not the first nor the second time the blonde had fallen victim to such a thing. being no stranger to the symptoms didn't mean she was unaffected. " klaus, please tell me you're here. i really am not in the mood to die tonight, " her voice was weaker this time.

if her phone hadn't been completely dead she would have called him the second she escaped the elevator, but clearly the night was not going her way. instead she had to clamber home in the shadows while the venom continued to spread. if she was in her right mind, caroline might have been able to think of some way to get out of having to tell her husband exactly how she had sustained such an injury. having to mention the t word in association with werewolf venom in her system felt like utter hell. at the moment she was too preoccupied by trying to keep her breathing even and fight off the swirling nausea that had begun to form in her stomach.

[gabevargas]

closed starter for @leylayilmz & @bellstrom location: golden hour beach bar

The bar heaved with people in costumes, drunk and letting loose. Gabe didn't know Briar could throw down like this, and he had to admit he was impressed. The place was popping, and everyone had put in so much effort with the outfits. He had chosen Jason from Friday the 13th to add horror to the night's festivities. Girls found slasher dudes hot, right? That's what Gabe argued when he received a few stares.

It had been a few hours already, and Gabe was already tipsy, texting Benny frantically to get his ass here. His mask lay discarded on the table as thumbs continued to tap his screen, pestering his best friend. He had agreed to some dumb trick-or-treat thing with a local mom and her kid. The thought of which made Gabe shiver. The idea of kids had always terrified him, yet his best friend was running around playing daddy. A far cry from the Benny of the Chicago days.

He felt someone hit his shoulder, and he turned to see a woman in a suit with what appeared to be an inflatable alien by her feet—the things you could only see on Halloween. "I think you dropped your buddy," Gabe teased, holding up the alien. His eyes finally took her in, and a smirk spread over his lips, dimples showing. "Women in black, huh? Sexy..." There was something undeniably attractive about a woman in a suit, the power. "Can I get you a drink?"

[might1est]

starter call !  hit the 💙 for a little something !

[masenewman]

Who: Mason & @lucie-newman Where: Shopping center When: plot drop 2025

"So what exactly do we need to get?" Mason never made a grocery list. He simply survived off vibes, what he usually ate and making sure his dogs were fed. They were eating better than he was, but he had decided to help Lucie prepare and just tag along. "All we talking all junk food, healthy food or a good mix?" He was just here to throw stuff in the basket and carry water. "I don't want to see you texting me for anything you forgot, we're getting everything now."

[celayawitcher]

starter for @veseniya-tqd.

where: maybe she invited veseniya to her lodgings

when: after we farted it up on that quest

note: something very lgbt happened to us and we have to talk about it

They were often two, very cryptic ladies who often had unsettling things to say, so when Veseniya had come to the door, Celaya simply opened it and held out an arm indicating for the druid to enter. She offered a weak smile to Veseniya; Ingrid had been out, and there was some piece of her that felt uncomfortable to utilize the space, but Veseniya was another she trusted, and such list was very scant as it was. A horrid host, she offered nothing but a place to sit for the Legionnaire, twiddling with her thumbs as a horrible stretch of silence settled over them before Celaya decided to clear her throat and sit up. She'd invited Veseniya over with no true objective in mind, and she'd deduced, in the few minutes that they'd settled in their own respective chairs, that it was simply because she wished to see her friend since what they had endured. It was also vital to note this was the first time she referred to Veseniya as her friend within her own mind, and something of such fact humbled her.

"What do they do when a Legionnaire dies?" it was grim, but Celaya was often appreciative that they didn't ever waste time in trivial small talk. For Akanis, for the others perished, they had an amassed funeral to pay respects for each life lost, the Legionnaire in question included, but Celaya had to wonder what customs the Legion had for one of their own.

[theonxepialos]

starter for @diarmad.

where: da swamps

when: after the astoria quest

note: this will get better, love me

Theon didn't need his infernal senses to tell him that Diarmad had never any intention to share the voidblade with the others who'd helped defeat Lysandra. The incubus had no real tether to it either and perhaps he felt some vestige of animosity towards the sword as though it represented the corrupted Vanguard who'd once wielded it. It had offered Theon a glimpse of the future however, Astoria expunged by blighted flames, and perhaps he'd become too pleased at the vision alone.

Curiously though, marred by his own tether to the abyss, Theon verbally nudged Diarmad, who was toiling quietly with his own works, "What did you see when banished?" Seeing was likely too vague, for when the genasi had been returned to them he'd appeared burned and ragged. The thought of what Diarmad vied to have done with the entirety of the sword crossed his mind but he'd rather not annoy the genasi considering such path did not come to pass.

[aurelientrader]

starter for @strigoisak.

where: a clown tells me where

when: when isak returns from legion duties to his house gut rotted

note: < 3

"Have you given much thought what we last talked about?" Auri has never been anything but determined in any aspiration in life, and the doctor may be on such list of goals in more ways than professional; sue him. Auri had survived the fall of his entire holding company, watched another city became tainted with blight, and couldn't even return back to Avalon if the silver elvhen wished; talk about getting too close to the sun and catching fire a few times too many. "I'm good at keeping secrets," they smiled rather innocently, arms crossed, "-like that witch you had posing as your house sitter. I'd been looking for you; where did you make off to, doctor?" Aventia was littered with death and blight and though Auri had volunteered to scout the mountains from the very beginning, they hadn't run into Isak there.

[adrianvoll]

starter for @kajalx.

where: i don't know i'm not a scientist

when: a few days after the belated solstice

note: here's something fresh from a horse

"So, what did you do with the goose?" Maybe he was wary of Kajal once before, considering how they warned him and spited the Tower, but the last they'd all left off was to await further instruction by Kay. And Kay, well, he knew it wouldn't hurt the bleach blonde witch's feelings if Adrian was leery of trusting him too, but the fact that Adrian had showed up to help at all lent to the fact that he did have a hunch. All these Lysaran witches, each seemed to be a puzzle that one had to solve, but Adrian was invested.

[agnesisolda]

starter for @witchernjal.

where: njal where you at

when:  current timeline

note: my son

Agnes was trying to remain collected, she had known Nyla was amongst those taken from the very moment the Nightingale's whispers flitted through Eterna. Worse, though, she had also known that Freydis was amongst them. She had felt the familiar twinge of pain from their shared bracelet's and then a cruel nothingness, and though Agnes had made her way to Haven to confirmed such damning fate, she realized quickly she vied for help.

Perhaps they weren't friends, barely much of allies, but there was value in Njal's strengths and she'd demand him for help against the Kossith. If anything, his propensity for violence would probably translate well against these creatures, and Agnes was rather pleased to discover him, one of the few not taken.

"Monsters plague the nation again, Njal," her tone was drenched in sarcasm, hearkening back when each were brought together by Beastbanes to destroy and harvest those slain, "I'm hoping you'd like to fight alongside me again." She had some points of convincing if he needed them, but as much as Njal had a penchant for bloodshed, Agnes was also convinced he was a creature of solitude in equal measure so she had come prepared.

[juliangladiator]

starter for @freydis-freydat.

where: somewhere not too battle heavy rn

when: the fall of aventia part 2 electric boogaloo

note: momager help me

For Julian to aid Aventia the best way possible, he'd been tearing through the battlefield as a white wolf, one set free on a path to extinguish as many darkspawn as possible. It'd been easy for him to shift into some sense of autopilot, though the deaths and injuries took their toll when he found himself retreating for the night for rest. Wolves were durable but they were not completely imperishable, and Julian had sat and supported those who'd not live to see another sunrise, watched as grave injuries stripped away fierce warriors and dedicated wolves, and he could do nothing to stop it.

Julian stood, turning away from another werewolf who had offered their aid and paid the price for it, despite how much it hurt to turn away, "Another body to burn.'' He's quiet, Freydis was appointed as the helm of their group as Aurea managed elsewhere, he didn't know how to face either of the two when the light in his eyes had seemed to die, when the will to endure seemed bleak.

[casimirnoctis]

starter for @kayames.

where: kay sweetie where are you

when: current plot drop but canonically before news of the imploded ship has dropped

note: clown car assemble !

Juneau was his main priority, but as Casimir possessed any inclination to drift towards any help, he came to realize how many too were likely taken. As such, he'd turned to Fiore, Drystan as an extension, even Aegean; none seemed taken by the idea of genuinely helping beyond any recon, but Casimir also hardly blamed them for wishing to stay far away from the Kossith. What they could be capable of was a fate worse than death, chained by an a'dam that subjugated one beyond simple compulsion; Juneau's message had been a fleeting goodbye, but there was still pride within Casimir that believed he could save his friend.

Basarab had taken a liking to Kay, which made this somewhat easier, the shadow of a displacer beast almost proved to be a bargaining chip when it came to the witch and Basarab was just fine, for the time being, to be utilized as such.

So long as the witch indeed had more salmon treats.

A few steps behind Basarab, Casimir watched as she lunged from the shadows, a guttural snarl that simmered to a hollow sound indicative of a purr, her head cocking to the side as she studied the witch pinned beneath her paws, sniffing for treats mostly.

Casimir emerged from the shadows next, he couldn't help but possess that flair of dramatics even as time wore thin, "How soon could you be ready if I needed your help with something urgent?" It would be suffice to say that maybe he underestimated Kay, turning to the witch last when he should have been one of the first Casimir asked.

[devilselbowhq]

* DEHQ PLOT DROP 002

Seventeen years, it’s been.  The year was 2108. By all accounts, the survivors of Devil’s Elbow should have seen it coming. They should have been prepared — and perhaps they tried to be, but there’s something to be said for the mutations occurring in a creature that spends almost twenty years incubating in deeply irradiated grounds. Every season for nearly a century, they’ve grown larger and louder until suddenly, insects that would’ve once grown to one, perhaps two inches at most were crawling from the soil at up to three times that size.  In brood seasons prior, the cicadas were little more than a nuisance, a frustration more than anything. They weren’t violent insects, after all, not hostile or aggressive — but their natural predators were.  For nearly a hundred years, the bald-faced hornets of the Appalachia have evolved to hunt the cicadas upon their emergence — Afterglow scientists debated whether it was an inherent instinct born of sister species of wasps over history or a recent evolution given the relatively docile behavior and large size of the cicadas, only a few of which could provide ample nourishment for a hive until the first frost.  These hornets, traveling in swarms of up to or over a dozen, seek to gather as many of the cicadas as they can over the short, two week window in which the subterranean insects come topside to mate.  In an attempt to ward off these hornets, once harmless cicadas developed a defense mechanism; a chemical response triggered by stress causes the insects to release a poisonous secretion from bristly protrusions on each of its six legs and on its abdomen. Unfortunately, the response had very little effect on the irradiated wasps in the area, with much  larger and hardier exoskeletons than their predecessors.  However, this secretion caused an acute reaction in any mammals that happened to come in contact — humans included. Symptoms would appear within moments of contact, starting with an angry red and blistering rash accompanied by localized fever and an intense stinging pain that radiates from wherever skin was exposed to the secretion. In mild cases, the effects would begin to diminish after several days, but in severe cases, flu-like symptoms including high fever, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea could ensue. Dehydration and malnutrition were not only possible, but highly likely.  Local herbalists found certain salves seemed to aid in pain relief and inflammation while the researchers at Afterglow scrambled for a solution, but they simply did not have the time before the last of the brood died off or retreated underground and, with it, the rest of the samples Afterglow could have used to find an antidote. Fifty-seven citizens of Devil’s Elbow died as a direct result of the Cicada Incident of 2108. Those who survived exposure to the secretions were left with scarring and, in rare cases, nerve damage at the sites of worst contact.  Dr. Felix Estrada, under public scrutiny due to his recent promotion to Chief Medical Officer at Afterglow Research Solutions, was intent to shift the focus to the positive strides being made at their laboratories. Any efforts of finding an antidote for the cicada toxin were put on the back burner in favor of advancing the effectiveness of their widely available and marketable Stim-Paks. Public Relations officials for both Afterglow and the Governance managed to diminish criticism in the press, and within a year, most citizens had forgotten about the cicadas. Or, at very least, put them to the back of their minds — there were more pressing threats to worry about, after all.  The year is 2125. There is a rumbling underfoot, the subtle stir of a plague awakening deep beneath the soil. There are a select few who remember — those who have been counting down the years, waiting. But history often repeats itself in cruel and tragic ways and, as was the case seventeen years ago, the people of Devil’s Elbow are in no way prepared for the horrors about to come up from under them.

* OOC :

Look for an event post coming tomorrow, MAY 29, 2025! Please refrain from making any posts regarding the plot drop until the event is posted. Get ready, Devil's Elbow — the swarm is coming!

[lotharx]

starter for @etienneulven.

where: pwogwess day, in the mercury's bazaar somewhere

when: day 1 or 2 ya kno

note: i got tired of using the same 20 season 1 gifs gasp

The streets of Eterna seemed to be sprawling with everybody who occupied Lysara as of current. Whispers had flooded the streets up to a month prior, talks of something called Progress Day, and with it came whispers of what Queen Arethusa had promised in turn this year. Lothar had always been a rather stern pessimist; it took a lot to rouse the barbarian to think of something positive or hope for a better tomorrow when it came to everything he and any Iskaran already endured.

There were whispers of whatever machinations here having the tech to hopefully strengthen them to returning to their home, whatever could possibly be left of it, and though Lothar was itching to accomplish such motive, he was unsure of accepting such buffs to their fight.

"How much faith do you have in the Lysaran queen's decree?" As another red hand, Lothar was fond of their input when it came to such topics.

[ryujinseaborn]

starter for @faelortianyou.

where: maybe the silverlands, maybe somewhere else inland

when: current plot timeline

note: i just like giving my kenyer content

"You're difficult to find, even for me," one of the rare occasions he's travelled inland; not even the fall of a Lysaran city had stirred the Leviathan captain, but time was wearing thin when it came to decisions of his own life, and he sought the Wanderer now more than ever. Someone born in Avalon, but someone who would likely not be biased when it came to the bounties found within the elvhen homestead. There's a small smile, somewhat rueful; in Ryu's childhood, he'd laughed at the mere idea of venturing to Avalon yet now, as time was running out, the faiman believed it was likely a fleeting hope of protection. "Been back home lately?" Sooooo casual as Ryu ventures to ask of Avalon, but it's a hint at the rumors heard of darkspawn and the Blight running rampant.

[papaflynn]

closed starter for @nataliedcluca location: golden hour beach bar

It was hard to tell who everyone was in their costumes and Callum was tentatively approaching people he thought were his friends, and he had already gotten it wrong a few times. When he spotted a hatchet wielding beauty, he was sure it was Nat, but he approached with caution. He might have Hercules outfit on, but if he offended a woman with a hatchet, he didn't have the Herculean strength to fight her off.

Callum stepped up to her and now he was closer, he knew it was Nat. He smirked, and snatched the hatchet from her grip. "You planning on using this tonight?" He asked with a smirk, smacking it against her shoulder playfully.