usir | Event #3 A Tale of Three Cities

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🜙 Mini-Event #2: The North Winds, January 11th

	The Long Night has ended and the sun once more rises and sets with the short winter cycle. Although the cold remains, it has lessened considerably following the harsh freeze of the darkness. Krimnos, no longer having to put all their resources into defending the city from the terrors to come, has been able to clear the heavy snowpack on the cliffs above the city enough to safely begin running two of their three remaining airships. The Skywhale has been making its regular routes since its repairs the previous month, but the two airships from Krimnos to Didymos and the City of the Free Peoples have been grounded in the cliff city for safety since the start of winter. Now two of Krimnos' airships join their sister ship in the skies over Idan. The following routes are traveled once a day by each airship: The *Skywhale* travels from the City of the Free Peoples to Didymos and then back once a day, docking nightly in the City of the Free Peoples. The *Horizon* travels from Didymos to Krimnos and then back once a day, docking nightly in Didymos. The *Valiant* travels from Krimnos to the City of the Free Peoples and then back once a day, docking nightly in Krimnos. The *Zenith* normally travels from Krimnos to the mountain outpost of Preciposte and then on to Einjar. Unfortunately, it is still grounded due to inclement weather and winter threats in the northern mountains beyond Krimnos. The Zenith will not be able to travel until the thaw has begun. A one-way trip takes 4-6 hours depending on weather and wind to go from/to Didymos to either city and 6-9 hours to travel between Krimnos and the City of the Free Peoples. Anyone can take a trip on an airship for a purse of silver coins, or try their luck and stow away. Mounts can get a lift as well, but they require an additional fare. Not bad for a chance to see Idan from a bird's eye view for the first time for most people.
🜙 Thlipa's Tribute, January 11th

	As January progresses, pods of fin whales spend their nights in the safety of Fisher's Bay during their migration. At this time Thlipa is believed to be watching over Idan and many of Idan's people show their respect for the deity. Unlike the Day of Lefkokó, Thlipa's Tribute is a far more somber affair. Though she is the goddess of the seas, storms, and power, she is also the goddess of mourning and it is this realm she is believed to preside over most during the cold winter months. People from all across Idan who are able to travel will make a journey to Didymos to be closer to the ocean, while others observe the fin whale goddess' day in their own homes and cities. Ancestors, lost relatives, and friends are remembered with offerings of handmade gifts and small collections of nuts and sweet-dried fish. Small, enchanted candles are set out on boats down the river and shore to be carried out to the ocean. It is believed by some of the more power-hungry supporters of Thlipa that by calling on and revering the spirits of the departed Thlipa might gift her followers with the magic of the fallen. Gatherings of Thlipa's most devout followers can be seen on the shores or on small skimmer boats in the bay, and vandalism of fishing boats and nets that might endanger the fin whales runs rampant during this time.

🜙 A Tale of Three Cities - Krimnos: An Army Adrift, January 12-20th

	It appears that a large company of former Atrómitos knights has awoken in an isolated and forgotten battlefield below Krimnos' twin mountains. The army has journeyed together through the blinding blizzard to complete their original objective: a full-scale attack on Krimnos. There's something off about the tattered army decked in the green and gold of Atrómitos that shows up at Krimnos' gates. They don't seem to feel the cold, and their eyes, if anyone is unfortunate enough to get that close, are a colorless and glossy grey. They continue fighting through weather and injury, undeterred as they focus their attacks on Krimnos' main gate, setting magical fire to the gate, the wall, and their perceived enemies. The army can be seen using weapons, battering rams, and elemental magic to attack the city's gates. Though their eyes are a blank and glossy grey and they do not seem to be speaking or reacting with pain to counter-attack elements, it is clear there is a hierarchy and the commanding officers seem to still be silently directing their forces. They do not speak, and if captured it quickly becomes clear why. Though they appear whole externally, the soldiers of this army lack functional internal organs. No blood runs through their frozen veins and no oxygen is being pulled into their lungs. There also appear to be no thoughts in their minds, only the howling sound of the wind through the mountains around Krimnos. At this time of year, Krimnos can not afford to loose their main line of defense, nor can they risk the very real dangers of battle sounds and blood drawing out the hungry mountain hunters or causing an avalanche that could bury the city in snow. No one knows why this army is here, but with the familiar colors adorning the fighters, there are whispers in the air of an attempt to start a war. Already tense relations between Krimnos and the City of the Free Peoples could stand to suffer from this and the citizens of Krimnos seem horrified by the prospect. King Sitka's first concern is the safety of his people, and as such he is driving his army hard into the attacking forces and even beyond its gates if necessary, anything to push the battle farther from his people and the dangerous cliffs stacked with snow that tower over Krimnos.

🜙 A Tale of Three Cities - City of the Free Peoples: The Disappearance of Captain Lykos, January 14-22nd

	No one has seen Captain Lykos since the Long Night but rumors and knowledge of his disappearance have been kept quiet by the city's Defenders, fearful the city would spiral into a panic at the loss of its de facto leader. As word comes from traveling Krimnos merchants that the city is under siege from an army dressed in green and gold, the city turns to its Defenders for answers and finds more than they bargained for. The Defenders attempt to calm the rising panic in the city by deflecting, stating that the Captain is out on a peace mission on his way to Krimnos but this backfires as the city erupts into conspiracy theories that he is actually leading the attack and trying to start a war, with reasons such as anger over a lack of support from Krimnos during the city's time of need being used to feed the growing fear. As outrage and panic spread across the city, the Defenders declare martial law and put the city back on lockdown until answers can be found. The stability of the city quickly begins to fray. Chaos, disorder, and dissent spread and talk of overthrowing the Defenders and putting someone else in charge begins to spread. The city needs answers for themselves and for Krimnos and the Defenders begin an even more desperate search for their missing leader. Meanwhile, the citizens of the city begin preparing for a revolt, with whispers of an organized attack on the warcamp of the Defenders quickly gaining traction. The more time passes the less reasonably either side appears to be thinking, and the longer anyone lingers in the city the more infectious this frantic and paranoid energy becomes. Amidst it all, a Siamese with a familiar glowing adornment can be seen surveying the chaos from the safety of rooftops or tree branches, its eyes occasionally glowing blue while its tail flicks in what seems to be either irritation or frustration.

🜙 A Tale of Three Cities - Didymos: Tidal Troubles, January 14-25th

	Starting the morning of the 14th, trouble comes to Didymos on the tides or the lack thereof. The tide goes out during the night and, to the dismay and concern of Didymos' citizens, it never comes back. In fact, it seems as if the ocean waters are only continuing to recede, leaving Didymos' fleet and her fishing ships awash in the shallows or fully grounded. Each day the waters recede further, leaving sealife beached or trapped in tide pools and larger dips in the seafloor. A pod of fin whales finds themselves stranded in the deepest section of the bay just within the Sunset Gate. As the waters continue to recede, shipwrecks, sunken cargo, and unusual skeletons dot the rock and shell covered shores, turning the edges of the bay into an unending expanse of tide pools and dotting the horizon with pieces of warped and barnacle-covered ships usually only visible beneath the clear waters. Within days it's possible for a fully grown human to wade out to the Sunset Gate without ever getting their neck wet. The confusion and complications caused by this unexplainable dearth of water starts a panic in Didymos that the dual rulers have to fight to control. The widespread fear is joined by whispers of a war brought along from people traveling to Didymos from the other cities, and Didymos finds itself caught in a tense place with the prospect of having to outline allegiances if war breaks out. Everyone knows Queen Adira would put her forces behind Krimnos in an instant, but King Ardis seems reluctant, questioning the legitimacy of Krimnos' claims to a possible war and seeking information.

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[ He's concerned about Ellis, though he's not yet figured out enough about these creatures that there's any more connection between her and Alucard than her simply following him around.

But he can hear the pain in that statement. ]

Still some daylight left, if you want me to gather firewood. It'll be damp, mind. So- I suppose it's 'up or down' again, but with where you want the damage rather than exploring. Burn the things down here, or smoke damage upstairs from burning damp wood. Or suffer without.

[ It won't be comfortable, but he'll be able to survive the night with nothing worse than superficial frostbite if they can find something thick and dry to wrap himself with and put between him and the stone floor. There's a lot of meat between his internal organs and the outside chill. Alucard, though, even if he is a dhampir, is a skinny fucker. ]

Main hall for a fire then. There were scorch marks along where the carpet used to be, which means that any marks made can be covered up. It isn't...ideal, but I don't think we can go without.

[Trevor's too big for the wolf to be of any use to the both of them, and Alucard's noticed that she's sort of behaving herself at the moment. That's concerning in and of itself, but there's no time to dwell.

There's likely to be at least some surviving textiles further up and further in, so that's what Alucard decides to focus on.]

Second level will probably be much the same, the remaining spire is going to be absolutely littered with glass though. How sturdy are the soles of your shoes?

They're not.

[ Look, have you any idea how hard it is to find shoes in his size while also not being able to show your face in major cities? He's lucky to HAVE shoes, even ones that are practically worn through. ]

Should have just nailed the meat from the last inn to them. That'd have done the job.

[ The cook at the last inn they ate at on the way here would have given their companion's cooking solid competition for the least appetizing thing possible. The meal had included slices of meat that even the wolf and possum didn't care to sniff at and that had taken trevor a good ten minutes to cut through. ]

Then you shoudln't follow me up there. You don't need a thousand tiny cuts on your feet, and given that that's where the lab was, I know it will happen.

[Alucard makes a quiet note to get Trevor better shoes when they return to the city proper. They'll probably be on the road for a while, and it won't do for either of them to be ill equipped to handle that life.

There's a short laugh at the meat comment though.]

We'll request a to-go order when we head back in that direction.

[Ellis whines the sound of oh fuck no at that, taking it as a done deal and not happy about it. Which means she's absolutely back to her version of normal.]

The lab.

[ He tests the stairs carefully, pushing down on them. Solid enough, at least. Should hold his weight. The levity from the stupid joke is gone for the moment, and he just stares up in the direction of the spire's door. ]

That's probably for the best. [ There are two people whose lab it could have been. And if he expects broken glass- the remains of either of their works are going to be a horribly personal thing. ]

I'll be out here. [ Unspoken - 'if you need me'. ]

Right. The rooms on this level can be checked. Includes his study.

[Alucard pauses as a cold nose bumps against him. He frowns down at Ellis, and he shakes his head at her.]

Same concern about broken glass applies to you. Stay with Trevor.

[There's a whine of protest, but Alucard departs for where he knows the door to the spire is. So many other doors now lead to no where at all. When he was younger, learning the right doors was an easy thing. He knows what ought to be behind each one.

The lab then. His mother's, because his father's was meant to lord over the world and bring terror into the hearts of anyone who saw that spire. His mother's, because the amount of stairs in this house was a constant cause of debate and she would not be having any of it. It was one of his parent's stupid fights, the kind that never went anywhere and was just as much a display of affection as anything else they did.

What greets Alucard is broken glass. Most of the shelves of equipment are long since overturned, the locked cabinets broken into and spilled everywhere. Books plundered from shelves (but there are still a few, which seems like a miracle.) He keeps walking, checking each cabinet in turn. It's easy to lie to himself and claim that this is all practicality, just making sure no animals have curled up, ensuring any chemicals that were there have long since dried out, but it's really about knowing how bad this is. How much needs to be rebuilt.

After...well, it's dark now, that's all that is important, Alucard walks out of the lab. In his arms are a few small pieces of equipment. Five things in all, light and likely to be useful down the line. He's unsure where the other three have gotten to (and it is so strange to go from one to three.)]

[ He shouldn't have said that he would stay, because that does mean that the option of collecting firewood is off the table. They're going to have to burn something from here. And so he takes his time with exploring the rooms upstairs instead, finding scraps of what was probably a large desk of some sort before, one with drawers that locked. He can tell because it was clearly smashed open and is far beyond repair. At least burning it won't be giving up hope of fixing something that might have been saved. The door to Dracula's study remains closed, though. That's not his to poke around in.

He's placed his finds in a little collection downstairs. The broken wood, a thick rug so they don't need to sleep on the stone floor, a set of heavy curtains, the driest and least timeworn bedsheets that he could find. None of it ideal, but warmth is more important than comfort.

When Alucard emerges, he's busied himself with attending to the wolf. The poor thing is clearly spooked by something, he couldn't really say if it's just from being separated from Alucard or being worried about him or something being genuinely wrong. He's sat on the floor, stroking her head softly, and even Dog is quiet and attempting to be comforting. ]

Your dog's fussing.

You need to call her a wolf, because we already have Dog. It will get too confusing too quickly.

[Alucard has already dealt with the fact Dog is the weirdest creature he's met, and as terribly endearing as it is seeing Dog ride around on Ellis' back, the name is still a problem.

He descends the stairs slowly, eyes analyzing what's been brought out. It's stunning to see that any of the curtains have managed, textiles can go so quickly, and the rug is...well. It'll do for a protective barrier between them in the floor. The things in his hands are fragile, far more so than ever before, so Alucard moves slowly.

The wolf doesn't really calm down until Alucard's come over and sat beside Trevor, and even then she's decided that she'd rather be smack dab between them. Ridiculous thing.]

Nothing of note aside from what you've already dragged out here, I take it?

He's Dog, she's The Dog. It's simple.

[ Obviously. ]

Stayed out of the study in case there's anything there. [ Also, because it's none of his fucking business. But it's easier to word it as a risk of potential danger, because they're apparently doing this whole thing where they pretend all concerns are practical ones and that Alucard is fine. ] There's a little surviving furniture - things that didn't look like it could have anything stored inside them, mostly. Or that didn't have enough metal to make pulling it apart worth it. Not too much is rotten. Looks like the place has stayed mostly dry. Bookshelves are mostly empty. Someone's used the kitchen while they were staying here, and you can tell because it's full of dead flies, else I'd have brought all this shit in there where it's easier to keep a fire.

[ He sighs. They probably should figure out where to set up camp for the night. The main hall would be the obvious place, but it's huge and one fire can't heat the whole room. the rooms that come off it are easier to heat, but also full of things that can burn if they don't clear them out first. ]

Bright side, turns out that Dog likes dead flies.

It is not and you know it.

[This fighting is much more comfortable than actual emotion. In no small part because this is a lot, but also because Alucard's hardly used to Trevor being the emotionally intelligent one. That was...well. She's not here. So maybe it does need to fall to Trevor.

At the mention of the study, he just nods.]

Another time then. [Because the lab was enough.]

First of all, Dog's dietary habits continue to conern me. More importantly, if the kitchen is in a useable enough state otherwise, I can quickly check the fireplace and make sure it's clear. It'd...it's most likely going to be gross, but between that or the other rooms, it would be the safest for a fire.

[Ellis huffs at that. Then her eyes go to the door.]

....I suppose I need to bring the horse in as well.

Hear that, you little shit? You get to go back and eat more.

[ Dog is hissing again now. It's PROBABLY HAPPY HISSING? ]

It's- less awful than you'd expect. Whatever food was left there, it's a couple years old now, basically dust. Nothing that offended my pathetic mortal sense of smell, at the very least, just a fuckload of flies. If you check, I'll bring the horse in. [ Yeah he also forgot about the horse. ] I'll tie them up down here and cover them with one of the curtains.

[Ellis perks a little, so that means that's happy hissing.]

That's a much too excited face at the prospect of...of the meal.

[Your possum is weird and disconcerting Trevor.]

I can handle flies and faint smells. In truth it's...reassuring, to have had some of the people who were here see it as a place of refuge rather than, hm, Dracula's Fucking Demon Castle?

[He knows the wording. But back to the horse.]

Thank you. The packs on it still have all of our food, so best to bring those into the kitchen.

[ He shrugs, standing up with one last scratch of Ellis' ears and pats a wall comfortingly on the way out. ]

Don't worry. You'll always be Dracula's Fucking Demon Castle to me.

[ The horse is still tied where they left it, and he leads it in and ties it at the stairs, replacing its packs with one of the curtains. They're heavy things, thick enough to keep out any trace of sunlight, and they should work well enough as blankets even if they're not the most comfortable things in the world. And then he heads to the kitchen, saddlebags slung over one shoulder and the rolled up rug and other makeshift bedding over the other. He'll need to make another trip for the firewood, but there's no sense gathering it all up until they know if they'll be able to use the room. ]

How is it?

[Alucard can't actually judge a man for patting walls here. He's done the same in the lab.

Trevor's work means that when he does enter the kitchen, Alucard is covered from head to toe in soot (not good). He has also managed to get the first glowing embers of a fire started in the fireplace (extremely good), so the whole of it equals out. There is also a very gross and sooty pile in the corner where he remembers the trash going when he was a younger dhampir, which speaks more to habit than to anything else.

Ellis, at the moment, is avoiding anything soot covered, as well as giving Dog a boost onto the nearest counter for More Flies.

Alucard shakes his head slightly, trying to dislodge some of the stuff from his hair. It...does not go well.]

I found a number of animal bones in the chimney, but they're cleared out now.

[ He laughs on his way through the door, and it's not a quiet chuckle. There'd be an actual danger of damaging something with the sheer force of it were the castle any less sturdy. And he also hits his head on the door frame so- fair enough. ]

You look ridiculous. [ He says, dropping the saddlebags down on the part of the counter that Dog has so very conveniently cleared of dead insects and using the now-free hand to rub his head. He unrolls the rug next, pulling it over to the fire, just out of range of any sparks that might fly off. He tosses the tunic he arrived with over to Alucard - in the last few days he's had it he's been disrespecting it as much as possible, tearing parts off it for the makeshift eyepatch, tearing it along the sides to make a cloak of sorts, which was what it was being used for until he just decided on its new purpose as a washcloth. Maybe it can be fuel for the fire if they run out. ]

Wipe your face, at least. I won't have anyone saying I'm not the scruffiest fucker here.

[Witness Alucard respectfully not laughing at the Belmont smacking his head on the doorframe. Because he is respectful, and also used to it by now that it isn't a thing of comedy.]

I'm afraid that the crown is usurped, Belmont [Let it be said that Alucard isn't a dhampir of quick reflexes though. He catches the horrible tunic (it's Trevor sized, so it's closer to a towel) and rubs his face off on it. What comes off is just a giant black smudge, and Alucard shakes his head. He'll just walk out with a bucket, get some snow, and then melt it over the fire to really take care of the problem.]

Is this even a minor improvement?

[Surprise, surprise. With Dog up on the counter, Ellis is right on the rug and sprawled out by the fire, limbs everywhere. This is warm and soft enough, and now there's no soot to worry about. The ideal.]

Fuck, and here I was thinking it would be Dog who took my place.

[ He sits down, rubbing Ellis' exposed belly. Dog pays no mind to any of this, enjoying the actual best day of his short life. ]

Better, but you still need a bath more than I do for once.

He is eating bugs off the counter.

[It is impossible to understate how genuinely weird Alucard finds this possum. Or how much Ellis fucking loves that the Belmont gives her perfect belly rubs. There's nothing but happy rumbles from her.]

Did you happen to see any buckets around then? I'm not going to fool myself into thinking that any bathroom survived here.

I think bugs are just- what ugly rat-dogs eat.

[ Probably? He doesn't know what this animal even fucking is. ]

There was one in the room opposite here, I think. And one upstairs, in the room next to the study. But I'd check either carefully before using it, if people have been camping out here in the past. They might have used it for- not-washing.

I'll bet you it eats anything.

[He's got his eye on you, Dog. You weird, weird creature.]

Mmm, I'll inspect them for shit, thank you for reminding me. I'd ask if you'll be okay alone for a few more minutes but Ellis has already answered that question for me.

[Ellis is going to find a way to just flop onto Trevor's lap the minute she can. That is the ideal place to be.]

The one time I try to be classy, and you go and say it anyway.

[ Ellis is already climbing on him, though, so he's not going to complain anymore. It's warm, the rug is soft enough, the kitchen doesn't smell too badly. All else aside, and there is a lot to put aside, this it one of the better places they've had to spend the night since leaving X Marks the Spot. ]

[Alucard just smiles at that. It's small, but it is warm, and then he's gone, gone out the corridor to leave the wolf to claim the only territory that matters to her. He's worried that the wolf would be spoiled before, but now? Now there's no coming back from this.

The first bucket is, as expected, a bathroom. The second is not, which means that Alucard takes longer to come back than he ought to. There's snow to put in the bucket so he can use the melt water to get rid of all this soot and--

--and no one's around. So he does lie down in the snow and try to roll a little of it off, which seems to work. Cold be damned. Even if it means walking back into the castle slightly damper than he ought to be. Trevor's getting no explanation of this as Alucard returns with the bucket. Puts it down on the hearth. Reaches for the abused tunic and waits for the damn water to melt.

The silence is...strange. And what's stranger has been Trevor throughout all of this. Whatever happened between the castle and death, it's made a world of difference. He doesn't want to ask about it, but there's such gratitude for what it's helped with.

After a few minutes of quiet, Alucard breaks it.]

...Thank you for helping.

Where the fuck else would I have gone?

[ He's trapped underneath a dog and a possum. As far as jails go, it's not an unpleasant one. ]

It was this or the closest brewery.

From the brewery, you'd have found something.

[A dog and a possum that can be easily moved. Alucard pokes at the snow in the bucket. It's melted, but still terribly cold. He'll wait a few minutes more.]

Not trouble, exactly, but some adventure that demanded you.

Or the bottom of a mug.

[ He shakes his head. ]

You never saw me, did you, before I started following her around like a lost animal? Finding something worth doing with myself was never exactly my strong suit. This is better.

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