westwhere | the chainings

the chainings

THE CHAININGS

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Escorted by shepherds, the party reaches most decadent Ephes — a citadel with a newly-raised, lethal army and ambitions of imperial expansion. The undead lady Messalina has approached the Senate of Ephes, asking for the citadel’s forces to liberate the unliving from the undead Brotherhood that “enslaves them.” In exchange, she pledges Ephes any territories she frees.

Ephes hides a beacon within the main temple of the world-making and world-ending chaotic Chained God, currently closed off while Senate leader Caius Justus considers Messalina’s proposal.

OBJECTIVE: Survive Ephes until the temple opens.

This first event of Arc VII lasts until 3 October. Use your character roles, pursue leads or nudge NPCs for clues!

POLITICS

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Politically-minded characters take residence with their benefactors and receive two iron chain bracelets, which represent the Chained God. These bracelets and the red-purplish trim of your white cloth identify your political standing and attract the nagging, desperate or aggressive public pleas of your petitioners.

You hear, hastening to attend Senate sessions, that long-serving leader Caius Justus is unlikely to earn a new mandate. His peaceful, sedentary governance is unsuited to Ephes’ military ambitions.

Pair up with party members and submit threads by 23:59 GMT on 27 September of bribing, cheating or outright fulfilling the needs of one of the politicians below, to secure their vote for or against Messalina.

■ War veteran-turned-politician Sextus Longinus wants to leave his mark permanently on Ephes.

■ Senator Publia Secunda has been struck with court summons on charges of tax evasion. The court claims it has proof she has been passing the precious wares on her ships as geese.

■ Senator Ovidius Petronius’s wife fled home, ruining his image as a family man, after he was caught in compromising circumstances with another woman.

■ Severus Silvanus was overcome by sickness and wishes to throw a party worth remembering as he lives out his final year.

■ Once a formidable soldier, Senator Cassia Floriana has been for years denied an audience by the priests of the temple of the Chained God because of the blood on her hands.

■ Maximilianus Tacitus wishes to eliminate his reputation for stinginess — while spending not one coin.

Note: if multiple players go for the same Senator, we’ll assume they had more than one vote to cast!

GLADIATORS | non-gladiators can spectate or patron

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Those assigned as gladiators are received by arena leader Laetio and housed in single or shared barracks cells in grounds near the largest stadiums.

Accommodations are scarce — pallets, hard stone ground — but food, healing and care are generously provided. Veteran gladiators are frequently measured and assessed. Strife is contained, and brawls are forbidden, while priestess of the Chained God visit periodically to bless warriors as ‘his children of chaos.’

At times, as you train or sleep, you sense you are watched. On other days, you wake from violent nightmares to see your wounds and bruises have vanished.

■ Newcomers are paired and taught how to throw fights, exaggerate their reactions and create slogans and outrageous personas. They are offered tattoos, haircuts and makeup.

■ You experience the first day in the arena around the OOC date of 18 September, when gladiators re-enact the Chained God’s first defeat and Chaining.

■ Characters can fight NPCs, each other, or demonic large beasts. These hefty creatures attack head first and thrash the arena, often striking spectators.

■ Injuries can happen when fighting beasts, but unlikely from other gladiators. The highest official attending a fight may choose the loser’s punishment, but must pay exorbitant fees for losses to the arena. After a noble boy orders a veteran gladiator severely beaten, you hear Laetio threatening the child’s anguished father with repercussions from Narula, leader of the Hand.

■ Submit a fight thread by 23:59 GMT on 27 September for the winner/s to address the stadium.

■ Other party members can pay or coax Laetio to receive their ‘favourite’ gladiator(s) overnight at their villas. Return by dawns.

WHITE NIGHT

One night (OOCly: 24 September), after gladiator games on the sixth of twelve Chainings, you wake up in a bleary haze, your thoughts and movements slow. Stifled screams and heavy footsteps erupt distantly. In pitch dark, you spot the slithering, deep silhouettes that are checking cells — progressing towards you.

■ If you glimpse their coarsely carved masks depicting wolves, you are overcome with a sudden, insurmountable terror and the certainty that your visitors are inhuman.

■ Stumbling, you flee your surprisingly open cell, overcome by dread that won’t abate until you find living company. Some of the emptied cells you pass by have been clearly ravaged. On the walls of three untouched cells of veteran gladiators, you see a wolf’s head coarsely painted in fresh blood. Hide with your companions, until sleep suddenly claims you.

■ The next day, you wake back in your sleeping quarters. Laetio accuses some gladiators of going mad from last night’s celebratory drink and destroying the cells. Servants have been cleaning attentively, with all blood paintings gone.

■ Your memories of the night are increasingly diffuse: at times you describe the intruders. At others, you speak of creatures or people from your own past that terrify you.

■ A veteran gladiator, the Beast of Brenne, is absent from the morning call. Laetio regretfully informs he perished from wounds incurred in yesterday’s games. He calls a toast to the Beast of Brenne and bans drink for the rest of the Chainings.

THE HAND

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Characters reach the barracks as part of a set of 100 new recruits. They are subjected to three days of intense training, ranging from running and parkour basics to weights and strength building, basic dagger combat and surviving hard (magically induced) weather conditions. The recruit batch is overseen by Hand leader Narula and members depend on each other for food or care.
Throughout this, recruits are made to heavily depend on Brother Narula, who negotiates and awards privileges and regularly visits for interviews not unlike interrogations. Recruits are largely orphans, convicts or disinherited — lone wolves, says Narula, who only find their pack in the Hand.

Every ten days of the 100 after recruitment, the worst performing five conscripts are removed from the ranks, stoking vicious competition and internal sabotage that Narula allows on the premise of soldiers needing both brawns and cunning.

Permanent injuries are banned. Beware blades left in your shoes and itchy, ground nettles powder on your uniforms.

HONEYED

Within days of receiving your assignments, you must shadow a group of Hand veterans and guard a Hive — an agricultural cluster outside of Ephes — during a grains transfer.

■ New recruits follow veteran soldiers into the eerily silent, vast farmland dominated by high rows of wheat and corn. You feel watched and something touches your legs and thighs. Within farmers’ hearing, veteran soldiers laugh it off as rabbits, snakes — but privately tell you to walk outside the line of vision of scarecrows littered in the fields.

■ The transfer proceeds peacefully until midday, when alarms blare, and a brawl starts near a defunct watering well: a dozen Hand veterans have gone berserk and attack indiscriminately. They are dark-eyed, heaving and struggle with speech and coordination. They seem less wrathful than anguished, desperately calling to ‘Make homes’ as they slaughter and sever limbs.

■ Immobilise the attackers, or take civilians to safety in warehouses.

■ The berserk soldiers are removed — allegedly taken for healing and discipline, but never seen again. At the barracks, Narula says the incident was the result of heatstroke.

MESSALINA’S INFILTRATORS

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Some party members join Messalina’s group as paid campaign aides. Stationed in the Senate’s summer villas outside of Ephes, the lady’s eclectic group comprises volatile magic users and necromancers, the undead and demonic creatures — who coexist in tenuous peace. It’s every wo/man to themselves after dark, when the villa walls and defences are drawn up and gates lock to prevent the indiscreet exit of a blood-thirsting demon.

Mid-summer

It becomes rapidly clear that Messalina does not trust the good will of Ephes and wants to cut a deal quickly by bribing, blackmailing, or interceding with Senate leader Caius Justus. She also seems unsettled by the Chained God, who she fears is a hidden undead liege controlling Ephes.

”Not every Sleeper sleeps deep.”

Messalina assigns party members to bolster the campaign of Maximus Faustus — previously a young, promising and popular politician with hopes of becoming Senate leader… who has been replaced by demonic shapeshifter Alir.

■ Infiltrate noble functions and learn what would steer patricians towards Faustus’ cause.

■ Patricians widely feel that Caius has been too sympathetic towards plebeians and neglectful of his own people. They want to see more grand gestures celebrating Ephes’ noblest class. See to it.
■ Some superstitiously associate Caius with the cult of the Chained God, whom the Senate leader brought back to forefront.

■ Alir is fiercely intelligent, quick-witted, dry — with little regard for humans, beyond their delicious hearts. Watch him while in public, as he succumbs to his hunger and lures innocents in dark corners to rip out their innards and feast on their flesh. Pay off or exterminate witnesses.

■ A derisive Alir questions Messalina’s plans for peaceful coexistence and the innocence of Ephes. He urges his caretakers to inspect Caius’s private home on the night of the full moon (OOCly: 20 September). You may take along other party members.

■ That night, Caius’ villa is well lit, bursting with song and closed from the inside. Scale the walls to enter and find a feast held by shadowy silhouettes of Caius’ ancestors. First they interact with you, then ignore you, then, increasingly inconvenienced, seem to recognise there is something wrong about you, before giving chase, daggers in hand.

■ On a high table in the great reception halls, you can find the entombment masks and personal effects of all of Caius’ ancestors who are present at the feast. Caius’ personal study contains nearly year-old letters of trade, reports on the fragility of the then-6,000-strong Hand and a broken worship tablet depicting the Chained God’s fourth Chaining.

■ In the kitchens, you find well-secured barrels of fish and wine — jump in together, or hear movement from the servants hidden within. You have time for one question.

CIVILIANS

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Characters assigned civilian roles may safely assume their Ephes posts for a handful of days, before the religious celebrations of the Chained God’s twelve Chainings start. The all-Father of the universe, the Chained God is set to birth, consume and rebirth the world, and was chained twelve times by the first heroes of humanity to contain his destruction.

■ The numerous priests of the Chained God wander the roads and mark the foreheads of civilians with salted ash — which briefly brings out your anger, greed or selfishness.

■ Priests say you feel the frustration of the bound Chained God. Some of those ash-touched experience visions of a heavily fettered, amorphous creature, struggling in agony in a cavernous room. Those with supernatural powers find their abilities are volatile for a day.

■ Those who ‘see’ the Chained God are brought and tested for holiness by Priestess Valeria, for it is known the Chained God chooses brief emissaries during the days of Chaining.

■ Newer acolytes greatly defend the religious cult: a great earthquake rattled the main temple of the Chained God last year during the Chainings, and falling debris only spared the faithful who prayed within.

Off with his —

On the sixth day of Chaining (OOCly: 23 September), the news shouter of Ephes’ main marketplace receives a pouch containing the decapitated head of Tavernus, brother of Ephes army leader Narula.

The shocked newscaster drops the head, shakily reading out the message stitched on the pouch: Animals die for men to live. Men die for gods to prosper. — a quote attributed to the Chained Gods and carved on his main temple’s outer walls.

Locals may share Tavernus was a taciturn man who previously served as Narula’s lieutenant in the Hand, before retiring five months prior and taking up agricultural trade.

Group up to investigate — and throw your hat in for a RNG pick to win the head.

NIGHT OF KNIVES | EVERYONE WELCOME

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The twelfth day of Chaining (OOCly: 29 September) ends the yearly religious festivities of the Chained God with multiple street celebrations and private dinners.

Popular political upstart Maximus Faustus holds his own night-long banquet, opening his doors to all.

The affair sprawls over multiple floors of Faustus’ enormous villa, with entertainment ranging from poetry, theatre, artistic and magical recitals on the lower floors to a gladiator performance and heavy opioids upstairs. Conveniently, the guest list includes every figurehead of Ephes and their main political and financial backers. Patricians seem amused but flattered by Faustus, who was ‘no one’ before Messalina’s support, but who has been generous in his appreciation of the city’s elite.

■ Sign up for a RNG draw for a conversation with Faustus by 23:59 GMT on 18 September.

■ No better time to publicise your feats or generosity. Why not have your character (including gladiators) perform or bring an offering?

■ Servants apologise as you smell an excess of musk and oud, hiding, they say, spillage from an accident caused by a fired manservant. You can still glimpse glinting trails of cleansed lamp oil.

■ Messalina attends the banquet for two hours, but hastily withdraws at midnight, after receiving a letter.

■ Towards the middle of the night, priestess Valeria asks to conduct a religious séance, allowing one person to channel the Chained God and speak to Ephes.

■ After 2 a.m., torch lights dim down, as twenty masked pantomimes enter the main banquet halls, shushing the rooms silent. In good spirit, they ridicule the partygoers, even poking fun at you with inside jokes they should not know about…

■ …before slashing the throats or stabbing some of the high-profile Senators present, sparking a chaotic stampede.

■ The main villa doors have been closed from the outside. Fire broke out within and spreads rapidly, after the rims of main halls curtains were drenched in lamp oil. Rescue some of the Senators, or help the crowds escape Faustus’ burning villa.

■ The assassins are exceptionally strong fighters whose combat style some might recognise from the Hand’s drills. They fluctuate between having physical bodies and merging with shadows.

■ Come morning, a list is found on the main hall floor of Faustus’ villa with an assassination contract for the murdered and targeted Senators. All had intended to support Messalina. The contract is signed with the seal of a ring showing a wolf in profile.

QUESTIONS

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Nice for some.

[ But it seems that people have, broadly speaking, ended up in positions that suit their natural inclinations. Those that prefer the shadows are in them, those that crave the limelight can be found there. ]

Of course, if there's no more conflict, the supply of widows, orphans and vetrans also dries up. Could leave your mistress out of a job and out of power.

[ It's merely an observation.]

So she wants to make peace with Messalina to avoid conflict or oppose her because they're old enemies?

Edited 2023-09-19 14:18 (UTC)

I believe she'd prefer Ephes not ally with her and get drawn into more conflicts, freeing all these undead. She'd prefer less war in general. There are plenty of other ways parents lose children, and people lose their partners.

[ War certainly adds to the number, but it isn't the only way. Besides which, even if they avoid this conflict Wrathion doesn't doubt another one will rear its head. ]

I think we need more information on this Messalina in general. How much do you know about the undead lieges?

[Jacob doesn't answer immediately, making a soft noise of agreement instead. Wrathion speaks the truth- war isn't the only way of bringing death and pain, just one of them. People are very good at coming up with new ones.]

Not much. There's not been much talk of them since I've arrived. The dead don't get up and walk around where I'm from, I'd prefer they didn't do it at all. We'd be outnumbered if they all did it.

[But it's not up to him, is it?]

She's got a place outside of the city, I hear. And plenty of people inside the city doing her dirty work.

Mmmm.

[ He shifts his weight, attention turning more to Jacob. ]

We've met a few of the undead lieges before, and many of them came to power thanks to a man called Matthias. He is, supposedly, based not far from here. He believes undeath is a natural thing, but he also lost his daughter and experimented with immortality so take all his opinions with a pinch of salt. His experiments ended up razing the city he was working in.

[ A pause, then Wrathion glances sideways. ]

Most he offers his gift to aren't told the fine detail. They're offered the power to solve their problems, and only feel the sting of consequence later.

Grief makes people into monsters.

[ That's what they say.

Frankly, in Jacob's experience, people are monsters already and it's an excuse to let it out. But his experience is neither here nor there, he is simply happy to listen and learn from whatever Wrathion chooses to share with him.]

So these lieges, they owe ultimate allegiance to him? And Messalina could be signed up under the same banner?

That part I'm more unclear on. I couldn't say if he actively instructs them, if they are compelled to do things for him, or if they are afraid of him. One I spoke to, The Huntress is her title, hates him. She wants him dead. So they can at least think for themselves. She left the 'Brotherhood', I believe, to work with Anurr. Anurr I'm unclear about too, I've heard it said he's an older undead. Perhaps not created by Matthias hand?

[ He makes a sound of discontent. ]

More questions, not enough answers, but this much I do know: most undead creatures need to feed, and most have some... specific power. Gift. The Beastmaster could control creatures, and use them to mind control others when they attached to them. The Huntress rotted the ground where she walked, and any with necromantic gifts felt compelled to follow her. So tell me, what is Messalina's power? I feel it would benefit us to know sooner rather than later, just in case she does have one and we find out as she uses it.

[ Wrathion is right about that at least: far more questions than answers, and they're piggy in the middle solving the problem of a place that isn't home. He leans back against the marble, looking at the city but hardly seeing it, and then shrugs. ]

You want me to go spy on her? Or do you think those little minions of hers might let it slip?

We do have some people inside her camp, it might be worthwhile hearing what they know. If there's anywhere they don't have access to, anywhere Messalina goes that is unusual.

[ He tilts his head, thoughtful. ]

Caius Justus, the leader of the senate. They say he is not... clear headed, of late. Another lead worth following. It may be a rumour, or there may be something darker to it -- especially given his desire for peace blocks the path towards conquest.

Best give them some more time to get that information. They've not had long enough to get their feet properly under the table.

[The last thing they want is to make everyone, both Ephians and Messalina-supporters, think they're untrustworthy. He for one does not want to be run out of town. Not when he's only just got back into a city, back into something that feels... normal.]

Can't really have peace and empire-building at the same time. The politicians seem to be as bent here as they were back home. Scandals and lies, there's enough of it to go around. And discrediting someone is a sure-fire way to ruin their campaign.

[ Wrathion hums agreement, considering. ]

It could be someone who wants Ephes to go to war, regardless of Messalina. It could be someone who was promised their heart's desire if Messalina gets support, or of course it could be her camp itself. Or it could be nothing, but I rarely bet on coincidences.

[ It could also be none of the above, some alternative option they haven't yet been here long enough to understand the shape of. This early on, the picture is still murky. ]

There's probably more factions here than we've been able to identify yet, and they'll all have their stance on this. It doesn't have to be a big one to stir up trouble. Someone looking to destroy the established senate and come to the fore.

[He shrugs, because none of this is evident as yet. But hopefully, it will become clear soon enough.]

At least there's a lot for us to go poking our noses into. Keeps us on our toes.

Mmm. There's definitely a power grab going on, whatever else is happening.

[ Isn't there always? He shifts his weight, squinting down at the streets in thought. ]

The armies themselves -- the Hand of Ephes, they call them -- I've heard interesting things about the general. Narula is his name. The army was nothing until he took over, but apparently he's quite the wild creature.

[Now the Hand are something he's heard whispers about, in taverns and alehouses, amongst the thieves and ne'er-do-wells he's fallen in with. The ordinary people seem to live in a strange fearful awe of the Hand, of the secretive wars of the city's protectors. He moves to settle down, sat with his legs overhanging the edge so he can relax and watch the people move below.]

Most army types are. Drink and whores as soon as the campaign's finished, sometimes during. They're not the sort of men that have many principles. Especially when they're good at what they do.

[Pot, kettle.]

This seemed a little more than that. They seem frightened to criticise him, and there are questions about how quickly the army improved.

[ Was Narula doing something... untoward, to improve them quickly? To what end? What was it Narula truly wanted? ]

That makes sense. The civilians seem not to know if they should fear them or love them- most armies get a sort of veneration, but you don't want your son going off to war if you can help it.

[A moment more of silent thought. Back home, it would be done with beatings and lashings, driving men to do better or face pain and punishment. Here? He thinks it's... more.]

Some of our lot have joined up, haven't they? They'll be the ones who can tell us what's going on inside. If we can get inside to see them.

We've tried to place people in as many faction as we can, the ones we know of obviously. Improves our chances of learning as much as possible and surviving.

[ He glances sideways, considering Jacob. ]

A chance at getting out only requires us to live long enough to see the temple open. For those the beacon doesn't transport out, however, we end up living with the consequences of whatever new disaster is unfolding. It does make interfering tempting.

The ones in the Hand could be in a lot of trouble, if something bad is happening within the ranks.

[ But he shuts up as Wrathion continues, understanding that they're trying to put fingers in as many pies as possible in the hopes that... some of them will get home? That this world won't get any worse? Both?

It seems like they're all between a rock and a hard place.]

And do we know who gets to go and who gets to stay?

I'm afraid not. Getting to it and being early in the line is your best chance, but even then you could be thrown back out later. It's volatile magic, not well understood, and the devices themselves are old. Relics of a civilisation long since faded.

[ He sighs, a little more tired. ]

Even escaping to him doesn't mean you'll avoid being pulled back here later, sometimes with your memories. Sometimes without. Perhaps a different version of yourself, I couldn't say the logic.

[ Jacob nods, and simply... accepts that. Does he want to go home? Instantly he wants to say yes, but is that just because he has a duty to do? Does he actually, truly want to do that? Besides, what about people like Wen Kexing, who have someone waiting for them at home?

He needs to think about that. And he probably has enough time to do so. Instead, he turns to the other man, and those red eyes that seem so sad and so worn out. ]

Can't control what might or might not happen. Can't control what has happened, might as well focus on the now, and what we can influence. What can I do to take some of that pressure off your shoulders?

[ Wrathion blinks in surprise at that, some flicker of uncertainty crossing his features. It isn't, exactly, incorrect that he's under pressure. Anduin is here again, and doesn't recall anything. Wrathion feels a certain amount of stress from that, from trying to keep things normal while also worrying about his safety and how he'll get him home (again). That, and there's the touch of the Huntress on him. There's learning this new city, and the looming thread of Matthias nearby. Wrathion knows, theoretically, he doesn't have to do this alone. That everyone is working together. It just sometimes feels as if he is.

However, it wouldn't do for that to show.

He shrugs off the feeling, narrows his eyes down again at the street in thought. ]

Pick one of these problems.

[ Said with a wry smile. See? This is fine. We're all fine. We're just carrying on! There's no pressure! ]

Narula, Caius Justus, Messalina. Whichever interests you most.

[ Jacob laughs at that. It sounds so easy, so simple.

And of course it is, but everyone here seems to be acting like its some sort of unfathomable knot they have to untie. Which makes no sense when the easiest way to undo a knot like that is simply cut it. Simple. Quick. No mess.]

Why only one? They're all the same problem.

Justus wants peace, he won't side with Messalina, she's an unknown. Narula was his pick before, he'll pick the devil he knows, and hope he can mitigate the damage. Or simply get rid of him and appoint someone in his place, without handing over the army.

But I suppose what do we want to deal with first? Nurula. He's the biggest unknown.

They all need to be dealt with, I only meant where we begin.

[ One focus at a time is usually easier. ]

Narula is an unknown, but Justus feels like he's at the middle of plenty of this.

[ There might be answers to more than one question there. He moves back from the edge of the roof, drops to sit on the tile instead of crouch. ]

The game is guessing which fuse is the shortest.

[Jacob lets Wrathion get comfortable on the ledge next to him, grinning and leaning back, putting his weight onto his arms stretched out behind him.]

Best way of doing that is to give them a little bit of a poke. See who sparks. Which I am more than happy to do, for the benefit of the widows, orphans and veterans of the city.

Of course.

[ Dryly, without missing a beat. ]

The widows, orphans, and veterans of this city have many concerns. I do what I can for them, and encourage others to do the same.

[ Quite the heroic feat. His eyes lift to the sky, studying the stars.

It feels a long time since he's flown. Months, he's sure. As much as he's become accustomed to living in his mortal guise, sometimes it comes with the feeling of being... caged. The fear of what may happen if he changes, if some undead lord is lurking waiting to grasp control of him.

Claustrophobic. ]

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the chainings

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