Following rumors of more than four Arken Generals joining in subservience to Rikkira, Regalian Citizens grew more and more wary of occurrences that could in the slightest be deemed magical in nature. Whispers had already begun to spread of organizations forming in defiance of the possessed, and Silven in particular were targeted as potential followers of the Dragon, while many Mages were met with scrutinizing eyes. Initially the Arken had remained little but shadows that haunted the populace from behind street corners, but as the days went on, their effects began to be felt from the alleyways of the slums to the main street of Regalia.
In the midst of the aristocratic district, unnerving paths of decay began to carve up the richly preened gardens and manicured paths. Stones dulled and cracked, paint chipped, and song birds fell from their perches, their bodies filled with swarming maggots. People unfortunate enough to be caught in the circles of death fell nauseous and ill. Food inexplicably spoiled, and drink became rancid and emitted putrid odors. While the sicknesses were initially blamed on faulty chefs, word spread among nobility of neighbors that had began heaving and gagging. Mouths opened and writhing Rothbites crawled out, smaller in size than their true cousins, yet dead as dust. They fell straight to the ground, having appeared from nowhere.
Slowly, individuals began to see the source of this decay and sickness as it passed by their houses. A figure, clothed in the rags of a beggar. His teeth would click and chatter, his body twitching and writhing as he moved. It was one of the four Arken Generals which stood with Rikkira weeks prior. His head would cock in various directions as he seemingly floated through the streets, occasionally gravitating towards Silven as a taunting reminder that he was the one who murdered one of them.
The twitching beggar was not the only Arken General that had begun to show their powers in more grandiose manners. As the days progressed, the city would be filled with tall tales of the lavish female Arken, who had been seen parading up and down the main street with animated statues of the Emperor as she announced herself to the unknowing populace. Her form was revealing, her smile devious, and her eyes glimmering with but a tad of magic. She moved with elegance and grace, using her wall of mocking statuettes to protect her body as she simply smiled and waved to the crowd, writhing in the glory of their stares.
After her initial appearance, strange happenings began to occur towards the city center. Rumours told of people finding their clothes infested with spiders after hours of wearing them, statues moving to wave or wink at the unsuspecting passersby, and even tales of men hanging from the gallows, still talking to each other as if unphased by their broken necks. The phenomena was soon revealed to be the work of the female Arken, who would flourish through the streets with a skip in her step and a marvellous gown in her wake. Nevertheless, her visions always felt uncannily real to the receiver.
While the inner city began to succumb to circles of death and frightening visions, an unnatural abundance of flora began to crop up along the edges of Regalia's entry roads and in the wake of fire destroyed buildings. Horticulturists in the area took note of the sproutlings that grew in unnatural shapes and colors, some of which were said to form icons of small feathered dragons with their leaves. As the sightings grew more frequent, a few park-goers took notice of a white-haired, silver-eyed Nelfin who had been seen raising the twisted plants straight from the earth. The woman was said to be trailed by an array of semi-transparent creatures that followed in her steps, emitting a soft light that could be seen in the deadest of night. Unlike the other Arken that had presented themselves so fearfully, the Cielothar oddly appeared with no signs of malice, and Regalian citizens who caught sight of the glowing Nelfin cautiously wondered what the goals of this woman might be.
As more and more strange occurrences happened throughout the city, civilians were becoming acutely aware that the Dragon's presence could not be ignored. There were still Arken that had yet to be discovered--gold and silver-eyed individuals who had the ability to hide among the general populace if they wanted to. How the city would decide to address the mounting situation was yet to be decided, as the usual Regalian Newspapers fell deadly silent against the looming threats.
OOC Notes:
In the midst of the aristocratic district, unnerving paths of decay began to carve up the richly preened gardens and manicured paths. Stones dulled and cracked, paint chipped, and song birds fell from their perches, their bodies filled with swarming maggots. People unfortunate enough to be caught in the circles of death fell nauseous and ill. Food inexplicably spoiled, and drink became rancid and emitted putrid odors. While the sicknesses were initially blamed on faulty chefs, word spread among nobility of neighbors that had began heaving and gagging. Mouths opened and writhing Rothbites crawled out, smaller in size than their true cousins, yet dead as dust. They fell straight to the ground, having appeared from nowhere.
Slowly, individuals began to see the source of this decay and sickness as it passed by their houses. A figure, clothed in the rags of a beggar. His teeth would click and chatter, his body twitching and writhing as he moved. It was one of the four Arken Generals which stood with Rikkira weeks prior. His head would cock in various directions as he seemingly floated through the streets, occasionally gravitating towards Silven as a taunting reminder that he was the one who murdered one of them.
The twitching beggar was not the only Arken General that had begun to show their powers in more grandiose manners. As the days progressed, the city would be filled with tall tales of the lavish female Arken, who had been seen parading up and down the main street with animated statues of the Emperor as she announced herself to the unknowing populace. Her form was revealing, her smile devious, and her eyes glimmering with but a tad of magic. She moved with elegance and grace, using her wall of mocking statuettes to protect her body as she simply smiled and waved to the crowd, writhing in the glory of their stares.
After her initial appearance, strange happenings began to occur towards the city center. Rumours told of people finding their clothes infested with spiders after hours of wearing them, statues moving to wave or wink at the unsuspecting passersby, and even tales of men hanging from the gallows, still talking to each other as if unphased by their broken necks. The phenomena was soon revealed to be the work of the female Arken, who would flourish through the streets with a skip in her step and a marvellous gown in her wake. Nevertheless, her visions always felt uncannily real to the receiver.
While the inner city began to succumb to circles of death and frightening visions, an unnatural abundance of flora began to crop up along the edges of Regalia's entry roads and in the wake of fire destroyed buildings. Horticulturists in the area took note of the sproutlings that grew in unnatural shapes and colors, some of which were said to form icons of small feathered dragons with their leaves. As the sightings grew more frequent, a few park-goers took notice of a white-haired, silver-eyed Nelfin who had been seen raising the twisted plants straight from the earth. The woman was said to be trailed by an array of semi-transparent creatures that followed in her steps, emitting a soft light that could be seen in the deadest of night. Unlike the other Arken that had presented themselves so fearfully, the Cielothar oddly appeared with no signs of malice, and Regalian citizens who caught sight of the glowing Nelfin cautiously wondered what the goals of this woman might be.
As more and more strange occurrences happened throughout the city, civilians were becoming acutely aware that the Dragon's presence could not be ignored. There were still Arken that had yet to be discovered--gold and silver-eyed individuals who had the ability to hide among the general populace if they wanted to. How the city would decide to address the mounting situation was yet to be decided, as the usual Regalian Newspapers fell deadly silent against the looming threats.
OOC Notes:
- The Arken Generals are being released now to crank up the fear factor of the Dragon's possession.
- Families with houses in the Noble District are encouraged to roleplay out the consequences of the decay, but this is not a requirement. Note that not all of their food will spoil; this is just a temporary occurrence by the work of the twitching Arken, meaning they will not starve.
- Characters may claim that they have seen the effects of the three Arken, but not that they have seen the Arken themselves until they are revealed in-character. The female Arken will have been obscured by her mannequins during her parade.
- To reiterate from the previous post, these characters are /killable/ IC, as long as they are targeted by proper resistance groups with an actual plan of approach, and not just a random stabbing in the street. Remember, Arken are formidable mages with access to various forms of unknown Magics.
