The Start of the Storm

[shardofwinter]

The god hosted Yule party left the Nexus in the state of beautiful Winter Wonderland. With the snow falling softly and steadily, and the beautiful festive lights twinkling in the darkness, the Nexus is left with a sense of serene nostalgia hanging in the cold air. This peace and joy clings to the streets for several weeks, buoying everyone’s mood as they look back on the past year and forward to ringing in the new one. 

It starts in the Wilds, and the outskirts. The cold air suddenly feels like it freezes everything it touches in an instant. Light doesn’t quite pierce the gloom. Gentle snowfall becomes thick and falls hard. One or two people looking for shelter from their uninhabitable homes isn’t too noticeable. People can still enjoy their pretty Winter, blissfully unaware. Pipes freeze solid, paths become impassable, power cuts out, simple walks become baffling in the poor visibility. Soon it’s not one or two people, it’s many, it’s families. There are people coming in, bloody, bruised and scared, saying they were chased. Eventually the kindness of friends and strangers becomes strained. Spare rooms are packed to the brim and the storm that stays just shy of the bizarre torches somehow seems to have a slow, but unmistakable march closer towards a point where the Plaza, Industrial sector and Downtown meet. On top of that, people are complaining about PINpoints acting up or portals freezing over. 

Streets are becoming packed full of people with far more problems than solutions. Huddling together and whispering about ghosts and monsters moving about in the shadows. In a place with no government, no organisation, no collaborative emergency services, chaos and confusion reigns supreme. And with chaos, comes panic. With confusion, comes frustration and anger. The Nexus is a powder keg waiting to blow.

That’s certainly how one Durant sees it. As a manager, Isidor is keen on organisation and order. Both things that are lacking in the Nexus at the moment. Groups pop up to help, but struggle to communicate effectively, or work together. Some people get free food twice, some people are still waiting for some at all. It’s madness, and Isidor can’t stand it. Particularly because she, her brother and sister-in-law are stuck here. So, when nobody else takes the mantle, Isidor Durant takes it upon herself to inject some order into this scrum.

In her fur hat and long coat, leather gloves and thick boots, Isidor can be seen directing people this way and that. There’s something about a confident person taking charge that means people instinctively defer to them. She becomes the point of contact quite easily, with people soon taking her direction regardless of whether or not they know her. Under her instruction, people are directed to a building that has tables set up, queues in front of them, and volunteers behind them taking names and telling people where to go. It might still be chaos, but at least now it’s organised chaos.

The question is: Where will your character go?

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((Below are comments for each desk. Tag any of them, threadhop, or post with your own character. I suggest putting your character’s name in the subject to help keep things clear. Comments marked with a snowflake ( ❅  ) have been coordinated with the mods and I as official event comments. The OOC Post is here! If you have any questions, feel free to message me or one of the mods!))

Threads of Note
Medicine/Illness | Shelter/Heat | Food | Security/Crime | Lost items/people | Misc resources/Donations | Volunteers | Expeditions | Planning Table/The woman in charge | Drulb's Deelz | A Ship in the Outskirts 

Comments

[prescription_grade]

"I win the scavenger hunt," Danny tells him breathlessly. He looks genuinely pleased with himself. "Got the full list."

He gets out a bundle of a dozen emergency candles and two twelve-ounce mini bottles of red wine, setting them in front of Felix. "Talked to this little fuzzy yellow guy with a shop?" He tells him. "I can show you where it is. He says we can use it. I promised him I'd ward the windows against shattering, so if you can try not to break 'em and make me look bad that'd be great."

Last, he gets out the two stones he snatched and holds them out in his palm. "And these."

[conjuredskies]

Felix's eyebrows lift when he claims to have the full list. The Imperial mage leans closer over the table as Danny sets out his finds, nodding slowly, picking up first the candles, then one of the wine bottles to inspect.

"I don't generally care for throwing my laboratory open to the winds," he says lightly, though calling any of his workspaces a laboratory is something of a stretch. "Your friend's shop will be quite... safe..." He trails off as the gems are set on the table. So the boy did find the right ones- ah, and even brushing his fingertips over them tells him they're quite full.

"Well, well. You win, indeed." He seems genuinely surprised, but he lifts his gaze back to Danny and inclines his head in acknowledgment of a task fulfilled beyond expectations. "I owe you four potions, then. As I promised."

[prescription_grade]

It's not fine wine, in particular, but it's not cooking sherry, either. It's some sort of California wine, but the bottles have corks, not twist-off tops, so they're classy by Danny's standards.

Danny is all but glowing with the implicit praise. He's even standing up a little straighter. "The guy selling them said they're troll's souls and that's as strong as they could hold."

And a couple other things Danny has questions about, but he'll save them for later. First, he's going to see what he can learn from his own Encantus. "You said the potions are for healing and cold-resistance, mostly?"

"And you promised to tell me what you're cooking, with those," he nods at the gems.

[conjuredskies]

The wine will do nicely. Given who he's trying to talk to, Felix almost wonders if too fine a wine would count against him. The best fruits of summer. Winter is only a time of plenty in the beginning; this seems more the season of working slow as possible through one's stores. But they're not down to the dregs for a while yet.

Troll souls suit him fine too; he might feel a little guilty if they came from creatures he liked. Felix nods and considers Danny: he knows magic involving souls is less... common, perhaps, in other worlds. He's been wondering how his young friend will react as he understands more of what Felix is actually doing. He doesn't seem unnerved at all now, which is good.

Provided he doesn't prove too comfortable with it. But that's a problem for Future Felix.

"Of course." He grins, dark hair falling into his face as he looks up from the gems. Felix brushes it back and points out bottles as he straightens. The potions seem to be color-coded to their purpose as he points them out; perhaps the bottle shape is significant too? It's hard to tell. "Healing, warding the cold away, reinvigoration when you're exhausted- physically, that is. This one restores your mental and magical faculties: excellent if you're doing a lot of spell-slinging, or if you accidentally push yourself too far."

He nods at them all. "Once you show me the shop, you can take your pick." A formality, really: he thinks Danny really does want to see him work, and that precludes cheating him on the workspace. Still. "I'll need some time to prepare the ritual, but as I promised, you're welcome to assist me."

[prescription_grade]

Danny's only a little bit unnerved. If he were a Merlinian, he'd probably be horrified, but no kind of magic is forbidden to the followers of Morgana. Some types are just recognized to be dangerous and/or bugfuck crazy to pursue. Souls are too powerful to be played with casually, at least in Danny's understanding. But the fact that Felix has plans to do something with them is too goddamn fascinating to ignore.

He wants to know. He may not want to participate too heavily at his own risk, but he wants to know.

"I get four?" The way he's looking at the bottles suggests he's really analyzing what he might get the most use out of. "I want one for cold, one for healing, and two for magical exhaustion."

He glances up sheepishly. "I mean, I can wait. Just calling dibs. Do you wanna go now, or should I wait close by 'till you're ready?"

[conjuredskies]

Felix has decided he likes this kid - and importantly, Danny's proven he can be a useful ally. So when he picks out the potions requested, he goes for the good ones. Not the smaller bottles or the elixirs he knows to be weaker.

"These are pretty strong. The instructions are on the labels, but you may not need to use one all at once." Felix glances at the light coming in from the crowded doorway. "Looks like it's starting to get late. Now would be a good time for me to finish here anyway." He'll pack the remaining potions into a thick, wool-lined bag from beside him, and hand it down behind the table. A moment later his ghostly wolf familiar trots out with the bag in its mouth, moving purposefully off around the edge of the room.

"Well then," Felix says cheerily, clasping his fur cloak and picking up his satchel. "Let's go and see the place before it gets dark."

[prescription_grade]

Now is definitely a good time. Danny's a little tired and a little hungry, but he's not going to let Felix out of his sight until he gets what he's earned, so it's for the best if they can go now. Mr. Slick gave him permission to use the place, not a key, but Danny's capable of unlocking doors, and he's already checked the floor out and warded the windows. And out of courtesy, he hasn't touched any of the stock that's been put aside.

There were other places to steal from, anyway.

He gapes a little at the sight of the familiar. "Oh, man. That's badass. How do you--"

Wait, no. Later. "Yeah, right. Right, let's go." And he's off, ducking lightly past a group of volunteers and making for the door. The shop isn't far off, a two-story dark green building with a sign labeled "Mr. Slick's Goodies". It seems to have escaped looting thus far, as have most of the buildings around it. Danny figures the fact that it's being claimed as Felix's workspace will protect it from casual vandals at least, even if it ends up being exposed to more occult forces.