Welcome to Theia!

[theianmods]

Who: Your mysterious caretakers and you
When: September 1st
Where: The Town Square
What: The welcome wagon has arrived!
Warnings: Minor gore, death




It's a white envelope that finds its way under every door, through every nook and cranny a day or two after your arrival. With the peculiar, bloodstained fingerprints lovingly applied as though they were a signature scrawled into its thin paper body, it doggedly persists--it will find you--until you open it and read the letter written ever so meticulously in fine script. It's a cordial invitation to a party hosted in your honor in the town square today. You should hurry, hurry, hurry! You wouldn't want to be late and keep your generous hosts waiting... or so says that oddly compelling feeling pressing into the back of your head. You make your way to the square, the urgent tugging feeling growing stronger the closer you get, and when you turn the corner to get a glimpse of the festivities, you find it's... not quite what you had been expecting.

The square is small, and looks rather out of general use. The fountain in the center is dusty and crumbling, and if there was ever any water in it it's long gone now. Most of the cobbled stones are broken and loose in the road. There are two long tables stocked with refreshments along either side of the walkway to the fountain, and what appears to be a small stage of some sort right in front of it, holding a large, ornate chair and a third table. The most unsettling thing, however, is the rest of the décor.

The theme is death, or so it would appear. Beside the food table to your left sits a bespectacled man wearing a scarf, but was the scarf always red, or is it only stained so because his head is hanging onto his neck by a thread? Against his lap rests a beautifully crafted cello, which appears to be missing its G-string... Oh. There it is--it's still stuck in the gashed man's neck. The poor bastard has been garrotted with the strings of his cello! Talk about hoisted by your own petard. Where his head lolls against the table, you may notice that behind those glasses, his eyes are missing.

Near the fountain is a large, wrought-iron statue of an archer, where... well, he's made his first kill, apparently. The body of a young girl with long dark hair is speared neatly through the chest by the archer's arrow, her little feet a good half a yard off the ground, now sticky with her blood. If you step closer to peer into the fountain, you'll find another body, this one a man with short dark hair, his face twisted into a mask of desperation and his gloved hands around his own throat as though he were gasping for air. Oddly, his lower jaw appears to be missing. Did he drown? There is no water in the fountain...

In the ornate chair on the platform is the body of another man, this one with his head completely removed from his shoulders. Oh... there it is, in his lap, his hands carefully arranged in his wild black hair. Wait, it seems there are too many hands, though! A second body dangles from a large tree that looms over the square, the rope frayed and dirty where it is wrapped around another man's neck, a strangely peaceful smile on his face, blue though it is. His hands rest atop the first man's, as though making certain the severed head remains still.

On the table in front of the chair rests a chest, its lid wide open and a glittering bounty inside.



If you peer inside, you will see a collection of eggs! Scaly, cool to the touch, and about the size of a football, they come in several colors. There is a note pinned to the inside of the trunk's lid--


Do you take an egg, as the note suggests? Dare you? (Dare you not?)

That pressing feeling in the back of your head has left you now, now that you are here to be welcomed to the city, now that you are here in the presence of your caretakers, but it is difficult to take comfort in the relief from the compulsion when surrounded by so much destruction. Who has done this to the faithful sentinels of the city? Who has killed the Watcher, the Interloper, the Guardian, the Nightingale, and the Keeper? Why have they been left here, at your welcoming home party?

Before you can turn to ask your neighbor, before you can wonder any further, a sound breaks the silence--a terrible, wet crunching noise like a sheet of ice breaking under your feet. You turn over your shoulder to see that it isn't anything so simple as ice. In the middle of the square is one final body, a body that wasn't there but a moment ago. She is small, thin, with dark hair and eerily pale eyes wide in terror. You know this girl, she met you on the elevator, expressed pleasure that you had been found (had you been lost?), and welcomed you home. Where did she come from? It's as though she simply... fell out of the sky! The Dreamer now dreams forever.

As you turn to survey the carnage all around you, a pleasant chiming sound seems to fill the air. It would seem that your mirror has a message for you! Upon inspection, you will find a new icon on the main viewscreen.


If you touch the icon, it will take you to a new application. Welcome to the Task Board! Here you will find a multitude of errands you can run for... whoever is running the city, now. Boy, what a way to announce things are under new management!

Welcome back to Theia, wayward children. Please enjoy the refreshments--watch out for the Nightingale's eyes, they may have fallen into the punch--get reacquainted with your friends and neighbors, and do take good care of those eggs. Or else...

Comments

[tacosgay]

So... okay. So you're suggesting we try to solve a, uh, sextuple murder. I guess this is one way to do a theme party.

[Taako tightened the grasp he held on his umbrella's handle, sighing; and then he began to walk, inspecting the bodies again, more closely. He didn't seem too put off by the gore itself, oddly-- or if he was, he did an excellent job of hiding it.

Mostly.

He did, however, make a face when he realized a body was missing its eyes.]

Well, I'm going to take a big shot in the dark here and say this was probably premeditated.

[shalamayne]

[ The new person isn't wrong; they used some parchment too and Varian duly notes it without a word. The question presented is also a good one. Why are they still here? Before he can answer someone else does and Varian closes his mouth as he listens. Clues would be a good idea but would it help them if they didn't know what they were looking for in the first place?]

Perhaps looking will do us some good, however considering that this is something planned I fear they'll only leave clues only to what they want us to know. You're correct in thinking it premeditated. [ They, some unknown factor that has made their own brutal intents known. As a message it's a pretty effective once and Varian glances around again, briefly looking under a nearby table as he does so. Nothing so far.]

We could leave but there would be little point in doing so. There would be nothing to stop them from demanding we attend yet another "party." That and if they wanted us dead they would have made an attempt by now.

[trustwhiskers]

[The warrior did have a definite point about the risk of their being killed he had to admit and he turned his attention away from the grisly scene to the man once more. He wasn't anyone he knew, but there was a somewhat nagging familiarity to his face and bearing that he couldn't place, though he was reminded somewhat of Lothar.

He considered the suggestions already put forth for a moment before speaking up.]

That leaves the question of why did they murder these people and force us to come here and observe this? What message is being conveyed here? Are those who brought us here responsible for these deaths? Are they telling us that they can kill us just as gruesomely if we don't behave by their rules?

[tacosgay]

If the message is "you're all boned," I'd say it's coming across loud and clear.

[Taako used the umbrella to pick up the end of the scarf wrapped around the nearly-headless corpse's neck; when it dripped, he dropped it back.]

Hey, uh, so, has anybody noticed just how fresh these guys are?

[He glanced over at the other men, eyebrows raised; whoever did it was likely still within earshot, which was a comforting thought. Taako was beginning to consider casting Shield, just in case, more and more as time went on.

Or just casting Blink and getting the hell out of here.]

[shalamayne]

[ "Boned" may not be part of Varian's vocabulary but it sure doesn't take a genius to figure out the meaning (that and Marrowgaw in Icecrown was unforgettable in his wording). Thankfully he's not surrounded by idiots; the man in blue has good questions though they're not quite ringing any bells yet.

Damn all this thinking. What Varian wouldn't give just to find the enemy and stomp on them until they squealed.]

It more than likely is a show of power and nothing more, even if it seems they went to great lengths to do so. Unless the set up was done by the victims and the others simply took advantage of that.

[ Varian pauses, peering over at Taako with a stern look.] Got somewhere to be? If they were going to attack they would have done so by now.

[tacosgay]

Listen, I'm just saying that the scene of a mass murder is probably not the safest place to sit around and talk, especially one probably done by... uh... whatever dragged us here.

[Taako glances back at the Dreamer, her little frame still crunched painfully against the earth.]

... or, I guess, whatever was tough enough to kill the stuff that was strong enough to drag us here, so either way, that's not a fight I want any part of. If you wanna play the tough warrior guy, feel free, but Taako's good not getting murdered by mysterious entities again, thanks.

[trustwhiskers]

[The use of again at the end of the last sentence spoken by the elf gained a surprised look from the younger mage. There was no doubt a story behind that he felt, but here was not the place to share it no doubt. If the elf was even so inclined to share it in the first place.

Of course, the elf also had a valid point in his first statement. He still recalled the ambush that the Commander's party had suffered when they, Medivh and he had journeyed through Elwynn in search of a orc prisoner.]

I can understand where you're coming from, believe me, but I think he has a point also. If whatever did this intended to jump us, I think it would have done it already while we were distracted and not expecting it.

[shalamayne]

[ Varian doesn't pick up on the again part, he's more wondering if someone is referring to themselves in the third person of if there's a "Taako" somewhere around that he doesn't know about. Either way it's not a great conversation to be having in the middle of a bloodbath so he'll store it away for later.

It's much better to be annoyed at everything instead; the situation, the needless murder, the fact they've been dragged from places and dumped into this one at the worst time possible....]

Unfortunately we shall have to go by the assumption that whatever did this will find us no matter where. I plan on meeting these cowards on my own terms should that happen, which is right here. [ Varian pauses before carrying on, noticing how nothing came out at those words to pick a fight.] Has anyone seen a killing style similar to this? It's too clean for orcs.

[tacosgay]

[At that, Taako turned to look at Varian, clearly in disbelief.]

You call this clean? Uh... shit. The orcs from wherever you come from have got to be some serious fuckin' sociopaths, my man, because this is probably the most blood I've ever seen in one place that wasn't, you know, inside of people.

[trustwhiskers]

[Sorry Taako, but Khadgar would have to agree with with Varian.]

I've not seen anything like this before, but it does look too clean for orcs. There's not enough destruction for one thing. [He's seen enough by now of the carnage the orcs left behind when they attacked places or people to know that this was definitely not done by them. They likely would have used the man's instrument to bludgeon the player of it to death with brute force. Not garrote him with a string from it.]

I can't help but think whatever did this was actually careful not to disturb anything that didn't fit with the image they wanted us to see.

[shalamayne]

[ It's a fair enough question from Taako (even if Varian has to wonder how sheltered the other is to not know much on orcs. The concept of other worlds hasn't really sunk in yet).]

As our robed friend here said; there isn't enough destruction. Orcs run wild in battle, they don't care for subtle nuances or sending messages. They only wish to be victorious at any brutish cost. Had this been them there would have been much more carnage than we're seeing. If it's making you feel unwell then sit; there are enough chairs around.

[ Alright so if the attackers wanted to fit in with the whole aesthetic of things, then that meant..... Varian frowns, idly cracking the joints in his neck as he tries to think it through. This is starting to feel a bit above his paygrade.] They were familiar with the victims and this place?

I'm sorry for my speed, and also for Taako. Just in general.

[tacosgay]

I think what he means is more like... they did the messy deed this way to make a point, right? So they left everything else alone, because anything else would've been a distraction.

[... okay, so apparently they are definitely talking about very different orcs here. Sure, orcs aren't known for their finesse, but the ones he's met weren't brainless smash machines by any measure. Hell, Killian is more competent just... in general than Taako himself.

Though, that's not really saying all that much, as far as Taako's concerned.]

I'm... fine, okay, I'm just saying calling this whole situation clean is kind of a stretch.

... I gotta say, though, kind of, uh, questionable that your first thought was hey, did orcs do this? That sounds a little bit racist to me, if I'm being honest here.

[trustwhiskers]

[Khadgar gives the elf a bemused look at that last statement.]

Exactly.

As for jumping to the conclusion it could have been orcs, it's a matter of perspective. [If Taako had ever actually witnessed the carnage orcs could cause, and was aware of the peace that Azeroth had been enjoying before their arrival..well, as he'd said, such things could give a person a whole new perspective on things.]

It's not racist when they have a history of attacking humans with no provocation. Well, most of them anyway. I'll admit that there are decent ones that would be just as horrified by this as we are.

[shalamayne]

[ Varian has heard that question on orcs before now, normally from his own son and phrased differently. The nuances of it all aren't lost on him and the King of Stormwind slowly and silently counts backwards from five before opting to answer. Sometimes his temper can still get the better of him, even after the gilnean intervention.]

Some may think it's questionable and it is their right to do so. [ He pauses, turning to Taako and crouching slightly so he's at least at eye-level when he speaks next.] When Orcs stop murdering my people and destroying their lands like barbarians, I'll stop treating them as such. They have had multiple opportunities given to them - including peace summits - and every time it is thrown back in our faces and it's my people who end up paying that price.

[tacosgay]

Hey--

[Taako threw up his hands almost defensively between himself and Varian, taking a step back.]

Hey, hey, hey, look, I'm not a political kind of elf, okay, I'm just saying. You do you, Booboo, I'm not gonna tell you how to handle your orc problems or anything. I just... know some orcs back home who are pretty chill, is all. Apparently the orcs where you're from are less chill, that's a problem, I get it, you do... whatever it is you do and I'll just. Be here, trying not to get killed, okay?