london ♔ welcome to the second reel

[wynn]

WHO || Wynn, Francesca, Lydia, Will, Cora, Sam, Dean, Helen, Tia, Val'drin, Sydney, Carol, Archer, Faith, Fiona, Rose, Eric, Lila, Sark  [Closed]
WHAT || Heartless Mission Briefing
WHERE || Knights HQ, the briefing room
WHEN || Feb 26th, shortly before 4pm [back dated]
HOW || Actionspam. Single thread, don't worry about maintaining tagging order.

Instead of being directed to come to the Round Table, this group is instructed to meet at the downtown London Headquarters, told that this meeting has to do with the Children of Chaos, and that while only Francesca, Lydia, Will, Cora, Sam, and Sydney will be going into the field, Wynn would like input from everyone who has interacted with the cult in the past couple years.

For those who haven't yet been there, the main lobby area boasts an impressive silver dragon statue, about seven feet tall, immediately to the right of the entrance. The room is done in comforting wood and mahogany tones, and there's an array of tables and chairs across the room to the right, as well as a small piano. Statues of King Arthur and Lancelot flank the hallway that continues straight beyond the lobby, and there's a staircase leading up, with wooden dragon-shaped banisters, immediately beyond the bathroom door to the right.

On the left are two doors, and one of them leads into a room which also has a small reception window open, where they are received Between the doors hangs an ornate blue and silver tapestry with even more dragon imagery. It is an exercise in subtlety all around.

The woman working reception directs them each to head up the steps to the third floor, head to the end of the hall and take a right to the holo-room.

Yeah, that's right. They have a holo-room.

Walking in, it's possible to find Wynn standing over the much smaller holographic table, Tia, Eric, Faith, and Val'drin already in attendance.  

On the table sit two idols: both carved from hardwood, stained a deep, rich shade of brown.  Both are approximately 8 inches tall and 5 inches around at the thickest point, depicting a naked men standing with their arms at their sides.  One is emaciated and the other is obese.  Their faces are either horribly disfigured, or they're wearing masks.

There's someone else in attendance as well...

Comments

[bittersweeter]

Sounds like you have a stalker, Syd.

[certainproclivity]

[Sark lets his gaze settle on Lila for a moment, but his expression is still eerily blank, suggesting nothing other than him turning to look at her because she'd spoken.]

I suppose I have more to prove than I expected. [whatever that means...

and he settles back into his chair to wait for the rest of the group, brushing away the moment as if it never happened.]

[superswank]

[ syd doesn't unsettled by the stalker remark, because there's really nothing in his demeanor to suggest that he isn't just... being honest. she's more bothered by the fact that she had managed to convince herself that maybe she hadn't lost anything, or much. this was the first time she'd been confronted with any real evidence to the contrary, and it felt a great deal like someone had pulled the rug out from under her. she manages to pull herself together nicely though, having a seat primly, even as she responds: ] It looks like we'll at least have some... catching up to do.

[immuno]

[ After a moment's thoughtful silence, Lydia raises one hand and loudly suggests, ] How about we catch up on the murder statues first?

[mydesigns]

That sounds great. [not hear for y'all's episode of as the world turns tbh. lemon goes over to lila and tries to stick his nose up her skirt.]

[certainproclivity]

[Sark glances at Wynn.] Is this everyone?

[bittersweeter]

[ looking at her watch, she gently crosses her legs. lemon, child, no. ] No.

[ presumably it's supposed to be everyone that's been involved in the children of chaos so they're at least missing two people from lila's mission. ]

[wynn]

Not quite. [ wynn assents ] It shouldn't be long now.

[socialgraces]

[ strolling in at the last minute, the sharp clicking of heels announces francesca's presence before she takes her place around the hologram table, probably near sydney and... val'drin, because she's dumb. her eyes briefly scan the crowd, lingering on one or two familiar faces. she offers will graham half a smile in greeting, then turns her attention to the hologram man in the center of the table, without saying much of anything. ]

[missindependent]

[ annnd fiona will come in a minute or two later, slightly winded after running up three flights of stairs, a grin plastered on her face. she raises her sunglasses, using them to push her hair back as she rests them on top of her head. then someone else crosses the threshold, right at her heels. it's faith (surprise!), and clearly they just raced up the stairs, because they're immature and stupid. always. ]

[daredtobelieve]

[This is possibly the largest briefing that Helen's attended (besides the Andres one but that hardly counts). She didn't expect to be dead last, but she was probably busy doing something very important and science-y. Don't judge. You don't know her life.

She'll just find a quiet spot along the wall to stand, giving Wynn a nod and small smile of apology for her tardiness.]

[certainproclivity]

[Sark looks to Wynn for confirmation that this is everyone and once he gets it, he stands up and clears his throat, folding his arms behind his back. Everything about him is the picture of someone who has done this a hundred times.]

Ladies and gentleman, I bid you welcome. [The greeting's a bit too formal for this group, but it's habitual.] My name is Julian Sark, and, like all of you here today, I have also had dealings with the Children of Chaos. I've learned enough that Wynnefalshond believes I can help piece together the last bits of the puzzle, and put a stop to this cult once and for all.

[bittersweeter]

[ she gives into the puppy dog eyes and pulls some treats out of her pocket to feed him. cat treats bc she's a cat lady.

her research into the children of chaos hasn't been overly extensive -- she's busy being obsessed with how to get amara out of her life, okay, she has other much more pressing priorities than some janus worshipping freak cult. she's just endlessly bitter because of the peterson hostage debacle, which is the only reason she gives sark most of her attention. ]

So what have you learned?

[impetere]

[Cora will also tear her attention away from the dog and up to Sark with an expectant eyebrow raise. Dump the exposition and get to the point is basically what it's saying, but Cora is a get-to-the-point kind of girl as a rule. She doesn't really have the patience for a lot of fluff.]

[wynn]

As I'm certain most of you are by now aware, the Children of Chaos have been growing increasingly active over the last couple years. Initially, they made a move directly involving us, that included the theft of artifacts from the home of our curator and archivist, Sir Petersen. [ he nods at grant, who's also here, i forgot herp. ] These artifacts were later used on two separate occurrences to wreak havoc in their activation. [ he nods to the two idols ] We managed to recover them and minimize the damage, but until recently, had been uncertain as to whether there was a great purpose to this beyond the cult's given aim of spreading chaos.

It was only recently that a series of murders began occurring here in London: murders of the cult members themselves, each involving the removal of the victim's heart. Five such murders have thus far occurred, but I fear this is only the beginning of their plans. [ he nods to sark ] Mr. Sark, if you will.

[certainproclivity]

[Sark gestures to the two idols himself.] These two artifacts are a matched set. Those of you who have seen them up close will know that each one has an inscription on it- one that likely didn't make any real sense. There's a reason for that. When fit together, they form a line of full verse, which unlocks a third ritual.

[I sincerely hope the hologram is activating right now to illustrate his point. That would be badass.]

The third ritual is, ultimately, what Nicholas St. Andrews is truly after. Chaos is not his objective- it's merely the carrot he uses to lure people into his cult. [his expression twists into something subtle and unpleasant.]

[impetere]

[With a nat 20 wisdom check Cora remembers exactly what was on her mission team's half of the totems, and she's shifting forward to get a better look at Sark as she asks the question.]

Our's said something about a "he" returning to do "unholy" acts. I'm going to guess that when you put them together it's some kind of summoning ritual? Who is he trying to summon?

[certainproclivity]

It's not so much a who as it is a what. The ritual grants the person who performed it godlike power, though what that power is isn't exactly clear in all the texts. I doubt Mr. St Andrew cares one way or another. He wants it, and he's happy to expend the fools who buy into his "chaos cult" to do it.

[mydesigns]

[leave it to will to be the tactless cow he is and ask:] How do you know this?

[certainproclivity]

Because at one time, Nicholas St. Andrew and I were, in a practical sense of the word, friends.

[Said as blank-faced as anything as if he totally didn't admit to being poker buddies with SATAN.]

[mydesigns]

[will just squints like werwatey. CAN WE REALLY TRUST U THO. (sense motive 50)]

[bittersweeter]

Did you help him try to find Noah's Ark?

[ judging u tbh. and she's a criminal, so... it's extra judgy. ]

[immuno]

Well, there goes any confidence I had in this mission.

[impetere]

[Yeah, Cora is dubious of this too. She shifts forward so that she can focus her hearing (listen 20 total) on Sark's heartbeat and try and gauge his truthfulness (sense motive 29). A lot of things can keep a heartbeat steady and a practiced liar is one of them - if he's hanging out with Nicholas St. Andrew, he's probably got that down to a science - but she wants a baseline if they're going to be dealing with him long term.]

So where did you draw the line, exactly? With the ends or the means?

[Basically was it the stunning revelation of how this guy gaining a lot of power is bad news or when it was St. Andrew's people getting turned into cannon fodder and figuring out that he might be next.]

[certainproclivity]

[Sark takes in the judgment with an expression of deepest boredom, as if he's endured this scrutiny before. But as far as anyone can tell, he's being completely honest. He spares a glance at Wynn which shows just a flicker of amusement and since Will had an ungodly sense motive, he can probably pick up the fact that he seems to think the knights immediate distrust in someone Wynn brought into the fold as amusing.

After that brief, silent exchange, he turns back.]

Like most people who fall through the Veil, I had nothing but my skills. And so, needing a way to support myself, I used them to procure artifacts for people willing to pay for them. St. Andrew was one such person. He employed my skills numerous times and each time, I suppose, I earned the right to peel back the curtain just a bit. Unfortunately, even that wasn't enough to reveal his masterstroke. Shortly after the ordeal with Mr. Peterson- [he nods to the man]- I began to realize St. Andrew's goals weren't in my best interests. So I fell off the radar.

Sadly, this world simply isn't big enough for one to ignore a man questing for something that might well come back and bite me, so I began to research everything I could, which is what brings me here today. Wynnefalshond contacted me, and here I stand.

[He cants his head.] I realize my background may make many of you skeptical, but it's not in my best interests to betray anyone. I know what this organization is capable of, which is precisely why I agreed. I want St. Andrew to fail as much as anyone. And I want it done in a way that won't lead to me becoming another sacrifice to his goals.