new orleans ♔ for they have shed the blood of saints and prophets

[bancroft]

WHO || Thomas, Jack, Gar, Kat, Dumage, Mark, Myri, Buffy, Finnick, Spike, Rafael, Des, Elena, Chad Becksworth, The Mind Master, Decker Greenwall, Kitty Bonquas, Raoul Jacobson, Rynn, Devereaux, Keijen Blade [Closed]
WHAT || The Knights spy on an important meeting between Chad Becksworth and his compatriots... various downtime shenanigans ensue
WHERE || Various locations, New Orleans
WHEN || Friday, Oct 19th - November 12th [Backdated]
HOW || Actionspam, don't sweat tag order!!

[ Yesterday, members of team failboat went to the bayou hideout of the mysterious woman known only as "the Mind Master", on some intel from the captured Olean Gilbert. What they discovered was a very bizarre woman, who played mind games with them, and seemed to evince little concern for their interference. Another man, whom may have been Chad Becksworth entered, and told her that "Decker" was finished stalling and all was in readiness... The two of them fled before the Knights could get much information from either of them, and set a hideous creature to attack them: which appeared to be the result of a Frankenstein-like scientific process that sewed a human woman together with a giant snake.

The next day, another team of Knights infiltrated NOVA HQ to hack into appointment records and discover the names of those intended to meet with Chad Becksworth. Just as they downloaded the list, the scheduled meeting attendees arrived: it seemed they were meeting today, and the Dragon's Claws insisted that the younger Knights retire to the hotel, where all will be able to monitor the meeting onscreen as they spy on it and broadcast video. Knights' allies (Des, Rafael, Elena) are invited to watch as well. ]

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[ This log also covers any shenanigans the Knights have while staying in New Orleans, immediately following the last logs and extending over the next three weeks, when the next exciting shit go down.

Make your own threads, don't fuss about tag order, feel free to threadjack multiple people into one thread for hang-outs, ask me if you want a certain scene with an NPC, etc. forever whatever.]

Comments

[rationalizes]

[ yeah, gar looks fucking flabbergasted over here. someone get her a fainting couch before she has the vapors. ] S-Sehanine Moonbow? The most powerful elven goddess in the Seldarine? [ YOU BROKE HER, RAFAEL ]

[witchwoman]

[With a Knowledge check of 19, Myri apparently has been doing her reading practice on some Elven gods. Her shock mirrors Gar's, but there is also a good portion of confusion in her expression.]

But... how?

[romanticidal]

If you are asking about the circumstances of her birth - I have no answers for you. She knew nothing about her father, or how she had come to be. Eterna arrived in this world as a baby, and did not learn who she was until she was older. Her mother... came to her in dreams. It is Sehanine's way.

[ he lets out a ragged breath ] I told you... that when she left this world, it was not to go to the Shadow World, if you remember.

She went to be with her mother.

[slay]

[ most powerful goddess. oh boy.

a self-involved part of buffy (aka a part that's, believe it or not, pretty big because wow does she overidentify often) can't help but feel a surge of ... something akin to envy, at that. jade gets warm fuzzy visits from mom in her dreams telling her she's half-goddess. buffy gets demons in alleys and killed and attacked by monsters every time she shuts her eyes.

but, more to the point, it's a little startling and hurtful to find rafael's been hiding this. it explains a lot more than it doesn't about what jade might have to do with the talisman (a thing that grants immortality and superpowers, connected to someone who's directly divine? not such a shocker). but she finds herself woefully unsurprised that he chose his loyalty to jade over his promise to work with and communicate with her. err ... them. the team. obviously.

this is not remotely personal. except where it is. but she's definitely cracking down to business. ]

Please tell me you're not honestly saying she pulled a Hercules and packed her bags to Mount Olympus. [ this is gon' get so much more complicated isn't it. yes it is. ]

[romanticidal]

[ Trouble - Coldplay ]

Si. Her mother offered her haven, but left the decision to her. I... [ very real pain crosses his features, and evident guilt. ] I told her to go. [ his voice is practically a whisper now ] She asked me what I thought she should do, and I thought she would be happier, safer there, and I told her to go. I thought it was what she would want to hear. I thought-- [ he stops himself from rambling, rubbing a hand across his mouth ] I made a mistake. Gave her the wrong impression, drove her away.

[bigbad]

Looks like her mum gave her a round trip ticket. [Spike looks over to Gar.] How about the others? Any words on what they are? Similarly impressive lineages, would you think?

[rationalizes]

That would be my speculation. We'd have to do some digging to find out more. [ SPIKE THEY FOUND OUT ABOUT THESE PEOPLE IN THE LAST HOUR OK, she does not have google installed in her brain.

maybe. ] But... it may be easier knowing who they are now, and what we're looking for.

[slay]

I think the real question is do we need to dig at all. [ she turns her attention fully on rafael, bordering on the accusatory. she's harshly unsympathetic to his plight, uncharacteristically so. welcome to buffy's butthurt. ] You knew about Jade - surely she had some idea of others like her. I'm not expecting a book club, but awareness. Did she mention anything to you? [ beat. ] Would you tell us if she had?

[romanticidal]

My interest was in protecting Jade, and now you know the truth. She was evasive on the subject, herself.

Of course there are other children of gods and goddesses that have been born... and their children and their children's children. But none that I have known like her, no.

[witchwoman]

Why none like her? Because of the power her mother holds?

[romanticidal]

Because she is half a goddess herself. A real angel, here in this mortal world.

[slay]

I'm guessing they're trying to get as much divine blood as possible if they're going for Jade. So, we try to find aasimars with it as close in their heredity as we can. [ a beat. she looks at gar. ] We ... can do that, right?

[rationalizes]

We... can. It seems a rather wide net to field, however. But it's... somewhere to start.

[witchwoman]

Is Sir Thomas able to recognize his own kind? Maybe help point us in the right direction?

[rationalizes]

No more than you or I would be able to 'sense' someone else is human.

[slay]

[ or buffy would be able to sense someone who's demon or vampire ...

oh wait.

she's remaining very decidedly quiet on that subject, tongue pressed to the inside of her teeth. because well she did get icky vibes from spike and it's hard to deny that she just ~knew. ]

[bancroft]

[ abruptly the screen crackles to life, showing a very dark passageway, and thomas' face, shoved close to the camera. he whispers in with a wink: ] Hello, loves. Hope you didn't miss us too much.

[nothingsodivine]

[Des has been suspiciously quiet through this entire conversation. One might say he looks a bit uncomfortable. Can't imagine what all that's about. Either way, as soon as Thomas comes back, he looks up and is attentive again.]

Only if you've got something new for us.

[bancroft]

Oh, this is definitely new. [ he moves the drakenet phone to a tiny sliver of grate, that looks down into the stone occult room they had discovered earlier. the talent agents, chad, and the mind master are gathered around the table, each holding one of the silver goblets in hand. there's a solemn attitude to the meeting that was absent at the other. ]

[fleecing]

[ Rivers of Blood - Saviour Machine

chad intones with the quality of a minister: ]

As the eyes of slaves look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of a maid look to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the LORD our God, till he shows us his mercy.

[ the others, sans the mind master, recite along with him: ]

And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

For our church is the beginning and the end of all things, the first and the last, as we ourselves work to enact God's will on this earth, as ever, as always.

[ a murmur of 'amen's follow, and each takes a moment to drain their cup, and are then seated. chad gives a grimace of a smile as he removes his gloves. ]

Well met, my brothers and sisters. The time of our domination of this world grows nigh, and you are among the privileged who will help usher in this new age. Rejoice, for God's work is in you. It moves through our hands to subdue this scourge that threatens our world.

[bigbad]

[Spike makes a face.] Maybe it's the unholy creature of darkness in me speaking, but I can't stand religious fanatics. The worst part is, they probably think they're in the right.

[slay]

Oh, I don't think it's the darkness talking. I think it's the sanity. Somehow, I don't think the world domination vibe they're rocking is exactly what He had in mind.

[postergirl]

Just like any zealot: they hear precisely what they want to, and nothing more.

[fleecing]

We take this communion to avow and affirm our commitment to this cause, which others within our church may stoop to label heretical, in their belief that wholesale slaughter is the path to righteousness.

[ his lip curls, in apparent disgust at the notion ] Now, to business.

[usurping]

[ the prime minister pipes up immediately when the floor is open ] I think the most important issue to address are the security leaks that threaten to expose our operation. We aren't safe here, not to discuss matters, or to keep these relics.