london ♔ shadowkind convention

[rationalizes]

WHO || Jeanne Gar, Kat Samcelot, Mark Sandazhard, Francesca, Alainn O'Rourke, Alaric Saltzman, The Doctor, Brantley River, Maxwell Briggard, Kate Beckett, Helen Magnus, Stiles Stilinski, Adam Weiss, Sylar, Will Graham, Abigail Hobbs, Lila Zacharov, Lydia Martin, Draken Crombe, Lis'sa Trinall, Belle Desrosiers, Aurelius Greyfire
WHAT || London hosts an academic convention regarding the phenomena of the Veil and Shadowkind
WHERE || London, England
WHEN || June 7th, 2014, evening.
HOW || Actionspam. Single thread.

It's been over a hundred years since mankind first came to a global realization that magic and monsters were real and walked among us. Yet in all that time, much about the process of how or why remains a mystery, and a subject of great speculation among scholars the world over.

This is why London hosts an annual convention to discuss these complicated matters, both from a scientific and social perspective. There's something for everyone with even a passing interest in understanding the Veil, magic, or the various races that share this world. Sir Jeanne Gar, a young member of the Dragon's Hoard, has been asked to present some of her research at said convention, and has invited many of the Knights to come fill the seats, and explore the other lectures.

The hall is large and brimming with scholars both young and ancient, as well as those of a variety of unusual Shadowkind species.  It makes for great people watching from the food court, at least.

Comments

1/2

[shootfirst]

And these guys are big-time assholes. Not really putting much past them.

[extremist]

[ draken crombe moves to the podium, removing his gloves and setting them on top of a book there as he rakes one hand through his long dark hair. he glances over the assembled for a moment without looking at anyone in particular, before pulling the mic front and center, and planting one hand on either side of the podium. ] Good evening, and thank you for your enthusiastic turn out today. I'm glad to see so many in the academic community taking seriously the dangers that we face in this age of incursion.

[socialgraces]

[ as skilled as francesca is at hiding her concern, she makes no attempt to conceal her revulsion at crombe's very existence, his words leaving a foul expression on her face ]

[brokenteacup]

[ abigail recognizes a sole one of those names and she glances at will with a confused expression. ] Myri was the one who was kidnapped by the doppelgänger. [ she looks up at the guy speaking. ] Shouldn't... we tell someone?

[rationalizes]

With [ backwards b/c arden is stupid ] time zones, they'll already be in the middle of their missions.

[socialgraces]

[ luckily, this is all happening within arden's reality, so screw time zones x( ] We don't even know what to warn them about.

[extremist]

[ crombe's still talking up there too ] -- hardly a need to point out what is common fare for the daily papers, but traffic through the Veil has brought to our shores monsters and species who arrive in our world disoriented, angry, and often hostile and resistant to any attempts at diplomacy. The sporadic nature of Veil travel makes it impossible to police this traffic, and so we find our world full to bursting with dangers that we are often unequipped to face.

[socialgraces]

[ with an angry sigh, francesca mumbles under her breath: ] What a load of bullshit.

[mydesigns]

[will doesn't say as much, but his expression would imply that he agrees with franny. wut.]

[extremist]

While we've nothing to indicate that any species have yet broached the Veil on purpose, seeking to invade and destroy our world, we cannot deny that there are those who have decided to take advantage of their position to do precisely this.

Some of these species differ little biologically from animals of our own world. Many of them retain these animal instincts, and are averse to attempts to assimilate them into a more civilized culture.

They are not interested in co-existing peacefully with humankind. Many of them seek to devour, to conquer, and are willing to break war and bloodshed to do precisely this.

[theminotaur]

[ abigail does not share this expression. but then again, this is cannibaby, she thinks being a doppelgänger would be swell. and it doesn't seem incorrect, but... still somehow wrong. ]

[socialgraces]

I enjoy how he thinks himself able to speak for the entirety of Shadowkind.

[extremist]

Our options for how to deal with such a mentality are limited. We can, of course, meet inevitable war with war, pouring our funds into defenses that are designed specifically to counteract those species we know to be hostile towards our own.

But this approach seems to court war, to invite it, and I think all of us agree that blood for blood has never solved anything, historically. Sending our own to be slaughtered by monsters in hopes of stemming the tide of an enemy whose numbers are mysterious replenished by the Veil is a losing battle.

[socialgraces]

[ her eyes narrow, and she softly offers out loud: ] Where is he going with this? [ b/c she doesn't think she likes it... ]

[mydesigns]

[in an almost-echo of what he said earlier:] Nowhere good.

[extremist]

So what other course, then, lies open to us? Attempt to mire ourselves in useless diplomacy that amounts to bashing ourselves again and again against an unmoving bulkhead, while our children are slaughtered? The 'politically correct' response, as it were, that makes us easy prey for those who would eagerly manipulate such impulses?

[socialgraces]

[ francesca glances around the crowd to see if anyone is really agreeing with all this (spot 23) ]

[extremist]

[ people look (unsure) largely but there are a few heads nodding along. ]

It is unsurprising that our Lord God, the Father did not leave us to seek answers to these troubled times alone. [ he lays one hand on the bible on the podium in front of him ] Answers with practical application to our current situation.

With their animal-like nature, it is clear that these Shadow creatures are below us, in the celestial stratum, that they are incapable of making the sort of rational decisions that mankind has been gifted with. That they, in point of fact, require someone capable of this higher level thinking to guide them.

"Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let man have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over all the creatures that move on the earth."

[theminotaur]

[ and it's the god part that ends any interest abigail has. she snorts derisively. and possibly loudly. ] He also killed mankind in a flood, it's not like god actually likes us.

[socialgraces]

And what of humans from beyond the veil? Is their rightful place also subservient to humans of this world? [ she mostly talking to herself, but really, what a load of crap ]

[mydesigns]

Probably. [he snorts, but it's completely humorless.]

[extremist]

"Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you. For he is God's servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God's servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also because of conscience."

Romans 13.

[socialgraces]

[ um, yeah, she's got nothin' for the bible verse thing. instead, she's inching toward the edge of her seat, almost unconciously, her eyes scanning those around crombe now, instead ]

[theminotaur]

"When a foreigner resides among you in your land, do not mistreat them. The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt." Leviticus 19. [ her nose wrinkles. (knowledge: religion 18) she grew up in backwoods with a serial killer for a dad... this seems hella legit. you can't just take things out of context! ]

[mindmaster]

[ crombe ignores the peanut gallery easily, but for everyone who doesn't, Abigail makes a great point - unless you fail a dc 22 will save and hear entirely different words coming out of her mouth. "My mother took in shadowkind for years. It was one she'd taken under her own roof that killed her, in her own bed." A few people murmur their horror who overhear the comment.

A good spot check will notice the mind master smirking over there. ]