#senatus.iv

[senatushq]

“The loyal shield, broken to pieces, found only ash left to the wind and rain. And Eden wept and Titania took the ashes, still hot from the fire, and pressed them to her heart.”

- Titania’s lost memories

While the Lupo Pack, alongside the Eladrin of the Fairy King’s court charged into the Otherworld, the Lupo to draw out the Eldritch Changelings, the fey to draw out the drow themselves, a second operation took place to prevent Titania’s source of power from being used by Queen Ayi’ig. As the Lupo and the Fey fought, Melpomene took possession of the body she shared with Mneme and opted instead to abandon the missive in favour of freeing The Truth and several other prisoners. In the end The Truth was delivered home, but many prisoners who’d already been enthralled remained within the drow’s mines as they worked to refine the ore beneath the Otherworld. 

With the chancellor returned and several changelings slain, the operation was called a success, the first win for the Lupo who’d truly hunted as one for the first time. 

Prisoners freed, the fey decreed that it was long overdue that they count and honour those that had not survived the red wedding and the many lives that were lost along the way. Their enemies were all around them, in the cracks of the senate, in the halls of the fey, the streets of Rome and New Rome alike. The Asphodel, Ayi’ig, the Eye. Taking inspiration from the funeral games that had been held one year prior, the court of fey invited the supernaturals of the city via magical invitation to join them in an accord. Peace talks so that the city might come to a resolution before war claimed any more lives. 

Appearing in a location you couldn’t miss, a white envelope laden with gold detailing like ivy all but beckoned you towards it. Sealed with the symbol of the Fairy King, maybe there was a part of you that wanted to discard it - if you aren’t a fey, what business did they have with you? But you couldn’t, your hand stopped short of the disposal and instead you broke the waxen seal, the sharp woodsy scent of moly greeted you as you did. It dispelled whatever was held over your mind and broke any compulsion your mind. Within was a handwritten letter, written originally in the ancient language of the elves, but as you stared at the words they reshaped into whatever language you were most comfortable with.

“The noble court of the fey invites you to attend the memorial for all those lost in the recent attacks on Rome and the fairy court. We have lost our ancestral home, our friends, and in the forest we’ve created a garden to remember all that was taken from us. Join us as we mourn our losses and work towards a more peaceful future, where we can all coexist as Rome was intended.

Melana en athim las enaste ( Now let humility grant favor )

Fairy King,

Meryasek”

Funeral games would be held in the spirit of competition, though there would be no prizes available but bragging rights. The traditional games would be as follows: Single-combat, wrestling, discus, javelin, chariot racing through the fey wilds, foot racing through the fey wilds, and archery. Outside of the combat arena, the forest has been spelled entirely against violence, those who try to harm or imprison another against their will will be unable to do so. 

All New, Faded For Her

Across the ethos another party would be held, in an alternate realm, along a separate timeline, Queen Titania ruled alongside the vampire, Venus. From the heart of the fey’s ancestral home in Rome, the Fairy Queen’s Forest has been a rife beacon of inclusivity for thousands of years. Spread across the entirety of what would have been Rome, the forest is a marvel of cohabitation and ingenuity. A beacon for what Hyperborea might have once been. From the world tree that sat at the forest’s centre, Titania oversees it all from her palace while a court of supernaturals rule the realm and form the mandates that must be adhered to. 

Every year Titania hosts Matronalia, the ancient tradition and Roman holiday to celebrate Venus’ sister, Juno. In private, Titania and her royal family mourn the son that she lost centuries prior while he was still in his infancy, Meryasek. 

Between this timeline and the one that everyone is familiar with, there are some key differences here that players must keep in mind. Everyone is welcome to choose one to two differences in their character’s story that might have changed how they developed. Please keep the following in mind. 

The Eye was created to help supernaturals, not hunt them.

Humans were given representation in Titania’s senate at its founding.

Venus and Titania fell in love when they met, and there was no fey x vampire war.

Aegnor never died.

Titania never moved the fey to the Otherworld and she never outlawed relations between fey and humans.

Rome is the free city and forest of supernaturals, the only one in the world where they live among humans. Humans who leave forget that they ever met fairies, witches, etc. 

Erik Alstroemeria, the Alstroemeria Coven, and all those who were lost in the last year are alive and well. 

Ayi'ig is still in Underdark.

The Necronomicon was never made.

Arno never split from the Tiber. They were always one pack. The Voice is the alpha of the Tiber pack. 

ooc info:

The Lupo are celebrating their first hunt, the fey and the rest of the city are coming together under a no-violence spell to try and talk about peace. 

Senators and marshals are free to have their compulsion broken now, if you’d prefer to milk it for a little while longer then feel free to have them learn of the funeral second hand. 

Those who choose to participate in the AU event are welcome to have their characters be aware of this alternate timeline, but there are many variations across the multiverse so it shouldn’t impact their character too drastically. 

Both of these events are optional, those who choose to participate in the AU event have the option of interacting with Titania as she will be back for the duration of it. 

These mini events will take place at the same time, beginning March 10th and will conclude on March 17th, at which point we’ll ask that no further starters are posted. 

Participation is not mandatory, the au event will have 0 impact on the plot and the funeral is more or less to tie off some loose ends from the last. 

Thank you all for coming along on this journey, it has been a super fun year and I can’t wait to see what the next one brings <3

[senatushq]

“Our mistakes make us who we are.”

- An excerpt from the journal of Erik Alstroemeria

By dawn the blood frenzy had ended. Those vampires who were not cured by the efforts taking place across the city, dessicated and were gradually rounded up for treatment. The dust settled and Rome had been forever changed. As the founder of Rome and the senate of supernatural creatures, Romulus, under Lilith’s influence, felt that it was his responsibility to recreate a sense of order within the city. Blamed for the attack, it seemed clear that the fey could not be trusted, their place on the senate was dismissed as their presence on Rome’s outskirts would come to be addressed later. No vampire could approach the lycan territory without being threatened and it became clear that the newly formed Lupo pack would not be returning to the forum to take their place on the senate. No druid senators survived and they were left with a choice, find a representative to join the senate once more, rebel along with the others, or remain neutral in the days to come. Romulus gathered what senators remained in the ancient forum’s meeting chambers: The Oracle, The Sacrifice, The Immortal, The Hand, The Sellout, and The Praetor. Less than half of what the senate had started out as. Additionally, Romulus called in every marshal that still remained and compelled them all to do as he instructed:

The senate would be reformed. A new institution would be created, the triumvirate and the senators who acted as their council. The three triumvirs would dictate the policies and actions of the city by their official vote of three and it would fall on the rest of the senate to help them carry out these orders. This institution would continue until the Asphodel had been put down, and Rome was secured from any threats outside or within. 

Romulus named the following senators as members of the triumvirate: The Hand, The Immortal, and The Speaker. Simultaneously creating a fifth seat for the vampires, Romulus’ personal emissary would take up the role of triumvir. 

A demon, The Heretic, revealed the reason that the vampires had been driven into a frenzy was because The Tinkerer had poisoned the water supply as a means of creating chaos in their final moments. They provided evidence from the eladrin’s workshop here in Rome and invited anyone to authenticate the documents. The shop itself was all but abandoned and the demon’s claims were true, the details of the farm, the toxin that could potentially be used, as well as the plans for the explosions were all authentic. Given temporary status on the senate, The Heretic would speak for the demons and the spirits of Rome, while secretly acting on behalf of The Eye. 

Humiliating The Cardinal, The Leech was revealed to have been a member of the Mars bloodline: a fact that The Cardinal would have known. The Sellout’s secret progeny was the first to spill blood at the wedding, his fangs - and The Sellout by extension - triggered the frenzy that would be a blight on Rome’s history forever. During the course of the wedding, The Sellout had been made mortal once more, a strigoi, for this embarrassment. Romulus compelled The Sellout to never become a fully fledged vampire again: their punishment was to remain a strigoi so long as the magister wished it. 

The triumvirate were tasked with finding any corruption within the senator and rooting it out, additionally efforts within the city would dictate a need for a definitive list of all who were lost in the attack. With the death of the majority of the Amaranthus Coven, ownership of the estate was officially transferred to their sole surviving member: The Tower.  Tasked with rounding up the rest of the prisoners, The Cardinal and the Mars bloodline were placed in charge of the prison, while The Cold would stay on long as they chose, but they now answered to the vampires. Half fey, Romulus looked to The Praetor and told them to infiltrate the fey forest, if the rebels planned to attack the city then the senate would answer with violence. As it was made clear that the fey had powerful magic that the senate had previously known nothing about, the witches were compelled to find more ways to counteract the eladrins’ powers and to prevent something like this from ever happening again. 

Within the faerie forest, a tentative alliance bloomed between the lycans and the eladrins, both were exiles now, one side by choice and the other by circumstances. Enemies of the senate, the refugees from the faerie court had gathered within the sanctuary of the forest. Among their ranks they looked for leadership, for guidance, and it was The Shadow that emerged as a leader. Something had changed in Titania’s absence, the hopeful senator had fallen away and in their place a king stepped forward. The Shadow had escaped the Otherworld and lived to tell of the many horrors that now permeated their home, The Grieving once more stood by their side. The Mystery’s voice rang out above the crowd, the first to shout with an almost exuberant glee: Long live the king! The Truth remained imprisoned within the fairy court, but Melpomene and Mneme had devised a plan to save them along with the other prisoners. 

Within the Fairy King’s Forest a new council was made by The Shadow, comprised of the chancellorship of old, The Truth’s seat remained empty and waited for their return, but joining the fey at the table was the Alpha of the Lupo pack The Harbinger, joined with a seat at the table was The Rancor, The Heart, The Elder, and The Cold. The Eye would be their main focus, The Puppeteer revealed that The Heretic was planted in the senate while The Harbinger spoke of Lycaon’s power to control lycans and the army that the old wolf was amassing. There was little they could do against the aspect at present, but the chancellors and the lycans would start a hunting party for Eldritch Changelings through the Otherworld to distract the drow from the plan put forth by Melpomene and The Grieving to infiltrate the court and rescue The Truth along with the power Titania kept buried under the court.

ooc info:

Romulus has added demons and terrors to the senate, additionally he made The Hand, The Immortal, and The Speaker the leaders of the senate. 

The senate is under Romulus’ compulsion, they’re unable to communicate this to anyone and will not remember that they are being influenced. 

The Dahlia Coven and Narcissus Coven cast a spell over the city to augment the memories of the humans who’d witnessed supernatural events, however with the Amaranthus’ absence it was not effective as it was in the past. How much or what people remember is UTP.

The Lupo Pack and the fey have a tentative alliance, Lupo territory now includes the Tiber stomping grounds, surrounding countryside, and The Fairy King’s Forest. Only members of the pack are allowed within, outsiders are met with violence.

The Fairy Court chose The Shadow to be their next king. 

The frenzy ended due to the combined efforts of the fey, the fallen, the witches, and the aspects who aided them. Those vampires who were not healed dessicated and were treated after, some have still not been found.

Druids, Fey, and Lycans are no longer on the senate and the Witches have once again lost another seat. 

You’re welcome to continue to post starters for the event but please nothing beyond the 28th of this month.

Caught up in the explosion, the following skeletons have been closed indefinitely:

The Eagle (Druid Senator)

The Loyalist (Juno Marshal)

The Legacy (Amaranthus Marshal)

The Sloth

The Bear

The Snake (Druid Marshal)

The Tinkerer

The Hermit

The Hanged

The Voice

The Crown (Amaranthus Senator)

The Jackboot

The following skeletons have been updated:

The Alchemist

The King

The Remains

The Dark

[senatushq]

“He'd been terrified of being swallowed up by the darkness for so long it seemed like it would be a relief to get it over with. You were only scared of becoming nothing until you were nothing. Just like dying.”

- An excerpt from the journal of Erik Alstroemeria

Night had fallen onto the city and as The Betrothed lay dying in her beloved’s arms, the final rounds of Lupercalia took place and chaos erupted in the streets of Rome. For weeks the water and blood supply had been tainted with a toxin originally designed by the fey’s Summer Court. The poison compounded in the bloodstream but only effected vampires, making them hungrier and hungrier. As the frenzy took hold, vampires would only continue to feed, some even became hungry enough to feed from one another, creating more leeches. No amount of blood could satiate them and eventually the toxin would lead the vampires to starve and desiccate - petrifying. Only witches who were specifically highly skilled in restoration magic could purify the vampire’s blood. Additionally, the fallen were able to pierce the hearts of vampires with their seraph blade and cleanse them. 

At Lupercalia, the first match of the semifinals was underway: The Wolf fought against The Heart, the alpha overpowered the Tiber wolf just as he had The Rancor in his previous match. Still, everytime The Heart was beaten down they would rise again, over and over, refusing to let the title of Tiber Alpha fall on the Arno’s shoulders. Eventually, The Heart was beaten unconscious and the match could no longer continue. The following fight brought many to the edge of their seats as The Cold faced off against The Harbinger, the image of the Arno wolf killing their last competitor was still fresh on everyone’s minds as some worried it would happen again. The Cold was formidable and fought tooth and nail but much like The Heart, was beaten. In the end it came down to the Arno Alpha against the Arno Volatile, the fate of the Tiber pack had been decided as it seemed inevitable that the packs would be reunited again as they had been centuries prior. The Wolf had proven their strength many times over, the Alpha had gotten their rank by murdering the previous leader of the Arno ten years prior, their inheritance wasn’t something they had ever wanted but had been thrust upon them anyways. For a time they appeared evenly matched but after trading blows back and forth the fight turned one sided. The Harbinger beat the Arno Alpha into submission, breaking them down everytime they got up again as the volatile lauded their strength over The Wolf. With a brutal finish, the match was decided, but The Wolf remained alive.

When it was over The Harbinger announced to the stadium that the time of the Tiber and the Arno was over and that the time of the Lupo was upon them. That the city had mistreated their kind for far too long and that Rome had always been for the wolves. The Harbinger spoke of The Eye and their time within, that the senate had allowed the humans to take root beneath the city and that they would see them purged. Recently turned lycans emerged from the stands as the laws of transformation had been flaunted for weeks now, recently triggered and violent. The first of the Lupo pack that included The Noble and The King. From a place of honor, Lycaon looked on as The Harbinger seemed to speak directly to him, welcoming him, and celebrating the path that they would walk. Lycan supremacy, as it should have been from the beginning. The scent of blood wafted from the streets of Rome and fed into Lupercalia’s stadium. The Harbinger had promised them power, respect, freedom from the senate’s harsh restrictions, and vengeance for all those The Eye had killed. The fairy forest was at their backs, once Tiber land that would be theirs again. He called out the vampires that the lycans could hear and smell, the creatures whose red wedding now bled into the streets. The Harbinger invited the lycans in the city to join him, the Lupo pack would protect its own, this was not the Arno, those who chose to leave were free to do so: but they were on their own, deltas. Throughout Rome vampires were going into a frenzy, ravaging those with mundane and magical blood alike, The Harbinger, the Lupo pack, and those that followed would meet them. 

As chaos bled into the streets above, the blessed descended further into the bowels of the Asphodel house. The War spoke of what they were missing, the violence that was running throughout Rome - it made them itch to join the fray but The Pestilence reminded them that it was not the Blessed’s place to interfere. Deeper and deeper they went until at last they reached the ritual chamber, the rank bodies of the abandoned sacrifices filled their noses, but there was no door. A portal had stood there, but it had been destroyed. They were too late and what was worse, the blessed had walked into a trap. A device of fey origin blinked at them, a smiley face drawn upon it by the Pythia as a small farewell to their siblings. From within, a voice rang out: The Tinkerer, Senator Theneras. 

Theneras sat within the senate’s meeting chambers: glamoured and obscured from public view, tourists milled by the ancient forum and didn’t even seem to notice him. Good, that’s how he preferred it these days. Theneras had spent the better part of the last century feeling invisible, The Shadow always talked over him and when he spoke it was as if nobody could hear him. At least, they didn’t care to. Theneras had no doubt that the other eladrin senator felt the same way, he imagined it must have been difficult for a prince to grow accustomed to not being heard. That would change though, that would be Theneras’ gift to him - to all of them: freedom. For so many years he’d looked at the head of the table, the place where the vampires had always sat: self-important and self-righteous. Now, at long last, Theneras took his place there and looked out at the vacant seats. The empty ones simply stayed that way, nobody ever removed them, it was as if the vampires were sending them all a message. The Praetor had come to sit where The Alstroemeria sovereign had sat, while those that the druids had lost remained empty. A home for the halfbloods orchestrated by the senate, a farm beneath their feet: they did not understand the danger they were in, but they would, just as Theneras had come to learn. An apparatus he’d designed carried his voice through the devices that were planted all over the city, the homes of the witches, the homes of the vampires, the ancient pyramid of Cestius. That dirt pile Arno wolves called home. Scattered all over Rome, everywhere but the fairy queen’s forest. 

At last Theneras spoke, and all of Rome was made to listen. 

“I was here when Rome rose from the ground, when Magister Romulus promised us that this city would be different. He told us that things would change for us, that together we’d make a world that was better for everyone. Lies, every one of them. Every word that falls from his lips is venom, every promise he makes is a knife being sharpened behind his back! Look around! Look at the city! No more, never again will they feed us poison and tell us it's a cure. No more covens. No more senators. No more empty platitudes and half truths. No more farms. Dirthara-Ma.” 

What followed next was not one explosion, but many. Magic erupted through the city as pillars of light extended from the foundations of Rome to the sky itself, no buildings were destroyed, no, but any life that came in contact with it was destroyed. Not killed and sent to another life, erased for all time with no hope of resurrection. This would be The Tinkerer’s legacy, Senator Theneras’ gift to Rome. Beneath each of the covens a device was detonated, within the home of the Dahlia a device began to glow and erupt but Michael reached it before there were any casualties. Within the Asphodel house the Pythia figured that the Blessed would stop it, but still, a good joke was a good joke. The Amaranthus were not so lucky, The Tower was the sole survivor. At the home of the Narcissus, The Sacrifice had received word from The Liberated and the device beneath their home had been moved to a different location: beneath Mutat Domun. Under each of the vampire’s estates, one of Theneras’ explosives were planted, while most of the vampires were at the wedding, those who remained at home and their thralls were caught in the blast.  

Within the Otherworld the loyalists held fast to Ayi’ig who, for a moment, didn’t appear to struggle. There was a calm that fell over them as elsewhere in Rome Theneras made their final address. The queen smiled, then all at once shadows lurched forward and pierced the hearts of the eladrins who sought to contain her. Each fell as she used their magically rich lifeforce to fuel her incantation, using shadow and death magic to call forth the beginnings of her army: the drow loyal to her within the city flocked towards the faerie court, its location clear to them now as they laid siege to the wards. The asphodel who lingered within Necromanteion heard Ayi’ig’s call and lent their power to bring down the troublesome wards. They fell under the weight of the Necronomicon’s magic and the faerie court was left open and exposed for all of the Otherworld to see. 

Changelings patrolled the boundaries but Ayi’ig came prepared, it was as if she knew the loyalists would summon her - that they would foolishly bring her right into the heart of the faerie court while its chancellors and what remained of the royal family were elsewhere. The Artificer and The Dark stepped forth, they wove shadows through the fibres of the changeling’s souls to manipulate them as they saw fit. To disrupt the flow of magic that had them tethered to their masters, creating a new sire for them to obey. Eldritch changelings charged upon the realm that they had once protected as chaos erupted across Rome. 

Creatures of the Underdark crawled forth alongside Ayi’ig’s inner circle, mindflayers and golems and demons that were foreign to this length of the Otherworld. Machin Shin tore through the faerie court, as it revelled in the feast that the infernal black wind had been denied for so long. The sky over the Otherworld darkened as the stars seemed to go out one at a time, the light that Titania imbued within the eladrins’ sacred home diminished and then all at once it was gone.

In the end it only took a few short hours for the faerie court to fall, for all that Titania had built to change hands. In its place a darkness spread at the heart of the Otherworld, the time of the eladrins was over and the time of the drow had begun: The Court of Drow. What eladrins managed to not escape were rounded up and brought to The Inquisitor for reprogramming. Unlike those who ran from the fray, The Truth ran towards it and as a result was captured by The Prophet, leader of the drow army. 

ooc info:

Oh wow, so much drama.

Vampires are continuing to go feral, so feral that they’re turning into leeches and eventually petrifying. They can be saved by witches who are very skilled in restoration, fallen who stab them in the heart with their seraph blade, eladrins who know the particular song to reverse the poisons effects, and Keket or Trivia’s magic.

The Harbinger has won the tournament at Lupercalia, they’re the alpha of the newly formed Lupo pack. The lycans are going to go fight the vampires in THE STREETS.

Ayi’ig has taken control of the faerie court and all the changelings that once inhabited it. The fey within have been captured as well. Only members of the Asphodel coven, along with members of Ayi’ig’s court are able to enter it now. Machin Shin protects the boundaries, a primordial black wind that forces people to see their greatest fears before consuming their soul. 

The Tinkerer set off some explosives, anyone in the vampire households, camp halfblood, the witch households, the Arno dirtpile, and the senate’s forum have been erased. They cannot be brought back, they’re gone forever. 

Any fey or faimen who were caught in the blasts were not harmed. The exception to this was The Tinkerer, they were taken out. 

Asphodel House was completely empty, their new base is Necromanteion itself in the Otherworld. They have secret doors to it throughout the city that only they can open.

The Blessed are now free to do interactions outside of the Asphodel House. 

The final plot drop and wrap up will take place this Sunday, February 19th. 

[senatushq]

"You will hurt the ones you love the most, and become what you hate in order to save what you love."

- An excerpt from the journal of Erik Alstroemeria

You were The Betrothed and today was your wedding day. The ceremony was everything you had ever hoped it would be, and as you gazed into your lover’s eyes the world smiled at you. You whispered between parted lips: I do. This was meant to be the happiest day of your life, the first day of the rest of eternity that you would share with your one true love. The arrangements had all been made, the honeymoon was in order, all that was left when you departed the chapel was to celebrate for a few brief hours. You would dance the night away with the friends you held dear, you would cry with the ones who never believed you would make it to the altar, and you would look into the heart of the one true vampire queen and know: you made the right choice. You made the only choice because that silly organ between your breasts chose for you. It led you to Rome, led you to all these people you came to hold dear, it led you to love it here. Death had been a gift once, immortality a thing that so many took for granted, it felt colder the second time. Wrong. The beast laid their eyes upon you and before long you were in her arms, a crowd of people about you as Evelyn screamed for help. The room shook and you couldn’t understand why, but it was cold, vampires shouldn’t feel like this: they shouldn’t feel cold. Then you felt nothing at all. 

The moon was high in the sky and several hours into the wedding The Betrothed was found murdered, The Leech stood over their body with her blood dripping from their teeth. All at once The Healer and The Rebel were upon them, seizing the creature with the aid of The Castle and The Worldly’s magic. Subdued, The Leech was taken into custody to be brought to the catacombs for questioning, While the Queen Evelyn Boucher wept over her bride, the reception was brought to an abrupt halt as chaos erupted throughout the building, inflamed tempers drew the vampires to a boiling point as those who’d managed to hold themselves back from temptation suddenly erupted. A young vampire was the first to lose their mind, weeks of a poisoned food supply brought them to sink their teeth into The Magician’s neck, the eladrin was seized upon at once by a cacophony of vampires before The Truth managed to spirit them away. The fey who remained were chased down as the smell of their magic-rich blood drew the vampire community into a frenzy, in the chaos, The Leech managed to escape. 

Blood would run into the streets as the bloodied vampires sunk their fangs into whomever they could find: fey, witches, and druids were the most appealing but no one was safe. Some felt the urge to turn on their own kind, their throats so dry that the thought of drinking from one of their own was more appealing than going another moment without feeding. The wedding of the century would be one that was going to be talked about for generations, when the proud line of distinguished creatures were drawn into a visceral frenzy: a storm that washed over the entirety of Rome. 

At midday the opening match of the tournament was held, a highly anticipated match up between The Wolf and their beta, The Rancor. It came as no surprise that the alpha overpowered the other as the competition between friends wasn’t one that either seemed to be taking seriously. Still, The Wolf advanced and made room for The Heart and The Fanatic. The flurry of claws and fangs that defined The Fanatic was nearly overpowering, most assumed that it would be an easy victory as the frenzied monster rampaged towards The Heart. To the surprise of many, however, The Heart proved themselves victorious. Next would see The Cold and The Elder face off against one another, packmates that were both competing for the title of the tiber alpha. In the end The Cold moved forward while The Elder was left with defeat. The final matchup was between The Remains and a volatile. The Remains, Ermes Merullo, was the son of the previous Arno alpha. He’d watched The Wolf kill his father years before and many had their eyes on him to see when he would try to take his revenge: perhaps this tournament would be that time. It was no secret that Ermes wanted The Wolf dead, most assumed it was only a matter of time before one of the wolves was found dead in the gutter. Unfortunately, the match only lasted a few brief minutes. The volatile tore into The Remains, looking towards The Wolf before they tore their fellow lycan’s maw in two, cracking open Ermes’ skull and eating his heart in front of the crowd. The volatile would advance to the next round. 

What the seraphim found in the halls of the Asphodel house was nothing but a carcass that had been picked clean. The presence of residual magic was overpowering, intoxicating, and through the cracks in the walls the wraiths that had been impressed upon this home were overpowering. They screamed for retribution and were all too quickly put down by The Pallor’s gift of eternal silence. Somewhere within this hold was the door to the Otherworld, the entrance to Necromanteion and the path to defeating their fallen sibling that had risen too far. No spell books remained on the shelves, no regents were kept in storage, and the reliquary stood barren and empty. The Conquest said it first: something is wrong. 

In the heart of the forum The Tinkerer made his final preparations, Theneras had loved this city for so long. Rome was a place of promise, of purpose, it was to be the jewel of the world: a shining beacon of what was possible when they worked together. It was hard for Theneras to pinpoint exactly when they had stopped believing, in the fifth century the city had split apart when the Asphodel first rose and were put down, snakes that emerged from every corner of the senate as friends fought against friends. In later years the great Archdruid would come to betray his own kind, losing control before the senate had to band together to bring him down. Theneras knew what Romulus had done with Octavian, he knew, he spoke out, but no one would listen: they didn’t want to hear it. Fey would go missing, exiled ones, faimen too, Theneras noticed this and created a method of tracking them. He followed the trail into the catacombs, to the farm, and there he saw the vampires’ legacy in all its hateful glory. In recent years his workshop was looted, plans, notes, journals, so much was taken. He knew who was responsible, an individual known only by reputation: The Thief. The Eye. Theneras couldn’t pinpoint the exact time he’d closed himself away, when exactly he gave up on this world, but it could still change. One voice wasn’t enough, ten voices weren’t enough. The only way anything would change was if someone forced them to change. 

As The Betrothed bled out upon the floor, deep within the faerie court and far beneath any prying eyes, the loyalists put into motion their unholy task. Profane magic rang out as they combined the aspects of the many courts and used the blood of the first fey queen to draw their sacred circle. The seasons merged as one as the dozen or so eladrins who had joined together to complete this task readied themselves, their song grew louder, impossible to be ignored as it echoed off the very foundations of the Otherworld. Even the fey scattered about the mortal realm would feel the unnatural pull as dark magic pulled the fabled queen of drow from Menzoberranzan to the faerie court. Immediately Queen Ayi’ig was restrained by the weight of every loyalist that had come together to cut her down, but when she looked upon them, she smiled.

ooc info:

The Betrothed is now dead, to read more about the interaction between her and The Leech please see here. Due to the nature of her death she cannot be brought back. Please unfollow Elmira. 

The first round of the tournament has concluded, we’ll post the final results with the next plot drop on February 16th.

Vampires are going pretty crazy right now, aside from the Juno vampires, they are going feral. Better get inside and lock the doors before anything else happen. 

If you’re considering turning your vampire into a leech, now would be an excellent time to do so. Remember that a fallen can reverse this. 

While the vampires are going crazy in one end of the city, Luperfest is still going hard on the other. For timeline reasons, the vampire frenzy technically does not happen until after the final round of Lupercalia. That being said, you’re welcome to have your Lupercalia attendees begin what’s going in the city, just keep the details of the final round of the tournament vague. 

Marshals will be trying to keep the peace and restrain those who are out of control, but there are many of them. The vampires who only recently arrived for the wedding are not affected, but may be made into victims. 

Chancellors will absolutely know that bad shit is going on back at the faerie court, fey are welcome to begin to make their way there, but they will not make it back to the court before the next plot drop. 

Aspects, Terrors, Demons, Spirits, Eladrins, and members of the Asphodel Coven will sense Ayi’ig’s arrival in The Otherworld. 

I would recommend everyone evacuates from the Vatican before they get eaten, love you all lots xoxo.

[senatushq]

"Regret is something I know well. Take care not to cling to it, to hold it so close that it poisons your soul."

- An excerpt from the journal of Erik Alstroemeria

In the years to follow people would say that this was the wedding of the century, that it was well worth the wait and that the event was something people would be talking about for years to come. The Betrothed had seen to it that there was not a flower out of place, the lavish wedding was brought into being by the influence of the undead over the Vatican. The citystate was all but closed to the public as supernaturals from all over the world, and all over Rome began to fill its streets. The fanfare over the Queen’s arrival could not be downplayed, the people gathered to see what she would be wearing, and who would stand in her wedding party. All eyes were upon The Betrothed as the doors opened and the ceremony began, among her bridesmaids was her maid of honour, The Immortal. Making her way down the aisle as Queen Evelyn Boucher waited for her at the altar, joined by The Hand who’d served her faithfully as a friend for centuries. 

The Cardinal would officiate, joining the two together after they exchanged their vows. While Rome looked on, few could ignore the thirst that lingered in the air, the city’s blood and water supply had been contaminated for weeks. Nothing was safe, not the reserves, and certainly not Rome’s well kept supply of thralls. The chapel was rife with the scent of different types of blood, fey, most prominent. Visible discomfort shifted among the crowd as it took all the strength that some had not to interrupt the ceremony with a bloodbath. 

But, they managed. The ceremony ended without incident and now it was time for the reception to begin. The bar was fully stocked with blood of all varieties, the royal family of newlyweds shared their first dance together before disappearing from the reception to slip into something more comfortable. Those in attendance were encouraged to dance, eat, and enjoy the reception.

Across the city Lupercalia began at dawn, the annual event was traditionally celebrated over a two day period. Market stalls had been set up as wolves and wolf-lovers gathered from all over Europe to partake in the festival. There would be live music to go in conjunction with the fighting as well as various forms of food and entertainment. 

On the first day a tournament would be held, but first a gauntlet to weed out the weak from the strong. Nearly two dozen lycans entered the stadium and from them the eight strongest that were still standing were slotted into the tournament: The Wolf, The Heart, The Rancor, The Cold, The Elder, The Remains, The Fanatic and a lycan with curly and unruly hair. All eyes were upon The Wolf as the alpha of the Arno moved to stake his claim over the Tiber and take from them everything that the Arno had been denied for so long. Tensions between the packs had been broiling for centuries and with this things were finally about to come to a head. 

Over the skies of Rome a storm brewed as night rolled over the city and the wedding began, the seraphim had descended upon Rome, united in their purpose for the first time in over five thousand years. Pythia had boasted that all were welcome to join the Asphodel in their den of snakes, in the ancient and sacred house of Alstroemeria that now teemed with the acrid stench of death magic. Wards had been placed to keep them out, but they fell away with ease. Too easily, in fact: a question that their hubris prevented each of them from asking. Of course the Asphodel could not keep them out, of course their doors broke open at their divine will. They were The Blessed.  

The Tinkerer had served in the senate longer than anyone else. Theneras was his name, Dream, and his father, Renan, Voice, was a senator before him. Renan was the first of the fey senators. A fey of the old world while Theneras was born in this one, only a few centuries Prince Aegnor’s junior; they were born under the Summer sun with tools in his hands, there was no end to the marvels he could create. His father was proud and stalwart, a bastion of reform at a time when Titania had all but given up on the mortal realm. So much had been lost when the elves travelled from Hyperborea, technology and magic that Theneras dedicated himself to rediscovering, to reinventing. Marvels of automatons and seamless magic that reverberated throughout the four courts, he inspired a revolution of innovation but even he could not hold back death. Renan was killed and Theneras was named his heir, The Tinkerer, they called him when he stepped into the forum for the first time - dedicated to change. In one corner of the city wedding vows were exchanged, while in another a gauntlet of lycans had been decided, at the heart of Rome a symphony of seraphim broke down a door and The Tinkerer stepped into the forum once more. 

Within the Otherworld a hammer from Spring, a conch from Summer, an apple from Autumn, a star from Winter, and a pomegranate from the centre of it all were gathered. They had been gathering for months, loyalists, they called themselves. Purist eladrins who rebuked the chancellors’ claim over the throne and the reforms that were introduced, The Truth was all too eager to erode the laws that Titania had put into place, to swing open arms towards the mortal realm they were clearly biassed towards  The faerie queen’s forest was a pretty title but Titania would not return so long as her enemies remained so numerous, the loyalists were a few from each of the courts both common and noble fey alike. The Heir’s secret had spread through the court: faimen children, consorting with humans left his priorities out of check when a rightful king would have only put his own people first. The Liar had revealed that their leadership was not infallible, the chancellors’ crimes had led to Titania’s imprisonment and had led to her ultimate disappearance from the realm entirely. Where had she gone? What was she doing? They didn’t know, they hadn’t been told. The Mystery kept this all to themself. The loyalists’ resentment for the infringement of the mortal realm had seeped into the very roots of the faerie court: prying ears had heard as The Pilgrim had spoken: we must strike the drow queen first, and so those who claimed to be the one true loyalists to the crown began a plot of their own. The chancellors would not be given the opportunity to claim responsibility for the deed, the loyalists would see to it that Ayi’ig was slain in the name of Titania, the crown, and for the rightful king: The Shadow, their saviour who’d stepped up to lead the fey during the city’s darkest hour.

ooc info: 

The wedding & Lupercalia has officially begun!

The in-game date for these events is February 14th. Love is in the air folks. 

Lupercalia is wolfchella, expect live music, food, drinking, and various forms of entertainment. There’s a campsite and everything. Lycans and lycan-lovers from all over have gathered because this year is meant to be a big one.

Lycaon is present at the festival, all lycans will be on edge and aware of his presence to some degree. This will inherently make them more aggressive. Rawr.

The chancellors are currently unaware that anything is going on back home, guess they should have gotten the kids a sitter. 

The wedding is the royal wedding of the century, with guests having come to Rome from all over the world. 

The ceremony went off without a hitch, it was gorg. The reception is lit and should make for a wild night. 

Vampires who’ve been in Rome the last couple weeks are feeling particularly insatiable, the exception to this might be Juno vampires who don’t need to drink blood. Both the water supply and blood supply were poisoned, so even if your vampire drinks from the vein exclusively they would feel it. 

Our event will take place over four plot drops as we follow these events as they unfold, the next plot drop will take place on February 12th, the third will on February 16th, and the wrap up will drop on February 19th. 

You may now post event starters and the like, however we’ll ask that no new starters for the event are made after February 28th.

[senatushq]

“There are things worth dying for. I learned that a long time ago.”

- An excerpt from the journal of Erik Alstroemeria

Far below the city the catacombs of ancient Rome are largely unexplored, kept secret from the rest of the senate, the infamous Farm supplies the city's bank and vampire population with fresh blood. Established by Romulus in the centuries following the founding of Rome, the farm served as a means to an end. At its inception the senate was met with friction, as the city began to rise up more and more supernaturals flocked to it seeking sanctuary in a world that was fraught with conflict and hostility. Vampires, hungering for the blood of many, were provided safe havens that would later become known as places like In Vein. Undesirables were picked off by the vampire marshals, criminals sentenced to a life in prison were intercepted, and the farm was born. Rumours of its existence have bled into the surface for thousands of years, but until now the blood supply has remained untainted.

A hammer of the Spring court that landed in Daedalus’ hands beat the first mortal soul into a changeling, used to also permanently shape the Otherworld into a maze of unknowable paths - that opened doors between the Otherworld and the mortal realm. A conch of the Summer court that beckoned the spirits of the Otherworld to action, that churned the mortal seas and created disasters with only a whisper. An apple fallen from an Autumn tree, gold in nature that could invoke ire and discord among any that it landed between. A star plucked from the skies of Hyperborea, that kept hope alive in the darkest of times and lit a path through the Otherworld. A pomegranate, one of a kind, fell from the tree planted where the former Queen Yidhra was buried, its seeds holding something sacred: the blood of an elven queen. Daedalus’ hammer, Poseidon’s conch, Eris’ golden apple, Tarasyl’nin’s Star, and Yidhra’s Pomegranate. These sacred relics of the Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter, and Royal Courts have gone missing.

Near the edge of the city a criminal pulled a gun, desperate and hungry, weak and powerless. He was tired of being stepped on, tired of being put down, before he could shoot something lunged from the dark. Shredded flesh and broken bones: this story has repeated itself for the last two weeks across the city. Downtrodden individuals with an appetite for change and a desire for violence find themselves in a hospital bed, their injuries all the same. The hospitals in Rome would have a hard time dealing with the animal attacks but the wounds all seem to heal within a day, the scars don’t fade but the lesions to the skin close in no time. In Rome there are laws that prohibit the expansion of the lycanthropy, but this can be the only explanation.

A crypt outside the city, a church in the heart of Rome, a splash of blood across the coliseum, a marking within the catacombs. Historic and common sites alike have been vandalised as whispers of a satanic cult operating within the city have begun to resonate among the human population. In each district where a marking has been found, a body has turned up missing. There are too many to track at once and the runes fade within a few hours, but the druid, witch, and eladrin marshals that inspect them before they do can feel the intention behind them: A gateway.

ooc info:

The wedding between Elmira Kent and vampire Queen Evelyn Boucher will take place the evening of February 14th, every vampire in the city is required to attend. Thralls, would-be blood bags, and those personally invited by The Betrothed are welcome. 

For the rest of the city, Lupercalia will begin at dawn on February 14th. The decision for who will lead the Tiber will be conducted tournament style with participants ranging from the Tiber, the Arno, and the Deltas of the city. The true celebration will begin on February 15th to celebrate the new Alpha. 

Sacred relics have been stolen from each of the fey courts as well as the royal reliquary. 

The blood coming from the farm has been contaminated, as has the city’s water supply. While undetectable to all, vampires will gradually become thirster and more aggressive than ever before. 

Lycan numbers have been rising across the city, the majority of which being former or current criminals. 

Various sites across the city have been graffitied in blood, the runes disappear after a few hours and become undetectable. 

The Blessed will not be attending the wedding or Lupercalia

Demons and Reapers are unable to attend the wedding.