#senatus.i

[senatushq]

“You either step into the abyss or step back from it; you cannot walk along its edge for long.”

- An excerpt from the journal of Erik Alstroemeria

The Sacrifice stood at the podium at dawn, addressing the crowd in the same fashion as The Oracle and The Crown. Their voice boomed over the others, perhaps even a bit louder to drown out those who were still adamant that the Narcissus was behind the disappearance of the Alstroemeria coven. There was no evidence to suggest this, just the taboo nature in which the Narcissus went about their day to day business. “We stand on the precipice of change.” The Sacrifice began, “The world fears the inevitable plummet into the abyss.” This sentiment was shared among most of their coven - they were drawn together by those that feared what they could do, and by being adverse to the ignorance that perverted witchcraft. “Watch for that moment, and when it comes do not hesitate to leap.” The candles that lined the portraits of the missing witches dimmed to nothing, extinguishing as the Sacrifice spoke, one by one going out until Erik’s disappeared at last.  

Few doubt that the Narcissus witches were involved in some way, the Sacrifice themself seemed to know more than they’ve let on to the crowd, to their fellow witches, and to the senate. To all, and despite The Crown’s adamance, it is unclear whether the truth will ever come to light. The games concluded with a sombre air as The Sacrifice called forth the victors of each trial, bestowing on them their non-transferrable prizes, warded through death. Meaning that should the worst happen, the relics on loan would return to their respective coven upon the victor’s death. Any attempt to tamper with this safeguard would result in the relic immediately returning to its coven of origin, if the relic is stolen, it would return to the proper owner after a period of time and cannot be gifted to another.

One by one the candles faded to black as the awards ceremony brought the vigil to a close, the magic that sustained the forum gradually faded as those in the dens below were drawn from their magically induced stupor. Fates’ packed up their stalls and their vendors, sometime between when the Sacrifice began speaking and when the last of the boons were presented to the victors all emissaries of Fates’, along with their contraband disappeared entirely. The extinguished candles lost their magic entirely and went from magical beacon and waypoint for channelling to useless wax - a memento for those interested to take home to remember the occasion by. Spell upon spell vanished as the restored historic forum returned to present-day ruin.

The Sacrifice moved to dismiss the crowd and invited all attendees to go home when clouds suddenly began to roll in, the storm that had been kept at bay since Thursday rolled in over the forum and brought with it a sweeping rain. Thunder boomed overhead, and what was left of the magic in the area vanished. In the clouds above some would have sworn they could see faces, spirits and demons could hear the screaming that seemed to come from the water itself, hitting the ground with the piercing cries of the damned. Lightning struck the earth in an unnatural torrent as the forum was bombarded with freezing rain and bolts of lightning. Chaos took hold of the crowd as a bolt of lightning struck the winner of the wrestling match and the victors scattered. The moly, clutched tightly in the hand of Geraldine Kristoff, did nothing to save her as she was killed instantly.

In tandem, The Oracle, The Crown, and The Sacrifice hastily protected the crowd as the storm subsided on its own. In the ashen remains of the ungodly strike of lightning, stood a witch, the moly that had been gifted to the now deceased victor was held in their hands. The Returned, the crowd whispered, they wore a tattered chiton with long, matted hair plastered to their face from the storm. Most had never seen this person before, but the witches whispered Alstroemeria, the first and only of their witches to return. Witch marshals apprehended them immediately, disappearing along with the three sovereigns as well.

ooc info:

The victors got their prizes! They cannot be stolen or given away, if they are then the object returns to the owner a short while later. Upon the victor’s death the relic will return to the coven that gifted it, any attempts to tamper with this magic will send it back to the coven and the victor will not be given it again.

The Returned is a former adept of the Alstroemeria coven, nobody knows anything about this individual beyond this. They were brought into custody for questioning but are unable to remember anything, even their name. The Dahlia coven has taken them in to try and restore their mind. They are unable to leave the Dahlia coven’s estate.

The party raged all night, and the ceremony concluded at dawn.  

Anyone who ingested the magical psychedelic from Fates will begin withdrawing from it. Symptoms can include but are not limited to: Misremembering sequences of events or major moments, intrusive thoughts, memories or flashbacks, hallucinations, disappearing for large or short periods of time and then reappearing elsewhere in the city, accidentally finding themselves in the Otherworld.

Event threads can continue for as long as you’d like, but please do not post any new event starters after April 28th.

You can find the outcomes on the updated pages linked in the last event post but the winners were: 

Archery - Meryasek

Javelin - Dirthara

Discus - Farendul

Chariot Race - Edelie

Footrace - Eric

Wrestling - Geraldine (RIP)

Single Combat - Serkan

[senatushq]

You awoke to the damp smell of dusty stones like the old churches that punctuate your home, Rome. In the distance you could hear water as it fell in rhythmic fashion against fractured stones: drip, drip, drip. When you pushed yourself up from your place on the ground the earth beneath the palms of your hands bit your skin, cruel and sharp as fatigued limbs hoisted you upright. Through the dark your eyes strained to make some sense of your surroundings, you were in a cavern of sorts, someplace old, someplace you’d never been to before, and yet, you felt as though you should have known it. 

The dark itself felt like a force of its own, you could not see your hands through it but you felt them wade through this invisible entity like they were carrying you through the tide. An uncertain, shaky step took you all of an inch deeper as you scrambled to make sense of your surroundings - fear flooded your limbs as you probed the dark with your hands and came back with nothing. Another step, another sweep of your arms and when you opened your mouth to speak there was nothing. A hollow scream before you stumbled over something jagged and sharp. 

You could smell the blood as it pooled from the place where you’d tripped, through the dark you could hear the echo of laughter like jackals. The dark itself played tricks on you, invented shapes that transformed before you, a set of eyes, a row of teeth, the hiss of a serpent. When at last your hands found the wall you clung to the side, you flattened your body against it and sank deeper into the ground like it was the one thing that could anchor you, the one thing that could keep you safe. Whatever power was meant to be at your disposal felt distant, felt weak, and all of a sudden you were small once again. 

Too small to face whatever watched you in the dark.

In the catacombs below the forum, the senate of supernatural creatures met to decide what to do with the vacant senate seat that Erik Alstroemeria left behind. Using magic of the illusion school, The Oracle shared with the senate the vision they had the night that the Alstroemeria coven went missing. While some of the witches wished to keep it among themselves, The Oracle found it prudent that the rest of the senate understand that there was something dangerous lurking beneath the city. Their chief suspicion lay with the catacombs and that the secret path between the old ruins and the Otherworld was becoming larger. The auspicious timing of the vision and the missing Alstroemeria coven were a point of contention, The Oracle had this vision three months prior and only now chose to share it with the senate. 

The senate debated how to take the information The Oracle shared, some were in disbelief, those who didn’t trust the source wondered if this was just an attempt to prolong the inevitable and shift the conversation from Erik’s empty seat to something else. Regardless of personal opinions the fact remained that a decision needed to be made, The Shadow was the first to speak out in favour of giving it to the fey, despite that the fey population in Rome had only dwindled over the years. The Immortal said the best decision would be to close the seat out of respect for the witches, temporarily, because she believed that Erik and his coven would be returned. The Cardinal moved to dissolve it entirely, letting the witches lose a seat as their numbers had been greatly diminished. The Wolf thought the less witches the better and scoffed at The Voice’s decision to either abolish the seat entirely or transfer it to the lycans - though who would sit upon it remained uncertain. The Sacrifice spoke last, like The Immortal they thought the seat should be left open, and that they could await Erik’s return. 

Ultimately, a deadline was put in place. The Fall Equinox would call for a vote, a nominee would be put forward and whomever species they belonged to would be the person who ultimately took up the vacant seat. Before the senate dispersed they discussed the upcoming nuptials of the vampire queen, Eve Boucher and while a marshal of Juno had gone missing, The Earnest chose to only share this among the vampires for the time being. 

The meeting was dispersed, though none really walked away satisfied. Pending any emergencies, the senate would not meet again until the Fall.

ooc info:

The Oracle used magic to share a vision with all the senators, whether or not they share that with others is up to them. 

The Senate gave the witches until their next meeting, The Fall Equinox, to either find Erik Alstroemeria and the missing witches, or put forth a suitable replacement. A vote would then be held. 

The catacombs are becoming progressively more dangerous: lesser demons like cubi and creatures normally only native to the Otherworld like hellhounds and reapers have been spotted there. Enter at your own risk. 

[senatushq]

“Fear breeds a desire for simplicity. Good and evil. Right and wrong. Chains of command.” 

- An excerpt from the journal of Erik Alstroemeria

The midday sun hung over the restored forum as an unseasonably dry heat swept over the crowd, at dawn dark rain clouds had threatened to storm across the games and ruin the festivities, but the Dahlia coven saw to it that the sun would remain high overhead. Outside the forum the city poured rain, a miserable storm flooded Rome, but magic kept the foul weather at bay as the true festivities were set to begin. The arenas buzzed with life as the roster appeared at each area at dawn that morning indicating who would be competing against whom and when.

“No one tells you how to mourn…” The Oracle began, they addressed the crowd from their podium in the stands, officiator of the game and grand marshal of the opening ceremony, they understood grief better than most. When they spoke their voice was enchanted to carry over the crowd, and to dim the murmurs of anyone attempting to speak over them. “And when someone says, ‘move on,’” Their gaze travelled to The Crown and to The Sacrifice, albeit briefly, “you take their hand and say, ‘my choice.’” While some within the city and even among the witches were adamant that the missing witches would be found, The Oracle knew better than any that the Alstroemeria were gone. They’d seen it. The circumstances that surrounded Erik’s disappearance were obscured, even to them, but their mind’s eye had travelled the Otherworld, the many places within the city, the secret places and unknown paths and they found nothing. The Alstroemeria were gone, forever. It was The Oracle who’d insisted on the funerary games, citing Eriks’ fondness for history, and it was they who insisted upon a Vigil.

They went on to announce the schedule of the games, parroting what could have been read earlier on the roster, before declaring the rules of wrestling, single-combat, speed, and skill challenges. Outside of single-combat, no magic would be tolerated. Witches, druids, and eladrins would have to depend upon their own talents in order to succeed. Within the single-combat ring the only rule was that killing would not be tolerated, however, the talented restoration witches of the Dahlia coven would be able to bring back anyone who was brought to its brink. A victor would be declared in single-combat on three conditions, a competitor was physically incapable of continuing, a competitor left the fighting ring, or a competitor forfeited.

Next came the announcement of prizes, befitting a vigil organised by the covens of Rome, each victor would be given a tangible boon of some kind. An artefact fished from the reliquaries of the four covens, the Alstroemeria included. As each prize was revealed it appeared on a pedestal below The Oracle’s podium, while attendees would be able to approach the relics over the next few days, they would not be able to touch them. Tied to the ward against violence, anyone who tried to grab them, either physically or with magic, would find themselves incapable of doing so.

The prizes for each category are as follows:

Chariot Race: Flower of the Pharmakis - A single pale, fragile flower that grew in the place where Kronus’ blood hit the earth. According to myth this rare, unnamed flower can transform someone into their truest self.  Donated by the Dahlia Coven.

Footrace: Hermes’ Breath - An inconspicuous burlap sack drawn shut that appears to be bursting at the seams, if opened anyone who breathes in the escaping air will be sent into the Otherworld. Donated by the Amaranthus Coven.

Archery: Obsidian Bow - This bow has no need for arrows, pull back the string and fire to conjure and shoot an arrow of magical energy. Any creature hit by one of these arrows will suffer in the same way as if it was made of a material they’re vulnerable towards. Taken from the Alstroemeria vault.

Discus: Hel’s Mirror - Taken from a distant, Norwegian coven, Hel’s mirror is an enchanted relic that lets the user commune with anyone deceased they have a personal connection with. Prolonged glances into the mirror cause the user to appear more and more dead themselves. Leaving the mirror alones causes the effect to fade over time. Donated by the Narcissus coven.

Javelin: Romulus’ Ring - A daylight ring, but significant in that not only was this the first ever made, but the magic is unbreakable and cannot be revoked. Personally given to Romulus over two-thousand years ago, he gave it back to the Alstroemeria coven after he and Faustulus had a falling out. Taken from the Alstroemeria vault.

Wrestling: Moly - A white petalled flower with green leaves, Moly was referenced in Homer’s Odyssey. Just a nibble of this plant will break any spell or compulsion and make the individual who ingested it invulnerable to both for a few hours. Ingesting the entire plant at once or refining it into a solution will make anyone magicless and mortal for twenty-four hours. Taken from the Alstroemeria vault.

Single Combat: Lupa’s Collar - A druid artefact, the wearer of Lupa’s collar can transform into any animal of their choosing. Taken from the Alstroemeria vault.

The games began with the opening chariot race, but while the crowd was caught up in the spectacle, The Hierophant stumbled out of the stands to catch their breath. The magic that sustained the games was significant, and every spirit and demon felt the effects of it. They could see them while others couldn’t, creatures wailing against the thin veil that separated this realm from the Otherworld. Spirits sensitive to death, like banshees, could sense something coming. Witches always thought that their actions came without consequences, that since they had magic they could use it however they pleased. It was in The Hierophant’s stumbling that they caught sight of a marshal of Juno, a high-ranking vampire official in the senate, getting pulled into a van by force. 

ooc info:

The games have begun!

The Oracle announced the rules of the game while everyone was made to attend, and listen at least to the opening ceremony.

The prizes were revealed.

The Hierophant saw a marshal of Juno get abducted.

Banshees have a sense of impending doom.

The games began at noon April 14th, and will conclude at midnight the night of April 15th. 

Results will be posted with the final plot drop on April 21st. If you’d like a specific outcome between matches please message the main by April 19th. 

Follow the links below to see the rosters for the matches, if you’ve contacted the admins about a specific match already and they aren’t paired together, the plan is that they’ll win their first match and then face off in the next one. 

Archery

Chariot Race

Discus

Footrace

Javelin

Single-Combat

Wrestling