{Rumours} What Lurks In the Shadows [COMPLETE]

[Samiwashere]

Something is not right in Mockingbay, but the question on every citizen's mind is...

What?

What darkness hides behind locked doors? What evil awaits on their doorstep? What lurks in the shadows?


Summary:
1. The Queen slowly becomes less present in public, until suddenly she is not seen at all for months. The doors to the palace are locked, candles are extinguished and curtains drawn. { X}

2. Dead birds appear around the city and citizens begin to wonder if perhaps the queen is doing something nefarious in the palace. { X }

3. Strange symbols appear all over Mockingbay and people work to discover what they mean and where they lead { X }

4. The Queen finally leaves the Palace only to be seen entering an empty building with a suspicious character in Storm's landing. Drama ensues. { X }


This is a rumour thread for a small story arc/event line I will be setting up around Mockingbay. This story will consist mostly of rumours, small happenings, and things for people to investigate or stumble upon around the city. Ultimately there will be one big finale that will be DMd properly by the event team and that I will be personally working on and developing for the next month or so as this story develops.

Please refrain from making any OOC comments on this thread, and if you want to contribute to the rumours please ask me beforehand. If you have any questions feel free to poke me.
​

 

[Samiwashere]

[!]
Dead birds have been appearing around the city, often found in gruesome ways with blood, far too much for just one bird, pooled beneath them. People begin to question whether this is directly related to the queen, and others even begin to think she is directly responsible. Rumours spread of dark witchcraft occurring behind the palace door. ​

 

[Samiwashere]

[!]
After many weeks of more silence from the palace, something occurs. A piece of parchment is pinned to the statue in the main square, and a symbol is drawn on it in blood.

Guards flock to the scene to try and decipher the nature of the symbol, but when they come up short they decide to alert the Queen. Advisors follow the parchment to the palace to discuss the event while guards search for more symbols.

(OOC: There are numbered symbols 2-10 around Mockingbay, if you find one, send me a screen of the sign on Discord or forums and I will send you the piece. Once all are found I will post them all together here but people who search for all of them themselves will get a chance to solve the puzzle first IC)​

 

[Samiwashere]

[!]
As the search for more symbols continues across Mockingbay, the Queen is finally seen leaving the palace in the dead of the night. Citizens watch as she exits the city on her horse draped in a hooded cloak to hide her face.

She is then rumoured to have met with a dishevelled stranger in the Storm's Landing slums and wandered into an unoccupied building with them.

In her absence, certain advisors and nobility begin to make it abundantly clear that they do not think the Queen has her priorities straight...

And the matter of an arranged marriage is a hot topic in the upper district taverns.

(Symbol thing is still going on, haven't had anyone find all 9 yet so I thought I'd add more depth to the story and bump the thread in case anyone missed the last post. Tryna stir the pot and create more drama in the meantime. Once the symbol puzzle is solved there'll be more interactive stuff. If you have any questions or want to speak to citrine directly just poke me.)​

 

[Samiwashere]

Now that someone has figured out the puzzle I’m gonna post all 10 pieces together so that anyone who didn’t get a chance to find them can have a go. If you’ve figured it out just poke me and I’ll confirm or deny

 

[Samiwashere]

[!]
As progress is made on the symbols, a commotion occurs in the city. Two merchants break into a fight in the north gate market square. When weapons are pulled, guards rush to break up the argument. Just as the two men are pulled apart, a bang echoes around the noble district.
Women scream and children cry as the statue in the main square begins to crumble and burn.

(Couple more sign sand things to follow, something to investigate. Citrine will be hanging about in the square if anyone wanted to speak to her so they can get in on the drama if they missed the previous events.)
(Edit: also in case people did not see my message in the lfg channel on disco, im looking for someone to play a temp male character that'll be important to this arc so poke me if you're interested to learn more)​

 

[Samiwashere]

[!]
Mockingbay falls quiet for a time, a welcome reprieve. The statue in the main square is dismantled and removed. More rumours spread of noble men visiting the palace to meet with the Queen at the urging of advisors, suitors who seek to be the next King.


Then things begin to go wrong.

A bartender in the lower district is reported missing when she does not show up for work.


A commotion occurs in the upper district near the church, a priest is seen fleeing the scene and screaming about a curse brought upon the kingdom.

Whatever scared the man has yet to be revealed by the guards.


(This bit is a lil more drawn out, more clues to follow, more things to find. If you get stuck, poke me)
​

 

[Samiwashere]

I’m bumping this post with the disclaimer that this will potentially be the last bump before I cancel the whole story arc. I’ve put so so much time and effort into this already and I am realising more and more that there’s just no point. I’ve basically had to beg people to participate. It took a completely different nearby event/occurrence that I wasn’t even aware of, after I was already feeling pretty dejected, for most participants to even look at this. I don’t want to keep putting lots of effort in when I know I will get the same result, that’s like literally the definition of insanity. So if this goes out and it still doesn’t have any interaction then I’ll know it’s just not worth it. Call it an interest gauge, I guess.

 

[Fronslin]

Will try to be there if there's still an event, Won't be bummed if it doesn't happen though.

 

[Elz]

I would be interested in getting involved with a couple of others - Would you like us to contact you to set up a date to investigate?
(I also feel worry at events when I do them out of concern there wont be interest - But there are often times people simply don't know how to approach it or the DM and it isn't about your arc being no fun. I am sorry you feel disheartened.)

 

[Galaxy]

I would be interested in getting involved with a couple of others - Would you like us to contact you to set up a date to investigate?
(I also feel worry at events when I do them out of concern there wont be interest - But there are often times people simply don't know how to approach it or the DM and it isn't about your arc being no fun. I am sorry you feel disheartened.)

i second this!! your arc has been so interesting to me, and i tried my best to run around and collect all the little things -- it's just mostly not knowing what to do with them was my issue! i would love to further participate, if you would be willing

 

[Blorbis83]

I’d like to get involved! I’ve been wanting to for a while but I was never sure how/never really had the time!

 

[Samiwashere]

Will try to be there if there's still an event, Won't be bummed if it doesn't happen though.

I would be interested in getting involved with a couple of others - Would you like us to contact you to set up a date to investigate?
(I also feel worry at events when I do them out of concern there wont be interest - But there are often times people simply don't know how to approach it or the DM and it isn't about your arc being no fun. I am sorry you feel disheartened.)

i second this!! your arc has been so interesting to me, and i tried my best to run around and collect all the little things -- it's just mostly not knowing what to do with them was my issue! i would love to further participate, if you would be willing

I’d like to get involved! I’ve been wanting to for a while but I was never sure how/never really had the time!

I appreciate the kind words. As stated above, the crux of this arc is that most of the ‘events’ don’t require scheduling. So you don’t need to rely on a DM, or being part of a group or worrying about scheduling conflicts. Because my availability is iffy i didn’t want people to rely on scheduling an RP with me. Everything is set up in the city already, just gotta follow the clues. The rumours are often the first one, especially in the case of this last event which is a sort of scavenger hunt chain of riddles to follow. The only thing I ask is that if you do start to follow the clues ask me to add you/one of your group to the region temporarily.

This all will however culminate in a DMd event later that I’ve already asked events team to coordinate with me on when the time comes, so a potential for some proper dming and possibly a little bit of loot.

 

[Elz]

In this case I'll see if I can't get a little group together and go investigating! If you could add Gumdrop and/or Aryn_ that'd be good. : )

 

[Samiwashere]

In this case I'll see if I can't get a little group together and go investigating! If you could add Gumdrop and/or Aryn_ that'd be good. : )

Awesome, both added. Please put back anything you pick up in case other people drop by after you.

 

[Samiwashere]

{!}
It is soon public knowledge that the reason for the commotion near the church was a dead body, now identified as the missing bar tender. People whisper about how she was found dressed and made to look like the queen and wonder why she has not intervened. Parties investigate trails of clues left by the murderers.

When the body is finally taken down and examined, a note is found on it.

"There are three, and the largest is where the answer lies."

At night, soft piano can be heard from the previously quiet and unlit palace, a small sign of life behind the walls.


(Feel free to discuss the clues with the party, we are entering the final phase now, thread for the final event will come soon!) ​

 

[Samiwashere]

[ ! ]
While investigations into the Bartender's (now named as a Miss Avery Fenwell) murder continue, the rest of the city seems to quiet. There are no more ominous messages, no more bloody notes. Even the Queen's advisors seem hopeful when she becomes close to one of her potential suitors.
However, while on a stroll with said suitor, a Sir Arthur Belford, they are attacked. Sir Belford is reported to have returned to the palace bleeding with the unconscious Queen in his arms. Through his sheer shock he managed to catch one simple phrase that he repeated to the Mockingbay Guards.

"Meet back at the third mountain."

A party gathers.


(Final event in two days, some context for motive and an explanation as to why Citrine is not able to tag along)
​

 

[Samiwashere]

After months of chaos running through the Azerwind capital, Mockingbay finally sees some actual peace. Though the people behind it all were not stopped for good, thanks to the bravery of the eight party members, they are now two men short. It is made clear that Sir Arthur Belford was a fraud, and was actually the mysterious Burns who had hung Avery Fenwell’s body up in the church. After this reveleation is made, the advisors seem less ardent about finding The Queen a suitor.

As for the Queen, the clouds truly seem to have parted. While no one seems to know what really happened, and though she is still bed ridden, light has returned to the palace. The doors have opened again, as have all the curtains. Sunlight streams in through every window. Just as the spring begins to push away the winter so that life may bloom, the cold shadows have been pushed from the fair city so that it can thrive once again.

Despite the newfound glee that pours through the river-port, there is a lingering feeling in the air that this is not the end.

====================
This has been a rollercoaster. But I accomplished most of the things I wanted to, even if they were not always received in the way I hoped. I thank everyone who made an attempt to be involved, and to those in the final event for sticking with it. I put a little too much effort into that dungeon so it was really nice to see people enjoy it and figure out


Special thanks to:

Kostadim for playing the leading man to my leading lady.
Solus for all her help and encouragement with setting up my dungeon
And
TagTeamChampion for his perfect dming of the hot dogs.

more to come…

oh and bonus thanks to Warwolf for the world editing and trying to fix my problems​

 

[Fortune]

Nice.