[EVENT] Cold Winds Blowin'...

[ironwood]

Characters: All
Date: January 10-31, 2018
Location: Keeliai, all sectors
Situation: Hurricane and ensuing cleanup
Warnings/Rating: add warnings to headers as necessary, please.


Come late night on the 10th, carrying over into the wee hours of the 11th, the winds that have been on and off all month pick up, howling between buildings and rattling anything not nailed down. The worst of it comes over the next day, when the winds don't actually stop, sweeping through the city at high speeds and bringing rain and all kinds of debris with them.

The canals in Water are nearly impassable, making travel even more inadvisable than it would have been. In some places the wind takes out the power, too, leaving several people temporarily without much in the way of heat -- not good when the average temperature is hovering around 5°C (about 40°F). The rain comes heavier over the course of the day, and flooding both minor and major abounds; during the worst of the storm the canals are near to overflowing and there's a sincere -- and realized -- risk of drowning. As the flooding rises fast, some unprepared citizens may be caught by these rushing torrents and need rescue.

The storm settles down toward the end of the twelfth, leaving only brisk winds and a sullen drizzle as it finally passes the city by. In its wake, however, is a vast array of damage, and significant repairs to be made.

The high winds have knocked many trees down, some of which landed on homes and businesses -- in some cases, punching right through the roofs, rendering the buildings temporarily unlivable, and sending their occupants out into the storm to seek their nearest secondary shelter. Flooding is wide-scale, doing immeasurable amounts of property damage and putting many lives at risk. Many are left injured, homeless, or their businesses and livelihoods in ruins. Even more have lost personal possessions that are irreplaceable.

All told, the Merchant's Guild estimates that nearly 10% of the city's residential districts have suffered severe damage, meaning that the homes in those areas are not structurally safe to live in until repairs are made. This translates to about 6000 kedan across all Sectors in need of temporary housing. A further 20% (roughly 10,000) of the city has experienced moderate damage, so their homes are livable, but they may be without power, heat, or necessities like running water or adequate food stores.

The rest of the city takes light damage, mostly in the way of flooding and damaged goods. Volunteers are needed all over the place to remove storm debris to a growing mountain of wreckage outside the city walls. Everything from broken windows and furniture, to entire trees and large sections of rooftops need to be hauled away, and in some cases, the Foreigners' abilities will be much appreciated, since whatever left is going to be done with kirin-hauled carts and sledges.

Through the rest of the month, repairs are in progress, most of it taking place beneath a sapping cold rain, which impedes both repairs and volunteers' health, and many come down with walking pneumonia and flu-like afflictions. Usayi is among those organizing work crews for the clearing of large debris and urgent patches; he'll be spearheading those efforts as the month wears on as well. The Woodsmen also call for help from as many volunteers as possible, citing the loss of a great deal of growing and stored seeds, as well as the damage to their agricultural land plots, which are now littered with more debris.

Comments

[of_deduction]

[ In the span of one moth the boy had nearly been taken hostage in a mugging and had somehow gotten himself kidnapped-he's more than his fair share of trouble. ]

Yes, I suppose we are. But to be on the safe side I've had him compile a list of the places he frequents. [ Thanks to John's suggestion. ]

[redlightgreenlight]

[Yes, well, Conan didn't threaten to kill everyone in Keeliai during a fit, so he's golden.]

Probably a good plan. So...a consultant?

[of_deduction]

[ Still a lot more trouble than Sherlock originally anticipated. ]

Yes, I have a preference for the bizarre and seemingly impossible cases. However, at the moment, I'm not too picky.

[redlightgreenlight]

I think we can help with that.

[Bizarre and unique was quite common around here. Or at least more common than in other places.]

Has Conan told you anything about the Cultists?

[of_deduction]

[ Oh good, he was hoping this case would come up. ]

As a matter of fact he has. Though according to him he's been kept away from that one.

[redlightgreenlight]

The cultists are dangerous, even to me.

[Especially with their crazy drugs.]

There is no way I'd let a child near the case. But you seem smart enough to not get yourself killed. I'll let someone know that you have been allowed access to those files.

[of_deduction]

Thank you.

[ He straights his jacket a little. ] Any chance I can get a basic run down from you? You're the chief of police so you're likely to know the case better than anyone else.

[redlightgreenlight]

I've also been here awhile...It's a long story, you may wish to sit.

[of_deduction]

[ He glances at the chair in front of her desks and debates standing anyway before sliding over with ease and placing himself in the chair. ]

If I might suggest, please be as detailed as possible-leave nothing out as it will only serve to help me when I make my deductions.

[redlightgreenlight]

I shall do my best. But first...

[She looked at him, one brow arched]

You may have to suspend certain kinds of disbelief. Things such as magic, souls and demons do exist in this world.

[of_deduction]

Yes, these are things I've been coming to terms with far the passed month.

[ The arrival of John had done wonders to help him along but he still maintains there's a scientific explanation for everything-Even the super human abilities some people seem to possess. ]

[redlightgreenlight]

Very well.

It started with war against a world-devouring Demon named Malicant. That's why I was summoned here, along with many others. Malicant was a faceless terror that some kedan grew to see as a god. My first encounter with the Cultists was after we confronted the then Emperor, Evandau, at the Midnight Hotel. They attacked us, trying to taint our souls with some sort of dark essence of Malicant's. They were partially successful, several people were...infected and this led to later problems.

My second encounter occurred when my friends and I tried to contact Tu Vishan in order to find out how to defeat Malicant. We got the information we needed despite their attempts to stop us.

[of_deduction]

[ By now, Sherlock is familiar with a few of those names so he listens closely without interruption. ]

Wait. [ He holds up a hand to indicate he wants to keep the subject firmly on the first encounter. ] Infected. How do you mean infected? Some find of virus or...?

[redlightgreenlight]

I suppose you might call it a virus. We called it a 'Taint' because of the darkness that swirled around the souls of the infected. It made those affected more prone to anger and violence.

[of_deduction]

Are there any of those that were infected, still around? I imagine there were efforts to see if the infected could be cured.

[redlightgreenlight]

No. The Taint died with Malicant.

[Or at least those who had been tainted had been clean when they had woken from the Dreaming.]

[of_deduction]

[ Died? This is a new area for him so he can't be sure if he's thinking about this correctly but it seems as though it might suggest that Malicant had somehow taken over the minds of the infected-by substance or something else he can't be sure but the fact it stopped after the death of Malicant might be telling. ]

You said is caused problems later. Judging from the fact you said the infected were more prone to violence, I'd say the issue resurfaced.

[redlightgreenlight]

During our quest to retrieve the item that could kill Malicant, those who had been granted boons by 'Asti' and those who had been tainted, turned against each other and the unaffected Foreigners.

[of_deduction]

Like some form of defense mechanism. [ Neat. ]

What about the natives? Did they turn on them too?

[redlightgreenlight]

We probably would have, if we had been anywhere near them. The Kedan were...different under Malicant's reign than they are now. Their souls, emotions and personalities...were muted.

[of_deduction]

[ Muted. Interesting choice of words, and of course he heard that comment about 'we' ]

As I originally thought, I'm going to need a very detailed history of this place before I can get anywhere. [ He mutters to himself. ]

From what I understand, Malicant's no longer an issue-at least not a physical one. The term 'cult' is telling enough. I heard from Conan that awhile back someone had used some form of chemical that increased aggression. Any relation?

[redlightgreenlight]

Good luck finding a detailed history, Malicant destroyed the imperial library and we've been trying to put the pieces back together for months.

[She shakes her head at his question]

I'm not sure. Dust and the Taint were around at the same time, but dust wears off whereas the Taint died only with Malicant.

But yes, Malicant is very dead.

[of_deduction]

[ Lovely, this has all gotten so much more complicated. ]

Dust?

[redlightgreenlight]

Dust is the...drug that caused a riot a few months back. Nasty compound. Tends to make tempers flare.

[of_deduction]

The Dust then, would be the case which Conan informed me of that he'd been kept from. [ He says thoughtfully, rubbing his hands together. ]

...What do we know about this Dust? Other than it evokes violence. Where does it come from?