[EVENT] A STROKE OF SABOTAGE

[ironwood]

Characters: ALL
Date: April 16th-April 30th
Location: Keeliai, various
Situation: Just when you think things are working a little too well...
Warnings/Rating: To be added as needed.

---

It starts small - a few greenhouses have seen their crops wither, and the kedan frantically scramble to find the cause. By the time they do, it’s too late. Three days later, the problem seems to occur in every single one of the major greenhouses and hydroponics stations; plants withered and dead, and several kedan sick and showing signs of Dust poisoning after contact with the water supply. While there were no deaths, all had to go to the Healers Guild and several had severe enough reactions that their stay was more than just a brief treatment and overnight observation.

The initial response from a few of the more superstitious kedan is that the run of bad luck has culminated in the ruin of their efforts. More level-headed kedan will be inclined to take a more scientific approach. Kyde and a number of chemists are called in to take samples.

As one might expect (or not, as the case may be), Dust had been somehow integrated into the water that feeds the hydroponics and greenhouses, which wound up killing the plants and sickening the kedan. While it hadn’t made it into the main water supply for the city, there was clearly enough of an organized effort that it affected the public greenhouses and hydroponics systems. Every piece of equipment that comes in contact with the water will have to be flushed to prevent another die-off. It's a big setback, and the process will take several weeks to complete, reigniting concerns about food shortages.

The culprits even left a calling card - painted on the walls or tarps is a message: MALICANT WILL RISE.

Tensions are high everywhere in the city, and morale is low as the culmination of the kedan and Foreigner’s hard work was ruined and, while they aren’t back to square one, there is an enormous amount of work ahead. Going forward, there is an urgent call for the development of better filtration systems to keep out toxins while still distributing essential nutrients, and better security. The kedan will be looking toward Foreigners for assistance in these matters.

---

OOC: Various starters are included in the comments below for different facets of the plot, or you can make your own! Please direct any questions to the April Game Itinerary post. Thank you!

Comments

CRIME AND PUNISHMENT

[ironwood]

Following the announcement of the sabotage, there's a sharp increase in the cost of perishables, and indeed for food in general. The rising food costs and undercurrent of fear about the cultists causes the economy to slow significantly, although the Merchant's Guild quickly steps in to prevent racketeering and excessive price gouging, although they can't be everywhere at once and some still crops up here and there.

Petty theft also spikes in the second half of April, only adding to the stress of the situation. With the new Guild system only recently enacted, there's mumblings that the sabotage was meant to destabilize things before they even got going, and many kedan are watching very closely to see how each Guild responds to the situation.

Open

[redlightgreenlight]

Valdis' fury over the sabotage results in increased police presence throughout the city, as well as an uptick in hires for the KPD. Her head kedanese detectives, Kaliel and Castela, are working overtime with their teams to find any word on the cultists and Valdis is diverting funds from research to keep her officers fed as they work. If anyone were to stop by her office, they will find that she isn't as available to walk-ins as before and Kaliel tries to divert as many inquiries away from her as possible with the excuse that she is 'busy with paperwork'.

That's a lie...

If one looks closely, they might notice the redhead who shows up at the KPD from time to time, or see her talking to kedan in the sketchier areas of town. She can't be a foreigner, as she doesn't have a soul gem visible, but those who are very observant might recognize the wrapped blade she carries.

[of_deduction]

Of the observant is Sherlock Holmes, he hasn't really been out and about since John's disappearance and previously had completely immersed himself in his experiments specifically to avoid talking to someone. The only reason he's out today is that he's collecting samples. He's seen the writing on the wall and what's happened and to him that only means he needs to double his efforts.

It takes a minute for him to recognise Valdis, but he does recognise that sword and saunters over to her before whispering down low so no one else can hear.

"They say the art of disguise is to always hide in plain sight." He states. "Though clearly they haven't met you."

[redlightgreenlight]

Valdis senses his approach before she hears him say anything. His tone is quiet, which she appreciates, but clearly she hasn't fooled his sharp eyes. She turns, offering him a sly smile. The Feather has done its job well, but perhaps carrying her sword, even wrapped as it was to hide the glow, had been unwise.

"I'm just full of surprises," She replies, gesturing for him to walk with her.

[of_deduction]

He doesn't offer a verbal response to that merely gestures with his hands for her to lead the way.

"So, found anything that might be helpful? I'm afraid I haven't made much progress since our last meeting.

OTA!

[purrns]

Normally, it's as himself that Adrien keeps an eye on the Cultists- following them quietly, remaining unassuming. But this- all of this had slipped him by. He hates he missed it. He knows he can't be present for everything they say, he can't catch every tiny detail- but he feels bad about it all the same.

Still, it's as Chat that he;s currently dealing with the problem. He can be found sitting on rooftops, still as a statue, watching the coming and goings of people. It's easy to miss him. Of course, once he sees a theft happening, he's off like a shot- bouncing over the rooftops, shooting out his baton to cut the thief off, landing easily in front of them.

He doesn't really have much of a pun, either. No real banter. He just gets the item back, returns it to the owner, and brings the thief in to the KPD. He'll come out of his dark mood eventually, but with the sudden loss of Marinette (again) he's a lot less cheerful than usual. Someone might be lucky to catch him to talk before he heads off to work again.

[schrodingersghost]

Danny had made a point of patrolling ever since this had started. Or gotten noticeably worse, anyway.

Funny thing about being a ghost. Even kedan criminals seemed to be inclined to drop things and run after a little constructive spookiness.

Spotting Chat on one of his circuits around the shopping areas, Danny drops down from the sky and takes a seat right beside him.

"Hey, what's up?"

[purrns]

"People are getting really antsy. Have you noticed?"

There's a distinct lack of puns and overly goofy grins here. Chat doesn't really feel the need to put on the whole act around Danny. Danny is safe. He can be himself around him, even if that 'himself' is currently not all that super fun to be around. His tail twitches over the side of the roof, unsettled.

"All that Malicant stuff is really riling everyone up."

[commandandcontrol]

Lucky!

"Hey! Hey, wait!" Sonja runs over to Chat as soon as she spots him as he returns the item to the Kedan, before he can run off.

"Hi! Chat Noire, right? I don't think we've met yet, I'm Sonja."

[purrns]

Chat turns to flash her a charming grin. He might be out of sorts, but he can at least play the game still. Pretend it was better than it was.

"Oh, hello there. You've got the right cat. What's up? Need some heroing?"

Open

[schrodingersghost]

Petty theft wasn't usually Danny's area.

But at times like this he was more than willing to step up.

He was currently discovering that even kedan thieves were more than willing to cut and run when all of their loot suddenly rose into the air into the air and returned itself to the stores. As they take off running Danny suddenly becomes visible in the center of the street, floating in the air and laughing.

"I guess I am getting better at this haunting thing."

POISON

[ironwood]

It's evident by the uniform spread of the Dust contamination throughout the water filtration system that there must have been multiple points where the substance was introduced, which does lead to speculation that it was either a coordinated effort by multiple people, or possibly fewer people but over a greater length of time.

Testing of the traces determines that this is neither the typical form of Dust that can be purchased illegally, but nor is it a variant of Red Mist. Chemically it's closer to the former, altered enough to keep its properties viable in a water environment, and those who were involved in the capture of two cultists in the sewers beneath the Water Sector may note that it seems to be a more refined version of that strain.

Regardless of its chemical makeup, the effects are largely the same: paranoia and hallucinations are the most common symptoms, both of which fuel a rise in aggression. There are also physical symptoms not unlike a bad strain of flu, causing dizziness, nausea, and general bodily ills.

The Dust taint isn't only found in the water itself, but can be identified in many of the plants, both still in the hydroponics areas and throughout the city. Even those who weren't working in close contact with the greenhouses may have been affected simply by unknowingly eating something prepared with food from there.

[Locked to residents of Not 221-B]

[spoilsfun]

Conan had ignored his symptoms at first. He'd been rather prone to colds and flus ever since he'd been poisoned and turned into a child. At first he thought this was just another case of that. And if he'd been more paranoid recently? It had been easy to attribute it to his own concerns with his situation. Conan was always paranoid these days.

By the time the hallucinations started, it was too late. No one would have known anything was wrong until Conan didn't show up for breakfast.

He never signed up for this

[of_deduction]

Sherlock hasn't been around much-with John gone he's done everything he can to keep himself distracted and busy so he's spent much of the month away from the house and working at the university. He'd only been home once or twice the entire month and he'd only seen Conan in passing so if there has been any symptoms of illness he hadn't taken note of them.

It just so happens that he's home that morning that Conan doesn't emerge from his room and checks his watch to see if his internal clock was off. Humans were creatures of habit and they tended to wake up around the same time everyday especially if they've put themselves on some form of schedule.

He sucks in a breath and moves over to the boy's room before knocking sharply on the door.

[spoilsfun]

There is silence for a moment, followed by a rustling sound as Conan opens the door. He sways slightly from lightheadedness as he clutches onto the doorframe for balance, and his face is pale from the illness.

"What is it?"

open!

[isochrone]

a. anywhere

Elizabeth had been feeling a little under the weather for a few days, but hadn't been able to determine why until the revelation about the Dust-tainted hydroponics and water sources was revealed. At first, she was determined to muster through the effects... but the increasing paranoia feelings became harder to ignore, and she was sure that each time she turned around, Songbird would be swooping down from the sky to reclaim her.

It comes and goes, but approaching her when she's distracted may prompt her to whirl around, hands out to shove the person away with a startled shriek. "No!"

b. healers guild

It only took a few instances of not being able to tell fantasy from reality before Elizabeth realized that unlike the common cold, this could not simply be ignored, and she went to the Healers Guild.

"Excuse me," she asked when someone had a free moment. She looked tired and drawn, her complexion dull. "Do you know if there's somewhere specific we're supposed to check in, if we're having the Dust symptoms?"

Hotel

[commandandcontrol]

"Hmm, that doesn't seem particularly dressed up to me," Sonja said as she approached Elizabeth in the hotel.

Elizabeth's outburst catches her by surprise, but her martial arts training doesn't let her get shoved back. She catches both of Elizabeth's wrists and tries to calm her down.

"Hey! Wait, what's wrong?!"

[isochrone]

The immediacy of being restrained doesn't do much to reassure Elizabeth, who tries to pull away and aims a kick in Sonja's direction, before she seems to regain her bearings.

"Wha-- Sonja?"

OTA [cw for subsequent threads: descriptions of blood, gore, body horror...y'know, fun horror stuff]

[upshore]

Miles had just thought he'd caught a bug that the Walrider was fighting, since the damn thing was practically his new immune system. Mild dizziness and some chills - but maybe the chills were the weather, he couldn't quite be sure.

He goes for a jog late one night to clear his head, maybe get the ol' inner ear back to normal with some physical activity. It's cloudy; the moon is hidden, and he's found himself in one of those rare parts of the city where he's completely alone.

Then he hears, very quietly, the rattling of chains. His breath catches.

No.

Walker's dead, he saw the guy get turned into chunky tomato sauce by the disaster now sharing his body, he's dead. It's not real.

The dragging noise gets louder, and he hears heavy breathing.

Oh, fuck me.

He crouches down, trying to hide, trying to keep his breathing quiet and calm and even. Then he hears a voice he never wants to hear again.

"Oh goddamn it, how did you get out? We're gonna have to do something about those hamstrings."

Tears begin to leak out of his eyes. No. Not Trager. No. He got crushed. Miles saw him. He's dead!

Then it comes to him. He doesn't have to hide anymore. He never has to hide again.

It's painful, being stabbed with pins and needles all over his body, but he releases the Swarm. It curls all around him like dark smoke, and he stands, looking for the men who hurt him, and smiles.

They have reason to be scared of the Walrider. They will have reason to be scared of Miles Upshur.

[lasergrenades]

With the sabotage, everyone is on high alert, and that means more night patrols from the air. There's been incidents all over the city, ranging from minor to significant, and they've been happening randomly, so there's no way to tell when a fight will break out. Pepper is about to turn back for the evening when a red light flashes on her HUD, outlining suspicious activity.

She banks towards the area, and what she finds is... a person, surrounded in some kind of cloud that shifts almost like it's alive. Carefully, Pepper gets a little closer, hovering well above them in the air.

At this distance, she can get a better look at who or what she's dealing with and after several seconds of confusion, Pepper breathes in sharply. This is not the first time she's seen something like what's before her now, even if the memory isn't her own.

Miles. Walrider.

This can't be good. There is no way in which this is a good thing, at all. Pepper needs to keep Miles from hurting anyone, and figure out why he's in this state later. She drops closer, still airborne, and opens the faceplate. "Uh. Miles? You, um, you don't look so good. Are you, er, okay?"

It's a stupid question, but Pepper has no idea how coherent Miles is right now.

[upshore]

Not especially coherent or lucid, Pepper, but thank you for your concern all the same. It will eventually be much appreciated.

He doesn't recognize what's hovering before him. Nothing hovered that he'd ever known. Something from Murkoff. It has to be. They've sent something after him. He doesn't have to be afraid ever again. Ever.
"
"Ḏ̩͍̰ͨ͐͌͘i̶̥̘͈͉ͫ́̌̌e͖̗̩͉͉̳̤̿ͮͫ̚̚,̠̥͉̥̲̯̎͌̔ͩ͌͝͞ͅ" he says, the sound like the screech of static, and a word might be under it if Pepper can filter the signal out from the noise.

He reaches out towards her, all black and silver, and the Swarm surges forward.

CURSES

[ironwood]

The kedan have always been inclined towards superstition, and the sabotage seems to have cemented the belief for many that a curse has descended on Keeliai. There's some disagreement as to what exactly the curse is about and who is responsible for bringing it down on their heads - the Foreigners are an easy target, but blame also falls on some prominent figures in the city, both living and dead. There's a rash of con artists selling trinkets and rituals that supposedly protect individuals or houses from the curse. Most of these are worthless and some are actually harmful, such as those that use plants that cause rashes or materials that are likely to break and cause further injury.

All of this contributes to the rise in attendance at the Ban Om Temple. Kiueu and Kuhie find their small food reserves beginning to get taxed by those who want to forage from their gardens in light of the rise in prices, but they make do with it as best they can. The Temple itself isn't immune from the spate of thefts, and late in the month, part of the gardens are vandalized as someone digs up and removes some of the trees.

[purered]

Klaus had heard about the vandalism at the Temple, and while he's a bit wary of Kiueu and Kuhie's ... fervour, he's not unsympathetic to those who had sought some succor from the growing tensions.

And he really didn't like it when people messed with someone's garden.

He came, cart in tow, with potted plants from the Hotel's greenhouse - herbs, vegetables, and several saplings that would one day bear fruit. He didn't seem to have much trouble with the planting - it kind of helped when you were strong enough to lift steel construction beams - but he certainly wouldn't refuse anyone willing to help out.

[commandandcontrol]

Sonja decided to accompany Klaus to the temple. She had a great appreciation for gardens, even if she'd never done it herself. It seemed obvious that taking an interest in gardening was a good way to get closer to the imposing proprietor of the hotel.

"I guess the Hotel managed to avoid dust contamination?" she asked.

She really wished she could have some rubber gloves for this, but if they existed they probably weren't cheap. Instead, she found herself mildly grossed out by having all this dirt on her hands, but just pushed past it, transplanting a small herb plant into the garden and pushing dirt into the crevices.

[purered]

Klaus was generally happy to have help when it came to gardening. There was nothing like sharing a mutual love of plants and all things that grew. But he wasn't so oblivious to when a person's heart wasn't really into the whole digging in the dirt and dealing with all the creepy crawlies that dwelt therein.

"It would seem so," Klaus said. "The water supply for the greenhouse comes from the hotel which in turn comes from the city. And the incident earlier this month might have been seen as a deterrent."

He looked up from where he was gently piling a mound of dirt at the base of some herbs.

"...My apologies, Miss Sonja - I didn't realize you had no gardening gloves. There should be a spare pair in the cart."