The time has come, the Walrus said, to talk of many things.

[magicalarchaeologist]

Who: Istredd and the Thorne Summoned
What: Istredd called everyone to a meeting
Where: Istredd's Horizon
When: Friday, January 13th, midnight (technically therefore the 14th too)
Warnings: Discussion of Thorne's set up so paranoia, discussion of war, possibly some treason, who knows, it'll be fun.

HORIZON AND SET UP

The Tower was described by Istredd in detail so people would know where to go, and once they arrive the door automatically opens. After the meeting starts and he feels most of the Thorne Summoned are there, it will be locked to any outsiders. Istredd has tight control of his domain so it will also be shielded magically and sound-proofed so they cannot be eavesdropped upon. They get enough of that at Thorne! His domain is unique for being essentially a tower of books. Shelves upon shelves of books and multiple floors. The only other detail before the talk starts is that there are five ravens who will be curiously watching everyone from a perch nearby.

The main floor has been turned into a meeting hall of a sort, although mostly in terms of having a large space full of chairs and a long table if people wish to sit there. A key note about Istredd's domain is that people can easily morph chairs or create them in whatever form they'd want, so if you want them to have their childhood chair, go ahead. If they want a gaming chair, it'll show up automatically for them. His space is very intuitive. People can choose to speak either from the back of the room, as Istredd will do, or from where they sit/stand.

Attendants may notice that Kyle, Lucifer, and Kell come and go a few times, their intention to be visible to anyone watching so it doesn't seem obvious that there is anything suspicious going on.

After the initial formal talk and information gathering, people should feel free to explore the tower if they want. If you're a bookworm, go nuts. People will find that if they open a book it will appear to be empty at first, but if they think about their favorite book, the pages will fill in. It is entirely based on their recollection of the book so may not be entirely complete, but if their subconscious mind has memorized much of it, they will see what they need to in there. They may also find that was they move through the floors, a 'reading nook' may appear in the corner that will instinctively know what they would feel comfortable sitting to read with. If they would like to stay here, they can.

Istredd's domain is open when he is not there, so people can come back if they want later on.

ISTREDD'S SPEECH

Istredd will wait until it appears everyone has arrived or most people have and he will clear his throat to get their attention if they are already chatting with other people. He appears as he often does in Thorne, with very plain clothes in a dark shade of blue, serious and calm. None of his actual nerves show, although on the inside he is anxious about so much attention being on him. Even if he asked for it. He stands straight-backed, hands clasped behind his back. Istredd speaks in a very clear and calm way.

"Please sit or stand as you feel comfortable. If you want, you can create any chair you wish to sit in. I will say my piece here, but I would appreciate it if afterward others are willing to share their own information and thoughts. I know some of us are information gatherers and may know the history of Thorne Summoned, so whatever I don't cover, it would be helpful to fill in any blanks.

Whether you are new or have been here for some time, the facts are very clear: we are trapped in Thorne Castle. The other factions have a great deal more freedom. They can create their own businesses, live in their own housing, wander the streets or go on trips, and while they do have their own struggles, few are constantly afraid that a single wrong word spoken out loud will get them interrogated. Because of that, we are in a much more precarious situation.

We have to assume that Thorne is always listening, the castle has ears and magic everywhere, and they have already questioned anyone for showing the slightest bit of disagreement with the royalty.

Here is a quick current history of Thorne and the Summoned that I gathered, although people here who know more or who were there should add, as this is a summary. I assume there are some new people who have no idea that this happened. Thorne first Summoned people a year and a half ago, and when they did, they threw many of the Summoned into prison immediately. They were not told exactly why. They planned on executing one of the Summoned in a public place, and during that event, two unknown people appeared and froze all the Thorne mages. They gave the Summoned the option to flee to Free Cities and Solvunn. This was the first time any Summoned went to those locations, and the majority of them did leave. Eventually, as we know, Free Cities and Solvunn used the spell for themselves.

It should be noted that thousands of years ago, Summoning in Thorne happened, but it went poorly and the High Mage at the time was exiled. He ended up founding Solvunn. We know nothing else about that, but it is interesting that after all this time, they began again.

While Thorne has not thrown any new people into the dungeon, as far as we know, there are those of you who have been questioned recently about the situation with Yennefer in Nocwich or loyalty toward the royalty here. Suffice to say, we're not that far away from the potential of some of us going back into prison. I was made aware by Kyle that early on, a Summoned was taken and experimented on. Their attempt was to see if they could take a Summoned's connection to the Singularity and put it onto one of their own. It didn't succeed, so as far as we know it hasn't happened again, but that is not to say it won't. It's clear they are not above doing this.

I am sorry that this is all very alarming, and some of you may not have been aware of how tense of a situation we are in right now. But it's important that everyone is informed so you are not going into this blind. My reason for declaring this meeting is for people to share what they know, because knowledge is power, and being ignorant here is dangerous. I also would like to take this opportunity to encourage us to do the one thing we can to make this situation better: unify.

The more they can isolate us from one another, the weaker we are. If we are ignorant, ill-prepared, and disconnected, they can take advantage of us. And we have the power to change that for ourselves.

I'm teaching magic classes to beginners and offered the same to the Summoned. Stephen and Yennefer are also magic users who teach. My roommate Lucifer has volunteered to teach others basic combat skills, and I believe there are others in this group who have those abilities. Obviously, as I've said, it is dangerous to make us stand out too much, so I recommend offering it to anyone and the Summoned signing up, or to come into the Horizon and train here. If you have other abilities you can share with people, please consider offering them to the group. If everyone can feel confident in their ability to use magic and defend themselves, we will be better for it.

It's possible that by doing this I've opened us up to danger. It is possible someone here is willing to sell us out to Thorne, and if that happens, I'm the ringleader, so I hope the danger will fall on me. But please understand that they do not have any loyalty to us. We are all one bad day away from the queen deciding to imprison us again. As you've seen from the attack on Libertas, she can't be trusted. We can only count on ourselves and one another from now on.

I will open the floor up now to anyone who wishes to speak. You can share your information, experience, or thoughts and concerns. If you're willing to train others in your skills, please say so. There is a big book open on the table where you can write your information down. Everyone is welcome to stay here as long as they like if you'd like to take the opportunity to speak to anyone here without fear of being overheard in Thorne.

Thank you for coming. I apologize if this was long and boring. We scholars have a tendency to always sound like we're lecturing."

OOC NOTES

Hey everyone, it's Dee! I am so sorry for the tl;dr. I have the headers below: Speeches (information sharing/tl;dr like mine), Offers to Train (in whatever), and then everything else can be a Mingle.

If you want your character to speak/offer information but don't want follow-up questions, you can put 'OTA' or 'no follow-up' to indicate what your preference is here. If you put OTA people can reply with a sort of Q&A option, but the no follow-up idea is so that people can share information but not need to commit to that unless they feel like it.

The same goes for Offers to Train, you can make a 'OTA' to people who can reply to your character asking more or setting that up, or simply make it a statement. I want everyone to feel like they can play as much as they want here or just share.

And from there, mingle to your heart's content! Your characters can talk afterward, before, go explore the library, whatever you want, I support it. You can plan closed or open starters, follow your heart.

Jay reminded me that it may be relevant to read the game history page. Your character can have asked around for the pre-game history portion and know details about it.

If nothing else, I want people to take from this mingle that their character can hear any of this information and have it from now on for your RP purposes, and also have the opportunity to get them to learn skills from other Summoned/build CR that way. Do as much or as little as you want! If you have any comments/concerns, please message me on plurk.

Comments

identifying allies; open to all

[funbreaker]

Standing up and making grand speeches is truly not Thancred's area. Then again, he gets the impression it isn't Istredd's either, but he still stood up and talked at length because it was worth doing. There's a lot of important information that he laid out for those who might not have known it — about the imprisonments and experiments.

There's something else to be addressed here, however. Something that has been on Thancred's mind ever since the Libertas attack.

Where do they go from here?

He stands from his seat and clears his throat, making certain at least a few people are focused in on him before he speaks up.

"First of all, I should mention that I have had two talks now with Lyle Vela, the Lord of Representatives in Nott. He asked me to pass on to all of you that if you find yourself on the wrong side of the Queen or her guards, Nott is open as a place to flee to for asylum. I can't guarantee they can grant much in the way of protection, but it's certainly something to keep in mind, and preferable to a dungeon cell. Vela has made it clear that he is focused on his own people, and is not expecting much from the Queen."

He had even implied that he would be open to seceding from Thorne, but that is not an option that Thancred is going to offer up to just anyone. He doesn't consider that the best course of action in any case. Moving on...

"That being said, I believe it's important for us to identify someone in the Castle here who is on our side, or is at least not on the Queen's side despite how they might act in public. I have reason to believe that Jolene Sybell is a good option, and plan to approach her when the time is right."

Unless someone knows something he doesn't, but there's a reason he chose to bring up her name. He isn't outright saying that he's going to suggest to her that they need to depose the Queen, but that is in fact the plan. It's a burden he intends to take onto his own shoulders, as he believes he'll find a way to escape and survive if it all blows up in his face. He won't ask any other Summoned to themselves in that position.

[politicians]

[ jolene. that name strikes him like a bolt of lightning. he had heard of her, through his skills. he steps forward, dressed in a blue cloak and soft tunics. ]

I know where we might be able to find her, when she is unencumbered by the castle and its citizens. I heard a rumour of her recently.

[magicalarchaeologist]

[ Istredd glances over. ]

Where would that be?

[politicians]

The graveyard. I hear a rumour that she spends a great deal of time there.

[funbreaker]

[ When the stranger steps up, Thancred gives him a quick once-over. He's got pointed ears like an Elezen, but looks as if he might still be going through a growth spurt. Granted, it's possible he isn't from the same star and therefore isn't an elezen at all. ]

Is that so? [ Right now, Thancred's most intrigued by what the man has to say, head canting to one side. ] Learning such information was next on my to-do list, as it turns out. What did you hear?

[politicians]

[ elrond bows lightly in acknowledgement. ]

I heard she spends a great deal of time at the graveyard at Thorne. Perhaps that is a suitable location to meet her without . . . any complications.

[funbreaker]

The graveyard, you say.

[ Is that because someone important to her is buried there? Or is it for some other reason? There were instances of the dead coming back to life not so long ago, after all. ]

Yes, that does sound like a place where she could be approached without garnering too much attention. Where did you hear this rumor?

[politicians]

[ hard to say. even elrond isn't sure. ]

At the gathering we were all present for. It was repeated a few times for it to stick in my memory as something pertinent.

[funbreaker]

In that case, it would likely be best to try and find her there at what would be considered off hours.

[ Thancred nods, more to himself than anything as he files this information away. He'll need to keep an eye on that area for a week or so to take note of when she generally visits the graveyard, and decide when it would be best to approach.

Then, his gaze shifts back to the elezen. Or what he would consider to be an elezen, anyway. ]

Thank you for sharing. You're quite new to Abraxas, are you not?

[thedevilwhorose]

"Summoned escaping through portals to Free Cities and Solvunn is one thing. Fleeing to Nott... It's in Thorne's scope."

Whether or not Lyle wants it to be.

"It's not just whether or not they have the means to protect the Summoned themselves. He's not concerned about any retaliation against Nott for taking in 'defectors'?"

[funbreaker]

This is a Summoned who Thancred has seen around for quite some time, though they haven't ever spoken directly beyond passing exchanges. With no context for the name "Lucifer," all he knows about him is that he and Istredd seem to be close.

His question is a fair one, and Thancred gives a small shrug as he crosses his arms over his chest.

"I suspect that at this point he's willing to take that risk, but all he told me is that he's sheltered Summoned before and would be open to doing so again."

He lets out a sigh. This isn't a situation he's hoping comes to pass, but they need to consider all possibilities.

"If nothing else, it would be a place to stop and gather one's bearings before moving on to one of the other factions. Nott has its own mages who practice wild magick and it's possible some of them would be willing to assist."

[thedevilwhorose]

It's the risk that he can't get over. It seems too great without reason.

"You can't tell me he's doing it out of the goodness of his heart," Lucifer says, always looking to find someone's angle, or to give voice to the thoughts no one else may want to consider. "What is it? They can't perform their own Summoning, so they hope to pull in some Summoned from Thorne for clout?"

Nott must know it isn't one or two Summoned to consider granting Asylum to. Somewhere close enough to Thorne could likely feel the tension just permeating from the heart of the city.

[funbreaker]

Oh, so he's the cynical sort. Not that Thancred protests that, exactly, though he considers himself a realist more than anything else. His pessimistic side has been tempered by the other Scions, allowing him to view things from a few different angles.

"There are in fact some decent people out there in the world, but to indulge your theory..." Thancred plants a hand on his hip and shrugs one shoulder. "Quite a few Summoned have been making frequent trips to Nott to offer aid. I suspect that Vela's identified us as the sort of people who, generally speaking, wish to help their fellow man and who would therefore be productive additions to Nott."

There's a pause where he clears his throat. "However, I think we might be best off speaking to those Summoned who were sheltered by Nott in the past, if we want a true sense of what it would be like. Either way, I'd mark it as a path taken only in the event of emergency, if we don't want to draw more of the monarchy's ire in Nott's direction."

[thedevilwhorose]

Someone has to balance Istredd's optimism, and Yennefer alone isn't enough for that.

He'd argue about there being decent people in the world, but Lucifer's here and involved due to his connection to Istredd and all of that, so it would be an awfully poor argument.

"I was along with some of that aid," he agrees with a nod. He had done a run with Kyle to assist Nott and their undead problem. The pair of them had made a dent, but even they had to fall back, and then there was the fires even before that.

"Do you know who of the Summoned that had been sheltered? Or is Vela willing to provide us names for... ah... additional 'character reference'?"

open for threadjacking

[ushiri]

"What about the king?"

He doesn't know much about Jolene, her name hasn't been brought up before to him.

"I heard some of Nott's citizens might not even feel safe there anymore. That there've been disappearances."

Kahlil stays where he's leaning against a table.

"There's also rumors that Hayle university is looking to recruit Summoned."

[funbreaker]

Kyle's input is appreciated as he seems to have been gathering his own information in various places. So have most of them, naturally, as it's becoming clearer and clearer that most of the Summoned here do not trust Thorne.

They would be foolish to, given the history they all now know.

"I think it would be difficult to approach the king directly. But this is my first time hearing of these disappearances." Thancred furrows his brow, concerned by the implications. "What do you know?"

He'll circle back around to the mention of Hayle, wanting to cover this point first.

[ushiri]

Kahlil frowns, cocking his head to one side.

"Natasha overheard mages talking about being unable to locate missing natives around the coastlines, that they weren't being provided the resources to do the locating."

He names her because she's been open with much of her gathered information.

"Another Summoned spoke to Lyle Vela directly, during our last trip. Vela's aware of people from Nott going missing, and seemed to think they were leaving of their own free will."

Because of the dangerous place Nott stands in: between an uncaring castle and a hostile neighbor.

[funbreaker]

That's a new wrinkle. Thancred lets out a breath and lifts a hand to pinch at the bridge of his nose.

"Were these mages from Nott or from the castle?" If they were mages from Nott, it would be Lyle Vela himself who had opted not to give them the needed resources, but either way it's extremely suspicious that they're not being granted what they need to conduct a proper search.

"It's entirely possible that some have opted to leave for greener pastures, so to speak, but the fact that he's shut down that line of inquiry entirely is worrisome."

That's yet another thread that needs to be tugged on, but it feels like any move they make here has to be done with utmost caution.

[ushiri]

"It sounded like castle mages talking about the lack of resources."

But since this is secondhand information, he can't confirm for Thancred.

"It's true though, at least - that Nott has given refuge to Summoned escaping the castle in the past. As far I understand, they weren't asked for anything in return for that safety."

He's thinking of Julie, though he prefers not to name her openly. Even so, this was before the entire countryside was set aflame and a city to the south was partially destroyed. Any safety is relative.

His brow furrows, and he asks his own question.

"What makes you believe Jolene Sybell has good intentions?" Toward them.

[londonbound]

"I overheard talk of similar, regarding the missing people. But I hadn't heard that Master Vela had this own theories on what happened. Can I ask who spoke with him to learn this? I hope that those missing are well and are doing their best to make better lives for themselves -- but perhaps that is more wishful thinking than anything."

[ushiri]

"They're not in Thorne, but they're someone that I trust wouldn't lie about it."

He gives Rhy an apologetic look. He'll tell him later, but he doesn't want to go throwing Wanda's name out there with all of these relative strangers here.

open to threadjacking!

[londonbound]

"What do you know about this Jolene?"

Rhy has been listening for most of the meeting, taking note of the conversations happening. He's been a little quieter than usual, on his part. Preparing to rule Arnes and studying the politics of her allies and potential challenges has given him certain insights -- but it hasn't been nearly as helpful as one might think, in a completely foreign world with different dynamics, and especially as someone with next to no power or influence. It's taken him a year to accept this, to realize how little his upbringing and title mean here, but he's getting there: making fewer assumptions, listening more and talking less.

This isn't the first time he's hearing about Thancred's meeting with Lyle, but Rhy doesn't indicate this for anyone else.

"It would be lovely if we could all simply make the move to Nott, but though I know some Summoned have resided there in the past, I suspect it won't be so easy these days. I also don't think Nott itself is without those who may make their reports to crown-friendly sources, whether they agree with them or are simply looking for coin enough to survive. Even there, we should be careful how we speak."

He had to learn this personally.

"Recently, I was approached by the castle guard. They indicated I've been spending too much time in Nott, and they'd heard word I may not believe the crown is doing enough to support their citizens there. I thought I was being careful. It clearly wasn't enough.

"They are paying attention to those of us who leave the castle on a regular basis."

[funbreaker]

Well, that much is news to Thancred, his eyes going wide for a moment. The castle guard themselves approached Rhy about his activities in Nott? That isn't a good sign at all, and while Thancred is confident in his own ability to not be noticed, he can't assume that most of the other Summoned have specific espionage training. Being careful isn't necessarily good enough.

"I can't see why they would expect aught else from us, when they themselves opened the portal and allowed us to visit. Wanting to help those in Nott doesn't necessarily have to mean anything beyond you having a good heart."

He suspects that he is not saying anything that Rhy hasn't already thought to himself, but it is difficult not to be frustrated. The Summoned in general are sorts who can't look the other way when people are in need, and yet now those in the castle are taking umbrage with that? It's ridiculous. Thancred doesn't hide a scowl as he shakes his head.

"'Tis yet another sign that they have little care or interest in the well-being of Nott's people. Thank you for sharing, Rhy. I'll take even more care than I have been."

He hasn't forgotten the question regarding Jolene, but it seems important to address this wrinkle first.

[londonbound]

"I know. And yet..." Rhy shrugs. He won't actually deny that he said those things, not to Thancred, who knows quite well his feelings on the subject. No, Rhy hasn't been as careful as probably he should've been, but Thancred of all people definitely shares his sentiments toward the crown. It's worth a warning, even for someone already very careful.

"They opened the portals, and now they seem worried we may spend 'too much' time away from the castle. Maybe even start getting ideas. It wouldn't do to simply close the doors, declare Nott on its own, after all. Even if most of the help is in name only from an official standpoint, and solely reliant on the work of individuals with fewer resources than their work deserves."

That's not meant to be self-serving commentary. Rhy's thinking of those who help bring supplies, or Thornean healers from the castle who have provided aid as well, even philanthropic nobility who may have given coin to the cause. He's not so sure every person in Thorne would stand behind their queen's decision -- and it seems there's still someone in power who apparently agrees, so they continue to put on the show in Nott.

There's no point in rehashing the same opinions between the two of them again, though. Rhy leans closer.

"And you think this Jolene may be an ally?"

[funbreaker]

Thancred realizes what Rhy is getting at, that the portal being open is more about appearances than anything else. If they were openly barred from traveling to provide aid, then that would only make the Queen look worse than she does already. Someone who has her ear is thinking about how this will all look, though perhaps not hard enough.

Yes, it's moments like this when Thancred understands why Alisaie has always hated politics so vehemently.

"I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that it's all for appearance's sake, and that they're now taking umbrage with us genuinely wanting to help." No wonder Lord Vela has reached the end of his rope by now. Though Thancred still wonders at what it means that people have apparently disappeared from Nott, and that the castle mages are not being granted the resources necessary to search for them.

But yes, back to Jolene. As Rhy closes the distance between them, Thancred ducks his head down into a small nod. His voice comes out in a low rumble.

"When we were first sent to help with the fires in Nott, she was one of the mages arranging for that. She has provided aid to Summoned who needed it in the past, and she also serves under Anastasia Rhett — Ambrose's sister, who has a less than agreeable relationship with him."

Reading between the lines, as Thancred is wont to do, it seems that the friction between the siblings could have something to do with Ambrose's loyalty to the Queen.