Clash of Cults

[orleanide]

[Tonight on Victorian London: Emerald edition, we bring you a normal everyday ritual.

For the most part.

Under an abandoned church - the remains of the Order of Dagon - a new group has set up their own gathering. Shrouded in dark hoods, at least twenty people have been separated into groups of three or so with an overseer for each.

In short: it's sort of like a classroom for cultists. Most of these people are new and trying to harness the energy from the rift that infamously goes through London. Surely their god will be pleased. But before they try the main event, they really need to get their newbies into shape. Just going through some basic summonings and magical exercises, nothing that should be too bad.

Enter a problem: See that weirdly shiny relic in the center of these destroyed, watery ruins? Another cult happens to believe that belongs to their God. That cult is currently waiting in the shadows for a moment to strike and attempt to steal it. So maybe they ruined this harmless practice session on purpose or maybe the rift in spacetime was too much for the newbies to handle. Either way, their summoning doesn't go...right. It gives cult number two over there a chance to run in, magic ready.

So where does this leave you?

Maybe you were just summoned in. Maybe you were spying. Maybe you were invited as a witness to the training session. Maybe you were passing by when fireworks started blasting out of the church ruins.

Either way you should probably get out of here. There are strangely spacious sewer exits against the right wall, definitely wide enough for people to go through. There are crumbling stairs and doors going to winding catacombs. Maybe you can follow some of the escaping cultists and hope they don't turn on you. Maybe someone will rescue you.

All of it is up to you.]

Comments

[dorca]

[Drugged seems legit. Maybe he got in an accident and he's actually in a hospital high on painkillers or something. He flounders a moment, stunned at the transformation....]

[And then the water around him kind of terrifies him too but he needs to swim right? He can do that, he knows how.]

[argentmarteau]

[When he takes too long for her liking, she grabs his shirt with her teeth and pulls, the message to 'grab on' pretty clear.

Touching her will have him find he can very suddenly breathe underwater. Either way, whether he grabs hold or she has to drag him, she's shooting out the passages, heading for an exit.]

[dorca]

[Yeah okay going along with it. A powerful kick to help him swim along with his strange rescuer from this weird drug-induced nightmare. Going with the flow because he's not sure what else to do.]

[argentmarteau]

[For the sake of my sanity and not describing what I think was a nineties PC game, the escape from the waterways is epic and successful, which means Makoto's pulled to the shore of the Thames, and Eiriol's changed back into a girl.]

...Ugh, this water is gross. You still alive?

[dorca]

[Wow I never want to do that again. He crawls to the shore and almost collapses, even though he could breathe that was disgusting and surreal and basically a nightmare.]

...What... Just happened?

[Is he still alive? This is just a nightmare isn't it?]

[argentmarteau]

It's a long story. Come with me, it's not far.

[She pauses for a moment to wring out her hair.]

It's not a dream. Find your friend. I'll explain to you both.

[dorca]

[Definitely distracted now that the immediate danger (you wish Makoto) is over and Haru... Haru's here. He has to make sure Haru's okay.]