open | full circle pt 1

[exequy]

WHO: Concerned mages/rifters/others
WHAT: An emergency meeting!
WHEN: Solace 20
WHERE: The Gallows
NOTES: Explanation in the OOC post. Please tag this like a network post. There are top-level comments to provide a little chronology/structure, but threadjack to your heart's content.

Before and during dinner on an otherwise unremarkable Wednesday, there's a chain of whispers (or notes, or perfectly audible comments from the particularly unsubtle) about an emergency meeting, at an evening hour, in a basement room, regarding a matter of concern to rifters and mages.

The basement part is probably unnecessary. It's certainly ineffective; the organization is too small, the Gallows too contained, and the halls too echoey for something arranged with this much finesse-wrecking haste to truly remain a secret. They could have done it in an empty office or the recreational dining hall, probably, and sat on chairs instead of storage crates. But Kostos picked the location, and he's dramatic. If nothing else it signals a clear intention to do this as unofficially as necessary.

Anyone who accepts the invitation (or just decides to come see what the fuss is about) will first encounter Marcus Rowntree, posted up outside the door like a bouncer, letting mages and rifters move through undisturbed but stepping in to question and likely bar the arrival of anyone else. Inside, Kostos is nothing but a dark scowl in the room's far corner, picking at a splinter of wood on a crate and not mustering a word of greeting for anyone who comes in. Derrica has parked herself within arm's reach of Kostos, a long gold-edged shawl spilling over one shoulder. Her diplomacy pin gleams from the front of her tunic. The worried pinch to her brow is the only outward sign of anxiety; otherwise, she is tightly contained, watching people enter. Julius–notably not in robes–is serious but calm as people come in, standing next to the ever-composed Madame de Cedoux.

Once as many people have arrived as seem likely to, Marcus closes the door, remaining beside it, and they explain what the problem is.

Comments

[charmoffensive]

And you know that we know [ piped up from the 'barely knows what's happening' corner, ] that you know that.

But has every other non-Riftwatch-y mage incentive to truly hear us on this sort of thing? At least on matters of particularity. Perhaps we'll only confuse things.

[overharrowed]

The Loyalists' commitment to trying to freeze out every other faction is one of their biggest weak points, in my view. They're trying to rush before anyone else can get a word in, but we can make sure it's clear they didn't build any sort of consensus. Not only freezing out Fiona's faction and all of us, but any other unaffiliated moderates, apostates, or other Southern mages more broadly. All of whom, by the way, will all likely be deeply insulted that they were spoken for without their consent.

[If there's anything Julius knows, it's what trying to speak on behalf of a group of mages is like.]

It suits the so-called College to appear to speak for mages as a whole, but if we've very quick and a bit lucky, they could quickly unite everyone else in being irritated or worse at them. And the more legible that is to the people they hope to negotiate with, the weaker their position.

[sparklequeen]

I know I'm just a Rifter, but I'm also a Mage--and I never agreed to let these people speak for me. That has to have some weight, doesn't it? That there are a bunch of us who had no idea this was happening?

[ Glimmer speaks up, frowning. ]

Should we send a letter to the Divine? Or send someone to show up in person to deny their claim to speak for all mages? Getting all of the other mages to put together our own petition seems like a tall order on short notice, though...

[ Hmm. ]

My only idea is to be as loud about it as possible.

[tender]

We will go.

[ A breath later, clarifying— ]

Those of us here, in Kirkwall. We are closer, and we can get to Cumberland faster. And once we arrive, we will have to stall them until Enchanter Averesch can bring Grand Enchanter Fiona and the rest of the rebel mages to Cumberland from the front. It will give us time to do as Enchanter Julius says, make clear how underhanded they are in this.

[ Speaking with any measure of authority is—

Strange.

But Derrica presents this as a fact. Here is a course of action, what is to be done. ]

We will have to be very loud, until the Grand Enchanter and her people join us, or else those already at Cumberland will be able to talk us down and send the proposal as they have written it.