sa-hareth | i

[groundrules]

Bright and early, wakey-wakey.

Wherever, whatever, however, whenever, whoever you were doing — is officially on PAUSE.

It’s a rush job, but don’t blame the getaway drivers — the intrepid rescue teams that are liberating you from hard chain and wall strappings still have dozens like you to release, one at a time. Poppy-drugged and haze-minded, some running wound fevers, you only earn bare-bone instructions after rose quartz necklace is thrust in your hand. This slip of nothing will allow you to grasp foreign speech for two days while you wear it:

"You are in west-northern province city Sa-Hareth. You were brought to serve warlord Unhalad. He will kill you for your strength. He has killed — see the many bones beside you — countless of your kind before. Be at the House of Dew within the fortnight, in the Merchant Arena. That way. Go east."

Characters are rescued from one of two locations. They have all been warded, stripping them of access to their native magic or spiritual and physical weapons. Characters with superior strength or physical prowess have been sedated. These effects will wear off gradually in 72 hours. Pick your path & poison:



A. SALT MINES

• Characters were summoned unconscious from their homelands within the past 3-5 days and have been chained and detained in the tundra plateau atop the salt mines. • Now and then, waking from narcotic spells, characters have been able to glimpse the undead legions of Unhalad: largely humanoid and decaying, but preserved by the unyielding cold. They have little awareness past accepting orders from their humanoid, slack, pale-skinned and long-limbed lieutenants. The base undead have occasionally stolen captives and covered themselves in their blood or their limbs, seeking warmth. • Captives have been culled every two-three days, given as rewards to the undead. • Characters are rescued at night, by a team of six, who light fires to dispel pursuers. The flame circle also cuts off exits beyond the salt mines. • The mines can be entered through a lattice of suffocating tunnels, or a very rickety cart ride down, if characters collectively restart some stuck levers. • Once inside, the salt mines are a steep, labyrinthine construction, possessed of pointy edges. • Centuries ago, hare salt, dense and pure, was Sa-Hareth’s core & cruelly exploited currency. Some infrastructure persists: the rare lit torch, abandoned tools. Miners still attended mere weeks ago — torn blankets, twice-cooked biscuits, salted (why, yes) fish are still strewn about. Bundle up from the chills, replenish, keep walking. • If luck prevails, characters might stumble on a makeshift encampment, where miners who fled Unhalad stashed barrels of oil and fresh water, lamps, clothes and resilient foods. • The undead above might have had some discipline, but the undead risen of the salt mines are completely devoid of human awareness, ravenous and impatient for warmth. They stir at the smallest sound, fast and savage, prone to hunting in packs. Happily, their sight’s dulled, and many died surrounded and fearful of salt, so they struggle to discern shades of white. • The undead can be deterred easier than killed. Simply stabbed, they’ll keep walking. Lacking limbs, they might carry on. Best to dismember them, or severe their heads. Better still: avoid them. Run (silently). • Keep east. There’s a slippery slope up somewhere, to the outskirts of Sa-Hareth.

B. OLD JAILHOUSE

• Characters were recently summoned from their home worlds into Sa-Harent’s defunct jailhouse, within the 24 hours that precede the rescue. Lightly battered, they've been immediately put to work, with Unhalad’s lieutenants miming assigning instructions to cleanse the jail cells and feed the undead forces of Anurr — the warlord who lost Sa-Hareth to Unhalad. • The rusting and decrepit jailhouse is stuck by the cliff-side and grazed by water. Some cells barely hold together, their chains set to break. • Unhalad has left few undead to patrol the area, but they look significantly more strapping than Anurr’s larger (if captive) undead forces. Unhalad's resurrected here behave similarly to those of the salt mines. • Past midnight, characters hear alarm bells because of a jail uprising They are freed from their individual, sturdier cells, and directed east — deeper in the jail, before they can (hopefully) reach the kitchens and travel through the supply tunnels to an uneasy exit. • Some characters might still be loosely bound together with rope or chain. • The inevitable problem: not only are Unhalad’s forces on the run, so are Anurr’s freed and starving factions. • Topping everything, there are the lingering ghosts and spirits of previous captives that are looking to compromise or possess passers-by. • On exiting the old jailhouse, characters must infiltrate or beg passage to the mainland on the ferry boat that delivers morning supplies. Alternatively, they can tackle the long, chilly and undead-patrolled bridge walk. Good luck with that!

SA-HARETH

Citadel of... someone else’s dreams, the grudging seat of Unhalad’s power for the past 18 months, conquered from his predecessor Anurr and isolated from the west by frozen waters and teeth-rattling chills. A large segment of the population fled during recent hostilities, but the city receives enough naval commerce that the merchant fleets have stayed. Sa-Hareth's activity has shifted from the salt mining of previous decades to commerce and the Merchants’ Arena — frequent markets, with cloth, spice, food and work wares trading hands through open auction. Despite the milling undead, the air isn’t fraught with tensions or terror, as if the population’s gotten used to war and compromise. Characters cruising Sa-Hareth might want to try the occasional disguise to escape the scrutiny of native undead. Notable locations: La Rea: a renown and swarming bank, managing local and foreign interests. The ports: several, typically focused on the type of ware received. The lifeblood of Sa-Hareth’s economy. Main market: the centre of administration, justice and taverns, alongside auction houses. The House of Dew: a declining luxury brothel. The forges: crude and somewhat cold, but working. Find your flame or your weapon of choice. The customs: highly regulated exits that characters will need to breach shortly...

HOUSE OF DEW

Welcome to the Dew House! Good of you to make it. You’ve arrived at a bustling, clean and strangely sophisticated brothel enjoying a wealth of high-end clientele. The brothel keeper, old woman Tamaiu has been paid off handsomely to tolerate your stench and ushers you into the servant quarters, where you’ll be offered the rags du jour and fresh, steamy... millet. Some medical supplies are available, but scarce and largely there to attend the sort of wounding received by the House of Dew’s workers in their line of service. Characters who stay inside until the rendez-vous will be assigned basic cleaning and mending duties, but always whisked away from the discerning eyes of clients. Days before the rendez-vous, familiar faces from the rescue parties, disguised as suppliers, will bring in some trinkets over two deliveries — characters’ clothing and weapons. They confirm that the mastermind of their escape, an anonymous Merchant, is attempting to broker their passage out of Sa-Hareth — the trouble, so far, is coin. A HELPFUL HAND: ASSIGNMENT The more coin for bribes and travel fees, the better. Characters are encouraged to help the fundraising effort and expedite their own exit: explore the city, beg, play the auctions, rob a bank, go back to raid the salt mines, start a cult. Sa-Hareth is your freezing oyster.

COMMUNICATION
• Regrettably, no more fancy translation rose quartz pieces are freely available for characters’ use. They can always be stolen or purchased from other city dwellers. Merchants should have a-plenty.
• The House of Dew operates translation spells in most areas, typically to ensure courtesans can liaise with their customers.
• Good news! If they nick procure a rose quartz piece again, characters can access and visualise a makeshift magical ‘network’ communication platform, calling the House of Dew!
• ...bad news! While Tamaiu allows refugees one private network channel, she’s not ponying up the money for a premium connection. There will be frequent peripheral noise and characters will be able to hear courtesans discussing at length with their customers. They will also inherit the creative usernames of existing courtesans.
• Channel communication can take place in writing (translating whatever characters jot down in whatever way, from parchment to a stick in the sand) or verbally. Visual communication is not advisable, as basic rose quartz communicators aren't sophisticated enough to pull clear mental footage, and will instead stitch together a series of blinks, mental impressions of place, and hazy afterthoughts.
• Nothing quite like a character inbox system yet!

THE OOC LAUNDRY LIST

Intro post for all newcomers!

Sa-Hareth arrival log

Event questions for the mod

Salt mines route sign-ups | Old jailhouse route sign-ups

Comments

OLD JAILHOUSE ROUTE

[groundrules]

Reply here if you want your character escaping through the old jailhouse. I'll update this comment with the appropriate list!

[beitangmoran]

Moran will be in the jails with some of his fellow inmates.

He is relatively proficient at fighting with normal human strength, but he doesn't have any weapons, of course, and his brain is going to have a hard time to accept that undead people are a thing that actually exists, because it's illogical and a biological impossibility. he'll be all for trying to sneak away and avoiding combat is possible, but if combat does happen, he'll probably try to protect people who appear smaller and weaker.

He also has a silver hairpin that he would not like to part with, but could possibly be used to bargain for passage on the ferry.

LIST

[groundrules]

Beitang Moran | beitangmoran
Lee Chang | jeoha
Bai Mingyu | descendency
Winnifred Prismall | soulsrob
Merrill | yourdistraction
Five | somebadnews

[jeoha]

Lee Chang will also be in the jail house, he has no powers and no weapons but a very very sharp paranoia of zombies and knows how to kill them (beheading). His first priority will be finding a way of arming himself (even if it's just some heavy chain to smash a head in).

When the jailbreak starts, he will be trying to keep as many people together as he can to all get out safely, regardless of their original status (PC or NPC). The exception to this will be undead, who he will attempt to murder on sight, or NPCs or PCs that are attacking other characters.

Once in the kitchens he is just gonna grab so many knives.

[beitangmoran]

Quite happy to follow Chang's lead for the killing here, but also to help keep people together and squirrel them out with as little casualties as possible. Moran will definitely bow to experience here, and he's quite competent enough himself to help out.

Spare him a knife, Chang-di

[jeoha]

He will VERY RELUCTANTLY arm you Moran

Prove he can trust you not to stab him in the back okay

[weifinder]

Hey hey Lee Chang wanna talk about your encounter with the undead over in brothel lands later

#usefulcommentary

[jeoha]

oh boy DOES HE



well maybe he doesn't but i sure do

[yourdistraction]

Yay, a leader! Merrill will be drugged and out of it so not as useful as she'd normally be, but she'll try to follow orders and will like that he's helping as many as he can.

[jeoha]

Nice. We'll come bust you out Merrill, don't worry.

[descendency]

Just call this the crown prince brigade. (It's Mingyu's Insta handle don't @ him.) There appear to be a lot of overlapping skillsets when the rich bitch squadron are stripped of powers, but Mingyu may be the only so far who knows how to turn on the charm and not be fucking rude. So he'll smooth talk people as necessary, and provide whatever English-Chinese translation services are necessary. Or funny. He'll let Lee Chang do the fighting and Moran to do the bribing, conserve his own resources. Thanks guys. Anyone wanna start a band?

[beitangmoran]

............. Mingyu, you're such a little shit. Moran likes little shits, it's is character flaw.

[soulsrob]

RAISES HAND AND WAVES IT

Winnie is going to think this is all good fun and try her best to communicate. She's going to be bubbly and cheerful like this is all totally normal and fine and she's definitely not having a No Good Very Bad Day.

She has very rudimentary fighting skills, but she's quick and clever and great for distraction since, somehow!! the undead don't take notice of her as easily as they do the others, so she can slip by to get things. She's going to blame it on being a woman or smth. those damn sexist undead!! or maybe it's bc she's blonde, maybe they hate blondes. insert dumb blonde joke here.

she'll also do her best to charm passage for them all and attempt to sell some of her accessories and layers bc like....there's so many layers to her outfit she can give away some it's fine. it's fine!! who wants a whale-bone corset

She'll definitely be like, "well of course we should stick together, we just went through a harrowing experience together! That sort of thing forges BONDS, you know!" and want to keep an eye on everyone, make sure everyone's doing good, etc. etc.

[downswing]

Winnie.

Winnie, don't Polyanna this experience.

Winnie, this isn't a good time. Put down the teacup.

....AND DON'T RANDOMLY START UNDRESSING JFC DO YOU WANT A NEARBY BLOOD CHOKE.

[soulsrob]

Oh mr. Lan PLEASE , you can’t spit blood every time someone near you shows an ankle! However are you going to survive the House of Dew??

And it’s not like SHE’S using the clothes right now..... she’ll try to embrace local fashion. Maybe. Whatever local fashion is

[beitangmoran]

Oh joy. Well, if you want her and Moran tied together, we can do that. I haven't put up a top level yet

[soulsrob]

Sure! Did you wanna just. Idk continue our thread from my sample thing?? I can link it and we can continue over on the official post??

[yourdistraction]

Oh good, someone else who can see silver linings on occasion! What a pretty lady~ Aren't you cold now pretty lady?

[soulsrob]

yes thank you she is FREEZING can you believe she was kidnapped to a weird abandoned jail and no one thought to bring her authentic fur coat??

unbelievable. The rudest kidnapping she's ever been part of. Also the only one so far but still by far the rudest.

[yourdistraction]

Merrill will be in the jailhouse! She might also try to get curious over what you people call ghosts in the prison, but she'll think of as a spirit/demon, as mentioned in her app sample. Given her strong magical powers, she'll be sedated and out of it, so she might be more hindrance than help in the first stretch, but she can follow orders.

I'm absolutely onboard with her possibly being chained or tied to someone after the escape, too. She is an elf with tattoos, so she's very noticeable and will definitely be needing a cloak after this...

[beitangmoran]

yay more jail people! Moran is already tied to Winnie for now, but he will helps kill zombies and whack them for others who are more incapacitated.

[yourdistraction]

If he wants a moment to play hero there's an opportunity~!

[somebadnews]

Five will be going this route, and wow thanks for the nightmare fuel, now he knows how Klaus feels. He will be pretty frustrated that he can't use his ability to jump right out of those bars. Tiny bit shell shocked here. Since he at least doesn't appear to be a great physical presence at his age, he won't be sedated, and he's just fine being underestimated. Definitely gravitating towards anyone who looks useful once there's an opportunity to get out.

This is one of those occasions where he'll suck it up and use his appearance to his advantage once they get to a ferry. Small but so determined, so if he's not immediately getting sympathy he'll move onto threatening his way on board. Just... keep an eye on the kid, it might get messy.

[soulsrob]

Winnie will immediately slide in to pretend Five is her son if he starts getting fighty and sweet talk their way out of it/help sweet talk their way onto the ferry?

if she just keeps chattering long enough and confusing people eventually someone will let them on just to make her shut up right??

[descendency]

I WATCHED ALL OF THE UMBRELLA ACADEMY FOR YOU. Winnifred, do you need a stepfather for your ill-begotten son?