004 - video [un:plantogetit]

[traumaticus]

Greetings, it's me. Richard Plantagenet, the duke of Gloucester.

It seems like the last the events of the last month truly shaken up our community in more ways than just one. And on top of that it appears that the council is back on the move once again, trying to subdue us 'the chosen' under their thumb. There might not be much that we can do in the face of such horrors but i do not believe we are entirely powerless either.

But first things first. If any of you find your housing situation compromised, please, come to the inn. We will allow anyone in need to stay free of charge. However, I must warn you that the standards aren't quite what they used to be with the resources running low, which leads me to my next point.

I call everyone who is willing and capable to gather and join me in the cleaning up and rebuilding our city. The roads are still filled with rubble and debris from the fight and some areas seems to be completely blocked off. Similarly, I will call everyone who is interested in defending our city to join me and the defense squad with patrolling around the borders and woods nearby in case of the monsters still lingering around. The game and other wildlife seems to have left the their usual area, so we need to make sure that it is safe for them to return here if we want to thrive as a community.

As for my last point.

I am aware that not all of you might trust me or have the most positive views on my actions here. Still, I wish you to listen to what I have to propose to you and take it in your heart without being clouded by prejudice and hear me out.

When my homeland was met with great injustice my noble father, the duke of York, took upon his shoulders to set things right. He rallied the people, raised the banners and brought upon a storm like no other to sweep across our country. All just to remove the tyrant, the false king from his pedestal. When I look at the way our state in this city I must admit that I feel compelled to do the same and urge us to take our fates to our own hands. The Council and this AI-entity might loom above us like Gods, but that does not mean we ought to outright submit to them. I am aware that we have already into our own groups and formed affiliations. But I truly do believe we are strongest when we are together and united.

Which is why I propose the following: that we, the Chosen, would form our own governing body. A council of our own, if you will. I do not suggest that we follow one true leader, as I believe that to be fruitless in our situation. However, we would greatly benefit from having chosen representatives to gather and bring out the issues that we might be facing as a community, so that we could coordinate our efforts to match our best interests and needs.

This is, of course, just a suggestion. I would love to hear what all of you think of this.

Comments

video | un: cupcake

[bulleting]

[Interesting. It's not like it's not something Caitlyn hadn't thought about before, but with any governing body comes a whole lot of issues. How would they be chosen? Elected or otherwise? It would be wise to ensure everyone was represented in some way, that everyone had a voice at the table. What about when people left? Were altered? Sentenced? Did they need to step back during those times, to avoid outside influence?

It sounded...messy. Coming from someone who had been thrust into power and leadership in her own world, not something she was eager to handle again, but would, if necessary. She was one of the longer lasting Chosen around, these days. That kind of experience counted for something, even if she hated the idea.]

I have my qualms, but a way to unify us doesn't sound unreasonable. We would just need to find a way to do it that would benefit all Chosen, not just those that sat at the table. And with plenty of safeguards.

[traumaticus]

Of course. I agree that there needs to be careful planning and discussion on how we achieve this. It would do no good if we let the corruption and greed take place among our numbers.

[bulleting]

If enough people agree to some kind of leadership, we may need to hold discussions in person as well. We need to give people plenty time to air out their concerns, and get a better grasp of how the Chosen as a whole want to be led, before any choices are made and put into action.

That aside, anything we do likely won't be recognized by the Council, either, nor with any of the locals, so any real power will be questionable. Just what we give them.

[Sorry, Cait has a lot of Thoughts.]

audio; un: QUEENOFZAUN.

[opheliac]

Hey!! If anyone is still tuning into this broadcast, Miss honorable Caitlyn over here gassed my city when she was in charge of things.

[her face isn't shown, but anyone can hear her grinning madly over her own statements.]

So I wouldn't put her anywhere near the "ordering people around" department. [a beat.] — Uunnnlesss you got a kick for being poisoned.

audio; un: cupcake

[bulleting]

[There's an audible sigh on her end. Of course Jinx had to butt in and make her sound like a monster.

Okay, so yeah. She might have been becoming one, but Ambessa was the real one, manipulating her and making the tensions worse in Zaun than necessary.]

No, I gassed the Chembarons. You remember, the ones causing nothing but violence on the streets during their turf war? The ones literally poisoning your people with Shimmer and other drugs? You were the one that redirected those gasses to Piltover and hurt actual innocents, not me.

[opheliac]

[there's a chuckle rumbling in her throat, and it's not a delightful one either.]

All right, all right. I get it, the Academy stooges failed you as a kid and you winded up being dumb as a brick. I'll be nice, and I'll cut you some slack, but ONLY a little. — And since you're an idiot, I'll give you a free lesson about gas. No charge, you're very welcome.

[to be obnoxious, jinx clears her throat and there are noises adjusting her position.]

Gas is a vaporous state of matter. It has no specific shape or volume. Meaaaanning, if you use gas, oh, I don't know, the Chembarons in one teeny tiny little location, the fumes doesn't just stay in one place. They spread, like your overly price fancy schmancy perfume that smells like artificial flowered sewage. So you may think you're just getting your targets, when in reality, you're getting a free smorgasbord.

Did that help?

[bulleting]

I know gases work, Jinx.

[As if she didn't dive deeply into research about the Grey. As if she didn't take every precaution to prevent anyone innocent from getting caught up in the cross hairs.]

I also know that gases linger in the fissures because of poor ventilation. Cut off the ventilation shafts, cut off the dispersal. But guess what happens when you turn it back on? It disperses. I didn't leave the gas to linger, Jinx. I'm not calloused enough not to care whether or not Zaun could breathe.

[Her and Jinx will never see eye to eye, so she's not going to waste her breath on how precise her strikes were. How she specifically targeted the Chembaron's locations and filled their hideouts with the fumes. But Jinx knows, because she experienced it too, in the arcade. Caitlyn made sure to be careful. Vi could attest to this, too. If Caitlyn was really hurting innocent Zaunites, would Vi have really stood at her side? Look at how she reacted when Caitlyn "almost" shot Isha, even if Caitlyn still stubbornly knew she wouldn't have accidentally done so.]

[opheliac]

Uh-huh, whatever you say, Toots. Just don't fall for any more giant ladies, alright? I know they're mesmerizing, but not all of them are good for your health.

[a beat, while the smirk bleeds through her words.]

And between you and me? Yours is going... [cue sound effect of her whistling something plummeting down to the pits of something deep.] Keersplat!

[bulleting]

[Oh, Jinx. It's ever so pleasant to talk to you. But she's going to tolerate you, for Vi's sake.]

Are you done now, or would you like to share more of our dirty laundry on the public network?

[She tries to be civil when others can view it, but clearly Jinx doesn't care. That's the only reason she replied to Richard so openly. She didn't want anyone else to only get Jinx's side of the story.]

audio un: punchesu

[grappler]

I mean, if there's one thing us people from Runeterra are good at, it's making a scene.

[at least she's self aware.]

[traumaticus]

It seems like you two have more than just bad blood between you two.

[bulleting]

You have no idea.

[A long sigh.]

What she doesn't tell you is the air was already poisoned. The mining fissures leaked poison into the air. A ventilation system was created to funnel the toxic air out, so people could breathe easier. I accessed this system, cut off the ventilation in strategic locations, with the sole purpose of eliminating the criminals hiding there.

She still just wants me to be the bad guy, even though this only started because she killed dozens of people first.

[traumaticus]

Hmm. [There is a long and thoughtful hum from Richard. The situation does seem overly complicated. And well, he is privy to some of the ongoing conflict and Caitlyn's part in it thanks to Silco. But he is experienced enough not just to believe one side although... he must say that he is seeing Caitlyn in a new light now.]

No one survives a war with their hands clean off blood. Or poison, as it seems to be in this case.

[bulleting]

No. They don't. I won't lie and say my hands are clean, but I did everything I could to spare as many as possible.

[She came back from her return visit home a changed person. Not so innocent or naive to the ways of the world, anymore. And with more than enough scars to show for it.]

Jinx's actions had the city calling for blood. They wanted all out war. Using a task force to hunt down the remaining gang members was the best recourse to spare as many innocents as possible at the time.

[And then Ambessa happened. Ambessa happened and so many things got away from her, most importantly, Violet.]

[traumaticus]

I know very well how she can be and how the flames of anger can bring about war. My land has been shaken by different conflicts. I grew up seeing our people being torn apart by factions as they swore loyalty to either red or white rose.

I do not claim to understand the conflict between you two, but for our community to work there needs to be ability to move on or find a way to deal with this bad blood.

threadjack - voice; un: eyeofzaun

[conflictresolution]

Ohhhh, you wielded the Gray against the citizen of Zaun, did you? You understand that you lose your credibility when you turn the toxic air that you and your people have made us breathe for generations as a way to access the political powers that stand against you?

I believe that's called assassination, isn't it? Well, Piltover's finest showing their true colours once more with their boots on the throats of those that they oppress. You call it mercy to remove the Chem-Barons, but how many suffered in your conquest of us once more, hmm?

Have you ever breathed the Gray, Miss Kiramman? Have you ever felt it clogging your nostrils, stinging your eyes, closing your throat and pulping your lungs? I assume that in your benevolence that you at least experienced the weapon that you wielded upon the streets of my city so you understood what it was that you unleashed?

[His voice was steely and yet silken.]

The undercity deserves to breathe, is it?

voice;

[bulleting]

[Here we fucking go. Caitlyn knew this was coming and yet she's still not ready when it does.]

You're one to talk about assassinations and oppression.

[As if Silco didn't have his people in a choke hold of his own. She has no doubts that he manipulated the gases to his own benefit when he could, just like he poisoned and killed plenty of Zaunites over the years. Unfortunately, he's right about the suffering of Zaun under her watch. She regrets the lengths the Noxians went to behind her back. Even if she was trying to protect Zaun too, Ambessa was a manipulative bitch that challenged her at every turn. She might have been in charge, but she felt powerless most of the time.]

You would do well to remember it was my family that installed the ventilation system in the first place. My mother fought for your right to breathe, and she was brutally murdered anyway. I manipulated those vents to use the gas, yes. But I only cut off the circulation in specifically targeted areas. I did not gas Zaun at large. No one innocent of criminal activity was brought in during these raids.

[Not that he fucking cares. The Chembarons were just a tool in his arsenal, likely. And it was just another reason to point fingers at Piltover and play the blame game.]

But yes, Silco. I have breathed it. Multiple times. I know you think lowly of me, but I would never use an agent of that magnitude on another person without extensive research and putting myself through it, first.

[And put her team through it, too. It truly is awful, and she's done even more to ensure the Gray doesn't poison anyone else since.]

Ironically, in the absence of you and your poisonous cronies, Sevika and I have made sure the Undercity is breathing better than ever before.

voice;

[conflictresolution]

Am I? What do you know of my activities actually, Miss Kiramman? Notes and pictures and whispers from a girl who languished in prison with a chip on her shoulder?

[Silco knew he had the upper hand when it came to his knowledge of the undercity, its people, its traditions and the ground that it was buried in layers in. He had been born there, scratched out a living there, and he had experienced the horrors of the Gray more often than he could count. He had developed a certain... immunity to it one could say.]

Lording over me the wonders of industrialism of your wealthy family, are you? Don't worry, we don't forget with your family crest carved into the duct entries like a brand to remind us of our place.

[Silco made a noise, sharp and disparaging.] Do you wish to discuss how many people your mother murdered over the years, Miss Kiramman? Oh though, now you're sounding like the late Sheriff. The means justify the ends, the suffering worthwhile as long as you get your man, is it? I suppose you'll say that everyone you gassed deserved it, won't you? All those poor ungrateful criminals brought to heel with the Gray as they clutched their throats, rubbed their reddened eyes, coughed and wheezed as the toxins dizzed them.

[He hummed softly, considering the claim.] I don't believe you. Piltover doesn't do well in the undercity toxins; too much fresh air. Perhaps a tickle of it, but you've never sat in it.

[There was a soft scoff.] Ah here we go once more, lording your superiority over me. So high and mighty. So rich and prosperous. I suppose the word dictator has a different meaning when you can pay for it to sound more pleasant. [His tone turned sharp.] Are you waiting applause from me? Poison us, kill us, and then suddenly you claim to make things better? You play nice here, but you're as vile and ruthless as you assert I am.

voice

[grappler]

Can you just fucking shut up for more than five seconds? No?

You just decide to pick a fight with Cait when she wasn't even bothering you, you asshole.

voice

[conflictresolution]

[He knew she would come. Excellent, right on time.

His tone drops to a silken purr, mimicking a Prom accent.]

Ohhh and here is the saviour turned blue-belly. I consider you more guilty than your counterpart using the Gray on your own people. Traitor.. How did it feel watching us choke, all those guilty nasty little Zaunites?

[traumaticus]

What do you mean by 'gassed' and 'being poisoned'?

[opheliac]

Oh, you don't know what a gas is?

[even though she just explained it to caitlyn seconds ago, she is more than happy to explain it again! education is fun for her from time to time.]

— Right, so you know how poison can be liquid, you know, pour it someone's drink, food, blahblahblah, and that person croaks and dies? Imagine it being in a different form. You breathe it in instead, and it goes straight to your lungs.

Poison generally works faster when inhaled as a gas or when absorbed through the skin. If you're the kind of guy who likes to get rid of things quick, gas is the way to go.

[traumaticus]

[Hm, ok that explanation he can follow. And well, if he's honest the whole idea sits very badly with him.]

So, she poisoned the air around in your town? I must say, that does sound disturbing. It is like from the pages of the stories that warn us about the dangers of the witches and their ploys.

[opheliac]

Exactly!! Princess Long legs over there is actually a witch who puts spells on unexpected women. I'm immune, but she got my sister pretty bad.

But I'm okay with them being together now. Besides, I've learned the hard way that trying to break people apart will just make them grow closer. Kiiiinda like you and your... [she catches herself quickly then works around her words slowly.] — ahem, significant other back home.

[it's a good thing she poured out the fire before she accidentally caused it. feeling pretty proud of herself, she continues on with a sing-song tune:]

♪ You know the one.... ♪

[traumaticus]

[Richard rolls his eyes at that. Jinx please.]

I do hardly think that miss Kiranman is a witch, Jinx. So far I would say that you are much closer to one than her. [And hey! Look at that, he is completely ignoring the bit about his 'significant other'] However, I do know what it is like when a nebulous person forces their way into your family and seizes the control over your kin. Breaking people apart by force hardly ever works, especially if the person has been wrapped around their finger.

What matters how you learn to live with it.