NPC CONTACT

[moustre]

NERISSA BELL & MHAIRI AINSLEY
▪ andernach & fearolc ▪
While the Bonded pair are particularly busy - between their everyday work for the Coven and Parliament, and looking for answers to new arrivals' questions - they've placed a mailbox outside the Coven gates for anyone to leave a letter for them. These can be non-urgent queries, updates for Nessie or Mhairi, requests for in-person appointments, etc.

You can also reach them both by watch now! They've gotten their own, and will answer at their earliest availability. However, if your message or request for them is time sensitive, it's always recommended that you seek them out at the Coven itself, especially to reach Miss Nessie. Relaying messages through Parliament can be difficult, but this is also an option, if Mhairi is currently attending a session.


If you wish to interact with Nessie and Mhairi outside of the intro logs, please comment here. You have the option of handwaving the IC interaction to OOCly ask what questions your character might have for them, for us to summarize an answer for, or you can request an IC thread. Simply specify in your comment's subject IC or OOC, comment to the specific NPC you'd like to contact, and we'll respond accordingly. If you're looking to speak to both, please respond to the toplevel below.

Face-to-face IC interactions are granted in special OOC circumstances, such as follow-ups to quests, investigations, or a previous thread. OOC "handwaving" of a face-to-face interaction is still good to go!

Comments

BOTH

[moustre]

If you have questions you'd like to ask both Nessie and Mhairi, please respond here.

NERISSA BELL

[andernach]

If you have questions you'd like to ask Nessie, please respond here.

MHAIRI AINSLEY

[fearolc]

If you have questions you'd like to ask Mhairi, please respond here.

[mislike]

Mhairi,
We have not had the pleasure of meeting, but my name is Sansa Stark from a land called Westeros. My family has held the North there for hundreds of years. I come here with no experience with magic, but if I can be of some use to you or the Coven, mayhaps working alongside one of the Parliament members, I gladly offer myself.

Regards.

[fearolc]

[ A young Puca, small and spry, will find Sansa with a letter in hand with each response she receives. Their finding magic makes them well-suited to couriers. ]

S. Stark,

Aid is always welcome in Æfenglom, no matter the experience nor the knowledge. The Coven fosters the opportunity for growth and learning, so long as the mind is willing, and I strive to encourage the same in the Parliament.

I would ask to learn more of Westeros, of the Starks in the North, when you have the time. For now, I ask you this; what topics interest you? What place would you find amongst the Parliament's house, your focus, where you feel you would be of the most help or find yourself the most willing to learn? Our city needs those who are willing to excel, both within and without the Walls.

Our best,

M. Ainsley

[mislike]

M. Ainsley,

I am glad you are open to opportunities. Magic has long thought to be gone, but the last few years have proven that untrue. I personally have had little to no contact with it, but I am aware of it. I would like to learn more during my time here.

I excel at diplomacy and at being a voice for my own people. The North is but one of seven kingdoms in Westeros, though we have been run autonomously for many years now. My father was a lord, and my mother a lady. From this plus any knowledge and training gained as a witch, I would wish to learn your rules and laws. Mayhaps I could better serve those like me who have found themselves here under strange circumstances.

Whenever you are free, I would happily tell you more of my home.

Regards,
Sansa Stark

[usurpers]

[ once eren’s time at the stables have passed, he makes certain to show up at the coven, and after a bath, personally seek mhairi out. there’s been a multitude of things on his mind— the itches don’t seem to falter too much, even with the oils and treatments given to him by request. agh, you know what he is? red as a lobster, scabby with spots of broken flesh trying its best to heal on its own. except it’s so bad, eren doesn’t let them heal; he eventually scratches them off again, giving his skin a moment of relief before it’s lost and burning.

he’d ask miss nessie, but mhairi seemed like the better source for what he thinks of. that, and he’s found her approachable by some mutualities. let her know something he’s decided and maybe a few more questions. ]

letter, sometime after moving in is all settled

[topslug]

Dear Miss Ainsley,

I'm sorry if that isn't the proper title to address you with, but I wanted to thank you for negotiating with Parliament for the Haven on our behalf. I know it probably wasn't an easy task, and I appreciate the opportunity you've given us to prove ourselves to the rest of the city.

I've noticed that even though the Coven supports partnerships between monsters and witches, it seems like integrating with one another still isn't that easy. Is there anyone dedicated to overseeing interactions between humans and monsters in the city? Or a space for monsters and humans to learn to live and work together more closely?

To be honest, I don't have much of a head for politics, but I like talking to people and helping them get along. If there's anywhere for me to pitch in, I'd be happy to.

Yako Katsuragi

letter, also sometime after moving in is all settled

[topslug]

Dear Miss Nessie,

I'd like to thank you and the rest of the Coven for all the help you've given us so far, though we turned up rather unexpectedly. Although it doesn't seem like heading home is something that could happen anytime soon, it helps me feel better to know that there are people willing to help strangers in need. I haven't found the magic I think I'd like to specialize most in, yet, but it's been interesting learning more.

I'm sorry The food was Please tell the cook [ Half-started sentences hastily scratched out but still understandable if you squint. ]

I did want to mention something that I forgot to say when we first arrived. A few people mentioned having dreams about a banquet at a castle made out of plants. I had the same dream, but I got lost outside and ended up fighting monsters that sound like the the ones you described as creatures infected with the Cwyld. After they were beaten, they seemed turn to light and ash. I think they were infected faeries, though it was hard to recognize them by that point.

Is the name 'Dewaint Forest' familiar to you? That's where we were, though there was something wrong with it outside. I don't know if any of this is significant at all, but it seems too much of a coincidence, so I thought to tell you about it. Maybe you can make more sense of it than I can.

Yako Katsuragi

letter

[andernach]

[ Or more accurately, a small, tightly-bound scroll that appears in a small puff of smoke by Yako's bedside one morning. It has the Coven's official seal on it, but the handwriting is bubbly and girlish. Readable, but very much the hand of someone who doesn't care to be fancy. ]

Dearest Miss Yako,

It's wonderful to hear from you! ♡ We're still right sorry we can't be of more help to you lot, but we'll keep doing our best. A place to stay and keeping an eye out for all of you is the least we can do, to begin with.

As for your creatures, that does sound like the infected... but that's awful strange for them to be faeries - we don't have many of those around here anymore, and the ones that do don't tend to go outside of the city. They're a bit more susceptible to the Cwyld, so you know, better safe than sorry for them. It's good to know more about these dreams of yours though, it is! You all had quite a time off in Faeryland or something like it though, didn't you, between those beasties and the faeries people said were in the castle.

I can't say I've heard of the Dewaint Forest either, but I didn't want to reply back with just that and nothing else to help you, so I went looking through the Coven's library. A couple of older journal entries mention it, but it's not on any maps we have currently. If I had the time, I'd scour the rest of the city's libraries and the Parliamentary Records too, since they're our big archival things, but... Well, you know how it is! Guess I'd suggest seeing if you can't poke around any of those places yourself; the Records might be a bit hard to get into right now, but the libraries shouldn't be too bad.

I'll let you know if I wind up finding out anything new too, Miss Yako. Research is a good way to wind down before bed, though I'm sure Mhairi'll scold me if I'm up too late like she always does.

Ever yours,
Miss Nessie ♡

[topslug]

[ Regular snail mail delivery service here, since Yako hasn't learned that letter trick herself yet... but boy does it look handy! Her reply is brief, but warm. Miss Nessie really loves Mhairi, doesn't she... ]

Dear Miss Nessie,

This is more than enough help. I'll see what I can turn up on my own, and I'll let you know if I find anything that seems important. Hopefully I can find someone to help me look into it too.

Thank you again for everything, really. You and Miss Ainsley have been so kind.

Yako Katsuragi

[fearolc]

S. Stark,

The thought of a world where magic is absent enough to be considered gone by many is a world that I couldn't conceive. But I would boast of our Coven, though many would call it a bias; you have the opportunity to learn much of magic, and I believe you are in the best place for it, regardless of which specialization you would seek. My Ness is, in particular, the best healer in Ġēardagas.

I am free now, and within the Coven itself, if you would find this to be a convenient time to speak further in person. Having been raised in such a position, and offered opportunities to learn of your home's governing - both in the North, and all of Westeros - I imagine you know how complex this process can be. I find that tea and fair company makes politics far more agreeable than they so often could be. And we have much to discuss, if we are to help you and those that have arrived through the Looking-Glass House.

Our best,

M. Ainsley

[fearolc]

[ Though she isn't facing him upon his approach, focus down on something she's writing, Mhairi's ears twitch, one swiveling back towards him before she turns in her seat to regard him. She looks far more like the werewolf that they had met upon arrival, now; her sleeves rolled up to her elbows, spats discarded, tie and vest alike absent to allow for her shirt to be unbuttoned to the collar.

Not that it, you know, matters, since all anybody can see is even more fluffy, fluffy, fluffy fur. But still, the Coven is her home, and the hard work of the day is visible on both of them, in their own ways. She straightens up from where she'd been settled, then rises to her pawed feet. ]

Young Eren. [ Calm as always, she dips her head in greeting. ] You certainly look like something is on your mind.

[fearolc]

Y. Katsuragi,

There are no apologies necessary here; my title is Speaker, but such formalities are hardly required outside of the Parliament's halls. Though I will say, as Speaker, that it is my specific job to negotiate with Parliament for those that are unable to. After all, not every task worth doing is an easy one, and many would look at the tasks ahead of us with trepidation.

Despite the steps towards progress that have been made in the city of Æfenglom, ours is a difficult history that has only recently started to find a smoother road, as it were. It is largely the Coven that has taken responsibility for integration, and offering a safe space for both human and monster to interact with one another, with witches and Bonds easing the way. Our home is theirs, you see. This is to remain a safe space for everyone. There are others elsewhere in the city, but not many, and I will be the first to admit many in the Parliament have no interest in overseeing better integration between our two halves.

Some, however, are; these are the ones responsible for the Haven's creation, and are truly the ones to thank. They are also the ones that would be able to take you on, should you be interested in perhaps exploring a more political opportunity for your offer. But it is an offer regardless appreciated, and one that can be done in the capacity of the Coven as well if you'd like. After all - many Bonded of the Coven will take up this work. You would be welcome to join them.

Simply let me know how your interests may fall, and I will get you what you need.

Our best,

M. Ainsley

[mislike]

M. Ainsley,

I shall arrive shortly to discuss this with you. It would be my honor.

Yours,
Sansa

[The letter will arrive sooner than Sansa will. She still wants to prepare herself even if she does not have much here herself. It does not matter in the long run, and she knows. She has the capability of speaking well on her own behalf, of showing her own skills.

She arrives at the house they she came to that first night before knocking softly at the Coven's door. She surmises she may be here more often with what she is learning about herself. A witch, it still brings up stories of Essos and the magic that still seems to reside there.]

[fearolc]

[ With the letter's arrival, they both have time to prepare. Mhairi herself navigates from the study where she spends much of her free time when at the Coven, intending to greet the new arrival properly. Manners are a sign of respect, both for yourself and others, and she would not allow someone seeking and offering help alike to go without proper welcome.

Sansa knocks, and the doors open of their own accord into the great main hall of the building. The Turnskin properly straightens from where she arrived, inclining her head slightly. Though still fully dressed from her work with Parliament, there is an easy air to her, imposing stature and stoic nature softened at the edges. The comfort of home. ]

Would it be bold to welcome you here as the Sansa I was speaking to, young miss?

[mislike]

[She keeps herself straightened, hands lightly folded when the door opens on its own. This will still be something that takes some getting used to, but she shows no outward sign of shock or reaction to it. In some time she may even be the one who able to do such things.

When presented with Mhairi, she dips her head. Unsure of any titles she may hold, Sansa is still aware enough of the other's position here. Turnskins remind her of the stories Old Nan would tell Bran of Skinchangers, those that could enter the mind of animals, though here it seems they become them. There is something akin to familiarity that Mhairi is a a white wolf though, something that almost reminds her of home.]

You would be correct. It is a pleasure to speak in person. [And she will follow her to wherever she assumes they will talk.]

[fearolc]

[ Bringing her hand up to the center of her chest, Mhairi dips her head slightly in greeting when she receives the confirmation. ] The pleasure is mine.

[ As she straightens, her other hand extends, guiding her along to where they'll be seated and speaking. The walk isn't a long one, but she tailors her long stride to allow for them to keep pace with each other, and brings them to what appears to be a study. The chairs have space below and above the backs of them, built for comfort for anyone who might sit in them, whether human or monster.

She pulls one out for Sansa, unscarred eye calm and focused on her guest. ]

Please, allow me. If I may ask, young miss; your father was a lord and your mother a lady, you said. Would you also be a lady, in your home in the North?

[mislike]

[Hands still placed out in front of her, she follows Mhairi. Waiting a moment for the other to pull out the chair before thanking her. Sansa takes the offered seat and waits until Mhairi is settled.]

I am, though the history of my lands is complicated. Especially as of late with my own family. My house is Stark, one of the oldest ruling families of Westeros. My ancestors were known as the Kings of Winter until Aegon Targaryen came with his dragons. The Targaryens ruled all seven kingdoms for almost three hundred years. Until the Mad King tried to burn his people. My father was young, joined with another young lord. Lord Robert Baratheon who became King Robert Baratheon. The North crowned its own king when his son took my father's head. Each of my brother's have held the title of King, but it seems we are once again beholden to a Targaryen crown.

[fearolc]

[ With a flick of her tail, to get it out of the way as she sits and then through the gap beneath the backing, Mhairi settles in and reaches for a large, leather bound book. She opens it calmly and thumbs through the pages while she listens to Sansa speak, ears perked up and alert even as her gaze drops down.

The abridged history tells her some of what she should come to expect - a girl grown into a woman, forced to face the challenges that her world had presented her with, but willing to do the same here, in a new world. She reaches and lifts an inkwell to uncap it with her claws. ]

True kings have not lived in Geardagas for quite some time now; you would find many who claim royalty, or birthright, or capability, but none on a recognized throne. But my heart goes to you and your family, Lady Sansa, for the losses that you've surely faced in such a home as Westeros. Such ordeals are not the sort that can be carried lightly. [ The ink is set down next to the journal. But rather than write immediately, Mhairi folds her hands together over the pages and focuses intently on her guest again. ] But you have nonetheless survived to tell the tale, and to face more challenges. To discredit that is a disservice to your abilities.

[mislike]

[She watches as Mhairi moves, getting comfortable as she starts to write down what Sansa assumes is the history of Westeros, of what she has told her. There is much more, but this is a good start, to let people know of what her family has gone through and lost.]

How do they claim royalty? Through birthright here? [She wonders how long people live or if they are people like her that have come through the mirrors.] Can I ask more of Parliament then? How it is run?

[Her smile at the compliment is there, but it's sad. There is much she has lived through that she keeps to herself, making her all the more guarded. She trusted once, and it was to her own detriment.]

My family has lost much in the last eight years. We have restored some of it, and that is what I hold onto.

[fearolc]

Birthright, certainly. Many in our history have claimed that they're descended from human royalty, or from the oldest Dragon or Faery blood in Talam. Others have been warlords to see it a conquest. There are all sorts, aren't there.

[ The consideration lasts for a moment longer, before she does write down what she's heard. Quick notes, in the same, crisp writing from the letters that one wouldn't typically expect out of someone with such large, almost pawed hands. The names go down first, creating a timeline based on the knowledge garnered there.

The Starks in the North go at the top of the page, beneath Sansa's own name, with a little addendum of their eight years of turmoil. ]

Aefenglom hasn't allowed such thinking in quite some time, however. The Parliament is built upon discussion, albeit that hardly guarantees much is done. [ Her voice is even when she speaks, calm, level, almost without inflection - but that admission comes out wry. ] There are, at minimum, three hundred full seats. It typically sits at about fifty more than that, although will flux, of course, depending on retirement and the like. There are very few monsters like myself that have seats, comparatively, but the number has increased in recent years.

[ Her ears twitch backwards, listening to some unseen thing as she pauses in her writing. Only when they swivel forwards again does she resume. ]

The Parliament discusses and votes upon laws, crimes, and reformation; they consider resources, and the city's needs, and implement solutions for better or worse. It can take quite some time to reach a decision, as there are quite a few different opinions in even a specialization - never mind the entire Parliament. Heaven forbid everyone has a different vote. I think my coat would be true white from the sheer thought of being in session for one thing for months on end.

[mislike]

Can I ask how your Parliament was formed? I am not completely unfamiliar with the idea. There are Vale Lords that have come together, try and do much the same, though I imagine when my cousin becomes older, he will rule.

[Sweetrobin has to be close to it now. She wonders if a council or parliament would do well in Westeros, even if she feels the North has no true need for it. They should be autonomous. Jon should have a better excuse than what she expects his reasoning for bending the knee is. Though she knows what is to come, that the Night King's army is coming.]

Is it possible to appeal to them? Perhaps not yet, but should there be a need for it? How is anything done if none will come together? [She is used to vassals and common folk coming before a lord or king, whatever their need is. They are either granted or dismissed, but a decision is made. How is any form of government useful should there be a dire need for it?]

Have you had wars here? That seems to be much my my world's trouble. When I was young, after my father's death the kingdoms all seemed split. Thus began the War of the Five Kings. [She knows divulging a lot can get her into trouble and certainly has in the past, but she tells these facts more as a historian with no personal feeling toward it.] The heir apparent, Joffrey Baratheon, both of his uncles, Stannis and Renly Baratheon. My brother Robb Stark vied for the North, and the Iron Islands who have answered to the North after their own rebellion failed before I was born.

[fearolc]

You may, of course. The history is hardly a hidden thing. You will have to forgive my approximations, however, as I was never suited to teaching. My Ness is a far better hand at it. [ Mhairi straightens up, setting her fountain pen down for a moment. ] Aefenglom itself hasn't had royalty in what I would wager has been about three hundred years, now. The Coven and Parliament alike have existed for longer, though certainly haven't been known by the same names as they are now; one came about because of the other, but it's hard to say which came first. Regardless, Parliament in particular functioned as a sort of council to the sovereign, when there was still one. It was officially known as the Parliament shortly before the end of the last king's reign, when he was deposed.

Our predecessors came together as they are now to stop a tyrant, so they can be expected to come together to form laws and discuss matters - albeit, that is the expected. [ Hand lifting to rub the paw pads of her forefinger and thumb against the faint marks of her brow, she heaves a sigh before continuing. ] Pardon my cavalier answer, but as a Speaker I find that they are rather like children when expected to focus on a task. However, there's a set limit of time we're allowed to spend bickering on a decision, to ensure that a session does not last for months on end. This time frame will shift, depending on the severity and depth of the topic, but never more than a few weeks.

History has shown that there are consequences to indecision. They need a reminder, every now and then, which can certainly be done through appeals channeled through the Civic Seats, but despite our differences we've managed fairly well with the process. Even if multiple discussions have been tabled for future talks, where they have more support or information that would curry favor.

[ Settling in again, hand lowering, she picks up her pen and writes down the names that Sansa lists now. The war, the so-called kings that brought it about. Information that is more referential than anything else. An exchange of knowledge. ]

The last war ended with King Serwyl da Uathmar. The dreadful. He sought to rule Geardagas, though was ultimately removed from power, along with his heirs. No other sovereign sat in his throne; in fact, we instead sit at the very place his castle once did. [ The Coven, she means. ]

[usurpers]

[ he dips his head in regard back, huffing out a humorless breath of air but a smile that lasts for seconds. he’s not trying to be rude, but gestures to his entire life. ]

A lot of things.

[ when does he not have things on his mind. thinking about diplomatic problems from home was one beast, thinking about two was another.

he sticks his hand into his pocket, sifting for the handful of things he put in there. there’s a rash bleeding out in purpuras closer to his jugular veins, almost symmetrical in position— superficially looking wet and a little too stingy to touch, not after he ripped something out of it. ]

Um, [ pulling out and unfolding his hand, eren then picks at the junk until he finds what he’s looking for. among tiny shards of glass and a cleanly folded piece of paper, there’re some black dots that he plucks from a slightly cut palm (that’s, what you get, for walking around with glass in your pockets) two pitch black. things.

he holds them out to her— small, hard like keratin but almost therapeutically smooth depending on the way you stroke them. ] Does Aefenglom’s bugs do this?

[ he remembers discussing that his itch could be from insects, or ivy, or maybe something else from the outside. what if it was something parasitic? does the cwyld do that? help. ]