#faeruneplotdrop

The sun was beginning to sink in the sky when the ground began to rumble. At first those gathered wondered if this might be another earthquake, but then the lake exploded upward, giant crystals emerging from the water. Upward they climbed, continuing hundreds of feet in the air until they curved inward and stopped.

It was a crystal wall, and it extended in either direction as far as the eye could see. The police began to usher everyone back toward the city, but the ground continued to shake and tear open, crystal and stone emerging in various colors and heights and bundles in random areas of the city. Some of them destroyed buildings, while others missed completely and grew unheeded.

A massive explosion drew eyes inward, toward city hall. There, the building lay in rubble around a giant crystal throne, four pillars of amethyst rising up toward the sky around it, continuing until they met the crystal walls that had grown into a dome over the city, leaving a single circle of light directly above the throne.

On the throne sat Opal, glamour no longer concealing her reveal her true form: six feet tall in heels, in a blinding white dress, resplendent, with her multi-colored moth wings, pointed ears, and entirely white eyes on full display. Around her, fanning out in all directions, stood at least a hundred thousand fae, at attention, enchanted weapons at the ready.

“Citizens of Faerune!” Opal exclaimed, and her voice rang out for miles. “I am Opal, Queen of the Unseelie fae! For centuries we have waited and watched while the invaders took a beautiful kingdom and turned it into this monstrosity of metal and wires, built on the corpses of our cousins, brothers, sisters, family. We do not want another war, we simply want this land returned to its rightful rulers. We, the fae, who have been here for millennia and will be here for millennia, this is our home. Our magic. Our legacy! And I have come to take it back.

“Your Council is weak. It took them months to do something about the buildings and lives destroyed during the earthquake. They did nothing while someone was murdered under their own noses. They fell easily to poison administered on their watch. I have ruled my kingdom for hundreds of years. I will not be so slow to act when my people are in need. Ask any of my subjects and they will tell you that under my reign the full splendor of the Feywild will return to this place.”

She paused, gesturing to the walls of crystal surrounding the city. “These walls are enchanted to allow fae and those natives of the Feywild in and out as they please. But those without pure fae blood . . . I will not force you to leave, but you will not be able to cross. Your kind in the outside world will not be allowed inside our world from now on.”

She lowered her arms. “Now, I don’t wish to hurt or kill anyone, but those who oppose me will be punished. Be smart, Faerunians. My people have only been growing in power over the years, and they will not hesitate to put an end to any insurrection. Please, return to your homes, go about your lives, and be at peace. Your Queen will take care of you.”

She smiled, lowering her arms to rest her hands on her throne. “Welcome to the new Faerune.”

In the year following the takeover, Opal makes sure to restore the buildings destroyed by her crystals, rebuilding them around the clusters. Her Unseelie are allowed to find homes topside or remain underground, but they now have unlimited access to both kingdoms. She allows those citizens of Faerune who want to assist those displaced by the walls to do so, and hires Monty Carter to be the liaison between her and her new subjects.

She offers invitations to her court to all Seelie fae still in the city, allowing them a place under her direct protection and giving them various jobs if they wish. If they decline, she lets them go, so long as they pledge to never rise up against her and her family.

Her rule is fairly lax, all things considered. Not being one for hard rules, she allows everyone to do what they like, so long as it doesn’t directly oppose her rule. Any killings need to be run by her first, and disputes go through Monty and a member of her own council before they reach her and Dain’s ears. If it goes that far, generally she sides with whoever she likes more, regardless of their guilt or innocence. Thankfully, Dain has a more fair way of judgment and will take the gavel out of Opal’s hands if she leans more toward the ridiculous. 

In addition to the current currency, she’s also reinstates the barter system, as that is how they conducted business underground and between the Seelie and Unseelie courts over 300 years ago. Now, those that can’t afford things will be able to offer goods or services to the seller. All rent has been voided, though, allowing anyone to enter and take vacant housing and dissolving the rent the current tenants pay. Everything and everyone is taken care of by the kingdom, now.

Any open dissenters to her reign, those organized and pose a threat or those who go directly to the palace to openly defy her, are rounded up and taken into custody by her royal guard, never to be seen from again. Nobody knows where they go or what happens to them, and potential spies are everywhere. Royal guards roam up and down the city streets, everyone under constant watch, reinforcing the no killing rule, and cracking down on any opposition. Curfew is at midnight every week night, unless there’s an approved party, at which time Jack the Dullahan rides through the city, tormenting anyone caught on the streets past midnight as punishment for breaking curfew if they don’t have an approved visa. Curfew is lifted at 6am every morning.

In place of the demolished city hall at the center of Faerune, directly below the crystal dome skylight and surrounded by the giant pillars, sits a giant palace made of amethyst and white marble stone. Opal throws giant, lavish parties in the palace courtyard every month, to which everyone is invited and which usually last several days. She is always down for a romp and a good time, and those Fae, Familiars, and Fae subspecies that please her are given rewards of gold and jewels or are offered a place in her court, able to live in the palace with her and her courtiers.

The walls are enchanted to allow full Fae, Familiars, and those creatures of the Feywild to pass through them like air, while others hit against a hard, impenetrable barrier (animals and inanimate objects held by the approved species may still pass through). All portals to our realm inside the city are closed, effectively cutting the city off from anyone not of the Feywild.

This is the new Faerune.

TERROR STRIKES!

On the night of April 1st, throughout the evening at the casino night fundraiser, those in power began to feel themselves grow weak. Councilmembers, Alphas, Coven Priests, they all felt their energy drain from them. They felt their heads slowly ache until sharp pain burst across their brains. Their stomachs twisted and turned, and those that could sweat soaked through their clothes, running high fevers.

One by one, they began to fall, seizing on the floor until finally darkness, quiet, still, as one by one they fell unconscious.

They awoke minutes later, still weak but seemingly symptomless, to a scene of complete chaos.

As was intended.

Following the earthquake and the closing of the New York City boundaries, the Unseelie Queen and her entourage have arrived in Faerune. 

What are they doing here? Have they come to take over the city? Did they have something to do with the earthquake? It was localized, only hitting the three blocks where the festival took place. Was it a targeted attack from the Unseelie? Only the Queen knows the truth, and she doesn’t tell s e c r e t s. 

At 5:52pm, an earthquake struck the city of Faerune. A 6.5 on the richter scale, it caused the ground to crack, the buildings to wobble and some to fall completely. Glass shattered and pipes burst. The crowd that gathered to watch the parade scattered, screaming, crying, crawling to safety. The whole thing lasted three minutes, resulting in ten casualties, one hundred and fifty injured, and two dozen trapped for hours before rescue.

Once the dust settled, fae and familiar alike sensed something . . . something big:

The doorways to the Feywild in New York City, New York have somehow c l o s e d, the boundaries in that city restored.

What caused the earthquake? Will this keep happening? And, if so, how to prepare for it?

Below you will find a list of those trapped or injured beyond minor scrapes and bruises (though those trapped may also be injured).