Golden City Prequels: Two Years Ago

[Anguissette]

Form​

Name: Golden City Prequels

Sort of thread: 1x1 (x3)

Size: (Aisling Grey x Corbett Baines), (Minerva Eliza Gifford x ???), (Katherine Llew x ???)

Location: Land, Any, Underground

Plot: When the main story begins, a wild array of interesting characters that make up the Golden City will spring to life - but I'd like to establish at least one pre-existing relationship for each of my characters as well as get a feel for their recent past. Where were we at Main Plot -2 years?

Aisling: It is six months since the death of Aisling's family, six months since her exile from the Sky. Six months since the pampered youngest scion of the family suddenly found herself scrabbling to survive on nothing but her intellect, technical skills and towering sense of injustice. She has somehow made it this far, but with business above and below the Stairway and quarters in Pariah Bay she hardly needs to go looking for trouble. It's bound to find her - unless Corbett finds her first.

Minerva: All her life, Minerva wanted to find her way out of her family's rut; birth to death in the endless grind of the mines, smelteries and dense habitations. She wanted to make a name for herself, but not as a criminal or a tinker. She wanted to write, to use her gift with tongues to paint pictures with words to capture the events of the day for all to delight in them. She just had to find someone to give her a chance. Maybe the story of Minerva's first big scoop? No clear image of what it would be about or how YC would be involved, let's share ideas and see where we land.

Katherine: Kitty Llew's life is far from what she ever expected it might be, but despite tragedy after tragedy she is beginning to make a go of it. Once The Walls was barely six packing crates and a barrel of Arcadian Whiskey; now it is a regular drinking hole for dozens of locals and Kitty is wondering if she may even be able to hire on an employee soon. With her resources stretched to the limit and working eighteen hour days at the same time as she minds her daughter, when the next crisis comes along Kitty finds that try as she might, she cannot handle this on her own. What happened? How does YC help - and why exactly? There are no saints in the Underground, or not for long.

OOC/Interest Check: Yes please, for discussion and planning.

Additional Notes: Not really - except that since this is set two years before the current plot line, the main intent is to set up back history and existing relationships for the story to come. When the main plot begins, we can finish things up and extrapolate the rest - unless we're both keen to continue.

 

[Anguissette]

Thanks Nemo!

Ok, so Aisling is taken care of at the moment (a story Shizuo and I spoke about, which we've agreed will move to a 1x1 thread as soon as I get around to posting the bit we've already done.

Minerva is likely to wander all over but doesn't have any longstanding partners she works with all the time (unless she gets one as a result of this story). Overall I'd like this to be the story of her first "big" story and how she managed to start being taken seriously as a journalist (if probably still as an "Upstart" by the time main story starts). Looking for:

A character who would like to be famous/infamous from two years ago?
A fellow newsie?
Someone with a grudge against an NPC willing to go to the scandal sheet about them?

Kitty primarily needs someone in the Underground. There are two other characters based in the Underground at the moment (both criminals), and I could definitely see her having some kind of obligation to them (whether a benign favour or "I'll make you an offer you can't refuse" kind of obligation). Alternatively it might be someone come down from the Land who helps her out? But again, the Golden City is rarely known for its charity. What would they get out of this?

Please feel free to either PM me with your thoughts or simply post them here and we can work something out.

 

[Snowflake]

I was thinking... Maybe Vazkho (a Land based Cloak) could be down in the Underground chasing someone when he learns that Kitty has a problem with this same individual. Him not being active in the Underground he would need some help just getting around from place to place let alone finding his mark. That's where Kitty would come in and help him with tracking.
I know, I know, you said it would make more sense for it to be someone from Underground but I figured I'd ask in case no one else does.

 

[Joan]

Hmm...if I come up with a character that fits any of these (or if you have ideas for how my characters could fit), I'd definitely be interested in doing one of these with you!

 

[Anguissette]

Thanks people!

I really appreciate the interest.

@Snowflake, mainly I meant the plot would need to be in the Underground because Kitty can't readily leave it. If Vazkho is headed down there that works very well.

Kitty knows her way around the Underground by now, and although she'd be reluctant to leave her pub she would if she were desperate enough and Vazkho were insistent. Assuming she could arrange babysitting. ^^

What sort of prey would lure Vazkho Underground?

 

[Snowflake]

Here are some thoughts with some snazzy names to boot:


Option A - Black market Economy: The prey in question could be someone that threatens to disrupt the channel through which Vazkho illegally obtains Oxygen for his sister. Black market is relatively near the bar so he could be going after them because he needs a stable and trustworthy supplier to remain as such and Bar would be a first place to check for information.

Option B - Firebug: Alternatively it could just be a rather chaotic individual with a penchant for bright fires and no actual cause for starting them that had brought him down. Chasing after a firestarter because that is simply his job and he sees them as a serious threat.

Option C - Floater's request: Another is that one of the Floaters told him to deal with someone that fled Underground, since he is the sort to accommodate such requests he would probably go even into the Underground.

Now the question is how does that line up well with something that is also a problem for Kitty since she does in fact have a Bar to run and kid to take care of and no time to be playing detective with a mysterious stranger from above. Maybe something along the lines of Option B - Firebug makes sense as that sort of person could rob her of her alcohol in order to make Molotovs or maybe just try and almost burn her place.

P.S. These are mostly stray thought caught in a semi-tired state, would love to hear alternative options.

 

[Anguissette]

@Joan

I know you have other characters under construction, but I wonder if there might be a plot Marianne could be involved in?

Earning their Wings

Bad enough the Falcon was thumbing his nose at the authorities every time he won another cable-race, but now the daring criminal had begun a second career as a burglar. Already wealthy families above and below the Placenta were reporting packages being pilfered and all indications were that it was happening somewhere out on the cables. A number of Cloaks were on the case, but in the end it was the young Marianne Craine who would make a breakthrough and be handed leadership of the case over two of her senior colleagues. Given the chance to prove herself, or burn her career before it had seriously begun.

The papers in Golden City were a closed circuit, a boys club with a closed door policy. If you were "one of the right sort" you were in, but if you had the temerity to be from a poor background - and worse, female you might as well resign yourself to 4-5 years of background work until you found yourself seduced, knocked up and out the door or, if you were lucky, managed to marry a successful reporter. Minerva did not share that career goal. Young and hungry, she needed something to wipe the smirks off the editors' faces and make them take her seriously. Something big. The Falcon's exploits were selling right now, almost as fast as print could be set to paper. Maybe she could find a scoop there?

Basically this would be a story about tracking, identifying and capturing the Falcon - literally as far as Marianne is concerned, and capturing the story for Minerva (and Thomasa? @Nemopedia, is this something you'd like to be involved in?). Two (or three) young women intent on proving themselves in their respective fields and helping one another to do it - setting up a positive relationship (maybe even friendship) as a foundation in the main plot.

@Snowflake

B: would definitely make her desperate, although I'm not certain how she'd know he was coming until he did. Maybe a religious fanatic (do we have religion in this setting?) intent on "cleaning up the scum" one bar at a time, a serial arsonist? And would the Inquisition care, if he kept his predation to the Underground? Interested in working with this if you can think of a way to make this work, otherwise...

Maybe C, if C is somehow a problem for Kitty as well? I'm not 100% on whether Floaters approach anonymous Cloaks directly, whether they go through the Inquisition's Council rep or whether it's something like Venice's Mouths of Truth (actually Nemo? With the way you've set up the Inquisition they should totally have Mouths of Truth all over the city. What do you think?) but if a serial killer who escaped from The Sky and fled Underground to escape the law found himself a hole close by The Walls she's likely to care.

Possibly he's even taken up residence at the pub, but that's something we'd want to discuss and could make the plot too short.

Thoughts?

 

[Nemopedia]

That sounds good to me! Maybe they sent Minerva out with Thomas because no one else in the office wanted to deal with the woman. She could be the one balancing out Thomas' crazy fantasies and try to make a more coherent story out of the Falcon vs Wings case (something all parties will appreciate, hue).

 

[Anguissette]

That sounds like a great idea.

If we went with this I was planning on Minerva's final post including (or being) her first news story under her own byline. Maybe Thomas would like to do the same?

Do we work for the same paper?

I'll wait to hear from Joan before taking any further steps (would you like me to open, or should we start with Marianne?), but any other points you'd like to suggest, change or develop before we sketch out a quick plot arc and begin?

 

[Nemopedia]

As I mentioned to you in the PM, we can have Thomas and Minerva start at the same paper, ending with the scoop with the Wing. They can afterwards have gone their own separate ways with papers that fit their ideals and style better.

You can open the thread, or Joan can to give us some action. I can as well, but it will take a while, fair warning!

As for your ideas with @Snowflake:

Your wonders about the Inquisition caring (or lack of) for the Underground are right! Answer: they don't. The Underground is generally considered a zone of anarchy. It is thus not likely that they would take action if the arsonist was burning pubs down in The Underground. The arsonist stealing alcohol from the bars of The Underground to burn down buildings in The Land or maybe even The Sky could work. The pubs of The Underground could be one of the places they suspect the arsonist to get their load from, or so.

As for your questions about religion, check out the additional content! I made a brief mention of religion there, but there are some followings in Golden City that have an ugly side to them.

 

[Anguissette]

As I mentioned to you in the PM, we can have Thomas and Minerva start at the same paper, ending with the scoop with the Wing. They can afterwards have gone their own separate ways with papers that fit their ideals and style better.

You can open the thread, or Joan can to give us some action. I can as well, but it will take a while, fair warning!

As for your ideas with @Snowflake:

Your wonders about the Inquisition caring (or lack of) for the Underground are right! Answer: they don't. The Underground is generally considered a zone of anarchy. It is thus not likely that they would take action if the arsonist was burning pubs down in The Underground. The arsonist stealing alcohol from the bars of The Underground to burn down buildings in The Land or maybe even The Sky could work. The pubs of The Underground could be one of the places they suspect the arsonist to get their load from, or so.

As for your questions about religion, check out the additional content! I made a brief mention of religion there, but there are some followings in Golden City that have an ugly side to them.

And the scattered "snitch on a criminal" boxes around the City?

 

[Pahn]

@Anguissette

Brulow would be youngish two years ago - but if your plot idea for Kitty isn't taken, I'd love to try something out with you :D

 

[Anguissette]

@Pahn

I have an idea that might work for all three of us... two years ago, how settled would Brulow be with his little gang? ^^

 

[Snowflake]

I didn't necessarily think that the criminal Vazkho is chasing was always in the Underground, more like they were chased down there from the Land. Or as you suggested were using Underground for supplies like alcohol from bars.

 

[Pahn]

@Pahn

I have an idea that might work for all three of us... two years ago, how settled would Brulow be with his little gang? ^^

I'd say he was starting to make the kids go out on "jobs" but they weren't quite renown yet! He'd be around 19 at the time and living in the underground ten years.

 

[Anguissette]

My original idea (for C) was that he'd been in the Sky, and had only come to the Underground recently.

My other thought for the three of us is a little less grim than killers or serial killers and lets me do something I kind of wanted to do anyway. And there are other kinds of relationship than friends or romantic that could be fun to set up!

What do you think?

The Curious Mystery of Elliott Thistlewaite

(Vazkho x Katherine x Brulow)#

At least once in most Land child's education (such as it is) they visit the replica Pioneer's Cottage in The Sky to learn about the legendary founder and the city's roots. Similarly most Sky children have an excursion down to the Centre, to see its sights and its vibrancy under the careful supervision of their teachers. Some anxious parents even hire security to ensure their child's safety, and the Land market is used to seeing a double-line of children escorted by men in suits and women in black merino coat and bonnet. They were a pain, but always had plenty of money to throw around which covered a multitude of sins before their return into the Sky.

This month the carefully organised tour was disrupted by a sudden shower of fireworks and in the chaos the elevator was halfway back up the Tube before it was discovered that one boy - Elliott Thistlewaite - was missing. That was two weeks ago, and the Cloaks operating in the Land have found no trace of him. While the Inquisition rarely reaches into the Underground, certain favours were cashed in and Vazkho has been tasked to go down the lone Elevator in search of him.

Three thousand, four hundred and seventy two stairs below, Elliott had found his way into Brulow's gang, the Chattering Choughs. Operating close by The Walls, Brulow and his children had come into some contact with Kitty's establishment. While not as powerful as he might be two years from now, Brulow's presence in the area helped to balance out the crime lord whose territory her pub was in. In exchange for his support, she provided a legitimate location to deliver supplies to as well as, on occasion, an agent to fence his goods.

Except the crime lord (The Hound) has gotten tired of operations trying to stay independent around the edge of "his" territory of the black markets. He had certain ambitions towards the young widow and her pub, but first would need to bring her to heel - or make an example of her and anyone who tried to defend her.

Does Brulow know Elliott's background? Why did he run? When Vazkho finds his way to Kitty, how will he persuade her to help him given her own concerns? How will Kitty balance her loyalties with the need to keep her own safe, and try to achieve a measure of safety? How far will Brulow go to keep his gang firmly under this thumb, protect his uncertain allies and build his reputation?

I'm imagining this will end with Elliott being returned to his family (willing or not) by Vazkho, with Kitty keeping her public house and daughter more or less safe (and hopefully avoiding needing to accept a protector), the Hound humbled and Brulow marking out a territory of his own. But any of the above is just a guess aimed at heading towards where we want to be when the first Story begins.

What do you think? What changes would you suggest, or do you have a completely different idea for us to try?

@Snowflake @Pahn

 

[Snowflake]

Definitely sounds way better than 'dood steals booze to make molotovs'. In my defense it was late and I was tired and... Other things... :P

Vazkho would definitely have no qualms entering the Underground for the sake of a lost boy or so he thought. Suppose Lil' Timmy fell down the well on purpose in this case, perhaps? Maybe if that is the case and he were to learn why the kid ran away he'd have to decide if he really wants to bring him in or declare him dead officially i.e. He would have to decide if a favour for the Floater is more important than the kid's wishes, especially since each favour is a step closer to giving his sister a comfortable life possibly resulting in as you've suggested Elliot being returned home against his will.
Perhaps Vazkho entered the bar seeking information and saw Hound's men making a mess of things and got somehow involved, possibly in order to garner some good faith with the proprietor (Kitty) and get information on Elliot but from there ends up in a middle of a struggle between the Hound and newly formed child gang led by Brulow. That would be an interesting interaction since he would probably hate Vazkho's guts for being a corrupt official.

 

[Pahn]

@Snowflake @Anguissette

I am loving those ideas!!

 

[Anguissette]

Great thinking Snowflake!

I'm leaving why Elliot ended up there firmly in Pahn's hands (as part of her gang and so mostly her NPC) though I'm happy to help brainstorm if that's helpful.

Loving your suggestion for how Kitty and Vazkho make contact for the first time! That would definitely put him in her good books, prior arrangement or not - though she'd still try to find a way out of the two calls on Elliot that avoids any violence.

Then again, I imagine Brulow would prefer to avoid too much outright violence too. A child gang has many strengths, but winning a gang war is rarely one of them. Surviving maybe, there's a lot of narrow cracks in the walls an enterprising child could squirm into.

Ok, so where should we start this one?

Kitty, shockingly, is likely to be in her pub (although she could conceivably be meeting with Brulow).

 

[Pahn]

Great thinking Snowflake!

I'm leaving why Elliot ended up there firmly in Pahn's hands (as part of her gang and so mostly her NPC) though I'm happy to help brainstorm if that's helpful.

Loving your suggestion for how Kitty and Vazkho make contact for the first time! That would definitely put him in her good books, prior arrangement or not - though she'd still try to find a way out of the two calls on Elliot that avoids any violence.

Then again, I imagine Brulow would prefer to avoid too much outright violence too. A child gang has many strengths, but winning a gang war is rarely one of them. Surviving maybe, there's a lot of narrow cracks in the walls an enterprising child could squirm into.

Ok, so where should we start this one?

Kitty, shockingly, is likely to be in her pub (although she could conceivably be meeting with Brulow).

Awesome, Brulow will definitely be looking after Elliot and sympathize with him. Him and his gang of rugrats would definitely avoid any kind of flashy violence. He's not a particularly violent type to begin with, although he could react violently if something happened to one of his kids. Otherwise, as you said, their strengths are elsewhere.

For the start, depends where we wanna start the story at! Has Elliot already escaped and rescued by Brulow, or did we wanna play that as it happens? Maybe a day or two after he escaped?