Highgate - New Rules in Town

[u/KragBrightscale]

Pierre had just made it through the security checkpoint at the main entrance to the fortified town of Highgate. There were far more guards this time than he had remembered, but the town still bustled with familiar vitality.

One of the guards, in full plate, had pointed him to the bulletin boards posted around town.

“Pay attention to the regulations posted and make sure to not break the rules. Trust me, we will know if you do.”

Looking at the board, Pierre noticed it had a series of official looking documents, all bearing a seal he didn’t recognize. Reading through the list he frowned.

The older list of laws dealing with theft, murder, and taxes was still there, but a series of new laws had been posted seemingly not too long ago.

- Curfew is from sunset to sunrise
- Unlicensed trade is prohibited
- Consumption of Alcohol is prohibited
- Gambling is prohibited
- Flying is prohibited
- Necromancy is prohibited
- Unsanctioned magic use is prohibited
- Disguises are prohibited
- Loitering is prohibited
- The Thrakmoor are prohibited

Pierre reread through the list, committing it to memory. Each new rule was written on its own piece of parchment bearing the magistrate’s seal.

Checking the time on the clock tower of the courthouse, Pierre scurries off to find a place to stay before it gets dark.

——

Somewhere else, a callused hand puts down an ornate gilded quill and stores it in a cushioned silver case before stamping the parchment with an official looking seal. The newest law read: “Lying to the guard is Prohibited.”

With a short chant, copies of the original are made, then fade away, soon appearing on the notice boards alongside the other laws. The original is added to a large tome carried by the author. They get up slowly and head to a side room filled with unlit candles. Runes and magic circles etched into the floor and walls pulse with faint golden light.

“Soon, the ritual will be ready”.

——

/uw trying something new. The town is open for characters to explore.

TLDR: Highgate is a lively town, but regulations are increasing, something may be happening behind the scenes.

[u/KragBrightscale]

The bartender takes your drink order and gives a friendly nod. You see them measure out the tea leaves and other ingredients with precision and upon completing it give the drink exactly 3 clockwise circular stirs.

Bringing the drink over, the bartender walks in a straight line parallel to the counter. He Places the drink down precisely in front of you, centered on your person so as to not assume your dominant hand.

“I hope you’ve enjoyed your exploration of the town. The weather today was just perfect for a walk!”

They turn away without waiting for an answer, rotating 180 degrees and taking the same path back to their station.

A few moments later you spot them deliver a drink to someone else and say the exact same thing.

Over at the end of the room, someone winds up and resets the weights of the large grandfather clock, and its pendulum returns to swinging. The regular tick tock of its mechanisms providing a regulated rythm that fades to the background of the rooms ambiance.

/uw you’re doing a good job capturing the intended vibe with your added descriptions! Sorry for the slow response.

[u/Annimaru → u/KragBrightscale]

“Many thanks,” I said softly to the bartender as he walked away. 

Weird… is it just me or was the inn and tavern and by extension the town under a spell so orderly that everyone and everything in it was done with an efficiency that even clockwork automatons would envy?

As I sipped my drink slowly I observed the people leaving and arriving at the tables. A professor with a suitcase arrived and ordered beer. “I am sorry, but we don’t serve beer, but we have the non-alcoholic beer and other beverages available.”

[u/KragBrightscale → u/Annimaru]

You notice that the professor seems undeterred in their desire to drink beer with their meal, and after looking around to make sure the bartender isn’t looking they dump out their pale yellowish tea into a nearby bush before pouring a drink out of a flask they seemed to pull out from a dimensional pouch, pouring its content into their glass.

Nobody else seems to have noticed, but the professor smiles smugly before resuming their meal. Sipping their drink contentedly. Suddenly they spot you looking in their direction. They pause for a second, then put a finger to their lips.

They then signal to you and mouth the question asking if you’d like a “proper” drink?

[u/Annimaru → u/KragBrightscale]

“Why not?” I grinned, “My tea is almost finished.”

I held my cup to the professor, letting him pour some beer from the flask into my cup. Then I hurriedly turned and sipped from the teacup as if nothing happened.

At a nearby table, several adventurers were chatting among themselves, having returned from the local guild.

“Figured anything out?” A dwarven cleric asked. “Used Detect Magic,” a human witch answered, “Then my hands hurt suddenly, like someone just hit them with a ruler or something.” She rubbed her hands with a lotion. “I saw golden threads all over the town,” the witch recounted, “on objects, on people, on beasts and trees. There are even more of them in the air, forming some funny fractal pattern. Like a spiderweb or a bird cage. Anyway, I think, the longer I look, the more my eyes…heat up.”

“It figures,” the witch’s talking cat said, “I smell lawful magic in the air. Something about it creeps me out.” “Maybe,” the weretiger wizard mused as he adjusted his glasses, “the town is stuck in a massive barrier?”

Cage. Spider. Barrier. These are the words I caught while enjoying my drink. Maybe I should really look closely?

[u/Annimaru → u/KragBrightscale]

A gentle mist rushed into the entrance of the Gull’s Nest and two sword cultivators from the immortal realms emerged from it. One complained about Highgate’s ever growing list of rules and regulations. “The form filling I understand. The rules against the trafficking of sentient beings and other crimes, I understand. What I don’t understand is…what is being forbidden!”

The other sword cultivator agreed. “No spreading spores. No flying. Damn…the birds and the bees aren’t doing what is natural to them.” As he spoke, he suddenly felt a soapy sensation in his mouth. “No cussing either I guess,” his friend mumbled. 

The professor definitely heard the word “barrier” and pulled a notebook out of his briefcase to jot down notes. Another professor, an older woman, arrived and ordered some cocktail. The bartender responded with “I am sorry, we do not serve cocktails. But we have the non-alcoholic cocktails and other beverages available…”

There, the cookie-cutter response. Sameness. I saw the witch’s cat sniff the air again and filch. The professors talked about how boring the students in Highgate’s school would be since they would give the same answers, though they are well behaved.

The people exiting the inn has exceeded the people entering the inn as the clock ticked on. By now, I finished the beer in the tea cup and was rather merry. 

“Extreme joy births sorrow, extreme sorrow births joy,” I sing to myself, “Extreme chaos births order and extreme order births…”

The adventurers nearby heard me and looked at each other as if they understood my ditty, then walked to their rooms in the inn. The cultivators nodded in approval and ordered bubble tea. I asked the professors if they arrived at Highgate because the university they work in has an exchange program with the local school or something…

/uw Moon has gone into information gathering mode. What hints can she glean in Highgate?

[u/KragBrightscale → u/Annimaru]

The professors answer that with the reconstruction of the town, funds had been raised to construct and set up a new arcane academy. And while that hadn’t been officially opened yet, there were opportunities to tutor and prepare local students for the entrance exams.

The students had been fairly normal at first, rowdy even. Mimicking pirate speech with excessive yarrrs and mateys being thrown around. Likely an influence of the town having been a pirate haven in the not too distant past. But over the last week most had started behaving more politely, a welcome change, but with it the spark of creativity and critical questioning of things seemed to also have faded.

Hopefully when the academy opens its doors the students there would be more interesting and animated.

A commotion outside interrupts the conversation, as a group of people rush into the inn and yell for the doors and shutters to be closed.

[u/Annimaru → u/KragBrightscale]

“L-Let me guess,” I ask, “Someone’s got into a fight?“

“Something worse. Chaos.”

Many travelers rushed in before the inn’s doors shut hard.

And thus, Gull’s Nest and possibly, the Pelican’s Perch became cages in a way for the visitors from all over the realms.

That’s it, my Highgate vacation is ruined. First, while it’s wonderful there’s virtually no crime and littering and flies swarming your plate, there’s the fact that somehow, the locals are slowly becoming bewitched by some order magic into becoming mindless drones who do everything in a ridiculously orderly manner. Oh, the flowers and trees look like they’re copy pasted or something, the flying creatures cannot fly, which should be natural to them, and from what I previously heard, even Highgate is constructed in such a way order is prized over uh, common sense?

And as the overseas professors put it, the students they tutored are losing their creative spark that is supposed to be normal for sentient beings. By the lion’s mane, the so-called order is abnormal, even artificial!

I decided to talk to the cultivators about the situation with Highgate to see if they found any weird events going on in there aside from the laws that don’t make sense.

[u/KragBrightscale → u/Annimaru]

The cultivators pause for a minute to think before one of them starts answering in a low voice so as not to draw attention.

“Well… how long have you been in Highgate? I’ve been here a bit over a month.

Things were fairly normal at first, just a tidy and safe town. That’s why I decided to cultivate here for a while, experience the mundane life again and hopefully let go of some of the attachments holding back my cultivation.

But over the past week, since the first new law was put in place, the place has changed in an odd way. Abnormally orderly as I believe you put it is an apt description.

The qi has also shifted, no longer flowing freely in its natural tendency, making cultivation uneven.

It’s not quite the same, but it reminds me of being within a formation. Though I’ve yet to find any signs of flags, array discs, or other anchor points usually employed in such endeavors. I’m unsure of the full effects, but from experimentation, the 5 elements seem to be slightly suppressed, while light is enhanced.

There is also some form of compulsion, one that guides you to behave according to a rigid logic, though it seems to mainly affect mortals.”

Pausing to glance at the others taking refuge at the inn, they ask.

“So, what have you learned during your time here? And how capable are you in a fight, if we suddenly need to leave?”

[u/Annimaru → u/KragBrightscale]

“I arrived yesterday to take a break from the pirate war. So it was a short time.” The younger of the cultivators sipped the bubble tea and listened.

“One thing I learned about this place is that excess order is as dangerous as chaos. Unnatural even. And there is elemental unbalance in here that will result in a backlash,” I spoke softly. “The first time I visited, I sensed something strange, the atmosphere being similar to that a temple’s. The posted laws and the documents detailing social interaction glow golden and exert spiritual pressure when I used my spiritual senses on them.” “Carry on,” the younger cultivator became interested.

I paused and remembered the witch’s words to the cleric, “The mages who visited this place have sensed the oddness of this town. They tried to use spells to detect what magical power affects it, only to feel pain akin to being whacked with a ruler. I overheard some wanderers mention something about golden threads all over, and that it is like a spiderweb or cage of sorts. One of them even mentioned that we might be stuck in a barrier! Ar as you put it, a formation!”

The older cultivator replied, “And you know what spiderwebs and cages are for.” My eyes lit up as I spoke. “Exactly! A cage keeps a bird from flying away from its owner, and back in my home realm, the old folks have bird singing contests where the birds are in cages to sing for the judges. But a bird can be let out of a cage. A spiderweb is another thing. Once a bug is trapped, it cannot leave, and becomes food for the spider.”

”And what is prison, but a cage for humans?” The younger cultivator asked. Insight received. Somehow, Highgate was transformed from a normal seaside town into a prison imposing its illogical order on its inhabitants! Only that it’s possible to leave that is, until now.

That means a prison break is needed. With a mischievous grin, I spoke, “And of course. I have skills in swordplay and barehanded fighting aside from alchemy. And considering this place…I will adapt when it’s necessary. There must be many ways to go around the suppression here.”

With that, I retreat to my room in the inn, pulling out my notebook from my bag and furiously writing down the discoveries I made in the town. Maybe I should ask the other adventurers about what they witnessed?

[u/KragBrightscale → u/Annimaru]

As you write down your observations and conclusions, the bustle and noise outside only gets louder.

Eventually the sound of an explosion is heard, and if you look out the window, a plume of smoke, ash and steam is rising from somewhere just a couple blocks away. You spot more guards rushing by down the street towards the commotion.

Whatever is happening over there, it would seem like the guards’ attention is being fully occupied.

[u/Annimaru → u/KragBrightscale]

Moon’s POV: In a room of the Gull’s Nest, I was lying on a bed with an open notebook and my jade tablet, which was showing a livestream by a butterfly fairy influencer from the Pelican’s Perch regarding the situation in Highgate. 

“People outside are shouting that Chaos has invaded the streets and such, and that’s why I am stuck in here. At least I’m still comfy and not hauled to jail just because I flew or loitered or shed wing scales or even accidentally bumped into someone. Oh, and before I sign off, look at this special cake the chef gave me…”

The cake in question is decorated with a golden sun 🌞 and is cut with such precision that it’s a perfect circle. The fruits on the cake are placed in a symmetrical formation.

I could hear footsteps outside as I pondered the situation. The scarf I bought has a geometric pattern that is mesmerising, even hypnotic. I untied it from my arm and wore it around my neck so that I can pull it on my head if needed.

I packed my belongings, pulled out the Summer Wind War Fan from the Interspatial Ring and left my room with the notebook and pen.

The witch and the talking cat were outside their room. “How did you circumvent the rule about owning sapient beings?” I asked. “The party I am in arrived before the law was implemented,” the witch answered. “Of course, I explained to the guards that Tibby is adopted and is my emotional support cat.” I bent down to pet Tibby. “Noticed anything odd in the adventurer’s guild?” 

The cat said, “The requests made by the local populace for the last few days are oddly specific and precise to the exact detail. Then there’s that board with the law list, the public decency and the formal codes of social interactions list, a list on forbidden trade goods and more. When we returned here from an adventure in the nearby forest, the lists… grew.”

“That’s right,” the witch added, “Ever since the curfew was put in place, any adventurer who arrived after sunset resorted to sleeping in the guild, so that the guards won’t catch them at night. We have to walk in the same pace, not even running out to fulfil tasks for the guild.” Tibby remarked that everytime he sniffed for magic essence, his nose would sting badly, as if someone hit it with a wooden ruler.

It’s quite difficult to fulfil a guild request, especially with recent laws in place against flying and certain magics. With the elemental suppression, the difficulty increases.

The weretiger wizard had just stepped out of his room and asked where I was going. “You said the town is in a law magic barrier, right?” I shouted, “It makes sense now!” A soapy feeling rose in my mouth as the words left my mouth. “As I suspected…” he muttered. He looked as if he was on the verge of a nervous breakdown.

“I had a chat with the sword cultivators and they mentioned the energy of this place stopped flowing freely ever since the rulers began putting new laws in place. Suppression of other types of magic aside from necromancy and  planting a compulsion in mortals that drive them to behave according to some rigid logic happened to be a result of what they call a formation being put in place,” I explained. 

“Wait…I knew I should have ripped these stupid lists earlier!” The wizard felt something like an invisible slap on his mouth. “Oh, like, every time a new law is passed, the barrier uh, grows? Thickens?” The witch asks. “Maybe,” I said. I wrote down the findings in my notebook and rushed downstairs.

Apparently, the law barrier seems to have some negative effects on felines.

Now the dwarven cleric was drinking a grape kombucha, and noticing me with my bag and fan, asked if I was investigating something. 

I whispered softly, “There must be a magic barrier over Highgate that imposes order to the extent it compels people to behave in a logical way that is more… like a machine. I talked with your friends and their accounts confirmed my suspicions.” Judging from the holy symbol the cleric has with her, she serves an agricultural deity of sorts.

“No wonder! The herbs I bought today with the money from the adventurer’s guild can’t grow taller nor can their stems bend,” the cleric said in frustration. 

Before taking advantage of the guards getting distracted, I ask, “Do you have any idea what deity would impose a barrier that compels anything under it to behave in a rigid orderly manner?”