welcome, welcome!

[iterumadmin]

[ A day or so after the Chosen start arriving, three loud chimes begin going off on all devices across the City to alert to an incoming Magistrate message. These will be different from the regular ringtones that alert a Chosen from any close friends of incoming calls or messages.

A woman with platinum blonde hair sits behind a large desk, offering a smile that's all business. ]

So. Here you all are. Okay, I guess it’s up to me to formally welcome you to – or back to – the City. You'll see that not much has changed geographically for those in the latter group. Those that are new? Listen to what the returning people tell you. I’m sure they’ll have a lot of important information relevant to your interests, comfort and safety.

Your district Magistrates have all changed with the exception of Nina, who’s still in charge in the Coliseum district and Star who does her best with what she has over in Shantytown. Aiden Knight is your guy over in Leisurebrook. Fern Wilder heads up Finance Street while Skiffell Lubbee is stationed in the Gardens of Pleasure. Then we have the handsome Baren Everett over in the Red Lantern District and that leaves me, the Duchess, presiding over the Tower District.

[ Gets prompted from someone off camera. The Duchess looks at her watch. ]

Alright. I’ve got roughly ten minutes before I’m due in another meeting, so the floor is open for questions. Well, most anyway. Let’s steer away from the more complicated ones, yeah?

Oh, yes! There will also be a welcome banquet at the Tower next weekend in your honour. Information about that will be on the invitation in the basket you received upon arriving in the City.

Okay, who's got questions?

Comments

[bossyboiler]

[ Not that she's going to miss the Emperor but she is curious... ]

What happened to the other Magistrates?

[iterumadmin]

Hello, Ms. Cordello. I am assuming you mean all the original Magistrates? Well, those ones were all found dead or have been demoted and reassigned elsewhere. There was no further use for the Sun and Nina Baronger -- as I've already explained -- has kept her position as Magistrate of the Coliseum District.

[bossyboiler]

Hello.

[ God. It's worse than talking to your high school principal. Of course, she knows her name. Her sin is pride after all. She supposes that she could have been more polite and said hello first.

She has a few questions like who killed the former magistrates. What else exists in this universe besides the City if they were reassigned? ]

What happened to the City while we were gone? Is this some kind of experiment?

[iterumadmin]

No, not an experiment. Things got a little intense, and everyone who got pulled in got pushed out for five months. And before you ask me why, I can't tell you because I don't know.

[bossyboiler]

I see. [ Does she see? Does she really? ]

If you don't mind the bluntness of this question, what do you know about what happened?

[iterumadmin]

As far as I know, there was a problem with the City and the Heart of it. One that began bringing people in that posed a threat.

[bossyboiler]

But there have been threats to the City before, haven't there? What made them special?

[iterumadmin]

A number of them, yes, but this was a different kind of threat. Think end-of-the-world type threat.

[bossyboiler]

And the City is that important to protect?