Apologies for my recent absence. I've been allowing myself to get swamped in things that I need to do... I'm trying to catch up now though, so I'm aiming to post either tomorrow or on the weekend. I'd do it tonight, but I don't trust myself to write well when I'm tired...
@Dark Jack I'm sorry but it seems I will be unable to get that post I promised up. So you can move things along as Arcturus succeeding in tackling Ishin.
The rifle was fired when they grabbed it, if you recall, so it's not loaded. And technically... I guess they could use blood bullets? Though that is one of those mechanics from the game that I have a really hard time translating to a more realistic perspective. Maybe making blood bullets requires some special tool to draw out blood and somehow condense it down to a hard bullet? The player-Hunter in the game does seem to use a syringe on their thigh when they create blood bullets... though we never actually see the player acquire such a tool.
Eh, for now I think I'll say "no" to them being able to reload, too.
Err... I guess I kinda jumped the gun by posting before asking this, but should we stick to a particular post order? I was wondering if I should go for a post to try to keep things moving or wait for the others in the room to maintain the posting turns...
Eh, up to you guys, though obviously there will be times when something happens that a person might need to react to out of turn. But as of now, with how things are going, I will say this: if no one says "I am working on a post", you can't be blamed for assuming that no one is. That is why I'm trying so hard to encourage you all to discuss who is posting when here.
Meanwhile I typed up a little something, just summarizing the history and state of some of the most notable areas of the game:
Yharnam proper Thanks in large part to the efforts of Vicar Harold and his followers, the city of Yharnam has seen not only a recovery from the damage done in the Night of the Blood Moon, but in many ways has surpassed its old self. Efforts to mass-recruit Hunters have lead to an initial sharp decline in the number of beasts and easier handling of Nights of the Hunt when they arise, and judicious application of funds and resources have lead to the reestablishment and general improvement of the infrastructure. Destroyed buildings have been either rebuilt or replaced, all while new residences are being erected at the edge of the city to support an anticipated increase in population from immigration encouragement efforts. Many new clinics dot the city, manned not only by the highly valued blood ministers, but also clerics of the White Church, offering blood treatment more eagerly and willingly than ever before. But although the city has been trending toward apparent improvement and Yharnamites are not as fearful of church Hunters as they once were, there remains an oppressive atmosphere and constant cautious mood in the city, as new threats loom. Stories circulate frequently of citizens being robbed by the Fire Dancers or murdered by the Harrow, to the point where these two factions have all but replaced the dread once reserved for the Healing Church and beasts. And while beasts are normally less numerous than before, many worry that the high number of Hunters might be unsustainable in the long run... especially if they are ever actually successful in exterminating the scourge of beasts.
Old Yharnam With its fires long-extinguished and its waters mostly purified, efforts have begun to reclaim and rebuild Old Yharnam, which has resulted in actually habitable residences slowly appearing along the edge between it and Yharnam proper, as the swelling city moves to swallow the remains of the obsolete ruins. Journeys into Old Yharnam remain frequent among Hunters, often going in parties of at least several Hunters together, and they always emerge from the old city bloodied. However such a thing is possible it seems that Old Yharnam remains a perceived safe haven among relatively sapient beasts, many of which remain wizened by the ruinous Ashen Blood that is both their burden and their most powerful weapon against Hunters. Even now, so many years after the fact, no one truly knows just how many beasts have gathered in the depths of the old city... or what it is that draws even savage beasts there, despite the loss of their Good Chalice and the death of Djura.
Hemwick Charnel Lane After the Night of the Blood Moon, the district of Hemwick – an area of the city specialized in the handling of the dead – actually entered a brief golden age where everything seemed to go well. With the Witches of Hemwick dead and Martyr Alfred's destruction of Queen Annalise, Hunters no longer had any reason to care about their home and mostly left them alone, and with the sheer number of corpses produced during the Night of the Blood Moon, business was blooming. The Executioners, expecting the Vilebloods to have been wiped out, stopped patrolling their land, and the few sane people of Hemwick no longer even had to live with the occasional unnerving encounter with the Mad Ones. This peace and prosperity was, however, short-lived. It was not long before people of Hemwick discovered that the witches and their Mad Ones had been a major factor in keeping beasts away from their home; without them and with a mountain of fresh corpses being moved through their district, beasts soon followed en masse, which in turn brought Hunters. Things got worse still once it got out that some Hunters going to Hemwick were seemingly deserting the church, only for the district to finally receive its mortal blow once it was discovered that these deserters were, in fact, joining and rebuilding the Vilebloods. Today only a handful of devoted and disturbed souls inhabit Hemwick, taking care of the dead as they always have, with the majority of survivors having fled what is now a mix between a battlefield and hunting grounds, as Hunters, Vilebloods and beasts all hunt, fight and kill one another with wild abandon.
Byrgenwerth With the gates of the Forbidden Forest loosened by the speaking of the adage, the Forbidden Graves cleansed with slaying the Shadows of Yharnam and the old college left without a master after the death of Master Willem, Byrgenwerth is in a very different situation than it was prior to the Night of the Blood Moon. Initially pillaged by industrious looters and subsequently inhabited by outlaws, it was not long before the recovering Healing Church moved into the forest and laid claim to the invaluable site, where they reopened the entrance to the old labyrinth. It and the surrounding forest is once again forbidden to the general populace, and only those on official church business – specifically, White Church business – are allowed anywhere near Byrgenwerth, with the place reportedly being guarded by loyal Hunters and church giants.
Yahar'gul Very little is known about what become of Yahar'gul after the Night of the Blood Moon, the destruction of the School of Mensis and the death of every single inhabitant. People are strongly discouraged from even mentioning the place, and all known entrances to the town have been thoroughly sealed. No human has set foot in the town for nearly five years... and yet those who roam near the edge of the place often claim to have heard panicked screaming from within.