Andre Valias
LanaStorm
Snowdrops
ScreenAcne
Xaltwind
wintersoldier
Estylwen
AThousandCurses
SkyswimskyThe Clandestine
The guards acted quickly and decisively, containing what flames they could, but the sheer crush of the citizenry worked against them. The grease fire had been a trigger point, certainly, but there were far too many flammable objects in that open market to begin with: one certainly could not expect fresh goods to come in from the port. Dried goods burned like tinder, barrels of wine serving as accelerant soon after. And then there were perfumes mixed in, a choking stench that coated the South Pearl. The first few guards didn’t realize what was happening until their vision swam, their spells fading out as they keeled over from the sensory overload. Others were choked out by the thick smoke alone, dark clouds pluming upwards as they coughed and hacked, eyes tearing up.
The city’s bells were ringing now though, and the North Pearl’s evacuation was swift, guards focused on bringing as many merchants and workers out of that district as they could. Eastward they went, into the stone-paved roads and the well-built structures of the Gold-Touch, just in time to see the conflagration surge forwards. Had it caught onto something? Abandoned stalls and wagons caught and burst into inferno, scattering further and further. At the behest of the rich and influential, guards concentrated their efforts on preventing any eastward trespass by the blaze, but the situation in the North Pearl had spiralled out of control much faster than the South; it would take a specialized force to push into the depths now.
And then, all the illicit activity inherent to the North Pearl was brought to firelight.
A haze of drugs swirled up and outwards, pulled inland by the sea-breeze, a nonsensical cocktail of relaxants and stimulants. Perhaps it was from the hidden black markets, or perhaps from the various gambling dens and smoking parlors. No matter though, it only served to heighten the emotions and befuddle the reasoning of those exposed to it, chaos and hysteria spreading like a contagion over successive cycles of the clock.
The fire advanced northwards still. If it struck Upper Bristol, that veritable district of tents and shoddy construction, the devastation would be incomprehensible.
And yet, the drug haze pushed inwards still, towards Gold-Touch and Belleborne, those groups with too much power and not enough sense or discipline. Driven by hysteria, who knew what could happen if they began lashing out?