Toragay Epidemic

"A terrible plight."

- Elluka Clockworker

The Toragay Serial Killings was the name given to the serial murders and genocide in Toragay, Elphegort caused by Marchioness Margarita Blankenheim. After poisoning her husband and father, Margarita went on a psychopathic rampage, decimating a majority of her hometown's population.

Origins
Following her arranged marriage with Marquis Caspar Blankenheim in June, EC 608, Margarita eventually discovered Caspar's purely economical motivation behind their union, as well as his open philandering with other women. Distraught by her failing marriage, she lapsed into a depression. Sometime after, Margarita was introduced to her husband's business partner Mayrana, presenting herself as "Elluka Clockworker", and the Marchioness began confiding her troubles to her.

Becoming friends, Margarita eventually joined the woman's criminal organization, Père Noël, as III. the Sleep Princess. Later on in EC 609, Margarita was tasked with developing a cure for a Gift contagion that Père Noël planned to monopolize on the black market. On August 25 of that year, Mayrana passed on the task of developing the airborne Gift disease to Margarita, along with a sample of her Third Gift and instructions to craft the poison.

First Murder
Within a week of receiving the formula, Margarita developed the Fourth Gift. To test her experimental creation, the Marchioness mixed the poison in trauben jammed toast and gave it to her husband as a birthday "gift" during that night on August 30, EC 609. After Caspar and his concubine, Eleanor, ingested the present, the two succumbed to the poison's effects and died in bed together.

Later that night, Margarita's father, Dr. Marx Felix, arrived early that morning and unlocked the main gate with his spare key to the manor. After entering the home, he entered the Marquis' room with Margarita and discovered Caspar and Eleanor's corpses. Once he examined the two, Marx publicly diagnosed Caspar's death as a result of his smoking habit while Margarita confined herself to her room.

Investigation into Caspar
On September 1, early that morning, Shurburke Newspaper reporter Hanne Lorre arrived and discovered the Marquis' recent death. After interviewing Dr. Felix about Caspar's condition, the reporter remained in-town for several days to investigate the incident before returning to Aceid. During the same period, the World Police investigated the potential crime scene and interviewed, Marx, Margarita, and the remaining servants at the mansion.

With the two claiming they heard mysterious sounds in the middle of the night, the World Police stationed a night guard at the mansion to protect the Marchioness from any intruders. Around the same time, the World Police called upon Lucifenia's Dr. Puerick Rogzé to help in the investigation. After an autopsy of Caspar's corpse, Puerick determined there was no apparent anomalies in the Marquis' organs or bloodstream; with Dr. Rogzé's analysis, the World Police reported Caspar died of tobacco.

Second Murder
Sometime after, Margarita developed the Fifth Gift. On September 19, during dinner at the Blankenheim Mansion, Marx warned his daughter not to associate with I. the Santa Claus anymore. In retaliation for his "troubles" about her "mother", Margarita gave her father some toast spread with trauben jam mixed with her experimental poison. After Marx returned home around 11:00 PM that night, he lapsed into a coma in bed.

The next day, around noon, Hanne Lorre arrived to interview Marx and discovered his "sleeping" body in bed. During the World Police's subsequent investigation, Marx was moved to a hospital in Aceid. Afterwards, the local doctors in Aceid determined there were no apparent causes for Marx's condition. On September 29, the police announced they would examine Marx's body closely to determine the cause of his coma.

Genocide
By October 14, EC 609, Margarita successfully developed the desired Sixth Gift. After administering the contaminant to the orphans at the local Charity Institute, Margarita departed for Aceid. On October 17, after Shaw Freesis's death that morning, Bruno was contacted by I. the Santa Claus and ordered to eliminate Hanne and Heidemarie Lorre from further meddling with the situation.

Later that day, all 23 orphans at Toragay's Charity Institute slipped into a coma and died. As crowds gathered around the institute, the local pharmacist Egmont attempted to neutralize the mysterious disease with continual failure. Constable Ein and Officer Heidemarie Lorre arrived at the scene shortly after. While Heide remained behind, Ein rushed to Aceid to call for a proper doctor. Soon after his departure, the manager, Rita Flohn, also succumbed to the poison.

Later that day, a secret police unit arrived to inform her of Shaw's death earlier that day and escorted the officer back to Marlon. At the same time, Hanne received Dr. Puerick's analysis of the Third Gift sample she provided and the two theorized the poison's potential dillution in the blood stream. As the reporter left that afternoon, another unit of the secret police arrived to inform her about Shaw and escort her back to Marlon.

Around that time, Margarita began working on the development of a Seventh Gift which could fully awaken her jumbled memories of past lives that had slowly been resurging. As the Sixth Gift quickly spread among Toragay's populace, the death toll increased exponentially. Within days, the Elphegort government sanctioned the World Police to step in and contain the threat. On Bruno's orders, the World Police set up barricades at the surrounding checkpoints and quarantined the city, halting traffic to and from town.

On October 19, while Hanne and Heidemarie Lorre mourned over Shaw at the Freesis Foundation headquarters in Bariti, Bruno ordered the secret police to arrest the women. Charging Hanne for causing the Lioness Burning Incident as "Elluka Clockworker" and Heidemarie for the Charity Institute murders, the two were imprisoned. Later, Constable Ein and Justea Chief Hob Homer broke into the prison and freed the two.

After returning their belongings and updating them on the developments in Toragay, Hanne and Heidemarie knocked the two unconscious and fled to Aceid. On October 21, the two shed their false personas as Shaw's long dead great-granddaughters and resumed their identities as Elluka Clockworker and Gumillia. Once they finished their preparations at Elluka's apartment, the mages departed for Toragay.

Aftermath
By the time that Freesis Foundation's investigation team arrived, Toragay had become a ghost town. While investigating, Elluka Clockworker and Gumillia learned of Julia's involvement and determined she had escaped with the doll. Ascertaining that she was connected to Père Noël, the two infiltrated the organization in an effort to retrieve the vessel.

Civilian Perception
Due to its inexplicable nature, the sudden string of deaths plunged Toragay's citizens into total panic, unable to apprehend the source of the homicides. The incident's sudden and increasing number of victims immediately drew the attention of the Elphegort government. As the death toll increased, the event was heavily covered from the outside and attempts to isolate the incident resulted in cutting off the influx of goods and people to and from the city, treating it like an epidemic.

At some point during the killings, Père Noël's involvement was suspected. After its conclusion, Margarita was recognized a complete psychopath who had taken joy in murdering others. However, because of the ambiguity of the events, it was unknown whether it was due to her own circumstances or Julia's influence in the immediate prelude.

Conceptualization and Origin

 * The incident is inspired by a similar event caused by Marie-Madeleine-Marguerite d'Aubray, albeit only poisoning several of her family members.