❪ event ❫ hour of ruin

[natha]

HOUR OF RUIN     Sometime after midnight, after preparations have been put aside in favor of drinks and rest, a thunderous beating of wings shatters the air — the High Dragon Ysverai, once again risen. The sound echoes high off Namarak Mountain, but travels easily to both Wyver and Olympia: scream after scream rends the still night, as though a creature were dying rather than being born again. Having only had days to plan their defense against the creature, Olympia and Wyver snatch up their arms. The Royal Guard and the Knightryders can be seen on their steeds hurrying through the cities, because Ysverai doesn't remain isolated at the mountain's peak for long. There are pictures of Ysverai in abundance throughout both cities, but the creature that circles in the sky looks nothing like the majestic creature spoken of in history books. Even from far below, wounds and lacerations can be seen marring what should be smooth scales, and blood falls with every beat of the dragon's wings. The damage becomes more clear when moonlight illuminates Ysverai, revealing the rotting dragon for all to see. The sight of flesh peeling away and thick blood where it oozes from his cracked, greyish hide is as frightening as the power he possesses. REASON'S TRANSCENDENCE     Mad from the anguish of his forced revival, Ysverai will show none of his renowned wisdom or compassion, mindless and seeking to inflict his pain onto whatever emerges in his path. His very presence creates chaos: animals (Olympia | Wyver) domesticated and wild, flee from the merest hint of his approach, panicked and stampeding in wild droves. The reason is obvious: organic matter exposed too long to his presence begins to rot and decay. A field he lands in rots and lies fallow. Buildings crack and crumble, their supports pitted and corroded as though they've been left in disrepair for years. Even the ground that Ysverai walks upon is tainted; a corrosive sludge bubbles up in his massive, clawed footsteps, the ground beneath him putrefied and toxic, oozing corruption. This sludge can be tar-like, poisonous and sucking people in like quicksand; panic, and you'll only sink faster. Prolonged exposure to Ysverai takes a mental toll on anyone in his proximity as well. Effects similar to those from being near his heart — selfish desires and lowered inhibitions — will begin to fester in those around him. Every time Ysverai roars, pain will run through all those that hear him — a pain not just physical, but of true, anguished heartbreak. Those who hear Ysverai will feel (to a degree of your choosing) a sharing of his pain, the agony of flesh rotting from their bodies, blood oozing from under their skin, and a terrible, incandescent fury — and beneath that, a gut-wrenching sadness. This effect is further enhanced by any exposure to Ysverai's blood, and being drenched in greater quantities will cause one to become more in sync with the dragon. Finally, Ysverai is aggressive, attacking anyone and anything that approaches. He starts by breathing out a smog, acidic and putrefying — characters caught directly by this attack will find that medicine and healing magic of any kind hurts them for hours after exposure. The dragon will ignite the smog to breathe fire, if sparingly. IN WYVER     Ysverai's shadow falls over the near reaches of Wyver first. Upon hearing Ysverai's cry, the dragons in Wyver become completely frenzied, turning against their partners among the Knightryders without the slightest resistance. Those familiar with dragons might deduce that they're in pain, though they don't show any sign of injury. The dragons knock their riders off their backs in midair and dive at citizens, jaws wide. Any attempts to soothe them will be long fought, achieved with great difficulty, and will see them retreat into a cowering state. It's not just the airborne Knightryders taking to the defense of the city however, and people on the ground are mobilizing as well. On rooftops across the city are cannons set to fire harpoons. And if the spearheads alone aren't enough to injure the beast, they're coated with a paralyzing poison as well. Unfortunately, the soldiers stationed on the rooftops are prime targets to the frenzied dragons populating Wyver's skies, leaving the cannons open for ordinary citizens to use should they choose. Left alone too long, and cannons may fall under the control of the few remaining radicals that had opted not to flee the cities to join up with their leader Raysc, choosing instead to wait for an opportune moment to unleash their anger on the people of Wyver. These radicals will need to be dealt with before they can turn the cannons upon Wyver's defenders. IN OLYMPIA     In Olympia, the gryphon partners of the Royal Guard react with immediate hostility to anyone showing signs of Ysverai's influence. Their keen senses allow them to pick up the smell of Ysverai's blood and they attack anyone with so much as a drop of tainted blood on them. Those who bear lingering effects of Ysverai's mental attack and who remain in sync with the dragon after hearing Ysverai's cry are also targeted and must face the gryphons' wrath without mercy or restraint. The gryphons must be disabled, for Olympia will not look upon any injury to their prized steeds lightly. However, the gryphons also show some resistance to Ysverai's cry, which is a great boon in battle against the dragon — gryphons that have lost their riders will be available for use, able to carry two passengers at a time. The people of Olympia aren't planning to restrict their offense to pure brute force, and the mages of the city can be seen across Olympia wielding enchanted chains, using telekinesis in the hopes of restraining Ysverai and assisting in the airborne troops. But like the decaying buildings and wildlife, Ysverai is warping the magic around him, the chains faltering as they approach him, whipping back toward the city instead to cage whoever happens to be closest. It's not just the enchanted chains either, but other magic might behave erratically in his presence, as if the very essence of the spells have been corrupted. VIRTUOUS VERSE     Both cities realize they need to seek survival rather than victory against Ysverai, switching gears to carry out diversion efforts and evacuation plans. It falls to refugees to continue the offensive while the Royal Guard and the Knightryders devote their attention to ensuring the safety of the citizens as they flee. With official forces stretched thin, civilians and refugees alike will also need to step up to help herd citizens toward safety among a maze of collapsing buildings. Others will need to see to gathering resources for the evacuation, and while gathering non perishables is easy enough, it's considerably harder to wrangle livestock into cooperating amidst such chaos. Those fighting may be asked to act as bait for Ysverai. Chatter through official troops speaks of a switch in strategy: the objective now is capture the dragon's attention and draw him away from the populous cities and towards the South Outpost. Whether or not it's possible to defeat the dragon remains uncertain, but there's no question that it will be easier to battle him without worrying about civilians. THE RAGE     Luckily, the dragon is indiscriminate in his rage, and easily lured so long as a suitably infuriating target is before him. It doesn't take long to draw him to the South Outpost, but the trail of destruction he leaves in his wake is vast. Once there, the combined forces are greeted not just by Ysverai, but also by the appearance of Ysverai's master. How bravely you've all come to meet your doom! Great heroes, one and all, ha! I welcome you, bring your best. Show me the power that's protected Olympia and Wyver, all that you have to offer me, whatever pitiful excuse for valor you seek to cling to when the fear has you cowering in your beds. All will be for naught in the face of Ysverai's might! Let history witness the day the glory of war is reignited — the day that Wyver remembers its fangs once more! Come, Ysverai, last and greatest of the High Dragons! Come, and restore Wyver to its rightful place! Come, fulfill the promise as our protector that you could not in life! Raysc lifts a gleaming device as he issues his command. Red lights blink and blood, the same oozing liquid that drips from Ysverai's many wounds, runs in clear tubes through the device. Ysverai rears back as Raysc makes adjustments to a control panel — and then lunges forward, mouth agape. With a single swallow, Raysc meets his end. Raysc's attempt to control the dragon has only enraged him further, spurring Ysverai on to new heights of fury. It's become more vital than ever to face the dragon and take him down here and now. A few effective strategies are learned from research efforts and observed while defending Olympia and Wyver: goading the dragon into breathing fire will hurt him, burning him from the inside out, and attacks to his joints, eyes, wings, and exposed bone are effective. Ice is a natural repellent to dragons and can be used defensively or to weaken the dragon's hide. Healing spells will also react unnaturally to Ysverai's flesh, hastening his decay. However, while concentrated efforts will lock him down, Ysverai cannot be permanently killed in this state — his flesh constantly rots and spawns anew. Attacking him here is to protect civilians, keeping him busy to avoid mass destruction elsewhere. Therefore, the battle is one of attrition, a matter of a race against time. You must destroy his flesh faster than it is able to regenerate to have any hope of victory. Finally, when Ysverai is weakening, little more than bones with a few last vestiges of rotten meat hanging from a skeleton, the pathetic remnants of the last High Dragon takes to the skies. His wings are barely intact enough to carry him, yet desperation lifts him, higher and higher, until he lets out one great, earth-shaking roar. A roar that carries across the battlefield, sending all who hear it to their knees. A roar that shatters the swords in soldiers' hands, that rends apart the very air itself — Ysverai's last act, a great curse upon El Nysa, to bring down the sky. AND THE WORLD STOOD STILL     The terror of Ysverai's destruction hangs overhead — a tear in the sky, darkness pouring through, tendrils reaching down towards El Nysa to swallow up the planet in the dragon's final act of revenge. And yet nothing moves. A halo of brilliant light surrounds the rift in the sky, holding the grasping, hungry tendrils in check. And on the planet, not a creature moves. Not a blade of grass stirs. You're not able to even draw a breath. No matter where you are, not even the heart in your chest is beating. Everything has stopped — time has come to a standstill. In a wash of light, an aurora of transport, you find yourself delivered to Thesa Station. Darma stands before you, her expression solemn, perhaps even grim, though that may just be a trick of the station's harsh lighting. She explains what has happened in short order: planetside, time has been completely frozen. We have seen the birth and end of worlds. The rise and fall of civilizations infinite times over. We have seen all threads of possibilities that could have lead to this very moment... Or should have. Perhaps you might doubt our sincerity when we say this comes as a surprise to us, as well... Special technology has been used to blind us. To this day, we only know of one region capable of creating and utilizing such technology... you will find this technology in a city known as Nadril. We understand that you have created a life down in Wyver and Olympia, but now we must ask that you put that life on pause. We ask you to travel to Nadril and find the original Refugee, and with him, answers. As you will discover, he does not wish to speak to us. It is no matter. By now it is too late to keep the Nysan public unaware of our existence. We commend the efforts of those who wish to protect their comrades on the battlefield below, but a creature like poor Ysverai, twisted and warped, given unnatural life with terrible magic and technology, does not simply go down with manpower. Please, leave Ysverai to us. Time on the planet will remain stopped while we determine how to deal with the dragon. For now, rest and recover your strength. We have returned, and soon, there will be new refugees awakening. Perhaps you might like to prepare yourselves to greet them? I'm sorry that I can't answer more questions, but for now, all our attention must turn to finding a way to stop what Ysverai has wrought. A bank of monitors behind Darma displays the battlefield below: Ysverai's frozen, looming figure and the breach in the sky, and the Natha's halo, holding the destruction back. Though time passes normally on Thesa Station, El Nysa remains frozen, and all Refugees are unable to return to the planet until Ysverai's menace is dealt with. Luckily, with the Natha's return, full functionality has also returned to the station. The lights and environmentals are back to full power, access to all areas has been restored, the cafeteria is serving its normal offerings, and there's no evidence of any glitching or malfunctions. Doubtless, the period of rest is much needed after the hard-fought battle. For now, with time on El Nysa at a standstill, there's little else to be done but enjoy the reprieve aboard Thesa Station. FINAL OOC NOTE     Characters that reach an AC length action thread in this event will receive 2 rep for all factions, including Natha. Note that while these are split up for ease of processing, players may submit for all three. OLYMPIA | WYVER | NATHA Players can expect this event to run three days ICly before everyone is teleported to Thesa Station! From thereon, all characters will be grounded at the Station until the Test Drive Meme later this month. QUICK NAV premise ● faq ● lore ● map ● npcs ● bestiary taken ● atp/emp ● application ● rep/acp ● quest bulletin calendar ● hiatus/drops ● modbox [ FULL NAVIGATION ] elnysa nysalogs nysaisles nysaooc elnyan

Comments

[almaredemptoris]

[Their oddly matched heights too make for a cumbersome journey, but soon enough they settle into a rhythm that maximizes forward motion.] I was making sure that all had evacuated the area, that none were left behind.

[revlon]

[ It's not the first time she's been asked about the war. She realises it's decades into most people's pasts whereas for her, it's only been two years. Nearly three, including her time spent awake on El Nysa. Quite a wonder in of itself. But she smiles now, just a flicker, and she nods. ]

I lived in Hampstead with my family. [ Her brother was a soldier and had been from the onset of war. Peggy was a codebreaker but she didn't jump into the field until after his death in 1940. The Blitz had just begun September of that year. ] We weren't as hard hit as some other parts of London, but yes. Not to mention the rocket attacks a few years later.

yay

[almaredemptoris]

[Jean Valjean comes every day to the Stasis Unit, like a pilgrim or a penitent, to kneel at the feet of his daughter and the woman who had sacrificed everything for her sake. He comes to hold vigil over Cosette, watching her in her sleep just as he had done in those early days of welcoming her into his life, when he had marveled at the soft light melting the edges of darkness. Perhaps it is because he had been kneeling that Kagari does not notice him until is is too late, when Jean Valjean has climbed to his feet with the aid of the cane at his side and Kagari jars his shoulder where before there had not been anyone. Although he is hobbled by a wounded leg, he remains a remarkably solid man, and his balance is not disturbed. He looks at the young man as if he is not surprised to see him here. He answers him as if muttering "Oh, shit" were a proper greeting.] Hello. I am glad to see you well. Have you come to visit somebody?

[braidedwonder]

[ In a way there is something incredibly graceful, even in the way Mika moves with a berzerker's neediness for violence. It's funny to see, a bit like watching Heero or Wufei pilot, and not in a bad eay at all. In all the best ways, in fact, so far as Duo can tell.

Duo backs away at the last moment as Mika comes crashing down, the shriek that comes from the dragon very nearly causing reverb in his ear drums with the intensity and volume of it. The dragon rears and shrieks, and through gritted teeth Duo surges forward, beam scythe at the ready to cut away at what he can see, at what's readily available as the dragon wails its fury and pain.

Of course that sadness strikes Duo somewhere, in that lonely little orphan who barely knew who he was at some point, who he could be.. but it doesn't stop Duo from going for the jugular. He's long since learned how to put emotion aside and strike..

For better or worse. ]

This thing's stronger than it looks for a rotting corpse!

[ayes]

[It's nothing he'd done, really. She'd just been so frustrated with feeling useless, like a burden, like she couldn't help... for months, it had gnawed at her. And now that she'd actually helped, found something she can do? She's trying to rub her eyes and stem the tears, but she's not coming anywhere close on that.] G-geez, this is really embarrassing... I-I [hic] I can't stop-- I'm really happy to hear that-- [sniff]

[torchwoodteaboy]

He probably should figure out where they should begin himself. Unless he’s going to leave that to Ianto. Which, Ianto supposes in retrospect, he just might be doing. He can’t see the extent of the spotting across his skin, can he? He glances over the marks as they cover John's torso and walks around him to check out the worst of it, see how far they travel and where he might not be able to reach them.

“So...” Ianto begins, awkwardly, squeezing some of the cream out between his palms and rubbing them together to warm it a little. “How would you...? Is there anywhere you would like me to concentrate on, or...?” Pretty much all the spots. He has to ask. If there’s anywhere that is particularly troublesome or tender, he needs to know!

[braidedwonder]

Yeah it.. [ Duo pauses, thinks about what he wants to say, and then almost laughs a little at how possibly stupid this might sound to Prompto. ] ... It made me think about me as a kid, honestly.

After the church. Just.. angry and out for the world to fuck it up.

[ Prompto had seen the terrible scene that had driven that, after all, in his memories. Who could blame a kid for being an angry little bastard after seeing hundreds of people slaughtered in cold blood? He supposed no one. But beyond that - ]

Makes you wonder if that's how every spirit reacts, you know? If you believe in that kinda stuff... Wild.

[ayes]

[It's hard to keep singing as she squeezes back behind the pilot's seat, not because it's cramped (though it is, but she can deal) but because she's trying to not trail off and look around in amazement at everything around her. This is so crazy-- it's just like something out of a manga! Her song turns into a squeak as he hits the thrusters and she's forced to hold on for dear life lest she lose her balance. Are they going towards the dragon?!]

[impavid]

"Does anything look worse? It kinda all feels the same."

There are some bigger patches, he supposes, there's one large section over his shoulder which is a little itchier but he thinks that's just his t-shirt rubbing. He gently pokes at it, winces before turning to hold out his hand for the cream.

"Give me some of that then, it'll go quicker if we split the work."

He can at least do the bits he can see, his arms and chest.

[impavid]

[ At least, John reassures himself, these buildings aren't skyscrapers or anything.

He runs and throws himself toward the other roof, stumbles the landing and ends up bracing himself against the floor with one hand. He made it, though, no broken bones although it was a little jarring.

Great. Now they just need to keep going. ]

If this is a race I think you're already winning.

[ He sounds mildly annoyed, but you know, not dead so it's just ignorable grouching. ]

[ayes]

[Eep. You can't help but flinch a little at the look. Point taken, miss angry concerned elf.] Okay, if you're sure! [You reaches up to take Alisaie's hand, climbing up onto her mighty steed with surprising grace, almost like she's climbed into a saddle before.] Is this yours? Uh, is he yours? She? [How do you tell its gender??]

[impavid]

[ To be fair, John is pretty sick of them too.

He's also nervous of how the dragon is making civilians attack him, though. What if he can't tell if someone is a civilian or a radical?

Defaulting to stun seems safest. He can always flick it up.

John watches the woman hurl with sympathetic wariness, braced for her to turn on them again any second, but as he slowly crouches down to study her expression there's a different kind of wildness in her eyes this time. He lets out a soft sound of relief, pushes back to his feet and spins around to check for danger. ]

Right. Walk in the park. We've come this far, little bit further should be nothing.

[ He moves to the corner of the building they're beside listening for voices then squinting around. What happened to letting Kirk go ahead? Instincts, John just sort of moved automatically. There's definitely someone there, and they're talking to someone so there's at least two. He's silently communicating that back to to Kirk when a closer sound makes him look up sharply and back away from the wall -- eyes on the roof. Oh, that better be Knightryder about to man a harpoon. ]

[ayes]

[It's astounding. She can't help but follow the action above. It's literally awesome, in that it's inducing awe, and more than a little fear. She can't answer right at the moment, because she is currently busy singing. However, as soon as she's done--] Um, that one was Water Blue New World! [Can he even hear her? She knows her music carries, but does her speaking voice?]

[ayes]

[There's a bit of a pause. They are sitting on a space station right now.] Though I guess technically, we're all kinda in a sci-fi future right now? A sci-fi present, I mean. Aliens and spaceships and all of that.

So are they nice? These Vulcan guys.

[verflair]

You didn't ask. I offered.

Besides, you should know by now I do not do things I don't wish to. It may be painful to recall for the both of us, but I feel such things are better out in the open. Just having someone who can understand works wonders.

[ He pulls away just enough to look Prompto in the eye, but he keeps his hands on the boy's shoulders as he does. ]

You can talk to me Prompto. Always.

[verflair]

[ One day Jim needs to see X'rhun in an actual fight – he doesn't know half of the ridiculous shit he can do. ]

No, I very much doubt this is what was planned. No man controls that creature – he is a slave to his anguish alone.

[ Like Bahamut. Gods, he wishes he could stop thinking about that, but the situations are too similar. ]

[ayes]

[And You would definitely appreciate the guidance from anyone who knows a damn thing about magic. Until coming here, magic had just been fictional... or something for her friend Yoshiko to play pretend with.

She nods, taking a breath and looking up at the sky. There's no dragon in sight.]

Are you really going to try and fight it? Isn't it going to be... you know, flying in the sky?

[ayes]

All right! [She exhales, and takes another breath, patting her face to try and steady herself.] I'm ready-- [No, she's really not. Her legs are killing her. But she's gotta be. She tries to find her footing, presses play on her music player, and then continues to sing.]

[colorature]

I'm a bad liar.

_{[But it's not like Chuuya's suggestion is a bad one.]}

He hasn't really...but he'll realize something's wrong.

[ayes]

Yeah, but I thought you were gonna have to pedal us both. [This seems way better. You sits down on the back of the bike, gathering her knees to herself.] I didn't really think about that... Uh, since my song's magic, I don't think I need to be anywhere in particular to be heard?

[ayes]

Okay. [She takes a deep breath, slapping her cheeks just enough to steady her emotions.] I'm ready. --let me know when you're good to go, Atsushi! [Her finger hovers over the "play" button on her MP3 player.]

[torchwoodteaboy]

Ianto hands over the bottle as he steps closer to examine the other man's skin. He wonders if it's better to concentrate on the patches or just coat the other man's skin in the stuff. Less is more, he supposes, and reaches a hand forward towards the spot where John had indicated, his fingers gentle as he slowly starts to rub some of the cream into the patches of light skin there.

"Is this alright, then?" he asks, glancing up to study John's reaction as he touches him. He hasn't moved so far around behind him that he can't catch something of his face as he talks.

[hedonistic]

[Goddamnit. He knew this guy wasn't gonna let him go without a conversation. He hasn't even seen the man since the whole weird incident with people's memories on display, which makes this meeting all the more awkward. A few responses come to mind immediately: "so what if I did", "what's it to you, old man", "none of your business" --

But the hostility that would normally accompany them doesn't come to him in that moment; maybe it's the lingering feelings associated with seeing his friends--the only family he's ever really had--or maybe it's the sight of the cane that does it. At any rate, Kagari doesn't manage the defensiveness he'd intended, which just ends up making him look uncomfortable.]

I did.

[Maybe he won't ask? Hope springs eternal, right. Kagari tries to change the subject, even--]

...What happened to your leg?

[impavid]

John gives a suppressed wince again at the contact, takes the bottle and gets some of the cream into his hands -- closing it and vaguely dropping it onto his bed after.

"It's fine," he says blandly, but he's a little tense as begins to quickly apply it to patches down his arms. Noticeably quicker than Ianto has been working, because he's trying to get it over with. It kind of stings at first, which mines by the end of this most of his body might sting. He's hoping the quicker he applies it the sooner it all stops.

[colorature]

Don't cut it all off!

_{[That's her trigger okay.]}

Why don't you just trim it?