❪ 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

[maipokerface]

Yeah. I'll get them on the way.

[As in she'll pause while walking forward. There's a particular tightness to her expression as she retrieves her knives, one necessitating she give a fairly strong pull. The body hits the ground heavily again and Mai's frown grows tighter.

She turns back to Terra, knives holstered after she cleans them on a scrap of fabric from the fallen man.]

Let's see who we can escort out of town before anything else happens.

[willrevile]

[ Jim points to John, then the building - raises his eyebrows, his expression permissive. If he wants to go up there and scope it out, go ahead. Points to himself and the others, then away-- he'll take care of them in the mean time, or more likely, just slip off quietly when there's an opening.

And then he shrugs. Jim can't see them from here, can't be in two places at once, and

nah fuck it they've got no time. ]

Cover me, [ he says, and steps out into the alley. ]

HEY! You! Down here!

[nineteenfortyfive]

I will. And thank you again. [For the cloth, and the conversation even if it took a sudden turn. Still--]

I hope you find him.

[notwagging]

No. I could smell it coming a mile away... and I didn't want any piece of it.

[ turning, he spots a familiar hallway, one with a few spare rooms for temporary housing while they wait everything out. with a quick step, he hops into a unoccupied and clean room. ]

But I felt it. So angry. So mad. I didn't like it at all.

[ he places her down, then takes a seat in a nearby chair. ]

[colorature]

Mm...it was furious. It made me angry.

<sub>[A little too angry.

She sprawls out when she's set down, but finds herself frowning when he takes a seat nearby instead. Quietly she holds out her bandaged arms as if to beckon him to join her.]</sub>

[originallutece]

And who else knows?

[She doesn't have to know, but she likes to have as much information as possible when it comes to those she cares about.]

. . . this must have been difficult for your wife.

[Difficult, that's one word for it.]

[doomedtheworld]

[That might have been helpful but she doesn't plan to be in the air long enough for it to matter much anyway. She glances backwards, noting how he keeps up with her as she takes to the air. Not bad.

She flares her iron, Pulling up dozens of those scattered weapons and bits and pieces of armor along with her as she ascends. Reaching a decent height, she extinguishes the metal and lets momentum carry the objects past her as she begins to drop. She burns steel again, alongside duralumin and an explosion of power rips out of her, a barrage of metal tearing through the dragon and sticking it like a pincushion.

It doesn't put a stop to the attack though, it isn't enough for that, and Ysverai swings by overhead as she lands on a rooftop screaming its pain and anger just above her. The waves of pain and anguish slam over her and she almost wilts beneath it, clenching her jaw tightly.]

[song_of_ice]

Aye and he knows that is where you are vulnerable.

[He's exhausted by the idea of Ramsay and this entire saga. How much time was wasted arguing with Dany when he could have just been enjoying his life with her?]

He won't play his games when he's trapped with others in a close space.

[song_of_ice]

[She was likely right. He wanted to believe there was something else, some greater conspiracy, but it seemed unlikely. If they were lying, his world would still exist, even if it did face extincting by the Others. Here, he could have those he lost again, but only when the Natha allowed them to wake.

Better they were lying rather than heartlessly holding their loved ones.]

That leaves us two threats now. The dragon and the Storm.

[song_of_ice]

[He pulled three from his quiver, as much as he could spare. The dragon was mending quickly and every shot needed to be delivered quickly. He glanced at Eggsy to make certain he at least had a handle on this project before returning fire at the dragon.]

Three should be enough to damage him beyond repair.

[He was speaking with more confidence than he had, but given how he was already burning from the side with each trail of fire, all he needed was three shots.]

[nineteenfortyfive]

No. I don't suspect he'll do anything involving a knife, but I don't want him near Theon. He was so overwhelmed he was calling him Reek.

[Claire doesn't know the whole significance of then name, but the deep frown on her face says she knows enough.]

But I've handled it.

[reek]

[ In an instant, Theon’s face goes white with fear. Being a bastard isn’t so bad for some; Jon has risen quite high in the world despite his standing as a bastard, but Ramsay is different. ]

You must never call him that.

[ Bolton, never Snow, his thoughts invade in an almost automatic reminder. He hardly needs it any longer. He knows what comes of those who call Ramsay what he is, but fear and anxiety still fuel so much of his very existence. ]

If he hears you, he’ll hurt you.

[ Those mangled hands begin to twist anxiously into his hair, his eyes darting around as though he truly expects Ramsay to appear out of nowhere. Theon tries to listen, struggles to focus, but what Jamie says next simply fades in and out of the static. He thinks he catches most of it anyway. ]

I’m—not. You don’t understand.

[ He’s not Theon, not always. Sometimes, he’s somebody else, somebody he doesn’t even recognize. Some days he would rather die than become that other person, and other days he looks to that other person for comfort. ]

[almaredemptoris]

[He shall continue to tread lightly as he navigates what topics push the young man backward into the tough shell that had calcified around him. He remembers what it is to hate the world for its injustices, to hold only rage and resentment in the hollow of your heart - first rage, the flame that scorches away your softer parts, then resentment, the ashes and glowering embers that remain afterward. It is little wonder that, having been condemned to a cage as a child, Kagari is wary of others, reluctant to accept kindness in the way a beaten dog cowers even from the hand that offers food.] Perhaps so... In any case, I am fortunate that it did not break. [Then, he lightly adds:] I come here to see my daughter. [He tilts his gaze toward the pod before which he had knelt. On the other side of the glass rests a little slip of a girl, fourteen years of age, blonde of hair and angelic of face. If Kagari is unwilling to speak of his loved ones, then Jean Valjean will speak of his own instead, and perhaps the wariness the young man holds deep in his muscles will loosen.]

[song_of_ice]

Did you speak to Theon about living with you and Sansa?

[It had been something he had brought up to Claire, but hadn't heard what came of it.]

He didn't accept?

[nineteenfortyfive]

I did. He didn't want to, but he was around more often. I'm with him almost more often than I'm not, these days.

[Sansa had hoped for it as well, but even that didn't sway Theon. One day, perhaps he'll change his mind.]

I was only just getting him to agree to letting me take out those shards of teeth in his mouth. I can't ever force him into living with us.

[sheriffing]

[ a difference of worlds, maybe a difference of perspective. it still shatters her a little, every time she checks in on Henry in stasis and finds his father beside him. she lost Neal when he sacrificed himself to save them from Zelena, but he loved them, and he gave his life protecting them. that's love, and she still carries it with her, even if he never wakes up.]

All worlds play by different rules. [ she pauses, debating whether or not to share the memory as it strikes. might as well keep the crazy train going, right?]

I met a guy once, a portal jumper. Where I'm from, that's a real thing. Anyway, the way he described other worlds, they were infinite; all lined up one land after another. Sometimes that makes me wonder about this place, you know? Infinite possibilities, and this is the only option left?

[reek]

[ Because Jon is moping, he considers japing. Because Sansa is well enough to handle things on her own. Because your own child is still in stasis and I’m all you have left at the moment.

He doesn’t feel like saying any of it, really. He simply shakes his head. He knows, truly he does. He isn’t a fool, and he isn’t as forgetful as Ramsay’s manipulation would leave one to believe. He’s just felt so dreadfully alone for so long. Sometimes, he fears that any little thing may destroy what he has now. ]

[sheriffing]

Three threats. When all of this ends, the people of El Nysa are going to know we don't belong here.

[ she imagines that some of them will be accepting. but as for the rest? it depends on the outcome with the dragon. a victory would keep the conflict down, but if more lives are lost, this could be disastrous.]

[nineteenfortyfive]

[Claire hopes he knows. She doubts he heard the words from the family he's shown her as much as he has from her. Maybe that makes it feel insincere to him, but if he hadn't been able to tell by her actions, she has to say it.]

Because I love you, you foolish boy. [She's sure some might think she's the foolish one.] For all the effort I've put in trying to get you healthy, get some meat on your bones, Ramsay doesn't get a say in anything that happens to you.

[If only it were that simple. Her smile falters, just briefly, and she glances at the sleeping face in the pod.]

Neither do they.

[romancekiller]

[clarke knows what he means almost immediately and she just nods not going into the details herself either] Yeah, I was down there too before they brought us back up.

[she just gives a small smile] It's nice to meet you Akira.

[earthy]

[Terra's already looking chagrined.]

It's not just... now. It's been this way since I first arrived in El Nysa. This world's so full of anger and hate and fear.

[And he knows a thing or two about those emotions.]

There's so much suffering. So much loss.

[reek]

[ He does, he thinks bitterly, but he doesn’t say. Even if Ramsay weren’t here, his presence will always remain. He’s a part of Theon. An unfortunate part that never should have come into being, but he’s worked his way into Theon’s head all the same. Someday, maybe he’ll overcome, but some part of him will always be Reek. ]

I know.

[ He doesn’t smile, and it’s clear that his response is only to part of her statement. ]

Your effort is more than I deserve.

[ He looks down, away from his family and their sharp faces. Victarion is in a pod beside Aeron, but Theon doesn’t feel like explaining a third uncle to Claire. Two are enough, and he doesn’t care to run into his father here. He doesn’t want to visit Robb with Claire here, just in case he should break beneath the weight of his guilt, but there’s still Jeyne. ]

One more person, please?

[diplomatie]

[ Duo knows him a little too well now. But it's true — Alphinaud is the sort to throw himself at saving people and helping those he can. It's what he's been doing this whole time.

So he gives a nod in response to that question, smiling back, a determination behind his own smile. ]

Aye.

[ Quickly moving to summon his obsidian carbuncle back to his side, so as to ready himself for being placed back down on the ground. It had been desummoned a while back due to taking too much damage, but he's got the strength to resummon it again. ]

Take me back down.

[ HE'S GOT DIS. ]

[nineteenfortyfive]

[As long as he knows something. Claire knows not to push it. Theon has a limit, he always has, but these days it's such a fragile thing because he himself is fragile, now. Slowly his health returns, but everything is an uphill battle with him and the constant chaos they're tossed into isn't a help. It's not a fight Claire plans on surrendering any time soon, though. Maybe her effort is more than he deserves. He did kill children. But maybe one day he'll be someone deserving.]

Of course, Theon. Who?

[The please is surely a habit, but that he wants to show her another person means something. She expects another relative, or perhaps someone from Winterfell that left an impact. But if it's not Robb, she can't figure out who, and she's visited Robb Stark enough on her own.]

[diplomatie]

[ Okay, he can't help but smile at that, stifling a laugh. He looks down at her to notice her fixed gaze pointing straight ahead, totally smart enough to realize how she must be feeling. But he'll play along. ]

You are quite strong then, Krile. It is not uncommon for many to blush in embarrassment over it, but true to your word, you show nary a hint of the feeling.

[ Totally not sarcasm. ]