natha: (Default)
ɴᴀᴛʜᴀ orbiters ❰ mod collective ❱ ([personal profile] natha) wrote in [community profile] nysalogs2018-06-17 01:35 am

❪ event ❫ hour of ruin

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.
poolhall_killer: ([Xrd] closed)

[personal profile] poolhall_killer 2018-07-10 11:56 pm (UTC)(link)
Understood.

[He thinks you're doing great, much better compared to him. He lets Dylas remove what's left of his shirt, revealing his toned form and a few more wounds. He knows many of them are going to leave their mark, but he's gone most of his life scar-free, so he figured it was inevitable.]
thetaintedsorrow: (I mean I guess)

[personal profile] thetaintedsorrow 2018-07-10 11:59 pm (UTC)(link)
I guess.

[Oh well. Tragic childhood aside, he’s fine, he supposes.]

Your arms feel better?
colorature: (16)

[personal profile] colorature 2018-07-11 12:10 am (UTC)(link)
Mm, they feel a bit better. Legs too.

[Soaking them in the warm water definitely helped, even if it had stung at first. The thin layer of skin that covers the wounds is becoming more sturdy, that's for sure. She offers Chuuya a small smile, fangs peeking out over the edge of her lip.]
nevernoaction: (wait what?)

[personal profile] nevernoaction 2018-07-11 12:37 am (UTC)(link)
[He nods. That does seem to be a constant no matter where you went. Another thought occurs to him, though.]

So if you control you Gundam, then you can travel through space?
thetaintedsorrow: (Eh?)

[personal profile] thetaintedsorrow 2018-07-11 01:00 am (UTC)(link)
That’s good.

[Chuuya glances at the fangs.]

Do you ever bite your lip with those?
colorature: (32)

[personal profile] colorature 2018-07-11 01:07 am (UTC)(link)
Oh, sometimes. I heal so fast though that I barely ever notice.

[She raises the tip of her index finger to a tooth, dragging it quickly along the surface. Immediately blood seeps forth, but as soon as she dips it in the water to wash it away and show him her finger, whatever cut had formed had disappeared.]

See?
punshots: (✘ dynamic.)

[personal profile] punshots 2018-07-11 01:09 am (UTC)(link)
[ Ah, so it turns out there's one more twist to this story, and while Prompto had been ready to coo over the two of them finally getting together, he can't even imagine what it might be like to wake up to someone suddenly ready to marry you.

I mean, he'd have been cool with it, probably, but that's not the point!

His eyebrows fly up. ]


No way! [ This is some hot goss right here. ] What did you do? A-are you guys still figuring things out?
punshots: (✘ charmes.)

[personal profile] punshots 2018-07-11 01:10 am (UTC)(link)
[ Just...bread...

Tilting his head as he looks at Keith (and it's definitely kind of a judgy look, sorry man), Prompto taps his knife against a bottle of mayonnaise. ]


Carb-loading, huh? Suuure you don't want, like, a slice of cheese at least? A...bread and cheese sandwich?

[ A little worried for your tastes there, buddy. ]
thetaintedsorrow: (I told you so)

[personal profile] thetaintedsorrow 2018-07-11 01:15 am (UTC)(link)
Heh. That’s pretty neat.

[What would happen if someone cut her in half...

A morbid thought.
]

I’m curious. Do you like humans better than vampires? For some reason I’ve met several immortals that are fascinated with humans, but aren’t we boring?
punshots: (✘ transparent.)

[personal profile] punshots 2018-07-11 01:15 am (UTC)(link)
[ Prompto's smile softens at the question. No matter how awful things have been lately, there's still no quicker way to put him in a better mood than asking about his love life. ]

It's...heh. Awesome, dude. I mean, we've been together for awhile now, so you might not think that much changed just by tying the knot, but...it's the best.

[ Always having someone at his side, even when things go South...he couldn't live without her now. Had Alisaie not been at his side here, he's not sure what might have become of him. ]
punshots: (✘ multitone.)

[personal profile] punshots 2018-07-11 01:18 am (UTC)(link)
[ Stew sounds like just the ticket, so long as they can actually identify what's in it. Most of the food Roman makes is pretty good, but there's been the occasional questionable dish or two. At this point, though, he won't be too scrutinizing.

He approaches the countertops filled with food and finds among them a warm pot of stew. It looks mostly safe, and so Prompto ladles some into a bowl before handing it over to Krile. ]


What d'you think? Up to snuff?

[ I mean, it's no Ignis quality, but still... ]
punshots: (✘ dawn.)

[personal profile] punshots 2018-07-11 01:20 am (UTC)(link)
[ After...his brow tenses as he thinks back to that strange, nebulous time in between. He knew there had been something, but the substance of it was...unfamiliar. Something he can't name. He was there, and yet he wasn't. It's like he had taken on a different form, one made of pain and suffering that he couldn't end, but it wasn't just his own. He wasn't alone, wherever that place was.

His eyes shoot up to meet X'rhun's. ]


I...just thought it was a dream I had in stasis. But whatever happened in between, it was...painful. I-I don't even know how to describe it.

[ It's unlike anything he's ever experienced before. ]
punshots: (✘ time.)

[personal profile] punshots 2018-07-11 01:21 am (UTC)(link)
[ Too late, he's making a thing of it!! But Prompto also needs his focus to get off the shot. He doesn't envy Rocket's position - holding onto that harpoon gun would not be easy, even for someone, you know, not five feet tall - but that's all the more reason that he needs to do his part well. He takes aim at the dragon's flank and one he has a good shot lined up, he starts to fire the bolts off, one after another. ]

Take that, you hot zombie dragon garbage!!
Edited 2018-07-11 01:21 (UTC)
punshots: (✘ luminosity.)

[personal profile] punshots 2018-07-11 01:22 am (UTC)(link)
You should! [ Said through a mouthful, because he definitely just bit into his burger. Sorry about his manners, Claire. ] I bet you'd come up with something real special.
nineteenfortyfive: (EXPERIENCE)

[personal profile] nineteenfortyfive 2018-07-11 01:26 am (UTC)(link)
[He's allowed to get away from a lot since he's freshly back from the dead. A thing Claire is aware of, given her conversation with Krile, but she's not going to bring it up when she's gotten him to be what must be more like his normal self.]

I don't know. You hair is vaguely... chicken-like, but that's not a nice nickname.

[She smiles and rests her chin on her palm.]
colorature: (35)

[personal profile] colorature 2018-07-11 01:32 am (UTC)(link)
[Technically she'd piece herself together...and it'd be fine. Probably.]

I don't really know if you'll like my answer...

[Because it's not a nice one.]

Before waking up here I didn't think much of humans at all. I saw them as food and nothing more. Sure, there were a few that stood out over the years but it was no different than a human being fond of a pet. If anything, I hated humans because of what they did to me. I still do.

[Yikes.]

...But here it's a little different, I think. Sure, you're all still tasty...but I like a few of you enough that I wouldn't want you dead. Besides, there are boring vampires too and they were human once.

[Like Solomon.]
thetaintedsorrow: (Pathetic)

[personal profile] thetaintedsorrow 2018-07-11 02:01 am (UTC)(link)
It’s hard to explain, but it doesn’t matter anymore. I can’t use those powers now.

[He’s a little sad about it, sure, but he can’t do much to fix it.]

At least it means I won’t have to be put down if I go crazy. I couldn’t control it, so I was a risk to everyone when I used it unless Dazai was around.
uglybug: (Default)

sorry; i got sidetracked by life.

[personal profile] uglybug 2018-07-11 02:03 am (UTC)(link)
[She doesn't question his assertion; instead, she takes it to heart and takes comfort in knowing that she is not the only person who has felt something so deeply.]

Perhaps you will still get that opportunity. This may be just time to rest.
sheriffing: commission; please do not use (🌟 196)

[personal profile] sheriffing 2018-07-11 02:20 am (UTC)(link)
[ didn't see that one coming, Prompto? neither did she.]

Assuming that it's still standing, we have a house in Olympia. We share the house, the dog, the horse. We're still figuring things out, but we're trying to do it together.

[ it's not that she doesn't want to be with him, it's that it's hard to be with anyone here. what happens if he goes back to stasis?]

He's different now, you know? Toned down all of his darker pirate impulses and become the one out of the two of us who knows what he's doing.

[ she thinks about how to explain it, quiet for a moment while she runs a hand through her hair.]

I guess he's realized that, as freaked out as I am by all of this, I'm never scared enough to really push him away.
eaudevamp: (ɴᴏᴛ ᴍᴇ)

[personal profile] eaudevamp 2018-07-11 02:59 am (UTC)(link)
[ Yeah, the kidnappings. That had been awful. Reign merely gave a small nod. Such sufferings wasn't something to care about. The wounds may heal, but some others have yet to heal mentally or emotionally.

Either way, thank goodness for a topic change. ]


Well, I don't know any other dragons, and she certainly sounds like a handful already.
uglybug: (Default)

[personal profile] uglybug 2018-07-11 03:00 am (UTC)(link)
[She gasps when he flinches and almost breaks contact, ready to offer a flurry of broken apologies. She's overstepped, she didn't warn him, she should never have done such a thing...

... but he doesn't let go. He even finds a way to recenter himself and she almost begins sobbing in grateful relief for it. Her hand flexes over his.]


Thank you. [It's probably barely heard over the commotion around them.]
maipokerface: ([075])

[personal profile] maipokerface 2018-07-11 03:12 am (UTC)(link)
They're not thinking of anything. Besides spreading a little chaos anyhow.

[Her voice is distinctively bitter as she says that. Mai has been through watching someone unravel into insanity, though she saw the aftermath of it and now the unwinding itself. And looking at Raysc only reminded her of that, far too much for her liking.]
eaudevamp: (sᴜᴅᴅᴇɴ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴅ)

[personal profile] eaudevamp 2018-07-11 03:25 am (UTC)(link)
[ Reign glanced up upon hearing his name, eyes widening at the sight of a bloodied Yusei. He immediately stood and went over to Yusei, stopping just a small distance away. ]

Yusei! What... Are you hurt? Wait, let's get you to the medical area.

[ He had no idea those were dragon's blood, or if Ysverai's blood still had its lingering effects on those who had contact with it or were nearby. ]
thetaintedsorrow: (Red smile)

[personal profile] thetaintedsorrow 2018-07-11 03:25 am (UTC)(link)
Good choice.

[MORE WINE.]

Maybe I’ll even let you recommend me a book sometime.
personalwar: visor (pic#11621386)

[personal profile] personalwar 2018-07-11 03:39 am (UTC)(link)
Strategy is going to be the name of the game, there's no doubt about that, but 76 isn't going to make any plans until he actually sets sight on what they're dealing with. For the moment it's all hearsay and words written in dusty old books.

"You know, attacking it from the inside out isn't the worst idea."

He isn't actually telling Sheppard to do what he's jokingly suggested, but it's something to keep in mind for the coming fight, if nothing else.

"But I'll let you get going. You know how to get a hold of me, if something comes up."

And he'll do the same.