❪ 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

[meinwaifu]

[He soars through the air, but he won't have to worry about falling -- because someone is going to catch him!]

[But that someone isn't Mephisto. No, he's over where he dropped Atsushi still, perched in the air as if sitting on an invisible stool, watching the battle with interest. If not for the mask, surely he'd be making a rather ill-fitting expression despite just how serious the situation is right now.]

[Especially since the thing that caught Atsushi is arguably terrifying in its own right. Only the ghastly, bony arms are solid, with no form visible beneath the shadows that make up its slightly-translucent hood.]

Ah, you were close! Shall we try again?

[Just gonna casually not talk about the goddamn grim reaper holding Atsushi?? Yep.]

[personalwar]

[ Much as all of them had tried, there had been no way to avoid the mass panic. The Wyver people are proud, and so some of them are stubbornly staying to help with the fight, but many are also racing through the streets searching for a way out of the city, or at least to some sort of safe shelter. Now that Ysevrai is here, 76 doesn't know that anywhere is safe. They'll only get a reprieve if the dragon decides to move on toward Olympia, and all that means is that a different group of people will be in danger. ]

It destroys anything it gets to close to... If buildings start coming down, it's gonna be that much harder to get out. [ Which is why more than anything, 76 sees the priority to be killing Ysevrai as soon as possible.

For a few moments the immediate area around them is eerily quiet, but then the dragon lets out a distant roar. Just like the first one, the sound hits Jack square in the chest, forcing him to double over with the sudden onslaught of pain. Not just physical, either -- there's a deep anguish that spreads from his heart through the rest of his body. It reminds him too much of how he'd felt back in Zurich, with everything he'd built in ash around him. Before he knows it, he's gasping for breath. ]

[inaurare]

[the scars are fascinating, though they make him frown. He would never dare say as much to Chuuya, because he knows the young man can hold his own... but he's so small, it doesn't seem fair for him to have been hurt so. Some are even recent...]

I'll be careful, but let me know if anywhere hurts - don't try to be brave.

[because the whole point is finding out what hurts, after all. The Daughters showed him how to check the abdomen for injuries, so does as he was taught, pressing carefully with the pads of his fingers, his other hand helping to control the pressure, keeping it from being to sudden or too sharp as he makes his way around Chuuya's stomach - checking him for a reaction each time and ready to leave off at the first indication]

[baguablade]

[ Cain's holding on tight, his fingers in the unicorn's mane, but even so, an abrupt stop like that is still too much. He's thrown, landing awkwardly, rolling as he hits the ground. Luckily he's used to bad landings and he leans into the roll, manages to scramble breathlessly to his feet with only a few minor scrapes and bruises and the world spinning around him.

And a dragon not so far away. Cain blinks back the dizzy view in front of him. They need... somewhere to hide. That copse of trees, the shadow of a cliff. An overhang that might give them enough cover to hide from the dragon's view.

He struggles upright and waves to get the unicorn's attention as he starts stumbling towards the his new destination. ]

Here! We can't take that thing on by ourselves!

[ They don't have much time before Ysverai will be close enough that there's no chance they'll be able to hide. ]

[personalwar]

Reinhardt has a shield, but it's not so large that it could protect an entire city. 76 is picturing something on a much larger scale, and he wonders if it's possible for some magic-users to combine their powers to make that happen. As much as he hates that he has to incorporate magic into his potential strategies, there's no denying it at this point.

"You're a pilot?" That might come in handy, given that they're dealing with something that can fly.

76 appreciates that Sheppard is willing to do some of the legwork around here, as it saves him some of that effort. The more that the refugees can split the work of preparing for this fight between them, the better.

"I'll stick around for a little longer, see if any more radicals show up. After that I'll probably be heading back to Wyver." It's not home, but it's the closest he's got here, and he needs to check in with the Ryders anyway.

[guidetoblivion]

Yeah… it was like every roar was just a shout to share its sorrow.

[Riku guesses that this is exactly why one shouldn't try to revive beings long gone. It's unlikely to ever end well.

He just nods then, understanding… he'd thought he'd be able to escape of his own power too, back when he had been captured… but again and again, El Nysa proves…]

This world is different than the others we visited… Having the Keyblade… it means nothing here.

[It doesn't make them heroes. It doesn't even make them particularly dangerous... or at least not much more than anyone else.]

[guidetoblivion]

[A nod, because this he can agree with – for all that it's preferable that the First Refugee helps them without the need to threatening him, the preventing the end of this world is more important than being polite to one single person.]

Well, that's assuming that they're reasonable… and that certainly can't be said about everyone on this planet. There was nothing reasonable about raising Yversai in first place.

[Because really, what kind of goal had the radicals had… aside of spreading chaos and death, that is. His hands clench a little at the thought.]

[thetaintedsorrow]

[You had a sweet moment with Chuuya, Meph. Deal with it.

Chuuya is about to agree to those terms when an unholy cry pierces the air, and Chuuya clutches the sides of his head with a whimper. Without words the dragon is vocalizing every ounce of pain and anguish it’s experiencing

Ysverai is dying, and he’s taking the world with him.

Chuuya forces himself to his feet to stand beside Mephisto, and what he sees in the skies above Nysa chills him to the bone.]

This is it. This is the end of the world.

[Those will be Chuuya’s last words before time suddenly stands still, and Chuuya’s heart literally stops beating in his chest. He can’t move, he can’t breathe, and he’s aware of none of it. It’s not until the both of them are transported to Thesa Station in a flash of light that they’re unfrozen and informed of the situation by Darma.

Well. That’s a thing that just happened.]

What...the hell? They just stopped time??

[earthy]

[Terra doesn't answer, just musters up a thin smile and lifts his hand off that spiky head of hair. Slowly, he steps around and takes a seat beside Sora.]

Kairi, right?

[He asks quietly, looking up at the Princess of Heart in question.]

[thetaintedsorrow]

[Chuuya can’t argue with being healed, even if doing so is putting them both in grave danger. He has to be able to fight, because like fucking hell he’s going down without having given his all. If he could use Corruption right now he’d gladly do so, but it’s not an option, so he’ll rely on his own strength as well as Atsushi’s and the other refugees to drive Ysverai back.

Chuuya can feel the comforting warmth of being healed wash over him, and for once he lies back and let’s it happen without a fuss.]

We gotta keep going till the end, you know that, right?

[There’s no turning back now.

Except Ysverai has other plans, apparently, because the dragon takes flight once more, and it’s obvious that the beast is dying. It ascends higher and higher before letting out one last earth-shattering cry that has Chuuya’s breath hitching as his head feels like it might split open at any second.

It’s then, when sinister black tendrils appear in the sky, that time freezes completely, and Chuuya’s heart literally stops beating in his chest. Everyone and everything on Nysa simply freezes, and in a flash of light the two of them are transported to Thesa Station and informed of the situation by Darma.

Chuuya blinks, his body now able to move once more, and he struggles to get to his feet and stare at the world now frozen in time.]

Holy shit...

[thetaintedsorrow]

[Ah. Now he sees why she’s so upset about it.]

If that’s all he wanted you for then fuck him. You’re not just a machine to pop out babies for him.

[He knows that isn’t comforting, but lying to her would do her no good.]

[willrevile]

Oh. [ ALMOST embarrassed, yeah he'd done that, hadn't he; the memory of his actions was a little swimmy in his exhaustion, but it comes back with clarity. Man, he was messed up out there. ] This. [ Jim raises his hand and does the thing. ] It's a Vulcan salute.

[ About her magic-y magic, ] I think it turned out pretty great, whatever it is.

[romancekiller]

[clarke just nods at that] Yeah, a little bit of milk would be great.

[colorature]

_{[Part of her knows he's right, but it's more complicated than that.]}

But he's my Chevalier. _{[It's hard to explain.]} He's the only one that'll be with me forever.

[chickenhearted]

[ Mostly Waver doesn't want to see someone he kind of cares about die. He's tired of that. He sighs deeply and shakes his head, not believing there's a single drop of life left in that beat up armor. Nothing that would save Reinhardt out on the field, in any case. ]

Maybe you don't let it hold you back until it starts to hold everyone else back. We'd have to expend resources to bring you back if you went out there and got injured just because you're being stubborn!

[chickenhearted]

It has.

[ He nods, and is also secretly glad the One Night wasn't the last time. He doesn't have to feel embarrassed that way. ]

I don't really mind sitting here, but I suppose I haven't eaten either.

[ He hasn't done much of anything. ]

[fisherwife]

[She came out here to have a good time and she's honestly feeling so attacked right now??]

What? Sidon! I take care of myself well enough. [Which is not the same thing at all but shush]

The showerheads may be detachable, then we just have to hose you down.

[chickenhearted]

Well, yes, but--

[ How did this turn into a pep session exactly? Waver looks embarrassed and troubled. ]

I'm not going to accomplish anything if I don't survive this. And you won't be able to see it if you don't either.

[willrevile]

Yeah. [ Jim backs up, but he doesn't actually start moving in earnest until 76 is within a meter or so of him, not wanting to bolt and then look over his shoulder to see the other man in trouble.

Having slightly better luck will be the mobile suits, massive robot figures slamming into Ysverai and unloading close attacks as well as whatever on-board firepower they have.

(Until they begin to rust and decay enough to trap the pilots inside.) ]

Maybe we can lead it out further than this, [ he says over all the noise. ] See if it survives the fog.

[ Ysverai roars, and Jim feels it in his head, his body, his very spirit, like being bisected. He half-staggers. Ugh. ]

[reek]

[ He doesn’t like this. Questions clearly make him nervous. Ramsay asked so many of them early on, and he had answered incorrectly. ]

You want me here.

[ Of course he knows she thinks of him as one of her own, but he’s almost afraid to repeat it out loud, like it will make it untrue somehow. ]

[almaredemptoris]

[As soon as he is freed, Jean Valjean rises from the cracked ground to crouch amid the rubble. He first checks his head, which throbs still with pain, and of which he has a a dim remembrance of being struck. The blood that had bloomed there has now begun to congeal, sticky to the touch and choked with dust; his fingers return stained with smudges of dark red. When he makes to stand, his leg falters for the effort of supporting his weight, and he must reach out to Cam for support. Although he rises slowly, he experiences a rush to the head and a dark curling of his vision at the peripherals. He certainly does not feel healed, but of this he says nothing.] Perhaps...

[nineteenfortyfive]

[She doesn't want him to be afraid of saying it. Maybe not to Ramsay, of course, but not to her. Nor does she want him nervous. There's never anything he needs to fear with her, and maybe that's what she hopes for most for him on this long, unpleasant road to... somewhere. Somewhere better.

Claire smiles sadly and gives his arm an encouraging rub.]

I do, yes. That's not wrong. Why do I want you here?

[meinwaifu]

I didn't expect a human to understand.

[It's hard to say which he's referring to -- the sadness still thick in his voice. But he pauses with a short breath, his mind scrambling to catch up with his thoughts and pull him back together.]

But... that's how it should be. Humans would be very different creatures if they too were forced to carry the weight of an immortal life.

It's better this way.

[His arms grow steadier, and he moves them up to Chuuya's shoulders, gently pushing him back. But before Chuuya can get a look at Mephisto's face again, he pulls one hand back entirely and covers it, bowing his head to allow his hair to hide the rest.]

...can you hand me mask?

[willrevile]

Mmhm.

[ He's okay. He's injured and he's gross (breath isn't the only thing that smells; Jim's worst injuries and bleeding were cleaned off by Dr Fraser, but still, yikes) but he's okay. ]

Should probably shower, [ he mutters. Nonspeaking of grossness. Sweat and blood and all manner of grime. ] Before I head back to medical. They'll have figured out the tech by now.

[ And he's pretty mangled. ]

You need to hit it up?

[judicia]

Hawke called it a sexy tortured look.

( Anders smiles shyly at her. He appreciates the fact that she's trying to make him feel better, even if the compliment may not be totally sincere. It's the thought that counts, and Anders can't get mad at her for that.

As for the robot peeling off her skin, he just shrugs. )

Maybe it was no good to her anymore, I don't know. I do have to admit, thought, it was a lot better sight than having to watch your own arm rot away.

( These past three days have been filled with nothing but nightmare fuel. The only thing they were missing were a few broodmothers and darkspawn. )

Hopefully, they'll give us some more answers before we head back down planetside. It's not like we'll be able to get much done for them otherwise, if we don't know what we're looking for.