❪ 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

[fisherwife]

No, but--[She eyes him a moment, still looking a bit baffled.] You look... different, that's all. I almost didn't recognize you at first.

[Her eyes go up to the top of his head and the distinct lack of a hair curl.] You seem to be missing... [She trails off, pointing to the top of her own head to indicate where his curl would be]

1/2

[meinwaifu]

Fufu, don't I look a bit like a superhero like this?

[Despite everything, his spirits seem high as ever -- or maybe he's just forcing it for Mipha's sake, to take the edge off how dire this is. Either way, his hand ends up following hers, running over the top of his head and--]

[...]

[meinwaifu]

[HAND OVER FACE (er, mask) AS HE TRIES NOT TO BE MAD ABOUT IT what a baby. Especially when he's just gonna snap his fingers, and the curl returns to normal with a poof of smoke.]

[????]

In any case, we should come up with a strategy. [Is he really going to pretend that didn't happen?? Sorry your boyfriend is a weirdo, Mipha.] I can slow the dragon down, but little of what I can do is effective in hastening its decay. And seeing as it appears to be immortal, that's likely our best bet in stopping it for good.

[fisherwife]

Ah. [VAIN AS EVER, APPARENTLY. GOOD TO KNOW SOME THINGS JUST NEVER CHANGE. Mipha reaches out to lay a hand on his arm, expression exasperated and fond in equal measure.

But then she takes a breath, serious once more. There IS a giant fuck-off dragon to deal with after all, and her grip tightens on hr trident.]

Nothing sees to be working for very long, but... My healing seems to hurt things affected by its smog, so it's possible it'll have this opposite effect on him too. If you could teleport me closer to him or even on him... [Mipha trails off, thinking about this]

[meinwaifu]

Absolutely not.

[He says it quickly, the moment she suggests landing on him. Turning towards the dragon, he watches as another group manages to knock it down, creating a pit of destruction wherever it touches.]

There's a heavy curse covering that thing's entire body. If you touch it for even a moment, your flesh will rot off your bones.

[And he turns back, just enough to see her out of the corner of his eye.] ...but I can get you close.

[fisherwife]

What? [She immediately looks disapproving at his initial refusal, even though she has to reluctantly admit he's got a point. Actually landing on the thing would be the worst in the long-run, but maybe if she stuck her trident in and could balance on it...

'But I can get you close,' he says, and she jerks her head around to look at him sharply. Right, he could more or less fly around or hover as needed, right?]

...How long could you keep me up there?

[meinwaifu]

Indefinitely, provided you don't do anything foolish.

[Rude???]

[Gonna just snap his fingers and bring out his little umbrella familiar. But curiously, it appears to be a different umbrella this time -- its pink body now covered in large white polka-dots. It flutters its wings and floats through the air towards Mipha -- and as it does, she'll suddenly feel herself becoming weightless, floating a few inches off the ground.]

If the danger proves to be a bigger risk than any possible advantage your healing could provide, I'll transport you away using the same trick as earlier. There's no need to risk your life if it would be in vain.

[He's really not mincing words here -- he might as well just come out and say that if her powers prove useless, she might as well not try. But for as calm as he looks, he is under a considerable amount of stress. And the fact that he's really not holding back in his words is probably the biggest sign she's going to get right now.]

[fisherwife]

Foolish? Me? [She looks up at him with a surprised expression that's almost 100% genuine.] I would never.

[...Just what she deems' necessary' or something might seem 'foolish' to others. Floating is, possibly unsurprisingly, not very hard for her to get the hang of-- She's had practice floating/flying before after all. You know why. As with anything else she's graceful about it, hand gripping her trident and her gaze focused on the dragon.]

Will you be able to make that judgement call, Mephisto? [She doesn't really doubt him, but she's also not sure if his judgement will be clouded by his feelings for her either. She turns and reaches out to touch the side of his mask-- She'd kiss him if he wasn't wearing it, but since he is she just smiles warmly to show she doesn't quite mean it.]

Things will work out in the end. I know it will. [She has to believe that much]

[meinwaifu]

--don't be cute with me, I'm serious!

[HUFFS]

[But okay, he's not really being serious with that threat. But he'll absolutely be making a judgement call based on his feelings for her. The fact that he loves her so much is the very reason he doesn't want to allow her to risk her life in the first place-- but as long as he's by her side, he knows he can keep her safe.]

[Or at least, he has to believe that he can.]

I don't intend to leave this battlefield without you. [He reaches up to rest a gloved hand on top of hers.] So long as you are here, protecting you will be my priority.

I can slow the dragon down while you get into position. But please-- be careful.

[For him to be emphasizing it this much might be giving away how worried he is. Unlike her, he has very little faith in being able to take out the dragon.]

[Which is probably worrying in its own way.]

[But the bat will start to fly higher now, and as it does, Mipha will feel a tugging sensation as she's encouraged to follow it higher. For now, Mephisto stays put -- but as Mipha rises higher into the air, he waves his hand in the dragons direction. When he does, thousands or deep cuts tear open across it's back and wings, shredding them in an instant. With a pained cry, the dragon plummets from the sky. But he can only damage it for so long -- the rotten, oozing flesh quickly stitching itself back together before it can even completely touch the ground.]

[fisherwife]

[Mipha smiles softly at Mephisto, her heart feeling full with adoration and love for the demon. It's worrying that Mephisto doesn't seem to have any faith in his own abilities here against this thing, but touching that he's worrying about her. That's cute.

The dragon? Not so much. Mipha steels her jaw in determination. She doesn't have to touch the dragon, but she still has to get close, testing the limits of her range. It involves a lot more ducking around than she'd like, but the healing does seem to be having an adverse effect, at least, slowing his own healing down.

She winces when the dragon thrashes, moving quickly to avoid getting smacked with a wing or hit with blood. It's long and rather tedious work, but Mipha doesn't seem about to quit any time soon, expression set in stubborn determination. Honestly it's a good thing that it's up to Mephisto, because it's clear Mipha would probably sacrifice herself for the greater good here]

[meinwaifu]

[It's definitely a good thing he's here, because he can tell she would keep fighting to the very end otherwise. As her healing slows the healing of the dragon, Mephisto stays in sight of the beast, hoping to draw its fire while its body is weakened. He slices as it with his own powers, teleporting in and out of reach as if taunting it -- anything to keep it from turning on Mipha instead.]

[He might be enjoying himself a little too much, actually -- laughing as he practically tortures the poor thing.]

[And eventually, he gets what he was aiming for, as the dragon gathers up a mouthful of air and breathes out a breath of fire in Mephisto's direction. The flames burn the creature from the inside out, smoke visibly rising from its body as it cries out in pain. Now is the time her healing powers will be most effective--]

[Mephisto only just barely manages to teleport out of range himself, but as the creature thrashes about in agony, it gets dangerously close to knocking Mipha with its long, bony tail -- and if she's not careful, the toxic smog that follows after it breaths fire may just knock her out.]

[fisherwife]

[Her face is set in a grim expression of determination, keeping up her healing at every opportunity. Her fighting is too short-ranged to be of much help without putting herself in more danger here, so she leaves that up to Mephisto.

And while luckily the smog doesn't get her, the whip of its tail does, sending her spinning away with a yelp of pain. The blood that flecks off of his tail gets her too, leaving her gasping in pain and fighting back a wave of nausea mixed with something like despair. The sadness it what gets to her the most, leaving her feeling like she wants to break down sobbing any second. It's a struggle to remember just to breathe and she quickly looks around for the reassurance that Mephisto is around somewhere still.]

[meinwaifu]

[Mephisto sees Mipha spiraling through the air from the corner of his eyes-- but he can't go to her yet. The dragon is still targeting him, after all. But seeing as most of his attacks have amounted to only taunting it, he knows he's capable of doing much more than that--]

[And with a calculated swipe of his hand, the dragon's entire body erupts in hundreds of cuts and gashes, before falling limply to the ground.]

[But as final as it may seem, he knows even that will only buy him 20 seconds, at most. But Mipha's healing might afford him as much as a minute. Regardless, counting the time in his mind, he quickly teleports from his place on the ground to up in the sky -- appearing so that he might scoop Mipha up into his arms.]

Are you all right?

[Despite the genera atmosphere, he manages to ask her calmly and sweetly -- knowing the effect the dragon's blood has on others and hoping to quell it before the damned thing roars again.]

[fisherwife]

Oof! [She probably shouldn't be surprised, but she is, a little, by his sudden appearance. Her arms go around his neck immediately, but the mask prevents this from being comfortable or romantic or anything.]

Yes. [She gasps the answer out, but it's not quite the truth. She's fine, more or less, but emotionally she feels rung dry and more vulnerable than ever.] But what about you? Ah, the dragon-- [She squirms a little in his arms, clearly fully intending to throw herself back in and start the healing--"healing"--while the dragon's down]