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Entry tags:
- *event,
- avatar: mai,
- blood bank: reign fear,
- blood bank: shell overlord,
- blood+: diva,
- blood+: solomon goldsmith,
- bungou stray dogs: atsushi nakajima,
- bungou stray dogs: chuuya nakahara,
- dragon age: anders,
- ffxiv: alisaie leveilleur,
- ffxiv: krile baldesion,
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- guilty gear: venom,
- gundam: setsuna f. seiei,
- jjba: rohan kishibe,
- killjoys: dutch,
- kingdom hearts: sora,
- kingdom hearts: terra,
- kingsman: roxy morton,
- les miserables: enjolras,
- little witch academia: atsuko kagari (ak,
- love live: you watanabe,
- loz: urbosa,
- mcu: gamora,
- mcu: peggy carter,
- mistborn: vin,
- ouat: emma swan,
- outlander: claire fraser,
- overwatch: jack morrison (soldier 76),
- overwatch: reinhardt wilhelm,
- pandora hearts: elliot nightray,
- penumbra podcast: peter nureyev,
- rivers of london: thomas nightingale,
- rune factory: dylas,
- rwby: lie ren,
- saiyuki: genjo sanzo,
- star trek: james t. kirk,
- stargate: john sheppard,
- teahouse: linneus,
- tenchi muyo!: ryoko hakubi,
- torchwood: ianto jones,
- voltron: allura,
- yuri!!! on ice: jean-jacques leroy
❪ 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. 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. 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.
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.
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no subject
"Yeah." It's an easy answer; he'd had some time to predict what Axel might've been getting at there. "I used to be. Some...things happened."
Something about Shiro disappearing, shoes being too big to fill, a gaping hole in his past serving as an itch. His skillset having far more use elsewhere...
"She's a paladin too, but she wasn't always."
The latter's added only to make her not seem like a liar, in case she hadn't gone through her full history with him back then. Not to mention it serves as a (paltry) distraction from his own shortcomings.
no subject
"I'm not actually even sure how 'paladin' is quantified in this context," he admits, poking at the the cold eggs and crinkling his nose. He takes another bite of bacon instead. "I mean I know what classically constitutes a paladin, but I get the feeling this scenario doesn't involve oldschool armor and broadswords." He chuckles a little. "I figured it was mostly just your team name."
no subject
"I did have a sword."
Has one, technically. Two maybe! Though the second isn't so classically shaped.
"You had paladins where you're from too?"
Is all that he's gathered from that explanation; he's also thinking of more broader terms, not D&D and similar nerd shit. Maybe Axel's from an older era; his clothes may not represent as much, but not everyone's still bearing uniforms from their homeworld....
no subject
He shrugs a little.
"I mean, maybe at one point way back in history," he says, poking at his eggs again. "Not too many knights in shining armor around anymore, except in like... games and stuff." Axel is totally a rogue with high charisma and off the charts wisdom, but boy does he suck at saving throws. "But the concept of a paladin exists where I come from, sure."
no subject
"Good to know." Because it is. He quiets from there, correlating knights in shining armor to their Defending The Universe endeavor; a bit much, but...applicable, in a weird way? They do wear armor, for example.
Anyway...
"What were you dual-wielding for?"
omg i just realized i got autocorrected to duel instead of dual wow thanks phone
"What for?" he echoes, and then shrugs one shoulder. "Work, mostly. I guess you could say I was a... reconnaissance agent, of sorts." It isn't a lie. "That didn't always require combat, but when it did, it was nice to have something in both hands, in my opinion."
I DIDN'T EVEN NOTICE
"So....you were a spy?"
That's what reconnaissance means, isn't it? It takes him a moment's contemplation to draw the comparison. He'd have thought a spy to be more...detached, overall. Not as warm as Axel's been thus far. Something about old habits.
He wouldn't prefer that, but still. Assumptions.
"Who were you working for?"
He supposes prying means very little overall. New planet, new lives, so on and so forth.
sorry for the wait!
"Mm, something like that," he says, figuring there's really no harm in admitting it anymore. Even if Xemnas or Xehanort or any of the other Organization members were to show up here, he wouldn't be obligated to follow orders anymore, especially not now that he knows the truth about their goals. Plus, he's pretty sure Sora and Riku would back him up in kicking some Nort ass, anyway.
Axel was a good spy, all things considered, but he never really liked playing that part. The cold, manipulative sociopath who betrayed all his colleagues in Castle Oblivion wasn't at all the person he really is, or wants to be, for that matter; he'd much rather make friends and take naps and eat ice cream than stab anyone in the back. At least, anyone who didn't deserve it. He's perfected the art of being friendly without saying much, though. For all his easygoing, chatty demeanor, Axel doesn't really talk about himself a lot, and when he does, he rarely gives details. It's nothing personal, really, it's just... well, something about old habits.
Keith is right in his thoughts, though: there's not much sense in keeping old secrets in a new life. He's not about to own up to all the atrocities he assisted the Organization in carrying out, but it isn't like they're here to defend themselves, anyway.
"I worked for an organization," he says, resting his elbows on the table. "They were creatively called 'The Organization', or 'Organization 13', since there were 13 of us." Well, 14, ultimately, but... that gets complicated. He'll leave that part out. "Wasn't really my idea," he says; "I just sort of fell into the job when I was about 15. Didn't really know what I was getting into, and before I really understood what was happening, it was one of those, ah... well, let's just say they made me an offer I couldn't refuse."
Do the dirty work, or get turned into a Dusk. Or worse. But explaining the complexities of being a Nobody and losing one's heart--but not the physical heart--is... complicated. Boy, a lot about his life is complicated. No wonder he just wants to nap all the damn time.
dooon't apologize!
Judgement isn't found on Keith's end. Having to make ends meat -- that's life. Even here, he's taken on some questionable tasks, but even (nearly) a year end, that stuff's all rather objective. The higher ups are all incredibly shady and Keith's yet to find anything worth fighting for aside from his own survival and the livelihood of his friends. In any case, the explanation garners a slow nod.
Again, Axel doesn't exactly seem like a bad guy, even in his constantly suspicious state of mind.
"And then you were stuck?"
It all does sound very...mafia-esque, if not gang-related.
no subject
Axel really isn't a bad guy, though; Keith's instincts are correct. He's not exactly a Fine Upstanding Citizen, all things considered, but he was never very good at being bad. He did what he'd had to do to stay alive, but while he can't say he's sorry he took Vexen out, he's not really proud of a lot of the actions he took while under the Organization's thumb.
"Yeah, 'stuck' is a good word for it," he says with a shrug. He can't really explain that he could have been literally turned into a lower life-form if the higher ups had deemed it so (or so they had threatened. Whether or not Xemnas had really had the power to turn anyone into a Dusk was never confirmed nor denied, but he hadn't been willing to take the chance). "I mean, it wasn't all bad, in the end," he admits, though he's not sure why he feels the need to defend anything about the Organization. "There were a few people I worked with who were pretty okay. I learned some cool skills." He shakes his head. "Don't think I'd go back of my own volition, though, that's for sure."
no subject
"So this whole thing hasn't been so bad for you."
Nysa, as it were, not to dismiss any misgivings he may have; it's still a crappy place in his brain, made worse by questionable leaders and strange promises. Being abruptly drawn out of a mafia-esque situation, that's gotta be helpful though.
"...But you were saying you had paladins working with you?"
That's, not what he said at all, but his brain can only assemble so much in one sitting.
no subject
He's been exhausted for more than ten years, okay, this is a vacation.
He gives a short, sharp laugh at Keith's supposition, though.
"Working with me? Hell no," he says, waving a hand. "The folks I worked with were about as far from that definition as possible; bunch'a crazy murderous nutjobs, honestly." He shakes his head and rubs his brow. "I think most people have a 'fell in with a bad crowd' phase at some point in their life, but... I feel like mine went way too far, and for way too long."
no subject
It's the whole thing about being a hostage, essentially, that bothers him most.
In any case, he's glad to hear the paladins of Axel's realm haven't gone rogue; there's a nod of agreement in response to that lattermost statement. This is all very new information and while he can't say he's got a good grasp on all that's been revealed, it sure sounds like the red head's spent some time running with the worst of the worst.
"It might be weird to say, but I'm glad you made it here."
Or whatever. Again, Axel, by all means, seems like a cool guy. It's possible he's being duped, but the rot dragon's put him in a mood where something like that's a near-nonfactor. Whatever happens, happens. He's not worried about Axel shanking him in celebration of their friendship.
Somebody's in a(n overall) better mood.....
no subject
"Nah, that ain't too weird. I appreciate the sentiment," he says, shaking his head. "Honestly, that's one of the nicest things anybody's said to me in a while. And, for what it's worth, it's mutual." He gives him a wry grin. "I ain't gonna pry, I can tell you're the type who keeps his cards close to the vest. But if you're ever so inclined to tip any of 'em, I'm a good listener."
He's still kind of awkward with kindness. And honesty. And... basically most things that don't involve being sneaky and defensive and covering his own ass. But he's learning. He's remembering how to be more open with people, how to give benefit of doubt instead of just closing himself off from everyone. Keith has a similar vibe about him: he strikes Axel as the sort who had either been terribly hurt by someone he had trusted, or someone who had never really learned to properly trust in the first place, so... if he can help with that, he'd like to. Trust is a delicate thing, and ironically it's something you have to learn with others, so maybe it can be a training exercise for the both of them.
no subject
"Thanks." He thinks to deny having many secrets -- he doesn't, not really. His working with the Blade has been a main topic among his peers, Voltron itself isn't a secret -- he hadn't really kept once since being booted from the Garrison. Conspiracy research, as it were. And even then, he just didn't have anyone to talk to about it. "I'll let you finish up here, if you wanna.."
Uhh, how does one make...future hangout plans... （´皿｀；）（´皿｀；）（´皿｀；）
"I'll send you a message later."
Perfect. He's moving to his feet with that, a fluid motion.