Lords of Creation: In Character #3 [Archive] - Giant in the Playground Forums

Rizban

2011-05-06, 01:34 PM

planswalker

2011-05-06, 01:38 PM

Tohm - the Halls

"Indeed, you are right. I use the parasite to other ends than merely eliminating it. My influence is not my goal. My goal is to cleanse the world of evil, darkness, and imperfection. The Parasite may not be actively out to kill all life, but it saps the very life force of the world to grow. Some worlds can survive that, some can't. Beyond that, though, it retaliates far beyond that which is done to it. If a god takes exception to havn its children killed, it would attack back with force tenfold of that used.Besides which, from what my dragons know of your word, is it not your creations that just attacked the parasite?"

Chept and Banchept - Water World

"Very well. I understand your reluctance to assault your hosts. However, let me demonstrate somehing:" She picks up the knife she thew to Erik and casually stabs it through her chest, twists, and removes it. The wound heals before it even has a chance to bleed ."We who lead the chept are far from vulnerable."

Chept chimes in with, "Yes, we are aware that you are at war with your siblings. A war started by your parents' generation because they oppressed and all but enslaved humanity. You were both made by the same goddess, and now you kill each other. I blame Aunt Ear more than I blame you for this atrocity, but killing your own siblings is not something that sits well with my people. There was once a time when we also killed each other, before the Se and Boa helped to bring peace wo Water World. I watched the children made with our own hands kill and eat each other, slaughtering other chpet for the fun of it. The war your people have with humanity is too remiscenmt of that."

Sozuchi - the Riverways

"Fool." Sozuchi was absolutely furious. However, over the eons he had learned to restrain his emotion, to not merely lash out against those who hurt him. It's far more effective to go about things in a controlled manner. No, there would be no Raging Death this time. Only Cold Revenge.

Dragon Spiteful

The Cold Revenge, the incarnation of the revenge within Sozuchi's heart, was over the Great Desert in an instant. A great, white, fleshly wurm, it floated through the air with no apparent means of locomotion. The white scales of this armored wurm seemed to be composed of ice. its limbless body was coiled in massive loops within loops.

The only color in the creature was its eyes. They were the palest blue, empty orbs. No pity, compassion, or mercy lived within that stare, only a cold, calculating need to take revenge against those who hurt him.

It looked upon the Great Desert, and learned the name of the god who ruled there.

Akhat.

The Sandy Fool.

He had allowed one of his children to tap into his power, and nearly destroyed all life. If Ear's Super Squad hadn't prevented it, all would have ended. As it is, water everywhere was depleted. Sozuchi's portals in each continent to the Riverways quickly overcame that problem. However, such a loss of water was painful and the fool who had done it was killed with a thought. That was a start.

The Dragon Spiteful reached out into the Drought where the soul had gone, and ripped it from that torture.

It was fed to the nameless horrors of the darkest depths of the Riverways. Its agony in the cold depths lasted until the end of time, for one of the Horrors was outside time as the mortal world knew it, and its slicing into the soul took endless eons. Still others filled its awareness with images of horror and depravity that leaves no mind intact. Still others began experimenting with filling the soul with as much pain as possible. Any who spoke the name of the one so punished was given a brief glimpse of the horror that awaited anyone who was foolish enough to try the same thing.

using free curse charge: Sozuchi claims the soul of the one responsible. Anyone who speaks of him is hit with a painful and disturbing image of the one who did it.

The one who had tried to end all life was now an object leson, but only to those who kenw of him. Such was insufficient. Sandy Fool had carelessly allowed his children to learn of things that they should never have been allowed to do, tapping into his own powers unknowingly.

Perhaps he would be less foolish with his survivng children.

Summoning the planespheres, his Eye, and the titan who guarded it, the Cold Revenge used the tip of its tail to make a few quick changes. The Great Desert was sunk beneath the waves as the magma, glassteel, and water was pumped out of it, colllapsing it. All that was left was a hollow shell.

Calling forth a membrane from the Dragon Tail Ring, the void was flooded with the coldest briny waters of the Riverways. Water so filled with salt that no life could stand to live in it long term, at temperatures so cold that fresh water woudl have frozen at a much warmer temperature. Treacherously fast currents swirled and churned, threatening to tkke under all who managed to surface.

WIth a spteful flick of its head, the Dragon Spiteful fills the lungs of every follower of Akhat with this foul, cold water.

Nine out of ten choked to death before they could expel the water from their lungs. Those who did survive would be sick for weeks, weakened and unable to fend for themselves for a long time. Every follower heard in his head these words. Do not forget your places in creation again. Do not think you are above the gods or your fellow mortal. Next time, I will not be merciful. You will all die.

Having done what was in his head the exact level of retribution required by this situation, the Cold Revenge swam into the new Dead Sea, ensuring that enough former desert creatures survived to carry the message to their god:

Next time, be more careful what you teach your children.

Sozuchi ap: 0=13+13(rollover)-7(bless, mr7: the Flood. The Drought is quickly made up by the springs of water Sozuchi places on each new continent.-1(shape land, mr5: the Great Desert is replaced by the Dead Sea.)-15(curse, mr5: The Cold Revenge, applied in quintuplicate to overcome any vagely worded blesses that might or might not be effected by this curse.)-3(gain domain: retribution)

the last five mr5 curses will suffice to qualify, although Sozuchi has done many retributive actions over the course of this game.

and Selinia has ruled that blesses can not be set up as "curse buffers". Only those whose effects are directly incompatible with salt water filling the lungs of your followers even apply, and all those of less than mr5 simply reduce the effect of the curse to which you apply it. overall, I'd judge that your blesses probably account for 10% of your followers surviving the global death. Those who do survive, though, are still sickly and weak.

also, coincidentally: gp: 39/39 - dr up. Now dr 11.

oh, and still have one free mr4 bless and mythic power for the week.

Sozuchi - the Riverways

Eye was awake and active once more. And what's more, he did something so unique it was not merely not-boring, but full-blown interesting.

One of his lesser siblings, by the name of Gusher, volunteered to allow Sozuchi to speak through him directly so he could communicate with Eye.

The River Serpent now known as the Vessel approached Mondo and said, "Hello, Eye. It's good to see you again. Gotta say I love how you managed to sneak yourself into the world in pieces. I wish I had the patience to do that. Oh well. That's probably a one-way trip anyways. You won't be able to leave and re-enter at will, I suspect. If you leave, I bet you'd have to chop yourself all up again."

using mythic power to raise the Vessel, a River Serpent that allows Sozuchi to speak through him.

Selinia

2011-05-06, 11:50 PM

Old Sa'Mondo

The Dealkyr Heart was in place. The Husk Of Worlds as well. The Inevitable Will awaited only a worthy vessel. The time was at hand.

Shota arrived, followed closely behind by the every last fire elemental. Tearing through the battle lines at full tilt, the beings of pure living flame ignored all in their path. The Godforged took after them, following in the fiery wake. As they approached the predestined point, Duc d' Redouter arose from beneath the ground's surface to meet them, the near incorporeal Inevitable Will in hand. The five Daelkyr too stood to meet them, awaiting the completion.

"It is time."

"It was not in vain."

"The fruits of our labor are ripened."

Shota opened the small container, revealing a pulsating mind of living fire and liquid metal. The Inevitable Will was torn from Duc's grasp as it was drawn inexorably into the Mind of Pyrokus. Like the other pieces before it, the Mind grew and strengthened until it became one with the land.

All of Pyrokus shuddered with one great tremor as he awakened.

Every fire burning across the world grew in size, the smallest candle burning as a bonfire, campfires becoming raging infernos which consumed forests. The very land itself burst asunder as cooling magma, long dormant, awakens to new life and tears its way to the surface. Spouts of flames tore across the the surface of Old Sa'Mondo, consuming many of those on the battlefield.

I will face you, little one.

The "ground" roiled and churned, the pliable flesh taking form and becoming rigid. Great segmented bones of the purest metals grew with alarming speed, muscles and tendons growing and forming around them. Massive tentacles hundreds of meters thick and miles in length took shape connected to what appeared to be a forming torso.

It then began to stand.

A great clawed hand reached out, taking hold of the Great Eye That is the Sun, and pulling it into itself so that the face of the being now shone with the very light of the sun, light which now burned six times as fiercely as the Great Eye That is the Sun rejoined its five brethren in the face from which it was parted.

Lord Mondo had returned. No mere avatar, but the very god himself.

The Crusade

That...

That was a neat trick. The Jabberwocky burst into a hideous laugh as Mondo appeared, burning with the fire of the sun. This was not unwelcome, even aside from the pure entertainment factor. This burning deity seemed likely to match the Lord of Flames that had sent their Godforged allies. Sweeping a wing in a sort of bizarre bow, the beast hissed a response.

"Fasssenating. A truly amusssing loophole, if you have done what it appears you have done. Consssider yourself faced... and sssaluted. The blight upon thisss world that isss the parasssite liesss near. Would I be correct in the asssumption that you are here to aid usss in purging it?" Its sickly green eyes flicked over the massive being. This was one of this world's gods then... but this world was one of those that rejected divinity. As they were still on the surface of the Material, this thing had apparently disproved that.

But if a hunter knew one thing, it was that nothing is as it seems. There had to be a condition somewhere, a flaw, a weakness. Rules like that did not bend without some accommodation.

Chept and Banchept - Water World

"Very well. I understand your reluctance to assault your hosts. However, let me demonstrate somehing:" She picks up the knife she thew to Erik and casually stabs it through her chest, twists, and removes it. The wound heals before it even has a chance to bleed ."We who lead the chept are far from vulnerable."

Chept chimes in with, "Yes, we are aware that you are at war with your siblings. A war started by your parents' generation because they oppressed and all but enslaved humanity. You were both made by the same goddess, and now you kill each other. I blame Aunt Ear more than I blame you for this atrocity, but killing your own siblings is not something that sits well with my people. There was once a time when we also killed each other, before the Se and Boa helped to bring peace wo Water World. I watched the children made with our own hands kill and eat each other, slaughtering other chpet for the fun of it. The war your people have with humanity is too reminiscent of that."

Erik, Perhaps

"Well enough, Lady Banchept. Although you really didn't have to stab yourself... I mean, that can't have been comfortable." He chuckles and shrugs again. "Still, everything can die. Nothing is immortal... well, not really. We of Teppelin have learned that to our sorrow."

Erik sighs, rubbing his forehead. "One thing I have to admit, I wish that this bloody war would end. Its taken too much from our city. Our sons and daughters die too often, and in numbers too great. I've never been close to my family, but I was hit as hard as any when the death of the royal twins was announced." He shook his head. "You know, my graduating class at the naval academy actually met Nia. Not in person, mind you. She apparently recorded a message, because she wanted to wish all of us well. That was all." He smiles slightly.

"She was, what... six or seven? She rambled in circles, didn't really say anything. But still, I've yet seen something so beautiful as the smile on that little girl's face. If anything could have ended the war, somehow I think it would have been that smile. But it was not to be. Perhaps someday." He looked between his hosts. "In any case... is there anything else? I should probably make sure my crew is settling in all right. They're good soldiers, but they can be a little... ah, eccentric at times. I don't want an incident on our first evening here."

New Government, Fire Hazard

It had come suddenly. Utterly unexpected. There had been no warning, no demands. It was hard to even think of a possible provocation. But that it was an attack was unmistakable. The raging flames were mercifully not as bad as they once might have been - long gone were the days when fire was a preferred fuel source, or wooden buildings the norm. But there were still thousands of deaths - from grills, ovens, the odd fireplace... even candles that had exploded into raging flames.

Now, it was over. The fire and kami had stepped in, imposing their will upon the raging flames. The surge of power had been ridden out and wrestled to the ground, and many, many lives were saved by their efforts. But for too many, they were too late. And so this day - the fifteenth anniversary of the signing of the constitution of the New Government - a day that should have been one of celebration... was one of mourning instead.

And anger.

The streets had already been packed in anticipation of festivities (in retrospect, it was a frighteningly close call that the fireworks had not begun), and now they waited still on the Government officials. A speech had been planned, and by the reports of the media, it was going to be held despite all that happened. Sure enough, on the wide, stage-like balcony of the Ministry Tower, figures appeared. Cameras zoomed in close, broadcasting to all corners of the Isle. Though the full Prime Cabinet was present, there was no cheering. No applause. Everyone simply waited.

There was little fanfare or formality as the Supreme Commander took the mic. He cleared his throat, swallowing slightly. Then he began. "People of the New Government. This is the anniversary of our greatest triumph. And from this hour... it will also mark the anniversary of a terrible tragedy." He pauses, expression flickering for a second. "But... we're going to get through this. We're going to keep moving forward. We're going to repair this damage, and honor those who passed away. And so..." He continued, a fairly standard speech of mourning and resilience. Even among the officials, shock had been too great for much more. Lelouch narrowed his eyes from his place near the podium, gaze dancing across the crowd. They weren't buying it. They were sad, and they were definitely taking comfort in Soren's reassuring words. But they were angry. They wanted someone to pay.

The humans in particular. This was a god at work. Any shugenja or cleric could feel it. From there, the news had spread like wildfire. And the last thing anyone wanted was another war with a god. Older, calmer people at least. The young were another matter entirely. This could lead to unrest... he'd need to get C6 on this. Things weren't supposed to move like this yet. FREYA wasn't even close to ready, and without it they didn't stand a chance.

Lelouch was pulled from his thoughts as Soren stepped back from the podium with a smattering of applause. With a gesture, he ceded it to Nia. Now this would be interesting. She had a support base nearly as large as Lelouch's, if generally much quieter.

"Everyone..." She closed her eyes, blinking away genuine tears. She'd never learned to stop the waterworks. But even with tears on her face, she spoke clearly. "Everyone, I know this hurts. And if this is an attack... then I assure you, we will not simply stand by and allow our people to be murdered!" Lelouch's eyebrows flew up at that. That was unusual for Nia. She wasn't usually the sort to advocate violence. This must have really struck a nerve.

Her expression softened though quickly, as she raised her gaze upward. "But I do not think that to be the truth. What have we done that would possibly provoke something like this? There is no reasoning for it. We wish for nothing but to live in peace. Though the horrors of this day may have driven it to the back of our minds, this was the day we wrote a declaration. I think that it time to remind everyone of what exactly we said." She leaned over the podium, looking fiercely into the crowd.

"We the people - humans, tieflings, and all others who call our lands home - do hereby proclaim our independence! To all those who wish to build a land of equality - of freedom, and of hope for a tomorrow brighter than today - we welcome you with open arms! But those those would would chain us, enslave us, beat or belittle us, know that we do not fear you!" Many broadcaster had begun putting the famous words up the their screens, and more than a few were speaking along softly.

"We do not care who or what you are, or what you call yourself. Be you commoner or empress, mortal or god, we will embrace you as friends and partners! But we will not call you master." That brought the cheering, and the applause. She closed her eyes again, exhaling slightly before taking a deep breath. Then she cast her gaze towards the heavens.

"So gods, I ask of you please hear this as a prayer and a request. I would speak, here and now, with a representative of the one responsible for this pain and horror! I wish to hear why this was allowed to happen!"

Everything seemed to stand still, the fire-eyed woman standing with arms spread wide and simply waiting. Waiting for a response. For anything. And hoping against hope that she would receive one. That this was all some tragic misunderstanding. Surely no one was so senselessly cruel as to do this deliberately... right?

OOC: Actions!~

Thoona AP: 4

Final AP: 4
GP: 13/21

Teikoku AP: 28 - 5 (MR6 Bless - those societies that commune with the kami [humans, and some chept groups] find fire returned to ordinary, controllable levels... though the raging of flames will still likely claim many lives before that can happen)

Final AP: 23
GP: 24/39

planswalker

2011-05-07, 12:15 AM

Erik, Perhaps

"Well enough, Lady Banchept. Although you really didn't have to stab yourself... I mean, that can't have been comfortable." He chuckles and shrugs again. "Still, everything can die. Nothing is immortal... well, not really. We of Teppelin have learned that to our sorrow."

Erik sighs, rubbing his forehead. "One thing I have to admit, I wish that this bloody war would end. Its taken too much from our city. Our sons and daughters die too often, and in numbers too great. I've never been close to my family, but I was hit as hard as any when the death of the royal twins was announced." He shook his head. "You know, my graduating class at the naval academy actually met Nia. Not in person, mind you. She apparently recorded a message, because she wanted to wish all of us well. That was all." He smiles slightly.

"She was, what... six or seven? She rambled in circles, didn't really say anything. But still, I've yet seen something so beautiful as the smile on that little girl's face. If anything could have ended the war, somehow I think it would have been that smile. But it was not to be. Perhaps someday." He looked between his hosts. "In any case... is there anything else? I should probably make sure my crew is settling in all right. They're good soldiers, but they can be a little... ah, eccentric at times. I don't want an incident on our first evening here."

Water World

"Indeed, even such as us may die eventually, but as the mayfly is to the tortoise, not all live the same, and all are not equally fragile."

"Go back to your people and rest. Thank you for having dinner with us. It was nice to talk. Oh, and if Uncle Bubbles troubles your dreams, let Elekchept know. He's on the best terms with him and should be able to scold him into behaving."

Selinia

2011-05-07, 12:35 AM

Erik, Sozengrad

Nodding and bidding the two good evening and good thanks, the captain returned to his ship. Apparently everything had gone well... though he was at a loss as to how Arthur had managed to convince the gnomish team that had agreed to look at their core. And Ash hadn't blown anything up, which was a plus. Satisfied that the crisis was past, he slumped into his bed. This was a rather nice city, odd as it was. They'd be heading home before long... but in the meantime, it appeared they were on a involuntary vacation.

Assuming nothing of world-shaking import happened in the meantime of course. but what were the odds of that?

planswalker

2011-05-07, 12:45 AM

Other than a sudden flare-up one day where the fires seemed to go mad of their own accord, the tieflings find the rest of their stay quite uneventful. It ends up taking [roll0] weeks for the gnomes to jerry-rig a suitable power source that was stable enough to make it back safely, but they were ready.

On the night before they were to depart, Erik's dreams were troubled.

Mistyr Bubbles dominated his dreams, telling him in several different iterations: "Don't let your government screw this up!"

Selinia

2011-05-07, 12:58 AM

Erik, Tin Cans

Well. That was... interesting. If rather disturbing at times. Did the serpent really need to conjure an image of a parade of flowerboxes made of pudding, singing the message to the tune of 'The First Salute' with the voice of a thousand burning kittens? He hoped that wasn't going to be a regular occurrence.

In any case, everything seemed to be in more or less working order. Arthur had checked their systems several times, with the aid of the tech crew, and the gnome-mended reactor seemed to be functional. It also seemed to be giving really nasty static shocks to everyone in the engine room every thirty seconds or so, but some rubber boots took care of that. The crew was busy gathering up their things and preparing for departure - in a few cases, saying goodbye to local acquaintances.

Erik himself was simply relaxing on the deck. Minutes, and they'd be lifting off. A few more hours, and they'd be home again. Which reminded him... where was Hannah? He glanced around, checking for her. The quiet girl had mostly just... blended in. He wondered if she'd be coming along. Surely she'd rather stay with her own people? Nodding off final preparations to a subordinate, he went looking for their unusual passenger. It'd be rather embarrassing if they lifted off by accident with her still on board.

planswalker

2011-05-07, 01:05 AM

Hannah - Water World

Hannah was found sleeping in a corner of one of the rooms.

Selinia

2011-05-07, 01:11 AM

Erik, Cause for alarm clocks

The captain gently nudges the sleeping figure with his foot. He could have sworn they'd gotten her a bunk... why was she on the ground? Again? "Hey, Hannah? You awake miss? Thought you ought to know that we're lifting off soon." He nods at the exit. "We're not going to be landing again until we're back at the capitol. So this is your last chance to disembark. You're welcome to come, but you shouldn't feel obligated to. We're not gonna take you away from your home unless that's what you want."

planswalker

2011-05-07, 01:16 AM

Hannah - Takeoff

"My home has exiled me. I am toenail, and Sozengrad seems... not my home any more than you are. Besides, you are my master now, Erik."

Selinia

2011-05-07, 01:33 AM

Erik, Up and away

He turned slightly, resisting the urge to slam his head against the wall. "Hannah, for the hundredth time, I am not your master. You are a civilian refugee taken into our custody for safekeeping. Technically, you don't even work for us, though I'll be sure you're paid once we reach Teppelin for what you've done to help." He shook his head silently.

"Anyway, we're taking off soon. If you've never flown before, I recommend taking to the bridge. Its quite the experience." With that, he left.

Sure enough, mere minutes later, the final preparations were completed. Hull creaking, the Bianca proudly rose from the riverway into its rightful place in the sky. There was a close call with some wiring, but before long it was safely at a cruising altitude. And then a course was set, the swamps and jungles of Water World coursing beneath it - it was amazing what a difference being able to ignore terrain made in one's speed. Eventually, even that gave way to the rolling clouds of the mist sea.

The next land to come in sight would be the Isle. And nearly every pair of eyes was glued to a monitor or window, hoping to be the first to glimpse it.

Rizban

2011-05-07, 02:38 AM

The Crusade

That...

That was a neat trick. The Jabberwocky burst into a hideous laugh as Mondo appeared, burning with the fire of the sun. This was not unwelcome, even aside from the pure entertainment factor. This burning deity seemed likely to match the Lord of Flames that had sent their Godforged allies. Sweeping a wing in a sort of bizarre bow, the beast hissed a response.

"Fasssenating. A truly amusssing loophole, if you have done what it appears you have done. Consssider yourself faced... and sssaluted. The blight upon thisss world that isss the parasssite liesss near. Would I be correct in the asssumption that you are here to aid usss in purging it?" Its sickly green eyes flicked over the massive being. This was one of this world's gods then... but this world was one of those that rejected divinity. As they were still on the surface of the Material, this thing had apparently disproved that.

But if a hunter knew one thing, it was that nothing is as it seems. There had to be a condition somewhere, a flaw, a weakness. Rules like that did not bend without some accommodation.No.

A puff of strangely solid flame bats away the creature like nothing more than an obnoxious fly.

Mondo leaned forward and breathed out living fire. Thousands of those who had died in flame but not yet risen as fire elementals spewed forth, granted new life. Liquid metal poured forth from the palm of one monstrous hand, coalescing into Inevitables, Modrons, and Godforged as it struck the ground. From his other hand, great rivulets of flesh drained away and regrew, spawning beholders, dolgrims, dolgaunts, and other horrid abominations of the flesh. These creatures given new life turned to fight against The Crusade and the Thrag-Calan Alliance alike.

Portals then began to open from Pyrokus, and out flowed hundreds of Inevitables and tens of thousands of Modrons as all of Pyrokus emptied into the mortal realm, at long last called to war, a war of Purifying Flame to finally cleanse the world.

In one sweeping motion, Lord Mondo took hold of every last orc on Old Sa'Mondo and scattered them across the whole surface of the world that they might take their battle to all the peoples of the world, hoping that they will be enraged by the fact that they are missing the truly epic battle which is now to take place on Old Sa'Mondo and slaughter all in their path. As a gift to his sister What's-Her-Name, who made the obnoxious humans, Mondo makes certain that Burkek and his Mah Hammah! land upon the Blessed Isle.

AP 14 = 15 - 1 (MR4 Curse: Force the orcs to miss the battle by sending them everywhere but here)

GP 14/30

planswalker

2011-05-07, 03:30 AM

Tohm - the Void

Tohm saw the orcs disperse, and thought to himself. that is useful.

He tosses out a hankerchief to the battle below. On its way down, it expands and becomes transparent. It lands without a sound and envelops the battlefield, ensuring that none just portal in or portal back.

bless, mr4, free from his suit. the Crusade doesn't have to worry about the orcs (and anyone else, for that matter) popping back in through portals, teleporting, etc.

Rizban

2011-05-07, 03:44 AM

Sozuchi - the Riverways

Eye was awake and active once more. And what's more, he did something so unique it was not merely not-boring, but full-blown interesting.

One of his lesser siblings, by the name of Gusher, volunteered to allow Sozuchi to speak through him directly so he could communicate with Eye.

The River Serpent now known as the Vessel approached Mondo and said, "Hello, Eye. It's good to see you again. Gotta say I love how you managed to sneak yourself into the world in pieces. I wish I had the patience to do that. Oh well. That's probably a one-way trip anyways. You won't be able to leave and re-enter at will, I suspect. If you leave, I bet you'd have to chop yourself all up again."

using mythic power to raise the Vessel, a River Serpent that allows Sozuchi to speak through him.Lord Mondo, Old Sa'Mondo

"As always, brother, you think ahead too much."

Mondo, of course, says this with a grin.

planswalker

2011-05-07, 04:02 AM

Lord Mondo, Old Sa'Mondo

"As always, brother, you think ahead too much."

Mondo, of course, says this with a grin.

The Vessel - Old Sa'Mondo

"I've learned that not thinking ahead can get one's heart pierced by the annoying Spiral humans. Not a pleasant experience. So, I see you've scattered the orcs to everywhere else. Nice trick."

Tohm - The Halls

"By the way, Mr Terran, if I am not mistaken, your foindation is drifing apart. I think that would work out very counter to everyone's plans."

Tohm reaches into his coat pocket and pulls out a pair of glass vials, one red and one blue.

He begins at once to throw drops of either the red or the blue on the various pieces of the world as they slowly drifted apart.

At first, nothing seemed to happen.
Then, slowly, the ones that had a red began to be drawn to the blue, and vice versa. Although the lands themselves had only a single drop of color on them.

Those red and blue spots became known as Nodes, and they were sources of strange energies.

Tohm then mixed the two vials and pulled out another set of dragon eggs. He baptized them in the purple solution, and sent them to the world below.

These Purple Wyrms appointed themselves the guardians of the World. That is, they did everything they coudl to ensure the landmasses remained stable and the Nodes operationsal.

Tohm ap: 6=19-13(shape land, mr7, the world is now being kept from floating apart by the Nodes.)

the Nodes are attracted to the nodes on nearby landmasses of different color, so Water World's blue node keeps it attached to Old Sa'Mondo's red one, etc.)

using progenitor: Purple Wyrms. Think a variety of true dragon that specializes in landscaping. They become more oriented towards the oppostie color teh closer they get to a node.

canjowolf

2011-05-07, 08:26 AM

Shmee

2011-05-07, 10:08 AM

planswalker

2011-05-07, 04:15 PM

Terran, the Halls

Terran says nothing, but simply looks at Tohm smiling.

Sa'Mondo

Across the armies now assembles, a lone figure confidently walks amongst them. It was an old withered figure, still baring the wounds from its previous fight as within his hands, the avatar of the Immovable Mountain held a small crystal ball, with what would look inside as an exact replica of the world.

Terran looks in the distance at the Parasite still thrashing around in pain, and looking at the crystal ball, he reassures himself

"This is probably the wisest choice..." and jumping into the air with incredible strength towards the Parasite, Terran reaches out with his hand and makes sure that the crystal ball touches the alien creature. As soon as it does, there is a blinding light... and to the surprise of the Crusade... the Parasite was gone... simply gone... along with Terran's avatar who melted away into the earth.

Halls of Endless Meditation

From within his hand, Terran shows the crystal ball to Tohm "Violence is not always the solution. Your enemy is now within Battle Rock, in there it shall remain alone, unless you and your cronies muster the courage to face it. Until the day you rely on your own power rather than manipulating others to do your will, begone from this place..."

and with that, Terran returns into the Halls, along with Battle Rock and the Alien Parasite.

Tohm - The Halls

"Very well. If you think you can contain it there, feel free. I'm not totally sure what you're talking about, using agents instead of fixing things myself. I came to this world under the assumption that the Parasite was a powerful force. Apparently, though, in this world it's nothing more than a feeble non-threat that any god can toss around and toy with as they will. I guess it's time to move on to other ventures."

Tohm leaves the Halls.

yeah, Shmee, thanks for just going and turning the Parasite into a meaningless nothing. if it can be so easily banished, why bother killing it?

Tohm - the Void

Plans change, and tactics evolve. Ah well, the Parasite was useful for a while.

Tohm pulls out a trinket and whispers to it. It takes on a life of its own and flies off through the Void, making its way unerringly to Thoona. When it finds her, it relays this message:

"Thoona, the Parasite has been eliminated. Time to move on to the advanced phase of our goal. Let the Push for Purity begin.

Selinia

2011-05-08, 12:58 AM

Hangar - Shogar

Hangar feels the fires burn as his progenitor enters the mortal realm. As he is getting older and no longer wishes to go traipsing through the void Hangar forges a silver mirror to allow him to see beyond his workshop.

While calibrating his mirror to allow him to scan creation Hangar notices that the disc appears to have been broken apart and now appears to be held together by giant living strands and magical nodes. He also accidentally hears Nia's prayer to the heavens and decides to address it before the humans go berserk again. Believing that Mondo's arrival on the world means that the gods are no longer barred from creation, Hangar steps through his mirror to the site of the human congregation.

In a fairly empty area near the podium appears a colossus of silver and adamantite one hundred thirty seven meters tall with a flowing beard and an open wound that spouted super-heated divine blood across the square, burning all that it touched. Hangar said to the crowd "I'm sorry, but the multi-verse appears to be experiencing technical difficulties. I'll try to fix them as soon as I can, but I'm only one god. Don't worry though, I'm a professional". Having said this the fires in the being's eyes fade away and the gushing wound freezes over into a shining bronze scar. Hangar returns to Shogar, leaving behind a 137m tall statue of himself.

Upon returning home Hangar felt slightly fatigued. Walking the mortal world seemed to be hard work. Still, he had much to do and no time for rest. He next cast his gaze upon his mortal creation to see how they were progressing.[/COLOR]

New Government, Waitwhat

Well. That had been... unexpected? Lelouch hadn't expected a response at all, let alone an avatar. But Hangar's appearance had hardly helped - though none had died, there were more than a few cases of severe burns from the deity's careless appearance in the midst of a crowd. No to mention to absurdly large statue he'd left behind (which was now being airlifted by the super-battleship Spirit of Fire to a location just outside city limits) obstructing traffic. It was always the little things.

And then it hit the news - those astronomers working the holiday had noted something decidedly peculiar. The eye of Mondo hadn't shut... it had vanished. As one put it - "Gone, poof, kaput. No longer in the sky. Not going to open up again. A definite problem.". Hardly a reassurance - though artificial power could easily provide light and heat, crops would suffer.

Everyone had an opinion. "Perhaps the Tyrant of Flame is dead?" some proposed.

"Dead? No, the monster's obviously trying to finish what he started with the Burning!"
"He thinks he can just do that again? Well, this time, we're ready for him!"
"Don't you think you're getting ahead of yourself? Lady Nia has proposed..."
"Oh shut up! That joke of a god that showed up? 'Technical difficulty'? Thousands of deaths, and that's all he can say?"
"But he's obviously trying to help. They've got bigger things to worry about than-"
"Than life? If they don't take care of this world, what the hell are they good for? The expect us to bow and scrape, and they treat us like ants! We beat them once!"
"With words, not war! The Empress gifted this destiny to us, because she thought we would use it wisely."
"Says the vat-scum! You tiefs are lapdogs, the lot of you!"

There was a clear split. Some wanted to sit back and wait - they cautioned that there really wasn't anything that could be done in any case, if the gods were after them, and there was no use provoking them if they weren't. On the other side were those who pointed out that a nation as young as their couldn't afford to just let itself be trampled into the dirt. They'd declared themselves free and independent of any god or mortal - what did it say about their conviction if they simply mutter apologies as they were assaulted and killed? They needed to stand strong, for the sake of future generations!

The debates tended to be heated, and more than one father and daughter or brother and sister found themselves at odds. The political situation was in the most delicate of balances. The slightest thing would likely push it over the brink...

The Blasted Isle

Burkek rub his head in confusion

"Wut am I doin' 'ere?"

Enki, Patrol

This was... okay, this was rather strange. Enki sighed, leaning back in the cockpit of his mecha. It wasn't a military-grade unit - he hadn't used one of those in over a decade. Just a simple KnightPolice frame - every pilot they had on the roster had been called in on emergency duty after the Eruption, as some were coming to call it. The KnightPolice tended to keep trouble-making far from the mind of those they watched over.

Heh. Police. Who'd have thought, back at the Fall, that he'd wind up supporting the same regime that had caused him so much grief? He hadn't at first. He'd actually seriously considered joining one of the terrorist cells supporting Idra in his captivity. But... these people were the law now. They were trying to build something. And Lily would never forgive him if he refused to stop fighting a lost war. At least this way, he could do what he could to keep abuses from occurring. And it let him pilot again - that had been the selling point, in the end. There was nothing quite like the coforting embrace of a Knightmare frame.

But... what was this thing? It was much too big to be a human or tiefling, but too small to be a mecha of any sort he had ever heard of. And it was bright green. And it had a very large hammer. And it was in the middle of a street near the outskirts of the city. Deciding not to take any chances, he quietly armed his mount's heavy stunner-cannon, and bathed the creature in light from the Knight unit's shoulder-mounted floodlights.

"Attention! You are within the limits of Kakumei city - please identify yourself!"

No.

A puff of strangely solid flame bats away the creature like nothing more than an obnoxious fly.

Mondo leaned forward and breathed out living fire. Thousands of those who had died in flame but not yet risen as fire elementals spewed forth, granted new life. Liquid metal poured forth from the palm of one monstrous hand, coalescing into Inevitables, Modrons, and Godforged as it struck the ground. From his other hand, great rivulets of flesh drained away and regrew, spawning beholders, dolgrims, dolgaunts, and other horrid abominations of the flesh. These creatures given new life turned to fight against The Crusade and the Thrag-Calan Alliance alike.

Portals then began to open from Pyrokus, and out flowed hundreds of Inevitables and tens of thousands of Modrons as all of Pyrokus emptied into the mortal realm, at long last called to war, a war of Purifying Flame to finally cleanse the world.

In one sweeping motion, Lord Mondo took hold of every last orc on Old Sa'Mondo and scattered them across the whole surface of the world that they might take their battle to all the peoples of the world, hoping that they will be enraged by the fact that they are missing the truly epic battle which is now to take place on Old Sa'Mondo and slaughter all in their path. As a gift to his sister What's-Her-Name, who made the obnoxious humans, Mondo makes certain that Burkek and his Mah Hammah! land upon the Blessed Isle.

Thoona, The Void

"Nyaaaaa?" Thoona exhaled slowly, taking in Tohm's notification. "Alreeeeady?" They'd only been here... what, a couple of the mortal's decades, at most? She could never keep track of local time measurements. That made this one of the weakest parasites they'd ever encountered. Still... she wasn't going to complain. She caressed her serpentine body, swollen from her constant gorging on Ozoi's gift as she watched the Crusade unfolding below. And yet, she would soon be consuming more.

Her grin widened as she slithered through the void. Much more.

Sending a tiny bit of power down to the world below, she kindled her various creations, setting them moving into the next stage of their evolution. To the Prismatic One, she sent a message as to the turn of events. And to the jabberwocky... well, she decided to let it do what it liked for a bit. It was always fun to feel the battle raging around it, even detached from her as it was.

The Crusade, Anticlimax, much?

The jabberwocky crawled out of the small crater that had formed when Lord Mondo punted it into the dirt, bones audibly snapping into place as it laughed its burbling laugh. "Good, good! Not many thingsss can do that to me! But I am asss immortal asss I asssume you have made your own fleshy form. Sssoo... thisss should be an amusssing battle!" Eyes glinting, the avatar of the goddess of the hunt launched itself at Mondo, claws bared and toothy maw wide. It was no longer dealing with mortals, to be played with as toys. No... this was the walking avatar of a true divine. Its equal, at the very least, and likely more.

Such chances for battle were rare. It intended to make the most of it.

*********************

[Well...] The Prismatic Nox glowered slightly at the appearance of the Burning One. But at least it appeared Tohm had worked out a contingency behind the scenes, as one of the locals snatched up the Parasite and spirited it away. There was no sense in losing anyone more now. It gathered itself, sending a psionic bellow ringing through the ranks of the Crusade.

[The battle is over! Do not engage the ones of flame and metal, nor approach them! They are here to begin the purification of the Parasite's taint, and we shall leave them to their duties! All forces, fall back through the portals! Back to the Kobold Isles! We shall regroup there, and prepare ourselves for the trials still to come! There is nothing more we can do in this place!]

As usual, the Nox led the movement. They had wisely never closed the gates that had brought them here, which were now wide open and ready to accept the forces as they fell back. It had been far from the most... cinematic iteration of the Crusade, but it had gotten the job done.

Erik, Homecoming

"Why aren't we being hailed?" Erik glowered at the monitors. "We're broadcasting a low-level SOS. We ought to have had a message at least - we've been over the Isle for almost half an hour! Arthur, are you sure the transmitting equipment is working properly?"

"Far as I can tell, sir. Techs have checked it a dozen times, but... we're not picking up Teppelin." Arthur worriedly looked over the holomap. "I'd say we must have drifted off course onto another landmass, but the geography is definitely the Isle. My best guess..."

"Sir! We're being hailed by another ship!"

"Finally!" Erik walked over to the comm terminal. "What are they saying?"

"Umm..." The crewman acquired a worried look. "The IFF is scrambled. And... you better listen." He handed over the headset to Erik, who's expression quickly changed to one of utter dejection.

"This is the NGS Unity, 3rd Battleship group! Imperial craft, please stand down and hold your fire! You are being taken into the custody of the New Government military, under the authority of the Sakura Convention! You will not be harmed so long as you do take no aggressive action..."

"Gaddamn... humans? With a government? You have got to be kidding me..."

******************************

Unfortunately, they weren't kidding him. But on the bright side - as much as this utter mess of a situation could be said to have a silver lining at all - they weren't harmed either. And - though he could hardly believe it, apparently these humans counted none other than princess Nia among their leadership! The Sakura Convention had been her proposition - a global pardon for tieflings in the Imperial armies. They were even given a sum of credits to cover discharge, and were properly paid for their confiscated equipment (which had the added benefit of reducing the number of disgruntled, heavily armed potential rebels).

Without a ship (or a navy, for that matter), most of the crew went their separate ways, though many kept in contact. A handful rejoined the reformed armies (which were, to the surprise of many, accepting tieflings as readily as humans), Arthur among them, but most found jobs in the civilian sector. There was massive demand for pretty much any sort of labor or expertise imaginable, and a military engineer could multiply their salary many times over with a contract to a construction corp.

Erik though... well, he had a job to do, as the dancing gelatin-deserts in his dreams had a tendency to remind him. Getting into the bureaucracy was surprisingly easy, and the benefits for a capable coordinator were actually quite solid. Compared to the vast offices upon offices of Teppelin, the New Government was positively sleek and streamlined... though that wasn't saying much.

It took nearly a year to get a desk big enough to fit the proposal he had in mind, and another two months to get that proposal approved. A Chept embassy - the first real embassy of the New Government's regime. It was certainly important, but after a rather... unusual conversation with the Internal Security Chief (a woman he sincerely hoped to never have to meet again - he wasn't sure if 'visual vivisection' was a term, but it should be), he received the go-ahead. Another eight months to properly clear the site, construct the embassy itself, and work out the specifics with the Chept leadership. Erik's serpent-touched status helped there more than he'd like to admit.

And so it was very nearly two years until the Chept Kakumei Ambassadorial Center was open and functional. As Chief Chept Liaison (a job he had utterly failed to avoid being appointed to), he spent most of his time here now. Relations were a definite work-in-progress though... it was hard to tell at times what he was actually supposed to be doing. But he tried.

planswalker

2011-05-08, 01:37 AM

Thoona, The Void

"Nyaaaaa?" Thoona exhaled slowly, taking in Tohm's notification. "Alreeeeady?" They'd only been here... what, a couple of the mortal's decades, at most? She could never keep track of local time measurements. That made this one of the weakest parasites they'd ever encountered. Still... she wasn't going to complain. She caressed her serpentine body, swollen from her constant gorging on Ozoi's gift as she watched the Crusade unfolding below. And yet, she would soon be consuming more.

Her grin widened as she slithered through the void. Much more.

Sending a tiny bit of power down to the world below, she kindled her various creations, setting them moving into the next stage of their evolution. To the Prismatic One, she sent a message as to the turn of events. And to the jabberwocky... well, she decided to let it do what it liked for a bit. It was always fun to feel the battle raging around it, even detached from her as it was.

Tohm - The Void

Appearing beside her as soon as his messenger returned, Tohm said, "Well, Huntress, this world has quickly shown itself a match for the Parasite. It is disappointing to know that this Terran was more than a match for it. I had hoped to do far more with it. Ah well. It seems that this mountain of a fool has unleashed all the destruction we need. The Orcs are now raging throughout the world, and their allies with them. I see beings of water, strengthened through defeat, swarming among them. Elementals of lightning, storm, and tempest follow them, adding to the destruction.

Furthermore, that god who just re-birthed himself below would prove a... useful ally in this world. Mind if your Jabberwocky finds other prey? I'm sure it would find playing into the Mountain's game and attacking the captive parasite quite enjoyable. It could probably even kill it all by itself there, given how feebly it resisted Terran's actions."

Erik, Homecoming

"Why aren't we being hailed?" Erik glowered at the monitors. "We're broadcasting a low-level SOS. We ought to have had a message at least - we've been over the Isle for almost half an hour! Arthur, are you sure the transmitting equipment is working properly?"

"Far as I can tell, sir. Techs have checked it a dozen times, but... we're not picking up Teppelin." Arthur worriedly looked over the holomap. "I'd say we must have drifted off course onto another landmass, but the geography is definitely the Isle. My best guess..."

"Sir! We're being hailed by another ship!"

"Finally!" Erik walked over to the comm terminal. "What are they saying?"

"Umm..." The crewman acquired a worried look. "The IFF is scrambled. And... you better listen." He handed over the headset to Erik, who's expression quickly changed to one of utter dejection.

"This is the NGS Unity, 3rd Battleship group! Imperial craft, please stand down and hold your fire! You are being taken into the custody of the New Government military, under the authority of the Sakura Convention! You will not be harmed so long as you do take no aggressive action..."

"Gaddamn... humans? With a government? You have got to be kidding me..."

******************************

Unfortunately, they weren't kidding him. But on the bright side - as much as this utter mess of a situation could be said to have a silver lining at all - they weren't harmed either. And - though he could hardly believe it, apparently these humans counted none other than princess Nia among their leadership! The Sakura Convention had been her proposition - a global pardon for tieflings in the Imperial armies. They were even given a sum of credits to cover discharge, and were properly paid for their confiscated equipment (which had the added benefit of reducing the number of disgruntled, heavily armed potential rebels).

Without a ship (or a navy, for that matter), most of the crew went their separate ways, though many kept in contact. A handful rejoined the reformed armies (which were, to the surprise of many, accepting tieflings as readily as humans), Arthur among them, but most found jobs in the civilian sector. There was massive demand for pretty much any sort of labor or expertise imaginable, and a military engineer could multiply their salary many times over with a contract to a construction corp.

Erik though... well, he had a job to do, as the dancing gelatin-deserts in his dreams had a tendency to remind him. Getting into the bureaucracy was surprisingly easy, and the benefits for a capable coordinator were actually quite solid. Compared to the vast offices upon offices of Teppelin, the New Government was positively sleek and streamlined... though that wasn't saying much.

It took nearly a year to get a desk big enough to fit the proposal he had in mind, and another two months to get that proposal approved. A Chept embassy - the first real embassy of the New Government's regime. It was certainly important, but after a rather... unusual conversation with the Internal Security Chief (a woman he sincerely hoped to never have to meet again - he wasn't sure if 'visual vivisection' was a term, but it should be), he received the go-ahead. Another eight months to properly clear the site, construct the embassy itself, and work out the specifics with the Chept leadership. Erik's serpent-touched status helped there more than he'd like to admit.

And so it was very nearly two years until the Chept Kakumei Ambassadorial Center was open and functional. As Chief Chept Liaison (a job he had utterly failed to avoid being appointed to), he spent most of his time here now. Relations were a definite work-in-progress though... it was hard to tell at times what he was actually supposed to be doing. But he tried.

Chept Army - Kakumei Embassy

Another side to the complications which plagued the Chept embassy, the only Chept currently on the Isles was an army. The generations of living in and around the Citadel had done nothing to dull the militancy of the Chept underneath Iounchept.

Thus, an embassy ideally suited for diplomats and politicians was staffed with battle mages and war leaders. Iounchept himself was very little help. Rather than reinforce the purpose, he secluded himself away in the Citadel doing none knew what.

That left a Boa River Adept named Shalt in charge. His powers seemed identical to a ronin's, by and large, although his outlook was quite different.

Then, early one morning, Iounchept materialized right in front of Erik and said, "Erik, my good boy, do be kind and give me control of your government's military. I need it." As if he was speaking of a cup of sugar.

Rizban

2011-05-08, 01:47 AM

The Crusade, Anticlimax, much?

The jabberwocky crawled out of the small crater that had formed when Lord Mondo punted it into the dirt, bones audibly snapping into place as it laughed its burbling laugh. "Good, good! Not many thingsss can do that to me! But I am asss immortal asss I asssume you have made your own fleshy form. Sssoo... thisss should be an amusssing battle!" Eyes glinting, the avatar of the goddess of the hunt launched itself at Mondo, claws bared and toothy maw wide. It was no longer dealing with mortals, to be played with as toys. No... this was the walking avatar of a true divine. Its equal, at the very least, and likely more.

Such chances for battle were rare. It intended to make the most of it.Old Sa'Mondo - The war that wasn't

"Cowards... the lot of them. The deities of this world are all pathetic, with but one exception for you, Sozuchi."

The little buzzing thing had picked itself up. This mildly annoyed Mondo. Reaching up, he snatches the Jabberwocky from the air and begins to squeeze it in his grasp. As the thing's head manages to snake out from between Mondo's fingers gasping for air, Mondo takes a bite.

Selinia

2011-05-08, 02:18 AM

Tohm - The Void

Appearing beside her as soon as his messenger returned, Tohm said, "Well, Huntress, this world has quickly shown itself a match for the Parasite. It is disappointing to know that this Terran was more than a match for it. I had hoped to do far more with it. Ah well. It seems that this mountain of a fool has unleashed all the destruction we need. The Orcs are now raging throughout the world, and their allies with them. I see beings of water, strengthened through defeat, swarming among them. Elementals of lightning, storm, and tempest follow them, adding to the destruction.

Furthermore, that god who just re-birthed himself below would prove a... useful ally in this world. Mind if your Jabberwocky finds other prey? I'm sure it would find playing into the Mountain's game and attacking the captive parasite quite enjoyable. It could probably even kill it all by itself there, given how feebly it resisted Terran's actions."

Thoona, The Void

"Mmm... okay, I'll tell it to go find something else. It'd probably get bored soon anyway. Besides, the Sword is almost ripe, and it has work to do, Nya." Her grin widened. "So, Tohm, can I spawn my interesting children yet? Your dragons are getting all the fun, Nya..."

Chept Army - Kakumei Embassy

Another side to the complications which plagued the Chept embassy, the only Chept currently on the Isles was an army. The generations of living in and around the Citadel had done nothing to dull the militancy of the Chept underneath Iounchept.

Thus, an embassy ideally suited for diplomats and politicians was staffed with battle mages and war leaders. Iounchept himself was very little help. Rather than reinforce the purpose, he secluded himself away in the Citadel doing none knew what.

That left a Boa River Adept named Shalt in charge. His powers seemed identical to a ronin's, by and large, although his outlook was quite different.

Then, early one morning, Iounchept materialized right in front of Erik and said, "Erik, my good boy, do be kind and give me control of your government's military. I need it." As if he was speaking of a cup of sugar.

Erik, Rubberstamp

Even a short time working with Chept had taught him one thing - they had a tendency to be outrageous. Humans did too, but they treated it outrageously - from what he understood, they could do the insane because they were, or something like that. Chept though treated the absurd calmly and mundanely. And they didn't seem to get the idea of chain-of-command. Like this, for instance.

"Look, Sir Iounchept, I'm afraid I can't do that. And I wouldn't if I could. You see, the general idea here is to engage in diplomacy. The first step of which, true, is generally asking for what you want. But it'd be appreciated if you'd elaborate on why you want it." He resisted the urge to sigh theatrically. This was an important person after all. Even if he was something of a nut.

Jabberwocky, So delicious!

Mondo bite the head of the creature cleanly off. It tastes of hunger - divine meat tending to have rather abstract flavor. But it quickly grows a new one, still laughing madly. Its body seemed to dissolve partially, hide becoming a gelatinous acid that burned its way through Mondo's fist. Re-solidifying, it shakes itself, oddly reminiscent of a dog drying itself off. Turning its glare on the god-fleshed enemy once more, it moved like a green thunderbolt towards the burning god's form.

Then it paused. And bared its fangs in frustration.

"It appearsss my lady doesss not wisssh thisss battle. Ssshame." Still, moving with blinding speed, it ripped a man-sized chunk of flesh from Mondo's body. It chuckled. "Sssouvenir. Sssince you took one of me already. Until we meet again, flessshy one."

And then, with the beating of wings, it was gone unto the Void. It had other things to do.

Mingora, Concerto

The room was different.

Not just a little - and even that, she would have noted. She'd been here many times. Spent many hours inside the confines. It had never changed even the slightest bit, aside from a growing feeling of unease. But now... now it was utterly rebuilt. One entire side of the room was gone, and beyond it... seats. Many seats. Which made where she was standing...

"A... stage, milady. For your performance." At first glance, the shadowed seats seemed to be empty. But... there was movement in them. Restless, in some cases. Peaceful in others. "This is... the next step. Look out... all the minds, sharing your dream. They are ready... to listen to you. The sword has... brought them here."

Lewis smiled that horrible smile, and bowed deeply. As if on cue, a spotlight shone down, front and center of the stage. "Take your place... milady. Sing. Sing the song... the deepest song. The song of your heart. Do not be shy..." He turned, walking slowly away. Seemingly from the shadows themselves, a large grand piano materialized before him. The little imp-like creature seemed almost comical as it swung itself up onto the bench, overlarge hands resting lightly on the keys. "...I will accompany you. Sing your song... and I will give give it the notes of power. And all will hear... and the sword will hold them."

planswalker

2011-05-08, 02:49 AM

Old Sa'Mondo - The war that wasn't

"Cowards... the lot of them. The deities of this world are all pathetic, with but one exception for you, Sozuchi."

The little buzzing thing had picked itself up. This mildly annoyed Mondo. Reaching up, he snatches the Jabberwocky from the air and begins to squeeze it in his grasp. As the thing's head manages to snake out from between Mondo's fingers gasping for air, Mondo takes a bite.

The Vessel

"Why, thank you brother. I must say, Ear and Muscles always disappointed me, being quite boring. Mr Shiny just simply opposed too much for the sake of opposition. No real goals with that one. Lover-boy was not-boring, when you could prod him to actually do something. A few of my children were fun, but they all either exploded or fell asleep. I haven't really met anyone recently who wasn't boring myself."

Erik, Rubberstamp

Even a short time working with Chept had taught him one thing - they had a tendency to be outrageous. Humans did too, but they treated it outrageously - from what he understood, they could do the insane because they were, or something like that. Chept though treated the absurd calmly and mundanely. And they didn't seem to get the idea of chain-of-command. Like this, for instance.

"Look, Sir Iounchept, I'm afraid I can't do that. And I wouldn't if I could. You see, the general idea here is to engage in diplomacy. The first step of which, true, is generally asking for what you want. But it'd be appreciated if you'd elaborate on why you want it." He resisted the urge to sigh theatrically. This was an important person after all. Even if he was something of a nut.

Iounchept - Negotiations? Who has time for that.

"The Prophecy has been fulfulled today. I must have all your armies immediately. If you cannot do this for me, please kindly tell me who can."

canjowolf

2011-05-08, 07:25 PM

Pan - Sa'Mondo?

Pan led those who had followed him to Sa'Mondo through the portals to the Kobold Isles where his people attempted to infiltrate the camps of the other races and spread the joys of song, wine, and revelry. To their delight the forest races realized that Hespa had rewarded their contribution to the defeat of the Parasite by blessing their wineskins to be ever full.

Hespa - The Void

Hespa noticed that her grandfather appeared to have returned to the world and was currently playing on old Sa'Mondo. While she was sad that she could not greet him in person she fingered the twig in her hair and shaped the earth of the mortal realms to suit her needs.

Sa'Mondo - A Simulacrum

The earth near Mondo rose up into a giant earthen form which was vaguely humanoid that threw its arms around the many eyed god of fire in a hug, crying out "Granpa Eyes. It's so good to see you again. How are you? Where have you been? What are you up to? Do you need any help?"

Erstern - The Flying Disc

While Hangar had been busy scrying on the mortal world Erstern and his council had formed the beginnings of the trydanae race. While their physical forms varied and changed as they continued to upgrade themselves one thing that did not change was their metallic bodies and their basic composition of shell, engine, and spark. There numbered several thousand trydanae now, and as their empire had begun to found towns and cities at the richest mining sites Erstern began to realize that his people would need high speed transportation and communication if they were to remain unified.

Working with the greatest minds that had arisen from his people Erstern developed a system of magi-magnetic mithril roads which any trydan could use simply by manipulating its native electric energies into a magnetic field, which would cause it to be shot down the line. The great variation in weights and electromagnetic shell properties helped avoid major collision problems, but safeguards were built into the roads themselves to blink faster travelers past slower ones. While teleportation technology had been considered at first not all trydanae knew how to cast the spells and the civilization was moving and expanding much too rapidly for permanent gates to be cost effective. Thus were forged the trydanae Silver Ways, which would come to cross the disc like a spiders web. The trydanae had also developed a much faster way of talking to each other which involved shooting each other with pulsed and tempered electrical jolts. This also proved to be a much easier communication system than constructing complex sound creation devices for every trydan.

Hangar: 10AP-1 [MR1 shape land - formation of the Silver Ways)-0(lead populace - advanced metallurgy)=9AP. 6GP. DR4.

Hespa: 20AP-1(MR1? shape land - create and manipulate the mountain sized version of Hespa for the duration of her conversation with Mondo. This moving earth does not directly harm anything but will hopefully form into a giant mat of trees and plant life when Hespa stops using it for her conversation)-0(MR4 bless on the alcohol containers of the Pan led force such that they will never empty)=19AP. 1GP. DR7.

Rizban

2011-05-08, 11:55 PM

Hespa - The Void

Hespa noticed that her grandfather appeared to have returned to the world and was currently playing on old Sa'Mondo. While she was sad that she could not greet him in person she fingered the twig in her hair and shaped the earth of the mortal realms to suit her needs.

Sa'Mondo - A Simulacrum

The earth near Mondo rose up into a giant earthen form which was vaguely humanoid that threw its arms around the many eyed god of fire in a hug, crying out "Granpa Eyes. It's so good to see you again. How are you? Where have you been? What are you up to? Do you need any help?""Release me. Now.

If you desire to help then pour out your power to purge this world of its impurity. Help me to return it to its former, pristine beauty."

canjowolf

2011-05-09, 04:35 AM

Sa'Mondo - A Simulacrum

The earthy mass slowly releases it's hug and says "What impurity?".

Selinia

2011-05-09, 11:29 AM

Iounchept - Negotiations? Who has time for that.

"The Prophecy has been fulfilled today. I must have all your armies immediately. If you cannot do this for me, please kindly tell me who can."

Erik, Three doors down

"Well, uh." Erik groaned inwardly, scratching the back of his head. "Look, nobody has the authority to give away our armies. Not even the Supreme Commander. But I'm sure that we could lend aid if there's a crisis of some sort - don't take that as an official statement, mind you. Military deployment is above my pay grade."

"If its a matter of prophecy though, I recommend you take this to Lady Minerva. The Shugenja Order generally handles such things before they move upwards. And, uh, I recommend you actually use the front door of the Fourfold Temple - teleportation is going to set off some rather annoying alarms." He thought on that for a moment, realizing that that probably wouldn't matter. "And if that happens, it'll take quite a bit longer before you can talk to anybody. But I'll message ahead - the Spiritual Affairs Chief should be expecting you."

Rainshine

2011-05-10, 02:06 AM

Great Desert

The torrent washed over the people, the wrath of an avenging god, filling lungs. Beat after beat it went on, their very life slipping away.

Respite came from much the same source as everything else: divinity. In what was, for Akhat, a nearly unparalleled instance of mercy, he reached out a hand, pulling the people to a portion of Aarken, a series of what would serve as refugee camps. It was a matter of choice, bringing them, but not the torrent that assaulted them. There was no flash, just a slight change in scenery. The Dominions of the plane wrapped cloaks of light around themselves, and moved among the peoples as they arrived -- not all survived the trip, but far more survived than staying in the deluge. Regardless of the individual's beliefs, from beyond the pinpricks of light that could be seen by mortal eye, came a radiance that brought soothing and healing. They were safe, for now.

A Confrontation, A Trial?

Vargus felt his being dissolving, and then heard the voices. It should not be possible... He had failed, then. He had failed to eradicate the abomination, to show himself worthy. Eyes closed, he flexed battered knees, forcing himself to stand. His eyes opened on figures that were not of the land hen knew. Demons come to tempt him? To rear at him for failure? He had been prepared for an ending, but a different ending altogether. "I am not your vassal, spirit." Names from legends, stories long forgotten, even by those who told tales throughout the desert. But Vargus, he knew stories that had slipped the boundries of time; or had. He must be dead now, and that knowledge all lost to the world.
"But I will tell you. I will tell you what you so foolishly interfered with, what you have just permitted to pass. It will be on your heads!
"They.. the others, those fools, they have been creating abominations! They have taken the mantle of god upon themselves! They create things with the semblance of life. They even go so far as to create beings that think, an insult on the intelligence of humanity. They are traitors and heretics, and deserved to be destroyed! And you have aided them."

AP 13 - 5 (Bless on the assorted nations of Akhat's creation, some of his more air-limited followers, bringing them to Aarken) - 0 (Lead Populace: Healcraft, free from MA) = 8

planswalker

2011-05-10, 09:13 AM

Erik, Three doors down

"Well, uh." Erik groaned inwardly, scratching the back of his head. "Look, nobody has the authority to give away our armies. Not even the Supreme Commander. But I'm sure that we could lend aid if there's a crisis of some sort - don't take that as an official statement, mind you. Military deployment is above my pay grade."

"If its a matter of prophecy though, I recommend you take this to Lady Minerva. The Shugenja Order generally handles such things before they move upwards. And, uh, I recommend you actually use the front door of the Fourfold Temple - teleportation is going to set off some rather annoying alarms." He thought on that for a moment, realizing that that probably wouldn't matter. "And if that happens, it'll take quite a bit longer before you can talk to anybody. But I'll message ahead - the Spiritual Affairs Chief should be expecting you."

Iounchept - prophecy waits for no Chept

Iounchept hated bureaucracy. Chept society had nothing like an large enough government to necessitate one. Beyond the regional clan chiefs, the Five guided the chiefs. All else was mediated by the Faeri. The human and gnomish love of bureaucracy was flat-out maddening. Why even bother having an embassy if it couldn't help him with the first real need he's ever had?

Taking a breath to forcibly slow himself down and gain a measure of calm, Iounchept said, "If you truly cannot help me get what I need, thank you for at least telling me who to go to. Don't bother with the message, it won't reach them before I do." At those words, Iounchept disappeared again...

Only to reappear right in front of the Spiritual Affairs Chief.

Somehow, he'd managed to not set off those alarms he had been warned about.

"The Prophecy is about to come to fruition, and I need your people's armies now."

Selinia

2011-05-10, 10:37 AM

A Confrontation, A Trial?

Vargus felt his being dissolving, and then heard the voices. It should not be possible... He had failed, then. He had failed to eradicate the abomination, to show himself worthy. Eyes closed, he flexed battered knees, forcing himself to stand. His eyes opened on figures that were not of the land hen knew. Demons come to tempt him? To rear at him for failure? He had been prepared for an ending, but a different ending altogether. "I am not your vassal, spirit." Names from legends, stories long forgotten, even by those who told tales throughout the desert. But Vargus, he knew stories that had slipped the boundries of time; or had. He must be dead now, and that knowledge all lost to the world.
"But I will tell you. I will tell you what you so foolishly interfered with, what you have just permitted to pass. It will be on your heads!
"They.. the others, those fools, they have been creating abominations! They have taken the mantle of god upon themselves! They create things with the semblance of life. They even go so far as to create beings that think, an insult on the intelligence of humanity. They are traitors and heretics, and deserved to be destroyed! And you have aided them."

OOC: I'm going to assume that this happens after he is stopped, but before Soz's rampage.

Amatsukami, Known verdict

The flaming knight standing at the fore of the small gathering of spirits took another step forward, heat washing off of him like a palpable wave. "We are aware of what we - and they - have done. They have created life. We have safeguarded it. And you... you, in your idiocy and arrogance have ATTEMPTED TO UNMAKE LIFE ITSELF!" The crackling words grew, resounding with the roar of a bonfire.

Chains erupted from the ground, constricting Vargus until he could make no move greater than batting an eyelash. Earthen hooks pried his jaw open, slowly, painfully. Ifrit seemed to calm slightly, his next words filled with as much ice as fire. "Mortal, you have perhaps forgotten us... but we never forget. Our lady has perished, and her charge has fallen to us. We will protect Life. We care not from whence it comes, nor what it chooses to do with the existence given it. Thus... we will not kill you. In fact, we are going to save you."

The childlike Slyph walked up to Vargus, as a minor motion from Oread manipulated the chains to bring the mortal to his knees. Then, with a deliberate motion, she placed a single prayer strip in his mouth. The wind around him whispered softly. "Tried... tried and found guilty... guilty child... foolish child... what consequences... what consequences for the foolish child?"

"Congratulations... Vargus the Undying." The three began to fade away. "You can do no harm now. Our work here is finished. The River Dragon comes. We shall leave you and your new... gift... to his care. Perhaps you will learn something."

Iounchept - prophecy waits for no Chept

Iounchept hated bureaucracy. Chept society had nothing like an large enough government to necessitate one. Beyond the regional clan chiefs, the Five guided the chiefs. All else was mediated by the Faeri. The human and gnomish love of bureaucracy was flat-out maddening. Why even bother having an embassy if it couldn't help him with the first real need he's ever had?

Taking a breath to forcibly slow himself down and gain a measure of calm, Iounchept said, "If you truly cannot help me get what I need, thank you for at least telling me who to go to. Don't bother with the message, it won't reach them before I do." At those words, Iounchept disappeared again...

Only to reappear right in front of the Spiritual Affairs Chief.

Somehow, he'd managed to not set off those alarms he had been warned about.

"The Prophecy is about to come to fruition, and I need your people's armies now."

Minerva, Index

"Hmm? Oh, a visitor." The elderly woman was seated at her desk, apparently having just been wrenched from a conversation with the figure seated across from her - a maiden who seemed to be made entirely of ice and snow, with currents of water visible just beneath her crystalline skin. "Forgive me, Lady Marid. I was not aware that any of the Soz had scheduled an appointment today. Then again, he probably didn't bother."

"You not responsible for the rudeness of others. The children of the River Dragon are as a river, after all. They rush always forward - trying to stop them is rather futile, is it not?" That last seemed to be directed at Iounchept.

Minerva simply gave the serpent-man a withering glare - one that said 'So, what makes the world-shattering news of this immortal quasi-deity any different from another?'. Her actual words were polite, but rather cold. "Understand, you have to specify. We have literally thousands of prophecies logged - most of them rather meaningless outside perhaps an almanac or weather report. But I was not aware of any of our high-value prophecies registering a trigger recently - which would seem to imply that this is one of your own people's."

She knitted her hands together. "So. Good sir Iounchept, before you go any further, explain the prophecy of which you speak. We will do what we can to aid you, within reason, as we consider your people to be valuable friends and allies. Prophecies are serious business, and we have learned firsthand what power they can hold. But, as I am sure a military man such as yourself can appreciate, it is only common sense for allies to share information."

planswalker

2011-05-10, 11:05 AM

Minerva, Index

"Hmm? Oh, a visitor." The elderly woman was seated at her desk, apparently having just been wrenched from a conversation with the figure seated across from her - a maiden who seemed to be made entirely of ice and snow, with currents of water visible just beneath her crystalline skin. "Forgive me, Lady Marid. I was not aware that any of the Soz had scheduled an appointment today. Then again, he probably didn't bother."

"You not responsible for the rudeness of others. The children of the River Dragon are as a river, after all. They rush always forward - trying to stop them is rather futile, is it not?" That last seemed to be directed at Iounchept.

Minerva simply gave the serpent-man a withering glare - one that said 'So, what makes the world-shattering news of this immortal quasi-deity any different from another?'. Her actual words were polite, but rather cold. "Understand, you have to specify. We have literally thousands of prophecies logged - most of them rather meaningless outside perhaps an almanac or weather report. But I was not aware of any of our high-value prophecies registering a trigger recently - which would seem to imply that this is one of your own people's."

She knitted her hands together. "So. Good sir Iounchept, before you go any further, explain the prophecy of which you speak. We will do what we can to aid you, within reason, as we consider your people to be valuable friends and allies. Prophecies are serious business, and we have learned firsthand what power they can hold. But, as I am sure a military man such as yourself can appreciate, it is only common sense for allies to share information."

Iounchept

The immortal seemed most frustrated at this, but realizing that if they had not heard of the prophecy, they wouldn't understand the urgency.

He quotes: "One day when the Spiral rages bright, and the Earth Children stand in the Citadel, the Raging Death shall call forth his brethren, and they shall Sunder the world the span of a generation of Boa, until the day the Favored One walks with the Blessed."

"Does that make it clear?"

Selinia

2011-05-10, 12:09 PM

Minerva, Clarity

She glowered a moment more, delving into her magic to discern the truth of the man's words. Then her anger faded, replaced by weariness. "...Moreso than before. One thing, at least - your concern is clearly well-warranted. A moment please." With the press of a button installed in her desk, Minerva spoke a short command. "Requesting a conference line, maximum security. Contact all Prime Ministry members, to log on at their earliest opportunity."

Releasing the key, she returned her gaze to Iounchept. "So... are you saying that you have reason to believe that the Raging Death and his lesser kin have returned? This is... something I had hoped to not witness in my lifetime." She sighed. "All we desire is to be left alone... I suppose that is too much ask, in this day and age. Still... we will not have another Burning."

"Indeed. This time the battle shall be fought on terms more even. And if you are any indication, it shall not be fought alone. Mortal forces require many things to move properly, but my kind are not so limited. General of the Chept, your people have not always gotten along overly well with mine, but such differences are petty in the face of divine fury. If you intend to resist this threat, the Kami stand by you."

"And though it will likely take us a short time to mobilize, I can assure you, so does the New Government. When first the ragefae came, they butchered a people who had never known battle on such a scale. Now though... through those very actions, they have exposed us to centuries of battle. We are no strangers to war." She held out a withered hand. "So, Sir Iounchept, informal though this is, consider this to be the start of an alliance. Prophecies can be fought and defeated - let us together ensure that these monsters do not fulfill their destiny of ruination."

planswalker

2011-05-10, 01:25 PM

Selinia

2011-05-10, 05:17 PM

Iounchept

"Do not think that you can so easily stop it as by might of arms. This is a True Prophecy, not some vision of the future or a prediction. It will come to pass. When it does, your people, the Blessed, will have to walk with the Favored One. Turkin, the Favored One, has been preparing for this for years now. Today, a dwarf, child of the Earth, found his way into the Citadel through a myconid mushroom gate recently established so that the army can continue to trade with them for the mushrooms. At any moment now, the Spiral could rage brightly. When it does, the Raging Death will be unleashed. We have from now until them to try and prepare your army to deal with the RageFae. That is why I must be given command over them, for I can teach them things that no mortal can."

Ministry, Semantics

Minerva seemed about to answer, when a screen to her left flared to life. Coughing softly to announce his presence, Lelouch preempted her. "I think you confuse 'command' with 'train'." He nods slightly. "I came as soon as I got your message, Spiritual Affairs Chief. In any case... aside from the outrage that would arise at a foreign power taking control of our armies, there is the simple fact that you would likely have no idea how to use them. No offense is intended by that statement, Sir Iounchept - it is simply a fact. Our armies function radically differently from your own. The manner in which you have brought this to our attention rather exemplifies this."

"Still, I acknowledge readily that your people are the experts on these matters. I will arrange for you or those selected by you to incorporate courses into our military's training exercises. If we are to work together, I would also recommend the reverse - our armed forces are powerful, but that comes with a certain lack of flexibility. Both of us will need to be prepared to properly work together." He seemed thoughtful for a moment, contemplating options.

"I myself have honestly been expecting something like this for some time. We've been working on... countermeasures of our own, but they are still in their infancy. Research on the Kappa has revealed precious few weaknesses... oh, and one more thing." Lelouch's gaze lifted from the tablet he was holding. "I advise subtlety. I will go over this with Soren and Nia myself, but leaking this could have grave consequences. I don't particularly care how you mask the fact that you'd be training our troops to fight RageFae, but I fear that knowledge that they may soon be at large could spark the very Spiral surge that you fear. Prophecies have a funny way of being self-fulfilling, after all."

"Agreed. Though it may be difficult to convenience that girl to outright lie..."

"Nia is strong. She will understand. She will not like it, but she will understand. Who knows? Perhaps she will find a way out of this mess... she did once before, simply by virtue of being herself."

Rainshine

2011-05-11, 07:25 PM

Mingora

As horrifying as the room had been, she had been there many times. This was not it. The change seemed auspicious... or suspicious. This was not a step she wanted to think about. The room, all those people...
Then she thought of what happened behind the doors within the cities she had seen, the excesses of a people hungry and yet glutted on power. And wasn't that what had brought her here? Her steps took her out onto that vast stage, in measured beats. Her eyes cast about those chairs, and she imagined people. Sleeping, peacefully or not so much, in their beds. What might happen to them, as a result of a simple song. Something long lost, long buried, twinged. She glanced back at the creature, seated next to the piano.

"What is all this about, really? Why go through... all this? The meisters? The deaths? The changes? What are you really after?
After all, no one does something for nothing."

Aarken, Refugee Camps

Their stay was short-lived. They had not achieved the necessary perfection of being for staying long on Aarken, but they had been saved from the immediate danger of drowning. After they had been tended to, they turned to departing again. Some stayed a little longer than others. That is who we will concern ourselves with.

Her name was Genevieve. She was six, the daughter of two common Mteule. She was also, as children tend to be even in the desert, curious. She ran and played as best she could in Aarken, enjoying her first and perhaps only glimpse of something different. She would poke and prod at the points of light, trying to figure out what they were. And, when she could, she wandered, away from the clustered people. It was not something that Mteule children did; that was a quick way to die, in the desert. Perhaps it was a hint of something else, here in this place.
Over the hill her little feet took her, and to a place that no Mteule would recognize: a grassy meadow. She danced and ran in circles, just enjoying the feeling, and time seemed to disappear... until she heard her mother's call. As she turned to run back, she looked one last time over the meadow. No one she could see. As covertly as a little child could, she stooped, plucking a single flower, and hiding it in her clothes, then scurried back to her mother.

AP 8 - 0 (Lead Populace: Flower of Light, free from MA) - 0 (Raise Hero: Genevieve, free from Mythic)

Selinia

2011-05-11, 11:49 PM

Mingora

As horrifying as the room had been, she had been there many times. This was not it. The change seemed auspicious... or suspicious. This was not a step she wanted to think about. The room, all those people...
Then she thought of what happened behind the doors within the cities she had seen, the excesses of a people hungry and yet glutted on power. And wasn't that what had brought her here? Her steps took her out onto that vast stage, in measured beats. Her eyes cast about those chairs, and she imagined people. Sleeping, peacefully or not so much, in their beds. What might happen to them, as a result of a simple song. Something long lost, long buried, twinged. She glanced back at the creature, seated next to the piano.

"What is all this about, really? Why go through... all this? The meisters? The deaths? The changes? What are you really after?
After all, no one does something for nothing."

Mingora, Power Chord

"Hmmm... fair... fair enough, to ask that question. Very well. You have earned... the answer to that." Lewis didn't turn around, instead pressing a few of the keys on the massive instrument. The notes rang out, surprisingly clear. As if finding a tune, the creature slowly picked up the pacing, running hands across the keys in a slow, almost sad melody. It was a song she had heard before - always playing on that infernal record in The Room, though this melody was soft and full compared to that tinny track.

"Your world... hmm... and all within it, yes. It will end soon. Very soon. The Sword though, it lets... us find things. Useful things. But nothing... is fine as it is. Potential... yes, that is what it finds. Then it... hones that potential. You have been experiencing... that. But it gets... something in return. You are honing it... as well, you see. It has... taken the measure of your kind. Your people are... enduring. The Sword wishes only to slay... but those to whom I answer would find your kind worthy."

The creature's rasping voice was surprisingly free of the vague mockery it usually held. "The Sword has your... measure. If you give it... a path, it will attempt to devour your people from... the depths of your heart, where it resides. Only you... can give it that path. But you can... stop it as well. With my music... you can stop it, if your will is strong. Make it refine... rather than devour." The notes of the piano seemed to swell in volume. "If you... refine some of your people, they will be... worth saving. As will be... you."

"All you have to do is... open up your heart. Let the Sword out. This is your song... the song buried deep inside you. If you wish to walk this path to its end... sing. Let the darkness out."

Rainshine

2011-05-12, 02:17 AM

Foundation

Where the Great Desert had once been had been obliterated by deific magics. And by the same level of forces, it was remade. Complete with the same spires, with the same drifts, with the same holds and fortresses that had been shaped by powerful magics.

Aarken

Slowly, the refugee population began to return to their homes; before each went, however, the Dominions had a last... gift for them: forgetfulness. For each, the light came to them and removed the thought of what was and what could be. And as they passed through, a figure looked on from afar, a smile creasing his face as a little girl stepped blindly through the portal, not even looking back at the land that had so captured her.

Somewhere...

Vargus knew not where he was, nor entirely what he was. The presence that he felt, though, he knew. It had been his life, at one point, and though he had seen and felt but a small portion, he knew it. How did one communicate, though? The voice that came was not his, and was softer than he remembered. Thought.
"Pride. Those who strive, by virtue of the fact they have not yet finished, have their faults. But the one that so obsesses, so entangles, so hinders so many of you humans is all the same, in the end. Pride. And you, Vargus, you suffered from Pride as well. In your pride, you struck out with the tools you had been given for good. What would be accomplished, if you destroy all? Nothingness is not a victory for good."
A thought crossed Vargus's mind, but he had no way to convey it. But then, with he, there was no need.
"Yes." All do. After all, is that not so much of what makes good... good?

AP 8 - 0 (Free curse charge to drive any sort of soul-rending beings away) - 0 (Lead Populace: Mind blanking, free from Leader) - 0 (Bless, the begin of the return of some refugees, free from artifact)

planswalker

2011-05-12, 12:19 PM

Ministry, Semantics

Minerva seemed about to answer, when a screen to her left flared to life. Coughing softly to announce his presence, Lelouch preempted her. "I think you confuse 'command' with 'train'." He nods slightly. "I came as soon as I got your message, Spiritual Affairs Chief. In any case... aside from the outrage that would arise at a foreign power taking control of our armies, there is the simple fact that you would likely have no idea how to use them. No offense is intended by that statement, Sir Iounchept - it is simply a fact. Our armies function radically differently from your own. The manner in which you have brought this to our attention rather exemplifies this."

"Still, I acknowledge readily that your people are the experts on these matters. I will arrange for you or those selected by you to incorporate courses into our military's training exercises. If we are to work together, I would also recommend the reverse - our armed forces are powerful, but that comes with a certain lack of flexibility. Both of us will need to be prepared to properly work together." He seemed thoughtful for a moment, contemplating options.

"I myself have honestly been expecting something like this for some time. We've been working on... countermeasures of our own, but they are still in their infancy. Research on the Kappa has revealed precious few weaknesses... oh, and one more thing." Lelouch's gaze lifted from the tablet he was holding. "I advise subtlety. I will go over this with Soren and Nia myself, but leaking this could have grave consequences. I don't particularly care how you mask the fact that you'd be training our troops to fight RageFae, but I fear that knowledge that they may soon be at large could spark the very Spiral surge that you fear. Prophecies have a funny way of being self-fulfilling, after all."

"Agreed. Though it may be difficult to convenience that girl to outright lie..."

"Nia is strong. She will understand. She will not like it, but she will understand. Who knows? Perhaps she will find a way out of this mess... she did once before, simply by virtue of being herself."

Iounchept - Council

"If this "training" position will have sufficient authority that I can take off and train properly in the place I must take them, then fine. And if your mages think they can teach ours something about battle magic, fine. I don't see the need to lie. The chept grow up knowing about the RageFae, and the army was being informed of this possibility as soon as it was discovered. You cannot adequately prepare yourselves for that which you know nothing about. Your lie is far too late for my people, even if I was inclined to agree with it. The best I can offer is that the Chept won't volunteer any information about the Prophecy. However, neither will we lie if asked about it. That part is not negotiable."

Selinia

2011-05-12, 05:19 PM

Ministry, But...

"...of course. I shall see to it personally that you are granted leeway to maneuver soldiers and commanders. The troops won't strictly be under your command, but they'll follow your orders, so long as they do not render us overly vulnerable as a nation. It would not do to focus so blindly on one threat, however great, only to be defeated by something far less dangerous due to inattention. As for this prophecy... it is enough." Lelouch gave a rather bitter grin. "A few well-placed words can turn truth into lies with remarkable ease. It is one thing to know that you are training to defeat a terrible and mighty foe. It is another to name that foe RageFae."

"Names hold power - far beyond the touch of magic they hold. Know this, Iounchept - the RageFae have bloodied your people. But to my own, and to humanity, they were destroyers. They sent our kin into a crashing decline from which we are only now beginning to recover. Had it not been for the actions of a few, humanity would likely have been driven to extinction, and we kami into a sleep from which we would never wake. It would be nigh-impossible for most to properly prepare for such a foe. The hate and fear are too deep, and too great."

"Let your people speak, if they will, but know that it will be one rumor among dozens of equal plausibility. When the time is right, we will tell them - once they are prepared and ready to stand strong, rather than simply charge off and return home in a body bag."

planswalker

2011-05-13, 10:02 PM

Selinia

2011-05-13, 11:52 PM

Iounchept - Your compromise is acceptable

"That... is close enough. Please have your 100 best battle-mages ready for training as soon as possible. I assume that one of them will be capable enough with magic to contact me when they're ready even without my help. If not, then my training is useless to them."

As abruptly as Iounchept appeared, he was gone.

New Government Army, Ranks and files

A hundred mages was no insignificant force, considering the support structure they generally accompanied. All forms of mage were generally mixed in with more mundane soldiers, as heavy support or utility squads. Even so they were assembled in roughly 24 hours (largely thanks to a series of red-tape-cutting executive orders from the Supreme Commander). Admittedly, they weren't exactly alone. There were closer to three hundred troops present - the New Government wasn't about to deploy such a large number of valuable assets without at least a token axillary force.

Of the hundred mages, most were simple Black Magi - wielding the complex man-portable generators that enabled them to hurl nigh-limitless (if rather strictly defined) amounts of explosive magic. A fair number were their support-oriented and shield-wielding white counterparts. Even in this elite gathering, fewer than twenty wore the elite robes of the versatile Reds or precise Blues.

Most of the accompanying force were just that - soldiers. Special forces, true, but still fairly ordinary grunts. A half-dozen skirmisher knightmares had been deployed, along with their engineers. But a handful of archmagi (all wearing the distinctive winged badge of Cloud Six) had been dispatched - as much to observe and report as anything. The whole force was stationed on a light destroyer, designed more for stealth and speed than firepower. This was a training exercise, after all, not a war.

Once everything was assembled, the captain of the vessel flipped a switch and hailed Iounchept with a beacon linked to him.

planswalker

2011-05-14, 12:19 AM

Iounchept - Weeding out the Good from the Many

Iounchept did not appear, instead, his voice was heard in everyone's minds. Okay, I want all of you here who don't know the difference between an echantment and an incantation to leave. Any of you who cannot actually cast such magic can leave as well. And you yokels who can only cast your few limited magics over and over are excused as well. Everyone else, please come forward. You mages on the ship, that means you too.

Selinia

2011-05-14, 12:33 AM

Military Intelligence

Somewhere, in the Ministry Tower, Lelouch was beating his head against a desk in a vain attempt to make the world a little less stupid via percussive maintenance. It didn't work.

But on board the ship, there was a great deal of confusion. They'd been instructed to follow this man's orders, but it seemed he might well be completely insane. Still, orders are orders. The Mages (more baffled than anyone else, seeing as how Iounchept had specifically requested them only to apparently ignore them) withdrew to the grounded ship. Assembled on the field were soon the assorted engineering crew of the ship, standing at attention.

With them were the handful of auxiliaries that met the Soz general's requirements. The Archmage academics, a small contingent of Shugenja medics (there were rather unfortunate limits to transmutation-based healing that rendered effective even amid an environment of mass-produced medical supplies), and a few Archivists on loan from Cloud Six. And a lone knightmare pilot who'd veered off the normal career track for a wizard when she discovered how much fun piloting twenty tons of Crysteel death could be.

planswalker

2011-05-14, 12:47 AM

Iounchept - Culture differences

Internally, Iounchept was sharing the aggravation that Lelouch was from the other end. Don't get him wrong, the black and white, as well as the color mages, had their use. But to truly master battle magics, one had to be able to prepare for anything. Something those magi had no clue about.

Okay, those of you who stepped forward, you have 24 hours to find me. I am on one of the five moons. Work together or not, as you see fit. Whoever can find me by that time will be considered worthy of the training I need to give you. All others, thank you for your time, but you won't be needed.

Selinia

2011-05-14, 01:33 AM

Moon rocks

There was some odd exchanging of glances at that. That was a... strange task, to say the least. After all, they were mostly builders and engineers - even if they did theoretically know a good number of divination and scrying spells, they didn't usually keep them prepared. As it was, they'd been equipped to support a training exercise, not partake in one. They'd almost all have to refresh their spells (many already were, plopping onto the ground and taking out tablets, scrolling through their digital spell-files). There was simply not enough time to re-train themselves for divination, then do so again to be able to handle whatever of the physics-defying moons they had to visit.

Still, they were equipped to deal with this at least. The Luminary was a scout-destroyer - its sensor suites were cutting-edge, and its scrying systems extraordinarily powerful and long-ranged. And most of those selected had been support crew, so this was what they'd have been doing anyway. After a short conference with their superiors (and some exasperated commiseration with comrades), they manned the scanners and set to tracing Iounchept's signal. It had to originate from somewhere, and magic cast over a distance that great needed major force behind it - magic like that left traces.

With any luck, they'd have a fairly precise idea of where he was within a few hours.

planswalker

2011-05-14, 01:37 AM

Iounchept - Hide and Seek

They located them in the moon of water, the one where all three states of water co-exist.

Smokin Red

2011-05-14, 07:25 AM

canjowolf

2011-05-14, 08:09 AM

Hespa - The Void

Hespa felt a barrier going up between herself and the tapestry that she had helped to weave. She liked looking at that tapestry and altering the threads of creation. This barrier would not stand before her. Drawing upon her divine might Hespa somersaulted into the realm of dreams.

Once in the realm of dreams Hespa danced past the site of the great meeting, where many of the dream beings had been called to hear Unelma's speech. Morphing into the form of a stag-antlered satyr Hespa strode up to the gate of the dream citadel and kicked it down. She then proceeded to travel towards the Tapestry of Creation.

Hespa: 29 AP - 5 (MR 7 bless to allow herself in to the citadel) - 1 (MR 5 bless) - 3 (MR5 curse) = 20 AP. 10 GP. Still has all artifact applications.

Hangar: 16 AP.

Selinia

2011-05-14, 11:05 PM

Iounchept's Trial, Beam me up

Well... it could have been worse. Many had been half-expecting the odd chept master to have secluded himself on the molten surface of OF. They'd still need protection from cold and the ability to survive underwater, but they wouldn't have to worry about being roasted alive. Destination in mind, they took the remainder of the evening to work out a plan and prepare their spells.

After a short rest, at roughly midnight, everything had been prepared. The mass transportation ritual had been prepared - it was something normally reserved for shipping, considering the difficulty of moving larger amounts of mass. As it was, the fact that they were otherwise traveling rather light gave them just enough spare weight capacity to drag along the pilot's Knightmare along with them. Despite some nervousness, the mass-casting went off without a hitch, moving them as close as they could approximate to Iounchept's location.

Lagren

2011-05-16, 10:44 AM

Ozoi, THOUGHTBUBBLE

It was just so intriguing.

So many things to do, so much to create, to build! Why did the gods even bother with the Material Plane?

It took Ozoi a very, very long time on his own plane to figure that out.

Even the most complicated game of solitaire has to come to an end eventually.

Lloyd's Lab

Lloyd is one hundred percent sure that that data disc wasn't there five minutes ago.

In Dreams

It was not moments after Saguro had left when Ozoi arrived outside the Citadel, drawn to the Tapestry he had helped to weave.

He was met by an empty world, all its gods left from it. No being reigned over the world of dreams, not anymore. Brother and sister both had left, abandoning their realm to the care of their creations.

It was a perfect opportunity.

And so Ozoi spoke out into the shadows of the dreaming:

"Does anyone dispute my claim to this realm, as ally and brother to the Dreamers?"

canjowolf

2011-05-16, 04:58 PM

Hespa - The Dreaming

In response to Ozoi's challenge a strange four armed, elk antlered satyr strides forth from the shattered gate of the citadel of dreams. It's front two arms are crossed over its chest while its rear two arms are busy at work manipulating the treads of the tapestry that it is wheeling behind it. To Ozoi this being says "Who are you to claim ownership of this domain wherein my children dwell?".

Across Creation

As Hespa manipulated the threads of creation the dreaming minds of the races of creation began to claim pieces of the dreaming as their own for the duration of their dreams, ensuring that the dreaming became personalized for them and protecting the creatures of the dreaming from accidentally slipping into a mortal's dreams. Realizing that this made the mortals more vulnerable to hostile entities while in the dream Hespa also wove into being a race of dream toads. To these toads she gave great charisma and the power to stun and control the minds of those they encountered. Over this new race she set a king, who would guide them and lead them in their duty to protect dreamers from hostile forces. Realizing that she had grown far beyond the confines of her original form, Hespa took a few strands from the tapestry and wove them into her own being, allowing her to empower her worshipers to better carry out her will.

Hespa: 20AP - 1 (create life: Hypno-Toads) - 1 (raise exarch: Bud - wisest of the hypno-toads) - 3 (gain domain: dreams - from these two actions and the three to shatter the door of the citadel of dreams) -3 (gain domain: plants - from ironwood trees, ironwood treants, sunflowers, repair the forests of the Old world after Magnus burned them, spread the N'Tan) -3 (gain domain: music - lead populace(music), create song mages, create chanters, use music to heal the damage caused by the parasite, gift the boggarts with musical talent) -3 (gain domain: creation - creating the strands, arcadia, and the root network) - 3 (gain domain: vermin - all those horrible things that Hespa tried to do to humanity with the locani and apocalypse beetles) - 3 (gain domain: gaining domains - the last five actions) = 0 AP. DR 8.

Hangar: 16 AP. DR4.

If my domains gains are not written out clearly enough let me know and I will go back through and try to put them in a more organized format.

Rainshine

2011-05-17, 05:12 AM

Returning Mteule

Despite everything that had happened, the miracles and all, nothing had changed. That was quite evident when the first returned, and would continue to be. So, as the returning numbers of Mteule grew, Liat put the plan into full action. The remaining members who kept to the "old ways" made their way to Tagwe, and then north. In amidst the rebuilding, there were great fires raised in celebration. It was at one of these that, one by one, those of the other ways made their way out into the shadows and the shade, and vanished, almost without a trace. Almost. While the storms scoured the skies and blotted out the light, there came a single beacon that burned through the sand, streaking across the sky, from south to north, and a screech that ripped at ears. And then it was gone, and Liat and the others as well. A set of caverns with a few spare chunks of ties and scraps of wood.

Mingora

Mingora's eyes flashed, and she turned out to face the crowd. She was no professional singer; she hadn't even been very good around a fire, all those years ago. This was no ordinary circumstance. Her mouth opened, and the words began to flow. The words made little in the the ways of sense to Louis, but they had a definite melody. THe words tangled and twisted, merging and flowing. The notes soared as the piano tinkled.
"Venshiklintashnisolphinarkalopsendarsiamsiezapnokm epqiocs...

Rushing wind and rushing sand,
Scouring every place that can be.

Behold, the death of man
From all as far as the eye can see

Sweeping blade, hungry sword
Claiming that which draws breath

Strength, more than can be afford
A strength that brings with it the promise of death

Three spires of stone stand tall

Two figures of light stand small

One figure of death stands...."

Her voice soared, scaling upwards. Had there been any glass around, it would not likely have been in a single piece any longer. Her eyes were spread wide, as were her arms, and there seemed to be wet drops on her cheeks as she stood in the spotlight.

AP 21 - 0 (Lead Populace: Aerial Transports, free from MA) = 21

Selinia

2011-05-17, 04:32 PM

Mingora

Mingora's eyes flashed, and she turned out to face the crowd. She was no professional singer; she hadn't even been very good around a fire, all those years ago. This was no ordinary circumstance. Her mouth opened, and the words began to flow. The words made little in the the ways of sense to Louis, but they had a definite melody. THe words tangled and twisted, merging and flowing. The notes soared as the piano tinkled.
"Venshiklintashnisolphinarkalopsendarsiamsiezapnokm epqiocs...

Rushing wind and rushing sand,
Scouring every place that can be.

Behold, the death of man
From all as far as the eye can see

Sweeping blade, hungry sword
Claiming that which draws breath

Strength, more than can be afford
A strength that brings with it the promise of death

Three spires of stone stand tall

Two figures of light stand small

One figure of death stands...."

Her voice soared, scaling upwards. Had there been any glass around, it would not likely have been in a single piece any longer. Her eyes were spread wide, as were her arms, and there seemed to be wet drops on her cheeks as she stood in the spotlight.

Mingora, Forte

"...yes, milady!" As the woman's voice rose, so too did the energy of the massive piano. The small demon-thing's hands flew across the keys, striking chords that should have been impossible for one possessing only ten fingers. The room seemed to rumble with the thunder of the notes resounding through the floor, echoing in complement to the lightning of Mingora's voice.

The shadows around the room, and in the vast auditorium, seemed to writhe and dance. As they peeled themselves from their resting places, walking into the light, it was unmistakable. It was beginning.

**************************************

Above the slumbering form of the mutated wielder of the Vorpal Sword, in the city outside her hiding place, the world was ending. The wrath of the River Dragon was filling the lungs and crashing through the streets of those who dwelt in the burning sands. Countless numbers died. Some few were swept up by the grace of their god, taken to a kinder place. But here, others were saved by a far more brutal intervention.

Forty-six heard Mingora's song. It was not... optimal... but there was precious little time to waste. The melody should have had time to spread to nearly ten times that number, but as it was, the fifty-odd bodies would have to do. Even that was a close call - Lewis wove a plea for help into his notes, beseeching the goddess who had created him to aid as she sometimes did. As luck would have it, Thoona answered.

Cracking beneath the city, the ground itself seemed to devour those chosen, taking them deep within itself. As the land above was set awash in briny water, these few vanished from the very face of Creation...

The Brinedark, Taken away

Water. Rushing water was the first sound they heard.

The group would awake to find several things. The first among them was that, while it seemed utterly dark, and there was no visible light source, they seemed to be able to see fine (if in rather oddly muted colors). The second was that they were not alone - it seemed all forty-six of them had been laid like loosely-packed sardines in some sort of underground cavern. There was enough space to stand, but it was still fairly crowded.

The third would likely be the nature of their companions - each and every one seemed to be female. It was an unfortunate necessity - there hadn't been time to fully extrapolate Mingora's song beyond those with the greatest similarity to her. All of them remembered hearing strange notes - promises of greatness. All of them remembered lending an ear, in the back of their dreams. Most of them were fairly young, with the hot blood and spirit to grasp for opportunity, but without the cool heads to cautiously observe first. The eldest among them was in her late thirties - a military officer, herself. The youngest couldn't have been more than nine or ten - simply following the oddly beautiful song in her dream.

The cave itself was rather unusual - the walls were moist with condensation, and covered in places with a sort of oddly soft and smooth moss. Bizarrely for a place beneath the earth, the air was incredibly (almost unbearably) hot and humid, to the point where it felt like breathing water at times. There were two exits - one seemed to slope gently downwards. From beyond that arch issued the sound of what could only be a river of considerable size and strength. On the floor of that path grew several clusters of puff-like flora or some sort, which was the only apparent inhabitant of the cave. The other was almost overlooked - it was much smaller, with an almost sheer slope descending a solid fifteen feet before appearing to level off into a passage.

Mingora, End of line

The room was empty. All the shadowy forms had either flow off of been snuffed out, leaving the audience empty. From behind, a dull clunk could be heard as Lewis put down the lid on the piano. "Hmm... no, that was too... close. We needed to be... quicker. Alas." Hopping off the bench, the little creature kicked one of the legs of the instrument. Implausibly, it somehow folded up and into the thing, setting off a baffling cascade of creasing that somehow left nothing at all behind.

"All that... wasted time. Blast. Still, you got... a few of them. A good few... is better than none. Still, I think it is time... you met Her." With a odd, wavy gesture, a simple wooden door seemed to spring into existence from absolutely nowhere. "Incidentally... your body is now buried under... several tones of rubble beneath the briny sea. I wouldn't... worry too much about it. Worst case, She will... likely be happy to give you a more... interesting one."

Lewis turns the door handle, swinging it back on hinges that it didn't actually have. And for the first time in this Room, Mingora actually felt the air move - like a humid breeze, wafting through the frame. The little red man swung his arm out, like an exaggeration of a butler. "I cannot... pass through, unless my charge does so. The Lady of the Hunt resides on the other side... of this portal. You will be... visiting her as soul-stuff. It is... safest. You have performed admirably. I am sure she will... wish to have words with you about what is to come... for your kind."

OOC: Actions!

Thoona AP: 4 + 7 (Rollover) - 5 (Create MR3 Land - the Brinedark) - 0 (MR1 Bless on the Forty-six; touched by the song; free from the Way of Purity) - 0 (Create Life - Brinedark ecology)

Final AP: 6
GP: 18/21

The Brinedark is a parallel to the Underdark, found exclusively in the bedrock beneath the Dead Sea. Unlike the frozen halls of the Underdark, the Brinedark is riddled with countless rushing rivers plummeting through the structure of the Disk, drawing water from the eternally-replenished Sea above them and eventually spewing it out into the abyss beneath Creation.

The tunnels are hot and humid (how this is preserved is anyone's guess - given the lack of magma deposits, its probably a biothermal reaction from some of the plants), and actually support quite an abundance of fungal, plant, and strange animal life like nothing else seen in Creation. While not necessarily hostile, some of it is quite dangerous - and all of it almost unmistakably alien. Some have actually taken to thriving in the brackish and fast-flowing underground rivers, but most life is in the twisting side-passages and caverns around them.

The Brinedark occasionally intersects with the older Frozen Underdark. Where it does, the mixing climates flood the halls on either side for miles with a crystalline freezing mist. Thoona's children have a special ire for Hal's minions, however, with the reverse also holding true - anything moving from one section of caves to the other should expect to be attacked on sight.

Those forty-six who heard Mingora's Song have been brushed with the power of the Sword - though it does not truly reside in them as it does her, and its sphere of influence was purely physical. They now have darkvision, though they might not yet realize it. There may be other gifts bestowed on some or all of them, but they are not yet apparent...

planswalker

2011-05-17, 09:30 PM

Th Dreaming - The Citadel Below - Saguro

Saguro had been sitting on his throne, meditating for quite a while. Now, finally he had made a decision. He wasn't needed anymore, at least not for the foreseeable future.
The other deities were more than capable of spreading fear, and hence nightmares throughout the mortal minds. Frankly, he had nothing to do. The Dreaming was working as well as could be expected. Even his sister seemed to have disappeared.
He was tired. And so he called on to his most loyal servants, and only a thought later, Maguro and The Bogeyman appeared next to him.
He took of his robe, giving it to The Bogeyman, saying:"I will take my leave and I don't know when, or even if I will be back. I trust you with the defense of The Dreaming . Keep it safe for the time when Unelma or me, or another deity of dreams has need of it."and to Maguro he spoke, "You are a part of me, and if I leave you can't stay, at least not in this form."
And without further delay he changed Maguro into a opaque sword, handing it over to the exarch of nightmares. "With this robe and the sword Maguro you will be recognized as my governor. But don't stand in the way of my sister or Sozuchishould they decide to return."The Bogeyman nodded and took his leave, there was no need for words between the servant and his master.

Saguro then closed down the Citadel of Dreams, and sealed it, before disappearing in dreams himself, he was now a part of his realm, not really aware anymore but neither dead.

Last Actions:
AP: 21 -11 Create +5-Battle Artifact The Sword Maguro
AP: 10 -10 MR 7 Bless, MR 5 and MR 7 Curse, The Citadel of Dreams is closed and sealed, intruders will have to overcome those, to get in, exception are deities with the dream domain, and The Bogeyman

Okay, I hope that's okay for you all, Sozuchi as the last active deity of dreams, you are in command, I hope I made it clear in the fluff, that you and Unelma can freely use everything I left

Sozuchi - Not again!

Sozuchi sensed that something in the dream world changed. Something once again fundamental. He thought to himself.

Not again.

Once more, the god of dreams slumbered. Perhaps it's time to help push things along. Dreaming was fun, and thus should his realm remain.

Sozuchi now undertook to do something he had rarely ever done in the past: He directly taught the mortals something.

The first thing he did was allow those who walked the Dreaming to be aware of a large prize in the highest room of the tallest tower. What that prize is, none knows for sure, but Sozuchi swore an oath that whatever it is, it would be a great boon to its owner should one claim it.

He then set up minions to aid the Boogeyman in protecting it.

The Boog'Chept are ghastly dream guardians who cleverly conspire together to destroy intruders. They directly serve the Boogeyman.

The Dream Dragons hold great lore on the workings of dreams, although convincing one to share such knowledge with you is as dangerous as it is advantageous.

Finally, the Nightmare Vestiges were the dark hounds of the Boogeyman who destroyed the minds of any foolish dreamwalker who entered their lairs unprepared.

Sozuchi ap: 8=0+14+1bap(impulsive)-1bap(teach population: Dreamwalers have a "holy grail" quest. Anyone who has knowledge of how to walk the Dreaming qualifies. This is lore quickly spread to new initiates of the Dreaming.)-0(bless: mr4: dreamwalkers may attempt to enter the citadel to seek the treasure, if they dare...)-0(curse, mr3: however, such a taks is far from easy. And then there's the Boogeyman to deal with.)-3(3xcreate life: Boog'Chept, Dream Dragons, and Nightmare Vestiges)-3(gain domain: Quest)

I just did 6 actions related towards the Dream Quest.

gp: I guess it doesn't matter anymore. we're not gonna get another 3 weeks of ap. thus, I will stop counting.

please, no one go and "beat" this quest. It's supposed to be left up there as a plot hook.

Iounchept's Trial, Beam me up

Well... it could have been worse. Many had been half-expecting the odd chept master to have secluded himself on the molten surface of OF. They'd still need protection from cold and the ability to survive underwater, but they wouldn't have to worry about being roasted alive. Destination in mind, they took the remainder of the evening to work out a plan and prepare their spells.

After a short rest, at roughly midnight, everything had been prepared. The mass transportation ritual had been prepared - it was something normally reserved for shipping, considering the difficulty of moving larger amounts of mass. As it was, the fact that they were otherwise traveling rather light gave them just enough spare weight capacity to drag along the pilot's Knightmare along with them. Despite some nervousness, the mass-casting went off without a hitch, moving them as close as they could approximate to Iounchept's location.

Iounchept - Let's Get Down to Business...

A great dragon composed of pure water greeted them. "Congratulations, mages, you have passed the entrance exam. Oh, and those of you who hadn't prepared for heat, be very careful to steer clear of the superheated stem pockets. They'll cook your flesh in seconds. Now then..."

The form of water wiggles, breaks apart, and splashes everywhere. The premiere Soz'Chept mage now stood before them, surrounded in the steam which covered the pocket of ice they stood on. Oddly enough, the super-heated steam did not seem to be melting the frigid ice beneath them. They could observe on other such areas that a large layer of water quickly built up as a buffer.

"Now then, how much did your governments actually tell you about this "training exercise"?"

Returning Mteule

Despite everything that had happened, the miracles and all, nothing had changed. That was quite evident when the first returned, and would continue to be. So, as the returning numbers of Mteule grew, Liat put the plan into full action. The remaining members who kept to the "old ways" made their way to Tagwe, and then north. In amidst the rebuilding, there were great fires raised in celebration. It was at one of these that, one by one, those of the other ways made their way out into the shadows and the shade, and vanished, almost without a trace. Almost. While the storms scoured the skies and blotted out the light, there came a single beacon that burned through the sand, streaking across the sky, from south to north, and a screech that ripped at ears. And then it was gone, and Liat and the others as well. A set of caverns with a few spare chunks of ties and scraps of wood.

Mingora

Mingora's eyes flashed, and she turned out to face the crowd. She was no professional singer; she hadn't even been very good around a fire, all those years ago. This was no ordinary circumstance. Her mouth opened, and the words began to flow. The words made little in the the ways of sense to Louis, but they had a definite melody. THe words tangled and twisted, merging and flowing. The notes soared as the piano tinkled.
"Venshiklintashnisolphinarkalopsendarsiamsiezapnokm epqiocs...

Rushing wind and rushing sand,
Scouring every place that can be.

Behold, the death of man
From all as far as the eye can see

Sweeping blade, hungry sword
Claiming that which draws breath

Strength, more than can be afford
A strength that brings with it the promise of death

Three spires of stone stand tall

Two figures of light stand small

One figure of death stands...."

Her voice soared, scaling upwards. Had there been any glass around, it would not likely have been in a single piece any longer. Her eyes were spread wide, as were her arms, and there seemed to be wet drops on her cheeks as she stood in the spotlight.

AP 21 - 0 (Lead Populace: Aerial Transports, free from MA) = 21

Mteule - What Desert is that exactly?

Whatever it was that hadn't changed, Akhat and the Mteule were gravely mistaken if they thought that the land hadn't. Where once the great desert was, now was only a large, briny sea of frigid temperatures. Unless Akhat will be re-teaching his followers how to observe the "old ways" from airships, he'd better re-form the land.

well, rainshine, don't like my snarky comment? then don't ignore the parts of my posts that are inconvenient to you. I'm completely cool with you spending the ap to undo the salt sea and re-create your desert, but you'd damn better well spend the ap and rp the rebuilding.

if you do so, I'll make the comment above disappear, but I refuse to let you get away with just ignoring my actions that have a direct impact on your character. funny thing, you read my post well enough to catch the 5 mr5 curses. Did you somehow miss the alter land before that?

Lagren

2011-05-17, 10:08 PM

Selinia

2011-05-17, 10:28 PM

Iounchept - Let's Get Down to Business...

A great dragon composed of pure water greeted them. "Congratulations, mages, you have passed the entrance exam. Oh, and those of you who hadn't prepared for heat, be very careful to steer clear of the superheated stem pockets. They'll cook your flesh in seconds. Now then..."

The form of water wiggles, breaks apart, and splashes everywhere. The premiere Soz'Chept mage now stood before them, surrounded in the steam which covered the pocket of ice they stood on. Oddly enough, the super-heated steam did not seem to be melting the frigid ice beneath them. They could observe on other such areas that a large layer of water quickly built up as a buffer.

"Now then, how much did your governments actually tell you about this "training exercise"?"

...to defeat the RageFae...

Lady Flandere, knightmare pilot (though not strictly Knights by title any longer, there was still a certain prestige about the elite warriors) was the highest ranked among the (admittedly, not terribly high ranking) collection. Speaking from the cockpit of her armored unit as the others formed up around her and began assessing the possible necessity for defensive enchantments, she addressed Iounchept.

"Well, lemme see... we're training for a potential Class-X threat - that's to say, something that could potentially kill us all. Rumor has it that the Tin Tyrant has something to do with it, but stuff like this is way above my clearance. The captain of our ship probably knows. Or the spooks." The machine gave a glance at one of the Cloud Six archmagi.

"I am continually astounded by the degree to which you people overestimate the information given to field agents." The robed figure shrugged. "We're just here to collect as much information as we can."

planswalker

2011-05-17, 10:33 PM

...to defeat the RageFae...

Lady Flandere, knightmare pilot (though not strictly Knights by title any longer, there was still a certain prestige about the elite warriors) was the highest ranked among the (admittedly, not terribly high ranking) collection. Speaking from the cockpit of her armored unit as the others formed up around her and began assessing the possible necessity for defensive enchantments, she addressed Iounchept.

"Well, lemme see... we're training for a potential Class-X threat - that's to say, something that could potentially kill us all. Rumor has it that the Tin Tyrant has something to do with it, but stuff like this is way above my clearance. The captain of our ship probably knows. Or the spooks." The machine gave a glance at one of the Cloud Six archmagi.

"I am continually astounded by the degree to which you people overestimate the information given to field agents." The robed figure shrugged. "We're just here to collect as much information as we can."

Iounchept - .... Did they give me warriors...

Iounchept stared at each of them in turn, taking an inordinate time to do so. None of the understood why they were here. None.

"I take it your government has decided "don't scare the populace" includes the supposed mages whom I am to train. Well, first thing's first: why are we here? We're here to learn how to defend against a RageFae, of which an apocalypse starring them is just around the corner."

Selinia

2011-05-17, 10:45 PM

...when he asked for mages?...

"RageFae? The Stormlords?" There was some muttering among the group. Some of it anxious, some of it incredulous. But they'd been given orders to take this individual as trustworthy, so they had to assume that he was telling the truth. Or at least, for the purpose of the exercise at least. The idea of defending against the ancient enemy of Humanity was a rather appealing one, to say the least, in any case.

Even a tiefling like Flandere could appreciate the importance of the this kind of threat. "Well, sir, I suppose that indicates that they can be defended against, right? So that's better news than it could be. The ASC is always saying that every layer of defense we get makes our stay in the world a little safer. So I suppose... when do we start? Um, and," A pause, as she glanced over her spell files, displayed on a cockpit screen. "Most of us are prepped to get here and get home, and not much else. Not easy to reach a moon. So there is that."

planswalker

2011-05-17, 10:54 PM

Iounchept - ...You're the Saddest Bunch I've Ever Met...

"Indeed they can be. Killing, though, is thus far not been shown to be possible except by a god. However, I have a theory that if they can be abated long enough..."

Iounchept realized that he'd begun ranting. Then it struck him what the apparent leader had just said.

"I take it then that the vast majority of you are incapable of traveling to the Dragon Tail Ring so as to be able to enter the Riverways? Very well. I shall open a gate to the Ring. Once there, ready yourselves to be able to breathe water for a long time. When you're ready, all of you that want to train, touch the surface of the membrane of the Ring at the exact same time. If it takes you a day to prepare, take that day. You'll need it. Once you all are through, I'll follow and come collect you all together. In case some of you are ignorant, the Riverways' time is ten-thousand times faster than this world's. I highly recommend that none of you enter even a fraction of a second behind the others. Doing so will have you swept far away from them. You don't want to accidentally find yourself alone in the midst of the Greatest Horrors."

Selinia

2011-05-17, 11:07 PM

...but you can bet before they're through...

"Easy." That was all she said.

The mages took the day they needed - but precision and mass replication was what they did best. It was a fairly simple thing to weave together a spell-web that would allow them to be treated as a single collective subject for planeshifting magic - such was used on a fairly regular basis to move things to and from Kamigawa. Once they were synched together, the lead enchanter (one of the C6 operatives, as it happened, had some experience with this sort of thing) clenched the watery membrane, yanking the entire group through the twisting planar maelstrom...

planswalker

2011-05-17, 11:28 PM

Iounchept - ... Mister I'll Make a Mage, Out of You!

They went through, and found themselves surrounded by a maelstrom of fish. Small fish that seem to vary through the entire rainbow. Each hears a different voice in their heads saying some version of "HI!"

About an hour later, Iounchept appeared and shooed off the rather friendly fish.

"Don't mind the Rainbow Trout. These are the ones who didn't get altered into Trout'Chept. Now then, let's start the lessons by having you teach me. Can anyone tell me what a RageFae is?"

Chept - Water World and Beyond

Gnomish medicine. Chept magic. Myconid polituces. Now human magiscience.

All four comingled in Chept society by now. A whole new breed of magic emerged from this chaotic mess. The Medimagicshamanscientists. Meditists for short. They were of the opinion that "If it works, steal it from them and use it as your own. Change it up enough that their lawsuit for stolen ideas dies in court. Oh, and mix in a bit of that and this to boost the effectiveness.

The occasional incompatible mixes of technology and herbal medicine were downplayed. The funerals were very solemn and honoring affairs.

Gaternate the half-Croc-half-gnome turned out to be the most gifted.

ap: 0=8-1(create class: Medimagicshamanscientists)-2(create organization: The Ultimate Healers, prc: High Healer)-1(lead populace: Chept have great healing knowledge that mixes and matches from the societies they interact with.)-1(create race: Gnome-Croc'Chept hybrids. Who are particularly gifted with healing magic, medicine, and herbal remedies. And love mixing them)-3(gain domain: Healing)

using mythic to raise Gaternate as the headmaster of the organization.

the five actions listed above besides the domainacquisition are the ones that qualify me for it.

Selinia

2011-05-17, 11:45 PM

...tranquil as a forest...

It was the apparently lead C6 agent who answered this time. "To the best of our research, they are identical to the Kappa in terms of actual prowess. They were brought into existence when a number of serpents native to the Riverways flew into a blind rage at the destruction of the event now known as the Burning, and are filled with a powerful and irrational hatred for all things. However, we have been unable to properly research one in person - such would be extraordinarily dangerous, even if we somehow captured one. Like all Subjective Reality Entities, their greatest strength is that the universe essentially bends to their whims - opposing attacks are nullified, while their own given disproportionate power. And that is the least of their possible tricks."

"Their only known weakness at this time is using a massive dose of Spiral power to act as a nullification to their own powers, then beating them down in a physical fight. However, this has been deemed largely impractical, as there are only a minuscule fraction of people capable of generating such a massive surge on their own - a battleship's Super-Spiral reactor could likely do the job as well, but devoting an entire ship to nullifying a single enemy combatant at a time is hardly a plausible logistical feat."

The robed man salutes. "That is everything I have access to, in any case. My superiors have certain files that likely contain more specific information, but they are above my clearance."

planswalker

2011-05-17, 11:56 PM

Iounchept - .... Bonfire Within...

"Well, that's a damn sight more than I expected.

You have some holes in your information. In fact, the RageFae come from the Faeri, the River Serpents most closely tied with the Chept. And the RageFae are cunning in their fury."

Iounchept's mood darkens at the mention of the Serpent who had sacrificed himself. "Forscythe died, true. But do not think that the tactics which can kill one lone serpent who is seeking to end his own life to save another's is identical to one who cares not at all how many thousands die to get to their target.

However, such is irrelevant. Your next step is going to be to find and contact a RageFae. One lies dormant nearby, trapped in a prison of their siblings' design. One that holds it at bay for now."

Iounchept leads them to a massive red crystal floating along in a darker, yet warmer, part of the currents. Fury and hatred can be felt coming from it even at a distance.

Selinia

2011-05-18, 12:15 AM

...once you find your center...

The agent nodded, folding his hands in his cloak as he drifted into formation with the others. Flandere's skirmisher (which, like most modern skirmisher Knightmares, was fully airtight and capable of extreme high-altitude combat, and had little trouble moving in the water with its thrust pack) held point, with the combat-trained battle engineers taking the rim and those of lesser physical aptitude taking cover further in the ranks.

Upon reaching the ominous crystal, the leader called a halt and thought for a moment. "Hmmm..."

"Perhaps we should encircle it before closing in, so we can weave an abjuration to fall back behind?" One of the ships engineers volunteered the suggestion.

"No... no, I think we're pretty much screwed if this comes to a fight. keep tight formation, everyone get mass traslocations on the tip of your tongues. If this goes foul, we run." She wasn't sure it was the right call - command was nerve-wracking, and she'd never really expected to not have her chain of superiors above her. "Now, the question is, how to contact it... well, might as well try the obvious."

Flipping a switch in her cockpit, she opened a new channel, simultaneously reporting the action to the personal handsets of the entire group. She sent out an experimental message. "This is NGA temporary unit 001. Entity identified as RageFae, do you read us?" She left the comm open - if the creature on the other end was a caster, it should be able to address them from here... it would be better than having to get close to that thing.

Rainshine

2011-05-18, 02:38 AM

Great Desert

In spite of the violence and magics thrown against it, the desert rose again, resilient and fierce as its inhabitants. While the rebuilding efforts continued, the Mteule took efforts to prevent any such from befalling them again. They didn't know exactly what happened -- they remembered the waters coming and washing away so much... and that was all. Nonetheless, they did not mean to be so defenseless again. They implemented a variety of measures, everything from emergency flooding areas to specially designed organics that would allow them to survive, theoretically, underwater. With the aid of their knowledge of desert resources, and the vast collections of samples, they soon began growing thousands of their engineered creatures to serve them; as food, as fighters, and minds.

With the older traditionalists gone or missing, there was nothing to stop the walk of progress. The holds being rebuilt were being reinforced and seeded, made more in line with homes and dwellings than temporary shelters. The face of the desert was changing.

Pit of Sand

So what had happened to Liat and the others? It was a strange and bright day on the inner cliffs of the pit, when the rocs with their baskets set down. The people piled gratefully out, and looked at the land that they had only heard tell of. Untouched, unbothered, unchanged, unblemished. Perhaps here, they would finally be able to overcome the final hurdle, between themselves, and perfection.

AP 21 - 9 (SR 5 Shape Land, reforming the destroyed part of the desert) - 0 (Lead Populace: Emergency Drainage, free from MA) - 0 (Lead Populace: Breathing creatures, free from Leader) = 12
GP 14/39

Selinia

2011-05-18, 10:28 AM

Mercy

Sozuchi cold be... a cruel god, at times. Though the Amatsukami understood his rage, that he had slaughtered so many innocents in his wrath was too closely reminiscent of that time of horror, so long ago. So when the Brine washed away, the wreckage of the Dead Sea was gifted with the mercy of the elements. However removed they had become, some part of these people of the sand was still human - and the spirits did not forget their kin.

By the Mercy of Stone, those lost in the desert would feel no sting of sand. The dunes seemed to march to clear paths for travelers to their destination, rather than hinder them. Always deep caves provided shelter, and the winding ways of the sands would guide even the most misdirected back on track.

By the Mercy of Air, the relentless heat was felt damped at its most fierce. Against all prior phenomena, thick gray clouds often rolled across the sky when the sun was particularly fierce, offering cooling shade to the lands below. In some cases, they would even sink to the ground itself, filling streets or sands with an oddly invigorating mist.

By the Mercy of Water, the very gates to the Riverways that had nearly destroyed the desert dwellers were calmed and purified. A handful were kept open by the will of vigilant water kami, pouring water - cool, clean, pure water - out in great fountains high above the ground. These Spirit Springs - half a dozen, all told - formed great freshwater lakes beneath them. These lakes in turn drained into the Brinedark, sending clean water where once had been nothing but unlivable salted slime.

And by the Mercy of Fire, some few among the Mteule received whispers of knowledge - the knowledge of these gifts, and how to call on the kindness, rather than the cruelty, of the elements.

OOC: Actions!

Teikoku AP: 23 + 13 (Rollover) - 0 (MR4 Bless - the Mercy of Air; free from the Spiral of Creation) - 1 (MR4 Bless - the Mercy of Earth) - 1 (MR4 Bless - The Mercy of Water) - (SR1 Shape Land - The six Spirit Springs) - 0 (Create Class - Voice of Mercy) - 3 (Gain Domain - Mercy, prior five actions)

Final AP: 31
GP: 29/39

The mercies of Air and Earth collectively make the desert the most benevolent death-wasteland ever. Yes, its still dangerous - but the land is actually actively trying to help you in subtle ways. Given various countless small boons, it is now roughly as easy to survive in the desert wilds as it would be to survive in, say, a temperate wilderness. So walking out unprepared is still a horrible idea, but if you're ready, you should be safe.

Unless you're hunting sand dragons or something nuts like that - the paths of the desert will generally try to steer you away from them, but if you are actually looking for danger, its your funeral....

The Voice of Mercy is a buffer/healer/debuffer - their spellcasting is quite potent, but they essentially have the Vow of Nonviolence as a class feature (which makes a paladin's code look like a walk in the park). They also have to renounce affiliation and heal anyone indiscriminately (with the exception of people who are actively threatening them).

planswalker

2011-05-18, 10:56 AM

Selinia

2011-05-18, 11:04 AM

...you're a spineless pale, pathetic lot...

"Interesting choice of words. Well, RageFae, maybe its the other way around this time. Have you seen the world recently? How much do you know about the outside of your cage? We know about you. We're gonna beat you, this time." The knightmare crossed its arms. "For a ageless being beyond time and space, that's a pretty petty little threat. We can totally do those too."

It wasn't that the creature wasn't terrifying. But Flandere wasn't about to back down from simple ranting.

planswalker

2011-05-18, 11:11 AM

But You Can Bet Before We're Through

The only response was to have a blinding pain stab through his head. If it were not for the other mages around him to quickly pull him out of it, it felt as if his mind was about to be torn from his body.

The creature then sent its thoughts out to meet his. Do not dare to call me impotent because I am caged. For those foolish enough to venture near the cage, my full fury can be felt. In this cage I am neither blind nor deaf. Only... restrained. It then proceeds to show him a dizzying array of images, flashing one after another. Nia is put to sleep by Teikoku. Teikoku dies. Soren sits in a chair. A C6 research facility's test is finished. An odd gnome in a golden helmet is speaking with Iounchept. A female Eag'Chept rides a great winged serpent. A being of terror and ice stalks the mists. The Forsaken remnant scrape out a living on their new home.

These and a thousand others go tearing through his mind.

Selinia

2011-05-18, 11:26 AM

...somehow they'll, make a mage, out of you...

"Wards!" Gasping, physically hurting from the mental blast, Flandere slammed the emergency warding switch in her cockpit, shutting down all the knightmare's systems to funnel every last ounce of power into a potent abjuration system. It was designed to prevent cunning foes from trying to mind-control knightmare pilots to try and seize the potent weapons as their own, but it served moderately well against this as well. At least, enough to bring the vivid barrage down to a dull burning - she knew she was lucky it was caged.

Taking the signal, the entire group swiftly fell back. Someone muttered something about how he'd said they should have put wards up first, but there was a strong pall of nervousness over the whole group. But still, they'd stood up to it - even if they'd run off afterward. No sense staying in the line of fire of a foe they couldn't retaliate against.

canjowolf

2011-05-18, 05:04 PM

Hespa - The Dreaming

Hespa's face temporarily emerges from the side of the satyr being and winks at Ozoi before retreating back into the fur. The four armed satyr then says "Excellent. In that case perhaps you would be willing to share this realm with me and aid me in defending it. What say you Ozoi-in-the-Dreaming?".

Meanwhile the rear two arms continue to alter the tapestry of creation. To the satyr race is given the ability to forgo breathing, yet be able to sing without breath, that they might spread the gift of music to a wider variety of alien landscapes.

The Boggarts - The B.I.?

All across the B.I. the members of the New Government would awaken to find that their left shoes had been stolen in the night. Who would commit such a foul deed, and why? To what diabolical ends would these (left) shoes be placed?

Erstern - The Nameless Flying Disc

The trydanae had come a long way since that first sermon on the red plains. First their people had spread across the disc, founding cities and forming a theocracy based on Erstern's teachings that one could do and become anything if they were willing to work hard enough for it.

With the spread of empire and the rise of civilization came a host of technological advancements. First came the ability to arc lightning a great distance through the air, which was mainly used for inter-city communications purposes. This was soon refined by entrapping the energy of lightning in tubes and wires, reducing energy loss due to travel distance. Then arose the factories of Oleg the Lightbringer, who had discovered a way to trap light for a variety of purposes. One of the first uses this light was put to was the creation of a communications network across the disc, in which coded pulses of light were used to send messages as coded pulses of electricity had done before. Soon entrapped light was being used for all kinds of applications, from mining lasers to swords of light.

All of this production never would have been possible however, without the contributions of Sven Steelwringer and Jarl Ettin the Nurotic who jointly developed the concept and methodologies of creating interchangeable parts, which had the side effect of allowing the reuse of outdated castoff body parts by the less fortunate trydanae.

With the development of laser technology the mining of adamantine was finally possible, with Estern being the first to use a mining laser to carve into the side of the black mountain, fulfilling his earliest vow of conquest. Rapid development and infiltration into the mountain eventually revealed a central node from which a skilled energy user could steer the entire disc. This discovery sparked the imagination of the trydanae people, who finally had a reasonable way to contact the other races that had passed beneath them without fear of being left behind and cut off from civilization when the disc drifted on. As a people the trydanae rapidly developed technology to allow them to inspect the world around them and send out repetitive radio and microwave signals to try and contact any intelligent life that might exist on the stone discs. Many trydanae scholars postulated that the shards did not possesses enough metal density to support intelligent life, but Ersterns sermons of the purpose of the trydanae people and their racial curiosity pushed them onward. Their first stop was a trip to the closest fragment, which had also suffered from several recent radical ecological changes. The great disc hovered over the new desert and an exploratory team led by Hoss Skysurfer flew over the disc in search of intelligent life.

Summery: The trydanae develop lots of tech, a few heroes, and move the disc to the new desert, which they explore with hoverdiscs. They also try to contact other life with radio and microwave signals.

Hangar - Shogar

Meanwhile Hangar continued to try to repair the orks, which seemed to be the most broken element of the world remaining that he new how to fix. He looked through his mirror until he found the largest remaining body of war and incited them to an internal struggle that left many orks dead.

He also noticed that the trydanae had used up many of their best metal deposits and imbued the disc to be self healing, regenerating the metals that had been mined out of it.

Hespa: free MR4 bless on the satyr (no need to breathe), free MR4 curse on members of the New Government - loss of their left shoes.

Hangar: free lead populace (scanning equipment), free bless (regrowing metal deposits), free curse on the orcs (-1 to population due to earlier curse)

-1 (lead populace: interchangeable parts) -1 (lead populace: lightning guns) -1(lead populace: lasers) -1 (lead populace: light sabres) -1 (lead populace: teh Internetz) -1(raise hero: teh Internetz) -1 (lead populace: mineral agriculture) -1 (lead populace: advanced energy physics) - 3 (gain domain: trydanae) -4 (raise 4 more heroes to lead the trydanae [Oleg Lightbringer, Sven Steelwringer, Jarl Ettin the Neurotic, Hoss Skysurfer) -1 (create society: The Trydanae Theocracy)= 0 AP. DR 5.

planswalker

2011-05-18, 07:40 PM

Selinia

2011-05-18, 10:19 PM

...I'm never gonna catch my breath...

One of the engineers quietly snarked in response to the Soz'Chept. "That your wardings are woefully insufficient to properly contain those things?"

As Flandere's knightmare rebooted, a C6 agent thoughtfully waved a hand to quiet the individual. "Inappropriate. However, he does have a point - the mere fact that it is imprisoned at all raises a question. Why have they not been obliterated? From what very little we have gleaned from the kappa, a one-on-one duel could strain a Fae to the point of entering the Rage. But... if they can be imprisoned like this, why do the River Serpents not band together and hunt them down? Surly, if they truly match them, then a few dozen of the river dragons could systematically trap and erase them one by one without over-straining themselves? A battle that would be difficult for a lone soldier becomes a cakewalk for an entire squad, and a mere blip on the radar of a larger force. I would assume there is a reason they have not done so, but I can't seem to figure it out."

Lights flickering on on the sensors of her mech, the commander of the small group spoke up. "There's that, but we also learned that they're capable of drawing information from the outside. I didn't recognize all those images, so they weren't just yanking them from our minds as a bluff - they can see out of those prisons, or have someone helping them to do so. So they're ready for us too, in other words." The machine pivoted in the water to face Iounchept. "Is that right?"

planswalker

2011-05-18, 10:36 PM

Iounchept - Say Goodbye to those who knew me

"Indeed, such is with the River Serpents' power. However, they are their brothers and sisters. One does not lightly kill your siblings systematically. Doing so would potentially destroy them and turn them into beings of despair even more terrible than the RageFae. It is hoped that a way can be found to break the RageFae from their condition, for their power is now self-feeding the rage. They are insane, but at times a moment of lucidity is present. At those times, the RageFae are almost their old selves. Furthermore, they cannot be completely prevented from reaching beyond their cages, true. If you try to bottle them up as such, they will eventually amass the power to break from their prison. Hence why their rage radiates around them. This helps to stabilize their spikes in power to prevent them from escaping. They cannot, however, physically effect things beyond their prisons. Only in the realm of thought can their powers be felt. They can wound, but killing is denied them. I am disturbed to know that something on the surface is feeding them information. That is troubling, for they also know of the Prophecy."

Selinia

2011-05-18, 11:01 PM

...Boy was I a fool in school for cutting Temple...

"I... see." There was a note of... something, in the C6 archmage's tone. "Family is important. Holding out hope for the lost is natural. I only hope that such idealism does not lead to a dark end."

"The thing mentioned a Big Brother." Flandere spoke again, this time sounding rather confused. "But... isn't Sozuchi their Big Brother? I didn't attend many theology classes, but I thought that the Raging Death that partook of the Burning was just a sort of... extension of the River Dragon. Why would the Lord of Rivers want to hurt us again? He openly supported the founders, didn't he? I'd always figured he was as much on our side as any of the gods were."

Knowledge is Power

This is common knowledge. There are many forms of knowledge. Many ways of preserving it. Many ways of retrieving it. The studies of the humans, paired with modern technology, touched upon nearly all of them.

It was a testament to the wisdom of the New Government that they grasped the importance of this as they rebuilt. Education was the means by which technology was allowed to progress and grown in complexity. Taking and building upon the old systems of Teppelin lost, new institutions of learning were devised - casting aside elements that had held them back, and embracing new technology such as the ubiquitous Ethergrid.

OOC: Actions!~

Teikoku AP: 31 - 3 (Create Mortal Artifact - the Ethergrid) - 0 (Teach Populace - Elementary Education; free from Lakire) - 0 (Teach Populace - Archiving - Free from Ethergrid) - 1 (Teach Populace - Intermediate Education) - 1 (Teach Populace - Higher Education) - 1 (Teach Populace - Masters Education) - 3 (Gain Domain - Learning) - 1 (Teach Populace - Arcane Information Manipulation)

Final AP: 22
GP:39/39, DR up to 11!

The Ethergrid is a mind-bogglingly vast collective of information, able to be accessed by most modern magicomputing devices. One can find almost anything on it, from simple entertainment to vast archives of information on any topic imaginable.

Archiving. Knowledge isn't lost in the New Government - its bottled up, labeled, and stuck on a grid-address for easy access. Because of the decentralized nature of the Ethergrid, simultaneously sustained by hundreds of small hubs and dozens of major ones, it is almost impossible to actually destroy information that has 'hit the grid', even if you catch it early. Because of the Grid and its resources, many knowledge checks made by someone with access to the grid may be considered an automatic success, given sufficient time (at the discretion of the DM - finding out what color dress Nia wore to the celebration of the tenth year of new Government independence is an utterly trivial piece of information, but would probably take minutes at most to find, while a check about a little-used but practical spell might take hours of research).

planswalker

2011-05-18, 11:28 PM

Iounchept - This guy's got 'em scared to death

"Sozuchi is their big brother. However, you misunderstand if you think the threat they pose is against you specifically. Their goal is actually total global destruction. Their rage has reached a point that it will destroy even those precious to them to try to satiate them. Sozuchi would regret the actions afterwords, but in the heat of the moment when the Prophecy is fulfilled, I have a theory that Daddy will lose control."

Selinia

2011-05-18, 11:35 PM

...Hope he doesn't see right through me...

That was... discouraging. Still. "That means we're all in this together then, so I suppose there's that at least." The mech whirred to life, raising a crysteel fist in the water. "Still, you called us here for just that reason, right? Is there some secret technique or weapon for combating these things or something? Or are we just going to try stuff and see what sticks?"

planswalker

2011-05-18, 11:46 PM

Iounchept - Now I really wish that I knew how to swim!

"Indeed, now, go train."

Suddenly, the Riverways stop blithely ignoring the presence of the New Government mages. Though they stayed together, they were now being swept away by the currents. It took immensely powerful magic to move any direction other than the flow of the river.

They'll eventually figure out that this is the normal state that the plane exhibits to those not native to it. Iounchept appears among them often as they struggle to overcome the currents and go where they wish. And then came training against the caged RageFae, whom Iounchept was willing to point them in the general direction of, but it was up to them to overcome the difficulties of the plane to reach it.

their training was grueling indeed.

Selinia

2011-05-19, 12:05 AM

...Be a mage! They must be swift as a coursing river!...

The people of the New Government were great practitioners of magic, but they were also rather focused. Many more flashy effects had been relegated to machines - the schools often referred to as Evocation, Necromancy, and Conjuration rarely saw any use at all outside a factory, and were rarely covered by any but the most specialized classes.

But in the fields of Enchantment, Abjuration, Illusion, and Divination, they had no peer. Such was quite apparent from the manner in which they tackled obstacles. A wizard was laughably useless in a stand-up fight compared to a black mage or even a soldier with a high-power rifle - let alone a knightmare frame. But they could ensure that no fight was ever fought on conditions outside their control. Magic-users were the smoke and mirrors hiding the devastating punch, not the punch itself.

Often, they would take days to prepare for a single task, infusing countless layers of protection into their own forces and picking their targets apart down the the finest detail with divination before making even the slightest move against it.

But the question remained - such things were well and good, but how did they help against the RageFae? As the saying went, the mightiest blade-master could still be laid low by a single well-places las-bolt. Skill simply counted for nothing against a foe so utterly beyond their power level. Training made them better, swifter, and smarter - but it did nothing to the fact that their opponent could simply demand that they die, and the universe would obey their whims.

planswalker

2011-05-19, 12:24 AM

...With all the strength of the Great Typhoon!

Their training was beginning to founder. It was clear that these thick-headed fools actually believed that they were limited.

Time to step things up a notch. They were only limited by their thinking. The fools.

Rainshine

2011-05-19, 02:10 AM

Lenis-Gor

The Great Fortress-City had seen many amazing things. The strange wreckage of the desert was definitely bizzare at the very least. To see an entire land be so easily obliterated was one thing; seeing it come back made some question their own sanity.
Then he came. Omari himself, cloaked in a thick robe, stepped forth at the boundary of the city shield. Even such a one as he, with all his powers, was not about to try that. Then his admittance was allowed, and he rose up above the ramparts on a giant hand of earth, which neatly placed him down. From beneath his robes, he produced a small crystal; a focusing crystal, by the look of it. It lifted up from the surface of his hand, hovering there for a short time, then spinning off towards the center of the city. And it began to grow, swelling until it struck the ground which began to tremble. The shield started to shimmer, taking on a reddish tint. All through this, Omari stood silent, watching. The tremors died, but the tint remained. Each of the crystals along the walls were glowing too, with a lurid, destructive air. The human sentinels stared on in wonder, taking their hands back and watching amazed as everything stayed in place, with no meditation or power flow from them. Astounded would be an understatement.

[AP 12 - 0 (Raise Hero: Lenis-Gor, free from Mythic) - 0 (Bless on the 'grothian cities, free from artifact) - 0 (Curse on the pass, any non-'grothians or anything else that enters the area will have trouble remaining in a state of being, free from artifact) = 12

canjowolf

2011-05-19, 04:46 AM

Hoss Skysurfer - The New Desert

After flying over the new desert for several hundred thousand drips (~ seconds, but day/night does not seem to exist anymore) and finding nothing but animals and barbarians Hoss returns to the disc and recommends exploring new lands. He also reports little of value to the Theocracy on the land below.

The Disc - The Old World

Having decided to move on to a new location the disc moves until it is hovering over the tallest mountain of the new world and sends out another Hoss led exploratory team to seek intelligent life and useful raw resources.

Selinia

2011-05-19, 09:27 AM

...With all the strength of a raging fire...

Iounchept's proclamation that they were, in essence, 'not trying hard enough', brought some irritated grumbling. They were succeeding at their tasks, were they not? It was the nature of the purer forms of magic to require careful preparation and study. Such was the price for power and versatility, after all.

What did he expect them to do? How were they supposed to out-burn someone whose very existence seared the cosmos like a bonfire?

planswalker

2011-05-19, 09:33 AM

Iounchept - Mysterious as the Dark Side of the Moons!

Iounchept took the time to explain something to them: "Do you truly think your magics in any way limited compared to those of the repetitive ones? I tell you now that their powers in their entirety are feeble compared to yours. For example, I am a wizard, and all my magics are based on it. Anyone care to guess how many fireballs I can produce daily?"

Selinia

2011-05-19, 09:50 AM

...Time is racing towards us...

One of the wizards among the group thought for a moment, running a few calculations and estimates. "Well, assuming you didn't prepare spell modifiers for any of them... hmm... well, likely more than thirty. Possibly forty, if your powers are as great as they are said to be. I could likely muster up a solid twenty myself... if I did nothing else. Though I must confess, it would be difficult to justify doing so when we will be fighting alongside ships capable of spewing forth nearly limitless numbers of such spells. And a foe immunized against fire would be able to defeat me with a sharpened stick."

Another spoke up. "I think the issue he's getting at is that we understand that we have a great deal of power - the problem is, we must specify what form that power takes. The RageFae, on the other hand, can simply choose whatever they wish in order to most effectively counter us. It is like playing a game of blade-grass-twig where your opponent has the luxury of waiting to move until you've already shown him your choice."

planswalker

2011-05-19, 09:53 AM

Iounchept - Till the RageFae arrive

"In fact, you are both wrong. I can generate about 600 an hour, 12 hours a day. Anyone care to guess how?"

Selinia

2011-05-19, 02:10 PM

...Heed his every order...

There were several replies.

"We mean different things when we say 'wizard'?"

"Some manner of arcane battery? Storing spells for later use, like a wand of stave, so as to have a massive stockpile when you need it?"

"Keeping a quickened plane shift spell prepared and falling back here to prepare new spells when your compliment runs dry? For a certain definition of 'day' and 'hour'."

"Drawing extra spells from your deity?"

"Sustaining a single powerful spell to generate as many fireballs as you need for you - a reactor not bound to a core, in other words?"

"Issuing orders to wizards under your command to cast the spells for you?"

planswalker

2011-05-19, 10:23 PM

And You Might Survive

"We have a winner. Someone has at least looked at the possibility of using the energy of a prepared spell to unleash a smaller effect. Such things have limitations, true, and are generally less potent than their invocative counterparts. I'm here to tell you that there is in fact a method one can use to overcome that limitation and gain effects on par with the fodder your society calls 'battle mages'. All while sacrificing only a single spell. This will give you the endurance to do all sorts of things you normally thought impossible. First thing's first, though. Everyone who knows a spell to tied to one of the energy types, come stand over here to my right. Everyone else, learn a spell from one of them. If there are some of you who can't learn from them, my aunt Rioflio would love to help you out."

Selinia

2011-05-19, 10:33 PM

...They're unsuited for, the War of Rage...

Almost every single caster stepped forward - it was a rather broad qualifier, after all. Force magics were fairly well-known (the classic Magic Missile was still taught after all, if only as a tradition for young mages), and the fact that these were combat engineers and mechanics in large part, electricity and fire had a decent showing as well. Any vessel straying far from the major cities needed to have crew on board capable of maintaining its weapons, after all. Those few that didn't were quickly sent copies of such spells by their companions to their hand-held tablets, and were studying them within minutes while continuing to listen to Iounchept and awaiting further instructions.

planswalker

2011-05-19, 10:38 PM

Now pack up, go home. You're through.

"Good, you all are now ready." He then telepathically gives each one the secret he had discovered a few thousand years ago on how to exceed the limitations of reserve magic. Not all would be able to follow through with this knowledge, but enough would to be worth the effort. "Now then, you all now have what it takes to stay useful in the battlefield without devoting too much of your power to survival. You've been given the opportunity to be combat mages. Next part: you've had opportunity to study the RageFae up close. Does anyone have a suggestion how to protect oneself from them?"

Selinia

2011-05-19, 11:21 PM

...How could he, make a mage, out of you?...

Again, there was a (fairly organized) chorus of suggestions.

"Overwhelming firepower? Keep their SR fields on the defensive, so they're limited to more mundane attacks? They do seem to have limits, and if we press them, they've got to make choices."

"Trick them? They're not stupid, but rage can make you act rashly, and they've got plenty of that. At the very least, one might be able to ensure one doesn't fight more than one at once."

"They're obviously susceptible to being trapped - with enough mages pouring enough abjuration magic, maybe we could emulate the cages we've been finding them in? Not permanent, but we'd be able to properly finish them off later."

planswalker

2011-05-19, 11:51 PM

Iounchept - Can't figure out where to go next in the song, so abandoning it

If his tone was serious before, now it was deadly. "If one of you kills one of my angry uncles, I will personally see fit to track you down, bring your family before you one by one, and force you to watch as they are burned alive."

The murderous note left his voice as he continued. "Besides which, I think you'll find killing one to be highly problematic. The very nature of their being tends to make it infinitely easier to capture them than it is to kill them."

Selinia

2011-05-20, 12:05 AM

Training From Hell, Cold feet?

Flandere's quizzical tone could be heard even through the speakers. "But... why? I can understand the difficulty of finishing them off in a military sense, but surly it must be better to let them go? I'm not saying we should abandon those who can be contained, but at some point, isn't there a line to be drawn? If they're attacking us, we're going to fight back with everything we've got - kill, capture, whatever works."

There is a pause. "Even the Lady Nia would agree, I think. Sometimes it comes down to standing against the dark face to face, and we've got to stand strong. It must be... pure hell to feel all that hate, as your entire being. It'd be better to save those we can, but we can't let what little light we've managed to build in this world be snuffed out."

planswalker

2011-05-20, 12:24 AM

Iounchept - Family ties

"They are family, and not beyond redemption. If you lot are willing to murder my family, leave now. I will not train you any more. You have ten minutes to be gone from the Riverways if you think murdering my uncle because of a mental illness is justified."

Selinia

2011-05-20, 12:38 AM

Institutions

A C6 agent, of all people, quickly attempted to recover the situation. "We are in no way suggesting that we intend to kill any of the River Serpents, mad or no. Their kin, the kappa, have long been friends of our people. We are merely acknowledging that, should the absolute worst come to pass, we will fight in self-defense. As you say, one who is ill needs medicine and care, not a bolt to the head. That such an ill person would be on the prowl looking for victims is a tragedy, and we all hope it does not come to choosing between the death of an innocent and the death of one who has no control over themselves. But if it comes to that, I'm sure you can see that it is only right to save as many as possible - mortal and fae alike - is it not?"

The male human smiled, spreading his hands. "That is what armies are for, is it not, ultimately? Saving many by the sacrifice of a few?" The Cloud Six badge on his chest glinted slightly in the murky light.

planswalker

2011-05-20, 12:48 AM

Iounchept - Numbers do not Matter

"And I'm sure you told your own Mother the same thing right before forcing her to kill herself. The River Serpents of all types are infinitely precious and rare. Do you know that they do not reproduce by themselves? They only form when Daddy moves along the Riverways. Each one is unique and irreplaceable. A human or even I could be easily raised from the dead, your children can live on, but when a Serpent is killed, the phenomenal forces necessary for that destroy it utterly. Nothing is left, no children to carry on. It is dead and gone, never to come back. I will not allow you to kill them. That is all there is to it. If you speak once more of their death, you and all the others here are finished with this training. Though you claim the highest ideals, saving the world, what you can use in desperation to a RageFae, you can use with guile against a Faeri, Kappa, or River Serpent. Humanity has already shown that killing the very one who gave them life is not beneath them. Am I supposed to trust that you would not at some future date find the Faeri a threat as well? I will not allow you to create weapons to murder my family. Is this understood?"

Selinia

2011-05-20, 01:03 AM

Draken

2011-05-20, 10:13 AM

It is noteworthy: 39 AP.

Inverted World

That is not dead which can eternal lie.

And with strange aeons even death may...

Ah. Screw that.

Long gone are the days when the opposer glared eyelessly upon the world and all who in it lived. In amusement he sent his pieces out to revel viciously. Until he was struck down, wounded by alien poison.

That day, the mirror lord died. Not like his sister who abandoned life, not like his sons and nephews who went into eternal slumber.

A bit like his son who was torn asunder and made anew more horrid than he was before.

Lands verdant with poison and oceans blue of chillblains twisted unto themselves and lost their color, as the glassteel world mirrored the only thing it did truly mirror, its maker, itself, that land was dying in the fashion that things die when they have reached their apex and must give way to other things, festering to feed what is to come.

What was to come was black and colossal, with hooked limbs and tails that reached out to the abyss of the void where none ever cared to look, and no body worth noting as well as no features worth recalling but pale eyes and barbed and hollow teeth arranged countlessly around no structure that could be called a mouth.

That black thing trashed meaninglessly and invisibly in the unassailable darkness of the void, following the throes of its rebirth, last child of the opposer, itself. Hal'Xaazar, The Null Lord made victims then of his own favored creations whose primeval essences, born of his own, were made anew with his, silver giving way to ebon.

Other world made from him, but more recently, come to his attention, dragged closer by limbs that spam unmeasurable spaces to reach places where they don't exist. A number of wretched things are swept aside by his limbs, but otherwise kept as they are.

Then, Hal'Xaazar awakens, his many pale eyes closing.

"Call me an idiot."

Some titanic hook latches to nothing.

"A fool."

Dead muscles pull a non-mass in no direction that can only be described as up.

"I am the will of the void."

Tar oozes over his form to the front of him, where another, more sensibly formed, being would have a face, and from the depths of this tar come many light empty of radiance that meld into a fly's eye glaring down upon the world that killed his sister, abandoned him to alien deities and didn't share into his sense of overly dramatic theatrics.

"In time immemorial, we banished what was to give you way."

His vast limbs stretch out around and beneath Terran's broken pebble.

"Let it be so again."

Long ago, his brother cursed his flesh on the world to turn brittle and go to dust, now that dust coalesced once more into something else, a black rocklike ichor.

That tainted thing called to his closed eyes, turning to the many portions of the world and opening to evaluate and judge them. Desert, Old World, Blessed Isle, Water World, Sa'Mondo, a thousand other little islands scattered over the shattered mists, even the changelings domains of the netherglacier.

The miserable little failures.

Entropy devour them and make their rotten flesh useful.

Black things rise from that place, with wings or colossal proportions or the form of their new, old god.

Hatred sated but not abated, focus is turned to other lands, each with their own little sins beneath his eyes. Invented or not, reasonable or not. But they all have one simple answer, the glare of the void.

Where the void glares, the things in the land wither, the earth failing to sustain life. Waters chill and go similarly, the air becomes still, silent and unbreathable, fire is put out. Life dims. All of those things are not of the void, all are things the opposer never had any real business with.

He does have a business with what remains. Things as they were not before, things that do and should do nothing... But that is a notion, and notions must go opposed.

So the void makes those things walk, and pointlessly and meaninglessly, but not purposelessly, makes those things hate and hunger.

"Squabble, ignore me as usual, look down. I will be the death of you all."

1 AP: Create Life: Voidwalker
1 AP: Create Life: Nightshade (Nightwalker)
1 AP: Create Life: Nightshade (Nightwing)
1 AP: Create Life: Nightshade (Nightcrawler)
1 AP: Create Life: Devourer
1 AP: Create Life: Wight
1 AP: Create Life: Morgh
1 AP: Create Life: Ghoul
1 AP: Create Life: Ghast
1 AP: Shape Land: (Rank 7, but not really everything everywhere, more of a lazyness thing): Pockets of Voidlands (Deadworld, Shadowlands, whatever) everywhere.
1 AP: Create Class: Dread necromancer.
7 AP: Rank 7 (Global) Curse: Life cannot flourish in Voidlands.

22 AP left.

------

Internet died last night. >>

planswalker

2011-05-20, 10:32 AM

The water is calmest...

"I see. You make an... eloquent point, Sir Iounchept." The agent put his hands back inside his long-sleeved robes. "We shall say nothing more of such a grim course. After all," Another smile. "it is as you say. You are the teacher, and we the students. Forgive the impudent questioning of the young and headstrong."

Right Before the Storm

"Very well. Something important to note: From what my aunts and uncles have learned talking with their raging siblings, the RageFae, when they return, will not be looking to destroy any one particular people, but everything in general. If you can resist them, perhaps even hamper them, it should be quite easy to abate them to the point that their rage tires. Not even such as they can keep their full fury indefinitely. It's possible that exhausting their fury may even calm them enough to allow the Kappa to cure them. Now then, back to the question: What seems the most probable means of defending oneself against a RageFae?"

Selinia

2011-05-20, 01:31 PM

Guards and Wards

The knightmare-mage wasn't quite sure she agreed entirely with Iounchept, but the agent had a point - they were all working to ensure that situation never came up in any case. She dropped the point wordlessly, answering the new question. "It is difficult to say... but despite what was said earlier, there was a valid point in that suggestion. Everything seems to indicate that the RageFae's ability to mandate reality if finite - they won't grow tired, exactly, but I would guess they can only do so much at once. If we poured a fixed, but constant stream of firepower on them - which with these microreactors, or even a controlled ship barrage, we probably could accomplish together in enough numbers - we could force all their powers into defense. Then we could move in and arrange for it to be bound while its unable to safely redistribute its effect."

A reactor technician raised a dubious tone in response, however. "That's making a lot of assumptions, and those have a habit of not coming out as expected. Biggest one is that those things would follow ship protocols in the event of heavy fire. Yes, our ships are supposed to redirect all our power to defense in the event of an extraordinarily potent assault - but we actually care about out troops. We've met those things, and they're utterly insane from what I can tell - smart, yeah, but crazy. Who's to say they wouldn't just decide to take as many people with them as they could? Then both sides wind up dead."

Another voice. "Perhaps we're thinking too narrowly... this ability to channel spells, can it be applied to things other than evocation? An inverted circle of protection could be smashed away with ease by a RageFae, but maybe if we renewed it quickly enough we could keep it occupied long enough for it to locked down by something more permanent."

planswalker

2011-05-20, 01:57 PM

Iounchept - The Riverways

"Now we have someone thinking like a true mage, and not a lowly grunt soldier. Indeed, think on the principles I have taught you. They have been shown to be applied to offensive magics, but the same principle applies to defensive spells as well. In fact, if properly applied, one can even do such feats as summon a small stream of elementals, conjure up force barriers, grant flight, and nearly anything else you can envision."

He points out the one who had suggested this. "What's your name, mage?"

Selinia

2011-05-20, 10:21 PM

Raise your hand

"Uh..." The speaker of the last suggestion - a reactor technician, one of the several brought originally to maintain the scout cruiser. "Name is Akida, sir. Engineering corps." He adjusted his heavy spectacles (though there was nothing wrong with his vision, many engineers used eyeware equipped with complex scanners and readouts) with a slightly nervous motion. "Or, I should say, former engineering corps. Technically I got discharged from my unit for this mission..." He paused a moment, seeming slightly downcast. But he pressed on. "So you're saying it should be possible to contain them with enough layers of abjuration? Various bindings and dimensional anchors are the only things I can think of that could really lock down something that can teleport at will."

planswalker

2011-05-20, 11:01 PM

Iounchept - the Riverways

"Indeed, that is so. Now then, how much magic do you think it takes to halt one of them?"

Selinia

2011-05-20, 11:05 PM

Carry the one, round up...

"I couldn't really make an informed guess as to actual numbers, but I suppose perhaps... well, if their powers work the way I think they do, it would depend on how hard they were focusing. Perhaps it would be easier if one used a multitude of different wardings? They'd be forced to nullify each one separately, and that would split their efficiency."

planswalker

2011-05-20, 11:08 PM

Iounchept - Riverways

"Actually, the way they interact with magic, they can tear or fold space to overcome any number of wards at once. Your best bet is to find a simple set of wards that they cannot physically escape from, and reinforce them faster than they're torn down."

Selinia

2011-05-20, 11:22 PM

'Tis a joy to be simple

"Hmm... well, you don't get much more simple than an inverted Circle of Protection. Really basic stuff there - only problem is that it usually needs a physical focus. The whole idea behind a circle is that you can funnel a lot of power through a pretty fixed area - I doubt even these reactor-spells could emulate one without a frame to go on. Beyond the personal level, anyway - they magic would diffuse too fast."

"Well," Another suggestion from the ranks - such was a result of grabbing a bunch of experts with such wildly diverging specialties. "the way I see it, we have backup for that, right? Nobody's ever weaponized an inverted circle of protection before. Even if we'd had targets to use them on, we'd have needed to strap pretty powerful little reactors into the shell to make it work. But with this magic..."

Akido nodded, getting the idea at once. "Indeed. A support craft could fire a round equipped to entangle a serpent in a magic circle, then a group of us could funnel power into it. A one-two punch, as it were. We don't have anything like that, but I can't see any reason why it wouldn't be possible to manufacture something along those lines. Expensive, probably... but the ASC is already funneling ungodly amounts of funding into this." He returned his gaze to Iounchept. "Would that work? Magic circles aren't designed with something that powerful in mind, but the core principles are sound if we just... amped it up, so to speak."

planswalker

2011-05-20, 11:26 PM

Iounchept

"Indeed. My only caution here is that what you are discussing will probably have to be powered by ten or so powerful mages apiece. At my best count, there are approximately 3,000 RageFae right now, including all the Serpents who fell to the Rage trying to bind the original 48."

Selinia

2011-05-20, 11:40 PM

Logistics

"Hmm..." This was less the word of anyone in particular than a sort of general murmur. Those numbers were problematic - even assuming they could hand over sustaining the capture device to an actual reactor once the initial capture operation was over, there were simply not enough magic-users in the New Government of that caliber. Likely not in the chept lands either, and probably not both of them combined - it was one thing to be a registered archmage or respected wizard, and another entirely to be able to produce that level of power.

A cloud six archmage - the same one who had intervened in the earlier argument - postulated a further question. "Perhaps we are getting ahead of ourselves in any case. That isn't a long-term solution. The creatures appear to be bound now, but we have reason to believe that their current bindings are insufficient, correct?" He gazed levelly with Iounchept. "Even assuming we managed to pin down every single RageFae in such a short-term manner, we need a long-term plan for giving them more permanent accommodations. Hopefully something more potent than what holds them now. I would assume the River Serpents have some sort of endgame for this scenario?"

planswalker

2011-05-20, 11:43 PM

Iounchept

"Indeed they do. They are working with Turkin, the Gnomish Archmage. He has been prophesied to have a solution to this problem long-term."

Selinia

2011-05-20, 11:52 PM

Avenues of Research

"Good to know." The agent nods his head in satisfaction. "We will be sure to set up our own communications with them. Sharing investigations can only help both of our projects. For all we know, the gnome could well simply discover the final step in a collaborative project, or even cause the discovery indirectly through others through his work. No sense in not covering as many possibilities as we can, given that we have no idea what the actual solution is."

planswalker

2011-05-20, 11:54 PM

Iounchept - Parting?

"Very good. Now then, do you think that there is still more to be learned here?

Selinia

2011-05-21, 12:03 AM

On the clock

As the mages started to fall into line, Flandere nodded slightly, knightmare mimicking the motion. "Very likely, yes, a great deal. But not related to our mission at hand. We should get this information back home - this is going to take some major preparation from a lot a people."

"Indeed..." The agent nodded. "We have what we were sent for. Is there anything else you would like to add, or may we return to the Material?"

planswalker

2011-05-21, 11:14 AM

Iounchept - Goodbye

"Very well, farewell. May you be able to teach the lessons you have learned."

Tohm - It is Time!

Tohm had been watching the world, waiting for the right moment to strike. This world would be cleansed, he was sure of it. Far too few gods worked together, and those alliances were tenuous at best.

First thing's first, though. There was an infinitely clever god below who would need to be dealt with. One of them managed to overcome the properties of the Material and actually enter physically.

Time to visit with that one. He calls up Portheon, Atheon, and Aramon and tells them to meet with this elder on his behalf.

The three strange beings go forth and do.

The Trio and Mondo - the Material

The three great heralds of Tohm approach Mondo in a posture of utmost respect.

Portheon begins by saying, "Great Mondo, Lord of Flames, He who Walks Material, the Eye Lord, and the Lord of Pyrokus. Greetings from Tohm, Lord of Light, Purity, and Peace. We have come on his behalf to greet you, congratulate you on your success, and to ask of your plans for the future, for my master suspects that you and he could be potential allies in our ventures."

Selinia

2011-05-21, 10:07 PM

Many returns

Though they had spent the equivalent of several months in the place, none of the mages had any real fondness for the Riverways. Few were sorry to leave them - the wretched, chaotic twisting that always threatened to sweep you away. Each quietly thanked Iounchept for his aid and patience, but they wasted no time in returning home.

From the outside, it had been hours, at most, since they had left. Most of that had been spent on the moon. But the time distortion of the outer planes was a well-known phenomenon. They were shuttled home an debriefed promptly. Mere days later, research began in earnest on the elements necessary to enact their role in upcoming events. Many rumors hit the streets - some of them were even true. But any actual proof was logged with levels of classification whose existence were themselves classified.

Deep in the bowels of Cloud Six's most secret facility, even now being constructed far below the surface on the underside of the Disk, other research took place. Lelouch was never one to rely utterly on a plan fabricated by others. The New Government would do this the way the river serpents asked, as they were indeed the experts here. But should they fail, they would not allow mortals to be slaughtered by the vanity of those who considered themselves irreplaceable, and mortals easily mended toys. A faction of old Teppelin researchers had defected - one of them had some very interesting ideas about the functionality of reality-warping abilities.

So they sent the information on their null-nets' progress to the serpents working with the gnome. That was still, after all, the best course to take. There was no sense in letting them in on more... sensitive ventures. They likely wouldn't take it well that their plan wasn't the only one on the board.

planswalker

2011-05-21, 10:13 PM

So far, so good

Turkin, Iounchept, and the Serpents were pleased to hear of this news. The next few years were spent productively by both sides in research.

Rizban

2011-05-21, 10:37 PM

Tohm - It is Time!

Tohm had been watching the world, waiting for the right moment to strike. This world would be cleansed, he was sure of it. Far too few gods worked together, and those alliances were tenuous at best.

First thing's first, though. There was an infinitely clever god below who would need to be dealt with. One of them managed to overcome the properties of the Material and actually enter physically.

Time to visit with that one. He calls up Portheon, Atheon, and Aramon and tells them to meet with this elder on his behalf.

The three strange beings go forth and do.

The Trio and Mondo - the Material

The three great heralds of Tohm approach Mondo in a posture of utmost respect.

Portheon begins by saying, "Great Mondo, Lord of Flames, He who Walks Material, the Eye Lord, and the Lord of Pyrokus. Greetings from Tohm, Lord of Light, Purity, and Peace. We have come on his behalf to greet you, congratulate you on your success, and to ask of your plans for the future, for my master suspects that you and he could be potential allies in our ventures."Old Sa'Mondo - It's the end of the world as we know it...

"My intentions should be quite obvious.

Many have thought that before, yet not one ever understood my reasoning or my motives, regardless of how well explained. What makes your master any different? What is it that he desires?"

With that statement, a storm of fire engulfs the world, flames falling like rain upon the mortals, setting fire to anything combustible.

AP 27 = 14 + 20(last two rollovers) - 7AP(SR7 Curse: Fire rain upon the world)

Selinia

2011-05-21, 10:48 PM

Many Things

It took years - and a great deal of frustration on all sides - but the devices that were eventually dubbed Gefjun Circles (named for an old myth about a shujenga who literally talked a mountain out of his path - a tale of guile triumphing over raw power) were eventually perfected. Despite their name, they actually were much more akin to a sort of net than the magic circle effects from which they were derived. Deployed from a multi-stage long-range shell, with numerous countermeasures to mask its true nature, they could entangle a Serpent for approximately eleven seconds running off their battery charge. In that timeframe, a team of twelve Reactor-Magi were to begin channeling their own power into it. More conventional spellcasters were to arially transport the entire group to a nearby carrier unit, where the Gefjun device would be linked directly to the monstrous primary reactor of the ship. It was estimated that a single capitol ship could contain up to twenty RageFae with its power output, if additional reactors were installed and its functions as a carrier suspended.

It was a plan with very little room for error - but it was still a functional plan, which was a good thing in a situation like this.

The secondary research though - that was experiencing issues. There was simply no way currently existent to generate the sort of power needed. But with the most brilliant minds of the time gnawing away at them, the issues plaguing the project began to show signs of wear. It was slow going... but progress was being made. The first iterations of the Spiral Inverters were being tested, and the disastrous results of the first two potential Conduits were being avoided so far with the third version.

OOC: Actions!~

Teikoku AP: 22 + 14 (Final Rollover) - 2 (Create PrCs: Reactor Mage, River Tactician) - 0 (Lead Populace - Gefjun Circles; free from Lakire)

Final AP: 32
GP irrelevant, so not going to bother any more.

The Reactor Mage uses techniques originally taught by Iounchept to trade his most powerful spells for near-limitless numbers of extremely simple ones. It is available to the Chept (who invented the thing) and to certain elite members of the New Government military.

The River Tactician is a variant of the same, who likewise sacrifices raw power - but rather than getting repetitions of the same spell, he may sacrifice one spell to change another he has memorized (giving a prepared spellcaster a limited form of spontaneous casting). They follow the creed that you only ever need one spell, so long as its the right one for the job.

Gefjun Circles are devices that consume immense amounts of power, but are likely the single most potent and complete form of imprisonment available on the Material. They only function on Outsiders of the alignment they're programmed for, but they are almost impossible to escape from if they're being properly maintained.

planswalker

2011-05-21, 11:21 PM

Old Sa'Mondo - It's the end of the world as we know it...

"My intentions should be quite obvious.

Many have thought that before, yet not one ever understood my reasoning or my motives, regardless of how well explained. What makes your master any different? What is it that he desires?"

With that statement, a storm of fire engulfs the world, flames falling like rain upon the mortals, setting fire to anything combustible.

AP 27 = 14 + 20(last two rollovers) - 7AP(SR7 Curse: Fire rain upon the world)

The Trio and Mondo - Material Plane

Atheon responded, the one most comfortable being forthright. "Tohm seeks nothing more than to purge this world of all impurities, as well as the source for such. It appears that you're already started on that. As to why should he be different than your siblings, children, or any of your nieces and nephews, it is because he is not your relative. He has the experience of countless realms behind him. He has a more... practical approach to life."

Water World

The fires devastated Water World. Luckily, Water World is a, well, wet place. It took nearly twenty years, but the Chept recovered from it, and the scars were mostly grown over.

using my final free mr4 bless to count for the fact that Water World is well, wet. So recovery over the next 20 years is pretty smooth.

Many Things

It took years - and a great deal of frustration on all sides - but the devices that were eventually dubbed Gefjun Circles (named for an old myth about a shujenga who literally talked a mountain out of his path - a tale of guile triumphing over raw power) were eventually perfected. Despite their name, they actually were much more akin to a sort of net than the magic circle effects from which they were derived. Deployed from a multi-stage long-range shell, with numerous countermeasures to mask its true nature, they could entangle a Serpent for approximately eleven seconds running off their battery charge. In that timeframe, a team of twelve Reactor-Magi were to begin channeling their own power into it. More conventional spellcasters were to arially transport the entire group to a nearby carrier unit, where the Gefjun device would be linked directly to the monstrous primary reactor of the ship. It was estimated that a single capitol ship could contain up to twenty RageFae with its power output, if additional reactors were installed and its functions as a carrier suspended.

It was a plan with very little room for error - but it was still a functional plan, which was a good thing in a situation like this.

The secondary research though - that was experiencing issues. There was simply no way currently existent to generate the sort of power needed. But with the most brilliant minds of the time gnawing away at them, the issues plaguing the project began to show signs of wear. It was slow going... but progress was being made. The first iterations of the Spiral Inverters were being tested, and the disastrous results of the first two potential Conduits were being avoided so far with the third version.

OOC: Actions!~

Teikoku AP: 22 + 14 (Final Rollover) - 2 (Create PrCs: Reactor Mage, River Tactician) - 0 (Lead Populace - Gefjun Circles; free from Lakire)

Final AP: 32
GP irrelevant, so not going to bother any more.

The Reactor Mage uses techniques originally taught by Iounchept to trade his most powerful spells for near-limitless numbers of extremely simple ones. It is available to the Chept (who invented the thing) and to certain elite members of the New Government military.

The River Tactician is a variant of the same, who likewise sacrifices raw power - but rather than getting repetitions of the same spell, he may sacrifice one spell to change another he has memorized (giving a prepared spellcaster a limited form of spontaneous casting). They follow the creed that you only ever need one spell, so long as its the right one for the job.

Gefjun Circles are devices that consume immense amounts of power, but are likely the single most potent and complete form of imprisonment available on the Material. They only function on Outsiders of the alignment they're programmed for, but they are almost impossible to escape from if they're being properly maintained.

Iounchept - Mysteries

"Are you certain?"

"Of course, Iounchept. The old Boa was very lucid as he gave the prophecy. 'The Spiral is teaching itself to kill'. Right before he began to bleed from every orifice and died. It is a Blood Prophecy. He could not be mistaken." Shota had made a special trip on Jormungand specifically to deliver this message to Iounchept as soon as possible.

Chept Embassy - Hidika

Hidika was an Eag'Chept. She had been born on the Isles. To her, Water World was the ancient homeland that her parents talked about. Her parents were both battle mages, but she herself was one of the few children of two mages who had no magical talent. Hence why at 13, the age of majority for the Eag, she had volunteered to be a clerk at the Embassy. It was less embarrassing than being among her own kind. That had been three months ago. And now, having finally feeling like she's gotten to know her place, Iounchept himself appears in her office completely unannounced and told her to demand of that crazy moron Lelouch what was going on. Completely oblivious to the proper channels of protocol. At least he had come to her instead of appearing directly in Lelouch's office. Such would have made her job even more difficult.

So, Hidika approached Erik's office and knocked.

Selinia

2011-05-21, 11:36 PM

Umbrellas

Rains of fire were old hat by this point to the people of the Isles. Really, they were almost a seasonal thing by this point - the Aegis systems had been proven effective once before, and they did their job just as effectively this time around. The cities of the New Government were shielded from the destruction by the energized barriers overhead, and life went on - albeit, with a noted growth in the fierceness of rumors.

Erik, Sanity - a vital part of a balanced breakfast

And yet, there was precious little to go around here. As ambassador to a people who seemed at times to think paperwork was something you shot from a bow, he was almost continually frustrated. So when someone actually knocked - didn't gate in, or kick in the door, or set his desk on fire with three-foot blazing letters, it was the highlight of his day.

"Come in, come in!" The door is unlocked - there wouldn't have been any point to it not being so. "How can I help? I take it this isn't just a paperwork delivery."

OOC: Actions!~

Teikoku AP: 32 - 0 (MR4 Bless - the cities are shielded from the rain of fire. The countryside is still blown to bits, but it was barely recovered from the last one anyway; free from the Spiral of Creation)

planswalker

2011-05-21, 11:44 PM

Hidika - If only...

The young Eag blushed at being spoken to so familiarly by the one Favored. She, like every young Chept woman or girl who had met the tiefling ambassador favored by the Faeri, had a crush on him. Even though she was born away from Water world, she still was raised to revere the Faeri, and the Kappa were indistinguishable from them to her, so she was familiar with them in her own undertanding. Three months working with the patient and sometimes funny man hadn't helped.

"Uh, Lord Iounchept suddenly appeared in my office and told me to demand Lelouch tell him what he's doing. Do you know what he's talking about?"

Realizing that she'd forgotten to address him directly, she blushed even more deeply and says, "Sorry, Favored Ambassador. Lord Iounchept has requested that Commander Lelouch divulge an unnamed secret." in her best imitation of the formal speech of the office she thought proper.

Rizban

2011-05-21, 11:52 PM

The Trio and Mondo - Material Plane

Atheon responded, the one most comfortable being forthright. "Tohm seeks nothing more than to purge this world of all impurities, as well as the source for such. It appears that you're already started on that. As to why should he be different than your siblings, children, or any of your nieces and nephews, it is because he is not your relative. He has the experience of countless realms behind him. He has a more... practical approach to life."Old Sa'Mondo

"Then let him act and his actions speak for him."

Selinia

2011-05-22, 12:10 AM

Erik, To the top

"Hmm. I see." He sighed a small sigh. Although this was definitely an improvement over Iounchept's prior actions. Normally he'd have been worried about not being able to do anything - again - but he'd found that dropping mention of the chept general's name tended to earn an extremely rapid hotline to the Advisory Subcommander. "Well, at least he isn't trying to just teleport into the Ministry tower again. Took days to repair all the wards he ripped through last time he did that. Still, that's kind of a vague request. I'll see what I can do."

He pulled over one of the many keypads littering his desktop, punching in several lengthy codes. One of the screens on his desk flickered on, displaying a dialing signal. "I'm afraid I don't have any more idea what the ASC is doing than you. You could probably fill whole offices with things he knows that nobody else does. I think I may be able to get him on the line though. Stick around, and I'll see if we can't sort this thing out." He smiled ruefully. "I'd tell you to relax, but the man terrifies me, to be frank. But you don't have to be quite so formal - in case you haven't noticed, this embassy tends to run a little off the rails at the best of times."

planswalker

2011-05-22, 12:15 AM

Trio and Mondo

"Very well. We will deliver him your message."

The three departed.

Tohm - the Void

"Is that so? Well then, let him have a sign."

He took eight black silk handkerchiefs out of his pocket and threw them at the world. Eight groups of dozens of eggs each come streaking through the sky.

The eggs land in a ring around Mondo, and hatch. Dragons of many varieties all look out at the god with a vicious intelligence in their eyes. One, larger than the rest and already smelling of brimstone speaks to the god with an ancient wisdom that is at odds with its hatchling's body.

"We are the Dark Host, dragons collected from dozens of worlds to rain destruction down upon others. Tell us, who would you like us to kill to prove our Lord's purpose?"

Tohm ap:14=21(ap from start +rollovers)-7(create life x7: evil planar dragons, linnorms, deep dragons, hellfire wyrms, sslakvors, sin dragons, and wurms.)

most are standard dnd fare. the sin dragons are true dragons themed after the seven deadly sins, one specific sub-race for each. the wurms are like those in MtG. Not actually sentient, but are limbless dragons who are quite destructive. the many varieties found with have many specialized functions. One thing to set them apart is that they grow to be far larger than adult dragons. newborns are huge and full adults can be as old as great wyrm dragons. Over the course of ten years. Their voracious appetites make them quite destructive.

using progenitor to create chromatic dragons. Other than color and energy affinity, they're all basically the same race and act together.

Chept embassy

"Of course, ambassador." Hadija waited for word from the Advisory Subcommander.

Selinia

2011-05-22, 12:32 AM

The Red Phone

After about a minute and a half of rather awkward waiting, the screen at last flashed to a live video feed. Sure enough, the second most powerful man in the New Government (or, depending on who you asked, the first) glared from the screen. It wasn't exactly a look of annoyance - Lelouch simply had the kind of face that seemed permanently fixed in a glare. Years ago, one could have called him old-looking for his age, but now he seemed almost young for it - the truth was, he simply had a sort of oddly ageless quality in his features. He was overly thin and angular - and pale, with the bags under his eyes of one who got very little sleep.

His gaze flicked from Erik to Hadija, the two-way screen relaying their images back to him. "I was informed that Iounchept had sent a messenger with a request. I take it this would be her?"

"Yes, sir. She was sent by the Soz with a request for some sort of secret information. No further detail was given, by my understanding." Erik drummed his fingers once nervously along the edge of his desk.

"I see..." he turned to the Eag girl. "Was there anything else he said? I am doing many things at the moment - several of which I have interrupted for this discussion. I can not think of why any of them would be of particular interest to the general of the Chept armies. Unless you want a copy of my daily planner, I'd suggest you elaborate."

planswalker

2011-05-22, 12:37 AM

If only she could

Showing oddly more spine than she did around Erik, Hadija said, "I am sorry, commander, but there is nothing more to elaborate on. His exact words were, 'Go demand of that crazy moron Lelouch what was going on.' No offense meant. That was the extent of our conversation. If I could be so bold, could I recommend you find time soon to meet with him personally to find out what this is about?"

Selinia

2011-05-22, 12:49 AM

Priorities

"I have time now. Some matters are rather more important than others - this is one. Do you have a method of contacting him reliably, or shall my people send for him?"

In most cases, when they wanted to speak with the chept general, they simply opened a broadcast channel requesting his presence, and waited for him to show up. They'd given him a phone, but him actually having it on him was somewhat hit and miss.

planswalker

2011-05-22, 12:54 AM

What, were you expecting this to be difficult?

"With the mood he was in, I suspect he is listening and just wa..."

Anything else Hidika might have wanted to say was a moot point, for Iounchept was now on the monitor screen, hovering behind Lelouch, saying, "It was a blood prophecy! Don't deny that you're doing it!"

Hannah made her presence known at this time, saying, "I suspect that the headache has been passed on to a higher pay grade, Master Erik. Shall I cut the feed? Or at least mute it?"

Selinia

2011-05-22, 01:18 AM

Erik, Paper tigers

"Go ahead. We'd probably just..." The channel abruptly cut out of its own accord, severed from the other end. "Yep. Ah well, at least he tried sending someone first. Small steps. Maybe one day we can get him to actually sign some papers..." He shook his head, moving the screen on its armature back into place with the half-dozen others arrayed on his desk.

"I'm terribly sorry about that, miss. I respect Iounchept's accomplishments as a soldier, but he's a terrible, terrible diplomat. I only hope he cools off a bit before he winds up dragging us all over some line in the sand or another." He nodded at the Boa at the desk in the corner of his office. "And I'm afraid you're going to have to sign a few things yourself, after talking to the ASC on that line. Nothing major - just an agreement not to talk about the specifics. Not that there was anything really important there - just protocol. Hannah, could you get her the forms?"

He gave another one of those rather tired smiles. "If nothing else, you got to talk to a man many senior administrators never meet face to face. They're probably lucky. I'm just glad he's on our side - the Subcommander is not someone I'd want for an enemy."

Lelouch, In blood

The gaunt man lifted his finger from the key, disconnecting the call abruptly. He turned slowly to face Iounchept, the expression on his face neutral. "I have absolutely no idea what you are talking about. Please, calm down and start from the beginning. I have always taken your prophecies seriously - I have no intention of stopping now. What precisely is going on?"

planswalker

2011-05-22, 01:28 AM

Iounchept - Business

"A Boa was very lucid as he gave the prophecy. One that cost him his life. 'The Spiral is teaching itself to kill'. Right before he began to bleed from every orifice and died. It is a Blood Prophecy. He could not be mistaken. The Spiral is often prophecy's name for humanity, or at least the society calling itself the New Government. And not just any sort of killing would cause a blood prophecy. Only those whose repercussions could alter the very fabric of reality could cause such a thing. Now, what sort of death machine are you cooking up that could potentially rewrite the world as we know it?"

just to clarify, blood prophecies don't have to be reality-warping things. Just things that change the course of history.

Hidika

"Thank you for your time, Favored Ambassador." she said as signing the required paperwork. She found something soothing in doing protocol. One knew what one was supposed to do if it was written down and signed in triplicate.

Selinia

2011-05-22, 01:41 AM

Lelouch, To name but a few

"We kill. It is something that circumstances of our times have forced us to become very good at. Every year, we develop newer and deadlier tools so that we may preserve the freedom we fought so hard to achieve. We have bombs that set the air on fire, or make the earth buckle and split. But none of these are terribly revolutionary or unprecedented." The human commander steeples his hands, looking thoughtful.

"Still, that is... disturbing, to say the least. Do you think that he perhaps refers to the Gefjun Circles? We are very close to devising a weapon that literally cages what can only be described as a lesser divinity. But they are tools to capture, not to kill... if they are the target of the prophecy, it means that our join research has much work yet to do. We have found nothing that would suggest that they could be lethal - and your people have the same data as ours. But we are tampering with something that has no real precedent." He nods, half to Iounchept, half to himself.

"I thank you for this message. I will inform our science teams of this at once - with any luck, we can find the offending issue before it becomes the problem it is prophesied to be."

planswalker

2011-05-22, 01:46 AM

Iounchept - Unsatisfied? Believe it.

"I... see." Iounchept may not be subtle and have zero respect for bureaucracy, but he knows when he's being given a lot of words meant to soothe him which amounts to nothing.

Casually ripping through the alarms that should have warned of his approach, Iounchept leaves a suddenly as he came.

Seems like it is time to go around behind his "ally's" back and learn the truth.

Selinia

2011-05-22, 02:08 AM

For their own good

Lelouch simply shook his head as he returned to work. He'd like to share their project's nature with their ally - but the Soz had already proven himself unable to stomach its necessity. It was for his own good. Should the worst come to pass, he would happily stare down Iounchept's wrath if it meant saving the lives of both their peoples.

Until that day - if indeed it ever came - it would be best to wait. Cloud Six was protected to a degree that made the wards of the ministry look like a child's pillow-fort. Getting in and out without authorization would be nigh-impossible. And in the event someone did... well, there were plans for that as well.

But for now, for all that the world was ending, he had work to do.

Rizban

2011-05-22, 03:49 AM

Trio and Mondo

"Very well. We will deliver him your message."

The three departed.

Tohm - the Void

"Is that so? Well then, let him have a sign."

He took eight black silk handkerchiefs out of his pocket and threw them at the world. Eight groups of dozens of eggs each come streaking through the sky.

The eggs land in a ring around Mondo, and hatch. Dragons of many varieties all look out at the god with a vicious intelligence in their eyes. One, larger than the rest and already smelling of brimstone speaks to the god with an ancient wisdom that is at odds with its hatchling's body.

"We are the Dark Host, dragons collected from dozens of worlds to rain destruction down upon others. Tell us, who would you like us to kill to prove our Lord's purpose?"

Tohm ap:14=21(ap from start +rollovers)-7(create life x7: evil planar dragons, linnorms, deep dragons, hellfire wyrms, sslakvors, sin dragons, and wurms.)

most are standard dnd fare. the sin dragons are true dragons themed after the seven deadly sins, one specific sub-race for each. the wurms are like those in MtG. Not actually sentient, but are limbless dragons who are quite destructive. the many varieties found with have many specialized functions. One thing to set them apart is that they grow to be far larger than adult dragons. newborns are huge and full adults can be as old as great wyrm dragons. Over the course of ten years. Their voracious appetites make them quite destructive.

using progenitor to create chromatic dragons. Other than color and energy affinity, they're all basically the same race and act together.Old Sa'Mondo

"Impress me. Send each group against a different people, any save for my own."

canjowolf

2011-05-22, 09:12 AM

Hespa - The Dreaming

The Satyr continued its weaving of the tapestry behind it while saying "Well this is interesting. Apparently that new power on the world is trying to set the place on fire. That doesn't sound very fun, now does it. Luckily several of the gods have already done something about it, but I might as well see what I can do as well". The Satyr then spun the cosmic elements of creation into the tapestry, granting all life below immunity to heat and flames. Those beneath the shield would never know this of course, and that which was already dead would still burn, but nothing living needed to fear the flames, except trolls whose thread could not be found before the fire hit.

Hespa - Sa'Mondo

The giant mountain that Hespa was animating made a brief face of horror at Mondo's actions before saying "You are not my grandfather. Mondo was a protector and friend of life. You are a violent and petty despot. I am going to reclaim Pyrokus for the forces of life and goodness. Meanwhile, I shall protect the world from your depravities". The mountain settled down as Hespa's animating magic ended and life blossomed all along and inside said mountain. Hespa also sent a missive to the guardian to begin assembling the locani swarms for a very important mission.

Hangar - Shogar

While looking at creation through his mirror Hangar noticed that there appeared to be fire raining down from the sky. Being the slow moving god that he is Hangar did not have time to do anything about it before it hit. Deciding that a magical rain of fire probably came from Pyrokus though, Hangar strode to that plane to see if there was anything broken that he needed to fix.

Hangar the Bloody - Pyrokus

Hangar strode up to Primus, lord of the modrons, and asked said to it "It seems to be raining fire down in creation. Do you have any idea what is causing this and how to fix it Primus?".

Pan - The Kobold Isles

Pan too saw the rain of fire, and feared that the parasite was still trying to destroy the world from wherever it had teleported off to. Why the creature would suddenly become active and vengeful Pan did not know, but he knew of no gods that would intentionally rain fire down upon the world. Going before the leaders of the various hosts Pan said "Our enemies must still be at work in this world. We must find the source of this calamity and put a stop to it, before we are all destroyed."

The Bronze Disc - A Blip on the Radar

The simultaneous energy outputs of the shields over the New Government during the burning were noticed by the Trydanae, who recalled Hoss and the explorers and sailed to the nearest New Government city. Once there Hoss Skysurfer led his team down on flying metal discs with diplomatic equipment to try to contact the creators of the shields.

Edit: Nicoli - The Citadel

Nicoli, along with many other satyr and Ma'Seelians had followed the ironbark treants from the forests of the B.I. to the Citadel of the gnomes and began to join the muli-cultural society as entertainers, medics, and horticulturalists. While there they studied gnomish records and stories of far off lands with Nicoli deciding that he would visit them all.

Hespa: 11AP-5 (MR 7 bless - all life except trolls is now immune to fire and heat) = 6 AP. DR 8.

Hangar: 8AP. DR 5.

Selinia

2011-05-22, 10:09 AM

The Bronze Disc - A Blip on the Radar

The simultaneous energy outputs of the shields over the New Government during the burning were noticed by the Trydanae, who recalled Hoss and the explorers and sailed to the nearest New Government city. Once there Hoss Skysurfer led his team down on flying metal discs with diplomatic equipment to try to contact the creators of the shields.

Complete Global Saturation

As the rain of fire petered off, the shields over the cities flickered off. Bit by bit, the lights of their buildings were restored to life - the Aegis systems were potent, but they took an entire city's power output to function properly. As the discs approached, they were rapidly intercepted by a massive warship. Smaller ships seemed to be moving through the air towards them, but it was from the big one that the signal came.

"This is the NGN cruiser Firstborn, hailing. You are in New Government airspace with an unauthorized craft of unknown origin. Please state your business immediately. Be noted that we are in a state of high alert - any hostile action will be met with full and lethal force."

canjowolf

2011-05-22, 12:59 PM

Hoss - We Come In Peace?

Seeing the ships rising to meet them the exploratory team forms into a pattern and hovers between the disc and the New Government forces. Hoss begins flashing his light at the big ship in a repeating pattern of 4-13-5-13.

Selinia

2011-05-22, 03:54 PM

Cutting to the chase

The communications officer on board the Firstborn flipped a switch, applying a Tongues effect to their communications equipment. Most people on Creation spoke the save divine language, but automatic translation was a simple enough charm that it would be silly not to equip major vessels with it.

Their message was repeated, identical to before. So long as Hoss and his kin were capable of language in some form, they would receive it in that dialect, meaning intact. Likewise, the ship's sensors would commute any attempts at communication he made into comprehensible Divine.

canjowolf

2011-05-22, 04:13 PM

planswalker

2011-05-22, 04:21 PM

Bitvachept - A dark meeting

Iounchept had told her about the situation in the Blessed Isles. Such was not acceptable. Bitvachept did care about the tactical situation over there, but more than that, she didn't trust humanity as far as she could spit. And despite quite helpful training by Aguamor the Faeri, Bitvachept had never gotten the knack for that skill. However, she also knew that her skills were better suited to storming in a building, destroying everything in sight, and getting back out alive again. This time, they'd rather avoid an incident, and really, if they'd just bother to tell them about the new death ray, she was sure they'd be fine with it. But the shadow of mistrust was cast over the Soz the day that Iounchept told about the suggestion of murdering Serpents. Such could not be allowed to happen.

Problem was, Chept society as a whole was not well-suited to espionage. Iounchept was probably the worst about subtlety, but it was not common practice to be less than blunt in Chept upbringing. Besides which, there is the matter of appearances, and no Chept could pass themselves off as human or tiefling, whatever the difference was between them.

Thus, she turned to dark means to enlist aid.

She went and spoke to her Dark Brothers.

The four Soz'Chept born of Sozuchi taking in the corruption of the parasite and re-focusing it to act according to his will. They had lead off a large section of the Toenails, and the resultant people who emerged were not the five distinct races, but a darker, meaner people, whose features blended all five at once. Something thought impossible, since the chept always bred true to the mother.

Well, unless a Croc bred with a gnome. Those children were wierd, though, and not true chept.

The Dark'Chept, though, were undoubtedly true Chept. And though they were descended from Toenails, they were far removed from that culture. Her four brothers had managed to take the majority of the Toenails and make them useful once more to Chept society. Every Dark she had ever met was fiercely loyal to Chept kind, although they chose not to live in Water World. It is rumored that they live with the elementals in the mist, vying with the hunters for prey, along with the orcs who live down there. A few Dark were present in Sozengrad, doing their share of adding to the sum of chept knowledge. Most of their contributions, though, tended to be... unpleasant.

All that, though, was merely an internal exposition into a dark corner of Chept society.

Today, right now, her purpose was to inform the Dark Four of the situation. They would handle it of their own accord. She was convinced that they could find out what was needed, no matter how hard to discover. Theirs was given the task of discovering and eliminating threats before they had a chance to meet chept society.

In a gloomy cave at the base of Water World, she met the Four. Their names were not often used, for they were to be feared and respected by the chept, and even the other Soz treated them with caution.

Instead, they seemed to prefer to be called by their weapons.

He who bore the Red Sword of War spoke first. "Ah, Bitvachept, sister dearest to my own heart, what brings you here among us today? Shall we bring war to a threat against all chept kind?"0

"No, they are too strong for that. Better to... starve them out." Contradicted the Twin White Daggers of Hunger and Starvation.

"Silly brothers. Strike at them with disease, and it matters not how strong or well-stocked they are. None can survive the flux and plague at once." The Black Mace of Plague added.

"All three of you, shut up." The Pale Green Scythe of Death said.

At once, the other three looked as if whipped, and cringed quietly to allow Bitvachept to speak. "We have a new Blood Prophecy. The Spiral is teaching itself to kill. Iounchept spoke to Lelouch about this, and he denied knowing anything of it. However, Iounchept does not believe him. He is concerned that the Spiral Empire is working on two projects, the one to inhibit the RageFae, and another, potentially lethal to the world. Diplomatically, we cannot do more. That is why the Elder Five have come to you to ask if you can learn the truth."

"Teaching themselves to kill.... We will learn what it is that a Boa gave his life for. His sacrifice shall not be pointless."

Apparently, the Scythe's word was law, for the four departed at once. Bitvachept just hoped that turning this over to them was the right move. Those four Soz were so very different from her sister and brothers. She just didn't know if she could trust them.

Old Sa'Mondo

"Impress me. Send each group against a different people, any save for my own."

Dragon Council

"It shall be done." was all the lead Hellfire Wyrm said before taking off.

Somehow, the dragons' numbers multiplied quickly, and the soon all came to adulthood. None is quite sure how, but a few dozen had landed around Mondo. Tens of thousands now filled the skies a month later.

The first to return to Mondo was the chromatics. They had found the moon of Endor and slaughtered its inhabitants, scorching the land and boiling the sea, until no life remained on the surface of the world. The land of stories and myths now hung in perpetual gloom, the moon which was meant to be a boon now their greatest bane.

using free bless from his suit to supernaturally grow the populations of evil dragons almost overnight, as well as maturing them more quickly. Now that they're a sizable population, their numbers will get more stable, and their maturity will slow to that of typical dragons.

using GA's free curse to place the people of the land under a curse of darkness, since Endor is now a dead moon. Specifically, the parts of their society affected by a lack of light.

both effects are mr4.

btw, all this takes place AFTER Selinia's and my current co-op. remember, Selinia's world is currently stuck in a 20-year time warp.

Selinia

2011-05-22, 05:55 PM

Hoss - I Think We Come In Peace

The trydanae shoot lights back and forth between each other before sending one of their number back to the great disc. Soon after that a black trydan with silver markings on a bronze disc shaped like a shield comes surfing down and shouts out "Greetings sentient lifeforms. We are the trydanae. We have come to explore the world and find any intelligent life on it. It is our hope that some day all will be able to work together in peace and protect each other from the hostile forces that assail this world. I am also the Firstborn and our government too is new. We use light to communicate between each other. Do you have ways of translating light or should we create more devices to generate sound?" The trydan seems to think for a moment before saying "We are also capable of easily communicating with electrical impulses. Would this mode of communication be useful to you?"

Major Chord

"It would likely be best if you continued using standard verbal speech. Sight-based communication is the written word, and its a tad more difficult to translate magically." Several gunships take that moment to surround the disks in a loose formation. "Our craft will escort you to a landing site. You will be met with a diplomatic envoy on arrival."

Dark Clouds Gathering

Cloud Six was an unusual organization. Most groups in the New Government had a deliberately diffused and open power structure - but C6 was different. It was tightly closed, and answered only to Lelouch. Their duties were many, and they were a fairly common sight whenever the government got involved in things - most of those duties were simple and wholesome. Investigation of crimes, countering terrorist threats, and the like were their bread and butter.

But within the organization there lay a much less widely known faction. C6 as a whole protected the nation from threats. Most of those threats were small, and internal. But there was a segment that instead prepared against external threats - threats most people in the nation didn't even know existed. And this was their stronghold.

Although still under construction, it was a veritable stronghold already. The simple fact of its location, clinging to the underside of the great disk of Creation, made it nigh-impossible to reach conventionally. Aerial patrols swept the sky around the facility, and potent and layered wardings hung thick about it, preventing one from simply gating in and out. And yet, at its heart, it was still a research facility - not a military base. Aside from the crews of the vessels assigned to guard it, the inhabitants were civilians, with the odd guard here and there. It was the everlasting toll of any secret - that it must be kept. Few in the proper army even knew of this place's existence.

And of course, few secrets can stand long under the baleful gaze of investigation...

planswalker

2011-05-22, 06:22 PM

Dark'Chept - First Things First

The first thing the Dark'Chept needed to do was find out where such hidden research could potentially be happening.

The next step was scoping it out.

Then came the actual espionage, the methods of which would be determined by the results of the first two steps.

To begin the first step, the Dark worked over the next two months to either befriend, get hired into, or spy on every shipping company in the Spiral Empire, as the Dark called the New Government in private, regardless of what the humans and tieflings actually thought. The Friends seemed to find such names ironically appropriate.

The Dark gathered data on every shipment entering and leaving the New Government, and where it went. The theory was that wherever the hole in the pattern was, that was where the secret base was.

It was in this process that the first power of the Dark was revealed: they could pass themselves off as almost any race of Chept with minor effort. It was difficult to connect the Boa who bought the foreman drinks after his shift with the Croc who was a recurring temp worker with the Set who spied on the manager of the shipping lane at night. It did not take too much for them to infiltrate a society.

Bitvachept was kept abreast of the investigation, and a thought kept recurrring in her head: If they can so hide in plain sight in a foreign land, how many are lurking in our own society? Can we truly trust the Dark Four?

Selinia

2011-05-22, 06:47 PM

canjowolf

2011-05-22, 06:51 PM

planswalker

2011-05-22, 07:29 PM

By omission

The Dark Ones would soon find that their task was quite difficult - though in the opposite manner they would likely have suspected. Finding anomalies in shipping or finance wasn't difficult - and that was the root of the problem. There were so many logistical oddities that it seemed that they couldn't possibly all be accurate, let alone useful. Pharmaceutical companies that had entire shipments drop off the grid - and then get delivered months later, without special note. Factories that seemed to produce things without any raw materials at all.

It was fairly obviously a ploy of some sort, but it didn't necessarily make it any less effective. Some sources seemed to outright contradict others - but even they couldn't be ruled out. Who was to say which information was planted, and which was true? Someone - likely Cloud Six - had been hiding their own paper-trail by being so monstrously unsubtle that actual intel was lost in the chaos. It bled into almost any group affiliated with the organization, to greater or lesser degrees.

Investigations did turn up several things with great frequency though - likely the best leads. It was subtle, but there was definitely a pattern to the disappearances of significant sums of raw materials beyond the semi-randomness of much of the garbage data. The only problem was that they were in some of the most heavily trafficked portions of the Capitol - hardly the ideal location for a secret facility.

The next breakthrough was a brilliant stroke of luck, combined with a clever Dark taking the initiative. A severe electrical storm had left one of the suspicious buildings damaged - sneaking onto the work crew, then off into its depths, led to the discovery of - of all things - an elevator. It was too heavily guarded to simply sneak on... but it was something that most certainly Did Not Belong. It didn't take much deduction to guess that the three other points nearby were similar in nature.

Step 2: Find your place

The Dark has successfully located the nature of the secret base: one underground. For the next step, the Dark employed their second power. Nearly one out of every three of them was a magic-user of some sort. A high ratio even for the Chept.

To discover where the elevators lead, they simply went about a mile outside the city, and set up a circus of exotic acts from all over the world, heavily starring Chept mages from the mythical Vortex Island, where it is said that every child born there is a powerful mage by the age of 12. Whatever the truth is, the great influx of magics helped to mask the warded and concealed earth magics going on nearby.

The Dark had quite a number of incarnates among their numbers. If they bound the proper earth kami to themselves, they were able to move through the earth at ease. The plan was to have the stealthiest of these people find the elevator shafts and simply follow them down to wherever they go.

They figured the elevators themselves were probably heavily guarded, but who expected someone to bind three earth kami to themselves and use them to travel through solid stone?

btw, forgot to mention this, but since the kami were mass re-awakened, the incarnum magic has grown more symbiotic and less enslaving. Now, it's typical for a chept to befriend a few kami of each type to ask to loan their powers for the day in exchange for a larger portion of devotion.

Selinia

2011-05-22, 07:46 PM

planswalker

2011-05-22, 09:35 PM

To the bottom of things

They would follow the shafts at their distance. And follow them. And follow them. They sank through the strata to depths untouched by all but the deepest delvers among the dwarves, and still there seemed to be no signs of the shaft ending. And at last, it became apparent why - when the Dark incarnates emerged from the base of the Disk itself, hanging over the vast and starry void.

It was strange to think, but the facility was buried so deep that it was actually in open air once more. Lights gleamed from it - and from the sweeping lights of the patrolling airships. They were destroyers - fast, accurate, and small. Given the size of the elevators, one had to conclude that they must have been built down here from parts shuttled from the surface. Sparks could in fact be seen at a distance on some elements of the structure, where construction workers diligently expanded the fortified facility.

The detection and protection magics in the place were nearly countless, even at this range. Even this far away, any sensitive among them would realize that they had to tread very lightly if they did not wish to set off an alarm. It would likely only get more difficult as they approached.

They burrow just below the surface, the magic of earth kami leaving no trace. For this run, they merely attempt to reach as close as they can before setting off an alarm. This job is not one to be rushed. The Dark will succeed not because they rushed in with the element of "surprise" but because they will trade the illusion of surprise for the time it takes to ensure that when they do strike, it will be with full knowledge and preparation, a solution for every possible contingency.

First thing's first. Discover how close one can get without setting off alarms.

Selinia

2011-05-22, 09:49 PM

Tiptoes

There was little definition to the field of wardings - it didn't so much resemble a wall as a vast mesh of threads. The threads grew denser and more intricately twined the nearer one got to the main facility - picking through them grew correspondingly more difficult, even to those able to perceive the arcane with great precision. At the distance of about a hundred or so meters, even the burrowers with their magic and subtlety would find that to continue, they needed to do something about the threads.

They were designed to be triggered quietly, and to catch an intruder unawares. They could avoid that, at least. But even cutting through them would set off warning bells that something was tampering with their systems. It might be possible to shift the threads bit by bit, but that would take the skills of a truly masterful spellweaver - and even they would risk mundane detection during the time they spent working away at the wardings.

There was a clear choice - an incursion that moved swiftly could sever and baffle many of the security systems, but at the cost of alerting the facility to the presence of an intruder, even if their own location and nature were hidden. On the other hand, a methodical master could likely bypass most alarms entirely, without triggering a single automated countermeasure... but sentient beings were far more perceptive than machines, and the longer one tarried, the more likely it would be that some perceptive engineer would note the intruder's handiwork.

planswalker

2011-05-22, 09:58 PM

The Dark - Closing In

The intrepid initial burrowers moved off just out of sight of the facility, and set up a beacon for teleportation. Then, enscribing runes of masking to hide the magical signature, a two-way gate was established to allow the Darks to amass on the underside of the world. A tightly woven series of illusions, abjurations, and mundane camouflage hid their presences. A mild suggestion effect was placed within it to suggest that routine patrols not pay too much attention over here.

Then, the four Soz'Chept stepped through. The White Daggers of Famine began at once to carefully examine the web of protections, maximizing nondetection over speed. He lightly traced threat after thread, attempting to ascertain the exact nature of this web.

Selinia

2011-05-22, 10:08 PM

Along came a spider

The web was a fairly complex affair - not revolutionary or unique, just thorough and extremely well-crafted, with great attention to detail. It mas formed of a mixture of Threads (which carried the effects themselves) and Nodes (to which the threads were linked, and which relayed information from one thread to the next). Each Thread had a condition for its activation - in most cases, simply coming in contact with it was enough. Others triggered when magic was used nearby, and still others when they ceased receiving a passive clear-check from their neighbors. Each had at least two Nodes along its length, linking other Threads to it. Many had more. And the closer one got to the center, the more Threads tended to feed into a single Node, creating alarm clusters that would go off at the slightest whiff of abnormality.

They all seemed to lead back to a Core Node somewhere deep in the facility - likely the location of the control room from which the system was powered and sustained.

planswalker

2011-05-22, 10:13 PM

Black Mace

The Black Mace of Plague was the best at the next bit they would do. He took some of his own blood, and performed a ritual wherein one of his Dark disciples gave up his life to infuse the Soz's blood with a will of its own, enabling the Mace to see through it and actively control it for the next 24 hours.

He sent three drops of blood through to follow three threads back to the central node, taking note of the disposition of that room.

Selinia

2011-05-22, 10:20 PM

At the core

The room was small - it didn't need to be large, given that the core itself was a crysteel sphere about two feet in diameter. It sat in a cradle-like bowl, various wires routing massive amounts of information through it. Close examination would reveal that it was designed to isolate itself from the rest of the network in the event of being modified without proper authentication, as a safeguard against an infiltrator attempting to subvert the network from within.

A half-dozen guards stand watch - two at each of the small room's exits, and two flanking the sphere itself. Manual alarm switches were visible on the walls, waiting for a guard to throw them.

planswalker

2011-05-22, 10:27 PM

The three drops of blood go three separate directions at this point, one staying to observe what happens within this room in the next 24 hours, while one heads off to discover where the research itself is being conducted. It does not actually enter such a place, should it find it. Black Mace was sure that such an attempt would be detected.

The other searched to find out where communications with the surface happened, for this facility clearly was useless if not connected to the city above.

Selinia

2011-05-22, 10:41 PM

Threerouted

The first would find activities in the Core Node chamber to be remarkably mundane, for a place of such importance. Every hour, two guards were relieved (never both guarding the same exit, or both standing over the core at the same time though). There was always at least one individual within arms reach of a manual alarm switch.

The second would find three rather distinct locations. The largest, by far, seemed to be some sort of engineering wing. It was likely however, that its size was in large part due to the highly physical nature of weapons testing or building prototypes. A connected building was logged as 'Subjective Reality Research' - a term that would prove unfamiliar to any observer. The last appeared to be a medical facility of some sort, as well as doubling as a hospital for people on-base. The remainder of the facility seemed to consist of living quarters of the researchers (who seemed to heavily outnumber armed personnel, by a casual observation), a barracks for the guards, and various support facilities for the ships stationed there.

The third drop of blood would find quickly that communications were heavily limited by the security upon the facility. There were four elevator shafts leading up to various points in the Capitol - it was apparently through these heavy service lifts that personnel and equipment was transferred to and fro. But surface-facility communications were limited to hardlines - and those were strictly regulated, and generally only used by officers or for emergencies. Like much in the facility, the hardlines were designed to signal both sides with a warning call if cut.

planswalker

2011-05-22, 11:09 PM

The next day, another dead, another set of blood spies. This time, five droplets disperse. One goes to to each of the elevators and observes what goes in and out. The fifth goes into the file room and searches out as much as it can about the people on residence.

Selinia

2011-05-23, 01:21 PM

Hoss & Friends - Excuse Me For a Moment

The black trydan shouted out "I will not be accompanying the diplomatic team as I am needed back home, but I will make distribution of some sound making communication devices a priority. It will take approximately one hour to prepare and assign these devices. You may send a delegation with us to see our cradle". With that the trydanae fly back to the large bronze disc.

If the New Government chooses to wait

After an hour and a half Hoss and a group of a dozen trydanae fly down and attempt to follow any obvious escorts to the diplomatic meeting. Tounges will need to be used throughout the meeting as the trydanae do not generally know divine.

Mission Control

The disks were escorted down by the loose formation of gunships that had formed up around them. The heavier cruiser followed at a distance, and many other ships could be seen returning to the skies now that the crisis was over. The trydanae were lead down to one of many docking and landing strips in what appeared to be a military airport.

Any trydanae that did not follow the escort were relayed a message requesting - strongly - that they leave New Government airspace at once, and maintain a distance of several miles at minimum from the city. Those that allowed themselves to be grounded were hailed again - this time, with a civilian frequency.

"Greetings, greetings, well met, and how do you do? Vicoun-" There was a pause. "Uh, sorry, Eustace, mayor of this city, at your service. Pardon the slip. Old habits and all that. Anyway, I hear from the army lads that some rather interesting craft have shown up outside the city, and I just had to take the opportunity to chat. So, how can I help you fine gentlemen this fine, fine day?"

On the second day...

The four droplets of blood guarding the elevators found that the were used more frequently for personnel transport than anything else. Bulk crysteel wasn't among the goods brought down, indicating that there was probably a farm of it somewhere (likely in the sprawling engineering sector), but many fine-tuned devices and delicate equipments made the journey. Food was generated on-base by synth units, but oddly, at least one cart made its way in that seemed to be carrying nothing but a multitude of different flavors of pudding. The most notable transaction was a heavy secondary core, being delivered as requested to one of the destroyers patrolling the parameter - apparently the last one had been damaged a few months before the Darks arrived in some sort of crisis.

Running through the personnel files yielded some very interesting results. Apparently the war hero - and New Government Research and Technology Chief - Kaylee was employed here almost constantly. The medical and Subjective Reality teams were lead by tieflings by the names of Lloyd and Westin. Beyond that, it was difficult to say, as their files contained more black censor marks than actual text. The more mundane personnel were more or less what could be expected - the science teams were carefully selected from the most brilliant graduates of the most prestigious universities. The guards were to a one trained and experienced agents, members of C6 rather than any of the armed forces. It was clear that these weren't individuals who would likely be dicing on duty or falling asleep at their posts - and also clear that no resource or expense was being spared to make this place a crucible of research. Whatever was going on here was receiving almost limitless resources.

planswalker

2011-05-23, 05:23 PM

Reconnaissance continued

The next day, another sacrificed Dark and another day of blood spying. This time, enough droplets were sent to monitor every guard post in the facility, where they observed the pattern of the rotations of the guards for a full day. Should that not prove long enough to see the full pattern, the observations would continue until they were.

canjowolf

2011-05-23, 05:58 PM

Hoss - I Prefer To Hover

Of the thirteen trydanae that flew down to the meeting area only twelve stepped from their disks onto the ground. The silver one with the largest and most asymmetrical disc elected to hover about an inch above the ground. This silver trydan produced a small cylinder approximately one sixth of a meter long and five centimeters in radius. From this device emitted a rapid series of clicks, which the tongues spell translated to "Greetings Eustice, mayor of this city. I am described as Hoss the skysurfer. I am driven to explore new territories and see what this world has to interest a curious being. Your people are the first civilized beings which I have discovered and I would like to learn all that is interesting about you. I am also leading and guiding these dozen others who each have their own reasons to explore new lands. Pog the Botanist seeks to catalog and categorize the many varieties of life on this fragment. Elek the Trader is seeking new materials that we do not possess upon out home disc. His discovery of sand and the glass that can be formed from it were especially useful. In summary we have all come to learn and explore. What is your function?".

The Bronze Disc - Sailing, Sailing

Feeling that Hoss was probably going to be down there for an extended period of time the Bronze Disc is steered towards the towering tower that is the Citadel, hoping to see what sort of race would build such a structure.

Selinia

2011-05-23, 07:15 PM

Random Number Guardsmen

The facility seemed to house roughly a hundred security personnel - not counting the crews of the supporting destroyers, which were housed on their own vessels. The number fluctuated slightly as troops were brought in and led out, but it remained very near 100. Guard shifts were staggered so as to never change a complete watch at once, but were otherwise fairly mundane.

Absolutely Fabulous

The audio-only channel to the town's mayor abruptly cut off, as a decorated civilian hovercraft drifted down to land on a nearby bit of airstrip. Practically leaping from the cockpit was an... unusually dressed man.

Eustace, Mayor of Rekishi City, was not exactly a normal man either. He was brilliant at administration, and had turned a small frontier town to one of the biggest booms on the Rim (not to mention possibly the biggest tourist draw in the entire New Government), but at the price of everybody having to put up with his incessant smiling and seemingly everlasting good cheer. Sweeping a violently purple top hat off his head, and sweeping it in front of an equally dreadfully-hued lavender suit, he grinned widely.

"Well, isn't that wonderful then? I mean, you've come to a good place! Why, it may look quiet now, but once the apocalyptic countermeasures give back the power they borrowed this place will be lit up like a rainbow! We've got theater, dicehalls, sporting arena, hotels, libraries, and full access to the Grid for wireless devices - only the Capitol can say the same on that count! Heavens, I almost pity you for your dizzying array of equally wonderful options! As you are foreigners, I am your host here, so let me ask to you fine gentlemen where shall we start?"

planswalker

2011-05-23, 10:24 PM

Step Three - Strike!

The White Daggers and the Black Mace had done their parts. Now it was time for the Red Sword's.

A third property of the Dark'Chept is that they have an affinity for blood magic.

Three nights later, when the blood spies had determined that it would be a while before the guards along a certain portion of the perimeter and in the central security core were relieved, the Dark struck. Before, the Mace used very small amounts of his blood. This time, he drained himself nearly dry. Far more blood than should be possible was drained from him. This blood, the Red Sword of War took and further empowered. An insidious magic was placed within a portion of it.

Very thin streams of blood began to flow into the compound. The majority of it dispersed into a near-invisible mist that hovered around the central security room.

The rest formed pairs of tiny drops that hovered near the guards along the side of the compound chosen.

Once the final mote was in place, the Red Sword struck, and the magic went off.

It was not a powerful magic, but one of significant effect.

For each guard, a pair of blood droplets entered the corner of each eye. This slightly irritating itch was quickly blinked away. What wasn't so easily blinked away was the false imagery that now hovered in front of their vision. The illusion was simple, really. Beings with a bloodmark on their foreheads did not show up in their vision. In their place was shown only empty air. The cloud of blood mist slowly descended upon the guards of the central security room. It did not take inhaling too much tainted blood before they all passed out at once, the levels of blood toxicity closely watched to ensure none got a head start.

a most minor of illusions, in the most fatal of places combined with a mundane toxin.

Then the Daggers began his work. One by one, he moved aside the threads of the web of security on the chosen side, the blood mark on his forehead hiding him from view. Once he had cleared a tunnel, a trio of elite Dark'Chept were sent through. They simply walked past the guards, the momentary magical silence as they passed through easily dismissed in the memory as the tricks of idle guard duty, for there was no one to attack the compound, surely?

Once past, they made their way to the security center, where they quickly disabled it with blood runes set to disintegrate in an hour. That gave them one hour before security could pinpoint them exactly to discover what was being researched here.

Selinia

2011-05-23, 10:39 PM

On the clock

They knew the layout quite well, thanks to their prior reconnaissance efforts - up to a point. But the heavily-warded (though apparently lightly-guarded) lab wings were a different matter. Thanks to their cutting off the central hub, they'd be able to get in - but it was hard to say what they would find.

Answering that was of course the reason they were there.

There were three routes - the Engineering wing, the Medicine and Biotechnology wing, and the oddly-named Subjective Reality Research wing. Three Darks had been sent. Reconnaissance was a wonderful thing.

planswalker

2011-05-23, 10:41 PM

the three mages each took a different wing, altering the blood room on their heads to make them invisible as well as the silence spells each used.

Selinia

2011-05-23, 11:05 PM

Safety Ratings

Entry into the Engineering wing quickly brought the Dark into... a well-lit room, full of various computing devices. One wall was of transparent Crysteel, allowing a view into what had to be the largest room in the entire complex - what appeared to be a firing range of sorts. Looking through the window would display that there were likely at least three other rooms identical to this one, two on the other side of the range. Another windowed overlook could be seen in a slightly higher position at the end of the range's length.

The computers are turned off, as most researchers were sleeping, but there don't seem to be any traps anywhere. People work here - it wasn't designed to repel intruders.

Bloody Needles

The medical wing seemed to contain two separate levels. On bottom was the actual hospital - which seemed to be serving precisely that function. A few names were logged as checked in for illness or injury (mostly construction workers), and seemed to be accounted for.

The upper level - buried up into the bedrock - was rather higher security, but it was nothing the Dark's preparations couldn't handle. Several offices lined a hallway, with a fine wooden door bearing the nameplate of one Dr. Westin ending it. A branching corridor leads to what a sign helpfully labels as the test chambers, but this is where the actual scientists probably work.

Subjectivity

The Subjective Reality Research wing seemed, oddly, to consist right now of... one office, and a room where the wards seemed to inexplicably face inwards. Construction equipment litters the hall, and it is clear that this place is being aggressively expanded.

planswalker

2011-05-23, 11:20 PM

Data Transfer

Though Dark'Chept society as a whole was no more technologically inclined than any other part of chept society, this was an elite operative. None could accuse his skills of being sophisticated, but he knew the basics of how to turn on a computer and defeat the login encryption. Once on, he quickly scanned through as many files as he could before either someone came in to see a computer without a user since he was invisible, or 45 total minutes had passed since the blood rune was inscribed on the control room.

There's always a paper trail

The one in the medical ward quickly searched through the desk, looking through any folders he could find and reading them, reading for speed rather than comprehension.

Future Plans?

This was the wing whose name most concerned the Dark, and it seems to be the one least developed. He rifles through the office, seeking an explanation for the inward-facing wards, suspecting an answer.

Selinia

2011-05-23, 11:52 PM

On the Grid

There were a lot of files - the problem was, many of them were already familiar to the Dark. Many of them related to Gefjun Circles - if anything, these files seemed to confirm that the New Government had been free and open with that information at least. Shell casings, propulsion - a great many blueprints and articles on attempting to miniaturize reactors. Not to give the wrong idea - all of it was cutting-edge technology. But it was also mostly mundane, and little more than an expansion on what already existed. Mentions of Spiral reactors were made - detailed ones - but the system didn't seem to actually have anything on them. Still, it seemed to be information the researchers could access, so it had to be around somewhere.

Nobody walked in on him physically, but he wasn't the only one online either. Apparently genius lent itself to insomnia, and there were about half a dozen users logged into the wing network.

Hardcopies - why did it have to be hardcopies?

Dr. Westin was clearly... old-fashioned, at least when it came to keeping track of files. His entire department had cabinets upon cabinets of (thankfully, well-organized) files on all manner of things. Most were simple case reports - observation, analysis. More than one commonly used new pharmaceutical seemed to have originated here, despite being distributed by private companies.

Some rather interesting files contained what appeared to be diagnoses of the effects of Spiral power on an individual. Actual, detailed reports of what exactly happened to muscle and such placed under the effects of a Spiral surge. It seemed to be looking for possible health issues, but it was hard to tell - there was remarkably little notation for how many raw facts there were. Westin's team was apparently rather small, and probably worked out the discussions in meetings.

Entry One

The lone office is sparsely furnished - two desks, neither of which had nameplates or other identification. A small refrigerator sits in the corner - investigation would reveal it to be filled with pudding. Lots of pudding. Also a frozen flatbread that never seemed to have been heated up.

Both desks are graced with computers (from the bolted crysteel casings and odd wire placements, apparently custom-built ones), which whirred softly in the otherwise silent room. The larger and more important-looking desk had a stack of paperwork on it, and the smaller one seemed to have been housing the person actually doing all of it. Most of the papers seemed to have been transaction reports of some sort - for all its small size, this wing was absolutely burning through funding, and constantly asking for more. A single paper towards the bottom of the stack was labeled "casualty report", but has nothing written in the blanks for information.

canjowolf

2011-05-24, 04:28 AM

Hoss Skysurfer - What Was That Last One Again?

The trydanae shoot lights between each other for a few moments before Hoss says "Let us begin at the beginning and explore the theater".

planswalker

2011-05-24, 07:43 AM

On the Grid

There were a lot of files - the problem was, many of them were already familiar to the Dark. Many of them related to Gefjun Circles - if anything, these files seemed to confirm that the New Government had been free and open with that information at least. Shell casings, propulsion - a great many blueprints and articles on attempting to miniaturize reactors. Not to give the wrong idea - all of it was cutting-edge technology. But it was also mostly mundane, and little more than an expansion on what already existed. Mentions of Spiral reactors were made - detailed ones - but the system didn't seem to actually have anything on them. Still, it seemed to be information the researchers could access, so it had to be around somewhere.

Nobody walked in on him physically, but he wasn't the only one online either. Apparently genius lent itself to insomnia, and there were about half a dozen users logged into the wing network.

Ignoring the other users, the Dark continued to dig around, looking to try and determine if any other projects of note were happening, specifically weapons.

Hardcopies - why did it have to be hardcopies?

Dr. Westin was clearly... old-fashioned, at least when it came to keeping track of files. His entire department had cabinets upon cabinets of (thankfully, well-organized) files on all manner of things. Most were simple case reports - observation, analysis. More than one commonly used new pharmaceutical seemed to have originated here, despite being distributed by private companies.

Some rather interesting files contained what appeared to be diagnoses of the effects of Spiral power on an individual. Actual, detailed reports of what exactly happened to muscle and such placed under the effects of a Spiral surge. It seemed to be looking for possible health issues, but it was hard to tell - there was remarkably little notation for how many raw facts there were. Westin's team was apparently rather small, and probably worked out the discussions in meetings.

Finding this interesting, the Dark moved on to the area labeled "test chanmbers" and looked to see what was there.

Entry One

The lone office is sparsely furnished - two desks, neither of which had nameplates or other identification. A small refrigerator sits in the corner - investigation would reveal it to be filled with pudding. Lots of pudding. Also a frozen flatbread that never seemed to have been heated up.

Both desks are graced with computers (from the bolted crysteel casings and odd wire placements, apparently custom-built ones), which whirred softly in the otherwise silent room. The larger and more important-looking desk had a stack of paperwork on it, and the smaller one seemed to have been housing the person actually doing all of it. Most of the papers seemed to have been transaction reports of some sort - for all its small size, this wing was absolutely burning through funding, and constantly asking for more. A single paper towards the bottom of the stack was labeled "casualty report", but has nothing written in the blanks for information.

Deciding that this area must be one of high importance to receive such funding, the Dark boots up the computer on the desk of the one more likely to have been making the reports trying to discern the purpose behind the wards to protect the surrounding from that placed inside.

Selinia

2011-05-24, 09:50 AM

Land of Wonderment and Delight

Towns generally had a purpose. Some towns were mining towns, others industrial town, still others simply towns born of an overflow of people. Rekishi City existed to entertain people. It was born of a simple bit of logic - if people were willing to travel down the street for good entertainment, might they not be willing to travel to another city entirely for amazing entertainment?

Thus, it bore little resemblance to an ordinary city. Its residential population was quite low, but it was almost constantly flooded with guests and tourists. Not an office building was in sight - rather, dozens of resorts, hotels, and the attractions themselves.

Eustace happily led the visitors through the streets, keeping time to his steps with a bright yellow cane he had procured from... somewhere. With equal cheer, he pointed out numerous theaters as they passed. Some were apparently movie theaters, others for performances of dance or song, others for plays. And even among those, there was seemingly vast variety.

"So pardon me, gentlemen, if I simply do not know where to point you first! Might I ask - what sort of shows do you do fine fellows watch for amusement in your own homelands? Drama? Action? Intricate battles of wits?"

Spinning Wheels

While the computers yielded nothing new, there were quite a few notepads scattered about - they didn't seem to be in any sort of order, and reading shorthand was difficult, but many of them (particularly those with more recent dates) seemed to relate to the massive Super-Spiral engines used in some of the New Government's more powerful warships in place of a normal reactor. Oddly, none of the other recent schematics seemed to require this power source - and by official statements, SS engines were simply impractical to mount on more than a handful of ships. It was novel technology, but its utter reliance on a powerfully Spiral-attuned captain was unacceptable for such an expensive piece of hardware.

So... why were they researching it? Perhaps attempting to work on making such things practical?

Universal Donor

There were eight apparently identical test chambers, as well as an adjoining chemical lab. The lab was mundane enough at first glance - it appeared to be exactly that. Just a well-stocked room for mixing various compounds and analyzing blood samples and such.

The test chambers were small rooms, though a little larger than an average hospital cubicle. Each contained a bed, a toilet behind a low wall, a few chairs, and a bookshelf built into the chamber's sides. Of the eight, five were currently empty. Two held individuals - one male, the other female, both human. From their athletic builds and the calm way there were browsing books at this time of night, it was likely that they were Cloud Six employees undergoing routine testing of some sort.

The last room though, bore a lock - and a rather strongly worded sign requesting that unauthorized personnel not enter. There weren't any special wards or protections around it - it just seemed like someplace the staff wold rather stay away from.

Good news, everyone!

The computer quickly booted - it actually hadn't even been turned off, just sent to sleep. It quickly became apparent that it was running several extremely demanding programs in the background, streams of calculations running through a task-box faster than they could be read. In a stroke of luck, that meant that there wasn't actually any security active at all - the Dark was already logged in.

Navigation revealed a rather astonishing number of files, who whoever wrote them was apparently doing so only for his own benefit. They were written in such technical language (not even accurate technical language - this 'department' of one researcher seemed to be almost deliberately messing with any of his colleagues that tried to read his work) that only a few things could be reliably snatched from them. A few names - repeated references to the Gefjun effect, for one. The names of a few well-known humans came up as well - Nia, Soren, and Kaylee mostly. Once or twice, the term Empress, which could only mean Teikoku. Also, the word FREYA appeared multiple times, written as an acronym - but it was never properly written out. It was a tiefling name, but the Dark couldn't think of anyone of importance that it applied to.

Skimming names in the text documents was interesting, but proving uninformative. And none of them were explaining the warded room next door. There were, however, several folders of video logs. Booting the first one put the image of a smiling, bespectacled tieflings onto the screen, leaning entirely too close to the camera.

"Helllllooo!~" He leans back in his chair. "So, these recordings are for Lulu's eyes only. If you're working for us, and you're reading these, you're fired. Congratulations!" He paused, seeming to think of something on the spot. "For that matter, if you're not working for us and you're reading this, can we hire you? Seriously, we've got a great benefits package. Commission on pointing out our security holes alone would make you pretty darn wealthy."

"Lloyd, the recording..." The voice came from off-camera.

"Ah, yes. Anyway, you said you were going to cut our funds unless we explained what in Creation we were doing with it, so here you go... nice and tidy like. Isn't technology great?" The first video cut out there, but there were many more - actually probably much more than an hour's worth, all told, which could prove problematic as they weren't labeled except by date and recording order.

planswalker

2011-05-24, 04:12 PM

Wheels Within Wheels

The Dark in the engineering wing narrowed his searching to look for more information on such things.

Locked Doors are Meant to be...

The Dark used a simple spell to overcome the lock and open the door.

When in doubt...

Realizing the importance of what he had found, the Dark in the Subjective Reality Research wing did what it took to ensure he perused the data at his leisure. He had been told in no uncertain terms that he was to leave no trace of Chept involvement in this operation, to make them doubt that they had even had intruders, but this machine had far too much valuable information on it that needed to be analyzed.

He unplugged the machine and placed it within the portable hole he kept on his person. This computer would need to be studied in detail.

canjowolf

2011-05-24, 06:04 PM

Hoss - All Work and No Play...

The trydanae appear to be very interested in the city of splendor that surrounds them and ask questions about the purpose of this building or that traffic device. In response to Eustace's question Hoss replies "In our homeland we observe sermons and other instructional performances, as well as displays of beautiful and intricate creations. Our entire time here is an instructional performance though, and we are here to learn as much as we can. Perhaps the best place to start would be at your beginning. Does the theater perform the history of your people? Obtaining this knowledge would allow us to better understand your mindset and purpose".

Selinia

2011-05-24, 07:31 PM

Re: Apocalypse

The Dark's time was running perilously low when it finally found a communications log saved in high-security files. It was new - less than a week old. Combined with the fact that he hadn't found others like it, it was probable that information on this level was deleted from hard drives once the staff had been informed of it. It was short, and had no names, but it was loaded with implication.

Salutations!
Need something?
Actually, this morning, was running tests. Whats the highest your latest engine can put out, modifier-wise?
Its been finicky, but maybe 3000% base output... give or take. Tough to tell how it'll react to larger input though. Wish we could just drag Ms. Sunshine down here and like... I dunno, make her hug a puppy or something. We need a better base, or amplification isn't going to do anything.
I see.
Huh?
Could you be a dear and make it a few thousand percent higher, then give me a call? Even if the inverter works, it needs a critical mass of Spiral Power to ignite properly.
=User has left the conversation=
...Now I've got to talk to Lelouch again. Fun.
=User has left the conversation=

Behind Closed Doors

The shelves in this room were bare. There was no furniture, aside from the bed. The bed... it seemed empty, at first glance, but there was in fact something in it.

It looked like it had been a young girl, once. A human of maybe eight or nine years. It was hard to say precisely what was so off-putting about her, lying there with her small chest rising and falling. Her eyes were hidden behind a heavy black cloth that smelled of medicine, and there were what had to be dozens of tubes delivering chemicals into her veins. She was weak and frail looking, but even that didn't explain the utter wrongness in the air. It a feeling akin to being trapped in a long, long tunnel, with only a glimmer of light at either end. Like no matter which rout one took, there was only one outcome...

Then it occurred to the Dark-chept what was so disturbing about the girl herself. Her tiny, cracked lips rattled slightly as her breath ran out, drawing in a new lungful. It wasn't the careful, measured breath of sleep. Only one thing caused someone to dredge out their entire lungs again and again.

Sleeping she might be. But the girl was screaming.

Numerous monitors and readouts filled the space around her bed. All of them bore the same label - 0^1. A single handwritten note topped a stack of papers.

"This failed. We're clinging at nothing here - we've already got the next iteration underway. Finish getting what data we can then let's let this poor thing's spirit rest. I'm not keeping this dismal atrocity around any longer than I have to."

Subtlety

...sometimes isn't the most important thing. But it does make things easier. No alarms went off as the Dark pulled the plug, but it had irrevocably betrayed its presence here to anyone coming later. Lingering long might not be the wisest course of action now that it had what it had come for... but while the warded room's mystery would likely be solved by the information on the drive, it was unlikely they would ever get a chance to return...

planswalker

2011-05-24, 11:52 PM

Exit

Convinced that it was time to leave, running low on time and having found important information, the Dark leaves, just unplugging the power cord to the computer instead of spending the time to ensure he logged off properly. Once so done, he sends a telepathic message to his brethren informing them that his reconnaissance mission was completed and he was leaving.

Strategy

Upon receiving the message from the one in engineering, the Dark in the medical ward withdraws back to the exit. The medical ward did not have that much interesting data. Hopefully, the other two had better success.

Initiated

Knowing full well that what he had could reveal what was in that room, the Dark did not risk going there himself. Instead, he sent a simple spy eye composed of a small portion of the animated blood with him to find out what was in there.

He, however, made his way to the exit location as fast as he could without hurrying. He was invisible and silent, but bumping into a sleepy scientist would give away his presence.

Selinia

2011-05-25, 12:09 AM

Eye spy...

A sort of antechamber greets the bloody infiltrator - several chairs and screens displaying slowly scrolling information. One of the walls of the room appears to be transparent Crysteel, beyond which lay another room. The bright light of that room, and the dimness of this one, indicated that it was probably a one-way looking glass. A single door - absolutely overflowing with inward-facing charms and protections - was set in the glass wall.

The room beyond the glass was... clean. Surgically white. There was a desk. A chair. Both sized for a child. There was paper, and several pencils of various colors gave the room what little color it had. Drawings were pinned up around the desk, though it was hard to tell what they were from here. The center of the room was dominated by a large bed. Upon that bed lay a girl.

Her eyes were closed, but she seemed to be breathing too shallowly to be properly sleeping. She clutched something tightly to her chest. Numerous medical drips seemed to plug into her arms or back. She doesn't seem to react to the Eye's presence in the outer chamber, but even through the eye the Dark would likely feel a deeply unsettling presence. Something was very, very wrong about this human child.

planswalker

2011-05-25, 12:19 AM

A Closer Look

Willing to risk detection of a spy eye by a small girl likely not very well-adjusted, the spy eye seeps in and observes the girl more closely.

Rainshine

2011-05-25, 04:54 AM

Great Desert

The cities of the Mteule began to swell and grow, as their supplies of food grew and their forces of creations became armies. The desert had been a place of suffering, of turmoil, of testing when they first came. Now, it was a home of what some might consider monsters; monsters created by devious minds. There was still one blight left, to the Mteule. The great cities of Vendigroth -- and Vendigroth itself. Xireial didn't plan on failing like Liat did.
The newest, and most dangerous of the creations, was the Malthar. Designed to be able to combat even a raging cryslak, the Malthar was controlled exclusively by means of a mutvic. It was an unstoppable machine of death. Hopefully.

Brinedark

They were used to strange. This was beyond strange. But there was very little that they could do. There were two ways before them, and that was that. It was highly unfortunate that they didn't have their things; but magic still worked, if not nearly like it should. Two parties, one to go up, one to go down. The lady Valerie lead the way deeper in.

Mingora

She gazed outward at nothingness for a moment longer. Death meant nothing to her, she found. Strange. Some spent entire lives avoiding it, and it had come so sudden, even to her. The world stopped for no one. She turned towards the door, and tried to peer beyond it. Accomplishing nothing, she smiled. "So, I will finally meet your Master. It is good to know we've finally moved beyond games." With a faint flash of that dangerous red in her eyes, she strode forward; long confident steps, legs like that of a dancer bringing her through the portal.

Pit of Sand

No more decadence. No more softness. Each and every of the few travelers stepped foot on the desert floor, and witnessed the approach of one of the Great Worms. Its passage left a depression in the sand; its roar shook the rocks. There was no shelter as far as the desert stretched, no convenient caves to hide in. This was their home, and they stepped out in faith, and in test.

Aarken

From the ranks of the Seraphim, was the Watcher chosen. He was the final chord of the song, the final of those who would be the Angelic Choir. A vision of golden power, The last of the Guardians, too, was chosen, but his name still might be held back, for the world knows not the roar that brings destruction on those who summon it to themselves.

AP 25 - 0 (Lead Populace: Army of Monsters, free from artifact) - 1 (Create Life: Malthar) - 0 (Raise Hero: Zaphkiel the Watcher, free from Mythic) - 1 (Raise Hero: Bharrai, the Rage) - 0 (Bless on Mteule, their populations skyrockets to higher than ever before with the changes in their conditions) = 20
EDIT: Forgot the cost of reshaping the Pit, I'll just toss it in here.

Selinia

2011-05-25, 09:28 AM

Different

The moment the gory detection device crossed the threshold into the white room, the eyes of its occupant snapped open. her head turned towards the door - still closed - then up to the red glob of vital fluid itself. She sat up slowly on her large bed, her eyes disturbingly wide and unblinking. "You're... not Mister Lelouch..."

She turned around to face it properly, feet dangling off the edge of her bed. After that one statement, she simply stared. She didn't ask 'What are you?' or 'Are you supposed to be here?'. Just... stared. Waiting for the glob to do something, maybe. The soft beeping of the machines plugged into her kept time like the ticking of a clock, their low hum the only sound that could be heard.

planswalker

2011-05-25, 10:02 AM

Different Indeed

The blood spy could not communicate, being merely an observatory device. It did not even have a mind of its own, being completely controlled by the Dark who was now leaving the building. All it could do was move and observe. Thus, the Dark had it move toward the girl, hoping to cause a further reaction.

Selinia

2011-05-25, 02:37 PM

Do not want

The girl practically jumped out of her skin as the glob of blood moved towards her again, scrambling desperately backwards over her covers. "No! No, I don't like you! I don't want you here! You're a Bad Thing from Outside! You're here to hurt me!" Her clumsy flailing knocked her out of bed in a tangle of sheets, bringing down one of the IV-hung rolling towers connected to her by flexible tubing.

She scurried across the ground in a panicked crawl, dragging the durable crysteel cart behind her and shifting some of the other machines as their chords were stretched to their limits. She came to a stop underneath the small white desk, draping her sheet over her head like some sort of ward as she shivered in pure terror. The doll she clutched to her chest was apparent now - a poorly-made, handcrafted thing of sturdy white cloth and too much stuffing. From the mane of strips around its head, it was probably supposed to be one of the fabled (though long-extinct) Leonin.

The walls around the desk were papered with childish sketches and drawings in bright, primary colors. Their contents were... unusual, though. Some depicted what appeared to be the girl herself, in various states of torture or dismemberment. The red pencil seemed to be a favorite. Some depicted a crude image of her with tears on her face, or huddled up in a ball. They all seemed recent, likely made in the last few days... except for one, hanging in a place of honor underneath her desk with her. That one showed the girl smiling, eyes open - holding her hand was a much bigger figure, done all in blacks and browns but still warmer than any of the others. She huddled up close to it now, muffled sobs coming from under her makeshift blanket-fort.

Brinedark, The river raging

Those taking the wide, open tunnel found that it did indeed open into a still wider one - nearly twenty feet from wall to wall, with a ceiling half that height. But the actual passable ground was small, as the vast majority of the tunnel was occupied by a furiously roiling river that smelled almost overpoweringly of salt and rotting fish. A ledge led downwards along the wall on their side, but it was a few feet wide at its widest points, and treacherously slick with water and that slimy moss-like substance. Upwards led for a few meters, before the tunnel narrowed into a dark hole from which the river gushed. Even the strongest swimmer would almost certainly drown trying to follow that dark passageway.

Those that went downwards found their narrow shaft to tighten still further, to the point where they had to crawl on their hands and knees. The walls and floor were coated though, in a thick green substance that seemed almost like a cushion, and made the cramped quarters much less unpleasant. It carried on for what seemed like ages, before the floor abruptly dropped away at a slightly widened point where two could perhaps lie shoulder-to-shoulder. The tunnel continued on the far side of the gap, but there was no leverage and no room to even stand for a jump, aside from which the gap was nearly ten feet across. Maybe twenty or thirty feet blow them, a pool of calm, slow-moving water could be seen. Gnarled, ropey vines dangled from their ledge, and might be climbable, but they didn't seem likely to support any but a very light load even with careful climbing.

The two routes lead in almost directly opposite directions, and it is clear that if the group decides to stay split, regrouping will soon become extremely difficult.

planswalker

2011-05-25, 03:58 PM

Alone with a Dark

Finding that this still wasn't enough stimulation to trigger any interesting reactions, the dark commaned the blood eye, and it floated underneath the desk and splattered its substance over the happy painting, adding tears of blood to the girl, and gushing wounds to the tall figure.

Selinia

2011-05-25, 05:01 PM

Poke, Poke...

Feeling the splatter of liquid, the girl stopped shivering beneath the sheet. Slowly, she peeled it off, eyes catching the defiled drawing on the wall. For the first time in this whole encounter, she blinked. "No... that's not right. That doesn't make sense..." She reached out with one hand, trying to wipe the picture off. Her hand only smeared the blood. She was oddly... calm, as she brought the hand up to her face. "You're blood. I have blood too. Look..." Picking up one of the colored pencils littering the floor under the desk, she looked closely at it. The, abruptly, she slammed the sharpened tip into the palm of her own hand, somehow not even wincing as the point dug into her flesh. She worked it back and forth for a moment, widening the wound, before removing the pencil and putting it carefully down. She held up her hand,which was now streaming blood freely. "See? Blood..."

She looked at the picture again, then suddenly started shaking her head furiously again. "No! That's not right! You put it in the wrong place! You don't make any sense! You don't exist! Not at all! Shujuaat says so - you don't exist, so you can't hurt me!" She closed her eyes, screwing them shut with all her might as she clutched the stuffed lion to her chest. The plush toy was slowly turning a moist red where her self-infiltrated wound was bleeding into it...

Then the blood globule realized something.

It really shouldn't exist.

The controlling dark felt it slam into him through his link with the object like a tidal wave of ennui. The blood droplet wasn't even sentient, yet it was somehow actively trying to break free of his control so it could... stop existing? That actually sounded like a pretty good idea. It wasn't like there were any other options, at this point. It was... talking to him, through the link, somehow. After all, it wasn't like existing was a choice that made any sense, right? That would be wrong. He should really just let go... let it stop existing...

Maybe he'd come with it? It was good option for him too...

planswalker

2011-05-25, 08:40 PM

Ah, so I see

Upon being slammed by this childish logic, the Dark allowed the blood spy to end, destroying all trace of it. One did not get to be an elite operative by listening to childish and nonsensical instructions from an outside source, no matter how loudly they screamed psychically.

Upon the blood spy vanishing from existence, so did all trace that it had been real.

Hasta la Vista

The three Dark'Chept spies left the same way they came in and, save for a computer log entry, a missing computer, and an already disturbed child claiming something without proof, there was no evidence they had ever been there.

Selinia

2011-05-25, 09:40 PM

Well, that's inconvenient

"I had so much data on that thing!" The researcher stomped his foot in fury, chewing in wordless rage on a plastic spoon. "Gaaaaaahhhh! Why would someone do this? Someone is trying to steal my work! They're trying to take credit!"

"You had it backed up though... right? You remember I told you..."

"I was putting it off until the equations ran! I haven't backed that thing up in a week! Now I'm going to have to put all that code back manually..." He slumped into a chair. "...do you have any idea how boring just coding lines you already know is when you can't just plug into the system? I'm not going to be able to get anything interesting done for days!"

"...you know, I think our bigger concern might be explaining to the Advisory Commander why you never installed your account protection..."

"I was getting to it! I was getting to it! Dear goddess my fuuuuuuundiiiiing! I can see it flashing before my eeeyees!..."

planswalker

2011-05-25, 09:54 PM

The Impact of an Hour

In slightly more than an hour, the Dark'Chept went from knowing a hidden research facility exists to having a general idea what is being worked on. A girl who defied reality instinctively, a generator that multiplies the output of a spiral-user, and likely some means of weaponizing that. Something lethal enough to warrant a Blood Prophecy.

The Dark who stole an entire computer was thoroughly chewed up, spit out and regenerated to prevent from losing his assets. He was a good spy, and truly there was little else he could have done to complete his mission. However, stealing the equipment skirted the line of their objective parameters. The punishment of death through slow torture was mediated because of the unavoidability of the situation. Thus, the torture was relatively brief and he was restored to full functionality.

The Dark Four lead the Dark into breaking the camp and gating back through, leaving four incarnates to seal up the portal and burrow their way back to the surface.

Once back securely hidden in their mist villages, the leaders order the technology it will take to run the computer from the gnomes and begin watching the video logs methodically in the order they were created.

Selinia

2011-05-25, 11:17 PM

A matter of time

A few of the early videos were, by and large, useless. Lloyd was... definitely brilliant, but he seemed to have a fondness for talking to himself.Quite a bit of time was simply spent validating theories through proofs that he himself had designed (and was obviously very smug about) and going off on random tangents about this or that scientific mystery. But eventually, they came to it.

*************************

"...and so you see, what it boils down to is telling 'reality' - which is to say, the way things work by the rules of magic and physical sciences alike - to simply go cry in a corner, if I may be so blunt." He'd just been on a long-winded rant, giving many, many examples of Spiral power in action, alongside some of Serpents and a few of RageFae, as well as postulation about divine intervention that had veered into the philosophical.

"What we think of as 'reality' is really no more real to these powers than... well, than words on a page, to a skilled writer. They operate on a level above reality, looking down on it and changing that which displeases them. Now, they do it in different ways, mind you. Take a boulder that is too heavy to be lifted. From what we can gather, a human can say 'I am strong - therefore, I can lift the boulder.' - from the point of ordinary reality - what I'll call 'Objective Reality', this is untrue. However, from the human's point of view - what I shall henceforth refer to as 'Subjective Reality' - the statement is in fact true. Subjective Reality, to those that can access it, is a higher priority than Objective Reality, and overwrites it - if provided with sufficient force. Big if - I'll get to that later on."

"Now, a serpent does the same thing from what we gather - how it rings out on this level of reality is different, but its mostly words on a page, so to speak. The serpent though says, 'The boulder can be lifted.' - its more externalized, more controlled, less conditional. No 'if' or 'because' in the statement. Unlike the human, they can actually control this consciously - more like a proper command, less like a reflex. But once again, it is as far as we can tell the same mechanic. The serpent's Subjective Reality overwrites everyone else's Objective Reality. They apply it a bit more finely, but force is still an issue with them. They could turn say... a tiefling into solid Crysteel, but they'd have trouble with doing so to a skyscraper, and they flat-out couldn't transmute a continent - on their own, anyway. So there is that good news, I suppose."

"Gods though... they seem to operated on another tier entirely. A god looks at the rock and says 'It is lifted.' There's no fussing about with wordplay, to extend the metaphor. They simply slam down their quill and reality bends over backwards to accommodate. I'd postulate that even they have some sort of mechanic binding how much they can do at a time, but its so far beyond anything we can currently produce that I wouldn't know how to measure it even if I got a chance to. So that's the bad news. Still, someday, eh?"

It trailed off there, the monologue heading back to more mundane issues - requests for more equipment, a lab, authorization for some tests. Several more video files were passed through before reaching another important bit.

********************************

"...anyway, that's the essential concept, from the tests Westin has run so far. There isn't actually any change in the physical composition of someone under Spiral influence - at first glance. But here's the kicker - they're made of the same stuff, but the stuff actually has picked up new properties. Think of it like lead just deciding that its as valuable as gold - and everyone going along with it. As best we can tell, a SR field latches onto some sort of probability wavelength - something going both above and below normal reality. It then sort of... if you'll pardon the repetition, latches on to that length and reels it in. It pulls it back until it overlaps with Objective Reality, at which point OR is overwritten and SR becomes the new standard. If the Subjective Reality Field stops being applied, SR will drift back to its place in the wavelength, and OR will reassert itself. Gods seem to be able to bypass this somehow - at least, I assume they do, since we're not drifting back to oblivion since the Empress died... but you know what? Screw gods. I'm going to put them out of this equation until later. They seem to work differently anyway."

"In any case, that wavelength takes effort to move - the further something is from the state of OR, the tougher it is to properly manifest a SR. In other words, the more powerful the SR inducer - be it Spiral Power, a serpent, whatever - the further the effect can stray from 'normalcy'. Getting narrowly missed by a bullet? Very possible. Requires little Spiral Power. Summoning a giant mecha out of thin air? Utterly insane. Requires massive amounts of Spiral Power. The trick is finding a way to use it..."

Again, moving off in another direction. This time about Super-Spiral engines - it was interesting, true. But also irrelevant for the moment. SS engines were nothing new.

Another video ended. Another began. This one though was different - Lloyd was in a new office, grinning ear-to-ear. The office from which the computer had been taken. He was toying with something in his hand and looked more or less like a child told that the Weaver had dropped off his winter gifts six months early. This was going to be the one...

Selinia

2011-05-25, 11:47 PM

Flatline

"Exiting, isn't it? Actually moving forward. To the tools to craft an era, good Sir Lelouch!" Lloyd raised a goblet of gelatinous brown chocolate substance, toasting. "To putting the 'mortal' in 'immortal', my friend! Boss. Employer person. Funding provider." He trailed off rather awkwardly, coughing once or twice. "Anyway, I'm sure you share my enthusiasm, even at this early stage. Work has officially begun." The grin again. "FREYA, my good sir! It just roooollllls off the tongue so nicely, no?"

"The Forced Resonance Extreme Yield Annihilation device. Still theorycrafting of course - we don't have one yet. We don't even have what we need to have the things we need to even begin building it, to be honest, but that's what this nice little place is for, yes? But you know the general concept is sound."

"A bomb... no, to call it that doesn't do it justice. FREYA isn't a weapon. Weapons are used to fight battles. FREYA is the battle. It is the war. It is the end of the conflict, and its beginning. You see, we think that, if properly calibrated, we might be able to turn the SR effect right around on its head. I've talked about two SR fields going against each other, you'll remember - it's like a tug-o-war of sorts. They pool if acting for the same objective, but if vying for different parts of a wavelength, they wind up canceling each other out until only the stronger is actually exerting influence any more. FREYA..." He makes a short, choppy motion. "...takes away the rope. We crank a single surge up as high as it goes, then we blast out a tiny sliver of the probability wavelength. Infinitely narrow - we couldn't even measure it with time, because it doesn't take up any as we think of it. But it would cause the future of anything caught in that element of the wavelength to be narrowed to only a single possibility, which we preset."

"In layman's terms... we make something not exist really, really hard. A SR user can stack a deck of cards however we like - FREYA hands him a deck where every card is the same, and simply drawing makes him lose at once. A game where even perfect play results in a loss, because the win condition has been taken away. Except that in this case, 'winning' is more like 'existing'. We're a long ways away still - but... to new beginnings, no?"

The video ended there. That was it. That had to be it.

He kept going on, as the dates progressed, talking about progress made. They were attempting to tinker with the Spiral in a 'natural' setting, in hopes it could be replicated artificially at some point. Project Zero was an attempt at creating a conscious Spiral User, able to home in and select the desired outcome. Super-Spiral engines were being developed and upgraded like never before to provide the force necessary. And of course, endless tests were being run to find out - more or less - where you aimed if you wanted to take out Reality in one clean blow. On an extremely small scale, they were getting frighteningly close... 0^2 could selectively erase things simply by denying they existed, if they were mindless or very weak of will. AT this point, she still needed to get the target to agree with her to close the effect, but still...

They were talking about something that could murder Fae. Heck, they were talking about something that might actually hurt gods. Blood prophecy indeed... perhaps never a graver one made.

planswalker

2011-05-25, 11:56 PM

Lines in the Sand

The Four learned of FREYA, and they told the Five. Iounchept then does something he hates doing, but feels compelled to do. He actually walks into the embassy about a year after his appearance where he demanded to see Lelouch.

Selinia

2011-05-26, 12:03 AM

Erik, Is this a dream?

The ambassador was walking down a hall, returning to his office after breakfast, when he beheld a most curious sight. Verily, the general of the chept armies himself was walking in the front door, and there was a noted lack of pyrotechnical wonderment and furious shattering of things. This was without precedent!

Well, it was also good. Taking the opportunity to show how happy he was to not be diving for cover right now, he approached the Soz. "Welcome to the Embassy, Lord Iounchept! Have to say, you've managed to catch me off guard by actually not catching me off guard - no offense intended. Something of an accomplishment, really, but I am actually pleased to see you. What brings you here today?"

He really hoped it didn't have anything to do with toads. He'd already filled his mental quota for toads dealt with this week. They were getting kind of annoying.

planswalker

2011-05-26, 12:08 AM

Iounchept - Disturbing much?

In a tone that was as cold and emotionless as ice, Iounchept said, "Ambassador Erik, I would like to make a formal petition to see Lelouch. Please inform him I will see him as soon as possible."

Gone was the slight irritation and playfulness that had always been in Iounchept's voice, as well as the exasperation at those who cannot seem to read his mind. It sounded as if he was reciting a formalized set of words that had lost their meaning to him.

Selinia

2011-05-26, 12:17 AM

Erik, Chilly - not Cool

That was... off-putting. He mentally strung into one of the basic enchantments of this place - one to confirm that someone was in fact them. Shapeshifters weren't unheard of, and magic could do the job in a snap. It paid for important people to be more reliably identified. But... this was definitely Iounchept. Must be having a bad day.

If he wanted to talk to the ASC... probably a very bad day.

"Right away sir." Erik nodded briskly, dropping his usual jovial tone as well. He knew firsthand how annoying happy people could be for someone having a really awful day.

A scant ten minutes later, he returned. "The Advisory Subcommander will meet you at your earliest convenience in his office in the Ministry Tower." He nodded. "No clue what you two are up to, but it sounds important. The embassy will be on standby, and we'll have the papers filed posthaste. Best of wishes, sir."

planswalker

2011-05-26, 12:20 AM

Iounchept - Anyone else feeling that chill?

Without a word, Iounchept was gone.

However, he did not materialize inside Lelouch's office, but was just outside the building. Once he was escorted in and shown tot he Advisory Sub-Commander, he asked Lelouch a seemingly simple question: "Are we friends?"

Selinia

2011-05-26, 12:33 AM

Questions and Answers

Lelouch knitted his fingers together, speaking in the level, calm voice he seemed to always use. He looked at Iounchept squarely, eye to eye.

"Personally? Not at all. I find you to be rash, rude, and entirely too hasty for someone who has lived as long as you have. I also find that you frequently act irrationally, which presents many difficulties from the viewpoint of a leader. However..." He paused for a moment, setting his hands back down on the table. "...I would like to think of our nations as friends, of a sort. We are quite different, but it is easy to see that we have much to gain together, and much to lose against one another. Do you know, the New Government actually has Chept citizens now? By birth. Your people teach them, not our own schools - they were quite insistent on that. But this is still a home for them, if they choose to make it so."

planswalker

2011-05-26, 12:35 AM

Iounchept - Dangerous Questions

"Is it then your custom to create weapons specifically designed to kill your friends? Is that how humans show friendship?"

Selinia

2011-05-26, 12:55 AM

Scenarios

"So. It was you. I had thought it likely..." Lelouch sighed, rubbing his forehead. He seemed... tired. "Very well. Know this - the FREYA is designed for one purpose and one purpose only. It is a tool of defense. You yourself have read our Declaration - what did you think of it? We have fought and died for centuries, simply for the chance to pen those words. 'We hereby proclaim our independence.' - our freedom from those who would oppress us. However... think about it. It is absurd, is it not?"

Lelouch gestures at a window - his office was sparse, but it had an excellent window view of the city of Kakumei. "How long do you think it would take Lord Mondo to burn away those centuries of work, if he wished to? Hours? Minutes? Or Lord Terran, to crush us? Or even Sozuchi, should he lose control of his heart once more? Our declaration was made in the heat of the moment, by children. It has no teeth. We could all be slaves again tomorrow. While that is true... how can we feel safe?"

"FREYA is to be our shield and sword in one. A threat we can make. Teeth. I do not ever wish to use a device such as that, but its mere existence at our side would bring us a step closer to what we need. Parity. Something to make a fight costly enough that the aggressor never makes his move. Think for a moment - if a child is being bullied, and he learns to fight, do you arrest him for murder? He has, after all, been training in the very same arts a thug could use to take a life. We do the same. I have said this before - I will do whatever it takes to preserve our people's freedom. That does not mean I wish to murder my allies. But it does mean that I must ensure we are prepared to defend against our enemies."

"Look at our own actions. We have worked with you every step of this journey. We have developed the Circles, and we do intend to use them, dangerous though they may be. We will work and perfect them right up until the end, so that there is no need to every brandish the likes of FREYA. Because you are our friends and allies, and not ones I would care to lose."

planswalker

2011-05-26, 01:13 AM

Iounchept - Fine Words

"You speak of pretty concepts, of preventative warfare. However, history itself shows that escalation never leads to peace. Have you heard what happened when Chept and Banchept created a more excellent hunter? Cat'Chept killed and ate the Crocs and Eag for sport. Then, the Croc and Eag banded together, and together, they overcame the Cat. They then began to systematically hunt them all down. Do you know how the Kin Wars finally ended? It was not with a more powerful warrior. It was with humility. The Set came along, small and humble, lacking the power of the Croc or the killer instinct of the Cat. What they did have, though, is guile. They showed the other races that one was not superior to the other, that all are equal.

Today, in your hubris, you have declared that you will not feel safe until all the world trembles beneath your might. I assume you know that it was this exact thinking that convinced your mother to kill you? She saw a vision where your dream came true. Rather than peace, your race felt nothing but war for all of its bitter existence, ending in the cold, dark death of the last of your race. Even now, the lust for power has consumed you and the others who think like you. You have begun to build a weapon whose sole advantage over your conventional weapons is that it could kill your allies' spiritual guardians. Do you not see the madness that has come upon, despite all your cunning. There will always be something more powerful, something that could kill us all. Even should you find no outside forces that can threaten you, your own people would fracture and begin to threaten one another. What happens if, two-hundred years from now, your descendant is even madder than you are, and takes this weapon and attacks another with it? Are you going to tell me that you ignored that outcome when you made it? Are you so short-sighted?"

Rainshine

2011-05-26, 01:42 AM

Pit of Sand

Meditation brought enlightenment. Liat stood on the sands, naked as he entered the world. Around his neck was his only bit of adornment, a medallion on a cord of sinew. The medallion was an artifact from a land and a time now far away, It hung suspended over his chest, faintly gleaming in the boiling sunlight. A single step out across the desert floor, and then another, as the rest looked on. The Great Desert had always seemed to teem with life to them, but this place was different. This was not a land where shade held habitats for the small creatures to hide.

A fiercesome cry sounded across the skies, not too unlike the shriek of a roc. If any had been looking up, rather than focused so on the steps of Liat, they might have noticed the approaching shape; it cast no shadow, but seemed to burn with its own light. He stepped forward again, and called out to the spirit of the desert in a strange tongue. Still the people watched, and wondered.

Liat tilted his head to the sky, craning back painfully. His knees went out from under him, and he fell to a kneeling position, still staring upwards. Was this the place, the final destination for their tired souls? He had been living long... so long, and fighting for so much of it. With the desert, with other people, with anything that tried to steal away control from him. It had only been here, in the desert, that a few words from the past came to the surface again. The last step was often the hardest.

The medallion began to glimmer and emit its own light, the strange crystalline substance that was inside the outer rim giving off a red glow. Then the figure from above finished its dive, and all who were witness felt a searing of flesh and eye. When again, they could see, there was nothing left, but for the medallion on a snapped sinew, and a blackened patch of sand.

20 - 0 (Lead Populace: The Final Step, free from MA) - 0 (Create Class: Martyr, free from Leader) = 20

Selinia

2011-05-26, 10:55 AM

Today and Tomorrow

"You are correct in that this weapon may slay a Serpent or a RageFae. But it goes beyond that. Those not of the earth of Creation cannot die here. Think of the nerra. They have pointlessly murdered your own kin. They have launched unprovoked war and slaughter upon gnomekind. Oh, yes, they are always beaten back - but they laugh as they 'perish', for they will simply be born again. The FREYA does not kill. It destroys. How much slower might they be to murder mortals if their own life truly hung in the balance? They are but one foe among many."

"I have heard the story of how the Set brought the tribes together - by showing them that they were in fact equal, as you say." Lelouch gestured upwards, as if indicating the sky. "Tell me, is this equality? That we must always tremble in fear that a single being of such raw power might decide that they dislike us, and crush us like ants? Imagine for a moment - how do you think the Kin wars would have ended had the Cats had the strengths of every bloodline, and the others none of them? The battle was able to end because of equality. The FREYA shall be out Set. It is ugly. It is crude. But how does one teach humility, I ask, to those who for all their existence have never lost? To the sort of being that defaces the starry sky itself for no other reason than to stroke his own bloated ego? We must prove that we have the ability to take a seat at the table, rather than remain as pieces upon it."

"And yes. Your words of future generations are true. The children of today shall one dawn hold the trigger of the weapons we have built for them. Which is why I would see them raised in a world of peace. A world unlike our own - a world where equality is truth, not just... words on a paper proclamation. Where we have sickened of battle, and our foes the same, that we might mend those rifts. Where chept children and human ones are not kept in separate schools by the paranoia of their parents. Where none remain as pieces played by masters who care nothing for them. I am no seer. I cannot pretend to know the future. But I know that it shall be shaped by our actions today. Just as how, because of the war we waged, we call the tieflings among us friends rather than foes, and ally rather than overlord. Some - your own cousin among them - believe a softer path may be walked. That those Above and Below might be swayed by kind words. I let them try. I am here to ensure we are ready should the hard one be our only recourse."

planswalker

2011-05-26, 03:48 PM

Iouchept

The mage pauses for a short time before responding. "I can see that Ear's influence on you has not diminished with time. I can understand that with a divine mother such as her who killed her own children she claimed to love how you would not trust the gods. However, I tell you that FREYA will not take away your fear of the gods, Lelouch. FREYA cannot kill a god, not even significantly harm one. Your own theories assume that gods operate on such a basis, but they do not. How they manipulate the world is based upon the same principles as a Faeri or even the Spiral when at a high intensity, but their being, their essence, is beyond such things as possibilities and substance. FREYA no more slays them than a child picking up a toy stick and saying "bang!" slays you. All your efforts will gain you is the means to kill those whom you call friend. Do you actually think the Nerra cannot die in this world? Only because they "summon" themselves here. If one brings them through conventional means, they do in fact die. And you assume that FREYA would kill them by making their summons non-existent. If you examine the theory more closely, the math can be proven both ways, that summons would be destroyed in truth or not. This weapon is madness, not safety. I ask you once more: Will you stop research on FREYA?"

yeah, Draken, something you misunderstood about dnd rules, extraplanar creatures CAN and DO die when on the material. The only time they don't is when SUMMONED by a conjuration [summoning] spell. in the campaign setting conversion, the Nerra would have to summon themselves to not violate the rules on that one.

Selinia

2011-05-26, 11:21 PM

Something Awful

"...no. No we will not. Truly, would you believe me if I said we would? However... it is also true that we should not alone posses something like FREYA. Which is why I offer you this." Opening a drawer in his desk, Lelouch calmly slid a document onto the desk in front of him, turning it towards Iounchept.

"I cannot say when it will happen, but FREYA will be completed some day. When that happens, I would like the Chept Nation to take custody of a dozen warheads armed with the weapon. We will not ask that our own personnel be taken with them. We place no conditions upon the acceptance of this offering. Should we turn to folly with these tools, even such a small number of these weapons should be more than enough to cripple our greatest cities. To render us harmless. If you have the information I assume you do, you will know that the Spiral is no more a defense against FREYA than the power of the River Serpents. There is no defense against it. The mightiest shields and sturdiest fortifications in world mean nothing to it. I only ask that should you use it against us, that it be in the defense of the mortals of this world."

"What say you, Iounchept? Will you strike me down, or shall we work to try and prevent any more senseless bloodshed?"

planswalker

2011-05-26, 11:36 PM

Iounchept - We Will Be Watching You

"I understand your gesture, but we will not accept your folly for our own. You have convinced me of this much, however: you mean them not for destruction. We will be watching you, and if you give even the slightest hint of using this evil, I will personally boil your blood alive. That is as close to a compromise as I will come. If you ever use this insanity, you and everyone who has ever had anything to do with this project will die."

Selinia

2011-05-26, 11:47 PM

It was not precisely the best of times

"We have an agreement then." Lelouch rose, bowing slightly with one arm folded before him, in the tradition of the old samurai. It was a gesture that had found much renewed use - it signified respect, even in disagreement or outright hostility. "We understand your own gesture as well. I am glad that this did not come to violence, and hope dearly that it does not do so. We have the future generations to think of." He reached for a bottle on his desk, pouring out a glass of simple, pure water, presenting it to Iounchept as he poured a second for himself.

"To a world without war, ally. May it remain so forevermore."

planswalker

2011-05-26, 11:54 PM

Iounchept - Or Not

Iounchept pointedly refused to return the gesture or accept the drink. "Understand one thing: Until your people abandon the insanity that is FREYA, we are not friends, and our peoples are not allies. The embassy will stay to reduce friction, but we are not allies."

Selinia

2011-05-27, 12:03 AM

Few and many

"As you wish." He nonetheless takes a small sip from his own glass, before setting both of them down. "In that case, I should only hope that we reconcile our disagreements in a satisfactory manner. We have much to learn from each other still, I think." He moves slowly and deliberately, taking a seat once again. "In any case, Sir Iounchept, was there something else you wished to discuss? Or was that the sum of it?"

planswalker

2011-05-27, 12:07 AM

Iounchept - Goodbye

In response, Iounchept teleports out, leaving a small ring of ash and cinder where he had been standing.

Lagren

2011-05-27, 08:51 PM

Lloyd & Cecile, a few moments later...

"Are you certain that there isn't a backup?"
"Yes, yes, I'm sure..."
"It's just that there's this disc here that's labelled 'backup.' I think. Your handwriting needs work."
"What? Let me see that!"
The disc is gone from Cecile's hand and in the computer almost before she has a chance to blink, Lloyd already bringing up a list of files to restore.

SR Waveform Calculations.lgr (1.2 TB)
Are we going to unexist the world.lgr (1.1 TB)
How hard doesn't it exist.lgr (1.3 TB)
0^2 Progress Report.doc (207 KB)
0^2 Brainwave Scans.lgr (2.3 MB)
Brief The Boss.mov (1.5 GB)
SR Theory Preliminary Proofs.doc (1.2 MB)
0^1 Brainwave Scans.lgr (2.1 MB)
Hello Lloyd.exe (1ͣ̅̆̎͛ͪͨͫ̈̋ͭ͑̓̉ͫ̈́̍͂̀̕͟͏͕̩̬̹̲͇̗̱̜̳͍͕2̈́̓̄̈̑͊́͏҉̸̲͕͘ ̞͉͓̳͈͙̞̤̱̙̙͖3̾͌͐ͥ̓ͨͬͪͮͧͯ҉̛͟͏͖̺̞̼̦̱8̸͋ͭ̾̄̆̎͐̓̀́̚͜͝ͅ ̼̖͕͎̪͚̠͕̦͕̻̪7̸̴͖̹̳͚̳̱̯̟̤̝̰̹͓̤̳̉͐͑ͦ͗ͯ̓̌̽͒͐̊ͨ͆ͪ͛ͪ̀̚͞ ͈͎̻̰4̵̳̻͍͕̰̹̝̼̼͖̗̭͇̺͙̻͍͇ͭ͋ͨ͒͗͑ͦ̊̉ͥ͞ͅ6̵̨͇̪ͣ̃̀ͯͦ̉͗̀͘ ͈̻̜͙̰̮̱͕͎̜5̵̪̟̭̫̘͚̭̩̪̦̭͑͗̌͂̃̆ͮͫ̌͒̐͌ͭ́͟͡͡8̌̅͒͌͌̑ͮ̊̌ ̶̧̖̻͍͈̺̪̖̟͈̭̝̟̦̯̤̤̘͉̬͡͠2̶̷̹͎̗̠̻̋ͨ͑̃ͭ̈́ͮ͋̆ͧͯ͠ ̸̨̼̮̥͕͎̗̳̟̝̀͆ͮ̒͛͆̈́͒̒̕͟͟Y̶̧̼̞͕̭̅̐̐ͪ̆̒͆͒̔ͫ͡B̓̾͂͋͋͒̀ͮ ̥̫̟̬̝͜͢)
Please README first.doc (65 KB)

"Well, clearly this disc is corrupt."

> Open "Please README first.doc"

Hello, Lloyd. It's been a while. Remember me? Your first source of funds? My, how you've gone up in the world since then... Except, perhaps, with your experimental gear. Your first lab is always the best, isn't it? That's why I never left mine, and that's why I've given you the little gift above. That funding of yours ought to be good enough to rebuild it.

Please try not to lose your data again. We need to get SYSTEM up soon, and my influence seems to be starting to wane.

And please remember- if you try to hand a cheat a blank deck, they'll still reveal four of a kind and your credit slate.

> Restore all Files

Rainshine

2011-05-30, 02:45 PM

Great Desert

He came to exist again, by the grace of Akhat. And by the curse of Akhat, he retained that which he knew, and one additional piece: his duty, his responsibility, and to be his life. The sun felt different than memory; less primal, more comforting. It disgusted him. That was the way of it.

The army was again assembled, looking far different that those who had tried this once before. This was an army of handlers and monstrosities. There were others, fighters from the people as well, but the bulk of the forces were creations. With the most recent mutvics, very little was needed to be done by the researchers even -- they simply input the parameters for creation, and the mutvic took care of the rest. There were still practitioners of war of course; archers who trained to put out an eye at five hundred paces, striders that could shatter hostile magics, and artists of the blade. The group was filled with sounds, snorts and howls and scratches and snuffles, as they ponderously set out towards the west.

Selinia

2011-05-31, 04:24 PM

planswalker

2011-06-01, 03:52 AM

Iounchept - Dark Tidings

Whatever announcement the New Government was expecting Iounchept to make, he did not make it in the Isles. Instead, he returned to Sozengrad and conferred with his siblings. Chept and Banchept took charge of informing every clan, tribe, and family about FREYA, while Iounchept went to the Vortex Isles and there prepared the enclaves of mages for war. Elekchept sought out the Orcs in the mists, as well as their elemental allies and the stalkers in the mist, readying them to harass any attempts by the humans to move on Water World. Bitvachept stopped by the Dark Four, and informed them of the goings-on. She was told that the Dark would be in position to tear at the enemy's most vulnerable spot. Once again, she thanked Daddy that they were on her side. Then she continued on to the Forsaken, seeking to find in them a common ally. Their might may have stagnated, but they were still allies of the Chept and would surely answer the call to war should the need arise.

Shota traveled to the Old World, first stopping by and informing the myconids who hadn't heard from Sozengrad yet about the tensions. Once that had been done, she and Jormungand made their way to the dwarves, to inquire if the grand alliance of races would be involved in this matter.

So many of the major players had been sent elsewhere, the thoughts that diplomacy could be effective on the Isles not having crossed their mind. Iounchept had tried in his eyes. With his failure, the Chept prepared for war. Too often had bloodshed started thus. They refused to be unprepared.

Eventually, a month later, someone did deign to speak for the Chept. William Penkappa stepped out of his order's largest dojo and waterwalked to the front of the embassy. He politely knocked.

Selinia

2011-06-01, 09:31 AM

Hero's Welcome

Everyone had heard stories of William Penkappa. William the water-mage. William the rebel hero, the savior of the uprising. If he'd asked for it, he probably could have been made Supreme Commander himself. Even among tieflings, he had a shining measure of respect - he was thoughtful, intelligent, wise, and always acted in the interests of his people. None could deny that he was a superb leader, and one of the foremost in the field of learning to harness Spiral Power.

But he rarely had much to do with the nation at large, beyond those he taught. So it was with some surprise that Erik noted his arrival at the Chept embassy of all places. He was welcomed in without delay, and a missive sent to the New Government headquarters proper. Erik himself came to greet William's arrival, rather than sending a secretary to do so. It was only proper. He smiled out from behind the heavy dark shades he always wore, greeting the man warmly. "Welcome, welcome, Sir Penkappa! This was hardly expected, but might I ask what brings you here of all places?"

planswalker

2011-06-01, 09:56 AM

William - Into the Fray Again

William was quite surprised at first to find himself greeted by the one Favored. Ironically, for all that he was deferring to William, in Chept circles, William was nothing more than an accomplished river adept, while this one was almost on par with a Soz in honor and respect. "Will, please, or William. I am no knight. Glorium has been mothballed for nearly twenty years. As to why I've come, all eight of my adoptive parents were quite insistent that I pause teaching my students to deliver a message on behalf of all kappa in the Isles."

Selinia

2011-06-01, 05:14 PM

Not supposed to be the embassy of purple furniture either, actually

"Right then, William..." Erik nodded, then paused a moment in thought. "You know though, that... really ought to go to the Ministry. Just saying, this is actually the Chept embassy, not the assorted-wet-things embassy. Still, I'll make sure it reaches the right place. Actually..." He glanced at a palmtop planner. "It looks like the Supreme Commander is on his way, if you'd care to stick around. Might be able to tell him yourself, if you'd rather go to the top. If I know him at all, he'd not miss a chance to talk to you."

planswalker

2011-06-02, 01:12 AM

William - Funny Story, Actually...

"Well, normally I would do just that. But the thing is, the Kappa here say that the message is on behalf of them concerning the Faeri, and that you specifically by name were to be told, as it will have a major effect on new government-chept relations. By the way, we really need to get around to naming our government. It's been over twenty years, and the newness is going to wear off soon."

Selinia

2011-06-02, 10:47 AM

Sunglasses - not just for the sun anymore

"Well, by my understanding there are currently over three hundred applications for the name of the government, and none of them can actually get enough support beyond their suggesters to eliminate others." He shrugged. "Its a name. By my understanding, the gnomes have a Not-on-fire Chemists Society, which is about as accurate as our own title."

Erik sighed again, rubbing his forehead behind the dark shades covering his eyes. "The Faeri then? Well, get it over with. I somehow get the impression my day is about to get dramatically worse..."

planswalker

2011-06-02, 04:35 PM

William - What's in a name?

"Well, I personally like the Spiral Kingdom myself. Of course, I think we all know that if the Friends ever bothered to register themselves as citizens, the government would be known as "Nia's Government". They're pretty monomaniac. Tell me, have you ever met one of the Friends?"

"Oh, and please excuse an old veteran a bit of small talk before we get to the tense and depressing part of the not-war going on under the surface. I don't think you get how special it is to talk with one that my parents say is favored by their siblings."

Selinia

2011-06-02, 06:23 PM

Letters

"Not at all minded, though I try and forget the Great War myself. Nasty business all around. One of the reasons I got into this job, trying to keep another one from cropping up. Frustrating at times, let me tell you that - you'd be amazed at what tiny things set people off." He smiled wearily, scratching the back of his neck in embarrassment. "And I'm really nobody. Just some chum with the misfortune to have some bossy snakes breathing down my neck. That's not modesty. In all seriousness, I think they gave me this 'favor' because I'd just explained how unqualified I was to receive it."

The smile became a chuckle at the thought. "Heh. Nia's Government? You know, not that I know anything about those days compared to someone like you, but rumor has it some wanted to crown her Empress after that whole indecent, so that might actually be not far from it. Only met her a few times in person, but she's an amazing girl. Woman now, I suppose. Can't help but think of her as a kid though. If the stories I've heard are true, we'd probably all be still fighting that war without her."

"And yeah, I've met more than a few of those Friends. Halflings, mostly - they keep showing up here to try and spread the Light Eternal. Zealous little chaps, though nice as anything when you get down to it. Not sure how well their whole shtick is catching on though - hard to argue with Love and Justice and all that, but telling someone they're worth just as much as an immortal tends to draw some funny looks."

planswalker

2011-06-02, 06:37 PM

Idle Chatter - If only it could last

William almost laughs at the picture. "Yes, indeed, Sozuchi's siblings can be overbearing, can't they. I think sometimes they enjoy creating situations where offending them will doom you to grisly death and playing along gets honors shoved in your face you don't want. However, you're one of the kappa's favorite things to talk about. They like an honest person. I suspect you're better at your job than you think."

William gets very serious at this point. "No. You are wrong. We would not be fighting a war right now. We would all be dead, our graves unmarked and littering the countryside as the Mad Empress likely turned on the tieflings themselves. I spoke with her, and let me tell you, her Prophecy had eroded at her own sanity over time. I understand. I myself have seen that vision, and it haunts my nightmares to the point that dreamwalking near me can be as deadly as any predator of the Dream World. I understand the Empress' view, and pity her death. But never assume that we had a chance without Nia. Without her love, we would all be dead."

"The Cni are the strangest, in my opinion. Very broody, and being able to see through one of them does not make them any easier to understand."

He pauses, then sighs. "Anyways, my own "bossy snakes" are saying that I need to stop stalling. Well, the basic message is this: If project FREYA is not stopped within the next six month, the Kappa will all withdraw from the Isles, take the Ronin willing with them, and ban any human from leaving the Isles."

Selinia

2011-06-03, 09:12 AM

By which you mean?

"Prophecies." The ambassador shook his head. "Honestly, have they done anyone any good? Ever? First the Empress fell victim to one, now these Chept seem to be getting sucked into obsession with their own little fortune-telling schemes. I only hope somebody snaps them out of it before they go the same route she did."

Erik blinked a few times in surprise - not that it could be seen behind the obscuring shades. Mostly, his face just took on a rather shocked expression. "Wait, wait..." He held up a hand, forestalling reply for a moment. "...so you're telling me that the Kappa, who have dwelt here for... I don't even know how long, are threatening to try and imprison humans? I beg your pardon sir, but are they bat-guano insane? I think we all saw how well that turned out last time! You know, if that hit the media I bet it'd take less than an hour for half the Isle to be clamoring for their exile anyway!"

A momentary pause, confused expression returning. "And what in the blazes is Freya anyway? Only Freya I know of is a character in a fairy tale, and that's hardly the sort of thing to rile up the Fae like this."

planswalker

2011-06-03, 05:46 PM

Ignorance is Dangerous

"Well, first off, let me say that it's not the prophecy itself which has them upset. They are actually rationally and calmly dealing with that. As best my parents explained it to me, what has them upset is Lelouch's pet project called FREYA designed to create a super-weapon capable of killing anything short of a god itself, including the River Serpents. And yes, you are right that the Kappa are acting irrational, but they are a nonviolent people who just found out that the sub-commander of their favorite people is creating a weapon to kill them. Try and see things from their perspective."

Selinia

2011-06-04, 01:33 AM

Pay Grades

This was above his. As usual. He sometimes wondered why they even had an ambassador to the chept - most of the things discussed were classified far above anything he could access himself. As usual, it seemed that this would have to move upwards.

"Well, I have no clue what you're talking about, and I get the feeling I'd be in trouble if I did. The ASC doesn't like people prying into C6, as a rule. I'll get this moving up..." He glanced up as a shadow passed overhead. He caught a glimpse of a shuttle emblazoned in the green flag of the New Government, now rotating and descending. "Actually... that's the Supreme Commander, if I'm not mistaken. Might want to hand over that tidbit yourself. And as for my view..." He shrugs noncommittally. "Well, I just hope nobody loses their cool here. I'm sure this isn't anything we can't come to a reasonable compromise on."

planswalker

2011-06-04, 10:46 AM

Cooler Heads - Uphill Battles

"We'll see. However, only compromises that include dismantling FREYA will be deemed acceptable to the Kappa. And if the Advisory Sub-Commander really wants to keep FREYA a secret, he better be able to mollify the Kappa real soon. Most of the ronin know at least that the Kappa are angry at Lelouch."

Wondering himself why one Favored and therefore with tremendous influence with the Chept does not have the power to actually negotiate with them, William goes to meet the the shuttle.

Selinia

2011-06-05, 01:11 AM

A perfectly serviceable bell

The small (if rather bulky) airship had barely touched down when the side door was sliding open. Greatcoat whipping slightly in the wind, holding his mop of yellowish hair out of his eyes with one hand and smiling widely, the Supreme Commander of the New Government hopped out onto the landing pad. His first words bordered on a shout, as the thrusters of the aircraft were still powering down. "William! Its been ages!"

Taking long strides, he closed the distance between them, holding out a hand and stowing the other casually in a pocket. His voice was of a more conversational volume now that he was closer, but it still rang with enthusiasm. "You spend too much time in those dojos of yours. Too many years since we've gotten to talk face to face." He paused, then chuckled. "Though I suppose I can't talk. Nia's always bugging me about the same thing... Still, good to see you again. What brings you here? Somehow I get the impression that this isn't a social call. The fact that you're at the Chept embassy, for one."

planswalker

2011-06-05, 09:59 AM

Lagren

2011-06-05, 11:14 AM

Sunshine, lollipops and rainbows

The doors to the transport elevator opened smoothly. The man inside stepped out, also smoothly. He smoothly adjusted his uniform's cowled collar, and smoothly proceeded to pass through security. Overall, everything about Lelouch was smooth and under control at that moment. Which was ironic, because things in general were going much less so. Hence his presence.

He walked to the SR wing. He passed through more security. He walked past the door to that horrible, horrible thing's room. He knocked, once. He then entered the office, and glared at its occupants. "Well." He glances around, then rubs his forehead wearily. "I take it you know why I am here?" Another wave of his hand. "And no, this isn't going to impact your funding, before you ask. We actually need FREYA now more than ever..."

Are probably not warranted here.

Cecile steps forward immediately, and seems to be about to speak, when Lloyd makes a cutting motion with his hand, silencing her.

"Yes. This is about the infiltration of this place by some unknown agency, who stole incredibly important and classified information, nearly destroyed the most recent set of calculations, and, most importantly, managed to get a spy into 0^2's room."

He drums his fingers on the table lightly.

"The data theft is unfortunate, but quite possibly inevitable. We're building a weapon that can destroy gods. Did we really think that the public wouldn't find out eventually?"

He shrugs, even smiling slightly, but it vanishes quickly, replaced by a scowl.

"The more serious problem is that one of their spies was in 0^2's room and may have accidentally contaminated the experiment."

He shakes his head in disgust.

"For this reason, my recommendation is that we accelerate the FREYA program as much as possible without unduly risking 0^2's stability. We have to have the program finished before the public turns against us, and before whoever it was sends another spy. For this same reason, I recommend that we increase the security even further. However, as there is a possibility of spies even in our most inner ranks in the case of godly intervention, the only way to do that would be to create our own... So I have sent a set of my old plans for artificial biological soldiers to Westin in Medical. He hasn't done anything with them yet, but if you give the order we can double or triple the guards here easily."

Lloyd pauses.

"Er, at least I think that's what this is about. It is, right? The pudding is a necessary part of the creative process!"

Selinia

2011-06-05, 11:29 PM

Reunions

"Sadly, I do. Some days, it feels as if I am on the verge of reigning in the beast and being its true master. Other days, I have a lion by the tail."

"As for why I'm here, well, the short version is that Lelouch has a private weapons project called FREYA which has the Faeri, Chept, Kappa, and River Serpents so upset that they're willing to go to war over it. Do you know about project FREYA?"

On paper

"FREYA? In... passing. Lelouch explained it in short to the Ministry a while ago. Confidential, technically, but whatever. I released additional funding to it recently." Soren looked rather confused for a moment. "Its just a new bomb, as far as I know albeit a really big one, using spiral power as fuel. He proposed it as a way of dealing with overpoweringly powerful entities. Extraplanar creatures, mainly.They're not common, but it can't hurt to have something on hand. And really, we know so little about the Spiral - its way past time the New Government lent you a hand in that." He smiled for a moment, before the look of confusion returned. "What exactly is wrong with it? We've been researching new defensive technology for years, what's wrong with FREYA in particular?"

Are probably not warranted here.

Cecile steps forward immediately, and seems to be about to speak, when Lloyd makes a cutting motion with his hand, silencing her.

"Yes. This is about the infiltration of this place by some unknown agency, who stole incredibly important and classified information, nearly destroyed the most recent set of calculations, and, most importantly, managed to get a spy into 0^2's room."

He drums his fingers on the table lightly.

"The data theft is unfortunate, but quite possibly inevitable. We're building a weapon that can destroy gods. Did we really think that the public wouldn't find out eventually?"

He shrugs, even smiling slightly, but it vanishes quickly, replaced by a scowl.

"The more serious problem is that one of their spies was in 0^2's room and may have accidentally contaminated the experiment."

He shakes his head in disgust.

"For this reason, my recommendation is that we accelerate the FREYA program as much as possible without unduly risking 0^2's stability. We have to have the program finished before the public turns against us, and before whoever it was sends another spy. For this same reason, I recommend that we increase the security even further. However, as there is a possibility of spies even in our most inner ranks in the case of godly intervention, the only way to do that would be to create our own... So I have sent a set of my old plans for artificial biological soldiers to Westin in Medical. He hasn't done anything with them yet, but if you give the order we can double or triple the guards here easily."

Lloyd pauses.

"Er, at least I think that's what this is about. It is, right? The pudding is a necessary part of the creative process!"

Kichiri Kachiri

"Interesting. We'll see what we can do about the security, but I thought you ought to know that the Chept are bordering on a declaration of war. If they attack here again, it will be to kill, not to spy. I was hoping we'd be able to unveil it when it was done, but nothing can be done now I suppose but try and finish before the river dragons loose their insanity upon us."

"I'll... talk to 0^2." He winces visibly at the thought. "I just hope that she didn't get too much out of that interaction. On one hand, reinforcing a fear of the outside world is beneficial... it makes her more dependent on us. But I'd prefer that we decide what she's afraid of." It was... probably a good thing that Lelouch had no actual children.

"In any case, one bit of good news." The lanky man nodded back at the door. "Its amazing what gets dug up these days. We're still mining out Teppelin's rubble from underneath us. You mind find these familiar..." He reaches into a pocket, pulling out a thin sheaf of photographs and laying them on Lloyd's desk. Scuffed up and dimmed out, yes, but the red sphere was unmistakable. "The main body was crushed beyond repair, but the core was sound, and some of the drives were intact. Its being shipped here as we speak, along with what data we could get off the wreckage. Hardly your Bella, I know, but maybe you can find a use for her heart, as it were..."

OOC: I kinda wrote them out of them game when Teppelin fell, but you did pay for those artifacts. Not my call to remove them when they're rightfully yours. Feel free to have C6 rebuild Bella and the Bird of Hermes (or their successors).

planswalker

2011-06-05, 11:48 PM

On paper

"FREYA? In... passing. Lelouch explained it in short to the Ministry a while ago. Confidential, technically, but whatever. I released additional funding to it recently." Soren looked rather confused for a moment. "Its just a new bomb, as far as I know albeit a really big one, using spiral power as fuel. He proposed it as a way of dealing with overpoweringly powerful entities. Extraplanar creatures, mainly.They're not common, but it can't hurt to have something on hand. And really, we know so little about the Spiral - its way past time the New Government lent you a hand in that." He smiled for a moment, before the look of confusion returned. "What exactly is wrong with it? We've been researching new defensive technology for years, what's wrong with FREYA in particular?"

William - Versus Application

"Did you know that the process by which FREYA works is specifically designed to be able to kill a River Serpent? The other threats it can kill have much less extreme methods of permanent elimination than creating a singularity whereby all existence in a local point is overwhelmingly pulled into non-existence. It would be like the Chept designing a plague able to eliminate all humanoids, and specifically tailoring it to cripple the spiral, using humanity as its baseline for how lethal it is. Lelouch manged to exacerbate things when Iounchept spoke to him about this."

Selinia

2011-06-06, 12:25 AM

GAR for short

"I was more under the impression it was kinda... you know, anti-everything. Generalized Anti-Reality ordinance, I think the term was. I guess that would include serpents. I can't really imagine us using it on them though - I mean, we've been working on the Circles specifically so that we don't need stuff like that! Lelouch said it was supposed to be a preemptive countermeasure - something effective against stuff we might not be prepared for or expecting." He sighs, rubbing at his eyes.

"Its a solid idea, in principle. I mean, obviously its kinda crude, and very blunt, but better to have a even shaky general countermeasure on hand to buy time then let something totally blindside us as we try to devise a specialized one. But the serpents aren't that - RageFae we've been warned about. We've got ways to deal with them that are much more humane for everyone involved. But... I suppose I can see how it might make the kappa nervous."

He looked back up at Will - he'd never really gained the height to see him eye-to-eye. "Still, a bigger weapon isn't worth the friendship of the kappa. We can always think of something else, but a relationship is something you can't replace. I'm sure Lelouch will agree... eventually." Soren nods, cheerful expression returning. "And its not like we've got to scrap the research. Maybe Lulu's labs can focus on something a little less dangerous now. By the way, how are your own students doing? Having any luck with the whole... spiral...thing?"

planswalker

2011-06-06, 01:07 AM

William - Power

"I think the thing that has them most upset is they're the only things out there that need such ordinance. Lelouch could swear all day long every day until he dies, and they won't believe that they're anything but means to kill them. Especially since when Iounchept confronted him about using them to kill RageFae, he said that such might be necessary. It would be best if you tell your sub-commander that the long-term benefits of the research are meaningless, since he's about a week away from having the Chept lead an international alliance against us that's likely to be directly backed by the power of the most powerful surviving elder god."

"As for using the power of the spiral to tame itself, there are times I feel as if I am riding a crest and if I can do so all the way to the top, I will be its master. There are other times, though, when it seems as if I'm only a slight slip away from being consumed by the spiral's rage and losing my grip on reality. I have a prophetess who used to work for Ear who checks the visions of the future. For the longest time, only one vision predominated beyond all others. Now, four paths present themselves. One is almost exactly as I saw it myself. One has the Half'Chept dominating us and fulfilling our destiny. In another, we do so side by side as equals. In the fourth one, the one I hope to shape our people towards, we learn to controlthe lust for conquest and live peaceably with our neighbors."

hope you don't mind me giving my interpretations for how each of the major movers' goals would work out. Nia's, btw, is so small and slight that Will hasn't seen it, and the halfling dominated one is the one where Tim ends up winning.

Selinia

2011-06-06, 11:45 AM

Silverware Vandals

"Its good to know that we're making progress, at least..." Soren shook his head, groaning at the mention of Iounchept. "Why? Why why why? Why won't anybody just let us be? We've not harmed anyone who hasn't hit us first! Ever! I can understand caution, but do the other people on Creation really trust us so little that they'd be willing to unite against us simply because we could potentially hurt them? A single serpent could rip apart hundreds of soldiers, right down to their souls - if one of the Circles were to fail, then a RageFae would!"

Closing his eyes, the man exhales slowly. Soren seems to deflate then, face painted in something like despair. "We'll scrap the weapons program, sure. It's just... is this how things are going to be? People breathing down our necks and jabbing us in the ribs if they think we might have strayed from a course they deem best for us? Nia's world - that place where people have put aside their differences and trust each other... how do we reach that future? We've spent decades in peaceful rebuilding. We've built a place where people can be... free, actually free. What do we have to do, Will?"

The look was the same one as the young boy looking to the old ronin for wisdom and guidance. "What do we have to do to show that all we want is peace? That everything we're doing is just to keep us safe and free, so that we don't have another Great War? How do we do that?"

planswalker

2011-06-06, 01:56 PM

Ultimate Questions

"Sadly, I do not know the answer to that. All I can do is try my best to get us a future where that can be pursued."

"Well, on the bright side, best I know, the Grand Alliance isn't actually against us. It's just the Chept and their allies. Unfortunately, they have a lot of them. And the Serpents are quite self-centered about this."

Selinia

2011-06-06, 06:46 PM

Nine and seven

"Too true... even if we could count on gnomish neutrality there's almost no-one who'd even hear our side of the story as things stand. Not against the word of the Chept. Still, that's one war that we can avoid for now at least. And things were going so well too..."

Sighing, Soren glanced back at the aircraft still docked just outside. "I suppose I ought to go tell Lelouch. He... won't be happy. I don't suppose you could come? I can overrule him if I have to, but I think he'd actually listen to you - he still has a lot of respect for you, you know. We all do."

planswalker

2011-06-06, 07:11 PM

William - Old Times

"Very well. for old times' sake."

Selinia

2011-06-06, 08:02 PM

All below

The shuttle lifts off smoothly, beginning the short flight towards the Ministry Tower. As a New Government vessel, it didn't exactly have to abide by traffic regulations - it was quite literally above ordinary traffic channels, the city spread out like a tapestry below it. Well, perhaps a little bumpier.

It took only a handful of minutes, most of which Soren spent sending off a short memo to assemble the Prime Ministry. But as they turned and began the decent to one of the many landing pads on the large building, he looked at William again, speaking somewhat hesitantly. "Perhaps it is better not to know, but... of the four futures you can see, which one is foremost now? Are we moving in the right direction? We are making progress... right?" The engines could be heard dying down as the shuttle settled into a resting position.

planswalker

2011-06-06, 08:10 PM

Progress... relative

"Well, twenty years ago, there were two options: us kill the universe or the halflings forcibly enslaving everyone and bringing forced happiness to all. Now we have four possibilities, although the largest plurality is still the one where we massacre ourselves after killing everyone else. Still, other options are now out on the table."

Selinia

2011-06-07, 12:46 AM

Old Friend

The conference chamber was front and center on the massive Ministry Tower, armored glass giving a breathtaking view of the capitol. Soren and Will were the last to arrive, everyone else already having been in the building (save Lelouch, who seemed to have materialized out of a supply closet somewhere). Nia traded a look of reassurance with the Supreme Commander as he entered, while Lelouch gave a much harsher glare from his seated position.

"Supreme Commander. I understand that you have an announcement for us?" Minerva sat in her own seat, posture perfect as usual. She seemed to display the fainest hint of a smile when she saw the ronin. "And well met again, William. The kami speak most favorably of what you've been accomplishing. I would expect no less."

"That would be correct, Min-... Spiritual Affairs Chief. William here has received a missive from the kappa - unless we discontinue research on the FREYA weapons program, we risk war with the Chept, and at least some of their allies, as well as the loss of the kappa's alliance." He nods, pushing past the shocked expressions and giving a brief explanation of what William had just told him. "I was... rather shocked as well. But this is apparently non-negotiable. I think we can agree that no weapon design is worth facing total war for..."

"This is idiocy. Are you serious?" The jagged intonation came from the Internal Security Chief - the oft-overlooked Kinon. "You would have us scrap a program of that kind of value for some saber-rattling?"

"No! Even if they did not declare war, this clearly shows that my Honorable Cousins do not trust us. We need to gain that trust, and if they are afraid of our weapons then we should put them down for a time, not make them sharper..."

"You know what I heard there? River serpents scared." Kaylee's usual grin was no less present for all that she was the only member of the ministry in casual clothing. She pivoted around in the spinning chair, putting her boots up on the table. "Seriously, why else would they put up a fuss like this? It means we're on the right track, I say, or at least they think we are..."

"You would do well to remember that you yourself agreed we would never use FREYA on a Serpent of any sort! Or have you forgotten?"

"Ummm..."

"Calm down, level your heads, this is a civil discussion and it will remain so!"

The clamor seemed to rise, shouts being traded at various volumes across the table. Kinon and Kaylee were quite vocal in their refusal of the plea, and Nia and Soren just as adamant in their reasoning to grant it. Minerva was too busy trying to make peace between the two to get a word in edgewise, but she seemed to generally support the Supreme Commander. Lelouch though remained seated, until such time as he finall spoke, interrupting Nia mid-sentence.

"...enough of this nonsense." He rose, sending a sharp look at William. "You have remained silent, but your word carries weight. Tell me, William Penkappa, why precisely should we capitulate to this blatant and undisguised threat? Because that is what it is. This is a one-sided exchange - demands have been made, and nothing offered in return. I am no lover of war, but what does it say about us if we capitulate the moment we are threatened? What next might offend these 'allies' of ours?"

planswalker

2011-06-07, 12:57 AM

William - Point

"Lelouch is right about one thing: mere capitulation will only lead us down a path of loss after loss until we are nothing more than a servant race to someone. Whether by law or merely practice, the results would be the same. Eventually, the path of revolution would be picked. When it is, we start down the path of total destruction."

"However, do not assume that the Faeri are scared. Doing such assumes that they react to threats with fear. Best I know, fear is something the Serpents have never known. They do not trust us, true, this project has brought that to light. If I understand them correctly, and I hope you all indulge an old man who was raised by eight kappa as he thinks he does, then they are offended. They consider it the height of rudeness to build a weapon that almost exclusively is designed to kill your allies. Besides which, I have a question of my own for Lelouch. What threat, exactly, has this weapon been designed to counteract?"

Selinia

2011-06-07, 01:27 AM

Forethought

"FREYA is designed to counteract everything. True, we could likely design a weapon to defeat almost any scheme, any foe - but FREYA alone is a complete general counter. Look at the records of the tieflings in the Great War - such things as legions of hellspawn pouring out of the sky with nothing bbut murder on their minds. We could devise a counter to such things - we are doing so, in fact, though data is scarce, but in the meantime, we have FREYA. But who is to say where the threats end? That attack was without provocation, without reason beyond death. Likewise with the rain of great beasts that even now plague our Rim settlements. At any moment, a divine could unleash their agents upon us simply from a perverse desire for butchery, or because we have 'offended' them in some manner."

"So to answer your question, it is a countermeasure for those things which have no other countermeasure. A safeguard. A fallback. To cite examples of the unknown would be rather silly, as they are unknown. By operating on such a fundamental level, it bypasses almost any form of immunity or resistance, and negates any chance of escape. If the serpents are of the impression that FREYA has been deigned to kill them specifically, it is simply because there is very little that is more difficult to slay. If another entity were greater than the Fae, they would no doubt feel the same way. The truth is that is there is no baseline - the goal is to eliminate the need for one, or at the very least set it impossibly high."

"I would ask you this in turn - if not here, where do we draw the line? FREYA is painful to give up, but could be seen as bearable. In the end, everything might be seen as bearable for a time. So why should we not make our confrontation when we are strong - before they have reduced us to servants? When we can view them as something near to peers?"

planswalker

2011-06-07, 01:52 AM

William - Warnings

William sighs for a moment before responding. "Lelouch, my comrade through more battles than I care to count, have you always been this mad? Do you truly fear when we have no enemies? Does your paranoia run so deep that we must be able to kill all around us before you feel safe? You speak of drawing lines, but I do not think you yourself have boundaries and restraints. Do you honestly think we are strong? That a mere twenty years after humanity and tieflings fought each other in a genocidal war that our two peoples are harmonious? One need only look at this council to know that we are rife with internal problems. There were approximately twenty thousand surviving humans twenty years ago. There were ten million tieflings. They still outnumber our population 100 to 1. Yet humanity rules them and no tiefling is present in our most vital councils. If you have not seen the tensions that such disparity has caused, you need only step out of your council meetings and look, really look down the streets. Do you know how many Chept there are if we should go to war with them? My best guess? Fifty million, with fully five million of them trained as mages, half of whom are battle-mages. And that assumes that the Forsaken, star'chept, orcs, elementals, dark, myconids, and any other allies they have stay out of this."

"We are not in a position of strength. We have only just now begun to cover the scars of war. Do you honestly think that every tiefling who has no one to represent them in this council will just meekly and tamely accept that we who caused their goddess to die are now sending their sons and daughters to die because our pride prevents us from negotiating with our allies?"

"I propose not that we meekly accede to one-sided demands, but that we come to the table to negotiate, knowing full well that we will have to give up FREYA in order to walk away with anything less than open war on our hands. However, we are not without leverage. If we demand reasonable accomodations from them in exchange, we are likely to gain something far more valuable than yet another bigger weapon: peace, and trust."

"Besides which, history shows us that bigger weapons have only ever increased the size of the battlefield. No weapon is ultimate. If FREYA dominates the field today, tomorrow Hal'Xazaar will teach the Nerra how to invert reality distortion so as to have it literally explode in our faces. Or the Serpents will figure out how to duplicate our technology, using their own nearly limitless powers as the base power. Your paranoia will never be satisfied until there are none left but us. And then we will turn on each other."

"Let us instead seek to break this cycle of fear, mistrust, and paranoia. Let us go to the Chept not as agressors or as inferiors but as equals, looking to exchange one favor for another."

Selinia

2011-06-08, 12:41 AM

Denial, into rage

"Do I think we are strong? A good question... and the answer is 'not yet'. But we are stronger! Look at how far we have come in a mere two decades! Once a scattered rebellion that could barely muster up a single capitol ship, and we can now produce one in a matter of days! One we had no home but a prison, now cities grow all across this Isle! They can see it too, I know they can! This threat is a sign of things to come, mark my words!" There was a slightly... unhinged quality to the words. They'd lost a bit of the calm, smooth, conversational tone that seemed to make everything and anything sound utterly reasonable.

"The Spiral has blessed us with a growth that they cannot ever hope to match! After such a short time, any other race would still be picking up the pieces of the Great War yet we climb higher with every passing day! And so they seek to stunt us - hold us back and keep us down before we become a threat to them! It is no different than what the Empress did in her reign of terror!"

"Check your words, pup!" Minerva rose from her chair, seeming to crackle with fury. "There is no need for such doomsaying. We have options remaining, and nothing need say that the loss of FREYA make us weaker. We could easily request supplies or aid in exchange for what we have lost by abandoning it..."

"Yeah right. Like the Chept would ever give us weapons. Oh, sure, pajamas for war orphans are nice - but I'd rather stick with guns that are gonna keep the war daddies and mommies out of harm's way in the first place."

"Honorable Research and Technology Chief Kaylee, I would beg to point out that you are still assuming that we even have a war to fight! I am certain that the people of my Honorable Uncle have no intention of rendering us defenseless..."

"First off, I wouldn't be quite proud of my relation to a genocidal lunatic. Sozuchi has killed so many of us as to make the Tyrant's murders look like a mild tantrum. Although to be fair it was only because there were so few of us left after his rampage that she had little to work with. Second, Nia, shut up and let the people talk who actually are aware of the real world's intricacies. Go design a school or something."

"Kinon! That was..."

"Honesty, from someone who isn't living with the girl. Though I don't think any man in the nation would blame you, given Miss Sunshine's lovely-"

This time she did crackle - a thunderclap bouncing from her hand and resounding off the ceiling. "SILENCE." She lowered her hand, and proved that adulthood was no protection from the fury of the stare they had all learned to dread as youths. The Stare of Disappoint. It even managed to overpower the brilliant blushes of the Supreme Commander and his Friend. "Each of us has differing opinions. That is why we act as a council. However, I will not allow this to devolve into a argument schoolchildren would find immature!"

"...apologies, Nia. However, the dull reality is that there is always going to be a threat. We avoid war by making it too painful for those threats to consider declaring."

"To get this back on track, William has brought up something that Nia and I have been talking about for some time... there aren't enough tieflings in the Ministry. They dominate the industry and economy, but we've still had few of them even try to join in the government above the prefecture level. Its probably a holdover from Teppelin's hyper-centralized authority... the younger generation is shifting that, I think."

"It truly fills me with happiness how smoothly we have integrated though. Who would have thought that people would be so forgiving of each other?" This was... about as close as the gentle lady ever came to saying 'I told you so.' "The hate is not gone, but it is fading faster than we could have hoped. The loudest voices on the Ether are those that do not even care anymore - human or tiefling does not matter! I think some are realizing that we were... never really enemies."

"No. We were pitted against each by the insane game of those who consider this world nothing but a board for their amusements. The same beings who clutch the Chept in their fists as a bludgeon. Still..." He sent a pointed look at William. "For all your words, you know we would gain the strength we needed to prevail, no? The Spiral feeds on adversity, and the attempts of foes to quash it only make it stronger still. Such it has always been. If they are dragged to oppose us, we shall free the Chept from their chains. By force, if need be. You who know more of the Spiral than perhaps any, tell me that I am wrong. Tell me that this battle would be as futile as you paint it. Brutal. Painful. Difficult. But not without hope."

That shocked the room into silence... even Kaylee and Kinon seemed rather dazed, though not precisely upset. Nia was clearly fighting back the tears that came so readily to her, and Minerva was at a very rare utter loss for words. The casual way in which Lelouch had come very close to declaring the gods an enemy...

planswalker

2011-06-08, 02:01 AM

William - Not Expecting That, Were You?

"Indeed. The Chept would be defeated in time. However, guess what? The most probable future there is one where every last human is extinct. Instead, the Half'Chept who also carry the spiral overcome the mainstream Chept underneath Nia, who goes insane with Spiral power and begins to implement a policy of world peace forced underneath an iron boot. Those who disagree are made to agree. That is the most probable future if we go to war with the Chept within this generation."

"Hey now! We resent that remark!" Said a voice seemingly three feet above the top of Nia's chair.

Selinia

2011-06-08, 05:42 PM

canjowolf

2011-06-08, 07:13 PM

The New Government Council - A Divine Blessing Survives

Throughout the passionate debate between the council members flowers and grass slowly carpet the floor, issuing the sweet smell of beautiful nature. The growth spikes along with Nia's emotional spikes.

The Satyr - Everywhere

After a few months spent with any military remnants on the Kobold Isles the satyr begin to go home with any other groups that do so. Over time many satyr bards and scholars also travel the planes and the rest of the mortal realm via any means available to them. The first satyr to reach the New Government territories was named Nikoli, and he arrived via pedestrian travel from the realm of the gnomes with a ruck sack on his back. The satyr were especially impressed with the poly-theistic kender of the Old World.

The Trydanae - Strength in Unity

While the great disc continued to explore the world many exploratory expeditions were sent to the technologically advanced races of the world, including the gnomes, forsaken, dwarves, gargoyles, certain desert dwellers, and anyone who they met through their contact with these factions.

Hoss - Time Rolls Onward

After spending a little time with his host going to movies and shows Hoss began to develop a sense of the values that these people held, and decided that their overriding principles of freedom and self defense were in line with trydanae morals. To this end he asked his host if their people had any centers of learning and if he would welcome more of the trydanae people to visit his territories. Hoss claims that his people have a gift for working with metals and artifacts and that their talents would compliment the crysteel and other architectures of this city of lights, as they could gleam like a less hostile sun and more approachable moons.

planswalker

2011-06-08, 11:30 PM

Other unexpected things

"I... see. That outcome is undesirable. Not the worst possible one, but still undesirable. However, in your words you seem to miss something. The only lasting peace is one of strength of arms! Friendships waver. Love can quickly become hate. But soldiers and weapons endure!"

"Sir Lelouch, this is not like you at all! Think about what you are saying! We have always built the future on hopes, not fears! We..."

"QUIET! Lady Nia, your words are a gentle poison, and one way or another it will kill us! Even William sees it!" His voice cracked again, caught up in his rant. "Maybe you will fulfill that future! But I will not allow humanity to be destroyed without a fight, I can assure you!"

"That is... wrong. Lelouch, peace must come from the people! Friendships do not have to break, and we can overcome hate and rage - just look at what we have done already! People are good! We just have to give them a chance!"

"And wouldn't it be so much easier if the hate was ground out of them by force? You've thought it yourself. I know you have. We take the shards of our chains and build a fortress to ensure that we survive in peace. Your friends have certainly thought it. How many called for Empress Nia? How close did you come to accepting such a role?" The girl seemed frozen for a moment, unable to reply to that. Empress Nia...

He extends a hand to the room at large, brown eyes glinting like metal. "Now, we stand at a juncture. I call upon this council with the proposition to refuse the demands of the Chept, and continue our research. All in favor of the motion please give voice..."

Kaylee did so at once, followed swiftly by Kinon, then Lelouch himself, as a formality.

"...those in opposition..."

"Move to oppose. This is lunacy, Lelouch. I am sorry, but I cannot allow such madness."
"Move to oppose! You are a brilliant man, but you can not see something that is simply true. This is cruel and unnecessary!"

Soren nodded once, sighing. "In light of lack of a unanimous or four-fifths resolution, I veto this motion in my capacity as Supreme Commander. You're totally out of line, Lelouch. We are not going to war with our allies over something as stupid as this. I don't care about any prophecies or crap like that. We're going to make our own future, and we're going to do it without becoming monsters."

"...I...see..." Lelouch turned away for a moment, looking through the panoramic window. "In that case... so be it. Yes... yes..." He seemed to be reasoning with himself. "...William... the needs of the many outweigh the few, do they not? The needs of tomorrow outweigh the needs of today. And the needs of... the people... outweigh anything one individual might do... some things must be done, no matter how cruel..."

William - Distrust

"What do you have planned Lelouch. I know that look in your eyes. You're up to something. You have never given up this easily, and I don't suspect you're going to start now."

keep in mind for your next scene that Tom has made his presence known but is invisible to anyone not Nia.

The Satyr - Everywhere

After a few months spent with any military remnants on the Kobold Isles the satyr begin to go home with any other groups that do so. Over time many satyr bards and scholars also travel the planes and the rest of the mortal realm via any means available to them. The first satyr to reach the New Government territories was named Nikoli, and he arrived via pedestrian travel from the realm of the gnomes with a ruck sack on his back. The satyr were especially impressed with the poly-theistic kender of the Old World.

The Kender - Impressed Themselves

The Horned Angels from Beyond found themselves also incorporated into the "religion" of the kender people. They became the messengers of Bawk and the Eagle Woman. For the giant blue rooster's part, his only response to such queries about the satyrs is "Bawk!"

However, the glimmer of intelligence shimmers in his eyes.

Selinia

2011-06-09, 12:07 AM

Article 237aB, Section VII

"...no. No I haven't." Lelouch nods once, seeming to regain some composure. "Some things must be done. Internal Security Chief Kinon, I would like to submit a notification..." He turns to his quiet comrade, closing his eyes and slowly raising a hand.

"Under Article 237aB, Section VII of the Hamachi Convention, in capacity of Advisory Subcommander, I hereby move to accuse Supreme Commander Soren and Internal Affairs Chief Nia of high treason against the New Government!" His finger came to a halt, leveled accusingly against the horrified pair.

"Lelouch! Lelouch, stop this at once! I move to dismiss the accusation on grounds of lack of basis!" The faintest of clouds seemed to settle around her figure as the aging woman rose to her full stature. "You have crossed a line! It is you who should be being accused of treason!"

"An accuser may not themselves be accused until their accusation has been resolved." Kinon seemed utterly unfazed. Then again, the last time she had displayed visible emotion had been... actually, it was difficult to think of a time when her face had been anything but an impassive mask behind those glinting spectacles. "Accuser Lelouch, state the basis for your claim."

"These individuals are proposing to capitulate to the demands of a hostile state in such a manner as to leave the New Government weakened against an assault by said state." He too spoke with the calm of someone who had rehearsed this many times, though there were hints of... something in his eyes. Sadness, maybe?

"Claim accepted. Does another validate and accept this claim?"

"Yep, ship-shape. I mean Yes I validate the claim." Kaylee was unusually solemn as she said it. She gave an apologetic look to the pair, who were still speechless with shock. "Sorry, kiddos. But we can't afford to play in the happy fun sandbox anymore. Gotta get serious, and you don't seem to wanna do so. So hey, have a nice stay..."

"...Advisory Subcommander, may I have a word?" She was quiet, head hanging. She'd sent a short, heavy look to Tom - the few seconds of eye contact begging him to remain calm. For someone like him, who knew her every feeling and every muscle movement, it was more than enough to get the point across.

Lelouch nodded in response, and she took a few long strides towards him. "Lelouch. You are not a monster. But..." Suddenly, a hand snapped back, as if threatening to slam across his face. "...if you continue along this path, you will become one! I have lost my mother and my sister and too many friends to count to the Darkness!" She slowly lowered her hand, letting a long breath out and taking a step back. Lelouch hadn't even flinched. "...please... do not become another one..."

"I do what I must. Guards." The door opened, and guards - C6 operatives, and definitely not the people who'd been standing outside when they came in - entered the council chamber. "...escort this individuals to their cells. Respectfully, please..." His eyes flicked to the side, catching William's. "You... are free to go, old friend. You have committed no crime."

"Lelouch... why?" The guards fell in flanking Soren, and Nia as well. They didn't use force. They... didn't need to. He wasn't going to fight his own people.

"For the good of the people, Inmate Soren. For the future..."

planswalker

2011-06-09, 12:33 AM

William - Damnation

"This is lunacy, Lelouch. You just condemned the universe to slavery by half'chept. I leave now, before your paranoia sees me as an enemy as well. When the Kappa leave, so shall I, every Ronin, and all my disciples. First, though, I will do my best to serve our people by ensuring that your folly here today doesn't get millions killed in the war your weapons meant to ensure peace will cause!."

With a final utterance of "Spiral-mad fools!" William disappears in a cloud of steam. The steam because he was steamed. The water because he water-walked straight to the embassy. Maybe at last those stupid pencil-pushers will be good for something. If that fop with the sign of Favor is worth the honor he has, there is just maybe a chance.

Chept "Embassy" - Let's get down to business

"ERIK! Get out here at once. Have that Boa flunky of yours fill out any paperwork this will need. Don't mention it to me right now."

Normally, William humored bureaucrats. Normally. Right now was anything but normal, by anyone's imagination.

Tom - World Broken - What Now?

Once Nia and Soren were secured in their cells, Tom teleported in next to Nia. The New Government seemed to have no better success at impeding the Half'Chept and Maus'Chept movement that the goddess herself had.

"Say the word, Nia, and the Friends will free you. Just say the word and we'll be there. Whatever madness stands between us, it will not last."

Selinia

2011-06-09, 01:01 AM

Lelouch, Folly

"So be it." He nods as the others leave the room. "Kinon... prepare the networks. I have a broadcast to make of the utmost importance..."

Erik, in the blazes

"Sir William?!" The tiefling rises from his desk, sensing the weight of the ronin's words. Tangibly. Maybe it was his blessing, or maybe he was just better at reading people than he gave himself credit for, but he realized this was urgent. He gave a short signal to Hannah, indicating that she do as the water mage had just asked.

He approaches William at nothing less than a full run, hooves clacking nosily against the cobbled courtyard. He breathes slightly heavily, years of desk work leaving him not as fit as he once was, but he still gets out a concise "What's wrong? What do you need?"

Nia, One room

She looked around, past Tom, for a long minute. This room was secure, but not overly so. She could probably have blasted her way out with only a modicum of effort. Lelouch... had to know that. She'd felt like this before... all those years ago, when a few small rooms were her entire world. There was a bed, a table... even books. She wasn't going to be tortured or starved, even if she wasn't exactly in the lap of luxury. Lelouch apparently realized that keeping her prisoner was something that could be accomplished only if she allowed it.

And she... was doing so.

"No... Tom, if I break out of here... you know, I would become his enemy. Lelouch has too many people on his side." She clenched a fists, letting her breath out slowly. "I cannot fight them! If I kill humans because its the quick way to do things, then I will fall into darkness!"

She huddled up on her bed, so reminiscent of the little girl who'd done the same as she confided in her then-only real friend. "This is what trapped my mothers, is it not? So much of me wants to just make them understand. It would be so easy... but we must not do that. We must not... but what do we do, Tom? I thought we were winning. I though we were pushing the darkness back, and all along it was just waiting beneath the surface, still hurting everyone..."

planswalker

2011-06-09, 01:13 AM

William - Right Here, Right Now

"You and your funny-looking eyes. Ditch the glasses. Where we're about to go, you won't need them. The Council has gone mad and is right now probably about a half-hour away from provoking a war that ends with humanity extinct, Half'Chept enslaving everyone everywhere, and Nia leads it. Our only hope is that the Faeri will listen to the one they've favored. You have thirty seconds to prepare a speech to convince the Faeri not not go to war with humanity."

Tom - As You Wish

"Then what shall you have the Friends do? Whatever Lulu thinks or does, the Friends are ever at your service. Beware, if you do not give us something to do to aid in your release, there will be those that think my approach as Best Friend is too... soft. That what's in your best interest might be other than what you want at the moment. Katrina is convinced that what the world needs is for you to lead it atop a crystal throne."

Selinia

2011-06-09, 07:40 PM

Erik, Three actually

As it happened, he had just such a speech in his jacket pocket at that moment. In the often-chaotic world of dealing with Chept, it paid to be prepared. Of course, it wasn't exactly tailored to the situation (It actually consisted of 'For the love of the gods, hold your fire for a second and let me explain!'), but hey, he could improvise from there.

He sighed, and pocketed the shades, blinking his vivid blue eyes at the unaccustomed light. Of course the world was ending. Blast it all, but sometimes he really hated this job. "Right then. Working on it... I suppose we're going to teleport now? Just bracing my stomach, you know."

Nia, Bloodstained crystals

"Nonono..." She shook her head, eyes wide with fear and horror as Tom made that last statement. "She cannot do that! Tell her that she must not do that, please! I mean, I could just... leave, if I wanted to. But Tom, if I just... overpower things like that, what happens if I cannot stop it? Sir William said that the strongest future today was... me." She choked as she said it, having given up fighting against her frightened tears.

"Me going mad. Me killing everyone. H-how is that possible? I do not want to hurt anyone... tell my friends that I am b-begging them... I am begging them! Do not hurt anyone on my behalf! They will listen to me... will they not? They have to listen to me! That future is not the future we have worked for!"

She sobbed, burying her face in her hands. "Always, we have worked to raise up a bright tomorrow... Tom, how am I supposed to fight a tomorrow that is dark because of me?"

planswalker

2011-06-09, 08:41 PM

Something like that

"Something like that." He grabs Erik's shoulder, takes a step, and the two of them move through time and space from one patch of water to another on the other side of the Isles. Before him, bodily manifested within this world, were four River Serpents.

"I am Kamui, guardian of the RageFae. You have five minutes to convince me humanity does not deserve to be slain by my wrathful kin."

"I am DampRock, elder of the Serpents. You have five minutes to convince me that the threat of humanity's insanity does not merit their execution."

"I am Sozinti, Faeri to every High Adept in Water World. You have five minutes to convince me that my nieces and nephews are better served trusting humanity than seeing them dead."

"And I am Ripplepond, eldest kappa on the Isles, and companion to Wilzako and four other ronin of highest caliber. You have five minutes to convince me that our faith in humanity is not in vain."

William sends a quick thought to Erik. Wow, Old Rip managed to get the best of the best to listen to you.

Tom - Strategy

"Then shall I tell them that your wish is that we seek a way to free you without harming anyone or merely ignoring the accusations against you?"

Lagren

2011-06-09, 10:04 PM

Kichiri Kachiri

"Interesting. We'll see what we can do about the security, but I thought you ought to know that the Chept are bordering on a declaration of war. If they attack here again, it will be to kill, not to spy. I was hoping we'd be able to unveil it when it was done, but nothing can be done now I suppose but try and finish before the river dragons loose their insanity upon us."

"I'll... talk to 0^2." He winces visibly at the thought. "I just hope that she didn't get too much out of that interaction. On one hand, reinforcing a fear of the outside world is beneficial... it makes her more dependent on us. But I'd prefer that we decide what she's afraid of." It was... probably a good thing that Lelouch had no actual children.

"In any case, one bit of good news." The lanky man nodded back at the door. "Its amazing what gets dug up these days. We're still mining out Teppelin's rubble from underneath us. You mind find these familiar..." He reaches into a pocket, pulling out a thin sheaf of photographs and laying them on Lloyd's desk. Scuffed up and dimmed out, yes, but the red sphere was unmistakable. "The main body was crushed beyond repair, but the core was sound, and some of the drives were intact. Its being shipped here as we speak, along with what data we could get off the wreckage. Hardly your Bella, I know, but maybe you can find a use for her heart, as it were..."

It's perfecto!

Lloyd smiles at the photos of Bella's core.
"For some reason, I knew she'd turn up eventually."
He pauses, noting a small detail.
"Huh. There's a sakura blossom clinging to the core. See, here in the upper left of the photo? I guess she still loves me."
He shakes his head.
"I'll find a use for her heart, don't worry. If nothing else, tethering her in to the system here should make it much more tamper-resistant."

And so, while the council argued, Lloyd and Cecile were wiring Bella's heart into the depths of Cloud Six, and the biolabs thrumming with activity as the first cloned batches of Tzen decanted.

This was Lloyd's only chance to finish his research. Not Lelouch's research, his research. And in just a few short minutes, hours, or days, he'd have the perfect subjects to test it on.

If only he'd had a few more days... If only 0^2 was more stable... if only, if only. Salvage what you can! Jury-rig what you can't! Make the science happen!

Selinia

2011-06-09, 11:58 PM

planswalker

2011-06-10, 12:50 AM

Fear and loathing

Hey, five minutes! He wouldn't even have to use the 'Just give me five minutes' line. Unfortunately... he still had almost no idea what was going on.

"Umm... right then." He tugs nervously at his collar. "Well, in some order..."

Start with the obvious one. "Kamui, do I even need to answer that? Seriously? If you are actually considering using your insane, cursed siblings as a threat, then I have to think that you're hardly a fitting guardian for them. Keeping them safe until someone can find a cure is your bloody job. Do it, and stay out of politics."

Moving on. "Sozinti, I admit I'm not precisely cued in as to what happened in our government just now, but I will say this - do you seriously think that an open war is going to do anything but cause millions of deaths on both sides? The New Government military is powerful - that's not bragging, its a fact. Even with all your strength and allies, there's no way around the fact that if you declare war it will result in a sea of blood that will make every other conflict in the history of Creation combined look like an insignificant brawl. Nobody is better served by that."

Now... the hard ones. He wasn't sure how to reply here, lacking more concrete info, so he fell back on generalities. "DampRock, in a way I'd point out the same thing to you. My own people tried to crush humanity, not that long ago in the scheme of things. It ain't as easy as it looks. You'd be taking the hard road, and I can't believe there isn't some easier way to address your grievance."

"Ripplepond, all I can say to you is this - think about what humanity has done. Is it really irredeemable?" Thank the light for fortune cookies... "Your kind has stood by them for more centuries than many would care to remember, and there have been a few bad eggs, yeah. But as a whole, haven't they always turned out all right?"

He exhaled finally, letting the remaining wind out of his lungs and wiping his forehead. Hopefully someone would explain what was happening soon...

The Big Four - A related question

As one, the four ask the same question. "Why do the humans even have an embassy if they do not bother informing their ambassador of matters of state?"

Ripplepond explains, "Our problem with humanity is that Lelouch has secretly created a weapon in his paranoia designed to kill everything. At first, we objected because it seemed to us that such excessive force was unnecessary to meet any threat on hand. The only rational reason we could think of why they would need such a weapon is to wage war with beings unable to be killed by conventional means. Namely, us.

However, I witnessed through William's eyes at the council meeting just now that rational reasons cannot be ascribed to your government's actions. The 'Advisory' Sub-Commander just arrested Soren and Nia on trumped-up charges of treason at the willing acceptance of the rest of the council. Humanity's leadership has grown mad with the power that has infested their race from the beginning. They now stand poised where if they are not stopped within this generation, they will begin a long and bloody war of conquest.

You spoke of millions dying. The auguries we have taken shows us not millions but billions of deaths before their mad conquest is halted. Unless we act soon, or another agent of equal motive power acts, this will be the result of Lelouch's madness. This is not the first time humans of power have shown themselves... unstable, and the problem is accelerating. If you know of a better way to save the world from burning in madness, please, please share it."

Nia, For the moment

"...I would wish that if I am to be freed, it be done without breaking rules on my behalf. If Kaylee or Kinon were to retract their validation of the accusation, Lelouch would have to drop the charges. If he came to his senses, he could drop them himself." It would also be dropped if one of them were to meet an untimely end, and be replaced with someone who disputed the charge...

"I beg my friends not to hurt each other, or humanity... if they are to act, do so with words and reason, not might and magic. I beg this of them, with every fiber of my being. But... I will not order them. Tom... do you really think there are those among the Friends who would go into Darkness because of me? When did I ever give the impression I would want that?"

"Rest assured, that it will be done as you have wished. For as long as I live and breathe, your Friends will never betray you. However, you do need to be aware that there are some Friends, primarily Half'Chept who obsess with 'taming' the Spiral who feel that perhaps you have yet to grow up, and when you do, you will see that the Spiral is to be embraced. The most radical among them postulate that perhaps under certain circumstances it would not only be permissible but actually required of us as your Friends to go against your wishes for your own good. They are a small minority, but with you imprisoned, there will be many among the Gol and the Maus that will listen to them. However, your new request will bolster my position and ensure that such mutterings are kept to a simmer while we go about securing your freedom on your terms." A reassuring touch on the shoulder, and Tom was gone.

That night, and every night since until the day that Nia walks free once more, her cell at night takes on a vibrant rainbow hue. The shimmerlings who have brought comfort and joy to so many with their beauty commiserated with their friend. Until she was free, their ethereal beauty would not be seen beyond her cell.