EVENT #6: BY HEAVEN OR HELL

[aionmods]

By Heaven or Hell

THE BURNING

Achamoth, as it turns out, is no stranger to public killings... the burning of two Pleroma, however? That's special. Abel and Himeka's upcoming execution date seems to be regarded by the city's populace as something akin to a holiday, with the upper crust of the social stratum fighting for positions of prominence in the festivities, including the best possible seats. It's been decades since any Pleroma have been brought to heel in Achamoth, and it would only be prudent to place yourself at the forefront of this exciting new trend. There's a sense of pageantry to it: ritualized ceremonies, public sermons, and strange religious 'décor' are all part of the process.

The city is in the throes of these preparations when the two Pleroma captives are finally brought to a central square not far from the Citadel's front gates. Two burning pyres have been set up for them, about ten feet apart. While Abel and Himeka's bodies are chained to their stakes, their shards will be handed off to Silco, Ciel, and Makoto to be brought along separately. The set up of the execution is thus: while their bodies are ravaged by flames, their shards will be bound to an altar in advance of the pyre. Via a kind of alchemical 'fuse', the pyre being lit will trigger a reaction that will gradually result in a explosion on the altar just large enough to destroy the shard in turn. The shards will be bound in position with a series of jewelry-like metal prongs that could be pried away, but would take some time to do carefully.

As the Pleroma make it to the city, the sun will be setting on the 17th of Firaseri, with the execution about to be underway. The pyres will not yet have been lit, but are fully prepared. All Kenoma will be called upon to guard the city, with the warning that the Pleroma are mounting a raid to rescue their imprisoned comrades. For Kenoma both new and old, it's a time to test your mettle. Those that defend Achamoth valiantly can expect to be rewarded.

INNOCENCE ON FIRE

The city of Achamoth looms ahead, a seat of power in Horos in every fashion. It sprawls outwards, claiming the lands around it in a lazy confidence. The spires of the city grow up and up like a mountain, dragging the eye towards the Citadel. The walls that surround it are modest in height as if offering a challenge to any foolish enough to attempt to climb them. Who would? The Regent's eye is ever-present and the guard towers that line it like beaded pearls on a string are reminders that nothing goes in or out of the city without notice. Openings in the towers and the walls threaten the use of projectiles while dark, shimmering crystals float above with the quiet hum of protective magics. Only a fool would breach these borders.

Initially, getting into the city unmolested will be a considerable struggle for the Pleroma. It's military is robust, its fortifications solid, and even without the Kenoma's added resistance, the sheer numbers could be considered insurmountable. Stealth could get them some of the way, but its sentries are watchful, and immigration is strictly controlled. With faith alone driving the Pleroma towards their goal it's fortunate, then, that something is there to answer their call.

Estinien will feel the presence of the Innocence Entity rise up in him again, and this time it is offering him a choice. He may utilize its power to save the ones he loves, while risking both the brutality of the Regent's defenses and the threat to his own soul by channeling such power. It will stand with him against the darkness, it says, if it is truly his will. Emboldened by the power of the Firebrand and his love for his comrades, it is no surprise that he accepts.

Light will flood the sky above Achamoth, an ethereal aura combatting the encroach of the night. From a great miasma of wings and flame, a colossal dragon emerges, coiling above the city skyline. Its luminescence rains down upon the city, and all Achamites exposed to it will be enchanted into finding the idea of committing acts of violence unthinkable, at least so long as no violence is brought against them in turn. With much of Achamoth's defenses having lost the will to fight, only the Kenoma will stand in the Pleroma's way as they penetrate the city, making their way to Abel and Himeka's pyres.

As the Pleroma forge ahead, this draconic being that was once Estinien Wyrmblood will guard from the skies, drawing the attention of the Kenoma towards it and it threatens to bear its might against the Citadel itself. Fortunately for the Kenoma guarding the city, they will know that the Regent has a plan. All they must do is hold off the beast long enough for the Regent to wield their own strength in turn. The battle against this creature will take place here, with combat rules being explain in this OOC post.

As the power of the Innocent washes over Achamoth, those of its Legacy, or those marked by its Promise or Touch, will hear it speak on the winds in a chorus of voices:

Aions of this new dawn... I have honored your choice... fight... if you will... and I will follow...

FIREBRAND RISING

Beneath the moon of Firaseri, however, the Innocent isn't the only force at play. Firebrands of both sects will find themselves spurred on by a rush of Legacy-based power, as if inspired by the tumultuous environment of an anti-authoritarian raid. How precisely this manifests will depend on which side they are fighting for.

❖ PLEROMA
The Firebrands among the Pleroma raiders will feel a sense of vindication and rightness come over them, set as they are to challenge the Regent's rule. Their powers will be amplified during the battle, and those that witness them and are inspired may find their performance boosted. The nature of these enhancements is fairly flexible. For the Firebrands, the use of their regular skills and abilities may be amplified beyond normal boundaries, whereas those following in their wake may find themselves with usual endurance that allows them to push their their usual limits.

❖ KENOMA
The Firebrands of the Kenoma's inspiration is more complicated in nature, given their roll in defending Achamoth's status quo. However, they will find themselves bolstered while facing the pacifying might of the Innocence Entity. Firebrands will experience a natural resistance against any Innocence based attacks that would stop them from fighting, and will be able to use this blessing to rally NPCs that would otherwise be rendered useless to their cause, in defiance of the entity's command for peace. In general, they will see a boost in strength while fighting the raid boss in particular, unable to be deterred from their goals.

In general, all Firebrands will feel untethered by their regular inhibitions, fighting for their desires at all costs. Abilities intended to bind them or control their will, will be largely ineffective, and they will find shields both physical and magical particularly easy to break through.

QUESTIONS

Q: What is the best way for Pleroma to travel to Achamoth?
A: Akua and Estinien are both setting up portals from Godsblood to the outskirts of Achamoth from which to begin mounting the assault. Caitlyn will be providing a back-up in the case either of those portals go down.

Q: Can my character make use of the chaos and try to raid the Citadel?
A: They can try but there will be mod rolls involved for any attempts. NPCs inside the Citadel will not be affected the same way the NPCs outside in main area will be. We do not want it to seem like the Citadel is defenseless otherwise.

Q: If Kenoma cause damage to the city during the raid, how will the Regent feel? Will there be consequences?
A: It should try to be avoided, but the Regent will understand if there is collateral damage in battle as long as they aren't being careless about it.

Q: Is the "no-combat aura" completely incapacitating NPCs?
A: No, it is only stopping them from aggressing the Pleroma. If they or their property are attacked they will defend themselves, and are otherwise operating with a normal level of cognizance. Kenoma Aions can order them out of the area to avoid being hurt if necessary.

BOSS BATTLE:
Q: I would like my character to take part in the battle but want to limit the outcomes in a way that isn't too devastating. Is that possible?
A: We think in that case we would basically only be acknowledging the possibilities between the "The attack either misses, is ineffective, or it triggers a counter attack from the boss." and "The attack hits with moderate effectiveness, as determined by the nature of their action." range. So, you can't get taken out, but you also can only deal moderate hits at best. You could still trigger a counter attack from the boss, but the damage taken from that is more flexible and free form than the 1-5% zone. If you make an attack with this restriction just add a little OOC note to your initial attack tag.

Q: How can a support character engage in the combat?
A: If your character is providing support, you may team up with an attacker to submit a "group attack". This means that your character is putting their effort towards supporting that attacker character that round, and will not be able to submit their own separate action. In exchange, that attack will receive two mod rolls instead of one, and the attack itself will be based on the more favorable of the two rolls. (Sort of like rolling with an advantage in modern D&D.) We will make as many rolls as there there are character combining their effort and select the best of them.

If any character rolls in the 1-5% zone they will still be taken out, however. Click the link above for more information.

Q: Can my character take a hit for another character after a mod roll?
A: We would be willing to accept this in the case of the defender taking the hit for the attacker, which would mean that if it's a 1-5%, they would be taken out in the attacker's stead.

Comments

[galdorleod]

As much as Howl is shaped like a bird, using his magic to channel the agility and predatory skills of bird, he isn't a bird. This transformation is driven by Howl's power, not by any inherent aerodynamic elements. He's heavy, he's bulky, he has the dense bones of a mammal. His elongated head houses large, deformed teeth within a malformed mouth, crudely stretched outwards, more closely resembling the snout of a dog or alligator. It's a form built for combat, for tearing other wizards limb-from-limb and gouging holes in the sides of ships, and its main defense is its speed — if you don't get hit, you don't get hurt. What it isn't built for is a dead drop to the ground from hundreds of feet in the air.

The stun hits Howl like a bucket of ice water being thrown in his face. Immediately, he loses the awareness to even process what has happened. For a second, his wings continue to flap, but they quickly slow and then halt entirely as he starts to tumble to the ground, leaving a veritable cloud of feathers in his wake. There's a loud, sickening thump as his massive body hits the ground, following by screams of terrified Achamites who have just witnessed one of the largest, most notable Kenoma Aions literally fall from the sky.

By the time Anduin makes his way to where Howl landed, the monster is starting to stir. He has no idea what just happened. Was that an attack of the Sanctifier? Did a Pleroma Aion, somewhere, manage to strike him with something? Or... is he reaching the limits of his power to maintain this form already?

[bythelight]

As people flee the other way, Anduin slows down. It's not quite a bird, not quite... anything else either. It's clearly smart enough to strategize, to help with these attacks. Is it -- is it a druid of some sort? Light, he doesn't know. It's -- well, not exactly small either once he approaches. Still, Anduin had no intention of doing this much damage, and he winces at the sight of the feathery mass stirring.

There's quite a lot of teeth going on, but perhaps if he's quick he can get away before they get turned on him? He holds out his hands, summoning golden light into them that eases over Howl quickly. It sears over open wounds it can reach, hot at first then quickly trying to dull pain and repair as much as it can.

"Sorry," he whispers, "sorry, I wish it wasn't like this, I do. I only wanted to help people save their friends, but there's just so much fighting. I don't even know if I'm helping at all."

He sighs, exhausted, and takes a steadying breath as he redoubles his focus on the spell.

"Please, just let us leave."

[galdorleod]

The monster's shivering attempts to right itself subside as Anduin's magic takes effect. Howl feels his physical main and mental confusion start to soften and lift — not entirely, but enough to dampen the panic threatening to take hold of his common sense — and a long, heavy sigh escapes his nostrils. The way his body relaxes is almost involuntary. The drop from the air had been hard and heavy, but this spell is soothing the rest of his injuries too.

And his anxieties. He can hear a foreign, unfamiliar voice talking to him. Howl lifts his head just enough to turn it, laying the opposite cheek against the ground, so he can look towards the source of the voice and the spell.

...who is this? He's never seen him before.

"WH... WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO ME? WHO ARE YOU...?"

The voice is breathy and growly, but somehow still distinctly human. And while Howl's mouth moves as he speaks, it's not in any way that matches his words. The sound does not actually come from the coordinated movements of lips and tongue, but from somewhere else farther back in its throat.

[bythelight]

As the creature turns to look at him, Anduin feels a rush of adrenaline surge through him.

He remembers --

Sharp teeth, dark scales, low growls, the fluttering of wings.

"My name is Anduin," he says, and his voice comes out steady despite the nerves. "I'm healing you. You fell a long way, and I can see you were already hurt."

He swallows back his nerves, trying to guide the golden waves of healing Light. It can speak, then. That's... good. Anything that can speak can be reasoned with. Should he confess? That it was him that hit it in the first place? It would be angry, he's sure, with good reason too. Still... lying isn't in his nature, even a lie by omission. He thinks he should. He thinks it only fair.

[galdorleod]

"YOU WERE THE ONE WHO MADE ME FALL," Howl murmurs. It isn't so much an accusation as a question and a guess, intertwined. If someone else had been responsible for stunning him, they've have rushed over and dealt a killing blow.

What was the point of felling him from the sky, only to rush over and heal him? What trick is this sprout Pleroma trying to pull here? Or is it simply the naivety of a new Aion?

"MAKE YOUR DEMANDS," Howl continues, the murmur regaining an edge of a growl. "WHOEVER YOU ARE."

[bythelight]

He nods, eyes dropping. Anduin was the one who did this, and he isn't about to deny it.

"Yes," he confirms, "it was me. I just wanted you to stop hurting people. That's all I want. I didn't imagine you'd fall so hard."

Anduin frowns, teeth worrying at his lip, and refocuses on sending waves of healing magic over Howl.

"We only came here to rescue people. We'll leave after. I don't want to fight. I just came here to help if anyone was hurt."

[galdorleod]

"IDIOT."

The creature begins to stir as Anduin's healing stitches his wounds. Howl manages to raise his head off the ground and crane his neck to look directly at the mystery Pleroma to get a good look at him.

"THIS IS A WAR. LEARN, AND LEARN FAST," he growls, although his tone has lost some of its hostility. As strange as this situation is, and as much as the conversation could be interrupted at any moment, it is an opportunity to talk to what Howl assumes is a newer Pleroma Aion. To help them understand the true, full reality of the conflict on Horos, and their part in it, and why the Kenoma do what they do. Are what they are.

"YOU HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO FIGHT IN THIS WORLD. BY ALIGNING YOURSELF WITH THE PLEROMA, YOU'VE CHOSEN THE SIDE OF THE AGGRESSOR. DON'T TELL ME YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND THAT?"

[bythelight]

Howl lifts his head, looming up, and Anduin meets his gaze with a frown. The aggressor? Is that what he truly believes?

"No. I have chosen hope. I have chosen to believe there is another way. I have chosen to believe things can be saved without destruction. If we have to defend ourselves to protect that belief then so be it, but at least we don't burn people alive. I'd call that far more aggressive, wouldn't you?"

In what world is burning people at the stake not an act of aggression?

[galdorleod]

"TO BE A REBEL IS TO CHOOSE VIOLENCE," Howl growls, "IF THE PLEROMA DIDN'T EXIST, WE WOULDN'T BE DOING ANY OF THIS."

Howl peers down at the man, watching him continue to defy logic and heal him. Whatever he might think about the righteousness of the Regent's goals — and who knows what the existing Pleroma are telling the newer arrivals that they scoop up into their ranks — those goals would have been realized already, if it weren't for the resistance of Pleroma Aions.

"DO YOU EXPECT ME NOT TO FIGHT YOU WHEN YOU'RE DONE?"

[bythelight]

If the Pleroma didn't exist, they wouldn't be doing any of this?

Anduin doesn't believe that. This place has a local resistance, too. Those who aren't Aions -- and does not a resistance form in response to something? Surely this Regent must have begun a serious of actions that caused that resistance to form?

He hesitates at the question, eyes flicking between his own hands and Howl's face.

"I'm hoping this will remind you that we don't have to fight, that neither of us is inherently bad. What you do is up to you."