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

[cutlery]

Sebastian will take Silco's hit!

After the strike against its eye, Sebastian's attention had been drawn decidedly elsewhere. He's had a particularly vicious encounter with Hayame that had him needing healing from Ciel. A fact he disliked, since it should have been something to just ignore a week prior, but luckily there's little time to dwell on that particular flicker of annoyance. There are Pleroma to keep away from the Kenoma focusing their efforts on the Sanctifier and other such work to do.

He's near Silco when he sees Makoto shoot off towards the dragon after grabbing the ballista, and for little more than just interest to see where the strategy goes, he pauses. It also gives him time to see the Sanctifier focus its attention not on Makoto, but on Silco. The hair bristles on the back of his neck as instinct picks up that it's not Makoto that's going to be bearing the brunt of an attack. A demon could handle this, but as far as Sebastian has been able to tell, Silco is quite mortal. So he pivots on his heel and dashes to him with a speed that's definitely pushing against his limits.

"My apologies for this, Mr. Silco," he says urgently, but there's no further preamble than that before Sebastian simply picks him up as easily as if he didn't weigh a thing. He turns again, like he's going to whisk him away, but he knows that won't help the situation. He'd just be making a target of both of them, since he's not fast enough to get out of the Sanctifier's range quickly.

But he is strong enough to throw Silco.

He lifts Silco up and throws him a lot like one would a javelin, but he does have a small ace up his sleeve, not that Silco would know. Sebastian throws Silco with far more force than should be possible, and the arc is heading towards something to break his fall more effectively than the cobblestone alone. A fountain, a pile of leftover festival debris, anything of the sort. Broken bones are preferable to whatever the Sanctifier has coming, Sebastian figures.

Though just before Silco would hit it, though, a strange, inky black shoots up from the shadowy eaves and catches him, at least partially. The sharply whorled tendrils wrap around Silco, and the sensation on his skin is likely strange and unpleasant, since they don't seem to have any mass, but move across his skin like barely running water. They're not quite strong enough to completely break the fall on their own, but they'll definitely prevent the worst of injuries by cushioning it. And as soon as they do, they dissipate as if into a fine black mist that clears as suddenly as it had appeared.

[coerthantorment]

Three times now, it's seen Makoto fly by. Each time, bile and fury have turned in its gut, the Firebrand overpowering the Innocent. Twice, it's let itself be distracted, sniping for its intended prey.

Not this time, though. This time, it recognizes the qualities of Makoto's spirit as it flies, and recognizes the signature of the Visionary that it passes. It recognizes that power, that drug that bubbles beneath the surface, swelling muscle and dulling minds. Images flash, wrenched from Estinien directly, of being corned and outnumbered - the panic that had led to the Innocence crying out, the mistake that had damned them all.

The Sanctifier's vision is blurred by now, to the point that all it takes in from such a distance are the tell-tale spiritual markings of the Aions that buzz around it. It can imagine it, though. Silco smirking, believing he'd cleanly orchestrated Estinien's downfall, untouched by the violence he initiated.

No. It will not allow it. It will not allow Makoto to draw it in again, to use its fury and hurt against it. It will not be made a fool.

As Makoto approaches, it doesn't snap at him like it had before. Instead, it surges forward, aiming to ram Makoto against its horns, its entire form spiraling in the air. Whether or not it crushes Makoto or simply throws him off course, it doesn't matter for now. The real target is where Silco stands below, the momentum of its curling body sending its tail smashing into the street despite the numbness inflicted by Childe's recent assault.

It doesn't see Sebastian slip into Silco's place. By then, the strike of its tail is already predestined.

[zauneyete]

He was feeling incredibly pleased with himself and the imagined smirk was present on his face, as Silco's feet slowly stepped backward, moving a few feet back, aiming to leave and get out of harm's way -- as it so often was with him. He could scamper out and away as fast as his legs could carry him, and the way he looked away, was enough for him to miss the focus being drawn to him. When he turned his head, and focused a jet-black eye -- his iris tinged with pink now, a shimmering neon, strikingly similar to the drug he'd just given to Amos and Makoto -- he turned it toward the Sanctifier -- It, and he felt fear.

It was not focused on the battle.

It was looking at him.

He didn't have time to move -- certainly not at the speed the thing was coming for him -- and he was struck with surprise when Sebastian picked him up, still too shocked to struggle much, other than a petulant -- "What are you --"

And he was thrown -- like a weapon off into the distance. Far enough away, and in the wrong direction that he couldn't even see Sebastian take the hit for him, although with the wind rushing by, it doesn't keep the sound of the tail when it smashed into Sebastian like a club.

He lifted his arms to protect his face -- it's taken enough hits in his life -- before he felt something like water catch him. It's not quite that, and his landing is violent as he crashed into a festive pro-Regent display of party favors. His body flipped over, feet over head, and he struggled violently against the watery...stuff. His eyes tracked -- looking through the dissipating black mist as he tried to right himself, breathing heavy, heart pounding -- vision swimming from it all, he looked toward the thing, to see if their efforts had paid off.

[subsist]

Kaeya has been distracted for most of the battle soon after his contributions. Keeping a rampaging Amos at bay, not to mention the numerous other Pleroma interfering in their affairs has kept him busy and focused elsewhere. Still, it feels like the stars have somehow misaligned when something compels him to look towards the Sanctifier once more. Just in time to see the colossal dragon target Silco, and—

There's no time to waste. His first instinct is to head straight for Silco right away, but that goes out the window when Sebastian swoops in and basically throws the old man out of danger. He keeps track of his trajectory — he'll check up on Sebastian later, but surely the demon who claims to be one hell of a butler will be alright? — making his way over the festive display that caught Silco's fall.

"Silco!" His fears go away almost immediately when Silco tries to see if all that trouble had even mattered. (He'll ignore how tightly wound up his chest was with all the anxiety that nearly overtook him, releasing it all in a relieved exhale.) The shimmering neon of his iris doesn't even register to Kaeya who is busy making sure he's in one piece. Maybe some bones are broken, but at least he looks alive.

"Come on," he urges, reaching for the man's arm so that it can be looped around his shoulders. Just in case he can't walk. "Let's get you away from here."

Whether or not Silco protests is something he'll ignore in favour of getting a move on. They can't exactly waste that much time when the Sanctifier is still alive and could just as well target them again. It isn't a chance he's willing to take. At least this also means he's able to direct them towards the tail-shaped crater left behind by the beast to see that Sebastian is... posed in a curious manner.

"Do you think he's...?"

He can't be dead, right? It's his first day on the job?

keywords, lookin @ shimmer

[cutlery]

It's a moment unseen, but for the instant where ethereal shadows had reached out to cushion Silco's blow, Sebastian hadn't truly been Sebastian. His human appearance was convenient, but fragile, so the instant Silco was tossed away, it had been shed. It's truly a demon that meets the Sanctifier's tail, with claws digging into scale and flesh, and heels digging into the cobblestone to try and avoid being crushed. As he originally was, maybe he could have held it up. But in Horos, he can only slow the blow from being fatal. There's a half second where he's able to hold it, but his strength buckles by comparison, and the pitch black figure crumbles.

By the time Kaeya and Silco make it to the crater, the face they know is back in place, but he's still prone from the sheer force of the blow. It probably looks like he actually died for a moment, since there's no rise and fall of his chest, but that wasn't exactly necessary in the first place. It was a facsimile of a human, so it didn't need to breathe, but it doesn't dissipate either. Much like the force of taking a Reaper's scythe through his chest months ago, he's knocked unconscious, though only briefly. With a shaky cough, Sebastian pushes himself up on an arm to flop over onto his back instead, since it's just a tad more comfortable. There's definitely a significant amount of blood, and a spat of it comes up as he coughs again, though he also spits it to the side.

He's alive, which honestly is rather remarkable, but it definitely doesn't look like he'll be exchanging blows with anyone else today.

[zauneyete]

Silco had barely registered Kaeya coming toward him at first. He struggled to get up, the pain in his chest and ribs was certainly indicative of a cracked rib or two. He released a shuddering, furious breath, at the fact that the beast had dared to come after him again -- something that he was very much starting to take personally at this point -- and then he'd been thrown away. Mind, and it was begrudging, he would prefer that to being crushed under the weight of the thing's tail, and he made a note -- Sebastian was... surprisingly willing to throw himself in front of a near stranger.

Curious, useful. He's glad it isn't him underneath the thing, even if his ribs ache from what are so many bruises and fractures that breathing hurts, more than it usually does.

"Dead? I should hope not --" he started, before the figure moved, body shaking, trying to get up off the ground. Silco blinked once, twice. The color receded from his eyes -- not that he would notice -- faded for the moment, as his true perception warred with the shifting of his Aion form. He released a shaky, surprised breath. "I'll be damned."

He turned to look at Kaeya, who had already propped him up. "He's surprisingly durable. Why don't you --" he tried to pull away, with a wince, at moving his shoulder. "Go get him, so we can get out of here, before That Thing comes back for me," the last sentence ended in a hiss, as Silco's now normal eyes looked to the sky, trying to keep eye on the Sanctifier, to make sure he wasn't being targeted again.

Silco did take things personally.

[subsist]

Durable is one way to put it. Then again, Sebastian isn't exactly human, so it makes sense that a monster would be able to withstand the impact that would have killed everyone else. Kaeya can't tell if he should be more terrified or more in awe, but he settles for something in between the two, well-aware that this is always just going to toe the line when it comes to something as impressive and enigmatic as Sebastian is.

When Silco tries to pull away from him, he guides his hand away from the other man, keeping them close just in case the balance will be lost. He knows that he doesn't have much to worry about when Silco starts directing his anger towards the Sanctifier, because if he can be petty at a moment like this, then he's going to be more than alright. That allows him to leave Silco's side just so he can stand by Sebastian's prone form.

The blood should be worrisome, but he can't do anything about that. He's no healer. All he can offer is some support to get both Sebastian and Silco out of here.

"I've no idea how you managed to survive that, but... Do you think you can walk?" The question of the century. Regardless of the answer, he offers a hand that Sebastian can use to pull himself up. If the other can't manage that much, then that's when he'll crouch low to help him up instead.

[cutlery]

It's nothing so personal as it is for Silco, but as Sebastian takes a moment to catch his (proverbial) breath, he's feeling furious as well. At the dragon, of course, since there's nothing that he hates as much as being bested, but there's a not insignificant amount of it reserved for the circumstances of Horos itself. He had been brought here to fight, and for what? To have his own being taken from him in some sense of being fair? Nonsense. If he were even half of what he had been, he would jump down the Santicifer's gullet himself to rip a hole into its guts with its own teeth.

Other than the blood, this appearance wouldn't be one that either of them is unfamiliar with, since they had seen it before taking the Kenoma had allowed him to regain proper control of his shapeshifting. His eyes are backlit with a curious light, and his mouth is full of teeth too sharp to be human, but there's an additional oddity now. One of his hands has remained the odd, carapaced claw that reached up to grab the tail. It had taken more of the brunt of the force than the other, so the harder surface of it is essentially helping keep his hand in one piece better than human flesh would. There are similar things being done to hold ribs and bones more securely in place, though those efforts go more unseen.

"Just—" he starts, and Sebastian's voice comes out hoarse, though with a noise of frustration, it smooths out as he continues, "Just a moment."

He sits up slowly, wincing as he has to balance between keeping a more fragile human form and the desire to shed it completely, but he's not inclined to show his real face so soon. Sebastian spits out a splat of blood to the side that Kaeya isn't standing on, and it comes out a much darker red than the rest, curiously.

It's only then that he looks up towards Kaeya, and then past to Silco, which gets him to shrug slightly. Well, it wasn't elegant, but he had lived, so it worked. That's enough for Sebastian to reground himself and control his temper, so he reaches out to take Kaeya's hand and pull himself up. He truly does pull, which shows that he's definitely struggling, but still not perhaps as much as would be expected from taking such a direct hit at all.

[zauneyete]

Silco can't believe that he's still moving. Honestly. Alive was one thing, and while it was not unfamiliar to him, that Sebastian's frame would look half of the way away from human, with those too-sharp teeth, and the eyes... but the hand, or was it claw, was different. He looked it over, as he watched the man try to pull himself up, using Kaeya as leverage. The fact that they were all fine was a miracle, truly. He couldn't believe that none of them had been dissipated on the spot, but still.

He was annoyed, with the way he'd been thrown. It was ludicrous, somewhat unbecoming.

However, he wasn't dead. His body was still present, and despite the cracked and bruised ribs, and perhaps a sprained wrist, he still wasn't dead.

That's three times The Thing had tried to kill him. Three times it had failed.

It had better die this time, lest he find himself threatened by it again.

He moved, gingerly, a few steps back, waiting for the two of them to catch up. He isn't getting any closer to the thing, but they need to get out. They need to get back to where they're safe, before the thing lashed out again. Silco didn't doubt that it would use the opportunity to come for him again.

[subsist]

This is fine.

The too-sharp teeth, the backlit eyes, even the claw — none of it appear to faze Kaeya too much considering he isn't too unfamiliar with creatures that crawled out from the abyss. Not that he would count Sebastian as one, because the man openly admitted to being a demon not too long ago, and the fact that he has managed to stay alive despite what the Sanctifier did to him only serves as further confirmation. But it's fine. He isn't bothered by it.

When he helps Sebastian up to his feet, he tries to be careful, slow, not wanting to aggravate any of the wounds that he couldn't really see. He does his best to keep the other Aion steady while he glances towards where Silco is. The man is already moving towards the Citadel so that's where Kaeya will be leading Sebastian too. Might as well put them far away from the Sanctifier's reach, and the Citadel is likely the safest place one can be at this time anyway.

"When you're ready, we'll follow after Silco," he explains, nodding towards the direction they're headed. He'll only move when Sebastian tells him to go, and he's already thinking about who to reach out to for some immediate healing. Problems for later, he decides. They have to get out of here first.

[cutlery]

"Thank you," he says to Kaeya first, and his tone is grateful, if a little strained. This feels no better than the Reaper's scythe he had taken through his chest the last time he had been this badly injured, but this one is also more annoying simply by virtue of it being something that wouldn't have been a problem a week ago. Eventually, he'll get over it, but not today.

He shifts and adjusts to hold his side with the clawed hand, though it comes with a brief, though sharp hiss of pain. Sebastian looks at Silco's back and simply nods as he starts to move to follow him.

"It is unwise to linger and draw its attention and ire again, since that I do not think I can take twice, at least." A little humor comes to his tone by the end, though it's definitely only partial. It's gone by the time he continues, clearly speaking to Silco now as they start to approach.

"...And my apologies again for throwing you, Mr. Silco. I hope I at least managed to cushion the fall somewhat."

If there were any lingering doubts about where those shadows came from, he at least confirms it easily enough. He also hadn't been able to actually see the catch, considering the timing of meeting the Sanctifier's tail, so there's also some uncertainty that he had put them in the right spot, to be honest.