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

[expiera]

[While something as simple and straightforward as weapon maintenance can be done anywhere, it is on personal whim that Ciel has chosen to do it outdoors atop one of the Citadel's highest towers today. It eliminates all chances of being happened upon by citadel staff, and she can't deny favoring vantage points whenever the option was available. There was no need to patrol Achamoth unlike every other city she's had to stay in for work before, and maybe that was all the more reason to take things outside and high up whenever possible. The indulgent and buzzing din of the city below is more muted up here, where the darkness is thicker, quieter. A few spears of pitch black planted across Achamoth are visible from here too, though that's neither here or there.

Which makes M's approach easy to spot, as much as Ciel herself is too from remaining still in an otherwise empty area seldom visited by any other soul. She looks up at the soft flapping of wings, pausing in her maintenance of what appears to be a bayonet/pile driver hybrid of sorts. It's half taken apart currently with various parts laying atop a blanket, a spread of wood and iron both industrial and mystical usually strung together with the horn of a unicorn as backbone. She's in the process of cleaning and oiling the loose pieces one by one, but that can wait now that she's in cordial company.]

M.

[She nods in greeting. The demonic youth seems to be doing as well as can be, they both carried on as normal after he reported back to her that a certain request she's made of him some time ago was complete. Thus all that's left is to wait and prepare, which is precisely what she's doing.]

It's something I used back in my world. [Only she can wield at that, but details.] I don't know how it made its way here, but it'll be good to have for the battles to come.

[affal]

( there is a sort of baseline compulsion to climb high when opportunity and possibility open up such a choice, isn't there? he would call it human nature, but it could be observed within other creatures — buried within the survival or predatory instincts of animals, even hard-wired into the competitive nature of demons as they all bit and clawed and backstabbed their way to the top of hell's hierarchy. one of the reasons he travels through and observes the city from the air as he does is because he can, but also because it provides convenience and perspective. it also offers a unique sort of peace one doesn't get from traveling the streets (where an Aion could be approached by zealous fans at any point), though he has once or twice seen some achamites waving to him from far below.

he leans over to take a closer look at the weapon, attempting to puzzle out how it might be put back together and function. there's no real use — it's mostly just a thought exercise that he knows is in vain. he has no vested knowledge or interest in things like these. all he knows is that the creation wrought of metal and wood looks like a nasty piece of work, and that she maintains it so painstakingly would only make it more so in action. )

Such things have an odd habit of finding their way back to us, don't they?

( it sounds as though he speaks from experience, and he does, though his was not nearly so useful as what ciel had received from her former home — in their early months here makoto had received a golden medallion inscribed with his initial, which he usually either wears tying up his hair or at his throat. a trinket that holds sentimentality and bitterness in equal measure, but nothing more. )

We've set and baited the trap well. Now all there's left to do is prepare and wait. ( he places his chin in the palm of one hand, elbow resting on one of his knees. ) I would personally say it's foolish for the Pleroma to try to corner a lion in its den, but... I suppose we're relying on that brazenness of theirs.

( to him, the retrieval of two souls wouldn't seem worth it — or, well, so long as one of them wasn't J.

it's only through that lens that he can start to understand their heroic intentions, even if his were anything but. )

[expiera]

[The way M phrases it does sound odd, but she decides against pursuing that line of questioning. So what if he did get something back from his former world too? It still wouldn't explain the how or the why, as tempting as it may be to attribute her gain to the Pleroma attack looming ahead of them. This shouldn't be possible anyway if their home worlds were truly destroyed, so could it be a 'gift' from the Regent? But then that would ideally require cross checking with the Pleroma, because if Aions on the opposing sect have regained objects from their home world too, then then Regent is unlikely to be involved.

Too many questions they probably won't get any satisfactory answer to, so better let sleeping dogs lay and not look a gift horse in the mouth. With that in mind, she picks up what seems to be a metal cylinder to resume polishing, cleaning and reassembling the parts to keep her hands busy while they chat would be productive multitasking. M didn't seem to mind much from his demeanor either, naturally curious at most about something he's not likely to have ever seen back in his world.]

Thank you for taking care of it. [It may sound like lip service, but it's quite genuine. She didn't need to look to know he's done his work to the best of his capability, you can always trust a monster to be a monster.]

We've taken their kindest who inspire the best in them. It's unclear if the new Aions they recruited during the last round of awakening will also come, but knowing how social both of them are, I at least expect anyone they may have interacted with before to be in attendance.

[She states matter-of-factly as she finishes with the cylinder, and proceeds to attach it to a different metal part.]

More importantly, how the Pleroma choose to attack will also provide us with valuable information for future reference. If it's a mindless charge with no attempt at subtlety or aided somehow by the miraculous powers of that Entity, then it will prove to us that they're as unorganized and chaotic as the erratic force struggling for survival they embody.

[It's absolutely not worth it, objectively, but feelings are irrational things. And feelings are what will motivate this charge, the anger and desperation they so meticulously boiled into Estinien, the sympathy and compassion likes of Abel and Himeka inspire in their peers. She did choose that wording deliberately, already fully expects Dokja and Rand to show up not just because they're also fellow Martyrs.

They couldn't have picked better hostages, truly. What a stroke of "luck', indeed.]