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

[lachtara]

[ The look on his face is a strange mixture of sadness and understanding. A people without a name and without a known history is, again, all too familiar. It is with sincerity that he offers his next few words. ]

If you should find the time to write of your people's history, I would be interested in reading about them.

[ Emet-Selch looks off. ]

None who walk the world so long should suffer the indignity of being forgotten.

[cutlery]

[ The look that Emet-Selch receives in turn is a bit of an odd one, though it's honest. The surprise is open to hear such a thing said with sincerity, but there's a mix there of some part of Sebastian that almost doesn't understand it. At his core, he truly doesn't, because the experience of his emotions was much shorter than that of mortals. Sadness is simply something he's never felt. That's why he had found humanity so intriguing. They felt so much more than demons, and it was something he could only objectively observe.

So how strange it was to be offered it, to call all demons "his people". It's a similar, alien distance with which he considers the words, but he at least knows the intent with them. It's a kind thing, isn't it? ]

...Well, you would find it shockingly boring, actually. Demons are not an enterprising sort, left to our own whims and desires. Our realm was governed by blood and war, all to claim titles and souls that held no real bearing beyond power that we did not strictly need. One demon fights a blood war with their Legions, cuts off the head of the previous ruler and eats every piece of them to claim their name. It is that, ad infinitum, with only the names changing along the way. That is how I became claimed my title, as all before me.

[ To say the title is actually a larger concession on Sebastian's part than it may seem, though it's given because he's assuming Emet-Selch isn't familiar with his sort of demon just by offering sentimentality at all. But to someone that understands its significance, that narrows his identity down to seventy-two demons in particular. Still a large number, but with his small habits and details, his name could be found by someone that was familiar. ]

We were kenoma, in the Valentinian sense of the word. Darkness and rot, seeking to spread it as far as possible. That is what a demon is, and so it is what I am. The Regent at least chose wisely to want my power as their tool.

[ But even saying all of this, he does look to Emet-Selch, and gives a nod that's slightly deeper as his expression softens to a gentle smile. ]

...But it is kind of you to wish to know. Objectively speaking, it is one undeserved. I shall not forget it.

[ It's sincere as well, even if the place it comes from is nearly the opposite. But like the rare occasions when Sebastian truly gives his word, it's something that holds meaning to him. It's also not a thing he lingers on long, since with a smooth laugh, he shrugs again as his voice turns more playfully wry. ]

Though if you do want an abridged history, I can certainly get started. I cannot promise I would be finished any time soon, however. Unfortunately, it is a matter both horribly dry and horribly long. Human history is much more exciting, I assure you!

[lachtara]

[ Emet-Selch listens intently. It's not a written history as he would prefer, but it is something he will commit to remembering. Unfortunate that it is recounted so dispassionately. It is like his people are kept at a distance rather than embraced as a whole.

At the end of it, he gives a casual shrug. ]

Ah, yes. The riveting history of war, followed by war, followed by conflict, disease, and starvation that in turn sparks yet another war. Empires rise only to fall again. A very riveting tale which they never learn repeats.

[ Emet-Selch sighs. ]

But, yes, It can be most exciting to see what petty squabbles can descend into all-out conflicts between people and nations.

[ Said as if he had never caused a war in his life. Certainly not. ]

[cutlery]

[ look who hasn't started a lil war and or genocide!! even though according to the scientific chart on the matter, apparently more pleroma than kenoma, so, hm, ]

So indeed! And their lack of ability to learn is clearly one we have differing opinions on, as it is something I find quite charming about them. Though I admit, I was a bit unusual for that. Most of my kind tended to have a view much closer to your own.

[ He definitely talks about humanity as a whole as if they were something more like a favorite animal than sentient, thinking beings. There's a fondness, but an implicit arrogance that places him above them. And at least now, hearing these opinions spoken, both of them, really. ]

But even with their foolishness, I have always been impressed by what they manage all the same. The fact that they always strive for more is what drives both their creative and their destructive impulses, I think. Their wars are endless, yet they still manage to produce great art or accomplish feats impressive enough that I had not even considered them.

[ There had been examples of this he'd used before, but now he has a new favorite one to use by far. ]

Why, I was speaking with Mr. Madrigal, in fact, and apparently humans will set foot on the moon. Who knows if it is my humanity, but still, for any to do such a thing despite the fragility of their lives... I admire it, in a way. They come up with such interesting ideas.

[lachtara]

There is something to be said for their perseverance. Of that, I can concede. Generation after generation toils away for what they could never hope to accomplish within their short lives.

[ Not that it manages to get them far. They had always let their self-destructive tendencies sabatage any progress they could hope to make. Emet-Selch pauses, and with a slight smile he offers some insight on a topic that is covered briefly. ]

You may be pleased to know that the Moon has a pleasant view and serene quiet besides. Not a place I have often been, but that does not mean I lacked the option to visit if I liked.

[cutlery]

[ Now, Sebastian could easily latch onto that first point, since it's right up his alley, obviously. Meditating on the faults and failings of mortals might as well be part of his profession. However, since his conversation with Bruno, Sebastian has been much more interested in the moon, so that catches his attention much more. His expression lights up with earnest interest. ]

Is that so? How marvelous! I am somewhat embarrassed to admit that truly, the idea never even occurred to me as a possibility until the other day, but it has been something I have been thinking about since... I can only imagine the view.

[ He laughs a little, since he recognizes his own curiosity as a bit ill-fitting for his usual cool composure. ]

It may seem a trite question, so my apologies, but what is it like to look at the stars from there? Is it quite different?

[lachtara]

No amount of flowery words would do it justice as such a view is beyond describing.

[ Emet-Selch gives him a long look. There is a certain... pause as he seems to consider something. ]

Would you like to see it first-hand?

[cutlery]

[ He has a good guess at how that's possible at this point, though there is a brief moment where he's surprised by the possibility before he remembers what Communion is capable of. The process may not be his favorite... But for this, he's not bothered at all. There's no hesitation at all as Sebastian nods with a warm smile. ]

Very much so, if you would not mind it.

[lachtara]

[ Emet-Selch lifts his hand, and with a flourish of glittering light lets his shard free from its place. He concentrates on it for a moment and gifts a single memory - the view of Mare Lamentorium as it looks down on the world. There is a strange air of peace reflected in these memories, fringed by a depth of sorrow that could only be glimpsed in something so brief.

Emet-Selch returns his shard after a few moments - before any particulars surrounding his presence there come to light. ]

Consider it a welcoming gift.

[cutlery]

[ It's not something he has much experience with yet, true, but this is still a memory he welcomes more openly than he'd expect to for any other. And truly, he's not disappointed.

He had kept up with humanity tracking the heavens generally, so what he sees isn't a complete shock, but it's still far more than he expected. There's plenty to take in, from the grand and quite beautiful structure on the moon itself to the endless black sprinkled with stars, but all his focus ends up on the world itself.

It may not be Earth, since he can at least see a continent whose shape doesn't match any he recognizes, but in a way, it doesn't matter. It's certainly close enough for him to imagine it as being the same. There was everything, simply floating in a void. All life, all souls, living out tiny, insignificant lives. His own longevity had long since given him that sort of view, but looking at this way, the sheer scale of it strikes him too. And in that, he knows he's not unique at all. Even a demon that's lived thousands of years was still just a tiny, unseen speck in this.

What a thought.

As the memory ebbs away, Sebastian's polite smile shifts to one that's rare to be genuine. It's soft and grateful. ]

Thank you.

[ They're words meant sincerely, which isn't quite so rare. They'd be given for any new information that Sebastian gets to learn, since this definitely qualifies. But a few thousand years of existence also makes you a bit jaded no matter what, so truly experiencing something new got rarer and rarer. So this is quite a bit more than that. ]

You are quite right, and I am surprised to admit it! Such a view is... Why, I do not believe I have seen anything that compares at all. It is indeed a place I could imagine spending much time myself. Well, were I able, of course. I imagine my humanity had quite a ways to go to reach it, however.

[lachtara]

[ Funny how they talk of such beauty as a pyre is built nearby, intended for the most ugly of deaths for their adversaries. Again, he flicks a glance in its direction. How to overcome it? ]

They have a ways to go in all things.

[ Emet-Selch shrugs. ]

One must admire their spirit to persist, I will concede to that.

[cutlery]

[ look sometimes you just have a nice lil chat by a pyre It's Fine ]

[ Sebastian does follow the glance again the the pyres and it's not quite that it dampens his good mood so much as he remembers that it's perhaps not quite ideal to show at the moment. His delight softens back down to a cool neutral, as if he's reminded of their circumstances, and as such, he can only nod in agreement. ]

A ways indeed.

[ He cants his head lightly, but rather than compliment mortals' toiling further, he does shift to a question. ]

It is pointing out the obvious, but you speak with a similar distance between them. It is not something I have heard from anyone but my kind, but... [ He shrugs ] Coming to Horos, it is clear that there is far more in between worlds than I knew of. So if I may... What is the name of your people?

[lachtara]

[ His tone turns to soft sentimentality. Talking about the people he cared for so much somehow manages to draw out such emotions from him. ]

We've had many names given to us as time has continued its ceaseless march. The most recent being that of "Ascian".

[cutlery]

[ The sentimentality may not be something Sebastian feels for his own kind, but objectively, he can understand and appreciate it here. Just from how Emet-Selch phrases his answer in return, Sebastian feels that he understands much better why he had been interested in his "people" at all.

...It also has him realizing that his own answer was probably a little less than satisfying. Ah, well. ]

Then I shall remember it as well.

[ And considering what had been said, he adds: ]

I can promise that I will not forget it. And though my stories are rather boring, if you should ever wish to share one, I would be glad to listen. Not to impose, of course. Simply to offer, since you feel more fondness for your people than I ever have for mine.

[lachtara]

[ It could be seen as a vulnerability perhaps, to give away information so freely about his people. Still, if he wanted others to remember them then they would need to know of them. So it's with that in mind that he nods. ]

Then I shall regale you with their tales at a later date.

[cutlery]

Any time.

[ It's a genuine answer given warmly, though the warmth itself may be a bit more than truth... Though that's more habit than anything else. After so long cavorting with humans, mirroring their reactions is reflexive at this point. ]

But for now, I suppose there is still some preparations to be made. I had only stopped by to see what the plan for this portion was, as I imagine it will be busy latter tonight. If there is anything in particular that may need doing, please do not hesitate to let me know.

[lachtara]

[ Emet-Selch gives him a quiet nod. It serves as both a confirmation and as a silent dismissal. ]