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

[baltimores]

[ Names are for people, and he's hardly a person. Never really got to be one, that aspect of life ended before it could ever really begin. Hell, he only ever got the name Amos through two violent and brutal murders; the only thing that's different is that here, where society ends, nobody needs names. They're just incomprehensible sounds, with no effect on whether something lives or dies at all — and that's the only thing that matters, isn't it?

Even when he has his head about him, he has some idea of what's inside. It's just this, a simmering anger he constantly needed to put a lid on, for the good of everyone else. Not supernaturally charged until the here and now, not as dangerous until the here and now, but he's always had the potential for this. Just needed the right push to get him going, and here, on Horos, he has it.

This side of him had reared its head twice before, and once in front of Ernesto, but it was just that — a rearing of the head, and nothing more, gone before it could continue thanks to Ernesto's blade. But there's no recognition on his end; no need to get even. It's just that Ernesto's alive and like everything else alive he needs to not be anymore.

His momentum at his missed swipe sees helps separate the distance between the two of them. Still, he whirls back around towards Ernesto again, fangs bared, fully intent on tearing Ernesto apart one way or another as he charges again, claws outstretched and aiming to sink themselves into flesh, find purchase. ]

[goldendeceiver]

[ At the time Amos had been choking on the blood spurting out of his neck while stumbling towards Ernesto, the Perro had felt disturbed by Amos' tenacious need to still go after him despite his wounds. While the single-minded violent rage currently directed his way is less viscerally disturbing, it's no less terrifying to have to deal with.

Ernesto is a man who has stared down death more than once in his life, and accepted the fact that the consequences of his actions may lead him down that particular road. It doesn't make staring the possibility in the eye any less daunting though, and his heart races as he pulls out his sword, slashing wildly at Amos in hopes that he can ward the man off for a second.

There's no point in trying to talk Amos down from this either, because even if Amos didn't seem as out of his mind as he does right now, Ernesto kind of doubts that Amos would be willing to stop and listen to him.

Not after what Ernesto did to him the last time they met. ]

[baltimores]

[ The sword connects with his chest, with his forearm, blood welling up in both wounds, and he roars in pain-turned-anger, continuing his advance on Ernesto. Death is the only language there is, and while he's trying to inflict it on Ernesto, Ernesto is attempting to bring it to him, too — and he can't have that. That's not the order this is supposed to go in.

So he continues forward, Ernesto's sword barely even a thought as he counters with a swipe of his own, claws curling in in hopes of grabbing hold of Ernesto, of keeping him for himself for all the time he'll need to gut him, bleed him out, kill him. He's the only thing taking up his line of sight now, the only thing on his mind.

If it's personal, it's only because of the fact that Ernesto is trying to attack him. Never mind that he knows how Misa feels, that he'd kill him for her if he was himself at the moment, not to mention the principle of evening the score. None of that exists here.

He needs him dead just because. That's the only reason: none whatsoever. ]

[goldendeceiver]

[ There's something even more terrifying about the mindless urge to kill than any grudge could ever be. At least Ernesto can understand a personal grudge, or even bearing one for a friend, but this? This is something else, and there isn't even the flash of recognition on Amos' face that would tell Ernesto he knows what he's doing and who he's attacking right now.

That means there's no reasoning with him, but there's also no talking to him. Ernesto isn't usually the sort to use chatter as a distraction during a fight, but it's a nice potential fallback to try and grab when things get really desperate.

It doesn't seem like it'll do him any good now. Hell, even taking another swing with his sword doesn't seem to really deter Amos, and his heart rests high in his throat as he scrambles backwards away from the man, eyes flitting from one claw to the next as he tries to figure out how the hell to avoid them. ]

[baltimores]

[ In his defence, it's not like he'd try to be chatty in a fight if he was himself, anyway. Not without good reason, or not without something being said to him that would really throw him off of his game. And with Ernesto — a man who had already come dangerously close to killing him — he would have been even less likely to oblige; more likely to try to turn any attempts at levity into an opening for him.

Here it's just mindless, which works both for and against him. For because he really can just attack with impunity; against because there's no strategizing on his end. He's just gonna do shit and keep doing shit until something finally stops him.

So he advances on Ernesto, letting his sword strike him with minimal reaction on his part but a baring of his teeth, lips curled back to expose all his fangs have to offer, and makes a move to grab at an ankle, a wrist — something, anything he can wrap his claw around, dig into, see where his strength will take him from there. As long as he gets ahold of him. Makes him stop backing away, forces him to deal with him, so he can kill him already. ]

[goldendeceiver]

[ Hard to blame Amos for that one… the two of them really hadn’t come to violent blows until Ernesto kicked that door wide open himself. He doesn’t regret what he did considering the circumstances that surrounded it, but it doesn’t mean he feels good about the choice he made either. Amos is a dangerous man, but Ernesto acknowledges what he did was ruthless.

So maybe this assault on him is entirely warranted, but right now Ernesto has other things he needs to keep himself in one piece for. He’s a healer, and even if he’s not the only one that the Pleroma have his friends are still going to need him by the end of this.

But what Ernesto wants and needs matters very little in the grand scheme of things, because that claw snags around Ernesto’s forearm as he goes for another swing, bringing him up short with alarming ease. While Ernesto has never looked like much being on the twiggier side of things, he’s got a surprisingly strong arm on him, and is used to raining down some blows that really pack a punch. That Amos is able to stop his swing is genuinely terrifying, and he tries in vain to pull his arm out of the other man’s grip. ]