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

i. late with starbucks

[affal]

( for ciel, silco, and himself, their duty was done. himeka's and abel's shards had passed through their hands to be borne from the bowels of the citadel and out onto achamoth's streets, where the city's veins and arteries were choked with throngs of people practically humming with anticipation and excitement for their blood to spill. it's ghoulish in a way that to makoto is especially human. mortal. demons certainly didn't delight in such things because their essences were eternal — one might twist a temporary death into something that might make a point, to forcibly put down an adversary (or even a friend) so that their confidence shook and broke and therefore clearly distinguished their assailant as their hierarchical superior. but they would simply reform again days later, and they would have to continue to live with that new reality. in a way, Aions are more like demons in that way. but the way that has been laid out to bring about their deaths — their real, tangible, and permanent deaths — removes that veil and brings about his memories of earth. how witches were burned, how some were weighed to the bottoms of rivers and lakes, and how others were made to die in a myriad of creative ways throughout the centuries for their crimes. it is not at all unlikely that he might have met such a mandated end in his own life, if he had been more unscrupulous, if he had allowed his instincts to run wild rather than seek some sort of way to remove himself before such a thing might come to pass. yes, mortals did so often seem more cruel than their perpetual and unknowable counterparts, simply by the nature of their creativity for cruelty and the joy they extracted from its "righteousness."

makoto doesn't expect to stray from the proceedings for long. he does, after all, feel apprehensive — though he is far less consternated about the warrior of light, there is a storm of conflict within his heart when he considers abel's permanent end. but still... he wants to ensure both. it would be for the best. for the both of him, and for himself, so he wouldn't have to continue to consort with complications he didn't want.

but he had, of course, seen silco earlier as they carried the shards, and he sees him slink away now. he'd been meaning to speak to the man for some time, but other preparations or conversations interjected, so he hadn't had the chance to track him down. this seems like as ample an opportunity as ever. the demon separates from his place in the crowd and threads through it familiarly, knowingly, eventually detaching once more to appear almost seamlessly at silco's side.

he regards the cigar with a type of nostalgia. ) A dear friend of mine had a similar habit, though he preferred cigarettes. ( fjord, his first and only friend on earth and in hell. he supposes he had mourned his loss, in his own way, but friends were hidden dangers among demons; before coming here, he had started to grow wary that the other demon's strength might grow to contend with his, after he had taken over datenshou's brothel. ) I never picked it up, myself.

( though perhaps he should have. it would have been a clever revenge against J — he simply hated it, always yelling at fjord to smoke outside. )

It's good to see that you have much recovered in these last few weeks, Silco.

[zauneyete]

Some say it's a nasty habit. [ He admitted it, before he puffed away at the cigar another moment. ] Then again, if I'm going to die of lung disease, it won't be the cigars that kill me.

[ There's a certain...devil-may-care (hah) about smoking in Zaun. After all, the air was rancid, filled with so much poison that most of them developed lung diseases early, and Silco -- oh, he'd been in the mines, where it was the worst. Why should he care about whether the nicotine would scour his lungs and rend them near-useless. Fresh oxygen alone was a luxury, and so Silco didn't care about whether it would burn his lungs further -- and here? Here they said that their bodies regenerated easily, and after his hand had regenerated after he'd had it snapped -- by the first encounter with that Innocence...

Well, he supposed it didn't matter now. ]

Regardless, thank you. It seems we both recovered well enough. I was...a bit concerned, at first, I will admit, when we didn't see you escape.

[ He spread his hands, then, a quirk of a smirk on his face. ] It's good to see you here, instead of held by them. [ He couldn't imagine That Thing letting go so easily, and yet here he was, amongst them. It was relieving, he supposed. Makoto had fought like hell to take the thing down, and anyone who had such violent hatred toward it was exactly who he wanted to know. ]

I assume you're looking forward to the... [ His eyes flicked to the dais, where they were set to burn.] Eventual festivities, in whatever form they take, hm?

[affal]

Mm, ( makoto hums, not necessarily in assent but in comment; he casts his pale gaze around them, and then he continues, ) Well, I would hope no one among us would call it into question like that. This is, after all, a city dedicated to final pleasures.

( this demon certainly had no reason to. especially when the immortal nature of Aions mirrored in certain ways the perpetual nature of demons — there would be precious few demons in hell that might have criticized fjord for his own smoking habit when lung disease would never count among the handful of things that actually could kill a demon. no, there had only been J grousing at the younger demon, seemingly discontent with the smell.

truth be told, there had been a part of makoto that had been horrified and infuriated in thinking that he had been left behind in the clutches of the Innocent entity, but... it wasn't a realistic thing to blame the other Kenoma for. they had started out fighting a man, but they had ended up fighting something much more — he had simply been unfortunate, or at least until the Regent had seen fit to help pull him out of the situation he had (once again) fallen headlong into.

there is something that lives and breathes in the appraising way that makoto views the other man as he speaks of the creature; having faced it twice, having failed to make the slightest impact onto it, having born its curse and felt the existential dread of its touch on his shard... no, there are few among the Kenoma that hate it so much as makoto does, and that wasn't even going into how it stood to him as an avatar of forces that had existed on Earth that had slowly caused him to lose his will to live there in the first place.

so they are both in good company. )

It wasn't without trial and tribulation that I returned here from Venera, but... ( his lips press into a thin line for just a moment, ) It's something that I would undergo again, without question, so long as it meant that I didn't fall under the sway of that thing.

( the words start with the elegant cadence and flow of makoto's practiced demon speech, but in cauda venenum — the poison is in the tail. by the last word, his tone is caustic.

he follows the line of silco's gaze to where the pyres are prepared, both they and the nearby altars prepared for their eventual ritual inhabitants. the demon grows quiet, pensive, some of the bombast and bluster falling out of his sails. in the end, he continues in a musing tone, ) There's a fine line between excitement and apprehension, isn't there? I'm not sure which way the wind will blow, but - I want to be prepared, regardless.

( a part of him doesn't feel like it's possible they could see their first true deaths of Aions here. he doesn't know if it's because of the sudden injection of permanence into what has up until this point been impermanent, or if he just doesn't want to think that they might truly die —

he cuts the thought off: ) Do you have any thoughts on what the day might end up bringing?