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

[sterngaze]

[When Liem heads back toward Sebastian, he’s intending to slip past him, to put his startling strength and resilience between him and Amos. Perhaps that seems callous, but he’s seen already how much better equipped the demon is than himself to contend with the rage the man is in. Within seconds of his arrival, he’s already kicked the man into a wall, met an attempted grab head-on, and knocked him down, apparently without even breaking a sweat. For Liem, a grapple with Amos would only mean his death.

He isn’t expecting Sebastian to intercept him and scoop him off his feet. This is the second time in Horos that Liem has been picked up in this manner, but at least the first occasion was while he was barely conscious. Now, the effortless lift is met with sudden and perfectly alert bewilderment, particularly as his rescuer continues his momentum and uses Amos as a springboard to sail back down the alley the way he’d come. Liem doesn’t even have to peer around him to look back at the berserker, since only a moment later Sebastian turns to face him directly.

Adrenaline kicks in to compensate for the startled lock of his brain, aborting his fruitless attempt to understand why he has been gathered into the demon’s arms like an invalid. Instead, as he almost always does when circumstances exceed his own experience, he falls back on his training. Tactics now; gormless wonderings later.]

If you need the speed advantage, I can target his legs. Otherwise, I’d prefer not to harm him. He isn’t in his right mind.

[cutlery]

[ Amos charges, and with a nod, Sebastian breaks into a sprint. He could outrun Amos, he's fairly certain, or if not, make a leap onto the rooftops like Liem nearly had. But leaving Amos to his rage could just lead to repeating this situation with another ally, so it was better to push it towards an enemy instead. ]

Then let us not. Hopefully it will not take long to find someone to redirect this towards.

[ Sebastian's eyes are very literally bright, since as they pass by each street, he looks down them with a sense that isn't quite visual, but is best expressed that way. It's not quite the Aions' True Sight, but he can see the very form of a soul if he chooses to, and luckily the Aions' souls stand out at the moment. The pacifying effect of the Sanctifier makes the Achamite population feel almost dull to Sebastian's sense, since the intensity of emotion from anyone engaged in this raid directly will stick out sharply.

It doesn't take long. It's just bad luck for him, honestly, nothing more than chance that Sebastian happened to run this way, and he can't even be certain that he's a Pleroma rather than another Kenoma, but Sebastian is taking that particular chance. As soon as Sebastian sees Ernesto, he makes a beeline down that road and straight towards him. And luckily, it works perfectly. Amos has a new target, and with only a glance back to make sure he stays there, Sebastian continues forward until he can duck into a side street that seems quiet (for now, at least) and set Liem back on his feet carefully. ]

...Again, my apologies.

[ Sebastian takes a moment to look at his hands that are still dripping blood, though they look quite human now, and the blood that drips out is red. He flexes his hand as he continues to speak, just making sure that nothing important was severed by Amos's claws. ]

Are you alright? Relatively speaking, at least.

[baltimores]

[ The fact that he has to chase them — along with every single other thing, really — just further pisses him off.

He doesn't let Sebastian and Liem get too far away, but they always seem to be out of reach no matter what he does. He doesn't have enhanced speed, only endurance; it lets him keep pace, but doesn't give him that extra boost he needs. Any time he comes close, any time he reaches out to grab, it's an expended effort that only serves to add a little more distance between him and his targets. Claws swipe through air, he roars in anger and maintains his pursuit, rinse, repeat.

Until he's drawn towards a new figure — one much, much easier to catch — and his attention is focused on Ernesto, claw only just missing tearing his face off in one go.

And with Sebastian and Liem gone, he's already forgotten about them. He has a new target now, one his entire world has once again boiled down to.

He goes after Ernesto again. ]

[sterngaze]

[Liem has to give Sebastian credit: Carrying him doesn’t seem to slow him down any appreciable amount, given how capably he manages to stay ahead of Amos as they sprint down Achamoth’s largely-deserted city streets. Not to mention, it’s a remarkably smooth ride; his injured arm and leg are barely jostled at all, which makes him wonder how much experience the demon has with whisking people up into his arms.

The plan to pawn Amos off on someone who needs killing seems like as good as they’re going to get in their present circumstances, so given that he’s little more than dead weight in this present arrangement, Liem does his best to keep an eye on their surroundings, since his eyes at least still work just fine. Those eyes widen slightly when they catch sight of the familiar, dog-eared aion down an approaching street, but he’s a Pleroma and there’s no reason to waste time trying to find someone else. If Amos manages to kill him, Liem hopes it isn’t too painful.

Finally, they have a moment to breathe. Liem gratefully finds his feet again, testing his injured leg first before looking over his slashed arm. Both injuries are still damp with blood, black soaking into the equally-black fabric of his clothes, but there’s less of it than there rightly ought to be. He’s never been a profuse bleeder, and of late his wounds have started to recover especially quickly. Given a bit of hasty first-aid, he’s confident he can keep fighting without trouble.]

I’ll be fine. Thank you for the timely assistance.

[Despite the monstrous appearance of Sebastian’s hands in the alley earlier, they seem quite normal now. Even the scent of the blood dripping from them is quite ordinary, which unsettles Liem slightly. Still, as he slings his bow over one shoulder and digs into a pocket of his robes for bandages, he feels it’s only right to offer,]

Would you like help tending to your hands?

[cutlery]

Oh, of course. It is good luck that I happened to be nearby.

[ Sebastian gives a slight nod, though it turns to a light surprise as attention is brought to his hands. It's almost like he had forgotten about them with how he reacts, and indeed, he had, a bit. Liem was simply the higher priority to address, so an injury or two was nothing so bad. His sense of pain isn't quite so sharp, thanks to the fact that this face was just a facade for his real one. That, and he's still adjusting slightly to not being able to simply will them away, so after a small pause, he nods. ]

It it would not trouble you, I would appreciate it, actually. It is nothing too serious, at least, but best to keep them wrapped while continuing on.

[ At this rate, he may have to track down Ciel and ask for her assistance again, but he'd like to avoid that if possible. Like everyone else, she's a bit busy today. ]

[sterngaze]

[Liem simply shakes his head as Sebastian speaks, retrieving a small leather case from his robes with his uninjured arm. The other one aches something fierce when he uses it, which is going to be irritating for the foreseeable future, but at least the range of motion doesn’t seem to have been impacted.]

It’s no trouble. I can be quick.

[They don’t have a lot of time to loiter around, after all, but there’s value in spending a few moments to take care of this now. Using his teeth to pull the glove from his hand, Liem stows it in a pocket as he leans in to inspect the puncture wounds in Sebastian’s hands, glancing inquiringly at him as he moves them gently closer. Satisfied with what he sees, he speaks a foreign word and makes a small, precise gesture. A tiny, concentrated shower of water douses Sebastian’s bloodied skin.]

You seem to have found your feet here, which I’m certainly grateful for.

[From the leather case, he unearths a roll of bandages and a small, folded cloth.]

Is this kind of scenario familiar to you?

[cutlery]

[ Sebastian offers his hands without complaint, and is quickly interested in the process if only because of the use of magic to assist it. He's been learning a bit of it (more accurately, about it, at this stage) with Matt's help, but it's no less surprising to see it used so casually. It delights him in a way that's similar to how technology does.

Also of minor note since Liem is looking at his hands, there's a tiny detail about them that might stick out. His nails are black, which could be assumed to be a choice of fashion, but up close, it's clearer that they're naturally that color. ]

Well, I would say not at this particular scale—

[ At "this" he nods towards the Sanctifier above, and that's also why he's down here. He had made his attack with enough success to leave it to others a bit better equipped for such a beast. He's better suited to be down here. ]

...But in general, yes. My previous line of work involved such things with a rather startling frequency.

[sterngaze]

[As they talk, Liem works, briskly patting Sebastian’s hands dry with the folded cloth before dabbing little smears of antiseptic onto the wounds. Do demons get infections? He has no idea, but they obviously bleed like any human person would, so he sticks to his typical routine while tending the gory little punctures, breathing in through his mouth in an attempt to keep the smell from his nose.

The nails are interesting. He’s heard that shapechangers always have some detail that hints at their true nature, even in other shapes; he wonders if this particular detail was a conscious choice, or unintentional. But what he asks, as he begins to unroll some of the bandages, is:]

Your previous line of work as a butler?

[He doesn’t look up, keeping his attention on the other man’s hands as he begins to wind the bandages around one of them, but a certain dry significance is evident in his tone, as though he suspects that Sebastian was a butler in much the same way that he himself used to be a priest: mostly as a cover for other work.]

[cutlery]

Correct. In total, my work day to day was no different than that of a typical butler, but my master required skill beyond that. His line of work was the sort that caused people to turn a vicious eye his way, and so it was my duty to be sure that none ever found their mark.

[ So to Liem’s suspicions, he’s both correct and slightly off. It was a cover, but the duties of a butler were something Sebastian took extremely seriously anyways…

Yet even so, he’s watching Liem’s work with interest. Learned as he was, the gaps in his knowledge tended to come down to the mundane, such as properly treating wounds. He had learned some as a result of being Ciel’s caretaker, but it’s also something he expects to be more widely applicable here in Horos. He won’t interrupt Liem’s work with questions that could absolutely wait for later, but his attentiveness is probably unusual.

This, naturally, is not what he focuses on at all. ]

Though for what it is worth, that particular line of work was also unusual in every sense.

[sterngaze]

[As promised, Liem works with brisk efficiency in tending to the wounds on Sebastian's hands. He winds the bandage with an air of utilitarian practice, securing the fabric around one hand and then moving onto the other. The only difficulty comes in the form of slight winces every now and then when he's obliged to move his gashed arm, but this doesn't impede his functioning to any significant degree.]

That surprises me not at all. What ordinary master would require the services of a demon?

[Yes, Liem was absolutely nosy enough to browse through the conversations of the new arrivals in the sect-wide communion earlier in the month. It goes along with his profession.]

Though admittedly, I have not known many demons.