EVENT #6: BY HEAVEN OR HELL (WRAP-UP)

[aionmods]

By Heaven or Hell

THE SNARE (cw: gore)

Above Achamoth, blow after brutal blow is rained down upon the Sanctifier. It's fiery wings have been drowned by the abyssal waters of Childe's corrupted voyager, and its chest torn open by the Regent's power. Though it tries to flee, it is assailed from all sides, tearing away scales and burning flesh, its eyes blinded with blood and infection. Even its roar has been torn, the damage to its throat leaving its thundering voice strangled and broken. As Childe's lance drives through the top of its skull and out the bottom of its jaw, it seems that its demise must be imminent.

Yet, this is a creature of the Pleroma. Fueled by a force that fights for life at all costs, the Sanctifier is denied an easy rest. Fitting, perhaps, that its host refuse just as vehemently. Within this ravaged body, Estinien Wyrmblood still struggles, even as each breath is choked by blood and blinding pain. He refuses. He's not ready to be mourned. He's not ready for the fight to end. Himeka, Abel, Hayame... he'd told them... he'd told them he would stay by their side...

On faltering wings, the Sanctifier makes a final effort. The Pleroma responds to Estinien's resolve, and the fire within it ignites in a desperate burst, driving it to escape this city and defend its comrades. Estinien will feel his soul seared with the intensity of his wish, burning him up in the overwhelming light of this undying sun. All the while, the power of the Innocence holds his spirit close, as if hoping to shield him from what is to come. It pleads with him to relent, as it knows this course, and he will not return the same.

With that surge of light, it seem for a moment that the Sanctifier may actually accomplish it, that its wings might ferry it away from the shadows that bite at its heels. However, it's not to be. Not with the trap that's been set, but he Kenoma and their master.

Darkness swells at six points around the city. Six void-dark spears, deposited by the Regent's most trusted followers, activate as the Regent aims their final shot. Six rays of the abyss pierce Achamoth's sky, each one piercing through the Sanctifier's core, stopping its desperate effort before it can truly begin. Though the bolts of darkness seem to stretch for for miles at first, gradually the blur of shadow fades, resolving in the great dragon's body run through by spikes of purest Kenoma. The Sanctifier crumbles, the light of its form dissolving, one last broken cry of agony escaping.

The arrangement of spears holds true with the shift of its form, and as the light of the Pleroma leaves him, instead there is only Estinien. Instead of a colossal dragon, one man bears the wounds of the Sanctifier, his torso ravaged by the spears piercing it and the Regent's power, held in place despite the futile twitches of his battered wings. Just as the Sanctifier was missing a claw, he is missing a finger, and blood pours from his forehead where a lance just was, down through the bottom of his mouth. Ichor drains from one brutalized eye, the other opened wide with shock despite its visible pains.

Estinien tries to speak, but cannot. His hands struggle to pry a spear free from his chest, but he finds no purchase. His broken body hangs above the city for several seconds, as if on display, before an orb of void envelopes him and he disappears.

A FINAL BENISON

After the agonizing end of the Sanctifier, the presence of the Innocence will linger around the spirits of the Pleroma for a short time, as if allowed to disperse in the absence of the creature it was sustaining. There is a mournful weight to its essence, and softly, the Pleroma will hear it speak:

I failed... I have failed you... Again...

The presence is already beginning to fade, but those already touched by the Innocence will feel its power flare up within them, like a new candle lit from one almost burned to its end.

Please... do not despair... continue on... and find the peace I could not give you...

With that it goes silent, disappearing along with its host.

[OOC: Several characters will be receiving PMs regarding this.]

REGENT'S REPRISAL

The protective light of the Sanctifier fades, and the Pleroma will find themselves prematurely awash in a furious Achamoth, their enemies having multiplied from from a mere two dozen Aions to hundreds, if not thousands of Horosians. The military, having been rendered helpless for most of this struggle, are eager to pick up the slack, firing with what offensive magic they hold and alchemy enhanced weaponry. Even civilians, furious and humiliated by what they perceive as Pleroma tricks, will begin to lash out, throwing what improvised weapons they might have and shouting abuse; anything to help destroy these invaders.

The shadows of the city, having been swelling since the beginning of the Sanctifier's fall, will seem to chase the Pleroma through the streets. Like violent ghosts, specters of darkness pursue them, lashing out with intangible claws that feel like shocks of cold torment. Sometime, they may even land small physical blows, like claw marks and bruises left by unseen spirits. These malformed spirits shriek with suffering and discontent, but only Aions seem to perceive them. Those with Tier 2 attunements will have the clearest gaze of ethereal forms, like the wretched, half remembered remains of people and creatures long past.

FROM THE SKIES

As the void swallows Estinien, Seekers & Visionaries of both sects are hit with a series of images flashing through their mind; thick green forests, a tall mountain sitting apart, a golden eye barely concealed by smoke. Red scaled lids close once only to sharply pull back as the eye widens swallows all around it. The vision fades in an instant.

A chorus of unfamiliar roars and screeches echo across the Citadel. Where one dragon once stood, dozens now swarm the air above the gathered Aions. These dragons appear in all sizes and patterns, some with scales hardened like wood or stone while others appear feathered and nearly birdlike. Any Pleroma who have spent time in Greentruth may recognize the shapes as shadows that have passed in the canopy overhead even if they have not crossed the paths of these dragons before. Reinforcements.

A little too late.

The dragons descend upon the Citadel led by a familiar figure; Tehri of the Deep Mists rides atop one of the largest of the dragons as they all come to land on the stony ground at the Pleroma front. They will provide cover for those looking to leave the battlefield and a flight back to Greentruth. If there are Pleroma who are staying to fight longer, a few dragons will wait around the edges until all battles have ceased. They are only dragons, so they could come under fire by the Kenoma should attacks be made.

Tehri stays on the largest dragon as it rears its head above the siege of the ire of the dead. She stands tall atop it, extending her arms as a cool blow envelopes her hands. A rush of cold air pushes forth as a thick mist forms in the courtyard, obscuring vision for all but a few feet in front any person. The Regent's malformed spirits are left confused and without direction, but will attack any Pleroma they do manage to find. The mists linger for several hours after the last Pleroma has fled Achamoth.

WRAP-UP

Returned to their homes of choice, each Aion will be free to recover and carry on with their daily affairs. Word of the assault on Achamoth gradually spreads across Horos, prompting startled reactions its populace. Has the Pleroma truly been so brazen? Had the dragon in the sky truly been as grand as they say? Had the dragon of the wood truly answered in turn? The raid will eventually be a hot topic of discussion in every corner of the continent, though there were few non-Achamite eye witnesses. It can be expected that the details will be exaggerated, understated, and misunderstood wildly.

❖ IMPORTANT NOTES

◆ REGENT'S RESPONSE: After the Pleroma have left the city, the Kenoma will receive a communion from the Regent whether or not their shards are exposed. Their multi-toned voice will express contentment with the outcome of the struggle, explaining that they have successfully captured the Innocence and its host. With this link to its power claimed, they have what they need to end its threat. Kenoma will be welcomed to join them in their throne room to see this done a few days after the battle, but attendance is not mandatory. There will be a short NPC log posted to cover this, though we will warn that the Innocence's 'execution' will be fairly gruesome, so if you have a more uncertain Kenoma whom you don't want to scare off the path, it may be best to not have them attend.

◆ DRAGONS ENGAGED: As the majority of the PVP and PVE finishes up, there are dragon NPCs available to battle against at your discretion. We will not thread these battles, but if any Kenoma would like to try to take out one of the dragons, they can reply below and we will do a mod roll for their success. Any killed dragons may be dealt with as desired in Achamoth. There won't be a Kenoma knock out mechanic for this, unless players specifically want to be mangled by a dragon.

◆ STATE OF ACHAMOTH: Achamoth managed to avoid any irreparable mass destruction as a result of the raid, though there were some 'presumably Pleroma' assaults on civilian infrastructure that will be highly talked about in coming weeks, including the looting of a few houses, attempted arson of a church, and the attempted destruction of a factory. While the Sanctifier was not purposely attacking Achamite civilians, its battle with the Kenoma did result in some casualties among both the military and civilian population, while other soldiers were slain by the Pleroma on the ground. (Or, in one case, one of the Kenoma?) Multiple watchtowers were destroyed by the dragon's throes. In general, Achamoth is furious about this, and more hateful towards the Pleroma than ever.

◆ RECONVENING IN GREENTRUTH: Once back in Greentruth, Tehri will send a communion to all the Pleroma and ask them to attend, if they can, the first Aion Council meeting in early Sekiseri. She encourages all to take the time to heal both physically and mentally in the days to come. The council meeting Tehri is requesting will take place in September. This will be offered as part of a mini-event log where characters will be able to discuss with one another and speak with Tehri directly.

◆ VALLEY OF THE INNOCENT: Any Aions passing through the Innocent's Shrine will notice that, following the Innocence's 'execution', the once lush valley's plant-life is starting to die off in what is clearly a non-seasonal manner. Locals will say that the valley is generally in a state of eternal spring, and this is the first time they've seen it suffer like this. The death of the flora here is not complete or immediate, but it is devastating considering the valley's former state of perfection.

◆ SEKISERI: There will be no game-wide event in September, but there will be some NPC activity of various flavors. Players will be free to plot their own activities as they will.

Comments

[vivificantem]

[Paul is certainly there, and it's things like this that have him grateful that he'd taken Howl's advice - to be prepared, to not let himself be physically exhausted, because today was going to take a lot out of him. Misa seems to be in a bad way; he doesn't even think before his hands are on her, before the healing starts, before the twisting, uncomfortable sensations of flesh knitting itself back together and mending frayed edges start up. He can't do much about that, but he can do something about the pain in general; he starts murmuring to himself quietly, a quick prayer for recovery and she should feel the pain start to lessen, her nerves quieting in ways unnatural but not necessarily unwelcome.

He'll raise his voice after a moment, however.]

What...happened, did one of the Pleroma do this to her?

[He sounds perhaps surprisingly even in his inquiry, as though he doesn't particularly mind whether that answer is affirmative or not. He'd been told about the traitors last time and kept quiet about it, except to Kaeya and Matt; the Regent hadn't heard about it, was the point.]

[lifespanned]

[ Much as Kaeya attempts to ease her pain on the way there, little can be done to completely alleviate the strain of injuries this severe. There's not a moment while they're making their way to the Citadel that her face isn't completely twisted with pain, breaths coming harsh through her teeth, which are gritted as hard as her jaw will allow. But she endures it. Above the sea of pain so evident in her mental broadcast to the Lovers is something that speaks to the very core of the person she is - a headstrong spirit, one that refuses to yield to anything. Delicate as she looks, battered as she is, it's unmistakable that she's doing all she can mentally to refuse submitting to the pain, even if she has to focus only on herself. She thinks of all those countless, long hours she'd spent in the dark of her prison cell, limbs in constant discomfort and pain from forced immobility, with only the confines of her mind to help endure it, for weeks on end. Somehow, she made it through. She can endure this, too. She has to, she has no choice. Her focus is so intense that Gen's words, Kaeya's words, don't ever reach her, not until they've actually made it to the room, and Paul's hands are on her.

There's a reflexive, strained cry when Paul's healing begins - she's startled by it really, having been so in her head - which lowers down to harsh, shallow breaths as bones begin to right themselves, as the gash in her shoulder begins to close up. The worst of her injuries is a set of smashed ribs - followed by the much more obvious, much more grotesque looking twist of her broken right arm.

Though strangely enough, as she breathes her nose, she finds that the pain begins to ebb away, which brings an immediate wash of relief, unnatural as it is, when she can still see some of the more obvious wounds on her body. Kaeya might feel her start to relax from the over tense state she'd been in, subconsciously. ]

It was... it was Amos... [ She wants there to be no mistake about that, so she cuts in, hoarsely, before the other two have anything to say about it. In her mind, it should be known throughout the Kenoma what had happened between the four of them— it's a danger to everyone, otherwise. There's also the non-zero chance that he'll come back in that same state.... if it was something permanent. ] He was just...

[ Crazy? Out of control? The trio of Lovers here never did really determine what had caused him to act that way, whether it was because of an enemy attack or something else - so she leaves it to her companions with more breath to spare to try to explain it, slowly but surely starting to take breaths that don't seem so choppy. ]

[epiprocta]

[ It's a good question now that he thinks about it. What had happened to Amos to reduce him to that state? Gen's glances down at the shard in his hand -- its surface still gleaming faintly in this dimly-lit room, standing out against the blood drying sticky and dark against his skin -- and gives a shaky exhale. ]

... it was like he wasn't there any more. Mentally. Dunno who did that to him, but ...

[ His intonation ends flat and a touch distant; Gen's clearly still struggling to keep himself grounded in reality, his thoughts threatening to spiral out of control the moment he loosens his grip on them. At least squeezing Amos' shard makes the edges dig into his palm, and that gentle bite at his nerves helps him focus for a few more moments. ]

We're all in the same Legacy. So we could feel it -- what Amos was feeling. [ They might not have discussed it, but he's fairly sure Misa and Kaeya must have also experienced it. He'd certainly felt their anxiety and tension during that whole encounter, the constant electric prickle of dread compounding with his own. But even their combined emotions hadn't held a candle to the sheer bloodlust Amos had exuded. ] ... it's like there wasn't anything there except wanting everything dead. Us included.

[ Amos, the man who'd been so adamant about wanting to protect the people he considered his, had genuinely tried to murder the three of them, with a bloodlust hot enough to burn away any other thought. That desire for violence had been frighteningly pure.

The thought sends a fresh shiver of apprehension thrumming through the air, and Gen shakes his head as he tries to dispel it. His head's starting to hurt. The skip of his pulse doesn't feel right. His blood feels cold, and his extremities feel weirdly numb -- the movement's a little clumsy when he absently leans forward to press Amos' shard into Misa's good hand. Urging her to hold onto it, because he feels like he can't manage it any more. ]

Hey. [ That's aimed at Paul, and just a fraction of his usual focus returns to his voice. ] You can fix this, right? She's not dying.

[ It's almost a statement, rather than a question. That's how badly he needs it to be true. ]

[subsist]

[ It's only when Father Paul begins to heal Misa that Kaeya stops channeling cryo to soothe her. The worst of it wasn't probably mitigated, if the way she looked like she was always in pain was anything to go by, but at least now she's at the hands of someone who can help her, someone who can fix her, and that's really all that matters. When Paul asks the three of them what happened, both Misa and Gen supply him with the information he needs to know. It's the best they can describe the tricky situation, and with Gen holding onto Amos' shard for the time being, Kaeya can only hope he can fill in the blanks himself.

There's not much else he can add to what has already been said so he keeps quiet, his grip slowly tightening around Misa once she starts to relax in his hold. That must mean the healing is helping. She'll be alright. He looks over at Gen and offers him a small smile, finally finding his own voice despite how weary he sounds. ]

She'll be alright. She's stronger than all of us combined. Right, Misa?

[ Whatever it'll take to stop the continuous feedback loop of anxiety between them is what he'll focus on doing, even if he knows it might not necessarily work. Given what they've been through, things will remain as messy and chaotic as they are right now up until Amos is finally back with them. Only then will Kaeya feel like he'll be able to breathe again. Maybe it's the same for Misa and Gen too.

He turns to look at Paul. ]

Father Paul, if you're able… Gen took quite the beating himself. Will you look after him as well?

[vivificantem]

[Paul isn't sure what to think about the fact that it was Amos who did this to her; his first instinct, however, is to believe them when they said there was something deeply wrong with him mentally. There would have had to have been, for him to have done this to one of their own; he doesn't know Amos well in the scheme of things but he feels that he knows more than enough to know that this isn't within the normal scope of things he would be willing to do. So Paul will keep quiet on that front; he has thoughts, surely, but they can wait to be dealt with later, after all of this is over, and he just focuses his attention on Misa.]

She'll be all right. [The healing is faster nowadays, now that he's gotten a better hold on it, now that he knows what to do with larger injuries; his tone isn't light, but it's gentler than it would be if the situation were more immediately dire.] It might take a little while after I'm done with this for a full recovery, but don't worry, I'm not going to let anyone die.

[He glances over at Gen after Kaeya's suggestion, though.]

I can take care of you, too, once this is done with. You all right with that?