lunaecalamitas | this day should be for me

[ The sun sets on the manor.

As the sky turns dark, the full moon shines cold and eerie in the heavens.

Today's the day, if you remember what Tatara and G'raha told you. Should you venture by the old sage's room in the dusk, you'll see the threads shining bolder and brighter than they did a week ago, the colors soaring straight towards the countries they represent. They most certainly lead somewhere, the key to all of this. And at any minute now, Tatara should be calling another meeting to address putting the previous sage back together. Soon, in theory, you should be free of your obligation to this world, and soon, in theory, you should be able to go home.

But something else happens first.

Solomon, Ahito, Ithaqua, Robin, Phil, Mika, Cid, Khun, Jing Yuan, Comet, and Day are the first ones to notice something's wrong. There comes a low rumble in the distance, followed by another, and yet another—the rhythmic pounding of something large against the earth. It's faint, but distinct. Something approaches.

And then, there is a shift in the air. Robin, Ithaqua, Phil, Jing Yuan, Comet, and Day are the only ones to sense this. It happens once, twice. The air through the manor flows free—the barriers surrounding the manor have gone down.

The world goes silent.

Robin is the only one quick enough to react. Though he knows not what comes, he will not take chances. He stands from his spot in the dining hall and throws up a defensive barrier around himself, Bruno, and Urianger.

Is it enough? ]

Despite the attack, tonight is the night to put the old sage back together. There's a lot to do, and so to distribute the workload evenly, we have sign ups.

We will need:

Two people per each sage soul fragment (Central, North, East, West, South)
At least two people to guard the old sage and keep the protections up
At least two people to hang back and take care of the injured
At least four people to fight the mech

Please rank these activities in order of what you would like most to what you are least interested in. When you list soul fragments, please choose the three countries you are most interested in sending your character to.

All threads except the mech fight thread will be self-directed. We trust you to come up with a scenario that is enriching and challenging for yourself and your characters!

Sign ups will be open until 5 PM EDT, after which assignments will be given and the toplevels will go up. Stay tuned!

[ Kurapika and Ahito follow the golden, ethereal thread that extends from the manor, and they find themselves heading towards the City of Glory. The mountains outside of the city, to be more precise.

Sitting among the sparse trees dotting the mountainside is what looks like a bright golden jewel, shining brightly under the full moon. Around it is the same faint silhouette of the previous sage in a golden glow. Its aura is unmistakable—this is a piece of the previous sage's soul. From the faint image of his raised fist are another four threads, faint and thin, extending further in different directions. The aura from these threads are familiar, too—they feel like the orbs that greeted you at the end of your mission. However, they're not as important as the matter at hand.

Wraiths swarm the area surrounding the golden fragment of the sage's soul. They seem keen on getting closer to the fragment, but they can't. Two witches and two wizards, all native Central wizards, stand surrounding the fragment, keeping the wraiths at bay.

While the wraiths are greedy and aggressive and will attack Kurapika and Ahito on sight, the native wizards and witches are relieved to see them. They've sensed the significance of the fragment and have been keeping it safe by keeping the wraiths at bay. Kurapika and Ahito are welcome to join them to fight them off, or make off with the fragment while their new allies protect them.

Return to the old sage's room to hand in the fragment when you're done. ]

[ Solomon and Ithaqua follow the violet, ethereal thread that extends from the manor, and they find themselves in the middle of a snow field.

There, out in the open, in the middle of nowhere, is what looks like a bright amethyst jewel, shining brightly under the full moon. Around it is the same faint silhouette of the previous sage in a violet glow. Its aura is unmistakable—this is a piece of the previous sage's soul. From the faint image of his raised fist are another five threads, faint and thin, extending further in different directions. The aura from these threads are familiar, too—they feel like the orbs that greeted you at the end of your mission. However, they're not as important as the matter at hand.

Once you take and make off with the fragment, you attract unwanted attention. It seems greedy Northern witches and wizards had been interested in what lie at the end of the fainter threads, and they're not too happy that their leads are being tampered with. Soon after you take off with the fragment, expect native witches and wizards hot on your tail and slinging spells at you. How are you getting out of this high speed chase?

Return to the old sage's room to hand in the fragment when you're done. ]

[ Shinjiro and Jing Yuan follow the blue, ethereal thread that extends from the manor, and they find themselves approaching the City of Rain...and towards a government building.

The city is quiet at this time of night, due to curfew. Besides the few guards that patrol the streets, there's no one out. The government building the thread leads to is one that deals in trade and customs—it seems whatever was at the end of the thread was confiscated by the officials for being considered a suspicious magical object. Whatever the reasoning, you still have to break in and get it.

After navigating the maze of hallways and offices and security, you'll find what looks like a bright sapphire jewel, shining brightly under the full moon. Around it is the same faint silhouette of the previous sage in a blue glow. Its aura is unmistakable—this is a piece of the previous sage's soul. From the faint image of his raised fist are another four threads, faint and thin, extending further in different directions. The aura from these threads are familiar, too—they feel like the orbs that greeted you at the end of your mission. However, they're not as important as the matter at hand.

Once you've secured the fragment, make sure you get out without getting caught.

Return to the old sage's room to hand in the fragment when you're done. ]

[ Khun and Robin follow the pink, ethereal thread that extends from the manor, and they find themselves smack dab in the middle of the Nectar District.

There's quite a crowd gathered in one particular intersection, where the thread ends. All the native Western witches and wizards are in heated debate over what sits in the center—a bright sapphire jewel, shining brightly under the full moon. Around it is the same faint silhouette of the previous sage in a red glow. Its aura is unmistakable—this is a piece of the previous sage's soul. From the faint image of his raised fist are another four threads, faint and thin, extending further in different directions. The aura from these threads are familiar, too—they feel like the orbs that greeted you at the end of your mission.) However, they're not as important as the matter at hand.

Every wizard present seems rather intent on keeping this jewel for themselves, regardless of its actual significance. Their words are cutting, manipulative, underhanded, and any attempt at dialogue will be met with the same wily tactics. That said, attempting to rush in and steal it away will be answered with the aggression of an entire horde of Western wizards with an arsenal of manipulative and seductive magics at their disposal. Navigate wisely.

Return to the old sage's room to hand in the fragment when you're done. ]

[ Day and Cid are led to Tycho lake by the ethereal green thread, though the journey is less than pleasant. The closer they get to the lake, the harsher the weather gets. A storm rumbles overhead, a torrential rain soaking the wizards and making it hard to see where they’re going.

The faint light of the thread goes down, down, down, into the lake itself.The plant life around the lake seems to be moving, growing higher and higher as the storm rages on. Lightning crackles and the thunder is loud enough to make it feel like your brain is rattling in your skull. There’s no sign of any animals or people nearby, but the downpour is unrelenting. It’s likely to cause serious damage beyond just the lake itself if it keeps up, and it’s going to make swimming in the lake incredibly dangerous… Nature itself seems intent to kill, as entering the water is hard with how the plants seem intent to grab and hold, writhing in a way that feels alive, and even the kelp in the lake seems to be in motion.

Following the thread down to the lake bed leads them to is the same faint silhouette of the previous sage in a green glow. Its aura is unmistakable—this is a piece of the previous sage's soul. From the faint image of his raised fist are another four threads, faint and thin, extending further in different directions. The aura from these threads are familiar, too—they feel like the orbs that greeted you at the end of your mission.) However, they're not as important as the matter at hand. You are currently under water, after all. Oxygen is a finite resource.

Return to the old sage's room to hand in the fragment when you're done. ]

[ The previous sage is very well protected, considering all the enchantments and protections he has around him.

However, the mech seems to have the power to negate any sort of magic, and there's no telling if or when it might target the protective magic surrounding the sage. Some need to hang back on guard duty, just in case. Mika and Ginger, it’s on your shoulders for the start. ]

[ Of all the areas in the manor, the indoor training room, which also doubles as a classroom and a laboratory, is untouched, and away from the action.

Those who are too injured to fight or seek fragments may rest and recover here, and those who would prefer to stay back and take care of the injured or offer support magic may also set up their base here. Bruno and Comet are in charge at the beginning, hope that's not too much pressure.]

[ With people on their way to get the fragments of the Sage’s soul, things at the manor don’t settle down. The magitechnical armor is still their, unscathed, with its obscured pilot at the helm. ]

Wizards have been obsolete! I’ve made so much progress, and get thrown to the side just because of some god be damned wizards, even though it's proven we don't need them anymore with how powerful our technology has become. You’re worthless! All you’re good for is the stones that will fuel my creations!

[The man rants and raves, the mech whirring as the arms swing, crushing more of the manor into rubble. Its eyes turn to those making the first stand against the inventor—Yamato, Malice, Urianger, Yodarha, and Kiryu. And also Phil is here too.]

My life would be so much easier without wizards… I’ll just get rid of you, and then get rid of the rest of the filth!

[The mech rattles, bursts of steam jetting out as he aims a missile at the wizards. Most of the wizards can avoid the blast, but Yodarha and Kiryu take some splash damage... and Phil is closest to the blast, getting hurt rather significantly.

Now it’s time to fight for their lives. ]

((OOC NOTE: The mech fight is effectively a free for all, and characters can jump in or out to other areas of the manor as they please! Even if you did not get the chance to sign up in time, you can hop into the fight and do your part. After people return with their fragments, they can jump into the fight.

Combat in this will be roll to hit, with no damage modifiers based on how high or low the roll is. 11 or higher will count as a hit for both players and the boss. The fight will end when the robot is destroyed, but the threshold and requirements for that is a mod secret.))

Edited 2024-06-22 21:22 (UTC)

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