Fantasy Are you tired of sipping Crab Coladas? (Pirate RP) (Always Open)

JaxbyDaniels · Dec 31, 2022

It all was happening so fast - Everything! Being dragged from the drudging confines of what was essential a dank and dark basement in which the poor Chiloonie was forced to do whatever he was told, being thrust into a kingdom that had been essentially frozen for 200 years with no idea who any of the people around him were, being constantly threatened by what he had hoped would be a benevolent leader. (This was yet to be seen, Chilby didn't understand much but there seemed to be a great deal at stake.) Now he was strapped with this child and being thrown a quest, this would be a great deal to write in his journal later.

When Sebas the Intimidating had finally had his say and taken his leave Chilby remained silent, only nodded and grunting in approval, he initially thought the threats were part of a tough guy act but reevaluated his stance on this when he realized a father would do anything to protect his daughter.

Chilby had begun to chuckle at the mention of Sebas being scary, Efi was right on the mark with that one, but scary wasn't always bad, Chilby did understand as leader of the crew tough decisions had to be made and fear was a big part of getting a crew in line. He supposed he'd need to get Sebas to warm up to him, he was good at that but not when in the middle of looming war. He hoped they'd all make it out of here alive so that he'd have the chance to redeem himself in Sebas' eyes.

Bogrum had been kind at least, more than he could say for Adonis, that snake. Chilby had done everything in his power to get to where he was and where he'd recently been was nothing short of embarrassed and disgusted by the actions of man. He wasn't one to judge based on one person of a race but if Adonis was the standard then Chilby would march right back to his home and never say a word again.

Chilby took in all that Efi had said and even smiled when Ora perked up at the mention of adventure and honestly so did he. "Efilisa." He looked to her and then the child. "I've been tasked with protecting this child. I..." No. If Sebas had been like Adonis he wouldn't have trusted Chilby with Ora's life. But this wasn't truly his decision to make. "Orabelle. Do you believe you can handle yourself? I'll stay by your side at all times but you have to promise me that you trust in yourself, you must believe that you can do anything for this to work. Can you do that?"

Chilby would then turn to Efi once more. "If the girl believes in herself I believe in her too and I will gladly accept this challenge, whether it be for the Glacial Blade weapon... This Ice Scythe, or not, I want you to have these badges back, it seems important for you and I understand wanting to properly honor fallen comrades."

WayfaringWaaksian · Dec 31, 2022

Nancy Noi

What Nancy witnessed after his attempts at saving his skin was even harder to process. Words falling on deaf ears, he was getting closed in on, met with a hungry gaze and a ferocious grin. It was something he expected to find on the face of a predator ready to rip his gills apart and devour him, not an avatar of goodness and holiness. Goddess Mariana wouldn't send you.

Unless... would she? But why? This duo was clearly sent with the intention of culling Dark creatures, which wasn't a battle Goddess Mariana concerned herself with. But that was when he was still a part of the world... 200 years later, his people apparently don't even exist anymore. Did she suddenly disdain the Dark enough to smite any prayers that bore a whiff of it?
He supposed he'd be asking her, after this angel was finished with him.

Yet, he didn't find himself enveloped in the Spirit Sea when he looked up from his hood. The other woman, the one with the pegasus, stepped in just in time to stay his would-be death's hand. What sort of angel needed convincing to NOT kill with glee? He was on thinner ice than a lake in late fall, especially knowing the obvious fallacy in the woman's words. Clearly he had to have known that the badge was imbued with Dark magics if he presented it in the first place...

Nancy again lowered his face, enveloped in the shadow of his cowl. The prospect of death so soon after losing immortality horrified him, but it paled in light of this news. That, and the fact that the first new Holy being he'd seen after unfathomable time would sooner want him dead than save him. Was this what his prayers had been answered with? Did Goddess Mariana even hear?

Feet tingled with an odd sensation that spread to his frayed nerves and beyond, basking his spirit in a warmth he desperately needed in this moment. He was suddenly standing on Sanctified Ground, the angel kneeling at her planted sword as if she hadn't been looming over him with it at his throat. Lips were numb regardless if they could speak. Luckily, his relic had no trouble picking up his thoughts.
"Save us," was his plea, glassy eyes staring right through her. He was speaking to his Goddess now. "And if that's out of Your power... protect us while we carry out what must be done." Emotion fissured his words. "If there's a war, my sister will be fighting on the front lines. Please don't let what remains of Your people end like this."

Bogrum Mazoga

Bogrum wasn't one to question things. Which was a statement not without some untruth, considering where his mind often went during these situations. More aptly, it was better not to question things. Questions led to doubts. Doubts, in turn, led to inaction. Or worse, insurrection. A Warlord couldn't go to war with an army who was unwilling to fight. But was that always a bad thing?

He had to decide that very, very soon.

"Do you think Adonis...?" Did it need to be asked? For a man who handed out favors for powerful magic like candy (with a laundry list of conditions), was it out of the question that he knew of Demestral's history and conveniently suppressed her memory of it? Given his track record of treating his crew like they were pawns to discard at his benefit, was it unfathomable that he would lie about the state of the castle to keep the more good-aligned members from refusing the task? But he couldn't settle with what-ifs. It could only be one thing, and the clues were there to be deciphered.

"I'll be honest," he told her in a murmured whisper. "I don't think either outcomes are ideal." Starting a war with the kingdom itself, or bringing a malicious entity with the power of ending all things mortal on their land? It was clear what the lesser of the two evils was, but an evil was still an evil. "I trust Sebas with my life. But my soul is better placed in your hands, Doctor." It said a lot, when he had just witnessed her damn a man's soul to frozen hell just days prior. Sebas was a good man, but he wasn't a saint. Bogrum couldn't dream of boasting the title himself, nor did he care to. He was as much of a killer as any other warmonger, pirate or soldier. But these were just people living their lives, not...

Bogrum shook his head. He couldn't do that to them. He wouldn't. "I'll need an angel's guidance. Help me preserve as much life as possible." Was that a prayer? Years had gone by since he last issued one, but it felt familiar.

Kylesar1

Emira Blight

JaxbyDaniels

Kylesar1 · Jan 5, 2023

A Prayer Heard- The Stressed Orc

It was indeed a prayer. A fractured misguided one towards her and not any god/goddess, but a prayer nonetheless........and these were the best ones. A prayer from a long-term misguided sinner hit like fine wine compared to a long-time devoted follower. The sound of it was music to Laylah's ears and it immediately set her holy soul at ease. She was part of the proud race of angels, and it was their duty to show them the way. Especially for HER, who was effectively a neutral party pacifist. "Sebas has his goal. Adonis has his goal. Only one cares about the crew enough to navigate both." Nothing elated her spirits more than knowing she was being leaned on. In a way, it was the opposite of Evangeline, who got off on the sounds of distressed enemies. For her, it elated her spirits because she was more than anything ready to help by any reasonable means. Laylah inhaled deeply, then exhaled slowly. "You have my word," she finally responded, Bogrum's request forcing her into a state of calm. His inner anxiety or deeper uncertainty putting her into a tranquil state. "Preserving life is my job." She didn't know Sebas's deeper intentions, but as much of a grouch as he could be, his results spoke for themselves. Demi didn't call on him for nothing. Adonis didn't put him over The Canine for nothing. Sebas didn't hand-pick a single member of this team for nothing and, while she ran up late and asked to join, Sebas didn't accept it for nothing.

"As few lives as possible will be lost under my watch," she said in determination, gaining a slight glow about her. This felt amazing! She felt empowered! She could hear a voice in her head, the voice of a God in her head speaking to her. "The word of God is gospel. So as my word as representative."

A Prayer Heard Pt. 2- A Trembling Locathah

Nancy's eyes became shrouded in darkness, and his body hit the sensation of being in the water. However, unlike the typical water he had been used to for 200 years, which was warm, this water was absolutely frigid. Just above freezing point. "My dear Nancy Noi............" The voice was clearly heard, but had a waviness about it, as if the soundwave drifted along the waves of the ocean. Her voice, while clear, was distorted in its audio. "......cutting through the Surface, through the Depths, the Deep, and then the Deepest Deep, you speak directly to the Trench in which I reside." The voice was unmistakable. The waviness and the distorted sounding nature of it....... His Goddess was speaking directly to him. The overwhelming power filled his body. Peculiar after 200 years, yet absolutely unforgettable after all this time. "I will reveal to you the truth."

Knowledge was bestowed onto Nancy in that moment. Who the Basenjis were, why they were here, the items they needed to get, Demi calling upon Sebas to redirect their plans, and his group that landed currently in the Stoneroses HQ. Who Adonis was, Sebas's/Laylah/Evangeline's plan to save Lostro, Sebas's plan to thwart Adonis's intention to destroy the remains of the empire. Sebas's group were essentially bad guys trying to stop the plans of worse guys because the daughter of the guildmaster was unknowingly assisting the bad guys in what would've been killing them all and didn't want destroyed the family she thought she lost 200 years ago.

Knowledge Bestowed- Nancy now knows everything relevant to this raid that has already been revealed, down to everyone's names.

"Evangeline is a trusted Enforcer of mine. Forgive her rough edges. She will not raise her blade to you again. Another child of mine, the human male Sebas who has guardianship over the Triton child Orabelle, is working to prevent his own captain from destroying your empire, an inevitable fate should they be provoked into violence." Kraiven stands no chance against the might of Adonis and the Basenjis. "Sebas is.........well let's just say that my status as his Goddess did not dull his tongue towards me." She actually laughed at this comment. Most would look to behead Sebas, and even Ora was indignant and fearful, but Mariana knew what she was signing up for when she took him on. He told her that he bowed for no being, and by the Deeps did he stick to it. "The other angel accompanying him, Laylah, is a powerful angel, a neutral party who wants to save as many lives as possible."

The distortion effect increased and the voice started becoming muffled. The connection would be severing soon. "Evangeline has something for you. It's a Coin of the Trench. Not only will it mark you as one of my protected, but those like Sebas, Orabelle, and all angels will be at your aid should you find yourself in imminent danger." A Coin of the Trench was, as it sounded, an item that carried an immense amount of weight. "Don't lose that coin. It's a gift from me to my last Lung-Borne. May the tides guide you."

With that, Nancy's ears filled with the sound of rushing water and his vision slowly came back as the rushing water sound receded, and reality came back into view.

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WayfaringWaaksian

Orabelle Alahala
Stoneroses HQ- Lobby

Adventure! Braving a frozen mountain to return the badges of the guild's beloved members? How could she pass it up, especially given the circumstance of them collecting them in the first place. Not that she was cold immune, but Ora definitely did have quite a bit of experience with the cold. She was born and raised in the Deeps afterall, where the waters were dark and cold. A wide grin passed through her face. "Of course I believe. It's simple: Papa believes us equals. That's why he said I should listen to you yet advise you. I want to go get those badges! But........" She thought for a moment before speaking again. "Do you have something else besides a Permafrost Shard? I already have a Monsoon Tome and I want to learn incantation magic, support magic, or more holy magic."
Efilisa looked up into the air. 6 of her upper eyes close yet her main 2 still open. "I got something else." She brandished another book. "This is called 'The Right Hand Man.' It has a lot of Support Magic spells in it, with some of them requiring incantation."

The book looked absolutely beautiful. The pages a nice aged tan, brimming with magic within. This was exactly what she needed to support Papa whenever he was ready to fight. While her hymns of support were potent enough, she didn't feel like it was enough. "That looks better. I want to take this quest, Chilby."
Efi smiled deeply, genuinely happy to do something new after so long. Orabelle saw that Efi was a kind woman and she wasn't the least bit afraid of her. There were many many more terrifying creatures in the Deep and the Deepest Deep than Efi. "With that, I'll go speak to your captain."

JaxbyDaniels

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Sebas came out with Arnold. With their reappearance, the room grew quiet. Seeing Sebas with Arnold apparently reminded everyone that they were on the cusp of a fight, and that Demi and Duradel having a good time conversing with the Stoneroses and telling them about the wonders of the world 200 years in the future didn't change that. "Basenjis! It's time. King Hemhart and his court awaits."
"Stoneroses! I want a crew together to grant them safe passage through to the castle. Demi, you will be part of that team."
"Yes, dad........as a Basenji, not a Stonerose. Sebas is who I'm taking orders from." He was, afterall, who answered her call to do all this in the first place. As happy as she was to be back in long lost faces, she couldn't lie to herself and say that these long lost faces were more familiar to her nowadays than Basenji faces
Some grumbles in response from some of those around, most notably from longer time members, Demi noticed.
"Your word will be important, Demi," Sebas remarked, "but it's time we get on with it. Let's get this done before nightfall."

The group were led outside and waited as they prepared a carriage with horses for them, while 5 Stoneroses got on their own individual horses
Sebas strolled over to Chilby. "The arachne woman told me about your little mission," he said with a sigh, "I'll allow you to go on it. It's better to do this mission than have her die if shit goes awry here." He passed Ora the Azure Clam he wore on his wrist to Ora, and she put it on, making her wear one on each wrist
"Here's the second Azure Clam. You won't have me around to protect you this time." He hugged her. "This adventure is yours, my dear. I trust you to get it done."
"I'm trained enough to fight, Papa. Taught by you and Evangeline, taught to heal by Ms. Laylah." she responded with adamant determination
"I trust you to use it well." To them both, "Take care. Get in contact when the mission is complete. I'm certain the Arachne woman will give you guidance."
With that, Sebas took his leave. Time to take care of business

It was time for both groups to load up and hit the road as their paths diverge
(Next post will begin Chilby/Ora's mission and push the Kraiven Group to the Castle)

WayfaringWaaksian

JaxbyDaniels

JaxbyDaniels · Jan 14, 2023

Chilby gave a smile so warm it could melt ice. Orabelle obviously knew Sebas far better than he did in the five seconds he knew him and if it was true that he believed them equals especially in a time like this then perhaps he wasn't all so bad as his threats made him out to be. "That Permafrost shard." He began to inquire. "If there's anything else I could do to be worthy of earning that later I would gladly do so. My ice magic is decent but I feel it could be stronger. I understand if you'd rather not give away more than you want though."

Chilby of the Zealice clan, finally he'd make something of himself. Finally he'd make himself proud and perhaps even his family if he were ever to see them again. "Well, if that's what you want, I say we do it. If anything goes wrong I'll do my best to protect you. We're partners in this now."

Healing would certainly be a useful attribute if they were to face anything too dangerous, Chilby felt grateful for that. "Efilisa, is there anything else we need to know before going out on this mission? I want to make sure we are wholly prepared. I hate to be a glass half empty kind of Chiloonie but I want to be ready for any enemies or obstacles we may face."

WayfaringWaaksian · Jan 16, 2023

Bogrum Mazoga

What Bogrum felt after could hardly be described as serene, but Dr. Laylah's words were reassuring. He didn't doubt her for a second when she assured him she'd preserve the most life possible. As many trips he had to the Sickbay, he could attest that very few left those doors as a cadaver. "Thank you, Doctor." It was hard to tell if she was relieved or pleased by what he had asked of her, but it was all the same to him. Her simple support was all he needed.

When Sebas returned to view, his presence signaling that it was time, Bogrum breathed a fortifying sigh. It looked like they would be down two members, but to be delicate about the matter, it was the preferred of the two. One had little experience outside of his niche on the ship, and the other was a literal child. Bogrum spoke nothing of it, as Sebas told them his shared thoughts. If anything was to happen here, the two wouldn't be around face it. And if anything was to happen during their mission, Orabelle's Divine Favor would send the angels straight towards her.

"Call us on your crystal if anything goes awry," Bogrum told Chilby, referring to the crystal necklace they were all given before jumping the Canine. "We'll keep you updated on any developments."
Here's to hoping they're only good developments, he thought as he took his leave behind Sebas and the rest.

JaxbyDaniels

Nancy Noi

When darkness finally did take him, Nancy was hit with a sensation that took him back to his days in his homeland springs. Hard and frigid, cold enough to threaten to steal the breath out of the unfamiliar. But instead of pristine, this saline water would have burned his gills the moment he took the plunge. And it went deeper, deeper than anything he had experienced. It was a weight that would have crushed his mortal body. Since he instead felt lighter than the air in the high mountains, he knew he was visiting the Spirit Seas before he heard Her voice.

Despite this realm being so alien, and terror of that angel still latching to his chest, this felt like coming home. Hearing Her after so long should have made his soul weep. He knew he would later, if he survived the coming trials. But Goddess Mariana clearly had little time to spare. In an instant that no timekeeper short of the divine could calculate, Nancy's head was brimming with knowledge. Suddenly everything made sense, and while he had many more questions than before, he knew exactly who to ask. The scale of it all, the pirates, the long-gone Stonerose, the diplomats working in between, almost rivaled the weight of this Deepest Deep. He was due for a headache the moment he was back in his body.

"My Goddess..." There wasn't even time to thank Her. As quickly as he left, he was back where he was, standing before the two pirates. He knew why there were here now, but instead of grieved, he understood. If this Evangeline was the way she was, better she be enlisted in Goddess Mariana's forces than not. But because they were pirates, he wouldn't dare breathe a word of what he'd been bestowed. The angel was now forbidden to act against him, but the same restriction surely wasn't placed on this human, even though she saved his life initially.

All he would say was, "Goddess Mariana has something for me." The only thing keeping him here was the Coin of the Trench that was for Evangeline to pass to him. Once that was done, he needed to find Ves immediately, now for an entirely new reason.

Kylesar1

Kylesar1 · Jan 22, 2023

Efilisa the Receptionist
Stoneroses HQ- Lobby

Efi pulled out yet another book. This woman was an archive of knowledge, the Elaina of the Guild, it seemed. "This book is called 'Baby Blue'" This book was bound in powerful silk, yet was hardback. One's finger could brush the book and it slide smoothly across the cover, which had a design that was generally indecipherable but would give off an odd feeling when stared at and thought about. Maybe this odd feeling came from the fact that the design could seem to move a bit when stared at for long enough, or maybe the odd feeling was odd because if you compared it to other designs, you would put into the realm of more dark or disturbing but unable to explain WHY it was uneasy to stare at. The title, Baby Blue, was embroidered across the top of it and a subheading that read "Notes from a Receptionist on Picomorn Peaks."

"This book has in it the answers of the mountain you're heading to." She eyed the book. "It's enchanted with Spirit Magic. You ask it a question and if the answers are contained within its pages, it will answer you with the appropriate excerpt so long as it is in your possession." Spirit Magic was a dead magic in the present day, but given that they were 200 years in the past and were in the spirit sea, it made sense in this case.

Efi decided to demonstrate. "Baby Blue, answer my inquiry: What is the general temperature of the Picomorn Peaks?"
The book shined and then answered with Efi's own voice: "The temperature of Picomorn Peaks tend to stay around 30 degrees (F) at Base Camp, yet begin to drop the moment one crosses the barrier onto the path. Reports from the adventurers who made it the furthest since we moved to the Spirit Sea indicate that the temperatures were around -50 degrees. For reference, -50 is where Absolute Cold begins......and this wasn't quite at the halfway mark of traversing the mountains yet." These words were read as if Efi had just opened a new book and began reading something aloud that she found fascinating, which is kind of weird given that she herself wrote the words that the book was reciting. An all-around perfect round-up about a weird book made by a woman as weird as she was endearing in her demeanor.
"If you prep for potentially powerful ice beings and cold so extreme that even your natural resistance might not be enough to reach the peak, you should be fine. Just one other thing."

Ah, there was something else that she needed to address. Something that most wouldn't think about. "Baby Blue, answer my inquiry: Is there anything interesting about the mountains that adventurers should know about?"
The book shined again: "There are reports of flowers that grow in the mountains. However, there are widely inconsistent reports about these flowers in terms of what they are, where they grow and how they appear. There are also adventurers that report 'feeling' different when it comes to these flowers. However, a confidently educated speculation cannot be formed due to widely differing reports on the 'feeling' in question. One thing for certain is that never has someone returned with one of these flowers."

With that, Efi handed them the book Baby Blue. "So take this book. It will arm you with a lot of knowledge. I have a ride waiting for you. GP?"

A man as pitch black as Oppressive Darkness walked up to them and then turned into an amorphous blob. It grew and grew then began to take shape. Finally, some color faded into its existence, turning it from a silhouette into a full-blown being: A Wyvern. Smart choice given the amount of wyvern flying in the sky. "This is GP, our shifter. He'll take you to Picomorn Base Camp."
"Aye. Prepare yourself and let's head out."

The duo took to the skies and, through the swarm of allied wyverns with GP playing the imposter, found themselves at Picomorn Base Camp.

What lie in front of the duo upon landing was a bit of a resort building lying in front of the mountain they were to traverse. There was a gentle snowfall and cold nip in the air, which shouldn't bother either of them despite them having on no more clothes than they'd normally wear. As one looked up and behind the building, they could see a path winding upwards, which started where the building ceased to block their view..........and ended when the raging winter storm made it too obscure to see

"The equipment in there are free. You'll only have to pay if you lose it. Strap up and head out. I'll be waiting for your return in Base Camp." It was free because a shop being lost to time for 200 years had little reason to exist for profit

JaxbyDaniels

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Nancy was given the Coin of the Trench and left alone with the promise that Evangeline would not come to his harm because of it. On the contrary, this angel, the human male and the angel accompanying him would all come to his aid as the Coin served as a bit of a standing Ordination of Protection. At minimum, if no one else survived, Nancy was allowed safe passage

After the angel and human woman took their leave together, his crystal began to glow. "Nancy! Nancy what the hell is going on?!............ Finally! What the hell happened?!" She didn't await a response before continuing, but clearly she knew that Nancy's communication crystal was BLOCKED somehow as she couldn't get through to him, not necessarily that he didn't ANSWER. It was like going straight to voicemail vs it ringing 6 times. Maybe the commune with Goddess Mariana blocked it, or maybe the angel's Sanctified Holy Field blocked it. Point is, Ves went from frantic to relieved that she finally got patched through.

"Nancy, wherever the hell you are, we've been recalled. Apparently the invaders are getting an audience with His Highness and Demestral is with them. Return to HQ with the closest Teleport Stone. Maybe they didn't come to destroy the empire afterall."

Nancy hurries and takes the Teleport Stone in the next village over. In a flash of light, he finds himself in the Teleport Room of the Stoneroses HQ. From the HQ's spiral staircase, the Teleport Room was the sole room that the staircase descended to when beginning at the ground floor, effectively being the HQ's basement

Vespera was in the lobby waiting for him

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The First Diplomacy in 200 Years....................

Sebas's group was escorted by a tense convoy. While the returning Demestral made them incredibly surprised, any tearful moments were undermined by the fact that, since she returned, she was a member of the group currently intruding on their kingdom and serving as passing shade under the swarm of wyverns overhead. The formation of the escort convoy took the form of 2 horseback Stoneroses in the far front on either side of the road, serving as leading policemen for the convoy itself. In the actual convoy were Arnold and Demi on horseback on either side of the road. Behind them was Laylah floating centered behind them, her benevolent expression covering her underlying apprehension. Behind her, the middle of the display was a large carriage carrying the rest of the Basenjis and, like a parade attraction, they were all completely visible to anyone to behold. Bogrum alone sat in the front seat of the carriage with the rest of the members in the back seat

Behind the carriage was Sebas on his horse. This was where the intimidation really came in, as to either side of Sebas were Baby Beholders floating alongside looking around. This scene was then rounded out by 2 more escort policemen forming the caboose. This was flanked on all sides by guild members who followed alongside via rooftops

Looking at the display advancing towards the castle, the message to the scouts and seers at the castle gates, was made clear:
"We come in peace (Laylah). We want you to hear us out (Bogrum). We have no ulterior motive to what we're doing (the transparent carriage) so what we want is simple and easy to understand. However, we are watching your every move (Baby Beholders), and any signs of Kraiven hostility will be met with overwhelming firepower (Sebas with the Baby Beholders). Look into the sky and call a bluff at your own risk."

From above through the mouth of the Basenji captain came a smirk. "Avery, you know how to put on a show."
Avery-C's ear twitched but his expression never changed from the poker face he held. Tail wrapped around his paws and looking at the display, he didn't even turn his head at Adonis's words. He watched his crew make it to the castle. "Giants don't speak subtlety. That goes for Nakaos and that goes for King Hemhart."
"Then why make it subtle?"
"If I speak Feline in a room full of humans, why would you think I'm speaking to a human?"

The convoy stopped at the palace gates. There were a ring of guards to greet them. These guards were armed to the teeth with magic weaponry and pristinely shined armor. They clutched their weaponry, fully on guard yet full of fear in the presence of the Baby Beholders. It was time to meet the king

WayfaringWaaksian

WayfaringWaaksian · Jan 31, 2023

Nancy Noi

Inspecting the divine coin in his hands with a sense of awe, Nancy was just as relieved to see those two invaders gone as he was to hear Ves on the other line. Silent at first, unsure of where to begin when he was still processing all of this, eventually said, and quite simply, "I'll be there soon."

His mind felt foggy, heavy with the knowledge bestowed upon him. Yet, through the fog, he was fully aware of what was going on around him, despite his delayed reactions. Delayed because he didn't know how to sort out everything he'd been shown. But he knew where to begin.

Through the teleporter, up the stairs, into the lobby, Nancy appeared before Ves in a whirlwind. His initial relief upon seeing her okay was drowned out by growing dread. Regardless of if they were the only ones in the lobby or not, he told her with a blunt urgency, "We need to talk. Alone."

Bogrum Mazoga

This feels several promotions over my paygrade, Bogrum was thinking, watching the weary and watchful crowd go by as their escort made way to the approaching castle. Though he was grateful he wasn't leading a charge as raid captain to destroy this place at the moment, he couldn't help but feel under-qualified, especially while sitting in the front of this carriage, under the scrutiny of all eyes. All it took for negotiations to go under was an unfortunately placed word, he knew, that awry meeting with Cherlaynth on the forefront of his mind. But she was a known maniac, while this king... who was to say? He seemed reasonable enough to be allowing this to happen, instead of trying to blow their wyverns out of the sky upon sight.

Bogrum took a breath, reigning in his worries best he could. What was important was that he wasn't going in this alone. But he wasn't going to use Laylah and Sebas as a net to fall into, at least not willingly. He would do his best, and make sure it actually had some semblance of good.

Kylesar1

JaxbyDaniels

Kylesar1 · Feb 2, 2023

The ice-traversing duo geared up. With a large fence serving as their only legitimate way in to see the path before them, the woman who ran the place, an icy 12-tailed Kitsune, opened the gate and allowed them through. "Good luck. There is another fence just like this one further up the mountain. Between this fence and that fence is the rescue zone. If you use the flare scroll between those 2 zones, you are able to be rescued." Once pass that second fence, the storm was too brutal for most to traverse, let alone search for people in those conditions. Even if it were traversable, the blizzard was so thick it'd blot out the light from the flare anyways

Items Granted:

Orabelle Alahala

Igloo Scroll x3- Casts the spell Igloo, which forms an igloo that grants immunity to cold and ice while inside
Signal Flare Scroll x2- Effectively a flare gun. A distress signal which not only serves as one in itself, but amplifies all locational magics and communications for 60 seconds

Chilby

Ice Hilt- A hilt of a blade. The blade forms and gets sharper the colder the environment around it is. Requires ice magic to form and maintain when in warmer environments
All-Sight Scroll x5- Grants Truesight for 60 seconds
- Truesight- Perfect eyesight and X-Ray vision; Allows user to see anything and everything within the scope of their otherwise normal vision range

Orabelle Alahala
Picomorn Peaks- Base Camp

Orabelle looked to Chilby and then to the path. Their short stature would put them on this path for longer than her Papa and the crew. The girl began to feel a bit apprehensive since she received the Flare Scrolls and looked this fence in the face. Since she was sent to be with him, Ora had never really been far from her Papa, always within a few minute's reach at most. Now, reality was staring her in the face and she couldn't help but feel a bit nervous about what to expect, especially knowing that Chilby wasn't exactly a warrior. Was their bigger danger the cold or the creatures in the cold? After 200 years, how would these creatures differ from normal creatures?

"I'm counting on you, Chilby." Orabelle told him, "I have a wide range of support magic." Orabelle took her first step through the barrier pass the fence and was immediately hit with a cooler rush of wind. An immediate 5 degree drop in temperature. With 3 igloos at her disposal, keeping from freezing would be paramount. It wouldn't (or at least it SHOULDN'T) be an issue while between barriers, but once they hit the restricted zone that was the second barrier, that's when freezing would become a big danger.

The path before them wound upwards to an almost intimidating degree the further up they looked, but they could take solace in the fact that the path forward was very clear despite being dusted in snow, perhaps paved by the trampling of soldiers before them who traversed it. Maybe this was the final look of this path before the empire went into their 200 year hiatus from the real world........or maybe the aftermath of the final battle when they trampled the path into the earth to find their lost to current no avail

"With the prizes from this mission, what are you planning to do?"

JaxbyDaniels
----------------------------------------------------------

Vespera Marine Seyres
Stonerose HQ- Lobby

Nancy was moving uncharacteristically fast as he burst into the lobby. This was all an uncharacteristic situation overall, but bluntness in Nancy never came out of anything but an urgency no one was able to ignore. "Nancy and I are having a meeting in the Guildmaster's Office." she declared, "Do not disturb." Not that she needed to tell anyone, but as the standing guildmaster in Arnold's stead, her word carried only a little extra weight. There wasn't a big jump between Deputy Guildmaster and Guildmaster.

They made their way up to the barren guildmaster's office and locked the door. Ves decided to keep things professional, deciding to keep from voicing her concern and relief that he was ok. She knew that he knew. 200 years of touchy-feely and generally open affection towards her friends, he knew. "Let's cut to the chase, Nancy. Something jammed my communication and I sense a very strong item on you." With the pirates at the castle, the time for action was now. "Let's hear it so we can move forward."

(If you want to tell her everything, just say told her everything, like what Marianna did with Nancy. No need for a dialog recap if the endgoal is telling her EVERYTHING)

----------------------------------------

Arnold Asella
Hemhart's Castle

"Guildmaster Asella, His Highness awaits. However........" The ring of guards eyed Sebas and clutched their weapons close, a couple of them drawing their swords. "We can't allow that man and those........beasts in the Throne Room with His Highness."
Sebas's brow twitched and Arnold hoped for a not-confrontation here. The conversations he had with Sebas didn't exactly reassure him that Sebas enjoyed being told what to do. "This is not a request. I WILL be entering with my crew." Sebas said, which immediately made Arnold begin to sweat. "But I will honor your request in exchange....... Iris, Sclera. Make yourselves scarce." Baby Beholders, named after parts of the eye? That he didn't know. He was too busy quaking in his boots on knowledge that these baby beholders could be evolved into Elder Beholders at the will of the one behind them, something he witnessed in person. One doesn't stare into the giant watchful eye of an Elder Beholder, then watch them be docile to a man, and NOT fear that man.
There wasn't a breath of elegance or tact in that man's voice. None of that noble elegance in the presence of royalty. Why would they? When the familiars disappeared as ordered, not a touch of tension was alleviated. Not a single summoner was taught to tell a loyal familiar to basically kick rocks
A sigh escaped his mouth. "Those beholders were a display," Arnold told the guards, "Of the sole alternative to diplomacy. I urge you to remain in clear mind and discipline itchy fingers."
It made them more uneasy to hear this. They knew they'd be the first to die if something happened. "We request that the.........guests leave all weaponry with the Help."

Sebas Deadeye

Arnold insisted that Sebas be in the front with Bogrum as the right hand. As usual, the Canine Captain's first hunch to let Bogrum take the lead was the best option. However, Arnold had sown the seeds of dissent in that he, the captain, should play an active role in this and he caved. In caving and trying to compromise because the 200 year old noble knows the king and the kingdom, he completely forgot in that particular moment that Bogrum was supposed to be taking the lead here. He definitely over-stepped his bounds when he made it clear that he would be entering regardless of what they said. In a way, his mind got a bit tongue-tied at having to roleplay a subordinate while being the captain. That being said, there was no doubt in his mind that Bogrum would've told him to unsummon the baby beholders regardless. Still, he was biting off too much here. "Put me behind you and Laylah," Sebas told Bogrum telepathically through their communication crystal, "Tell me to remain silent unless addressed by you and you only." It would effectively take him out of the running unless Bogrum directly asks for his input. Otherwise, Sebas could basically tune this entire thing out while Bogrum got to establish that he was in fact leading things here

Bogrum already knew, but Sebas was also in contact with the ships above, feeding Avery, Fergie, and Ash information without Adonis and his circle there, as well as getting fed information by Lostro as to what her baby beholders were seeing. Taking on like 4 other command roles while roleplaying a subordinate down here was simply impossible for him. "I'm doing too much command shit to roleplay a subordinate, so it's best for me to stay silent."

"Captain, let's honor the request," Laylah said to Bogrum, "We wouldn't want to send the wrong message, would we?" Laylah's voice was her usual cheery one, different from the anxiety-filled one that he'd heard even up to and during their transport here. She was putting on a damn good poker face. "In the interest of a peaceful meeting, it is best for our Enforcer Sebas to recede until it's time to enforce."
"Whose side are you on, Angel?"
That was a stupid question. Who the fuck side did they THINK she was on? "Would you rather I or our Beholder Tamer serve as our captain's right hand?"

WayfaringWaaksian

JaxbyDaniels · Feb 6, 2023

"I'm counting on you, Chilby."

If it were only him he'd have been worried less but the added danger of bringing along another into the frozen peaks stressed him a bit. It didn't matter though, he trusted in this girls ability just as she trusted in his. The cold wouldn't be much of an issue for the Chiloonie but he did have concern for Orabelle. Even if she was used to freezing temps this would probably be a lot worse than anything she'd had to handle. Admittedly he himself hadn't been in temps as bad, but he knew his cousins in the Arctice Clan lived in these conditions year round, so it was in his blood... He hoped.

The ride there was breathtaking, Chilby could fly but he couldn't take to the skies like this, it was amazing. This GP person or whatever they were certainly had it lucky, to be able to go on such wondrous adventures, but more than that... To fit in no matter the situation.

"Right." Support magic would be super useful, Chilby was more of a defensive and offensive kind of guy, he wasn't able to heal outside of icing up a wound. "Well... I just wanna." He stopped for a moment. Maybe sharing his dreams was silly, he'd always been at the bottom rungs of a ladder, knocked down a few pegs before he could even get up high. But she asked and he'd answer. "I think it'd make me a bit more presentable if I had such a weapon. I'd love to have something of my people that could help me on adventures. That's all I wanna do, is have adventures and meet new people, make new bonds. Most of all though I'd like to protect the little guy and anyone else that needs the help, and I wanna do it my way. Not just because something jerk with a rank tells me to." Chilby smiled, satisfied with his answer. "What about you?"

Equipment. It would be important but Chilby wanted to make sure nothing weighed him down or covered his belly if he needed to fly, swim or slide. "Before we head out I think we best check what equipment is available for us. I already have an Ice Pick with me in my bag and can make other needed things out of ice but it might be good to take some extra layers just in case."

WayfaringWaaksian · Feb 9, 2023

Nancy Noi

At Ves's request, Nancy pulled the Coin out of his satchel to show her. "Goddess Marianna answered my prayer, and granted me an audience. She told me everything." And Nancy could try to explain everything... though unlike Marianna, he couldn't just infodump all the details at once. He was sure he missed a few things when relaying what he knew, but as he listed it off, it all seemed to flow out naturally. The plot to make an outcome in everyone's favor, the crew who worked for it, and certainly the crew who would be working against it.

"You're in danger," was the point he wanted to get to quickly. "There's an angel trying to cull Dark creatures in the kingdom. Not that doctor with the diplomat party, an Enforcer named Evangeline. When she found me, she had to be stopped from killing me simply because she sensed the badge you gave me." He knew Vespera would feel bad for that little detail, but he needed to express just how eager this angel was to purge. "And if she finds you..." Likewise as a friend, he didn't need to express how losing her in all this would shatter him. But there were even greater things at stake. "Whoever lands the first blow doesn't matter. If someone is killed in all this, it will spark a war."

The severity of this was beyond words he could find, but the mere mention of it spoke for itself. "This demon is beyond anything even those pirates are prepared for. But together, we'll have a chance. If we try to stop that from happening, they'll turn their destruction to us."

Bogrum Mazoga

Witnessing the fear the guards kept contained in tense muscles gave Bogrum a pang of sympathy. Despite their position, he was sure they had been prepared to live out a much longer eternity never having to raise their sword and risk their lives again. Mortality returned to them, they would be felled just as easily as anyone else. They had every reason to be untrusting of the literal pirates standing before them. Though likewise, Bogrum couldn't trust that they wouldn't cave under the pressure, given how unfamiliar they were with it now. For the practical reasoning that it would ease them up enough, Bogrum told them, "We'll honor the request to leave behind our weaponry." Extending trust in them not to take advantage of an unarmed state could yield trust in return. Though if not, they still had an angel and Beholders on their side. A disadvantage in that respect, but Bogrum wasn't leaving his team helpless.

"Miss Laylah will be speaking as my right hand. Our Enforcer will only recede to the back of our group, in case I need to call upon him." Obviously that case could be needing his protection, but he went on to assure them, "His word is as important to hear as mine and hers." There was still Sebas's contingency plan if Bogrum couldn't pull this off. And also, Sebas didn't need to tell him for him to know that he was... not well in all of this. His slow disintegration throughout this whole stint was telling enough, though he was doing a damn good job keeping himself together, like Dr. Laylah was.

Kylesar1

Kylesar1 · Feb 15, 2023

Orabelle Alahala
Picomorn Peaks

"I.........don't have a goal," Ora admitted, "It's not because I just can't have one. I just...........As much as I love Papa, he's a landwalker and I've been ripped away from my life as a sea dweller." Literally overnight, her life was overturned. It was something she found herself thinking about and talking to Sebas about. It was one thing to know that they could return to the sea together.........but it was clear that he saw Lostro as her sister, a land-dweller through and through, and one touched with darkness. Goddess Marianna wasn't going anywhere near her. As much as Lostro scared her, the evil incarnate Gorgon wasn't going anywhere and Sebas was doing his damndest to save her. "I'm just trying to re-evaluate my life." She didn't know what to expect, or how to make any kind of living on land, as she was a sea-dweller. "Papa will guide me," the girl said, "Until I know what I want to do, be it on land or return to the sea, I can only follow his guidance." With training from Dr. Laylah, she could become a holy priestess. With training from Evangeline, she could become a battle priestess. With training from Elaina, she could become a powerful support mage

She just didn't know what to do. Forced to think about her future this early on [in her life] was daunting..............

Ora grabbed a few extra layers from the shop. Clothing was always a point of unease for the girl. As a Triton from the Deep, clothing was an entirely foreign concept to her. Modesty was a landwalker concept as were clothing. Kind of unneeded when you literally lived underwater. She attempted a human form with her Landwalker Relic, but the drastic change in appearance presented an identity crisis for her. No thanks. After doing it as long as she'd been with the Basenjis, she still couldn't understand why clothing needed to be worn outside of the practical reasons, but protection against the cold was more than enough reason in this case. Even if it meant feeling weird as she'd never worn winter gear before

Basic Winter Gear- Recommended by the owner, this gear offered basic protection against the cold. Why they had this gear on hand for children in front of this dangerous mountain will not be questioned at length

Setting off up the long winding trail, the path forward was seemingly clear for now. That was, until they came to a dead-end, the seeming trail ending unceremoniously. However, if one looked closely, there seemed to be a divide. "Flowers. Beautiful," Orabelle commented. To the left, among the trees were flowers. To the right were more flowers. On the left though were flowers with white petals that seemed outlined with red around the edge. On the right, among those trees were flowers of red petals outlined with orange. To a Chiloonie and a Triton, that was about as good as it was gonna get in terms of description. Maybe Elaina could name these flowers.

The divide in the flowers was CLEARLY unnatural, but were the flowers themselves unnatural? "Do flowers grow in very snowy places, Chilby?"

Go left- White petals with red around the edge
Go right- Red petals outlined with orange

The path forward, outlined with flowers, would determine the path to take forward

JaxbyDaniels

Vespera Marine Seyres
Stoneroses HQ

Nancy pulled out the Coin and Vespera immediately felt a burn on all exposed skin. Hands, neck, face. While it gave off a dim glow to most who was in its presence, to Ves, a creature of Darkness, it was literally too eye-burningly bright to look at. It made her recoil. "Put it away, put it away!" Ves yelled, and it was clear she was fighting screams of pain as she said it. When he put it away, he'd see the patches of burns the Coin caused, identified as red splotches of skin across her otherwise mostly unflawed skin. Being a vampire meant almost porcelain smooth skin, which in Ves's case was cocoa brown, but in the short interval Nancy had the Coin out, Ves had gained a ton of moderate first to slight second degree burns almost all over every exposed part of her skin. "Yeah, that's holy alright," she said, trying to laugh it off but it turned into a coughing fit as it seemed like it dried out her throat as well. She took a swig of her Blood Canteen and felt some healing effects, but the healing would definitely be much slower than normal

She took her badge back though, her heart heavy. Of all the people unsuited for danger, I endangered the MOST unsuitable for combat, Ves thought. "I'll call these burns punishment for my badge endangering you." The conclusion to draw was that since Holy and Unholy were essentially polar opposites in the Yin/Yang sense, their 200 year hiatus suppressed it, and she just learned the hard way that Holy and Unholy actually meant something again. "We'll keep that Coin away from me and I'll keep my badge away from you. I'm glad your Goddess hasn't forsaken you, but we just established that Her presence will kill me." If this Coin was anything to go by, Goddess Mariana simply appearing would smite someone like Ves. "But it gives me an idea."

Ves's idea was fairly simple. If that Coin kept the Enforcer at bay then.......... "If we stick together, that Enforcer can't attack me.......well, she CAN, but she WON'T because she can't endanger YOU. Maybe your Coin will keep my badge's magic at bay and keep her from finding me." The Holy Magic in the Coin would easily suppress the Dark Magic in her badge and so long as he kept it in the satchel, it wouldn't burn her telling as to how it didn't affect her until Nancy pulled it out.

Her body felt itchy all over. Tingling. and also crawly as if you'd just killed a pregnant spider. Was it the burn? Or that her life was just in imminent danger for the first time in 200 years and the item that caused it held up innocently by one of her best friends. "You're in...........a powerful position right now, Nancy. You can't be endangered." In other words, literal goddess-given plot armor, and that was a thing that simply couldn't be ignored. "The first God to speak to someone of this empire in 200 years, and she not only spoke to you but gave you proof." In a way, though temporary, he was the most powerful Kraiven denizen on this floating rock. "Even Evangeline the Enforcer or the Doctor would have to turn their blades on their crew if it meant keeping you out of danger."

"The line of reasoning is simple. With your Coin, you can convince King Hemhart to give the Diplomats what they want." It wasn't like what the pirates were doing wasn't the base case scenario anyways. Either they trap it in Kraiven and defeat it here, or they unleash it on the world below and it can do whatever it was it needed to do..........and they needed to defeat it before it grew powerful enough to do what it wanted.

"In a way," Ves sighed, leaning back in her chair and taking another swig of the life restoring Blood Canteen. "It's hard to fault them for wanting to use our land to do this. This land is nothing more than a duplicate anyways." Every square inch of land they walked on should be something else these days. "Still, I can't say that this sits well with me." Duplicate or not, whether they should exist or not, the reality is that this is THEIR land

"But if you want to go to King Hemhart with this knowledge, my word and your Coin should guarantee you an audience. Maybe a DECISIVE audience."

------------------------------------------

The Throne Room Opens

The confrontation began as the pirate crew relinquished ALL weaponry. With that, they open the doors. The doors, adorned with the Kraiven insignia, was in itself a sight to behold. Absolutely GIANT to fit the stature of the king of giant lineage who ruled it.

Unarmed- Any and all combat equipment has been confiscated from the Basenji Crew, with the exception of Demestral

They could feel the vibrations on the floor as it slowly opened into a gigantic room that most would see as the biggest room in the castle, a spot normally reserved for a ballroom. Still, it was like standing in a single room the size of an entire house. The ceiling was so high, one had to fly up to it. The floors were polished to a shine, their feet on a red carpeted path so as to not sully the reflective glint. Even the carpet looked brand new. Bright red and without a single stain, one could guess that this was made with some of the finest material the castle could procure from the Kingdom

".............ALL RISE UNDER KING HEMHART!!"

Standing in front of the Giant King Hemhart, it was on Bogrum to make this work. In front of him was a woman around his size, but noticeably shorter. Being of Giant descent, this woman was far bigger than the average human woman in both height and build. She stood like a paladin with her sword placed tip in the ground in front of her. She was blonde hair, with sky-blue eyes. Her face was like Evangeline's wings, scarred from battle, but one could tell that it made nary a mark on her overall look. Hell, if anything it showed that her and her blade made it out alive for a reason. Her body couldn't be judged under the heavy armor she wore and tower shield resting by her feet, but one would assume this woman was SHREDDED. Yeah, if she wasn't a Paladin, she was definitely a heavy knight. Stunning nonetheless. Still, the look in her eyes would rival that of Evangeline, a desire to murder every one of the people who stood before her.

The sword placed in front of her was as blue as her eyes. This relic blade was a fucking greatsword, its blade a sleek sky-blue, rounded with the metallic silk at its base, looking like one color faded into the other. One swing of that thing and you weren't getting cut. You were getting CLEAVED. This blade must be Azure, named after the woman who wielded it

"............KNEEL IN THE PRESENCE OF THE GIANT KING HEMHART!"
The council of King Hemhart kneeled. Knee on the floor, head lowered. This was the nobility, er the King's court, showing their allegiance to their venerable King Hemhart. The only one that didn't kneel was Azure, who peered over everyone like an overseer.........or an enforcer

Knowing Sebas, he would bow to NO man. He didn't even bow to the Goddess Marianna in which he served. Gods were EXTREMELY prideful, so if Sebas bowed to another being and not Her, She would be pretty cross....... doubly so for the psuedo-mortal king of a ruined empire. As for Dr. Laylah, Bogrum could rest assured that she along with most the crew would be following him.

Bow to the King- Be more of a diplomat; Take a more conversative stance to the King. This allows for more of a mutual understanding
- Appeals more to Dr. Laylah and makes mutual negotiations easier
Don't Bow- Be more of a Basenji; Take a more aggressive stance to the King. This allows for more intimidation methods.
- Appeals more to Adonis, who asks with a gun to the head

Sebas..........was neutral in all this. His lack of bowing meant he was more likely to go the Adonis route (at least slightly), but he chose to take on this mission so they DIDN'T have to go the Adonis route. In other words, this was taking on the good guy route but would have to employ bad guy methods while under his lead. No wonder he felt the need to pass that shit to Bogrum.
"Marianna said I ain't bowing to some decrepit king of a forgotten kingdom," Sebas told Bogrum telepathically, being beyond blunt. "If you choose to bow, that is why I won't" Or he could just tell Hemhart that, as the enforcer, Sebas is ordered to be on guard at all times

"Or cite the fact that the Paladin or whatever the fuck Azure beside Hemhart is the only other one who wouldn't bow with the rest."

WayfaringWaaksian

WayfaringWaaksian · Feb 20, 2023

Nancy Noi

Terror upon seeing steam wisp off of burning skin sent Nancy into an panic, a whirlwind of profuse apologies and fumbling to retreat the Coin out of the open air. Ves attempting to laugh the matter off despite her obvious pain didn't stop tears from welling up in his eyes. "I'm so sorry. I'm so stupid." He was very quickly being forced to contend with their new reality. Though he already KNEW harm and death were renewed dangers, it didn't really hit him until almost witnessing it. First himself at the tip of a blade, now Vespera in the presence of something as simple as a a shiny piece of magical metal. The Coin was insanely potent simply for the fact it was given by the Goddess Herself, and he felt like a fool for not remembering that a Holy relic could act as a weapon against the Unholy.

It honestly made him want to curl into a ball and cry. In the span of their utopian existence, it was easy to forget the harsh cruelty of mortal life, so to remember it by hurting his own friend was sufficiently traumatizing. Though he knew she was hurting too, knowing she indirectly almost caused his own death... but the silver lining of that had the potential to save them all. Nancy tried to keep it together, wiping the excess moisture from his eyes and focusing on what Ves was telling him.
"Maybe..." The revealed truth, along with the Coin to back it up, would make a pretty convincing argument in favor of giving the pirates what they wanted. He didn't doubt that King Hemhart would do what he needed to protect his kingdom, even if it meant making negotiations with criminals.

"We shouldn't have to pay the price of their mistake," he said, frustration now lacing his tone. "From what Goddess Marianna told me, the diplomats are trying to fix what their captain did." Granted, their problem was just a few flickering flames away from becoming everyone else's problem. An ancient demon unleashed on the mortal world, kept at bay only because of the undead child harboring it. "Why here? Why us? Haven't we sacrificed enough?" It was really just out of convenience for the pirates. Their captain wanted their riches, the underlings having a speck of morality as to take measures against the massacre that would entail. A common, universal goal to get rid of that demon for good, and their kingdom so happening to have a Dragon Egg to use. The pirates would be coming out of this with a problem dealt with, some loot bagged, with a few losses to their numbers in the fight. Kraiven would be losing so much more. "It's like we're falling into ruin all over again..."

The next reality he was forced to contend with was that they could only cut their losses at this point. And losing their land was a lesser tragedy in comparison to losing the people who made it theirs. "We should tell the King. Maybe he'll have a better idea." Nancy was just a humble alchemist, so this all felt way over his head. Leave leadership stuff to the leaders, especially since they would know things about their kingdom that a mere citizen wouldn't.

Bogrum Mazoga

Despite having never been in the presence of a monarch himself, the throne room seemed on par with what Bogrum expected. Floors so polished he could see his reflection, carpet that he could almost feel the softness of through his boots, a ceiling that not even a giant could touch (as was probably the point), it was-- as the phrase went-- fit for a king. But despite the more impressive features, there was lack of lavishness. Bogrum had heard tales of walls adorned with priceless gems, towering statues of solid gold, elaborate indoor fountains, intertwining chandeliers, and other such gimmicks the richest of men boasted of. Enough of that was surely tall tales to put awe in peasants as much as envy in rivaling rulers, but just enough had to be true to where this throne room almost felt... empty? There was the kingdom's crest hanging from wide banners, and the imposing size of the thrones themselves, but aside from what was mentioned, there was little to even mention in a vain story, let alone embellish upon. Was this a sign of a modest king placing his wealth in the people he ruled, or a ruined king with little to show his might for? Bogrum supposed it depended on perspective, but he would discern what he could when they finally exchanged words.

The call to bow came, and Bogrum's mind raced for a bit. As someone playing the diplomat, and someone diplomatic naturally, he had no issue paying respects, but he couldn't say the same for the more piratey of pirates in his crew. They had orders to follow his example, but even the one who gave that order was refusing to bow... with a decent exemption, at least. And Bogrum had played Sebas up as an Enforcer, which he assumed was the same role as the king's daughter Azure for not bowing herself (and maybe he wasn't alone in feeling like it was weird to make your own kids bow to you). If any of his own refused to follow, he could assume Sebas or Dr. Laylah would set them straight.

So Bogrum bowed, knee to floor and head bowed, like the nobility. A show of respect rather than fealty, hopefully one that might placate some of that rightful wrath at them disturbing their peaceful utopia. He'd say nothing of Sebas's choice to remain standing unless asked, figuring that it spoke for itself.

Kylesar1

Kylesar1 · Feb 24, 2023

As Orabelle and Chilby pondered over the first fork in the road up the peaks of the lost Kraiven Empire in their first adventure EVER, let alone together, the dealings down in the capital city of Toron started. It would be a decisive meeting that would ultimately determine the fate of the lost empire and its denizens.

Right above them though flew a haughty angel, the Enforcer Evangeline who is bloodthirsty for a purge of creatures of darkness, and a woman known to see and reveal all, the All-Seeing Eye Elaina Melora riding on her glorious steed the pegasus unicorn. Put up to the task of seeking and purging creatures by Raid Captain Avery, the duo hasn't had much luck. The only thing they found was a scared Locathah who ended up being favored by the Goddess who created him.

Speaking of the scared Locathah, the shy Nancy Noi and his vampire friend, the spunky friendly mail courier Vespera, reunited in the guild HQ, a gift after the Locathah encountered the bloodthirsty angel which almost resulted in his death. If not for Elaina accompanying her wanting to study him, he'd have been slain by now. With that, he was given a coin of his Goddess, a powerful token of her favor which puts him in a position he'd never been in before......but an important position nonetheless

Back to Elaina and Evangeline though, besides that Locathah, nothing............. It said a lot that the All-Seeing Eye couldn't see what needed to be seen. Knowing herself and confident in her abilities, she knew that something was keeping her from seeing what needed to be seen. The only people who knew more than her when it came to magic was Overseer Fatimah and Demon Child Lostrogret.

Who you gonna call?

Elaina Melora
Airspace above Toron

"Elaina to Lostrogret."
"........." Elaina felt Lostro receive the signal. She was on speaker so Evangeline could hear. "......That name doesn't sound familiar." Lostro's off-putting hollowfied yet choric voice sounded devoid of emotion.
"I'm Elaina. Elaina Melora?" She for some reason felt offended at her name being unfamiliar on the ship.
She sounded like she was thinking. "Mozza? Do you know an Elaina Melora?" A sound could be heard. "Elaina is that nerd bitch Sebas keeps around." It made Elaina shudder to hear the differences in the voices, knowing it was all coming from the same body. "Orabelle was around her when not around Sebas. That was until he sent her to hang with the angels. Think he's hitting that?"
"Hitting her? Don't try to call Sebas abusive," Lostro said, with an edge to her voice at the insinuation. The phrase flew over Lostro's head. "But thank you Mozza. The name rings a bell now." For some reason, the way she spoke, hollowfied aside, was that of someone kind of prim. It occurred to Elaina that she had never heard Lostro speak at length. Wait, why hadn't Elaina tried to get closer to Lostro? Not that she was inherently immune to Lostro, but her sensory magic made her effectively immune to the Petrifying Glare. Hell, she probably could've earned favor with Lostro because she was able to look at her without Shades or her favor, without dying. What a test subject to study, but that opportunity was long lost. At best, now she'd have to study the after-effects of long term ancient demon possession on a surviving child's body

"Are you still there, Ms. Melora?" The words shattered Elaina's thoughts as they drifted away during their little interaction
"I'm here, Lostrogret. I have a question."
"What is your question?"
Evangeline didn't know, so the only one who could possibly know is Lostro or Fatimah. Lostro was more likely to answer than Fatimah. "Sebas put me up to searching for creatures of darkness within Kraiven. I can't find any, and I was wondering if you could." Well they found exactly ONE signal outside of that Locathah, and that signal was now out of her sight, though she could visit the last known of it, which is Stoneroses HQ
"..........I see tons." Lostro said after a moment of silence, actually sounding slightly confused now. "They're in plain sight."
"Wait. What?! How? Are you sure?" Ancient Demon aside, there was no way Elaina couldn't sense them.
"Yes, I'm sure." She responded, using words that indicated patience with someone asking too many questions. "Are you sure your vision is working?"
"Why can't I sense them?"
"Most are Blighted. You should be looking for Blighted."
The term made no sense. "Blighted? What does that mean? Is Blighted some sort of magic condition?" She knew what A blight was, but it didn't explain what THIS Blight was. In her peripherals, Elaina caught site of a rare visual: Evangeline looking at her wide-eyed with a sense of dread. The term Blighted seemed to set the angel off.

Lostro's underlying voices began to change, as if the ghostly chorus behind Lostro herself were changing members as she spoke. "In the Spirit Sea, there is no connection to the Gods, either Holy or Dark..........." It was like the spirits Lostro had absorbed were giving her the knowledge to say all this. Either that or Mozza.
"Yes, I'm aware." That desperate Locathah seemed to indicate that they were all forsaken
"I know that angel hears this. With no God, how do you revive someone?" With that, the signal cut.

It made Elaina's eyes widen. That was a damn good question. Adonis told them that Kraiven was a ruined kingdom. A ruined castle, a shamed king, and 100 men......... and here they were with 400 miles of peak 200-year-old empire capital city. How the FUCK did that happen?

"Evangeline," Elaina said. Looking over to her angelic partner, she was still shell-shocked. A couple of snaps of her finger in her face brought the focus back in her eyes. "Evangeline, what is Blighted and why haven't I ever heard of it?"
She said nothing for a minute, deep in thought. "We're abandoning this mission. There is an angel duty I must tend to."
What has gotten into her? She seemed reluctant to tell her. "Should I return to the ship then? Maybe Lostro can teach me to search for Blighted."
"No." Her eyes were dead serious, with an aura of embarrassment around it. "I want you with me."
THOSE words drove home to Elaina that something was up. When Evangeline dropped all pretense to just straight up tell her that her presence was desired, Elaina wanted to do literally anything BUT go with her. "We've been together this long," Elaina sighed, "Let's go the full mile." Through their time together, it wasn't all bad. They both had a pretense when dealing with each other, but what better way to pass the time than to actually talk
"We're headed to the Church. I have to check how faithful the faithful have been." Elaina wasn't religious in the least, but it was hard to deny the presence or power of the gods when literal holy angels walked among their ranks. With Evangeline being an Enforcer, there was about to be some enforcement

Vespera Marine Seyres
Stoneroses HQ

"Should......." Vespera said longingly. "Should" was a strong word. The subject of what was ideal nagged at her for the first few years after Kraiven went into the Spirit Sea. Survivor's Guilt ran RAMPANT in the kingdom in the early Spirit Sea days. What SHOULD be? Who SHOULD be alive? Who SHOULD have survived?
Kraiven SHOULD be in ruins........

............yet it wasn't. "I agree Nancy," Ves told him after a long bit of thought. The Locathah just wanted a peaceful life. He would get that. It was just a matter of if he'd be staying in Kraiven or in this world in present day. Ves had no idea what was and wasn't possible for HER. If worse came to worst, she knew how to swim. She would survive this far of a drop from Kraiven to the seas below. As a vampire with her canteen, she could very easily survive and rebuild..........maybe she should try to find her kin if not her parents. True Vampires were immortal afterall and the Seyres family were an aristocracy. "Maybe this is the sign that it's time to pay the Piper. Or maybe Death doesn't like to be cheated. Or maybe we're just collateral." Still, she wouldn't dwell on it too much. She would think about that after action had been taken.

"I'll notify that we're heading to the castle. We'll take the Teleport Stone." Each Guild had a teleport stone that the Guildmaster could activate. Mostly used for meetings, it would find use here. As deputy Guildmaster, Ves could activate it as well. "I'll get us there, but as the one with the Coin, thus the authority of your Goddess, YOU have audience with the King. Not me."

-------------------------------------------

Sebas Deadeye
Throne Room

Sebas wasn't bowing. Everyone else followed Bogrum's lead as ordered, but this was an order that he himself simply could not follow. He immediately stood out when all but 3 people remained: Hemhart, Azure, and Sebas himself. Azure tapped her sword on the floor. "What's keeping you, human? You will bow to my father the King."
"I serve the Goddess Marianna," Sebas declared haughtily, with as much confidence in his position as Azure was in her position. "As I pray for Her guidance, I do not bow. Even in Her presence, I do not bow. My Goddess has graciously accepted those terms when she accepted me. Thus I will bow to NO being before I bow to Her first."
Azure scoffed. "Shame to see how far the Gods have fallen to accept a prideful arrogant man as yourself. 200 years and YOU'RE acceptable?"
"Oh?" Yeah, this was something he couldn't let fly. Before he opened his mouth though, he heard wings. "Lady Azure, remember that you are in the presence of a Holy Angel." It was Dr. Laylah, whose 6 wings flared at Azure's words, before again gently resting outstretched. She couldn't let that fly either. "I'll chalk it up to 200 years of disconnection." Glad it wasn't Evangeline here, or she would've killed Azure on the spot. Dr. Laylah though, still bowed, never left that position or so much as looked up. The wings were symbolic though. She walked in with only 2 showing. To show the other 4 meant revealing her status as a 6 star angel, basically telling Azure that her head was on the line should she choose to step out of it again.

"My Goddess," Sebas continued, even bolder knowing that Laylah was behind him, ".....Who has been in both the Highest Heavens and Deepest Deep, is bathed in both Holy Light and Oppressive Darkness. She is beyond the reach of my praise. Only my faithful service is worth Her acknowledgement." Sebas had a language that was no different than any other pirate. Slang-laden, vulgar, definitely not for nobles. This jarring alteration of his language into that of a religious follower was notable. However, the swagger of a cocky man never left him, even though he was unarmed. "You will respect that, because it is quite a drop from this height to the Trench in which my Goddess resides. With Dr. Laylah Halliet the Guardian as witness, consider that your first and only warning. And I extend that warning to all who hear my voice. Hemhart, check your daughter." He didn't even bother giving titles like Your Highness, and that last bit showed a shift back to pirate. "Sebas Deadeye, Enforcer."

King Hemhart
Throne Room

This entire thing threw Hemhart off. He wasn't expecting Azure to speak like this and he doubly wasn't expecting to speak in a way as to get reprimanded by the first Holy Angel that graced them with her presence after 200 years. Still, he had to put on that poker face and act unfazed. "You may rise," he said, his voice deep and commanding. "Azure, do not speak unless I address you, lest you offend this Holy Angel with your words again." A stoic nod was the response. Geez, she almost ruined this before it started.

He looked down at the group. They were bold. Very bold, but they weren't powerless here. "We will respect your reverence to your Goddess, Enforcer." Shame he couldn't make a demand of his own. Azure kind of undermined him. It wasn't Sebas. It was Laylah. If they piss off an angel, they'd be answering to a force far stronger than the pirates. "Let us proceed with that wrong foot behind us."
"Lest the captain needs me to talk, I'll shut up."

The meeting proceeded. The scribes haven't stopped writing since the second this group walked in, save for when they bowed. Even then it ended early as they took notes on the interaction between Azure and Sebas. Hemhart wanted to sigh. This pageantry was not for him. This was all a royal front, something that couldn't waver in the face of the nobility. If it were up to him, he'd send them out and talk normally. "If that human is your Enforcer, I suppose that you must be the Captain, Orc Man." and Dr. Laylah Halliet, this Holy Angel, must be their medic judging from the title. Who in the hell was this orc to bring these together under his rule? Then who was Adonis? Maybe he was captain of another ship and the catboy another. There WERE 3 ships afterall. Then who was the captain of captains? "I am King Midsar Hemhart, ruler of this domain. What is your business with the Empire of Kraiven?" He let his voice hang as it echoed off the walls of this vast throne room. If there was one thing to know about Hemhart, it's that he definitely had a voice and a presence that demanded respect. "You didn't rip our precious empire out of the Null Realm (Spirit Sea) for no reason, and since you stand before me not having looted and plundered my capital city as your ilk tend to do, you're not just looking to rape and pillage."

WayfaringWaaksian

WayfaringWaaksian · Feb 25, 2023

Nancy Noi

Was Death truly so petty as to disdain the few mortals who managed to skirt its grasp, if only for a fraction of time in the grand scheme of things? In a sea of souls, they were little more than insects-- no, microbes, in comparison. Dirt and grime to wipe away as an afterthought, rather than a growing infestation to eradicate. Death did have a way of coming back to collect, but it was easier to believe that they were all just unfortunate collateral. With enough evil in the world to fill the land, seas, and now apparently the skies, Nancy didn't want to think that every force of nature was purely antagonistic. Despite Her prior silence, His Goddess had never forsaken him, even when he left Her sphere of influence; and he knew what he'd been getting himself into, joining Kraiven in its escape.

"So that means I'll do the talking," he said, rather needlessly, but not without a heaving a sigh full of nervous energy. "Alright. I'm ready." He wasn't, but there wasn't the time to garner his bearings. Not anymore.

Bogrum Mazoga

In the crossfire of that little spat, Bogrum's mind was racing again, but one specific thought encapsulated his feelings pretty well. Goddammit, Sebas. He had the full intention of explaining to Azure his refusal to bow, but Sebas not even following his own request to keep his mouth shut threw a wrench at the whole operation. They were lucky the thing bounced off their angel-armor, rather than forcing it into self-destructing stop. They were at the mercy of the king, but considering that the most powerful entity in the room was Dr. Laylah, that offset their disadvantage significantly, and Sebas cleverly (albeit aggressively) played into that.

Still, that whole thing put Bogrum on edge enough to irritate him, hence the bite in his words, "My Enforcer WILL remain silent unless I address him." It was an attempt to instill that he was indeed the captain, despite that lapse in control over his alleged crew, but it seemed to work. The king was drawing the conclusions he wanted so far. Now it was time to push that further.

"Your Majesty," he began, having since risen to a stand with the others. "There isn't an apology sufficient for disturbing the peace your kingdom has sacrificed so much for. But it's not for no reason, and I regret to bear bad news." Was that too much? Gods, he couldn't shake the feeling that any word could turn the whole thing sour. But despite the bad impression it surely left, Bogrum did find some comfort in the fact that they HADN'T been thrown into a jail cell yet from Sebas's mouthy retort, so he couldn't do much worse. "The mortal world, and beyond, are in danger of a growing threat. One that I'm sure your seers must be aware of. An ancient demon, his powers bound by the unfortunate vessel who was forced to carry him."

With that, Bogrum was reminded of why they were doing this in the first place. Yes, glassing an innocent kingdom was off limits for him and most of the leadership, but as hammed up his whole speech was, he wasn't incorrect. Mozza was the greatest threat at play, peasant or pirate. It was hard to comprehend that it took the initiative of the angels to make the Dragon Egg plan happen, as Adonis didn't seem to give a shit what he had nearly wrought upon the world. Count on disgruntled parents to pick up after their spoiled rotten child.

"His goal is to grow in power." As if that needed to be said. "Although he's kept at bay in his state, it grows regardless. When he breaks out of his chains, he'll throw the world into irreparable havoc. And when he's done collecting the souls here, nothing will stop him from consuming all in the Spirit Sea." Was that a stretch? Maybe Dr. Laylah could back him up, but not if these were complete falsities he was pulling out of his ass. "If our attempts to stop him fail, his power would be indomitable. There would be nothing stopping him from destroying what's left of your kingdom. To pull Kraiven out was to give you and your people a chance to defend yourselves now, instead of the guaranteed destruction to come had you remained in the Spirit Sea."

Kylesar1

JaxbyDaniels · Feb 27, 2023

Chilby held back a tear, oh to be loved like she loved her papa. All he had had been ripped away from his flippers as well. He'd left his family and they had no idea where he was. He wondered if there was a point to regret, to the anguish that he felt inside at leaving. But he did intend to go back one day a stronger individual who could be worthy of his ancestry.

"Y'know, your papa can only get you so far. Not to say it wouldn't be good to follow his guidance, but the heart is a guide worth listening to as well. A lot of people trust their minds or their guts but I've always followed my heart. I may not be some high ranking Chiloonie but look at me, I'm going on a grand adventure, why if you told me yesterday I'd be here with you, I would have spit fish from my gullet." Chilby chuckled ever so slightly. Truth was, other than adventuring Chilby didn't know exactly what he wanted, he figured he oughta take his own advice.

As they approached the fork Chilby remembered back to Baby Blue explaining the flowers. "Ora. We need to make a decision here. But whatever we decide I don't think we should pick these flowers. They may be dangerous. How do you feel right now?"

It was a tough decision and frankly it all came down to a random choice. "I say we head left. Something in my heart tells me it's the right choice." The penguin-like creature smiled at the child. "I don't know what the purpose of these flowers is, but the white of those on the left blend in more with the snow. I don't want us to be enticed, so the less focus on them the better."

Whatever lied ahead would most likely be dangerous, Chilby knew this. But he was prepared for whatever was to be thrown at him and the girl. He'd protect her no matter what.

Kylesar1 · Mar 12, 2023

The sisters had gotten used to their time in the Godless Realm. It was........a faith-trying sort of time in the beginning, knowing that the connection to the gods were severed. Nothing could test one's faith quite like knowing you're praying to a god who couldn't hear. Still, they took an oath to follow their gods until their last breath. In the beginning, there was much to do. Open orphanages for the children who lost parents in the war, or whose parents didn't come with them......or whose parents couldn't be pulled from the Spirit Sea in a revival. Rebuild the churches destroyed in the war. Console the panic caused when they were initially pulled into the Godless Realm. Console the massive amounts of survivor's guilt plaguing the kingdom

All while not dealing with these things in themselves. Their lives were not their own. They dedicated their lives to carry out the will of their gods, and so they pressed on. In being each other's therapist while the church was being the kingdom's therapists, they learned to find solace in themselves and each other, as well as the faith to their gods. Knowing their prayers and their actions would never reach the gods in which they served, they vowed to never shatter and carry on god's will

An eye-burningly blinding light flashed at the alter, surprising the sisters going about their daily work. Initially recoiling, when the light finally receded, they were graced with the presence of a Holy Angel! As well as the presence of a woman riding a Holy Steed! 200 years of disconnection from their gods and immediately their gods send them messengers as soon as they're pulled back into real world.
"WE ARE NOT WORTHY!" The sisters yelled as they knelt in the presence of the duo. Hands clasp as if they were praying, head down, on their knees. Those who had religious books clasp them to their chests instead.
"Rise," Evangeline declared, "I am Evangeline, an Enforcer. I am here for a purpose."
"How may we help you, Enforcer Evangeline?" One of them spoke up. It was worth noting that her eyes glowed, a sign of Divine Favor. Every nun, once initiated, held Divine Favor for the God they served under. While they didn't have to serve the same god, they all served HOLY gods
"Every nun in this city, I want them gathered before me. Post-haste. No exceptions."
"Yes."
"Send a few to gather the rest. The rest will pray to theirs gods in the meantime." Evangeline turned to Elaina. "Elaina, I will entrust in you to inspect these grounds."
Elaina looked out herself. "I need someone here good with animals. Horses."
"That would be me." Another woman raised her hand. "Sister Mariah."
"Nice to meet you Sister Mariah. I need you to show me to the stables and then around the grounds."
"I would be happy to."

With that, Elaina took her leave with Sister Mariah.

----------------------

Not too long after, the nuns were all gathered before Evangeline, who took it upon herself to inspect the room in the meantime. She praised them for keeping it clean and in as pristine a condition as possible, and making them lower their guard a bit at her praise. It wasn't like Evangeline was lying. As an angel, lying was frowned upon and illegal when talking about subjects like this that pertained to the gods

This church was filled with nuns, totaling around 40 or so. "So you've all gathered here before me? It's time to begin the audit."

"ORDER!" With that, all of the nuns fell to their knees similar to when she made her first appearance. The church building brimmed with holy magic, and the most it has seen in centuries. Evangeline was imposing, righteously serious. Her wings flared out, this was a Divine Order invoking the name of the gods she served. "My Gods and Goddesses, before You are a group who claim to be Your devoted, who dedicated their lives to Your will...........but have they stood fast in the last 200 years in a realm where You were unable to reach them?" She let the question linger for a bit. "It is my job as Your holy enforcer to find out and then purge those that haven't from Your ranks. This is an audit. Your Divine Favor is a gift, not to be taken lightly or abandoned in the face of a trial."

She turned to the nuns, her eyes the gavel upon the fate of these women. "You will all be audited to see if you remain in compliance to retain your Divine Favor. If you fail, depending on the offence, you will be permitted to remain a believer, but you will be stripped of your Divine Favor, a forever bar keeping you from obtaining it ever again. Come Apocalypse itself, you were not permitted to waver. There are no exceptions, no questions. Rules are rules and you knew these rules when you dedicated yourself. You will form a line and come stand before me." Her eyes could absolutely burn a hole in the souls of these poor nuns kneeled before her. "This is not my opinion. This is Divinity Law. Nevertheless, my decision is my decision. If you have problems with my decision, that is between you and the god you serve. Am I clear?"
"Yes, Enforcer."
"For those who pass, you will surely be rewarded for 200 years of faithful dedication that has never wavered even in the face of war, trauma, and complete godlessness."

Evangeline's smile twisted into one dripping malevolence. She couldn't harm them, but stripping the Divine Favor of those who wavered struck her as similar to demon hunting. This was gonna be fun.

-----------------------------------

The duo took the path on the left, the white flowers whose petals presented a beautiful gradient from white to red at the tips. It was at this moment that the they realized that the path they chose was immediately important. The flowers on the other side disappeared and, in front of their face, turned into a thick woodland that would be exponentially more difficult than the relatively clear path that these white/red flowers gave them

Was it the right decision? Wrong decision? They would never know. What's done is done and the fact that this mountain just transformed in front of them told them that buyer's remorse would be the only thing they'd ever experience if they looked back.

Orabelle ~~Alahala~~ Deadeye

Ora moved ahead of Chilby, captivated by the flowers and how numerous they were. The clear path they carved out vs the too-thick-to-traverse woodlands to the left and right dissuading them from deviating from the path wound further up. Then Ora felt something. "The flowers are glowing," she commented, putting her face close to the flowers. She wouldn't pick them, but they were clearly giving something off. When the mountain transformed in their face, it told them that this mountain had magic properties if the clearly unnatural flower arrangement didn't give that away in the first place.

The wind picked up and started buffeting the duo, the temperature beginning to drop a bit. The wind, a ferocious gust against their faces, was hard to walk into. Ora was already happy to have taken the advice to put on this winter gear. While it was still warm inside of it, she wasn't used to such heavy winds. Arctic waters were cold enough, but cold wind and snow were different animals.

A shriek came from the left and right and weird beings came floating out in front of them. 3 of them and they looked terrifying. Entire body shrouded in what looked to be a cloth as white as the snow. They would be nigh camouflaged if not for their hands, which had an unnatural red hue. They gave a hollowfied moan as they floated about, blocking the path forward. The hollowfied voice reminded Ora of Lostrogret, which told her that these were very much of the "creatures of darkness" variety

"Let's take them out." It was hard to know what these things even were, but they looked undead enough

JaxbyDaniels

-----------------------------

King Hemhart took in what Bogrum had to say. He had doubted Bogrum's statement of being a captain, but someone who seemed as fight-ready as their enforcer (Sebas) probably didn't know or care about anything other than violence. "Holy Angel, does he speak the truth?"
"Indeed he does" came Laylah's response without hesitation. She couldn't lie about things of this matter, hence why he relied on her for verification. "In order to take on this demon, I would require additional power from sacrificing divinity. An unborn dragon is both the closest and the most convenient means." Dragons were earthen deities.............and the only divinity that was actually born. "This demon presents a threat that constitutes a Heaven-level threat." In other words, one of those crack the skies, blow the trumpet, rapture type deals.
"Why can't you just slay the vessel?" Some muttering around the council told Bogrum that they believed this to be quite the legitimate question.
"That is not how this works, I'm afraid." Laylah wouldn't let Bogrum flounder in trying to explain how all this works. "The demon will either just possess another body, prevent the body from dying, or just be unleashed as is. The proposed ritual will exorcise the demon from the ch-.... the vessel's body while weakening it, allowing us to then combat."
One of the council members stood up, obvious clergy. "First and foremost, I am not worthy, Holy Angel." He said, initiating the sign of the cross gesture quickly. "It may not be my place to ask, but I must. Why was this demon not combated much earlier? Why was it allowed to grow to such power?"
Laylah's voice came into Bogrum's head while the clergyman asked this question. "I cannot lie about this, Bogrum. You're up." she told him telepathically.

The truth was, the captain of the crew allowed it and both Laylah and Evangeline chose active inaction because Laylah wanted to save the child. Obviously, this couldn't be something they just said to them, especially since Bogrum was playing captain here. Bogrum had to wing up a believable lie

WayfaringWaaksian

WayfaringWaaksian · Mar 12, 2023

Bogrum Mazoga

Now here presented an issue. Dr. Laylah evading the question would cue his audience in that there were some untruths in what Bogrum was about to say. What he could do was omit the more damning truths while recounting their situation broadly, but the ambiguity of that might lead to even more unwanted questions. He considered reorienting the chronology of events, but then Dr. Laylah would be hard-pressed to confirm his statement if questioned. He could say simply that the matter was out of his hands until recently, which likely wasn't good enough for them. Telling a fabricated story would just add too many details to keep track of, and leave a mess Laylah couldn't even begin to justify.

Bogrum was overthinking it, but he couldn't afford enough silence on his part to conjure the perfect response. "Circumstances before now prevented direct action," he answered. "It's a very delicate matter. We had to be absolutely sure we could find a means to defeat it for good before making real attempts, as any failure would spell doom." Still vague, but not a lie. It took some of the heat off of the angels to justify their case without revealing the "vessel" was a child. Bogrum wasn't sure why they were hiding that-- surely an effort to save a lost child was good enough reason?-- but he would play along. "In the meantime, we've done our best to slow his growth in power."

Maybe that wasn't a good enough explanation for some of them, but they seem humbled enough to show some hesitance in questioning them with an angel present. Especially after Azure's show of disrespect of the gods to her face. Fergie would like this one. Then he reminded himself that the princess's anger was because one man refused to bow to His Majesty, Daddy Dearest. Bogrum could understand; he couldn't say he wouldn't be peeved if someone displayed that sort of haughtiness to his Warlord Sheris. But Fergie wouldn't give a bilge rat's ass, maybe even laughing in her face after she talked some mad shit. Bogrum's next prayer would be that if she crossed ways with royalty, she'd have more sense to keep her trap shut than with divinity.

Kylesar1

Kylesar1 · Mar 17, 2023

Sister Mariah
Convent Halls

Mariah felt overwhelming power flowing through her as she rode this steed with Elaina's permission. Such a friendly beast brimming with power. There was more holy power in this one beast than she had felt from almost any of the clergy in Kraiven. Nothing brought her back to her faith quite like the gentleness of this beast despite such power, and holy anger that stemmed from Evangeline. "I thank you for allowing me to ride this beautiful steed. What's his name?"
"Ailis (Aye-Yah-Lehs). His name is Ailis." Elaina seemed pre-occupied with thought as she answered. She didn't seem to be inspecting anything though
"Ailis......." Mariah tossed the name in her head as if gargling it. "What a beautiful name.......but why did you give a male Winged Unicorn a female name?"
That seemed to snap her back into reality as Elaina actually looked at her. "Alicorn. These days, the offspring of a Pegasus and a Unicorn is an Alicorn." Elaina corrected her, to which Mariah was grateful. Far easier to say Alicorn than Pegasus Unicorn or Winged Unicorn. Then again, those beings were so incredibly rare that it not having a species name made sense. "But to answer your question, Ailis is the middle name of my little brother." A sad smile crossed her face. "He's not dead.....but we're estranged due to my father's idiocy."
While there was now a question of why a little boy was given a girl's name as a middle name, it wasn't important. "Will you ever reconnect with your brother?"
Elaina shrugged. Clearly this affected her, but the shrug came off as more nonchalant to hide its somberness. "Probably not. He's part of an intelligence guild working directly under a king. He is so far off the grid, only that guild knows of his whereabouts." A pinch in Mariah's chest. She's heard many stories of loss especially in the first few years post movement into the Godless Realm. Still, these types of stories where loss was emotional not physical still hit differently. Death, as tragic as it was, at least offered closure.
"I'm sor-"
"No need, Mariah. I a-" Elaina's eyes grew wide and she stopped. Right in front of a door, Elaina inspected it. "There is something behind this door."
"That's Eden's Door, Ms. Melora. A name our children gave it." It was made of a different material. While every other door was made of mahogany, this one was made of something stronger yet painted to look like mahogany. Why? "We were told we weren't allowed in that room. EVER. No exceptions, no questions."
Elaina's eyes narrowed. "Who is we? and why? Who IS allowed there?"
Mariah could sense the laser focus in her voice. There was no getting this woman out of this one. "Why, we don't know. Only the top 3 sisters are allowed. Them, and bishops and above are allowed in. We have never seen what is beyond this door."
"Open it."
Mariah was taken aback. "I am forbidden from opening this door."
Elaina moved her hand close to the door. "You're right. There is magic on this door." Mariah didn't know that until literally just then, but she'd take the inadvertent save. "Those unauthorized get an almost coma-inducing shock." She smirked, which made Mariah feel uneasy. Pulling her in, Elaina spoke with a low voice to the nun. "You keep watch, Mariah. Tell me if someone is coming. I'm gonna dispel and open this door."
"Ms. Melora, I really can't condone opening this door," she pleaded but matching the low voice. She was about to get into a whirlwind far beyond her if that door opened. "We're not allowed behind that door."
"You're gonna be my partner." Elaina grinned at her a mischievous grin, completely ignoring Mariah's concerns. Elaina's grin was determined yet not malicious. "Don't worry, I'll respect your faith." She was being pulled into something crazy by this woman but.........there was something about her and something about what was going on that made her blood pump. Mariah KNEW this was wrong, but the voice in the back of her head really wanted to know the answer to Grand Mystery #5 of the Convent: What secrets lie behind Eden's Door? There was something about Elaina that made Mariah want to follow her.

This was new. And new? New seemed very fun for some reason. Ducking the rules was nothing new for them in the convent, and while Mariah stayed away from egregious rule-breaking (like having sex with each other) and remained incredibly vigilant to follow all rules both in the convent and religiously, Elaina's insistence on learning the forbidden knowledge kind of made her want to know as well. It roused in her a newfound sense of wonder. After 200 years of routine, someone new came in and that new someone wanted to do something new.

Evangeline

"Denied." The nun glowed white and then a shattering sound, and the woman fell to her knees panting. "Out of my sight."
"Denied...............Denied.................Denied."

As more and more nuns came forward and received a denial, Evangeline had to fight her nerves. No discipline whatsoever. "The biggest offense," Evangeline said aloud after the 10th one, "Carnal relations. Sex between 2 women is still sex, and broken chastity is broken chastity." One of the oaths was a vow of chastity, and these nuns were a bunch of sapphic jackrabbits, busy, starting from some time in the Spirit Sea from what Evangeline could tell from her audit

The audit. She reached into their minds and produced a book. This was a book of their memories. Normally this book of memories would be pulled from heaven, a comprehensive list of every single deed they did, good or bad. Since they were in the Spirit Sea though, a book of their memories from their brain had to suffice. Scan through the book, find a deal-breaking deed, strip them of Divine Favor.

"Fat. Denied." One must be physically healthy. Evangeline didn't even open her book
"Lowest prayer count in the convent by a large margin. Denied." Sloth
"Lowest number of charitable acts by a large margin. Denied." Sloth
"More than once have you cursed the god you serve." This one particularly hit Evangeline and sparked emotions she hadn't felt in a while. Her eyes narrowed. "Denied. Furthermore, you are hereby excommunicated. Get out!" The nun ran away screaming and stumbling as Evangeline pointed a blade to her throat. Unlike others, that nun couldn't remain a follower.
"You habitually dress like a harlot despite warning. Denied." Modesty was one of those virtues.
"Your rumors caused the suicide of a fellow faithful. Denied." Catty behavior leading someone to take their own life.
"You are currently pregnant. Denied." Pregnant and didn't even know it. With the stoppage of time preventing the baby from developing, how long was she pregnant? Regardless, pregnancy means broken chastity.

Blow after blow, the ranks of the nuns were thinned. This was not a measure of punishing them for their sins. This was a matter of stripping them of Divine Favor. One could remain a follower without Divine Favor. One thing the nuns could take solace in was that they had plenty of company in their misery.

"De-" Evangeline stopped. So many denials that she was starting to go into autopilot, losing hope that any of these nuns had remained faithful. This nun had committed sins, but nothing dealbreaking like the rest. Nothing that a confessional couldn't purge. "Accepted......." It was like Evangeline experienced a breakthrough moment. This nun here, for 200 years, had kept her faith and stuck to the rules. "What's your name, human?"
"Irene. I am Sister Irene." This woman, like the others who approached her had a strong aura of fear about her. Only thing one was laced with confused relief knowing that she was safe from the chopping block
"You have kept the faith and brought great service to your God." A genuine smile came upon Evangeline's lips, and she touched Irene's forehead. "You will be greatly rewarded. We will Prime you to become an angel." Upon being touched, Irene staggered back and dropped to her knees. Angel wings burst from the back of her Habit (the nun cloth) and rested. These wings were short. Very short. The most these wings could do was allow her to float or glide, but it was something indeed.
"Thank you, holy angel." she said from her knees, panting. Overwhelmed by the power, tears flowing from her eyes, radiating humility and happiness, this told the Enforcer that she had it. No ulterior motive, no developed superiority complex as of right now. This was the feeling of someone whose literal centuries of faith just paid off with levels of interest unheard of.
"Back to your duties, Irene. Go pray to your god and we will speak when this audit is over."
With a nod, Irene made her way out, wiping her tears yet still weeping.

Evangeline looked to the remaining nuns. "At least one of you kept the faith. NEXT!"

-----------------------------------------------------

Dr. Laylah Halliet the Guardian
Throne Room

"Imagine if you will an enemy you have one chance and one chance only to fight," Laylah said, using Bogrum's vagueness to launch into her own thing to prevent them asking her any direct questions. Asking her for verification wouldn't hurt in this case as Bogrum kept it vague enough without actually lying. "As humans tend to say, 'It is better to measure 10 times and cut once than to measure once and cut 10 times.' We have ONLY 1 cut." The explanation did indeed make sense to the council, and it seemed as well for the king. "We did not have the confidence to potentially waste our one and only chance when stakes are this high........ and we have not the time to gamble passing up this Dragon Egg to find another."
"And what will happen if we refuse to give you the Dragon Egg?" This was Azure, as stoic as ever, a complete poker face while they made their case.

Laylah and Bogrum could hear it telepathically, Sebas rearing to have another verbal spar with the half-giantess champion. "Sebas. Don't." Laylah remarked calmly back to him.
"As our Captain has said, if not, one can expect Kraiven to be destroyed regardless. Should this demon reach full power and access the Spirit Sea, or brings ruin to enough of the earth, it will trigger what can only be compared to as the Apocalypse. Holy Angels will have to Descend from above as Unholy Demons Ascend from below." Laylah was exaggerating but the scary part is that since she was SAYING this, she couldn't be exaggerating by much, else it would constitute lying. "The demon MUST fall and it MUST. FALL. NOW."
"Are you saying you'll take the egg from us should we refuse?" Azure was obviously goading this thing on. She was itching for a fight.

Laylah wanted to chastise the king for not chastising his daughter who he said would not speak over him. "I am saying that we require your cooperation," Laylah responded, stifling a sigh and drawing upon patience she's had to conjure up at this point. Evangeline would've ended her already......... Guess she'd have to turn on some scare tactics befitting of a Basenji. "I'd rather not ask my God to grant me access to.........less diplomatic means." Some of the council gasped and muttered. As smooth and soothing as Laylah's voice tended to be, those words were not to be taken lightly. "I AM a Guardian afterall, not an Enforcer. We're stronger than Enforcers, but it comes with the caveat that we must ask permission to go on an offensive. This situation is one such situation." She winced as she said this. Using scare tactics were never something she liked doing. She only ever reserved it for unruly or disobedient patients. From pirates she expected this behavior. From a princess and nobility, this was unacceptable

King Hemhart grumbled to his Council. "Azure, I thought I told you to remain silent."
"My Lord," Azure said, calling upon her position as Paladin rather than her position as princess or his daughter in general. "I only prodded the potential enemies for options for ourselves."
"Still," Hemhart stood up and faced her. It was an incredible height different, like a Goblin standing before an orc. While Azure was taller than the average human, she was still only a half giant. Her father? FULL giant. "When I tell you silence, I expect SILENCE!" he yelled that last word and it shook everything around them. The resulting silence was painful to behold
Azure looked up at her towering father, unflinching. "............Aye. My apologies, my Lord." Azure still had that same stoic expressionless poker face. However, Laylah could feel Azure's emotion, and it was one of pain from having been yelled at by her father.
"This will be discussed in private," Hemhart responded. "Watch these pirates as we discuss our options. They may move, but not leave." He said this aloud so it wasn't like they couldn't hear what he said.
"Yes, my Lord. I will not deviate again."

The Council got back to talking, Azure excluded. She stood looking out over the group. Unblinking, stone-faced. This time her Evangeline-level malevolence was gone though, as if her father's reprimand took all the wind out of her sails

With that, the meeting went into what was essentially a recess

---------------------------------------------

Vespera Marine Seyres

Ves's crystal faded out. "I got us in. They're meeting with the pirates right now so it's best we go now. With that Coin and the presence of that Angel, we'll be in the best position." They could get an audience with either the pirates or the king. The duo headed down to the Teleport Stone. Holding up her Courier's Badge, the stones lying around floated up and then piled into a ring, the familiar sight and blue glow of it coming to life. "Take me to my office." With that she jumped in..............

...................and came out to the familiar sight of the area outside her secondary office. It used to be rife with mail to be delivered and bustling with Ves's team of couriers. Nancy had been here plenty of times himself in instances where he decided to assist his friend in instances of short staffing or under the incentive of being able to collect alchemy material under protective escort. These days, the place was completely transformed almost into a lounge area. Since 95% of all mail now came through the Stoneroses for her and her team of Couriers to manage, there was no longer any need for the large space save for relaxation for couriers. The mail that DID come in here immediately went behind a sealed door, a place Nancy had never seen and was forbidden from entering under penalty of execution. That room handled the last 5%. This was mail from aristocrats and Royal Decrees, mail sent directly from King, Council, royalty, or aristocracy to the recipient. It required a higher level confidence courier to deliver it (think CLASSIFIED information).

This place was close to the Throne Room, so the walk to the front was quick. Making it to the guards, they approached. "We require an audience with King Hemhart ASAP," she said with urgency. "Nancy here has word from his Goddess."
"King and Council are meeting with the intruders. That is of the highest possible priority right now." the guard responded decisively, stonefaced on guard at the throne room. A large pile of weaponry lie nearby. Considering there were things Ves had never seen before, this was probably pirate weaponry.
"But it's ABOUT the intruders!" Ves almost yelled at him
"Sorry, Vessy. You'll see His Highness after the intruders leave. We'll hear what they have to say and then what Nancy has to say." This was a script. King and Council must've told him absolutely no interruptions.

If they wanted to crash this meeting, they needed a distraction. Was it even a good idea to crash this meeting? According to what Nancy said, if this group was here to get a dragon egg and it was their best bet to cooperate in terms of survival, did they NEED to crash this meeting? If the pirates convinced King and Council to cooperate, they had no reason to seek audience with them after the fact, right? Would crashing the meeting turn it into hostility? If they got King and Council to cooperate, would it be better to meet with the pirates instead?

Crash the meeting to get an audience with the king now
- This will extend the throne room stuff a little more
Wait and meet with the king after the fact
Wait and meet with the pirates after the fact
- Options 2 & 3 will skip the rest of the meeting

(As always, if there's another option you want to take, feel free to do so)

WayfaringWaaksian

WayfaringWaaksian · Mar 20, 2023

Nancy Noi

While Bogrum was breathing a sigh of relief upon the recess, Nancy was breathing to calm his nerves. It wasn't so much the meeting with the king itself that shook him; although, who wouldn't be a bit nervous standing before the man who ran things around here, and who could decide your fate with the snap of his fingers? Not that he had to worry about that, as King Hemhart was a kind albeit strict ruler. It was more so that Nancy's words here could decide the fate of the whole kingdom... now talk about pressure.

Despite what he planned to say being sourced from a Goddess, it was still a matter of presentation. And timing, as they were to find out. Any frantic attempts at persuading or distracting the guards so they could enter the throne room would be nipped in the bud here. "Ves, hold on." Nancy urged her away from the guards, backs turned to the giant-sized doors as he spoke in a hushed tone. "It might be better to wait this out." With all that strange weaponry in a pile, it was easy to assume that the pirates wouldn't be making any combative moves during the meeting. "The diplomats NEED to make this work. It either will or won't, but I don't think a fight will break out. So long as they have some control over things." That is to say, information control. If he and Ves busted in and called their bluff right in front of them, their entire attitude might change, especially if the King took Nancy's words badly.

"We don't have to stop them from what they're doing. We just need to... correct things." It was urgent, but not so urgent as to thwart their attempts when they all had the same goal. "I say let them say their piece, then..." Then there was another issue to account for. If the meeting did end with the King cooperating, who was to say that the truth wouldn't upend it? Their words couldn't be lies, or else the angel would stay suspiciously silent. It were really just simple, yet critical truths being withheld. Although, how critical were they really, and in what way? Nancy intended to make the King more aware, but what if...

He was overthinking himself into a bigger headache. As a citizen, it was his duty to provide this info to his King. To withhold it meant obstructing his kingdom's ability to protect itself, potentially grounds for guilt by inaction if not treason. Nancy had to trust King Hemhart on this. "We'll speak to the King when they're done." Not only that, if the military wasn't prepared for what would happen, more lives could be lost. Including his dear sister. Nellie had always told him she was ready to die for these people, but like hell would it be on his watch.

Kylesar1

Kylesar1 · Mar 27, 2023

The meeting pressed on after the recess, with the Locathah/Vampire duo staying their tongues and not crashing the meeting. Good on them too, as Ves likely would've been taken as a hostile and Nancy, while he wouldn't be killed due to his Coin, would be dragged off to the slammer. Best case? They would've heard him out and then dragged him off for crashing the meeting of King and Council. Worst case? Sebas and Laylah would've had to step in, sparking a fight.

Results: King Hemhart and the pirates came to a mutual agreement to allow them access to Kraiven land for the purposes of taking down the demon. HOWEVER, outside of clergy support which would provide holy magic support, healing, and isolation of the floating island itself to prevent its escape, Kraiven would put 100% of its soldiers into guarding their cities, NOT assisting in the fight itself. Volunteers were free to go about assisting the pirates if they want but absolutely nothing compulsory.

In payment for the Dragon Egg and the use of Kraiven land, The Basenjis were to give up a Deity's Relic. The one they decided on was Royce Garret Bivens, the "Technicolor Twink" as Fergie called him. They already got the relics of interest from that chest anyways, and the rock was devoid of a God to worship. It made perfect sense that they wouldn't be doing something for free, and "letting you live" wouldn't be an effective bargaining chip if they wanted to keep to the route of diplomacy

The group made it back to Stoneroses HQ.

Sebas Deadeye
Stoneroses HQ

The outcome was smooth. Not the absolute best case scenario (which involved them just getting the dragon egg without having to give up stuff in return), but the most realistic one if they didn't want to fight for it. Sebas looked over the group before him. "Bogrum, Doc. Nice work. You secured this shit."

Laylah held the egg in her arms. Fragile, valuable in MANY more ways than one. If they lost this egg, it would be catastrophic in its consequences. Not necessarily immediately. It wasn't necessarily absolutely imperative to kill Mozreliun NOW, but this was their best chance to nip the problem in the bud before it festered any further. A flick to the crystal. "Sebas to Avery."
"Avery here." Avery sounded a bit relieved to hear his voice. "I know that voice. It sounds of success."
"We are indeed successful," Sebas responded with a smiling scoff, put at ease from Avery's relief. "Bogrum and Doc have secured Kraiven's cooperation. It's time to swap out. You and Fergie take over as we go into the evening. You'll be in charge of battle plans." Sebas and Bogrum had handled the logistics. They were the hilt. Avery and Fergie were the blade.
He could hear Avery purring. "As if I'd fuck up this opportunity."
"Aye. Sebas out."

A sigh. "It's time for a break." The man was EXHAUSTED. He had been working triple overtime to enable everything that just happened. "Doc, since you don't need rest right now......." Angels only slept to recover lost mana, not out of any need, ".........Elaina and Evangeline are investigating the Church here. I'm sure it has to do with your angel duties."
Laylah handed the egg to Demi. "Right. I'll be off." With a burst of wind and feathers, Laylah disappeared.
"The rest of the Basenjis will head back to the ship and report in. Demi, take the egg to the ship, grab the Color Relic and get it to Hemhart ASAP. For the fight, unless Avery says otherwise, anyone fighting alongside us is for you to coordinate." Demi gave a simple nod of acknowledgement. These were her people afterall, and knowing the Stoneroses (and her father the guildmaster) meant she was best suited for the position

Avery Valencia
The Canine- Meeting Room

A good amount of the time that the diplomat group were in the meeting with King and Council, Avery and Fergie were making alternative battle plans in the event that they fight Mozreliun. While they saw the meeting, it wasn't like they were just sitting there watching. They were planning without the presence of Adonis and his Circle. While he wasn't really OPEN to someone like Fergie, the woman did get insight into Avery and how he looked at his version of success in the Kraiven fight. Avery was.........a sly one in ways that could give even her pause, and proposed treatment to targets of interest that bordered on inhumane for the purposes of information extraction. The thing made clear by Avery was that he was bigger on sneakier tactics, underhanded methods, sabotage, assassinations, and guerilla warfare than any sort of overall big boss like Mozreliun. He was very very very fit for a raid on a place like Kraiven, even better than Fergie was in terms of planning.

However, his weakness was definitely bigger enemies/beasts like Mozreliun was intended to be, and it was for that reason that he had quite a bit of trouble planning something like the vanguard of that fight. Leading from the front was something the catboy left to Sebas, Ash, and Fergie. "So the ultimate goal is to weaken him enough for the angels to do their ritual that purges him or seals him or whatever, and enough to do so without killing Lostrogret." Avery wasn't against killing Lostro. It was just that Sebas, Ash, and Doc were all so adamant on saving her that he'd have to follow. Last thing he wanted was to see his dear friends as depressed as they were when Lostro was assaulted and killed the first time, then again when Adonis had her body possessed to use as a weapon, then that now undead child pawned off on Sebas because Adonis didn't want to deal with the consequences of the danger he had just created. Doc already said she'd never forgive Adonis for what he did to Lostro. Sebas followed that boat.

One's reality blurred when drunk, and Sebas tended to overshare when drunk. That piece of information compounded with the fact that Sebas always told Avery more when he was in cat form. Oversharing while drunk + Generally sharing more to Avery-C vs Avery-H = Avery knowing a loophole to the usually stoic stonewall that was Sebas. Learning what he did about Sebas? Avery would never forgive Adonis for the emotional torture he put Sebas through.........so he would press on to save this child. The day it came time for Adonis to meet his fate, if no one else was there to pull the trigger, Avery wouldn't hesitate.

For now though, this was about Mozreliun. "Sanctified Holy Field will be an important move since it works the opposite with demons." All holy healing spells harmed those of darkness, so Sanctified Holy Field smited creatures of darkness instead of healing them. "Demons can't be summoned on them, undead can't rise from sanctified grounds, demons are weakened, weaker undead straight up get smited. Holy weapons get stronger." It was THE quintessential trap, and if Avery excelled at anything, it was entrapment.

"I can set up a SHF trap, because of course the demon isn't gonna just willingly walk into one...........though that also means we can use them to create bottlenecks." Bottleneck: Force them into one narrow entryway, then unleash hell while they're trying to squeeze 20 people into a size 1 door. It was peculiar though that Avery, someone with very little magic capability knew how to set up a Sanctified Holy Field

"Flanks are mine," he said decisively to Fergie, in such a way that gave no room for compromise. "That leaves Vanguard, Ground Support, Defense for surrounding areas, Air Support, Ship Support. 3 ships, let's reserve the main ship for medical." Main ship was the only ship capable of carrying the entire Basenji crew should the other 2 go down. It was the King of their chess field, so it couldn't be in the thick of battle. It would support with long range capabilities and be where fallen Basenjis go

"Sebas will be in a special position, as he is Lostro's Handler thus vital." If Sebas dies, it's all over as Lostro will go mad. "He will be working aside the angels, so let's not include him in the boss battle plans. Naka will run the Canine and Adonis will be running the main ship." That left figuring out the leaders for Vanguard, GS, Defense, and who is commandeering the last ship

"Adonis agreed to give them the Color Deity's relic. Baroness is slain.........." Avery sighed, leaning against the table. "When this is all over, I hope that's it for messing with Divinity. I never wanted part of that supernatural stuff. Too high stakes." Maybe not for Adonis, but definitely for them on the ground floor actually swinging the blades. "Sebas lost his humanity, Lostro lost hers. Ghauz fucked around and found out. We're gonna lose crewmates correcting a mistake someone else made." The people of Kraiven's lives were at stake correcting the Basenji's mistake..............while most of the Basenji's lives were at stake correcting the mistake of their captain. The captain? Unhappy about having to give up a relic.

Current Positions:

Raid Captain- Avery
Flank- Avery
Medic- Laylah
Canine Commander (Bombardment)- Nakaos
Main Ship Commander- Adonis
Special Teams- Sebas

Leaders to place:

Vanguard
- The frontlines there to meet the enemy head on
Ground Support (reinforcements)
- Supports the Vanguard with reinforcements, combat medics, and support magic
Defense (of the surrounding areas)
- Defends Kraiven towns/cities/villages from Mozreliun's summoned minions
Commander of the Caboose (Direct-fire Ship Support)
- Direct Fire is stuff like cannons, which you shoot directly at the opponent, instead of bombardment which is like mortar-fire. This ship will be close to the action firing cannons and dropping supplies as needed

Leader Choices:

Fergie
Bogrum
Ash
- Ultra aggressive melee-heavy troops; Doesn't believe in falling back
Arnold Asella
- Former champion warrior turned guildmaster; A warlord and powerhouse, his troops are the most versatile on the field
Elaina
- Support Specialist- Provides unrivalled support buffs to her troops; Best at mid range and weak at close range
Evangeline
- Anti-Darkness Expert- Her entire reason for existence, she has unrivalled strength and aggression against creatures of the darkness; Weaker in every other aspect
Duradel
- Words of Power Specialist- He and his troops are specialists at manipulating the emotions of the enemy to confuse and confound on the battlefield, as well as buffing troop resiliency, morale, and preventing enemy manipulation efforts
Demestral
- Cavalry Support- Animal expert capable of controlling wild animals, amplifying all animals and all mounted soldiers, be it on air and on ground
Damond
- Physical Master- All power poured into physical attack, Damond's troops have unrivalled physical prowess and sniper-like accuracy, but almost zero magic capabilities
Fatimah
- Magic Master- All power poured into Magic power, Fatimah's troops have unrivalled magic prowess, but almost zero physical capability outside of magic

---------------------------------

Vespera Marine Seyres
Stoneroses HQ- Guildmaster's office

The duo got back. Turns out their presence wasn't really needed. They were essentially a failsafe and such simply wasn't required in this case. However, the pirates were inside the HQ right now and neither of the duo had met these pirates yet. King and Council, and the duo filled in a lot of the gaps of knowledge, with Nancy doing most of the talking and Ves guiding him to not reveal potentially game-changing information that wasn't necessary. He didn't have to know that Bogrum was a puppet working under Sebas, who himself was working under the captain. What mattered was that Sebas was trying to defy that captain, who would have no qualms about shelling their capital city to the ground. Thus, all the reason to keep it at Bogrum being captain. It was kept a secret that the vessel for the demon was a child. It didn't matter, as that child was the true owner of those Beholders, and possessed enough power alone to bring Kraiven to ruin. Nothing would change, except King and Council would get big britches and try to kill the child, endangering Kraiven

It didn't matter that Sebas was the handler of that child. Lostrogret was to him as Goddess Mariana was to Nancy. He was currently untouchable, and it was not a lesson that Lady Azure should learn the hard way
It didn't matter that Adonis was the cause of all of this, because if he gave word, Kraiven would be shelled to the ground regardless
It DID matter that Evangeline was auditing their Church, and that angel was initially sent to kill creatures of darkness within the kingdom
It DID matter that there was Blight in their kingdom, and both Evangeline and Laylah were investigating the cause
It DID matter that the pirates were initially there to shell it to the ground without conversation, but it was Demi's pleading that made them attempt diplomacy
It DID matter what they were there for, and the only requirements were the Spirit Tome and the Dragon Egg. The rest (like Lady Azure's sword) was optional

Other gaps of knowledge were filled in to such a degree that Nancy was accused of being a Basenji insider. That had to be laid to rest when he pulled out the Coin of the Trench, burning Ves again but proving the point that he wasn't speaking out of his gills.

With Demi one of the them and Arnold putting his full trust in them, was it worth it to actually get involved with them? "If we follow the Guildmaster, we'll be fighting undead maybe out front. If we follow His Highness, we'll be defending the capital city." Nancy was roped into this in spades. With his Coin of the Trench, no undead would be getting anywhere near him. That allowed him a special role just like Sebas............but it kept him from making his exit. He was too strong a weapon. "Since you're not a combatant, Nancy, Your resident mail courier will be your escort." Ves was confident with her reassuring grin, even though she was nursing her burned skin

Ves had never killed anything besides wild animals for someone who's been in hundreds of combat encounters with human(oids), but things might take a turn for the lethal pretty soon.

WayfaringWaaksian

Evangeline the Enforcer
Church Pulpit

As the audit pressed on and Evangeline started to feel more Divine Eyes on her from above, the pressure began to mount. She had to know what exactly what rule these nuns broke, not only for a general nun but if they also broke a rule from the specific god they chose to serve. There was a LOT of academia to learn and memorize in order to be an effective Enforcer. She couldn't fuck this up. Gods didn't tolerate their followers being stripped from their ranks falsely. Hearing their murmurs and chatter in one ear, feeling the fear and anticipation from the nuns in another ear, listening to if a God had some sort of demand or caveat to impose, trying to drown out the crying from denied nuns, this made things a lot less fun

But soon, the audit was over. It was essentially a Divine Favor BLOODBATH. Sister Irene and Sister Griselda were the only 2 who kept the Divine Favor and subsequently got Primed to become Angels. There was an air of misery about the group of nuns. 200 years to be stripped of their Divine Favor. Then again, they did in fact break the rules, so it wasn't like Evangeline felt bad.

A feather fell and in a gust of wind, Laylah showed up, all 6 wings outstretched. Her superior officer essentially, and a presence that wasn't exactly welcome, but one who had a closer voice to the Gods than herself, so someone she pawn off the voices of the gods to. "Laylah, nice of you to appear. How did the talks with the Giant King go?"
"Successful." For once, Laylah was speaking in a deeper professional tone. It looks like her demeanor among humans was not the same as hr demeanor when performing angel duties. For some reason, Laylah acted incredibly nurturing when doing the doctor thing. Then again, Laylah DID say that since she never got have children due to infertility, that she kind of saw the Basenjis as the kids she never had. In this case though, she spoke like a soldier. "We are in possession of the Dragon Egg. After we finish with the Convent and the Congregation, we will begin preparation to take down that demon."
"That time can't come fast enough.........but I've just conducted an Audit on these nuns. We got 2 Primed to become Angels. The rest have been stripped for breaking rules."
A deep sigh from Laylah told Evangeline that she expected as much. Laylah was more on the uptake for this kind of stuff than herself. "I smell Blight though."
Evangeline shrugged. "I can't sense Blight. I guess it's Guardian jurisdiction, not Enforcer jurisdiction. I put Elaina on investigating it though."
"I'll investigate as well and I assume we'll meet back here with the results."
".......Thanks for the assist." It was about as friendly as Evangeline would ever get to Laylah. Professionally cordial. She didn't like how Laylah preferred to handle things. In Angel duties though, Laylah WAS the superior angel and still allowing her to handle this Blight investigation, so she could swallow her dislike for this long

"Firstly though........." Laylah looked over the nuns. "The overweight ones, the addicts, the sloths. Come forth." When all of then were knelt in front of her, Laylah spoke. "I am Laylah Halliet the Guardian. Evangeline was correct to strip you of your Divine Favor. You are currently not fit to serve your god in this state." Evangeline said nothing as Laylah said her peace. As Guardian, caveats were definitely up her ally instead of Evangeline's. Then her demeanor changed again. That benevolent aura came out again and the smooth reassuring voice came in, magic-laced to help these anxious nuns relax a bit. Laylah was a MASTER at Words of Power. "However, per word of your god, you all have the opportunity to return to the ranks of the Divine Favored. Lose weight. Rehab your vices. For the sloths...........you will redeem your slothful behavior with extra work, worked to the core until your god has deemed you forgiven in Their respective eyes." While Evangeline didn't personally agree, that might be why THEY were the gods and she their Enforcer. "After then, you will shed ALL of your earthly possessions and re-dedicate yourself to live a life fit for the Divine Favored. You know your sins. You will thank your God for Their mercy and you will not grow complacent again, am I clear?"
"Yes, Holy Angel."
"Then and only then will you be allowed to reap rewards of the Divine Favored..........Now I'm off to investigate." With that, she disappeared as quickly as she appeared.

Sister Mariah
Church Halls- Outside Eden's Door

A peek around the corner, sweat beads trailed its way from her brow with the destination being towards Mariah's eyes, who wiped them off course from destination "Blinding Her." Mariah's heartbeat was through the ceiling. She was doing a bad thing through and through. Lockpicking and trespassing, and with one of these intruders nonetheless! This was not the 200 year reunion with the gods she dreamed of. Instead of ascending to the heavens and being told "good job" by the God she served, she was looking around the corner for anyone coming while Elaina was fiddling with the door. She looked about frantically, pacing nervously. Unlike her magic-laden partner in crime, Mariah had zero magic outside any power that prayer would provide.

Foot steps were always audible on these hard marble floors with the shoes they wore. Unless you walked around barefoot, you weren't doing so silently. Someone was coming on the opposite side, so she rushed over, her shoes tap tap tapping on the floor all the way. Her heart sped up when she saw it was a priest walking the halls coming right towards where they were. She knew what she had to do and, taking a deep breath, crossed the corner to meet him and engaged him in conversation, stopping him in his tracks.
"Ah, hello Father. I was wondering if I could have a moment of your time."
Ailis snorted from around the corner where Elaina was. Dear gods, she didn't account for the Alicorn!
"Hello, Sister Mariah," the priest said, furrowed brow as he heard the alicorn. "Did you hear? We are all to gather per word of a verified Holy Angel. Evangeline the Enforcer."
Mariah sighed internally. Glad there was a more important thing she can leverage. "I'm one of the ones sent to gather the Convent," she lied without missing a beat, then continued, "Evangeline the Enforcer is not a patient angel, I suggest getting there quickly."
"First, I need to ga-"
"Father," Mariah said firmly, not gonna give him a SECOND to question that sound. "There is very little that's more important than receiving word from the god who sent her." The path to the nave (where the sermons actually take place) was opposite the direction the priest was walking, so she could divert him.
"Hmmmm...........I guess you're right."
"Thank you, Father. As quickly as possible." She wouldn't tell him that Evangeline was a dangerous angel, nor was she in the mood for fellowship.

The priest turned around and took his leave, just as Mariah heard a click and a sound of joy from Elaina. Heading back, Elaina held a grin. "You lied with ease. You're a natural infiltrator."
"I don't feel good about lying to the priest, Elaina." Mariah had told bigger lies yesterday. It was just that the situation at hand made her dramatize the event in her head.
"You didn't have to, ya know."
"Then how would I have diverted him?"
"I cast an invisibility spell on us. It deactivated the moment you spoke to the priest."
Mariah was at a loss, nose burning a bit as she fought a small will to cry. She just lied for no reason. "Why didn't you tell me!?"
"I wanted to see how you would do under pressure." In truth, it was because the Basenjis tended to know when Elaina used those spells, that Elaina expected her to feel it as well.
"You said you would respect my faith!"
"Oh come on, humans lie all the time," Elaina brushed off Mariah's complaints with a shrug, "You deal with kids." She pointed to the door. "But the door is open. Let's head in before someone else comes.......or you can pull out now. I won't hold it against you, partner." she finished the last bit with a poorly stifled laugh.
"................" Elaina was absolutely having fun at her expense. "I can be excommunicated for going behind Eden's Door."
"What's the harm in that?"
"I CAN LOSE MY DIVINE FAVOR!" Mariah said, indignant. "200 years of diligence isn't going to waste with this!" No one worked harder than her to resist temptation all throughout her life. From a child, she was raised in a highly religious life. If she could take pride in anything, it was her values and accomplishments as a nun for this Church and for Churches outside of just Kraiven before they went Godless. "If I get excommunicated, I lose connection again. This time for LIFE."

"Excommunication severs your connection to the Church, NOT to your god," Elaina said, seeming confused, "If you were told otherwise, you were lied to."
Elaina was lying. If one was excommunicated, hell was in their future through and through. "I wouldn't expect you to know. Have you lived this life?"
"Hell no. The nun life sounds awful," Elaina said bluntly, "But we do have pirates in our crew with Divine Favor, and we pillage for a living." Those words pierced Mariah's brain like a spear. All of this time, effort, and diligence and she is no more favored than a bunch of pillagers?!
Mariah started getting angry. "I would appreciate if you didn't belittle what it's like to serve a Holy God and achieve Divine Favor. You're pillagers."
Elaina sighed. "and I would appreciate if you didn't think yourself important enough to lie to." Those words were a punch in the gut. It made her wince as the words stung unnecessarily hard for something coming from someone she just met. Maybe because it was a complete demeanor shift. Elaina walked over to Ailis and pulled out a ball from a bag. "Look into the crystal ball and weep as you fall from your high horse." It was clear that she had offended Elaina, who still kept the same physical demeanor even though her words betrayed irritation

Holding the crystal ball, Mariah peered into it

WayfaringWaaksian · Mar 27, 2023

Fergie

With negotiations turning out successful, the relief between Fergie and Bogrum was insurmountable. Not that she had to ask him; he seemed uncertain about the role during the meeting, so surely he was pleasantly surprised that they wouldn't have to raise their blades against this broken kingdom. Kingdom, it so happened. Not an old ruin inhabited by a cowardly king who fled responsibility with only his most prized possessions, like she had been led to believe. She had no love for the social "elites", but even she had to admit, seeing through the Beholders' eyes a city with a thriving populace changed perspective. Broken people, as evidenced by their apprehensive retreating from the very sight of invaders, but not... unwell. Not starving, begging on the streets and wasting away from disease. Maybe losing access to mortal incentives made people more likely to do better for each other. Or maybe being stuck in time prevented those sorts of impoverishes to happen in the first place. Despite the picture of benevolence, it was somehow more depressing to think of.

Peh, then stop thinkin' about it. Dumbass. Affairs of commonfolk and their self-imposed "betters" were beyond her. All the better that their new goal would keep them far away from it. Yeah, the idea of cutting down a King's army, secret forces, and all that was appealing, but that was before there was certainty of massive collateral damage towards civilian life. She's a criminal, not a monster.

"Ight..." Thus with the change in plans, they had a lot of re-planning to do. Luckily, there was a lot they could repurpose instead of starting from scratch, but there was still the fact that this was a very, very different mission than the castle infiltration they were prepping for earlier. It was a shame that Avery would be a bit out of his element here; listening to him plan the infiltration out revealed a lot about the young man. Fergie almost felt foolish for doubting Adonis. Hardly the the head-on, hotheaded type that pirates were so often associated with, Avery instead hid an insidious shrewdness under that soft catboy countenance. Was it a facade, or just the way he was? Fergie had to wonder if the only reason he hadn't been put in a leadership role sooner was because of his apprehensiveness towards his own crew. If they saw what he was capable of, they'd be swallowing their mockeries in a snap.
Of course, talk needed to be backed up with action. The way he spoke now, prior to that bristling boy nervously admitting his faults before, instilled enough confidence in her, but she'd see if he was the real deal when pressure bared down at its height.

"I'll be coordinating ground support." It was spoken with the same steely assurance that Avery had in his insistence in taking up the flanks. She would not be negotiated with here. "This bum-ass leg makes me a liability up front. But I ain't hidin' away in the ships." Fergie's greatest asset in direct combat was speed, which was severely diminished by the weight of her clunky dwarven prosthetic. Besides, in a mission of this scale, the crew needed her guidance, not her getting torn up in the field against an enemy she had little experience with.
"I've never fought demons, divinity, any of that shit." Ghauznud didn't necessarily count, and him simply having Divine Favor nearly put both her and Bogrum out. And while Fergie had familiarity in battling giant beasts, none of the sea monsters she'd taken on as a simple fisherwoman were divinity status. Not only was it expressly forbidden in written government law, it was against unspoken sailor code to challenge the divine beasts without damn good reason. Bringing that sort of unluck upon yourself would get you thrown out of most crews, for the safety of everyone else. Only gods could help you should you anger a Sea Dragon or Kraken.
"I'd put Ash on the front, but this ain't her forte." Pirates, brigands, military. Fellow mortal warriors. Not the demonic and undead. "Folks who can take divinity on need to at the front." Evangeline was her obvious guess. The murderous angel wouldn't want to be anywhere else. But one lone person shouldn't be facing the armada, angel or not. From what she understood, Damond himself had taken on divinity and won, a feat that few even in this crew could boast of. But his skills were in physical combat alone, and they could expect to encounter magical attacks. For a versatile enemy, they needed to balance their own offense.

She rattled off a few more options. She was more insistent on Vanguard and Ground Support, those being her fields, and her stating that she wanted the strongest members of their crew to beat down on Mozza. The quicker he was weakened, the sooner they could start the ritual and prevent enemy forces from reaching beyond the battlefield. It was all said with the reassurances that this was advice rather than orders being given. Avery was the one in control here. Besides, higher positions like the Big Three (Fatimah, Damond, Evangeline) were hardly under her whims.

Fergie's Recommendations:

Vanguard - Evangeline, Damond (co-coordinators)
- Evangeline's expertise and virulent resolve against the demonic, paired with aggressive spearheading by the strongest physical force in the crew
Ground Support- Fergie (coordinator), Fatimah (magic support)
- Fergie coordinating reinforcements, Fatimah using powerhouse magic to buff allies and debuff enemies
Defense- Arnold Asella
- 200 years of knowing Kraiven's layout, no one is better suited to protect it
Commander of the Caboose- Bogrum
- Bogrum captaining based on weaponry experience

"Duradel's too fucked up to be in a leadership role." Courtesy of hers truly, and Lostro's curse. 3 full days of unending agony, which he had to endure through cleaning and servicing his entire inventory, was not something he was coming out of unscathed. The curse was lifted mere hours ago, with no chance to recover from the mental and physical toll that hell took on him. Fergie wasn't expressing sympathy here, she just didn't want someone too unwell in any critical role, let alone a leadership one. Liability.

"As for Bogrum..." Her eyes darted across the manifested map of Kraiven, perhaps reconsidering his placement. "We should run a mental diagnostic on him." Her words here were quieter, betraying an unresolved decision of whether she should indulge or not. "He's doin' well so far, but he's... not." Fergie's eyes narrowed at the map, face tilted down. Maybe in concentration, maybe to cast shade on the concern that twisted her brows. "He hasn't been right since that sabotaged raid." Technically before that, but it was about performance here. "Let's make sure the negotiation didn't wear him out 'fore putting him on a big role." Sebas himself couldn't be doing well either, but nothing was going to stop him from playing a key part in Lostro's retribution. It was a fight Sebas had put on himself willingly, while Bogrum was just following orders that he was starting to grow less enthused for. Maybe she was just reading too much into it, but he clearly hasn't been happy with things lately. If ever.

Deeming that sufficient, she moved on to give reconciliation to the person with her now. "Trust me, Avery. After Lostro's been freed, the demon fucked, things'll be a lot less tense around here." Though even she herself doubted that claim. Sure, a walking catastrophe wouldn't be casually eating crew souls, but what Avery said brought up another issue. The simple fact that they, the crew, were having to put their lives on the line because of a mistake the captain not only made, but had to be CONVINCED to fix. Lostro's simple existence had to put a strain on the crew's trust in Adonis, something Fergie noticed soon after her employment. Imagine the tension after the fact, with the CREW deciding to put an end to this, at the expense of Adonis's plans for ransacking yet another quarry. Adonis was probably more irritated at his goals being a bit undermined than the fact that he almost brought the Apocalypse to everyone's world.

"Doc's good. Evangeline's... manageable." After Mozza's defeat, divinity status in the crew would be reduced to those two. She hoped it would stay that way for a time.

Nancy Noi

It was a good thing that Vespera was around to guide Nancy in his audience. He was fully prepared to infodump everything his Goddess had told him, unsure of the consequences they would bring. Political affairs were far beyond him, though at least Ves had some experience with it being the King's personal courier. The most important part was establishing the stakes, so he was glad to relay that, if nothing else.

That made slightly more simple, he was met with another complicated matter. There was no excuse for him to hide from the coming battle. The Coin of the Trench was too important to be wasted hiding away in a bunker. When he had to prove himself by exposing the Coin, warning Vespera to shield herself hadn't been enough to keep her from being burnt. Maybe she let it hurt her to prove a point to the doubters. Maybe it was that potent, simply being IN the room it was exposed to being enough to harm any Dark creature. And they were about to defend against a demon...

Vespera offering herself as an escort just brought more worry to line his face, forcing him to glance at her new burn wounds. "Ves, I... I don't think so." He trusted her with his life, it wasn't a matter of that. It was her life that was at risk here. "For me to use this Coin, it would endanger you too." Honestly, he was the least at risk with this development. Did he even need an escort to take him onto the field, when the undead would refuse to touch him? Though he had a feeling that Ves wouldn't allow it.

"I don't know where I'm best stationed, but I know someone who will." A lot of people probably did, but he just wanted to see one. He had been granted an audience with his Goddess; had his sister too? Was she given a Coin as well? Not knowing was eating away at him. Not knowing if he'd see her again after the battle was gradually torturing him. "Can you take me to Nellie?"

Kylesar1

Kylesar1 · Apr 2, 2023

Elaina Melora
Eden's Room

What lies behind Eden's Door?

The duo entered the door cautiously, Elaina taking the lead with Mariah almost clinging with how close she was. There was a reason for such caution. Elaina couldn't track what was behind the door from outside it. There was a spell in place with that door. It was definitely magic that she had never deciphered before. Normally, it would pique her interest enough to nerd out about not wanting to cease until she figured it out. However, the nature of this was different. When you lived your life being able to see and sense everything, when you COULDN'T was usually when your life was in the most danger. While Elaina was always cautious, here she was more cautious than usual

The door led into a basic room, which was so obviously a trick that Elaina thought she was on a sketch show about being pranked. You don't forbid 90% of your staff from entering a basic-ass room. A quick look to the side revealed to Elaina a secret hole in the wall covered by magic to look normal. However, the hole was not big enough for a human to fit. "Does the convent keep small animals within the building?"
"No. No animals are allowed inside the buildings without a good reason."
Then maybe they conjure animal familiars to send into that hole, a capability Elaina couldn't do. Nevertheless, she dispelled the magic to reveal the hole. It would be brushed off as an accidental hole were it not a perfect circle hole in a basic room that otherwise had 0 reason to ban 90% of the staff from coming in. Like, in a room like this, you'd expect to find Lostro or something in here.

The hole was located in the upper parts of the wall, something that, while an adult could reach, it was moot since they couldn't fit unless they were a Dwarf, which was moot since a Dwarf couldn't reach it alone. The conclusion was obvious: Someone short used magic to lift themselves, or someone older relied on someone shorter to get into that hole. "Mariah, I'll give you a boost up."
"I can't fit in a space that small," Mariah hissed. Despite the door being closed at this point, Mariah still kept her voice low. Mariah was a tiny woman, but she wasn't kid-sized.
"I don't need your body to fit," she responded calmly, "Just your head. I need you to see what's in it."
"It's dark. I won't see anything anyways."
Mariah's lack of hesitation in trying to decline without even attempting it sent a small pinch of annoyance through her. "Stop complaining. Just take the boost and get up there. I'll handle the rest."
Elaina got on her knees and allowed Mariah to get on her back, shoes off of course, and kind of marveled at how light weight Mariah was. In fact, thinking about Mariah, she gave very little resistance to doing this. There was a pattern: Elaina told her to do something, Mariah complains, Elaina tells her to do it anyways, Mariah does it without further complaint and without hesitation. Knowing that now amused Elaina. Mariah was definitely wanting to tag a long here, and her bringing up the rules was a poor attempt to maintain some sense of reputation as a nun. It made Elaina smile from her position as the one keeping Mariah hoisted.
Mariah grabbed the hole and Elaina helped hoist to a position where Mariah finally stuck her head in. "It's literally pitch black. I see nothing."
"Keep looking. Something has to be there."
"No. I don't mean I don't see anything of interest. I mean I see absolutely nothing. There isn't even light shining inside of this hole."

Part 2

Sister Mariah

It was like this hole ate all light that went into it. She couldn't even see the wall her hand was currently touching. Judging by the feel, it was a normal stone wall, but having no visual confirmation of what she was touching unnerved her a little. "Like I said, I see nothing."
"One sec." Suddenly, her vision took on a bit of a green filter and she could see clearly in the dark. Was this what animals saw when they looked into the night?
"What do you see now?" Elaina asked.
Her hand still touching the wall, first gaining visual confirmation that it was indeed the stone wall she was touching, then looking around. Nothing.........aha! "There's something blinking at the bottom."
"What is it?"
"It's blinking. I can't see WHAT it is. It's too bright."
"Changing up." Mariah's vision changed to a black and white that cut through the darkness in exchange for the color in her vision. It looked clear to her now that this was some kind of button. "What are you doing to my vision?" This was actually quite marvelous! Elaina would never have issues seeing whatever it is she needed to see!
"Nevermind that," Elaina responded, sounding impatient. "What do you see?"
"It's a button," she said now with confidence and a bit of accomplishment. "Lift me higher so I can reach it."
Elaina lifted the boost she was providing higher, until Mariah could hang her upper body into the hole a bit. While she couldn't fit her entire body, she could maneuver herself enough to reach the button. Upon pressing the button, then came an audible shift and the room shook a bit. The sound of sliding stone and Mariah didn't have time to ponder what it was before Elaina pulled her out and she took a tumble from atop her partner in crime's boost and landed, banging her shoulder.

"What was that moving?" Mariah said, holding her shoulder
"Secret door," Elaina replied, pointing to a room with a staircase spiraling downwards. However, she was unnerved. "I sense something off from behind this door. Remain on guard." Pulling out some weapon, Elaina took the lead.
Instead of being on guard, Mariah was instead intrigued at that weapon. "What is that? Some new age wand?"
"No. It's a gun."
"A gun?" Mariah had never heard of a "gun." This was undoubtedly something akin to those pirate ships above. Some new-age invention. "What does it do?"
Elaina thought for far too long before answering. "Think of it like stabbing someone without having to touch them. Like a modern day bow and arrow. That's the best explanation I can give you right now." She grabbed a dagger from a bag carried by Ailis and tossed it to her. Mariah immediately felt a sense of danger as she pondered the weight of the blade she was just given. Mariah had never taken a life before ever. While nuns weren't exactly pacifists, violence was NOT something they were prepared for. Outside of a "Carry the blade. Use it for self-defense. We're not down here to fight."

Those words kicked Mariah's fight or flight radar on. The moment they came across danger, Mariah was either clinging to Elaina or she was hauling her holy tail out of there

-------------------------------------------------

Vespera Marine Seyres
Stoneroses HQ

Nancy was correct in that Ves wasn't gonna let him go at it alone. "You're not heading out there alone, Nancy. Most demons and undead won't touch you.........but what if that beast itself comes after you? Or he summons something with some kind of resistance?" She then thought about it. Nancy would hesitate to use his weapon since that weapon DID hurt her as well. "But maybe you have a point. I don't want you to not use it when you need it just because you're worried about ME." If that Coin is consumed to save him from death, now he's back to being the vulnerable Nancy. "GP can escort you if that's the case. We can have him shift into something that's immune to the effects of the Coin." GP was a good fighter. After 250+ years of shifting, which encompassed a different fighting style between almost every form, if there was a form of fighting GP hadn't encountered, it was the product of their 200 years of disconnection. There wasn't a weapon he didn't know how to use, and there wasn't a fighting style he hadn't seen before. Again, if there was, it was developed during their 200 years in the Spirit Sea

When Nancy asked to go see his sister, Ves felt a twinge on her own heart. The woman's heart was absolutely shattered in the initial years of the teleport into the spirit sea. Nancy had his sister there. Ves didn't. The Seyres Aristocracy, her family, didn't reside in Kraiven so they weren't there when Kraiven moved to the Spirit Sea. It wasn't envy as much as it was reminder that her family was MIA..........well, SHE was MIA to her family. In the ruins of a kingdom traumatized by war, having to lean on the people just as traumatized as you are wasn't easy. Ves had put on a strong front, having made her reputation as the cheery optimist. Inside, she was devastated at being lost to her family, as she was sure they were devastated at their daughter/granddaughter/niece/friend/master being lost without a trace. She wanted to see her family again. 200 years though. Many many a tear-stained night laced her initial days in the devastation of their kingdom, but she wasn't didn't LOSE anyone. She was LOST to those who couldn't come with. It was a different type of suffering, knowing that your family is alive and well, longing for them yet never being able to see them. The Stoneroses were her second family and she bonded with many in the same type of situation, those that had moved to Kraiven without their families and knowing they'd probably never see them again. It was through the Stoneroses that she managed to find some form of peace, but these feelings flared up again

To Ves, it was a bittersweet feeling, the blessed curse of immortality. The sweet feeling of it was guilt-inducing. How many families held candle-light vigils for the family members lost never to be recovered? Then there was Ves, a vampire whose family was very likely alive, who she COULD see again. She was longing for the prospect, but knowing it was in reach now didn't bring with it happiness. It was a melting pot of emotion, to the point where all she could grasp for clarity was the pain in her heart

What was the pain though? Was it the reminder that her family wasn't there in what was about to be another catastrophic event? Was it that she knew that these events always came with loss and HEAVY loss? Was it guilt in knowing that her family was definitely out there due to the always enviable trait of immortality? Was it guilt in being happy about being immortal when Nancy and his sister were the last 2 Locathahs on the planet?

"Let's go see her. I'm sure she got wind of her brother talking to King and Council and showing them the Coin." While the Stoneroses were the go-to guild for more low-level problems, Nellie's Guild, the Sacrament of the Arcane (or The Sacrament), were the premier magic guild. Made FOR combat, this guild was full of high academia. If it dealt with magic, this guild was the best in Kraiven. Their bar to entry was so high that their ratio of applicants to acceptance sat lower than the most prestigious magic colleges on the continent. Before the Spirit Sea, they were notorious for being extreme uppity with a chip on their respective shoulder.

The Sacrament HQ

The duo entered the Sacrament's guild hall and immediately put the guild on pause. Then they swarmed the duo, asking about the discussion with the King as well as the Coin, asking to see it. Nancy being swarmed was rare, but it always when Ves had to step in. "Hey hey, not all at once," she said with laughter, "We're here on urgent business. Nancy needs to see his sister." One of the younger members ran off to get her while the rest engaged them in friendly conversation. The same familiar faces, the same camaraderie-like love forged from surviving a war. The same familiar guild hall. The same people, knocked off their high horse and humbled as a guild, turning out to be great people when they came back down to earth and swallowed their pride. The love for them welled up in her chest. Every. Single. Face. Was a face that she knew very well

It didn't take long for Nellie to come rushing out and Ves felt that twinge again. Ah, she knew what that feeling was now. It wasn't longing per se.

It was Guilt
Guilt that this was the absolute sole source of envy Ves had ever felt towards Nancy
Guilt
Guilt that after all this was over, Ves was leaving to go find her long-lost family
Guilt
Guilt that after 200+ years, she was never coming back, leaving THIS family behind
Guilt
Guilt that, as an immortal, she was dealt a hand that allowed her to do what very few others in Kraiven would be able to do

(I haven't found any lore for Nellie besides her being Nancy's sister, so I'll just fill in a few blanks as we go along. Nellie as a character is on you to fill in though while I do the things AROUND her like the guild she's in. Oh, and Nellie does NOT have a Coin because she hasn't communed with either God or Angel)

-------------------------------------------------

Avery Valencia
The Canine- Meeting Room

Avery wrote down Fergie's recommendations and took in what she had to say. "These are good recommendations. No complaints." With Evangeline in her element and Adonis's circle as backup, it would be a powerful force. Damond was his teacher. If Damond could hit it, Damond could kill it. For Evangeline, this was what she lived for. The aggression would be 9-fold. The support troops under the leadership of Fergie and then the power backing of their resident Magic Master meant that the Vanguard could fighting without abandon. Arnold Asella was a no-brainer for Kraiven defense. Knowing the land and its people, he was indeed the only one able to lead them. But........... "Let's put Bogrum with Arnold Asella, commanding our side of the troops." In Avery's mind, it was best to keep Basenjis under Basenji orders, and Kraiven under Kraiven orders. "The Caboose is gonna be our direct fire ship, in close contact. The way I see it, there are more components to running a war ship, than co-running a defense effort. The defense is only for leaked undead.......or if he summons them into the city." Running the ship in combat meant commanding the pilot, the weapons crew, and the on-board combatants. It also meant coordinating with troops on the bottom, the other 2 troops, and being flexible to be able to backup where needed. For the defense effort, it was really only to augment the Vanguard, as serving as the 3rd line of defense if it got through both the Vanguard and the Reserve forces.

"Speaking of....." On the subject of Bogrum, apparently Fergie senses poison in the waters. "Let's get Bogrum a psych eval sooner rather than later," Avery responded, "I think it's best to have Demi commanding the Caboose in his stead. Demi is extremely good at managing multiple moving parts." As the commander of the Wyvern Riders AND a beast tamer, moving parts were something she managed quite a bit of.

Avery thought about breaking it to Bogrum himself, as to leave Fergie with the support planning. However, Fergie was the only one who knew Bogrum to that level. She seemed to Bogrum what Sebas was to him. He wouldn't be going to any kind of psych eval............unless Sebas recognized the issue enough to bring up in seriousness. Everyone else would get a professionally cordial denial. "I'll leave it to you to break things to Bogrum. Just don't tell him I moved him or why." It would put a strain on their relationship (Fergie/Bogrum) if Bogrum saw the moving of positions as a demotion, and for it to be based on Fergie's comments could read as a backstab. "He's suited for either position anyways."

Avery never put any deeper thought behind a lot of the psyche of the crew. Years of just shutting up and doing it, as well as his repression of the memories he held as the ship sex doll, Avery's only psychological concerns lay with the man he loved. It did bring up the question of how HE felt about things. It wasn't something he wanted to concern himself with right now though. "The order of business tonight: We'll get the entire crew together, divide the troops and then give the overview. Split, brief your troops on the plans. Then we feast, moderate alcohol." They could drink before a fight, but their usual routine of getting plastered wouldn't sit well here. "Tomorrow morning, we gather, run over the brief. Deploy, ritual, then we fight." It was a thorough run-through of what they would do, a crazy simplistic. "Then we put this behind us." he said, though Fergie could see some of the same indicators of him beginning to waver like he did last time. This was as good as it gets. The duo planned their asses off, and there was no time to go back to the drawing board for a new one. If this plan busted, there was no plan B. Having to plan this Mozreliun fight used up their Plan B time. It was Plan A, improv, die.

Avery initially wanted to do it at night, but Fergie had put a quick stop to that by mentioning that the crew weren't blessed with night vision like he was. So they had decided to do it tomorrow. Rest and food reasons. Like every planned big fight, a feast was there to celebrate those beside you, because almost never did the feast after a war have the same amount of people as the feast before a war. Avery noticed the trend of the feast, but he was a definite wallflower in that regard. Never really left the table they grabbed during their feasting, and rarely getting plastered like Sebas and Ash did.

A knock on the door. "The diplomacy group have returned to the ship."
"Right. We'll be out." Avery turned to Fergie, chest starting to thump now as reality started to set in. His shoulders felt weighed again, as weighed as when Adonis almost induced a panic attack in him. This time though, what kept him from breaking was knowing that he wasn't the only one. How many of the crew were scared to death, though few let it show. It was one thing to break in front of the other leaders. It would absolutely hurt morale if he broke in front of the crew itself. "By the way, about the mental eval." Did he really care about how Bogrum was doing mentally? He did moreso than most others on the ship...........but how much was that, given that he DIDN'T care about most others on this ship? Did the single shit he gave about Bogrum come from him? Or was it an extension of the fact that Sebas cared, thus he cared albeit to a lesser extent? "I'll just need to know if it's green or red, per Doc's report. Any details beyond that is confidential." Bogrum's problems were his own to work out. Prying was rarely called for, not that Bogrum would tell him anyways.

Twas time to go out and meet the returning crew. Avery was anxious to get a moment with Sebas, and Fergie had to break things to Bogrum to get that mental eval.

WayfaringWaaksian

WayfaringWaaksian · Apr 17, 2023

Nancy Noi

"I guess... that would make sense." Though he didn't care for the teasing and practical jokes most of the time, there was no one else Nancy can trust to have his back more than GP. Years of fetch quests and escort missions under his watchful eye (or more, depending on his form) instilled enough trust in him to protect their little entourage of squishy errand runners. Likewise, seeing him claw his way out of most battles unscathed instilled enough confidence that he wouldn't die trying to protect him. And it wasn't as though he didn't trust Ves with the same thing. The Coin just complicated matters.

When Nancy brought up his sister, he expected Ves to stress that they were better off seeing someone of a higher position to decide where his placement be. Only, that was just an excuse to see her. At least he didn't have to explain his way to that, but there was still an odd look on Ves's face. It was why he was expecting her to make a different suggestion, but when she agreed and offered to take him to the Sacrament HQ, he was left wondering what was wrong. She was very good at masking, which only had gotten better since the time in limbo. For Nancy to notice anything was a testament to their long friendship, but even he couldn't tell what he was seeing.

He spoke nothing of it, however. People kept things hidden for a reason, he had come to learn.

Once upon a time, there was always a strain that came with engaging with The Sacrament, and even after they had lost their collective aura of self-importance. Water under the bridge, people often called it. But well, Locathah were made for water. And Nancy wasn't one to forget a place that regarded him as an unwelcome presence, even if only in the past. It wasn't even bitterness, they had every reason to want to distance themselves from the fool he had made of himself back then. But even now he marveled at how... forgiving people could be. Especially from people who once never knew the name of the word.

He KNEW the guild welcomed his presence with open arms. He KNEW his sister didn't regard him as a walking liability tagging behind her. Logically. And he FELT welcomed, despite that twinge of something that gave his words pause and slowed his gait as he entered. Feeling any sort of apprehension towards people who wanted him around just added guilt on top of the mess of emotions, so he never took the time to categorize things. And this certainly wasn't the time, though it was hard to bite it back when he was being swarmed and overwhelmed with their attention.

It simultaneously washed away and hit him with full force when he saw her.

Nelson "Nellie" Noi

200 years ago, she never would have let anyone see her like this. Waddling down the hall at the max speed her short limbs allowed, mage's robes jostling with no semblance of grace about her. Presentation was a must when representing anything of great prestige. Especially if that thing was The Sacrament of the Arcane. Especially if that thing was the only key that would fit in the keyhole of the door that led to her future.

But that "future" was put on indefinite pause when war plunged them into ruin, and subsequently, into a place where time meant nothing. After a meaningless time, who was there left to present to? A vulgar saying-- though perhaps that's why she remembered it so easily-- went "you know you've worked at a place too long if you can recognize a person by the smell of their shit". And that was doubly true for a Lungborne, with their strongest sense being smell. A very unfortunate realization. But she had glossed more meaning out of the less obvious. There was no way, after this long, one could hide any amount of dirty laundry from the peers they spent every waking moment with. Secrets revealed themselves after time spent. People grew careless. People grew curious. The ability to keep those unsightly things about oneself hidden became arduous, and the desire to withered when their uncovering brought little more than minor frustration. Everyone had dirt, and the more people saw of it, the less they cared.

They had already lost everything. What was a little pride in the face of that? Presentation be damned.

When they locked eyes, Nellie was there before he could speak, clasping his clammy hands in hers. "Nancy..." What to even say? Word already got out. The first contact with the Gods since their exile to the Godless Realm, and it had been... Nancy. Of all people. But the emotion that swelled in her chest was not any notion of surprise. "What did Goddess...?"

"We'll be fine," he was soon to assure her, securing her grip with a squeeze of his own hands. "She said we'll be fine. As long as we work together." He looked up at her. He was a tall man among the human and human-like of Kraiven, but she was taller still, pushing seven feet. But it was the way he looked up at her, with wet, pleading eyes, that made him seem much smaller. "Did She speak with you too?"

"No." And she wouldn't dare let herself be envious. Nancy had shown nothing but gratitude to Goddess Marianna, even when he had less reason than Nellie. It had taken a long journey to master her art and earn a seat among the greatest of battlemages, but at the end of the day, her ability to tap into the Elemental with such ease was still a gift. And a gift ought to be thanked for, rather than... well. Looking back, Nellie could say with certainty that she had not shown her Goddess the appreciation She deserved, for giving her this life on a silver platter. Nancy, however, was given a different gift. With no innate skills to boast of, to achieve what he had took nothing less than perseverance and determination in the face of uncertainty. Nellie's success was guaranteed upon hatching, so long as she didn't squander her gift. Nancy, despite being promised nothing, created his own. And she was more envious of that, than of the meeting that he deserved more than anyone.

"So you weren't given a Coin?"
She knew what he was getting at, and shut it down before he started. "She determined that you're worthy. You are the one to carry it." Her hands slipped away to correct her disheveled robes, their blue trim shimmering. "Besides. I can hold out on my own. We'll be fine without." And if not, then I'll have my meeting with Her.
Though she wouldn't say that last thought aloud to him, his sad eyes still shone with worry. "I just... want you to be safe. If you can."
"She said we'll be fine. So we will be."
No words echoed from his crystal at first. He wouldn't dare question Goddess Marianna's words. But still, something was being held back. Those sad eyes shone with more than just worry, and she had seen it once before, when Kraiven fell. "These people are all we have. You're all I have."
"I know. There's nothing for us in the Springs. Especially after this long." Neither of them felt like they had a place there, and that was before everyone they knew had surely met Goddess Marianna by now.
A feeling of loss exuded from him stronger, even in his pheromone signature. It read, I'm sorry. And he often was sorry, for any arrangement of feeling like an annoyance or liability. But this "sorry" wasn't drenched in fearfulness like it usually was. Fear already realized. Mourning.
Was there someone at home he'd missed? When she couldn't think of who that could be, she regretted it now more than ever that she had been so distant from him even back then.

"I want to help. But I don't know where that would best be. I just know I have to do something with this Coin."
The sudden aversion of that subject was jarring, but Nellie allowed it. "I don't think I'd be the one to decide that." She wasn't about to recommend her brother station the front lines, even if that was best. One, he was her brother, and two, he wasn't combat oriented in the slightest. What would he do when the Coin was used up? "But I'd say that if you prayed for Kraiven's protection, and that was Her answer, it's best suited protecting the kingdom first and foremost." An ultimate defense should whatever it is these pirates were wanting to do fail. Information regarding that has been sparse so far, and she didn't care for the details, so long as she got her orders soon.

Fergie

"Demestral can send out supplies faster with her beasts. Good thinking." Fergie didn't have to think long on Avery's corrections. Her initial thought had been to put Bogrum where he was last time for familiarity's stake, that being working with ship weapons, but this was neither the same ship nor position. She seemed to forget how much WORK it was to keep a whole ship running. And in hindsight, it was probably best to keep him away from any position that was familiar to that raid. She didn't want him thinking about... all that, on top of captaining a ship. It may serve as a psychological guard to protect people he barely knew, rather than watch his men be picked off in what was about to be a bloody battle. Though it wasn't just about him; he was damn good at what he did, but how long would that last when he was visibly starting to crumble? Bad mood, bad performance, bad losses, worse mood. A vicious cycle in waiting.
"I'll keep it simple. He don't gotta know." She could expect resistance. If someone suggested she take a psych eval, she wouldn't know whether to laugh or punch the guy. But an order was an order, and Bogrum liked to follow to a T.

Thoughts preoccupied with what-ifs she may be, but she wasn't blind to what was in front of her. Avery was definitely worried, and he damn well better be. This wasn't ideal, the position they were in. There was no failing this. They could try to bail when shit hit the fan, but for how long? If Mozza succeeded, the whole world was pretty much fucked. It sucked enough for a dirty pirate to have to play a hero role, let alone for the stakes to be THIS high. Fuck Adonis.

But she didn't rehash any of that. Avery knew. "This is a good plan we got. And a damn good crew. We're gonna kick demon ass, and we're gonna win. That shithead won't stand a chance." Though more to the point, "Yer doin' good, Avery. Keep it up."

Empty platitudes or just the encouragement he needed, Avery would take it however he wished, she supposed. She did her due diligence in keeping moral up in the people who couldn't dare show weakness lest it trickle down the ranks. He was doing pretty well as is, considering this was his first time and he was having to improvise with new goals. But everyone had a limit, and his couldn't be much higher than the more seasoned of leaders. Since Bogrum was fast approaching his, getting him sorted out was her new priority.

Kylesar1

Kylesar1 · Apr 22, 2023

Elaina Melora
Eden's Room- Passage

The smell was quite prominent. However, it wasn't the smell of rotting flesh.. It was the smell of darkness but not quite darkness, and it told her that she needed to grab her gas mask. "Is this Blight?" she inquired aloud as she put her mask on and went through clearing procedures to finally breathe breathable air again. She then grabbed a loose cloth and doused it in holy water, wrang it out and tied to Mariah's face, the holy properties should serve as a decent makeshift air purification over her nose.

"We've been fighting the Blight for quite while, if that's what you're asking," said Mariah, who was kind of off-put by the look of Elaina in her gas mask. It was like they were about to go into a contaminated zone.........and they kind of were.
It didn't answer Elaina's question, but she pressed on. "If you know about the Blight, why don't you all know about this path?" This question was more rhetorical than anything. The answer was simple: Something Blight-related was happening right under the noses of these nuns, something they really didn't want them to find out. The only question was who exactly "they" were. They would find out as they descended this path

As the path winded down, the place began to look more like a dungeon, as if this place was converted from a prison into a church, and that was kind of unsettling. The wooden stairs gave way to aged stone, which said this path was maintained, at least for walking. There was no reason why this church should have a dungeon under it. The stone that made up the walls were showing their age, what with dirt and vegetation starting to grow and seep through.

Finally, and oh so finally, they started to see doors. What was written on the doors however, wasn't in any language Elaina ever knew. "Can you read this, Mariah?"
"It's Ancient Angelic," Mariah told her, "I can't read it. I can just recognize what it is, not what it says."
"Ancient Angelic?" So angels also had an ancient language. "So who can read this language?"
"Those who commune with Angels tend to be given the ability to interpret it. We haven't done that in forever though." Of course they didn't. "There's a high chance that these are strong Words of Power."
Elaina sensed no magic from this door. Made sense, as the lack of Holy Magic had to have rendered the words inactive. "All I sense is high Blight." Elaina put her gun on guard and opened the door

The moment the door opened, there was a heavy wave that came from it. It was a peculiar feeling, and the most comparable experience that Elaina could conjure is going from her bedroom into a boiler room...........or from Sebas's room into Lostro's room. Just that feeling that something was majorly off before she took even a single peek into it. Luckily her gas mask let her breathe, because the air was incredibly heavy from what she could feel on her skin.

The interior of the room was a horror zone. There was very clear rot going on in this room. The wooden table and wooden chairs had very strong signs of being overcome with decay, vegetation growing in the room were black as the rot ate it all the way through. The only thing that seemed healthy was the fungus growing which spurred on its decomposition. Even the inside of the door was rotted, the door knob so heavily rusted that it begged the question of if it could ever be locked

What was more? There were tendrils coming out of the walls, and Elaina could sense that they were vines, so overcome with whatever the fuck at it was, it was like they were given new life. They were moving on their own and passive, not seeming to do anything but just move as if they were swaying in wind. Elaina felt nauseated as she laid eyes on something else

It was a group of kids all huddled up in a corner, staring at them. Greyed out skin, red eyes, hair that seemed a mix of white, brown, and then tendrils mixed in. Tattered clothes, barefoot, saying not a thing but clearly alive enough to move. Their red eyes were absolutely dead-looking. Elaina couldn't even be sure if they were sentient, as they seemed kind of like moving husks. There was nothing in those eyes. Nothing. No child-like anything, no hope, no life, benevolent or malevolent intent, no desire, no acknowledgement of their existence beyond looking in their direction.

A dead adult lie close by, rotting in the floor, just as overcome with that rot. Had this rot caused this? Did these demonic-looking children kill that adult? Elaina was utterly horrified, too fucking scared to scream. Even if she could, who the fuck knew what would happen if she did? Looking at that dead adult, Elaina could only guess that she'd join them. Her grip on her gun could distort steel, and the slightest twitch would send her emptying that clip at everything in that corner.

So, Elaina did the one thing she knew would keep her ass alive: Slowly step back out of the room and slowly close the door. She closed the door and sighed, and then Mariah gave off the most ear-piercing guttural scream a young woman could muster, while Elaina sank to the floor, clutching her heart and praying it wouldn't explode in her fucking chest

----------------------------------

The group stepped back onto the ship. While they had the aura of victory around them, they LOOKED like they had just fought through a horde of zombies. After leaving themselves unarmed, physically on guard, ultra-aware, and mentally on eggshells having to choose their words carefully, they were absolutely drained. Laylah wasn't there to relieve their fatigue with her soothing presence as she had angelic duties to tend to.

For Duradel, he was just back and welcome since he had to repair weapons, and the moment he stepped on the ship, Lostro's curse sent him to the depths of pain. Like, to the chest, can't move type of pain. He had to press on even though every inch of him cried bloody murder. He had grown used to the fact that the pain was not actually inflicted upon said wounds, but hopefully he would be cured of this before the fight. He couldn't hope to contribute like this. Working through what felt like every bone in his body broken was impossible given the circumstance...... But he also knew that Lostro wouldn't grant him mercy if Sebas didn't tell her to....... So he had the idea to upgrade Sebas's shotgun. Get in good with him so he'd tell Lostro to rescind the curse. Upgrade Sebas's shotgun from capacity 1 to capacity 6, then appeal that his contribution to the crew was wasted if he couldn't do so in top condition. Hell, he'd upgrade Fergie and Borgum's weapons if they approached him.........or maybe he should approach them.

Sebas Deadeye
The Canine- Deck

As the Diplomacy group stepped onto the deck, they were greeted by their crew. No more noble nonsense. Just the looks from hardened pirates. Gunpowder, alcohol, wood, anticipation. They didn't smell rancid, thankfully, which meant that they weren't being degenerates the evening before a big fight. They were cleaned, groomed, and loaded for combat. Most of the Canine crew were stripped of Adonis's bum-ass noble looking uniform and wearing what they knew best: Whatever the hell they felt like wearing and fighting in, instead of those starched pressed royal navy noble nonsense.

A yawn escaped his tired lips as he made his way through the greeting crew. Ah fuck it, he thought. As worn out as he was, he was still the captain. Time to rile them up. "We're on for tomorrow, boys!" Sebas yelled out, grabbing his shotgun and hoisting it in the air as he forced more energy to run through his body. As the men drew their own blades/guns and yelled out hoorahs, some taking gunshots into the air in celebrating. The electricity of anticipation from the men surged through him, jolting the fatigue from his body. Their morale was still at a high despite knowing that it could very well be their last day alive. For some reason when it came to pirates, knowing their impending mortality made them come alive in a way that was only comparable to the promise of loot. "This one separates the men from the boys, the beefcakes from the cupcakes!" This was the most anti-hero shit they had done in their lives. Imagine summoning the world-ending demon they now had to kill to save everything.

In the midst of the cheers, Sebas found Avery standing in front of him, tail waving and a smile on his face. Always a source of relief, and mostly done when Sebas was pretty damn tired. "Welcome back, Sebas." he greeted with a purr that, while inaudible under the cheers, was felt as Sebas placed his hand on Avery's head. Another yawn making its way out, Sebas nodded to him. "Glad to be back, Avery." Sebas said in his usual nonchalant fashion. Normally, he would've scratched Avery's ears but even if it were to be to Avery's disappointment, Sebas felt like doing something to make Avery purr in front of the crew (effectively making him swoon) would undermine him as a leader. "My turn is done. It's your turn now."
Avery pulled him to the next room, the hallway of the command wing. which was much quieter. "Aye," he acknowledged. "Fergie and I have everything laid out and planned." he leaned against the wall, the look in his face now done with pleasantries. "You'll be taking on the special role working with the angels to ultimately get Lostro out of there. Fergie and Fatimah in reinforcements, myself working the shadows. Evangeline and Damond working the vanguard."
That sounded good to him. "Where's Bogrum?"
"He'll be with Arnold Asella, commanding troops for the defense of Kraiven."
That sounded.........weird. "Why is he not commanding a ship?"

Avery Valencia
The Canine- Deck

Avery knew this question would come. He also knew that Sebas knew it was HIS decision to keep him off a ship, as Fergie would absolutely vouch for Bogrum's reliability. "Fergie thinks there's something off about him and is requesting a psych eval. She wanted him commanding the Caboose."
"I concur with Fergie," Sebas responded without hesitation.
"BUT......." Avery pressed on, "If he's not all there mentally, he can't run a ship. Demi is better suited on all fronts, plus her animals make her perfect for supply delivery and troop transport. If she's not delivering supplies or transporting and then replacing injured troops, she's providing close air support from both ship and summon." To Avery, it made perfect sense. With no offense to either Sebas, Fergie, OR Bogrum, Avery didn't want everyone else to be overshadowed. Everyone else had gifts, and this was the perfect time to let Demi shine. As this was her homeland and she was dual-hatting as the one who advocated for NOT burning the homeland to the ground, she had a LOT to lose if she couldn't lead effectively. In that regard, Demi was not much different than Avery. "I want you to put my trust in her."
"She is as inexperienced as running a large crew than you are." Sebas countered.
His tail started to wilt, the will to concede starting to overcome him. "I know you're worried, Sebas, but all of you trusted me with these decisions." he said, not about to show hesitation (though his body said otherwise. His heart was POUNDING,) because Sebas did not seem pleased, and last thing he wanted was Sebas thinking he was stupid. "I have faith her in skill........" What would his input be though? Maybe his idea would be better. ".......but if you think otherwise, I can swap her with someone in Adonis's circle with more experience."
A sigh from Sebas. "I do trust you, Avery. YOU are the Raid Captain here, not me. I run this ship, not this raid." Sebas's eyes meet his, the concern shining through. "I just want you to be as sure in yourself. I have no reason to doubt Demi beyond simple inexperience. Look, you have me behind you if no one else."
Avery gave a small smile. If no one else believed in him, Sebas would. That's..... How it always was, the most loyal friend. "I just want to know that I'm not leading us to death, Sebas."
Sebas shrugged and gave off a grin. "If so, we'll see ya in hell. Your blade is worth turning my back on," he said, and began walking off. "Adonis has seen what I've seen. Prove him right....... And then prove him wrong. I'll be in Lostro's room, for when it's time to drink."

--------------------------------------------

Vespera Marine Seyres
The Sacrament of the Arcane HQ- Meeting Room

Back down on the bottom, the orders were given. To Vespera, this came in the form of a speech projected directly to Guild Leadership through their badges, which Ves listened to while tuning out whatever it was that Nancy and Nellie were saying to each other. As members yet not Guildmaster level, they heard none of this, but the order was simple. All combatant hands would be defending Kraiven, and everyone had 2 choices: Work with the pirate crew under Arnold Asella's order or traditional taking orders and coordinating like a military unit as a militia if not already in a guild

All guild members would be taking orders from their guilds, who could approve or disapprove them wanting to work with Asella. Volunteers could go directly to the Stoneroses. Those in the Stoneroses would be falling under Asella. That meant Nancy's placement had to go through Asella. Well............. "Nancy, Nellie," Ves said, conjuring up a transcript of the words given to them from King and Council and passing it to them. "Since I'm Deputy Guildmaster for the Stoneroses I can place Nancy. I think you'd be best served in the Church, with G.P. as your bodyguard. Your Coin could provide invaluable support to the Church as a whole as well as very strong passive protection and holiness........or if you want to be closer, you could serve as what's effectively a moving holy bubble." In other words, a portable Sanctified Holy Field of the strongest order. "Or, you could be troop transport, getting the wounded back to safety. It's not like much can stop you. If something can, G.P. knows how to fight and escape." These were recommendations made with the most consideration to Nancy's desire to help vs his ability to fight. He WAS a combatant with that coin and if he couldn't choose for himself and Ves couldn't, Arnold would slap him on the frontlines in a heartbeat. In terms of fighting this exact enemy, he was THE most powerful thing on the field (even though it was due to the fact that #1 and #2 couldn't exactly fight him), His very presence with that Coin could overclock any kind of Holy Magic, and amplify the Church's power against this evil to unprecedented levels.

"My recommendation is to be placed with the Church. It is where you will be the most versatile." Ves couldn't go to the Church. Not anymore, with it now becoming able to be actual sanctified grounds again. It wasn't right now, but with reports of the Pirate Angels being there conducting a Holy Audit and then Nancy with his Coin, it would be that holy place yet again very soon if not the moment he stepped fin in there. Plus, if Nancy's warning was anything to go by, Ves didn't want to go near those angels regardless. Still, she wouldn't make him privy to those reports. If he knew, he would very well refuse to go near it. "But it's ultimately your choice where you use YOUR power."

WayfaringWaaksian

WayfaringWaaksian · Apr 22, 2023

Bogrum and Fergie

Bogrum was exhausted. Though that wasn't saying much. He'd BEEN exhausted for days, and even then, his exhaustion felt small in comparison to what laden his companions. Sebas and Laylah had a lot at stake here; it wasn't just about ending Mozza, but ending him in just the right way without killing Lostro or causing massive collateral to the Kraiven population. Bogrum was confident that they would succeed in their main goal. If pride was the fall of man, one could guess how harder that fall might be for an immortal, especially that arrogant demon. But to kill him, AND save the child he resided in, AND protect an entire population from the fallout...

It would be what it would be, he had to decide. His head was splitting at the seams as it was, after that tense negotiation. Being reintroduced to the rocking of this airship didn't help. He masked that fatigue and nausea under a smile of appreciation, happy to see the crew in high spirits regardless. Within the crowd, Fergie was one of the first he picked out. Even if she wasn't perpetually skulking around in the corners of his mind, she still stuck out like a sore green thumb.

She was making the approach for him, which his stomach thanked. He didn't want to move until he got his air legs back. "I'm sure you heard."
"Aye. Good work." He saw her hand begin to move up, pause, then retreat to right her hat. "Knew ye'd pull it off. Need more confidence, mate."
An explanation that it hadn't been a lack of confidence, just a realistic assessment of his skills, flitted through his thoughts, but numb lips wouldn't move. Too tired to care. He nodded his thanks, not agreement, but she'd take it however.
"Sure you haven't heard." She jerked her head a ways. "I'll brief ye."

Protesting legs sucked it up when she took him into an empty room in a quiet corridor, where she filled him in on tomorrow's plan of action. It all sounded good to him, not that he was in any position to question. Save for one thing.
"They're putting me in the back?"
A weird silence surrounded Fergie for too many moments. "Wouldn't put it like that..."
He didn't mean for his sigh to be so audible, which he only noticed when she winced in response. "It's that bad, huh?"
"What?" The surprise in her tone would have been believable if not for her awkward tension.
"I'm..." He shook his head. They both knew, no point in telling her what she was denying. "I know it was a bad idea talking about all that in the sick bay. I was just--" falling apart-- "not in the state to care." Then he shrugged, still not caring. He was grateful, actually. In a way, it was what he wanted. A "break", one could say, though he didn't like the word. Still on the field, but away from the height of casualties. "Doc noticed and let the others know, I'm sure--"
"She didn't. No one knew." She was shaking her head, eyes squeezing shut. "It's not you, Bogrum."
"Then how--?"
"Me." The admittance preceded a heavy sigh. "I recommended ye for a psych eval. Didn't give details. Just said ye needed a lighter load."

The reluctance in her delivery made him think she was afraid he'd be angry. Well, hardly. And he was sure to let her know with a chortle, honestly tickled. "Looking after me, are you?"
Fergie looked very much NOT tickled, but still a bit pink. "Look, we can't have ye gettin' the crew fucked up too!" she scoffed. "Bad for everyone."
It was a harsh delivery that didn't prick his thick skin in the slightest. Relief was all that was fueling her sharp turnaround from worry to aggression. "And--"
"AND I care about ye!" His arm had earned yet another smack. "Dumbass. Maybe don't cry in front of me, an' this won't happen."
"Woe to me, then. I'd rather you see me cry than anyone else here."
Sometimes it was hard for Bogrum to tell if she was angry or embarrassed. Well, this was distinctly embarrassment, the way she receded into the shade of her hat. It struck him endearing enough to want to point out, but he relented from teasing her more. For some reason, he was proving very good at getting under her skin as of late, and she didn't need that. Besides, thinking on the implications of his words made this sudden shyness less cute. Pirates weren't exactly a cuddly bunch. Displaying one's soft heart was asking for it to get stabbed by these knife-happy folk, so this couldn't be easy for Ms. Piratey McPirateson here. She needed a reminder that she was still some ferocious creature worthy of respect, soft gooey center be damned.
"You're a strong woman. I'm sure you can handle seeing a grown man--"
"Stop-- Shut up." Yes, gods forbid he compliment her instead. "Aft' this mission, yer gettin' evaluated. Like it or not."
"I don't, but I guess that's my life now." It wasn't so terrible, though. Distraction kills, and he didn't like the idea of being dead, especially when it was preventable.
"Damn right it is."

Fergie shooed him off now, glaring holes into him as if to set a fire that would get him going quicker. "Go to the Mess and eat. Get yer energy back."
"Alright, Mother Hen." He turned to leave, and was lucky that in this utility closet full of hard tools, the only thing that slapped his back was a tossed towel.

Bogrum couldn't walk far at all before noticing that the hallway was less quiet now, filled with shuffling steps and grunts of pain. A still-battered Duradel was inching his way down, presumably to the Armory to continue his work. Bogrum elected to ignore him and walk past, but reconsidered. He had nothing to say to the man, but who was to say Fergie and Duradel didn't have words for each other? In this raw state they were both left in, he wondered if he should prevent them from coming into each other's view. He hesitated, just enough time for Duradel to make a decision if this was really the man he wanted to try bribing with.

Nancy and Nellie Noi

The two semi-aquatic siblings glossed over the given transcripts while considering Vespera's advice. Well, Nancy was the one considering, as this pertained to his decision. Nellie, with her stare typically being regarded as icicle-sharp by most who knew her, was giving Nancy a look that seemed to say, "If you step a foot towards the front end, I'm dragging you back to the Church myself". She never had reason to show him aggression, not that there was any real aggression in her eyes. Just about any time he was in a place to accept dangerous orders, he would be given a silent suggestion of DO NOT.

And normally, Nancy heeded. Less from intimidation of her that had almost entirely waned since the fall, and more from the fact that it was advice from a direct combatant. "I agree. I want to help the Church." For reasons Ves already stated, and some selfish ones too. It had been too long since he felt ANYTHING in that building. Maybe it was just longing for nostalgia, as he felt closer to Goddess Marianna now than ever with the Coin in his satchel.

He knew Nellie did too. And he knew she would see to her orders first before joining him there to pray. There was a faint hope that she would return, that this battle was winnable and they could continue the lives that had been placed on hold long ago. The audience with his Goddess restored enough faith that they would be protected. Though the pressure of that protection being at his command and responsibility was laying heavy now, he wasn't about to let his people down. He held himself with a bit more determination than when he and Ves had last parted ways.

But there was still that worry, always. "Ves... I know you have your duties. But can you stay protected in... all this?" With their magical prowess being pooled into Holy Magic, Kraiven was about to be a minefield for Dark creatures. That didn't differentiate between friend or foe.

Kylesar1

Fantasy Are you tired of sipping Crab Coladas? (Pirate RP) (Always Open)

Royal Fool

To Anywhere but There

This is my loudest bork

Royal Fool

To Anywhere but There

This is my loudest bork

To Anywhere but There

This is my loudest bork

Royal Fool

To Anywhere but There

This is my loudest bork

To Anywhere but There

This is my loudest bork

To Anywhere but There

Royal Fool

This is my loudest bork

To Anywhere but There

This is my loudest bork

To Anywhere but There

This is my loudest bork

To Anywhere but There

This is my loudest bork

To Anywhere but There

This is my loudest bork

To Anywhere but There

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