CITY OF BASTION (Beckoncall's RP!) Main story thread...

[Beckoncall]

THE HEAVENLY ARENA OF THE CAPITAL:

Lydia is facing Rabican for the first and last time, her final moments spelling her doom as the maul of meteoric iron comes sailing to seal her demise. She spends her wish -- she wishes those close to her to know how she feels. Then Darkness.


Leo feels a wave of hope, and a sting of fear. She wants to tell him how long she knew eveything, how she would not give up on him, and how a lot of people will still believe in him after all. She wants him to know she didn't have a friend for as long before either. She doesn't want him to feel left alone. She wants to thank him. For the fun, and the advice, and to say sorry for all the times she failed. She wants to say so many things... She wishes him to be strong, and wise, and kind. Even if the world around falls apart. She has hope.

Pasha feels loved, as if being wrapped in a hug, and a deep sense of worry, and regret, like a pit in the stomach, deep enough to make anyone shiver. Then... hope. Not stopping the others, hope, but like falling over them. These all seemed to work on unison, as if they always had. She wants him to know she loves him, and she worries for him, and she feels sorry she didn't do enough. She wants him to know she believed in him, even if everyone else would say it was crazy. She still believes in him. She wants to thank him for staying, and for the adventures, and for the jokes. She doesn't want to leave. She's sorry. She regrets not daring to plan ahead with him before. She wants him to know she would have died time and again for him... She hopes for him to be happy. And to be human. And to live.

Isis felt calm. Not angry or sad or confused. It wasn't an apology nor a threat. After learning of everything that had happen, she wanted Isis to have some peace. At least for a while. Lorek felt something close to a hug, A long overdue one, and a wish for things to go well. She wants him to not give up, and to keep creating. She wants him to not lose hope.

Bavan feels like he wants to laugh, and if he would be smacked behind the head any second now. She wants him to know how much she appreciated him as a friend, even after everything. How much she loved the times together, the goofy and the serious parts. Even if she didn't approve of some things... She wishes him the best, and to love, and to chase whatever idea he seems possible, becuase he will be able to do them. She hopes he will do well. She wants him to.


By now all is cold and still on the glittering sand, and Lydia is dragged under the arena fighting area with the rest of the Debris. Her sweet heart beats one more time, then lies still forever.


Rest in peace, Lydia Ophes. Rest in heavenly peace.

 

[Beckoncall]

EPILOGUE:

Alcander Orestes and Bavan Naske were married in grand fashion. Their wedding was said to have upstaged the king's -- which was somewhat of a scandal in the day. Alcander's brothers ALL died in the 1st war of Muurdain expansion -- with the exception of his scholarly brother Jerome, who died of heart failure in his 40s. As such, Late in life Alcander inherited the true title of Duke Orestes from his father, and with the Dukedom of Bavan Naske they became one of the richest and most powerful family in bastion and indeed the region. Bavan Naske went on to unlock many secrets of the Dragonnewts, and advanced technology in bastion heavily, even without the aid of the dwarves. His Gemstone Skirmishers were known without parallel and their designs would go on to be replicated in the capital as some of the most dogged bodyguards and fiercest secret weapons to be unleashed on the empire's enemies.

Sumari Keshurgen and Sophia Talbot were slain for attempting to engineer the Demise of Lord Magister Leo the first. The magical EMP released in the city lasted only 72 hours -- and in the investigations that followed it was discovered their presence in Bastion was a Hegemon plot to assassinate the King. Their deaths were unsung, but it was said Leo Alder personally crushed their skulls into iron boots and buried them under the city walls at their strongest point, to symbolize how the Bastien stand on the heads of their betrayers.

Scithir Dratic was never seen again -- his cult of Dracos in Bastion washed from history, he instead resurfaced in the far west among the free-folk where his crazy faith was borne anew. It would be close to a thousand years before the Empire would actually find the descendants of Scithir's cult -- who would not back down to Imperial rule. They were brought to heel and banished to the Lost Continent, but only after it was deemed killing them all would be too costly.

Isis Al-aziri, become the adonae Mazzarin, had her true name discovered by Leo Alder when he realized the Astral Juggernauts spoke of the names of Astral infractioners in order, after the name of Lydia Ophes. With her true name known, Leo Alder set a trap for her that summoned her to his demense at his utter mercy -- a mercy he refused to grant. Her grandest ambitions, both in the city of sigil and an analog of "the ways" called the streams -- continued in the condition they were left. It was said Xyphon gained great power through sigil in the centuries to come and remained a house at the top of the hierarchy largely to her secret contributions to Xyphon. On paper however she remained unsung.

After Lydia's death, Tamara Ophes went on to inherit Lydia's considerable merchant and commercial empire and used it for the good of bastion. Though never attaining nobility she died a grandmother of 22, and the name Ophes of Bastion became synonymous with good deals and reckless adventurers.

Lorek Bronzeforge boarded his airship and was never seen again. Some said he did trade runs between the sky-cities of the genies, others said he landed on some remote island and lived out the rest of his days in solitude and barrels of beer. His considerable commercial interests in Bastion were eventually assigned to the dwarven body politic, and he was honored as a great inventor and hoarder of wealth.

Socs abandoned the grass clan and became a regular boy -- never again using the ways of the ninja... once he was sure all contacts with the east in bastion and anyone with knowledge of the grass clan had been silenced. It was said that he became a happy farmer, but did buy an orphanage all the same...

Rykka and her spirit dog Ulvaerth lived happily ever after, as guides, scouts and adventurers of great reknown in Bastion. She eventually picked up with her family in Worldwound where she relocated to live the rest of her exceedingly long life with the snow elves of the northern peaks. A true defender of bastion, the garden district sports not one, but two statues of her into the late era.

Percival Madvip eventually grew up -- and his strange and random powers became the focused skills of a warrior for the good from the dark tapestry. For the rest of the age he was a regaled hero who crushed eldrich evils and gruesome occultists and their followers... after a long and innocent childhood leading into a longer and more storied life of heroism. It was said the very avatar of Nodens walked in his shadow on the longest days. And his deeds rang in the halls of time, history and myth that came after him.

Liere Somm accomplished his goal of becoming the lord of the outer district's underworld for House Narvik. Holding his position for nearly 30 years, he was assassinated by a prostitute in his bedchambers at a reasonably old age. His last thoughts were something along the lines of it not having been a bad run...

Michael Bonaparte gave up adventuring rather quickly and became a world reknowned gourmet cook who exported throughout the globe. Several underlords and their generals developed a taste for his dishes, which were enjoyed from Aymara to Mictlan, and Matchka to Obhernoorst. He died ridiculously wealthy and a playboy among many of the ladies of nobility in bastion.

Soot in a series of insane gambles and political maneuverings eventually came into holding of the better part of the Huitsi archipelagos, where he established his "new world trading company" -- black as the markets he served and crooked as the days are long, Soot's criminal empire eventually linked with the rest of his fennec people, with the fennec "discovering" and exploiting the human empire long before the fennec themselves were discovered in their homelands during the 3rd wars of muurdain expansion.

Leo lost his humanity over the course of his adventures, but never the love of his eternal wife Haecho. Leo continued his uncompromising stance with the empire that he always had, and his lands long became a refuge for the downtrodden, the different, and the persecuted. After the conquest of the Swansea, Bastion -- and by extension of that Leo's -- holdings were considered too powerful to usurp easily by the capital houses and Leo Alder became the first "State house" of the Empire -- autonomous to the capital but inexorably linked. Many were the attempts to assassinate him, but he lived a tremendously long life, eventually abdicating the throne to a councilship of his own two sons by blood and the two orphan's of Lydia's blood that he had adopted. The new council of Bastion that inherited Alder's throne did things in the coming eras that would demonstrate and define the boundaries of Imperial power in it's provinces -- a presented value and status quo the capital itself was unwilling to upset. Leo eventually vanished into obscurity with the death of his wife, and his hidden lair, though known to exist, was never ever found.

Pasha soon found himself on the wrong side of his uncle after the talks regarding his attempted ascension to godhood and his possession of the fabled "watcher's arm" -- an instrument of destruction in previous ages and the first symbol of Imperial power in the time of the overlord. Dedicated assassination attempts relentlessly haunted him, pushing him further and further west until even bastion was a far flung destination to him, much less the Capital. It was from here, during the 2nd and 3rd wars of Muurdain expansion, that he repeatedly appeared to turn the tide of numerous cultures otherwise soon to be eradicated by the empire -- insisting instead that their people be spared persecution, and eventually in the case of elves and other great peoples, the concession of their own Underlordships despite not being human. Pasha outlived his uncle and the pursuit of his assassins, and some say he will one day return to the capital to change it, and lead it away from what the empire called "The path of now and forever" -- which was the supremacy of man, without justice -- instead enstating "The way of ever onwards" -- which would be a reign of law and justice entailing the inclusion and honor of all races. Some say such matters would grow small to him under the weight of his own deification, and would ascend into the heavens at the end of the age of man, either as a member of the new age's pantheon, or as it's Pantokrator. Only time none had could tell the story.

The curtain falls on the world of Bastion. All member's writing -- an act of giving. All members reading, an act of love. I am truly thankful for everyone's completion of this RP with me.

Sincerely,

BeckonCall