PHASE I [ ❓❓❓ ] And then the Flamines are there.
They just appear, suddenly, as if from nowhere. They’re a race of mercenary aliens, and fighting is all they know -- they’re definitely not going to be easy to kill by any means. They seem to have a natural resistance to magic: aside from very specific types of magic (in particular, light magic and anything highly spiritual), they absorb it. Light magic and spiritual magic can harm them, but it will take a lot to take one down.
They can be stabbed, if you can get that close.
But good luck.
Of course, they look like nondescript black shapes with masks until you knock the mask off...and then you can see the true shape of the Flamines.
They’re here to kill you all. :)
PHASE II [ ❓❓❓ ] As if that isn’t enough… it seems the Flamines’ arrival was the last straw for Cerealia and the Nexus Code. There’s a tear in the sky, and from it… the Nexus Code, where all of the lost friends from before, can be seen. It can be entered, even, though remaining there too long can be detrimental to your health.
But people are there.
Old friends, strung up and lifeless, can be seen there, unmoving.
And…
Then some of them move. They open their eyes. They remember how to breathe. And they’re able to return, able to stagger their way back into Cerealia and take their first breath of air in a long, long time.
Welcome back to the chaos of Cerealia, friends.
Unfortunately, you’ve got nothing but the clothes on your back while murderous aliens are rampaging, so hopefully you’re able to think fast. It’d be unfortunate to die so soon after coming back.
As for spiritual and magical characters who were not in the Nexus Code...well, when they return, they’ll find that they’re covered in old, dried blood, and their clothing might have tears in it, as if from a knife.
There are no scars, though, and they’re otherwise fine. Strange.
PHASE III [ ❓❓❓ ] As if this chaos isn’t enough… there are also the masks. Regardless of whether or not characters were around to receive them the first time, regardless what they did with them before, the masks will suddenly reappear in your characters’ hands. They can be tossed aside, but they’ll reappear again eventually, unable to be truly shaken.
Characters who received them before will receive the same mask they had before.
Characters who didn’t receive them before will receive a mask according to the trait that’s more prominent for them.
Either way...it’ll have a profound effect on the Flamines.
They will go after any character with a broken mask in a bloodthirsty rage, intent on murdering them. Characters with a barcode mask or bloody mask will be the next likely to be chased down intently by the Flamines.
Characters with a :( mask will be killed if they get in the Flamines’ way, though they will not go out of their way to chase them down.
Characters with a vine mask or feather mask will be treated with wariness, though they may still be attacked if they get in a Flamines’ way.
Characters with a grey mask will not be killed unless they are first the aggressor, as will characters with a bloody fingerprint mask.
Naturally there will be exceptions to every rule, but the masks will change how the Flamines’ generally act towards characters!
PHASE IV [ ❓❓❓ ] But something’s not quite right.
Regardless of the battles against the Flamines, it seems Cerealia’s just been under too much pressure lately. Something had to give --
And it’s the code building up the characters that really suffers.
Their code has been hanging on by a thread without CERES to maintain it, and now… it’s finally giving out. The glitches that afflicted characters before will be even more prominent now; they might glitch from place to place, or have their powers go totally awry in odd ways. There may be a lack of powers suddenly, or a sudden difficulty staying on the ground as gravity stops working on the character.
They might suddenly be unable to breathe, or go cold, or very nearly die --
But it can be controlled, too, with effort. Characters can learn to control the glitches, gaining an ability to almost teleport, or ways to tweak their powers in exciting new ways.
With a lot of effort, they could even possibly reverse a death -- but only their own, and only once.
BONUS [ ❓❓❓ ] There are also… birds?
Flamingos, to be exact. Who knows where they came from, but either way, there are plastic flamingos chilling all over the place. They’re just normal plastic; they don’t move, they can very easily be destroyed --
But if you touch one with your bare hands… it’ll have an interesting effect.
Characters will suddenly find that they have the abilities or the last person they touched -- but without any of the practice or ability to control it, of course.
Still, it might help with that pesky Flamines problem, right?
[ Remember to apply proper warnings on threads with sensitive or inappropriate material and do let a mod know if your thread careens off into maiming or canoodling so we can lock the log. ] |
Welcome to the beginning of Cerealia's endgame event! Please visit the OOC information here, and should you have any questions, feel free to ask them here! You can also check the FAQ for more general inquiries. This event will begin 11/03, or IC 11/18. Should this event log hit Captcha, there is an all-purpose overflow here. Thank you! |
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phase iv.
But flying dumpsters are not really his forte. He's used to striking quickly and at weak points and using his speed and precision--
That's going to do nothing to a dumpster.
So rather inelegantly, he's diving out of the way, tucking and rolling, but then a moment later he rises to a crouch and slashed out at the blackness clutching to Pyrrha, holy sword shearing through them like a hot knife through butter.
And then he stands, dusting himself off. Sup, Pyrrha.]
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After a moment, she turns and sees—
oh.
Her face seems to hover between a smile and uncomfortable shock. Noticing the scar, the hair, but she ends up breathing with relief against her hands, a breath that threatens to tremble and break. ]
Captain? [ Even after all this time, she still defaults to that particular term. ]
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Nikos.
[sup.]
Your status?
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Of course, Pyrrha doesn't say that. She reacts how she would under Glynda's scrutiny, straightening her back and lifting her chin. She's unarmed, still, and her clothing is sturdy and season-appropriate but not her old battle outfit. ]
I'm - [ Maybe, she can keep Sousei out of what her life became, and go back to being the girl he had actually thought well enough of to train, ] - I'm fine.
[ Without hesitating, she adds, ] How are you?
[ She's glad he hadn't been squished by her dumpster attack! ]
no subject
[he also doesn't really think she's fine, but for now... he leaves it. Instead, he quirks an eyebrow at her, neatly shifting his sword into a defensive stance as another of the creatures comes at them.]
Be on your guard. Stay behind, until you salvage a proper weapon for yourself
[He'll take care of this, and then he'll try to figure out what a trembling and uncertain "I'm fine" means from Pyrrha.]
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She doesn't want to be "trembling" or "uncertain" for a moment longer. Especially not to Sousei. ]
... Yes, Captain.
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He lifts his blade, nodding simply.
It's hardly going to be an easy fight, but he has someone to protect and he has a magical exorcist sword. He's able to keep the Flamines at bay for a time, as they begin to move forward through the city.]
Nikos, an update on the city's status would be helpful.
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Well, I don't know all of the details. A few weeks ago, CERES's former liaison to the colonists - Mosley - approached us with a deal, and said that once we made a decision, he could... begin the process of sending us home.
[ Well, them. Pyrrha is less sanguine about her own prospects. ]
The decision was made to hand someone named Bellona over to the Flamines. After that, things became troubled. [ ... Her eyes go up, finding and catching at the ship in the sky. ] I think they're here to destroy this world.
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[Despite having been out of the colony for months, it isn't hard for him to piece things together.]
Then these are the Flamines we were warned of, and they are here for the CERES CEO, Bellona Recreare.
[He slashes away a Flamine, making an aggravated noise.]
And as ever, we are here to be caught up in the crossfire. [A beat.] It is aggravating as well to think that Julius Vincere may have been somewhat right, all that time ago.
[That they would end up being a special fighting force against the Flamines, that is.]
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Mosley told us to choose who he would kill, Bellona or someone called the Bridge, but almost everyone [ except Jaune ] balked at the idea. [ ... ] I think this was his compromise.
[ Or he set them up. ]
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Well.
I assume when a race of mercenaries comes calling, negotiations are not their first concern.
We must make certain they are ready to listen.
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They're not responding to force.
[ Pyrrha threw a dumpster at one and Sousei nearly took it in the face instead. Just saying. ]
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[Sousei shakes his head simply at that, crossing his arms as they go.]
Force is all they respond to. But we have not yet earned their respect.
[So they aren't listening to them.]
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[ Having lived a relatively sheltered life of academic combat and celebrity, she has no frame of reference for mercenary forces. ]
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I would suspect we have a few options.
A show of force, if we could muster it, would be one. Finding and isolating their leader would be another.
Collateral, if we have it, would likely be the most effective, but we would need a method to show them we have what they desire.
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Collateral, well. That would be Bellona Recreare, but Pyrrha doesn't even know where she is. The tower, maybe. She's never been in there, but Jaune has.
As for seeking out their leader-- Pyrrha looks skyward, eyes finding the ship. ]
If they do have a leader, I suspect he or she [ ??? ] is up there.