isleofavalon | EVENT ✨ Fall Equinot

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EVENT ✨ Fall Equinot

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SUMMARY: In the days leading up to the fall equinox, geese intended for eating escape and cause havoc around town, people share techniques to preserve plants for the winter, and Camelot's citizens compete to make the best light shows with traditional wax candles to draw spirits peacefully into Camelot.

With all the harder preparations gathered for the Fall Equinox, throughout the month people will notice that decorations start going up around town. The colors of fall seem to seep throughout Camelot, but more than that, so do more traditional sights and smells. In the days leading up to the equinox, traditional acts such as the sacrifice and consuming of flesh are performed. Well.. normally they would be. The fattened geese that are normally eaten in preparation for the equinox have escaped and are causing havoc around town. Geese are running around causing trouble for everyone-- stealing glasses, opening gates, putting up toilet seats when people try to sit down so they fall in the bowl... all kinds of madness! Even if you weren't intent on eating geese and were going to settle for the vegetarian option (pumpkin and nut soups are frequently served using the gourd itself as a bowl), you have to agree the general public needs to be rescued from these menaces. If you have the stomach for it, you are welcome to keep one of the geese you capture for your own table... but otherwise, please return the birds to the farm where they can be handled accordingly.

Birds are not the only sacrifice made to the autumnal equinox. As the flowers begin to reach the end of their life, there is a strong tradition of gathering flowers and herbs and preserving them for the upcoming winter, either to protect their beauty, scent, edibility, and sometimes magical properties. The simplest form of preservation is, of course, drying and pressing-- a technique you don't need magic for, but some of the locals will happily teach you. A more advanced technique can be learned to enchant glass bell jars to suspend the lifeforce of any living thing within its grasp for up to a year, if no one opens it. It's a technique used to preserve important or rare plants that may otherwise die out during the winter, such as herbs used in your favorite spell.. or dish. The glass bell jar will protect the plant, but each time it is picked up, a single petal or leaf will fall off of the plant. If all the leaves fall off, the plant becomes unrecoverable, and come spring the caster will find themselves cursed with a touch that wilts any plant they come in contact with. So if you choose to use this, be warned that there are consequences for misuse and a wide number of horror stories from people who have tried to use this spell for anything other than plants. Any type of mage can pour their magic into a bell jar to enchant it, and the type of magic will be reflected in a glass design that forms around the rim and handle. (An elemental mage may have glass flames form, or frosted etchings of your favorite animal may appear if you're an animal mage, and so on. Feel free to get creative.) Green mages may find this magic a little useless, since they can just replenish plants with their own magic, but it's still a good technique to know.. just in case!

Perhaps the most beautiful tradition that takes form leading up to the autumnal equinox is the candle pathway. Every street in Camelot will be lit up with thousands of candles for two nights leading up to the autumnal equinox, as a guiding light to help the spirits find their way to Avalon. The way the streets in Camelot are mapped out, the lights will form a path to the square where the fairy coins are being held until their release on September 22nd, the same area where the guardian egg ceremony had been performed. Some people get very creative with their lighting displays, which can sometimes result in beautifully lit streets and magnificent structures of flames. Accidents are quickly quelled by volunteer elemental mages throughout the city to prevent any structural damage. Some people might be compelled to make their own light display the most outstanding on the block, and it becomes a bit of a game to compete with your neighbors to see whose section of the candle pathway is the most extravagant.

SUMMARY: The autumn equinox ritual is interrupted by a huge earthquake caused by a Stone Giant bursting out of the Ash Mountains, bringing the closest Ash Mountain and Lestari to the ground. The purple dragon erupts from the ruins to attack Celliwig. The survivors of the collapse need help desperately. Characters must choose where they go to determine the fate of Avalon.

Calm and mundane preparations are a nice break from the sometimes stressful lives of Camelot's citizens and otherworlders, who often are asked to embark on life-threatening adventures and tasks. It's probably a good thing most of the month has been relatively peaceful, as things need to go a little bit differently this year on the fall equinox itself... but not as differently as they actually do.

In the town square, elaborate celtic-similar symbols are carved out into the ground and filled with mysterious glowing liquids. All of those who gained guardian tattoos and their attendants were asked to attend a ritual to release them on the night of the 22nd, along with anyone else who would like to witness. Everything is ready and as the witching hour approaches, several individuals dressed in flowing robes with their faces painted like skeletons approach. As the leader raises his voice to explain why they've come and what to do to make this night a success, a sudden shock-- Avalon itself shakes with the might of an earthquake... or at least, that's what it seems like for the first few minutes as everyone gathers themselves until they hear mass screaming in the distance. Though it's hard to see what's going on... there are still some very, very obvious problems.

A stone giant rises from the first of the Ash Mountains, crumbling the mountain around it as if the ancient being were holding the very mountain itself up... and it was. Those who visited Lestari will have seen its giant feet within the underground city. The former city. Lestari is now buried beneath the mountain, along with many of the other creatures living on and around the mountain. A huge storm of mixed weather forms above the giant's head, blizzard and lightning raging around it to no avail. As the people of Camelot watch what's only visible at a macro distance, they may not be as quick to notice that all of the fairy coins have begun glowing vibrantly, then suddenly burst out of the jars they've been held in, shattering right through them to fly off en-masse toward the stone giant. They embed themselves in it, fueling the giant with enough power to both begin to walk away from the rubble and for the spirits that have begun gathering in Avalon to head toward it, rather than where they had been intended.

As if that were not enough, after the Stone Giant takes two large steps through the Land of Rot, the gargantuan cloud of dust covering the ruins of the first of the Ash Mountain range rather suddenly lights up with a vibrant, ultra-violet burst of flames that illuminates the smoke. The gargantuan purple dragon that once took up residence in the mountain clambors out of the dust and shoots straight into the sky, enraged and furious, and able to sense where the magic came from that raised the stone giant. The reason it immediately begins flying toward Celliwig with the intent to raze it to the ground is likely not immediately apparent, but it is quite odd that it bypasses the much closer target of Camelot with its rage. As does the Stone Giant, though it does not head toward Celliwig and instead seems to absorb the souls of the dead that were intended to be guided by the fall equinox's rituals as it lumbers through the land. If someone does not stop it, it is headed for the Forest of the Felled.

King Arthur is immediately on the emergency broadcast system to implore people to join one of three groups:

Investigate and stop the Stone Giant

Slay the dragon and save Celliwig

Rescue survivors of Lestari and the Ash Mountain

The success of each of these missions is dependent on character participation. See the poll for details about how certain character types may affect the outcome of the missions.

~~Please refer to Event Poll Notes for information about aftermath of this event and additional event info~~ > Event Outcomes.

Threaded | Flat

Untitled Fall Game
Xingchen has only just arrived, but it seems there's a festival going on! He wanders the streets, eyes a little wide with wonder and delight at all the new sights. His Spectral Sable, Xiu, flits between playing at his feet, leading him this way and that, and curled up across his shoulders when the sights and sounds get a little too much for someone not used to so many people.

He beams when he's shown how to preserve flowers, and bends his head to the task as well as listening to all other traditions that go with this place. And while he doesn't blatantly decline to taste anything that looks like it was once a living animal, he does his best to eat around or pick at other foods on offer.

But it's the candle lit walkways that really catches his wonder once night hits, and his sheltered upbringing shines the brightest.

Triage A Rescue efforts + Defending survivors' fleeing
So many changes all at once, and yet Xiao Xingchen feels he can help even before figuring out what all is going on. People need rescuing, so of course he immediately moves, searching for anyone who needs help in getting out of the city being destroyed. His little Spectral Sable stays tucked into the top of his robes for safety, but her little black nose twitches and she points where he might be needed if he doesn't move fast enough for her liking.

His sword lashes out as well when needed, graceful strikes here and there as the Taoist works to free trapped limbs here and there. A gentle word to calm terror there, and encourage escape. He won't leave anyone behind, to the point if someone particularly young or wounded might find themselves picked up and carried to safety.

Triage B Back in Camelot/Learning to grow veggies for food
To be asked to share the rooms he'd only just been escorted to mere days before was something of a surprise, but he immediately accepted. Room had to be made somewhere, and so he knew he'd return later to find someone else's possessions joining his own meager pile.

He finds his way to the kitchens and rolls his sleeves up, tying them out of the way and sets to work helping cut and grow enough food for everyone. The little sable nudges him this way and that even here, helping guide him but also...he feels some energy help add to his own, and it makes him smile. He doesn't mind the hard work!

Wildcard! [ Xingchen hasn't experienced much outside his mountaintop home, so this is all new and fun! Feel free to drag him anywhere or message me for plotting. ]

I. Untitled Fall Game

Geese sucked and whoever the hell decided to raise them needed to fight him personally over the offense that was their existence.

At first, Zidane had been pretty okay with the hi-jinks being caused by the freed geese, but that was at first. The moment multiple ones took several hard bites at his tail and attempted to steal his belongings (really? Stealing from a thief??), that was it.

He was about to gut a goose and no one was going to stop him...

II. Candles in the Night

The candles were really nothing to snuff at. Instead of streetlights, it was pretty nice to take a walk with them illuminating the city. And honestly, after everything he did during he month, he was going to just take it easy and walk around, taking in the displays, and resting where the egg ceremony was held.

If anyone wanted to join him? Hey, he wasn't about to deny company.

III. Triage - Stone Giant Part One

It was hell catching up to the Giant and though Zidane had items on him, getting this guy to stop would be tricky (it'd be nice to have some home abilities now). There wasn't any visible weakness to target, and using any weapons just meant dulling them or worse.

... but the Spirit Guardians were an option?

It took a moment (much longer than he would've liked), but Zidane came soaring into the fray accompanied by his Guardian and finally looks ready to fight proper. He still wasn't sure if this would work out, but they had to try...!

IV. Triage - Stone Giant Part Two

They didn't stop the Stone Giant.

Try as they might, there just weren't enough of them; or maybe the others who did receive the spirit guardian tattoo had gone elsewhere? How were they supposed to know their help would've been better going after a rock monster?

Zidane doesn't blame them - he really doesn't.

If anything, he blamed himself.

There should've been more he could've done, or something more he could have tried to do, but the Forest of the Felled was just eerily silent. The souls that had been present before were gone, absorbed within the golem. All it was now was... well, another forest. He sat on the ground with his head bowed, cursing under his breath. If approached for a conversation, he would just do his best.

Back in Camelot, he'd returned healed up, but still looking fairly put out. All he had to show proof he did anything was the vial of ancient water tucked away on his person.

V. Wildcard

OOC: This is an open prompt for anything unlisted, but planned in the CR Meme. Or, if anyone wants to do another prompt that's not here and we haven't planned prior, hit me up over on plurk:

demidemonLove!

Edited 2021-09-22 10:09 (UTC)

Untitled Fall Game

Geese are mischief-makers! Xue Yang had no idea! He watches the hijinks from a short distance, laughing until his sides hurt. But the geese have a plan for him too. One of them nips at one of his legs while another flaps at his face.

"Enough already!" he jerks away from both demonic birds and pulls out a knife, "You need to be carved!"

Yes, that is his only solution. They would make a nice Fall dish? Then again, he's not sure. He has never had goose before.

Triage - Slay The Dragon

His giddy delight over slaying a dragon is palpable. Jiangzai, his sword, is in one hand as he races under the beast's great shadow. Ying, his spectral familiar, is keeping up remarkably well and he laughs as she poofs in and out of existence, tail wagging.

"We'll get him!" and since Xue Yang is a quick study, he knows just how to use dead souls to do it. Except the giant keeps devouring them! Narrowing his eyes, he climbs to a point where he can see exactly what is happening. Ying comes to a halt at his feet, nose twitching.

"I guess those are off-limits. I'll have to make my own." he scans the immediate area for targets, grinning wildly.

Do run while you still can.

Triage - ~~Being a Sad Lump of Coal~~Healing Up

Once everything begins to calm down, Xue Yang can be found, splayed on the ground somewhere smelling like fire and death. Even his familiar has abandoned him for the moment. Take some pity, please? Or at least help him get a bath.

[OOC: You can poke me on Plurk at

tiger_eyes or on Discord at madviolinist#5122 or through PM if you have any questions/ideas!]

Edited 2021-09-22 11:05 (UTC)

o1. goose hell - Camelot, ambassador office
[what is it that geese do better than making so much bloody noise? they shit. they shit everywhere. and Cecelia will not have it.]

Away, away! Shoo!

[she is not letting her office stoop become a slurry of dirt and bird shit, so for the umpteenth time this day, she's bustled out of her office, crackling with electricity, and zapped at the geese trying to set up mayhem for others on the street too close-by.

...this does mean some folks are getting a bit zapped in the process? but look. wrong place, wrong time, and electricity is not a very obedient element to flick around as she and her unicorn familiar do.]

That's it, get! Before I think to fire and roast you all on the spot! And--oh! You! [yeah, you. she gestures, eyes wincing.] Don't!

[don't...keep walking. there's a bucket of mop water being nudged off an upper ledge by one of the geese, ready to ruin your day.]

o2. autumnal ambiance - Camelot, market square
[truly, would it not be a marker of major seasonal change if there weren't some dubious level of power at play? the only difference here is that the magic is well within her hands - and therefore the hands of others - and Cecelia does not trust many to wield the power of staying off death...

so she is frowning deeply as she rereads the book containing the spell the locals have cited as part of this preservation process, copying it into her own journal in shorthand. she's made enough room on a table loaded with jars and collected plant life to do so, but there's plenty of space for another to join her in study or practice.

her ear twitches when she gets the sense of someone drawing in close, but does not yet lift her eyes from the pages.]

I'll be done with it in a moment. Less than a moment. [scritch, scratch, scratch, and...] There. Right-- here, are you here to review the instruction? [still not looking up, she lifts the still-open book and holds it out in the stranger's direction while her eyes scan over her notes.]

o3. candlelight - Camelot, city streets
[Cecelia hasn't volunteered, per se, but simply being an elementalist and someone interested in not seeing buildings burn down means the slightest bit of rogue flame in her sight is deftly snuffed out. it means this evening she is taking a more ambling, scenic route from her office in the market district to the hotel, walking paths she is not normally apt to do.

it strikes her that she oughtn't have to remember routes at all, and yet it's been inevitable. she's been here longer than she's been most any place for any stretch of time without making contact with Felix or her other nephilim peers.

thank goodness the candlelight provides such ambiance to a pensive, somber mood! Cecelia is hardly aware of the tone she strikes as she quietly walks alone, her fiery-red hair glinting as flecks of gold where the light strikes just right, an expression so often set like flint now one more relaxed and openly thoughtful. she draws her shawl more tightly around herself as the temperature shifts more into chilly night, and her ears are so full of ambient evening that she would be slow to notice being noticed.]

o4. dragon quest i - outside Camelot
[chasing a rampaging dragon on foot is ludicrous and she knows it, but panic compelled her to hasten outside the city before stopping to catch her breath.

she then whirls around to flag down the next person heading out on horse (or other such mount):] I need a lift! Hurry, now!

o5. dragon quest ii - outside Celliwig
[look, she doesn't really love this town much either, but this is ridiculous.]

Why this city? Why this far from its trove?

[she can only wonder aloud as the shape of the beast draws closer...and larger. gads, how long has it been since she's had to go toe to toe with a proper dragon? her first instance had been when she was still but a girl of 16, when that beast had risen out of the ashes of the dormant volcano she had found herself trapped in...and mocked her.

rightly so - she'd been not but a shaking, fearful child. that is not the case anymore.]

You there.

[she'll lock eyes with someone near.] I mean to try and get that beast to speak. I can likely get myself and another aloft to reach them, but I'll need protection. Will you help me?

o6. ashes - the burn pile formerly known as Celliwig
[well...

dragons are gonna dragon. Cecelia didn't ask for such a blatant example of her own lack of power in the world, but here it is all the same. ash-covered and battle-worn, she does not get very far on her own two feet before staggering to a hard sit on one of the broken cobblestone streets where once stood glassy storefronts filled with peculiar people.

it was an irritating place, but one that did not deserve this.]

Candles: Camelot, streets, Sept 20th

[ Somnus cannot be found this night among the festivities. Instead, there is a post up on the network by the username 000000, and it reads the following: ]
i require the expertise of a bloodmage and an alchemist. they needn't be the same person. meet me at the westernmost warehouse.

[ Since he's abysmal at typing on the network or using any such technology, replies will be slow to those that respond. For those who simply head for the warehouse indicated, Somnus will be standing, his back against the warehouse and arms crossed until you arrive. When he sees you, he straightens and beckons you over, his expression as grim, entirely unsuited for the festivities... the din of which can still be heard echoing off the empty alleyways between buildings. ]

Stone Giant: Outside Camelot, Sept 22

[ He is familiar with riding horseback, and so when he's offered the animal, he wastes no time breaking off to give chase. The animal is suited to him, as well as battle: tall, strong, muscular, and brave, for the horse doesn't shirk from the Giant's lengthy strides and the boulders kicked up by its heels. His spirit guardian is the silhouette of an armored dragon, its wings made from what looks to blades.

To anyone watching, it's obvious that he's apt this sort of combat. Unfortunately, the giant seems to be absorbing the souls meant for the equinox's dead-guidance rituals.

There's no time to think, though, not really. Should a boulder tossed up by the giant's steps fall from high, he'll be using his sword, kinetically, to slice clean through it so that it doesn't strike you. The bisected pieces create a heavy shockwave upon the soft ground, but the resulting jostle is nothing compared to the Stone Giant's heavy footfalls ahead. They are making some progress, but will it be enough? ]

Forest of the Felled: Outside Camelot, Sept 22

[ While not immediately known to those who ride after the goliath, the Stone Giant eventually makes its rest in the middle of the Forest of the Felled, letting out one final cry before it turns immobile, inert, and immovable. The small force that had set out to stop this ancient being have failed.

Somnus stands a few meters from the creature, his robes, cloak, and hair in disarray from the exhausting ride it had taken to chase the giant. Thick mud lines the hem of his robes and cakes the soles of his boots. He is injured, but only slightly: a cut upon his forearm, shallow but bright with some blood, and that same arm being nursed by his other as if it had been struck by something heavy (a wayward boulder as kicked up by the Giant, if anyone was near him with the chase). Somnus' greatsword and spear hover behind him, but they're readily dropped, their pointed ends plunging to the ground as he releases the kinetic magic he holds upon them, allowing their blades to be sheathed by the earth. Wordlessly, Somnus approaches the Giant, and he lifts up a calloused hand to its face, his expression momentarily showing something other than its usual, severe grimness. Dejection, perhaps? Or peace.

The moment passes. Silently, his fingers slip from the stone facet, and he turns his back to it.

A: Find him in this reflective moment. Or...

B: ...Find him after a few hours pass, and he's made a small campsite and fire beneath one of the trees, his cloak bundled around his shoulders and his new horse grazing nearby. Somnus gnaws on a piece of dried jerky, quiet, but should you be there and in need of a fire, he'll gesture towards it to share its warmth with you. ]

Ruins: Celliwig, Sept 23

[ As soon as he returns to Camelot, he sets out on horseback in an attempt to assess the damage done. It turns out there's nothing much to see-- not anymore. Ashes cake the streets, smoke rises from dying fires beneath the rubble. A few stragglers walk among piles of debris in hopes of finding any lost trinket that survived their home.

Somnus leans down to pick up a doll-- with his good hand, mind you, for the other is in a bandage. Stitched from cornsilk and stuffed with beads, it is a meager toy, but the wear upon its pale strings for hair and patchwork dress show that not all damage done to it was only by the attack.

His thumb brushes over one of its button eyes, dusting soot from it, and then he turns, cloak rippling behind him. Should you be nearby, he'll ask: ] The refugees... Those who survived are housed in Camelot, no?

Camelot: Streets, Sept 24

[ Find him here among the refugees:
a) He's just returned the doll as mentioned above to its owner.
b) Somnus is brushing out his new horse, somewhere just outside of Camelot.
c) He sits at the edge of a fountain, stretching his injured arm and wrist so as to test its versatility after a round of someone's healing.
d) He can converse with you about how news of the giant's purpose, that it is an being more ancient than the gods. "The fae say any soul it takes is no more. Have you heard of such a thing before?" He has, but. He doesn't mention this. ]

Wildcard

[ Have an idea in mind for Somnus? Wildcard me here, PM this account, PP drinksteapots or reach me at Jade294#6977 ! ]

Untitled Fall Game

[Azul is in full business mode, which means he can be found doing one of two things during the festivities:

First, he'll be trying to flag someone who looks helpful and physically capable because, well:]

I need as many of those geese as you can catch, and I'll pay you for them. More than what whoever owned them would.

[That is free and easy holiday meals for Golden Silence, okay? Who cares that it's not fish, it's goose. That stuff is good.

When he's taken care of that, though, he can be found enchanting bell jars for herbs and speaking with a few people about the risks versus the rewards of using it himself.

And having decided that it's not worth it, he'll be offering the bell jars to anyone who looks like they might want a dark-magic-infused bell jar for their plants.]

Triage

[Well, this is about to be a mess.

But also a wonderful opportunity for Azul, who takes one look at the chaos erupting and promptly decides that of course the best thing for him to do would be to open his restaurant to refugees and aid workers!

So, over the network but also in person if he sees you standing around stunned:]

Help bring people to Golden Silence, or come help me get it ready for refugees. We were closed today, but I have a kitchen and plenty of space for people who need to eat.

[Any volunteers who accept may have to fill out a form, but really it's just so he knows who helped him! So they can be properly recompensed at a later date.

(Next month he's getting a safe to keep all of this stuff in so he can go through it and make lists. God, he needs lists.)]

Wildcard

[Azul will be around Camelot, so really just feel free to throw whatever at him!]

Untitled Fall Game

[Hijikata has been living in Riou's camp by the lake for a few weeks now, so the seasonal changes in Camelot City are all the more apparent to him when he goes there every few days to carry out quests, patrol the streets, or stock up on supplies (though thanks to his bottomless mug he won't run out of mayonnaise any time soon). Today his primary objective is to secure some cigarettes, which is accomplished easily enough - until a goose snatches the pack out of his hand while he lights up the first cigarette with his fire magic. His death glare leaves the bird thoroughly unimpressed as it sets off down the street. The samurai draws his sword as he gives chase. Stealing his cigarettes is not something anyone gets away with!]

Come back!! Who the hell do you think you are?!

Triage

A ⦿ A Ritual Disrupted

[On the day of the autumn equinox Hijikata is admittedly a little nervous. He hasn't sensed the presence of the spirit guardian at all ever since it was sealed into his skin, so he doesn't know what to expect. He carries all his potions and magical items in his bag, just in case anything goes wrong. As he follows the light of the candles to the town square, though, he gradually feels more relaxed. Everybody is positively excited, yet people are keeping their voices subdued so as to not disturb the mystic atmosphere.

Between the glowing symbols on the ground, the robed ritual leaders, and the many, many ghosts who are present among the living and mingling just like them it's a special night for sure, and he braces himself to do whatever his duty is... and then there's the huge, sudden earthquake. As the titanic stone giant stomps out of the colossal dust cloud that used to be the nearest mountain, large enough to clearly be seen across the considerable distance, and pulls the fairy coins and the ghosts towards it Hijikata is honestly sell-shocked.]

What the..!! That was..!

[He heard people talk about the huge pair of legs down in Lestari... were those this giant's legs? Why in the world did it wake up tonight of all nights?! Did somebody plan this?]

B ⦿ Choose Your Battle

[When the giant purple dragon lights up the dark sky with its flames of fury Hijikata snaps back into action. He runs into a smaller square nearby that is almost free of people and shoots a large fireball straight up into the air - his agreed summoning for the armoured archaeopteryx that has taken a liking to him. Luckily the disaster that just occurred had it flying towards Camelot for him anyway, so it sees his signal straight away and lands within moments. He gets on its back and wants to take off without further ado when one of the ritual leaders stops him.]

Wait! You are hosting a spirit guardian, right? Go after the stone giant and help the souls it captured!

[Hijikata feels vastly underlevelled against the mountain-tall giant that's stomping across the island like it's a scaled-down map, but he gives a sharp nod. This is what he signed up for by getting that egg cracked on him, apparently. He'll figure it out as he goes! If anyone else is able to join him in the air on a flying carpet, a winged familiar, or perhaps by using their magic, they can race each other there.]

C ⦿ Exorcism Deluxe, Part I

[As the archaeopteryx soars across the land at high speed Hijikata can see some skeletons walking in the direction of Camelot... what the hell is going on tonight?! He tries to keep his focus on the stone giant, though, despite also seeing the large dragon cutting through the sky in the distance. God, it seems to be headed towards Celliwig. What the hell did its people do?! Was it them who awoke the stone giant? But why?

Once he's overhead the colossus he makes his steed land on its shoulder (which the giant doesn't react to). As the dinosaur lifts off with a concerned cry Hijikata rams his sword into the giant's huge neck, simply to have something to hold on to as its huge steps shake everything, and uses his lit cigarette to draw symbols into the air. Once five symbols hover in place, faint and smokey, he slams his palm into the empty space in the middle to activate the spell, and a magical glow connects the symbols into a five-pointed star with rotating gylphs running across the lines. It's a new exorcism method he exchanged for the cumbersome invocation he used to help purify the Mirror of the Brave of Soul and Pure of Heart.]

I, a representative of the living world, command you: release these spirits!

[He just totally changed the wording ad-hoc - after all the souls inside the stone giant aren't possessing it maliciously -, but the pentagram nonetheless lights up with a bright golden light as it begins to draw out the first soul. Perhaps someone else who also decided to get on top of the giant wants to keep him company up here?]

D ⦿ Exorcism Deluxe, Part II

[Hijikata manages to extract three souls from the giant before he feels his strength waning. He's breathing hard, but he needs to keep going! So it's a big relief when his familiar arrives. The crow tengu was acutely affected by the collapse of the mountain and had to come a long way to check on his bond partner, and despite his unflappable beak-faced appearance the stress is visible in how he grips Hijikata's shoulders to make sure he's okay.]

Hijikata-san--

I know! We've got no time to lose. Hold on tight.

[He pulls out the latest iteration of the familiar fusion spell he tried out: a glass sphere containing what looks like mist. He breaks it over their heads, and the mist magnifies and envelops them. Once it disperses they are properly fused into what essentially looks like Hijikata with large black wings wearing Arashi's robes and adornments. Like the last couple of times it's Arashi in control, but their synchronisation has improved greatly, and he can quickly access Hijikata's inventory of knowledge without having to first hold an internal conversation with him.

Using the same exorcism spell as before Arashi sets up two additional glowing pentagrams to get more souls out of the giant as it keeps walking towards the Forest of the Felled with heavy steps. Arashi can feel Hijikata's desperation: once the titan reaches that forest it'll likely absorb all the cursed, demented souls within, and who's to say what will happen then?]

That forest is cursed, is it not... if those spirits' will takes over this giant, then this island may be wholly destroyed.

E ⦿ Spirit Guardian Reveal

[Once the ritual leaders catch up with the giant and instruct those who received a tattoo on how to release their spirit guardian Arashi has to do it for Hijikata. He holds out his hand and casts a powerful air spell that spirals upwards like a whirlwind, though flames from Hijikata's arsenal are interspersed.

Use my life to strengthen yours!

[He immediately buckles to his knees as the three-petaled symbol between his shoulder blades begins to glow. Since the spirit guardian was with Hijikata this whole time it takes a form that was informed by his nature: a dragon ~~which is a tad bit unfortunate, given the current ongoings~~. Arashi can hear the name Hijikata gives it as it forces its way through the narrow tattoo portal: Tamegorou, the name of Hijikata's older brother, a person who protected him and whom he wanted to protect in return.

Arashi briefly looks on as the shadow dragon begins to draw souls out of the giant, then swings himself back up into the air to return to his glowing exorcism wheels. By now there's a good number of ghosts all around them, confused and lost for the most part, but comforted by the presence of the spirit guardians. Arashi is honestly reeling from the pain of the dragon's release, though it is gradually decreasing. Is anyone nearby sees him struggle he'll make an effort to stand up straight.]

We must continue. The forest is close now.

F ⦿ Failure

[In the end everybody's efforts are in vain. As soon as the stone giant has sucked up the countless lost souls in the Forest of the Felled it kneels down - an act that shakes Arashi off its shoulder, and he barely manages to fly back to get Hijikata's embedded sword -, and after extracting a few more ghosts his exorcism spells run on without having any further effect.]

..?

[The giant, without warning, lets out a loud, resounding scream, then the last faint glow of the fairy coins dies down, and it stops moving. Much as Arashi and everybody else tries, they cannot save any more souls. The giant appears to have digested them. While Arashi tries to make sense of it the familiar fusion's effect runs out, and before he knows it he's shrouded in mist again before ending up unconscious on the ground next to Hijikata, now each back in his own body.

Whether somebody chooses to take care of the human or the youkai or both, they'll be out for the count for the next 24 hours. After that, though, they'll have plenty of questions.]

Flower Preservation
(Harry was initially reluctant to go into another Solstice/Equinox festival, considering everything he has went through in the previous Solstice and Equinox events, until some of the locals told that the festivities will be more calming and fun than the previous ones, so he does give in with cautious optimism and participates in the festivities. While at the festival, someone offers him a chance to teach him how to preserve the flowers he could gather for the winter through drying and pressing. This gets him pretty excited to try out it and help in the preservation of plant life.)

Well, this is going to be fun. Hmmm, I wonder which flower I should go for first.

Nighttime Candles
(When night comes, the young man soon finds how lovely Camelot becomes at night when streetlights give way for candlelight. He looks at the lovely night time scenery as he enjoys the warm light the candles give as he walks around the city; while walking around the city center, he could see that many paths would lead back to the town square where the ritual will take place.

When someone walks up to him and asks if he could join in the candle lighting fun, he agrees to do it since he does want to get better in fire magic. So there he is, joining a few locals in the candle lighting contest as they compete for the best candle display against their equally competitive neighbors. Want to join him in the fun?)

Lestari Rescue Mission
(He could’ve sworn that his heart sunk when he heard that Lestari has been destroyed by a rampaging stone giant and that there could be people in need of help and rescuing: seeing lives being lost reminds him too much of what happened in the Battle in Hogwarts and he wants to make sure that anyone who survived the attacks are rescued quickly and safely, even if he might get hurt in the process. And to make things even more heart-wrenching, he was visiting the city with Akira some time before this happened.

So it shouldn’t be a surprise that Harry joins in the rescue mission as a combatant to fend off any threats and defend the survivors and healers. As the group approaches the Ash Mountains towards where Lestari used to be in, he looks to the person besides him, wondering what is on their mind while trying not to imagine the magnitude of damages Lestari has been through.)

Oh gee, I just hope that there are still people out there. Is there anything on your mind right now before we go and try to find anyone trapped inside?

Wildcard
(Got a different prompt to play with? Put them down in the comments below. You can contact me at

mariscorner or on Discord at Mariposa21 #4257.)

UNTITLED FALL GAME

I

There are many great and horrible monsters in the world. But none are so horrific as the ones that they now faced. None more dangerous, more deadly more… more… okay so it was geese. Big, fat geese ready for the pot. But if there’s one thing that Beowulf knew about the fierce, feathered fiends, it’s those geese make excellent guards as well as tasty snacks. So here was, running around, two geese already caught in the grip of his large arms.

“Oi! Get back here!”

Alright, so maybe he’s causing a bit more unintentional trouble than he intended to. Chasing around a horde of fat geese through a busy street, yelling over their honking as they knock crap over and get into people’s ways. But that might also just the geese being nefarious as they were chased by the hulking mountain of muscle.

II – Flower Pressing and Crowns

This one might come as a bit of a surprise to those who know him, and even bigger shock to those who don’t. But currently Beowulf was sitting among of flowers, practicing preserving the plants in jars. Given that he didn’t have green magic himself, the shift in how he uses his own magic was more than just a little bit of a change of pace. He seemed focused as he did so, but rather calm and peaceful. Despite his overall intimidating form. In the meantime, his familiar was very much enjoying herself. Weaving a crown of flowers into his hair, with the plants already weaved into her own, smiling and giggling at her handiwork.

Overall, it looked like quite a bit of relaxed fun! And there was still plenty flowers and herbs left to save and pick.

To Slay A Dragon

I – Fighting the Wyrm

“I’LL HAVE YOUR LIZARD HEAD—ON A SPIKE!”

Of course, out of all the things to ruin an otherwise peaceful moment, it had to be a dragon. All else was drowned out as the berserker could feel his anger rising. The girl’s birthday was today, his master was potentially in danger along with his allies. The damnable wyrm was going to destroy everything in its path and would not stop. He knew it wouldn’t, knew the feelings of having your home wiped away in the creature’s wake. Of seeing his people, of seeing the innocent suffer because of such a creature’s hatred, greed, and contempt for all.

Such a creature has to be destroyed, must be destroyed on site. Dragons are no Grendel, no Grendel’s mother, but they are pests. The grip on his swords tightened as rushed towards the giant beast, nothing but red in his eyes. Anyone trying to stop him will be bowled over, anyone trying to talk about appeasing the beast will be ignored. There is only one ultimate, single goal in his mind now, to stop and kill the dragon before it can wrench the life from others.

To save others the pain of its fire. Those who need help will also find it in him as well, as Beowulf will occasionally stop to pull people out of harms way and use his healing magic to quickly fix them up before giving chase again. He'd already sent his familiar off to help elsewhere.

[ooc: I’m happy to plot out specifics for those who’d like to do so. I’m also fine with simply winging it and following another person’s lead. Feel free to comment here or pm me~.]

II—Nothing remains Cities ruined, turned to dust All has been lost

He stood among the sea of flames and ash and rubble. His injuries were numerous, but he didn’t seem to mind them at all. The remains of his one of his swords was held in his hand. While Hrunting hung down the chain it was hitched to on his wrist. While his tattoos and scars seemed to glow with an untamed energy all their own; echoing the depths of his strength and heat of the flames. His nose flared as he breathed in the soot and ash, memories of people screaming and crying and calling for help mingled with the here and now. Such is what a dragon does, and marks what it is. Such is what experience has taught him in the past, his teeth clenched together as he breathed in deeper. He had a cracked rib….

If it had only been him… he shakes the thought for him his head. Pride getting the better of him, pride, and anger. There was nothing for it now but to salvage what they could. Injuries were ignored for now, though he could easily heal them if he chose to do so. It was better to save his attention and strength for those that needed.

Without a word, he began to quell his anger, focusing it instead on pulling someone out of a pile of rubble, mustering his great strength to lift the remains of a large, crumbled wall off some unfortunate person with a growl, blood pouring out of his wounds and headless from the burns that covered him. Above all, the semblances of what made him a hero and king still won out. He’d still stand despite his injuries and do so for the sake of others and pull them out of whatever nightmare scenario they found themselves in.

“Hurry and move if you can….”

The crown of flowers he'd made earlier with others still sat hanging gingerly at his waist. Partially crushed and burnt, but still there and holding together.

Edited 2021-09-22 20:19 (UTC)

UNTITLED FALL GAME

I – Moby Duck

Belgium was giggling as she ran after a group of geese. This was all quite silly, and a great workout for her! She can already imagine all the dishes that she could use the birds for in her mind. Roasted goose, vegetables sautéed in their grease, soups, stews and so on. Just the though made her stomach grumble slightly, and perhaps that didn’t help matters much. As the birds redoubled their efforts to get away from the woman.

“Ah, quick try and catch one or two!” She called out as the horde of feathers began to rush towards another person, potentially risking bowling them over under their webbed feet!

Oh dear….

II—Lights and Dates

It was a long month for her, not necessarily busy, or at least not quite as busy as when she’d first opened her business. Simply long and dull, with the only bit of fun being that one quest involving the strippers, this all helped brighten things up a bit. She hummed along slowly, taking her time to enjoy the sights of the candlelit streets. Her skirt lightly rustling and moving with each step as her heels clacked along the streets as she moved in step with the other person next to her.

The impromptu date was also quite welcomed too. Always happy to make new friends and acquaintances as she went along. Or to strengthen past ties; and to be quite honest, the company was always welcomed no matter what.

“So where to next?”

The Stone Giant

I—EXPLOSION

Okay, maybe she was a bit hasty here. Or more than a little hasty as she set up the explosives, she quickly prepared using her alchemy. It was her first time using her magic to make something like this, and first time using it in such a manner. Going from creating food and cooking utensils, to some sort of mockup of TNT was a huge change of pace for her! But, well, she didn’t really have any other way of contributing here beyond trying to be a distraction.

Belgium wasn’t wholly certain just how powerful the explosives would be, or how effective they would be against a thing that size and magnitude. But dang it she was going to do her best! It was a bit difficult to ride ahead of the giant, but the mounts that Archimedes provided were more than a little useful here. She preset the explosives roughly in the path where the giant would be walking. Making certain to instruct anyone near her to make way as she set the makeshift traps up. When the large, stone creature drew close enough she set the explosives off to quite a large boom!

Causing her knees to shake and feel a portion of the blast rip through her, even at the distance she placed herself. Unfortunately, she had also been a bit too close to the blast and bits of debris hit her and knocked her down. Her mount would be spooked off from the loud bang, leaving her on the ground with cuts, scraps, bruises, and a nasty gash on her head. She could feel her ribs having fractured and a piece of wood was now stuck in one shoulder.

The giant, in the meantime, was now lumbering towards her once the smoke settled, more than a little peeved, getting ready to crush her. Oh dear….

II – Rest and Recovery

She managed to get away… somehow, by the skin of her teeth. It was a good effort, she figured. But in the end, it simply wasn’t enough. She frowned, looking around at the other patients and everyone else milling about here and there. Well, at least things weren’t a total loss. Seeing how many lived through the evident disaster.

She sighed, laying back down on her cot, bandages littering her body. A cast on her leg, arm in a sling, head and chest wrapped up. Business is business and all that, a person wins some and loses others, she told herself from experience. This was, overall, nothing compared to what she’s faced before alongside her brothers and friends.

Her eyes closed a little as she relaxed, each breath hurt her chest. But she powered through it all, what she wouldn’t give for a bit of pain killer though….

[ooc: So same thing as with Beowulf. For those interested in something more specific feel free to either pm me or comment over here.]

I. The Preservation of Flowers

Some nonsense with geese occurring elsewhere, Naomi's sitting with a few others, flowers and herbs once again gathered, and a few glass bell jars resting in the center. The herbs were more on the medicinal side, but she'd picked mainly lilies among the flowers to work with. Learning drying and pressing is one thing, but the magically preserving...

Picking up a jar, she watched as skeletal hands etch themselves upon the glass, each looking like they're grasping the jar in a way similar to Naomi herself. Bringing it over one of her few lilies and enclosing it, that should do the trick.

"..."

Now, to see how her healing magic affected the bell next, but she would press a flower or two first and let herself recover. Her previous jar was highly visible to anyone else, and the skeletal hands with skin that reappears by the wrist might be a rather haunting vision to other preserving plants with her.

II. Lights Flicker and Burn

Candles were used for plenty of ceremonies; religious, cultural, traditional... representative of plenty, but mainly of life, and death. Flickering in the night, the wax a story of their life burning down to the end, but so fragile they could go out at any moment.

And here she was thinking about it while staring at a candle arrangement shaped like a cat.

She tilted her head. Why was it always cats?

Crossing her arms, she would continue to walk on alone, lost to her own thoughts, maybe unaware that someone had come to walk with her. Or perhaps someone choosing to rearrange a candle display might find themselves with an observer overlooking their work.

III. Triage - Lestari Part One

The earthquake, the eruption... three ways to go, but its an emergency situation. Camelot felt the shake, but since their survivability would be managed by the unharmed citizens, there was somewhere else she needed to be once the call was made by King Arthur.

Whichever method provided to reach Lestari the fastest, she would take and immediately set to work. It was still chaotic and it looked like the disruption also put them under attack by disturbed faes and spirits alike. No matter, they weren't going to impede rescue efforts.

"I need someone to check this pile with me, hurry up!"

IV. Triage - Lestari Part Two

For what occurred, they could've faired worse. Lestari might be lost, but plenty of people would survive - had survived and were transported to Camelot despite those attempting to hinder them.

Naomi stripped off her gloves and let out a breath, looking around. They'd found quite a few things as well buried in the rubble that weren't exactly important, but some people back in Camelot would appreciate it made it too. Still, that's not what had her interest; it was what a few of her patients had told her.

"We'll have to address the network when we return..."

She was speaking to whomever was next to her, and probably assisted her significantly throughout the whole operation.

Because the truth about the Stone Golem needed to be known whether the ones who had gone to confront it wanted to be aware or not.

V. Wildcard

OOC: This is an open prompt for anything unlisted, but planned in the CR Meme. Or, if anyone wants to do another prompt that's not here and we haven't planned prior, hit me up over on plurk:

demidemonLove!

1. Fighting/Transformation

When Homura ran off away from her mother, she assumed the giant had some help. Could hardly just let them ruin the ritual. That ended up biting the shinobi in the ass, time and energy wasted in threats that simply didn't matter. The skeletons were hardly even a threat, easily broken with swift dashing strikes. Maybe her assumption was wrong? Hard to tell. She didn't have nearly enough knowledge of dark magic to make another educated guess.

And she was lacking time as the stone giant kept advancing. Even with all those guardians providing help, they were only doing so much. The snake around her neck piped up, making a noise to get Homura's attention. She knew the plan and nodded with a grin, even taking out the special bottle and letting Tsumuji drink it.

"Right, guess it's our first public debut! Now…" She motioned her arms forward, hand signs forming, all as the fangs her familiar began to glow. "Shinobi….Transformation!"

The moment the words were uttered, she felt those sharp fangs pierce her skin. A tremendous force of fire consumed the ninja and her partner, any nearby skeletons caught and blown by the force of wind too. By the time her form was revealed, almost nothing changed...at first. Her skin seemed different, shining more thanks to the intense flames. And her eyes were much more similar to the snake partner previously around her neck. It was a strange symbiosis, the features of her familiar not shown strongly.

But the power was unmistakably there, as she used wind magic to propel herself upward, ready to join the fight, all with a grin on her face. May not have been like the transformation back home, but it was quite a rush.

2. Failure

...it was over. The giant had done whatever the hell it wanted, all attacks virtually useless, and everyone around the ninja giving up. And yet she still kept fighting in vain. It couldn't be over, not yet! She still had time! Even with ten minutes left, she kept slashing with claws made of fire. And each strike barely cut away at the giant. Even with the enhanced magic, fatigue clearly set in, and Homura couldn't keep up, not anymore. Everything now was just venting anger, getting out all of the rage.

She made her mother come out here. She failed the souls who now couldn't pass on. And now, unable to even do the one job given to her, it hurts like all hell. Having spent a good long time in a place of fallen shinobi, watching friends reunite with loved ones...it scared her to think if something like this titan was over there, and their powers couldn't work.

Eventually she stops, leaning against the motionless creature, head against stone as she struggled to stay up. "Damn it all...it wasn't even close…"

3. Couch-surfing

Those who were looking for Homura, she'd at Morgan's dojo. In a rush, she asked for a place to stay for a while, went to the room, and never left. Not out of depression though. Fatigue was the real anchor. But she'd by lying if she wasn't afraid of talking to some people. She didn't even want to meet the refugees after the double failure of not killing the dragon.

Only those close to her or Morgan would even know she was here. Though they would just still find Homura on the bed, awake but unwilling to move. She didn't even look at who arrived. "If you want more training, not in the mood. Still tired as hell."

Triage A-Purple Dragon Attack

When everything started going wrong, Edelgard was quick to act. A dragon was bearing down towards Celliwig, and Edelgard had some recent experience with slaying dragons. It was time for the Emperor of Fódlan to get to work.

She'd taken control of the situation quickly at the gates to Camelot by doing what she did best; acting like she was in command and yelling a lot. It's enough to whip a small force, one of many strike forces heading out, into battle, of which Edelgard takes command. The group probably includes a few other outworlders who for one reason or another, have chosen to come with her.

Placing themselves in the path of the coming dragon, between it and Celliwig, Edelgard continues to give orders, setting up a defense. "I need all Blood Mages to form up on me! By manipulating the beast's blood we should be able to turn it sluggish and tired, but it will require all our magical skill to make certain. Focus your power and don't let up, it's going to fight us to regain control. If you do not have Blood Magic, stand by and prepare for a fight. Weapons, or magic, whichever gives you the bigger advantage. When I give the signal, and the dragon has been exhausted, hit it with everything you have. Make no mistake, tonight it's either the dragon or every Fae in Celliwig. If it doesn't withdraw, it dies."

She turns to face where the beast is coming from. Already the sounds of its rampage are growing closer. It'll be on top of them in minutes. "Get ready! We don't have much time. Blood Mages, with me!"

She faces the sounds of the oncoming rampage with grim determination. Not another Fhirdiad. Not tonight. Not ever again.

Triage B-Celliwig Aftermath

They failed.

She failed.

The plan had fallen apart. Infighting, bickering, an attempt made at brokering a peace. Edelgard had let it go on too long. Stupid of her to think peace was ever possible. The dragon had lost what little patience it had and resumed the attack before Edelgard was ready to counter; there was no time to set up the Blood Mages, not enough warriors to mount an effective assault against an enraged and able-bodied dragon.

And Celliwig had paid the price for her naivete.

She stands in the ruins, making herself see and feel the consequences of her failure. There are survivors...too few. The city is ashes, and worst of all, the dragon escaped. It wreaked this destruction and then, just...left. Unimpeded.

"This could have been avoided." She half-whispers it mostly to herself, but anyone standing nearby will likely hear it, as her hand clenches into a fist. "This could have been avoided." She repeats in rising anger. "There was a plan. This didn't have to happen!"

Aftermath-Houseguests [Locked to Byleth, Robin, and Musse]

Camelot was coming apart at the seams thanks to the refugee crisis the destruction of both Lestari and Celliwig had caused. Too many mouths, not enough to go around, and certainly not enough space. Everyone was having to do their part, and that included Edelgard and Byleth. The hotel needed all the rooms it could get, so Edelgard had extended two separate invitations to two of the newer arrivals who she had become acquainted with and felt friendly towards in Lestari; the tactician Robin, and fellow military school attendee Musse. One of them could take the guest room and the other would have to make do with Edelgard's studio, temporarily cleaned out of her art supplies to serve as a makeshift bedroom.

A knock on the door signifies the arrival of their first guest. Edelgard is there to open it. "Welcome, welcome. Do come in. Can I help you with any bags?"

Candle Pathway

[With the idea that creative displays of candles were encouraged, Gaius is frowning at a pack of unlit candles, trying to decide what do make. He might just ask for your opinion.]

Do you know what kind of pattern would even look decent with candle light?

Triage C

[It had been hard to decide where to go and what to do. Gaius could only be in one place at a time. Even though he might be welcome in a fight with a dragon or a golem, he decided the best use for his skills would be rescuing people and protecting healers.

It might not be the right decision, but it's the one he chose. More than anything, he felt he wanted a chance to be able to help save others, especially knowing now that Rean somehow would be fine.

So you'll find him helping out refugees and guarding healers and maybe asking you,]

Are you all right? Do you need any help?

Untitled Goose Mischief

The candlelight pathway of the autumnal equinox gives Camelot an unearthly beauty. The city is quiet and peaceful as lovers enjoy a stroll down the illuminated streets...until the inevitable disruption.

"HEY! COME BACK HERE THIS INSTANT YOU FEATHERBRAIN!"

The lovers' peace and quiet is broken as a goose runs by, wings flapping in a tizzy, a red gem set into a metal talisman clutched tightly in its beak. It rounds a corner just in time to be barely missed by a series of razor-sharp flower petals embedding themselves into the stonework of a nearby house. Following quickly behind is Lina Inverse, missing one of the Demon's Blood Amulets she bought off a reticent Trickster Priest a few years back and pissed off about it.

Tossing the now petal-less flower she'd been carrying aside, Lina reaches into the satchel she wears for something else; best investment she ever made now that she needs material components on hand to cast most of her spells. She withdraws a small gourd, closes her hand around it to charge it with magic and then lobs it as hard as she can towards the fleeing goose. The glowing gourd glows brightly as it arcs through the night air, towards the pavement...just as the goose passes underneath it before it his the ground and emits a small explosion. Enough to leave a small smoking crater in the road where the gourd bomb had landed, but alas, not big enough to catch the goose in its radius.

"Oh, come ON! I need that amulet back!" Lina whines in frustration, continuing to run. "AS SOON AS I CATCH UP TO YOU I AM TAKING MY AMULET BACK, THEN YOU ARE REALLY GOING TO BE COOKED, GOOSE!"

She means that literally. She is going to cook and eat the goose. Her final revenge. In the meantime, she's going to keep destroying small sections of Camelot until the goose is caught so maybe someone should help her before the damage gets...out of hand.

Triage-Stone Giant

That is...a very big giant. Of course Lina knew that, given they could see it all the way from Camelot but up close it is...wow. Yeah. It's very big. Probably bigger than anything else Lina has ever faced.

And that just makes her want to be part of the group that takes it down all the more. A guy made of that much stone must be hiding all manner of rare minerals and valuable gems inside. Time to crack them open and find out.

"YO, ROCKY!" She yells confidently, reaching into her satchel. "YOU KNOW WHAT YOUR PROBLEM IS? TOO MUCH IRON, NOT ENOUGH GREEN IN YOUR DIET! LEMME HELP YOU WITH THAT!"

She takes out another gourd bomb and tosses it as hard as she can at the Stone Giant's passing feet. It doesn't even clear the ankle, and the dent the explosion makes is...overall minimal.

"Damn it. We're gonna get nowhere fast as this rate. Hey, you!" She pulls the nearest other outworlder over by the arm, and shoves another glowing gourd into your hand.

"I got an idea. Take this and hurl it at Rocky as hard as you can." It has joints, right? Knees. Lina can't toss the bomb that high, but if someone else threw it for her, she could use Kinetic Magic to zoom it the rest of the distance. "Aim for its knee will ya? We gotta get this thing closer to our level if we're gonna fight it."

Triage-Aftermath

Well, that royally sucked. No defeated Stone Giant, no precious minerals or gems to be looted, just...one blown up city. Oh no wait, two. Two blown up cities. Needless to say, Lina is feeling her inadequacy pretty hard right now. And she doesn't like that. She needs something to do, some win she can score both to make herself feel better and to make sure that...that some good comes of all this.

One of the other beasties was a dragon, right? And it apparently flew off too. But dragons have treasure hoards, and this one left the one it guarded all alone. It's buried under a lot of rubble, but that won't stop determined looters, and Lina is determined to have first crack at it.

Well, at least the night is young.

She makes her way to where the dragon's cave was located. It's all pretty caved in now thanks to the Stone Giant. Using her Kinetic magic, Lina begins pulling the boulders and rubble away to make a passage. It takes hours, the rest of the night and well into the next day, since Lina has to stop for breaks to recharge, but in the end she creates a small enough passage for one person to get through into the now quite abandoned and quite abundant treasure hoard.

She doesn't take any pride in this, or her usual joy at finding such untapped riches. Instead she merely staggers forward, half sits down, half collapses at the edge of the pile, and starts sorting.

"Donate...donate...donate...donate...keep...donate...donate...donate...donate...keep...donate...donate..." The "donate" pile grows larger, much, much more quickly than the "keep" pile.

If you come investigating later, and find the tunnel Lina carved out, she looks up over her shoulder. "Yeah, figured someone else would be by before too long. This is my area, but go ahead and take another spot if you want. Not like there's not enough to go around.

There are two piles of treasure next to her. One is relatively small, tiny jewelry items, precious gems that can be easily stored. The other is larger and Lina hasn't quite...worked out how she's getting this all back to Camelot yet, but she will. She's Lina Inverse!

"Donate...donate...donate...donate...keep...donate...donate...donate..." There's gonna be a lot less treasure by the time she has a chance to get back here. She needs to get as much as she can now.

[Risk of violent content or descriptions of violence in threads.]

1. dragon's slayer...

[Yuber manages to reach the city of Celliwig atop a stolen horse ridden with practiced expertise.

By the time he arrives the city is already in flames, a sight that fills his heart with excitement. He charges forward then leaps from his steed into the crackling ruin.

Other fighters may see him springing around the streets like an acrobat, taking swings at the dragon every time it lands with precise, powerful strikes from his two swords. Sometimes he hauls a struggling resident to safety but if it seems like saving civilians isn't his main concern it's because it isn't.]

2. ...or not

[Once the melee is over and the dragon has left, Yuber looks out over the ashes that used to be a city. He'd liked the fey, had identified with them, but he feels nothing for those who are dead.

Instead his mind is reeling with the possibilities this destruction could cause. Distress, disorder, conflict... it will be sweet.

When someone approaches he doesn't turn to them but rumbles out loud, eyes still on the ashes...]

Look at this ruin, isn't it beautiful?

Edited 2021-09-23 01:42 (UTC)

Preserving Flowers

[Makoto knew he wouldn't be up to the task of keeping the herbs and flowers preserved in jar, so he opted to learn the usual method. It seemed a bit redundant when his fiancé was a green mage and their garden was flourishing already while they still continued fixing up their home. But he wanted to learn, for days when JJ wasn't home or something. He wasn't very good the more domestic stuff, although he had always wanted to learn due to feeling like he was probably going to always take care of Haruka even after high school. But even as they had begun to start their own paths, and then Makoto going to Lunatia before arriving at Camelot, he was now on his own. So, it was time he pulled his weight at home that didn't always involve hard labor (although he did enjoy fixing up the place and working in construction in Camelot in between teaching children to swim).

So, he listened to the teachers and even took some notes! He had some flowers he was still allocating. Press them or dry them?]

I wonder if one is better than the other... would it depend on the herb and flower, too?

[He twirled a sprig of lavender, unsure on which method he wanted to use! Any advice?]

Triage - Healing

[It was a bit of a no brainer that Makoto would go to Lestari to help those in need. He was a healer, it was his job. He was also not at all a combatant so there was no way he could help with that giant or with the dragon, as frustrating as it was. But he would only be a hinderance, not a help.

Makoto hit the ground running as soon as he got the Lestari, helping with not only of moving rubble and debris but getting to those in need of aid. He had patched up anyone that had only minor injuries while using his magic for other, more serious injuries. Otherwise, he was back in the folds helping pulling the people out, his elemental magic coming into play here as he moved large stones or helped prevent any water from flooding and drowning the people.]

All clear here! How are we doing over there? I'll come help!

[He wiped his brow and jogged over.]

Aftermath

[Makoto had definitely overdone it today. But it was worth it. Most of the survivors were gone by now, headed towards Camelot. Makoto wanted to stay until everyone was accounted for or he was told to go back. It might be the latter with the way he nearly stumbled towards a nearby first aid tent, taking a moment to sit as he waited for the dizziness to pass.]

No, I'm fine, the others need to he help more than I do. Really. Just need a moment to catch my breath, I promise.

[Makoto waved anyone offer of help with a tired smile. Please force him to sit still before he actually falls over.]

Edited 2021-09-23 03:12 (UTC)

Triage: Stone Giant

[This is not the path Kadoc would have chosen in a vacuum. More than ever, here in Camelot, he isn't meant for combat; he's a Master, and most Masters keep off the front lines and work as support in the back. Just because he's broken that rule a time or two himself when it's been necessary (or he's felt like it, ahem) doesn't mean it's not still the best strategy for a mage, especially one of his "caliber," to hang back. And here? He doesn't even have the weak offense magecraft he'd have been able to use back home in this situation. He has only Light magic, and as good as he's gotten at it, he has not yet come up with any offensive uses for it.

Maybe he can blind the thing for a minute or two.

Either way, he has no choice: when he hears that the Spirit Guardian ritual he'd gone through earlier this month could help turn the tide of this battle, he has to go. It would feel like shirking everything that he is as a Master to not go make use of his bound Spirit in battle. There's probably a reason the tattoo on his back looks exactly like his Command Spells, he thinks, and has thought since the day he got it; this outcome feels almost inevitable. He has to go fight, or rather, he has to go direct some other entity to fight under his command. That one he's used to.

He slings a pack on and his Familiar around his neck, and he goes.

They catch up, eventually, Kadoc and his unnamed horse. He's no expert on horseback, but it's a thing he can do well enough to keep up with the party. As soon as his feet touch the ground—the horse can stay with Archimedes for this—he darts through the trees until he's got a good vantage point with a clear view of the golem, and—

It comes very easily. He had already known the private, indulgent ways in which he'd thought of the spirit in his back. Those thoughts have been with him for too long this month for the thing to have any other name, or to come out looking any other way.]

Use my life to strengthen yours—Viy! Viy, Viy, Viy!

[Curse them all, freeze them all, kill them all!

The shadow-thing unfurls from his back, wispy tendrils curling around him, just like he remembers them. Like someone else's Familiar that he once knew.

. . . It's a comfort. Despite everything, with this, he feels a rare surge of confidence in this mission.]

(( For anyone who'd like some light-hearted goose antics, see my catchall post with that prompt here! I'm up for other prompts too; I wanted to get this one out there, but feel free to wildcard me with candle antics or pre- or post-Golem fight shenanigans. I forgot to comment to the event plotting post, but catch my monthly plotting here or hit me up on Discord (Hen#6953) or Plurk (

benthic) to discuss. Or just come at me! ))

[ Dragonslaying Part 2]

[It's the second dragon Din has fought in his life.

And it's hard to tell, but from the ground he's pretty sure the krayt dragon was bigger. And he really doesn't know a lot about purple dragons but it's a dangerous creature and it has to be stopped. And that's about all he knows.

It's times like these that he misses his ship. The Razor Crest would have been able to catch up to that thing and shoot it from the sky, he's pretty certain.]

We need a way to catch up with it. Once that happens, I can try and get above it and hit it.

[Horses, magic, something that flies. Whatever they got.]

Or some way to slow it down.

[Aftermath - Celliwig]

[Failure hurts. It always hurts.

Din surveys the the ruins of Celliwig with a heavy heart. It's not much to look at. Just a burned out, ruined crater of it's former glory. And he tries not to think of how familiar it feels. Because wasn't he just here? In his own smouldering crater. He curses, trying to shove away the memory of the Razor crest, though his hand is in his pocket, wrapped tightly around a silver ball.

He's not sure why he's here. To dig through ruins, find potential survivors, who's to say. Maybe it's just a chance to be sad.]

[Aftermath - Lestari]

[Lestari brings a different story however.

Din hadn't really spent a lot of time here, so he doesn't have the same connection. And well, a dragon's hoard doesn't sound too unappealing. Assuming it's not just a pile of rotting, half-eaten corpses. He really only has krayt dragons to go off of.

He's managed to find a stash of fine weapons, and is looking through them, particularly a gold spear. It's hardly beskar, but it might look nice. And the gold does remind him of the Armourer.]

So, if we manage to make it home, does anything come with us?

[Because all of this could feed the tribe for...a long time. It's bound to have value to someone.]

GOT GOOSED

[You know, when the worst thing you need to worry about is a bunch of rogue geese causing trouble, then things must be going pretty well, right? Haha, foreshadowing!]

[Luckily, there's one man who is just as obnoxious as geese are, and he's going around lending his services to anyone being accosted by these waddling jerks.]

Hey there, I couldn't help but notice you've got a bit of a goose problem. Need some help getting it under control?

[Says the man who hasn't noticed a goose waddling up behind him to try and yank his belt off. Do you warn him? Or just bear witness to the inevitable?]

HELL BREAKS LOOSE

[It was a shame that such a beautiful evening had awoken such horrible nightmares. First the earthquake, then the screams. Darin could hardly believe his eyes as he was processing what was going on. But he had to get a better look, otherwise, how was he going to figure out how to act?]

Come on! Let's see if we can get to some high ground!

[As he takes off down the street, he mutters.]

This can't be happening...

THE RUINS OF CELLIWIG

[What had he done?]

[Despite his torn and bloody clothes, Darin seemed to be no worse for wear. He was dirty and covered in ash and sweat, his clothes stained with blood, but he himself seemed to be without injuries. Likely due to his own healing magic.]

[But that's not to say he wasn't hurt. He stares out over the smoldering ruins of the once beautiful city in shock. He made no secret that he was trying to stop the dragon without killing it but...]

[He'd failed.]

[He's hardly even registering any sound over the crackling of some of the still burning piles of rubble. He can't fix this.]

[Instead, he just...sits. He sits on a large piece of debris and just stares out as the sweat and the ash and the stray embers sting his eyes.]

Candle Pathway | OTA

Being something of a specialist in water and ice, Musse ended up volunteering to help douse any "extra enthusiasm" celebrants might be partaking in. She may be having a bit too much fun with it, summoning forth full deluges of water to drench fire hazard and instigator alike while commenting sweetly about the danger and how fortunate the recipient is that she was nearby to protect them and their property. Her smile is sweet, her tone is polite, but her water magic is surprisingly quick on the draw to douse things and people before it gets out of hand.

Candle Pathway | Locked to Robin

With all her volunteer work, Musse had been rather busy and hadn't had much opportunity to actually enjoy the decorations. With a bit of time on her hands, she aimed to rectify that. Walking slowly through the streets and admiring the light displays, her expression was wistful, pensive even. In the peace of the night, she couldn't help but let her thoughts stray - to situations she could not change, and to the grim fate that was laid before her.

Triage - Rescue Efforts in Celliwig | OTA

Fire. Burning flesh. Screams of terror, pain and death. Musse pressed forward in her grim duty. Without her Panzer Soldat, fighting a dragon with her still-limited magical capacity seemed foolish, and so she instead went to where she felt she would be most useful - rescue. Her healing magic, and her command of water and ice would serve to save as many as she could. With calm precision, she stepped into the rescue efforts, directing survivors and using her magic to douse flames and heal injuries as best she could.

While fatigue is clearly visible on her face, her expression is set in steely determination. Any hint of her regular playfulness is gone as she moves with crisp efficiency, barking orders when needed with the air of a military commander. Those of unusual perception, however, may see the torment in her eyes. All this pain and suffering - this could, and soon would visit her homeland, her people. She must bear this. When all is complete, she knows that this sight will be amplified by the thousands. And that knowledge fills her with unshakeable dread.

Edited 2021-09-23 07:01 (UTC)

A. Fall Follies

Pt. 1 — #AutumnAesthetic

Truthfully, Allura wasn't familiar with this season. While Altea had a weather cycle, it was quite different from the weather of Earth, with far higher temperatures and a pattern of fiery meteors falling from the sky. When she heard about autumn, she couldn't help but be wary at the idea of a season where the world grew cold and most of the plants withered, like a harsher version of the juniberry life cycle. It sounded like a dreadful prelude to the winter — and she wasn't looking forward to that returning, either.

But she was surprised to find that there was something incredibly pleasant about this season, a certain warmth in the colors and the food and everyone's attitude. It was different, yes, but in a way that stirred her heart with curiosity.

So, once she heard about drying plants, she decided that she wanted to give it a try for herself. And so she can be easily found out and about Camelot, gathering the materials she'll need. Not just gathering bushels of herbs and wildflowers, but...

"Is this the right sort of jar?" She's looking at the glassware in one store, and trying to figure out what a 'bell jar' is supposed to be. Considering she's looking at empty jars for canning, she might need a little help navigating the shops — and the human terminology.

Pt. 2 — Honk Honk

On one hand, it's not as bad as the giant pelicans. On the other hand, the people of Avalon seriously needs to do something about their birds.

Because as it so happens, the geese seem to have as much of an interest in sparkly things as Allura. And that includes her jewelry, particularly that shiny gold tiara that she always wears on her head.

And so... well, you can ask her how it happened, or you can help Allura as she tries to chase down a goose which has the tiara hanging from its mouth. "Someone stop that foul creature!"

Pt. 3 — Candle Nights

To absolutely no one's surprise, when Allura heard about the candle displays, she decided to go and see them.

At the start of the evening, she was strolling leisurely around the city, letting some particularly nice displays draw her down the side streets like a moth to... well, to candlelight. It was delightful, and while she would stop to exchange a few words with anyone else out and about, she seemed quite content to wander the streets alone.

But as the evening wore on, she realized that she was already getting tired, and yet she had only seen a fraction of the streets in Camelot. And so, she headed towards the square, found a place to sit, and started browsing the network for information.

"Let's see... where are the best displays in the city? Perhaps there's a route that will take me past all of them..."

B. The Lestari Rescue

Pt. 1 — The City Falls

The news hits like a brick: Lestari was gone. Lestari, the city with technology nearly Altean, with so much to teach her about her own cognitive magic, had been wiped from the map.

"But... but that's impossible. A mountain can't simply crumble like that...!" It's obvious denial, a refusal to accept this without challenge. After all, Allura knows well enough that entire planets can be destroyed in such a little time, under the right circumstances. She simply wants to believe it wouldn't be taken out so quickly — so soon after she learned about it, and little voids left by the destruction of the Altea felt as though they were starting to fill.

Soon after, her communicator is going wild with the emergency broadcast. There's two massive threats to fight back against. As a warrior, she should grab her weapon and go join one of the fights, but...

"I'm going to Lestari." If there's any chance to save parts of the city, and its people, she knows she wants to take it. But instead of admitting such selfishness, she lies and finds another way to justify it: "My magic would hardly be any use against these sorts of monsters."

It's a blow to her pride, but somehow, it's easier to swallow.

Pt. 2 — Holding Back Danger

Perhaps it's a good thing that she came with the Lestari rescue party. She had anticipated that mostly it would be heavy lifting, moving rubble and carrying survivors. She hadn't taken into account how hostile the area would be.

And it has been very hostile. There's been several attacks by animals already, scared and drawn to the smell of blood. And while those weren't hard to drive back...

Now, something is approaching that's distinctly not an animal. A clattering skeleton, trudging their way from the Land of Rot.

Allura calls over her shoulder at a nearby healer. "Are you almost finished? We need to move that civilian away from here!"

Pt. 3 — Rising to the Occasion

As the rescue party moves towards the heart of the catastrophe, everything gets more... catastrophic. The piles of rubble are towering higher, with sections of Lestari itself crushed under massive boulders broken off the hollow mountain. And with it, more bodies buried inside... some living and waiting for rescue, some not.

She balks at the sight, but not for long. A sound hits her ears, reminding her there's work to be done. "Over that way! I think I heard some survivors!"

Wildcard

[Have an idea for a different prompt? Feel free to PM me, either here or at

Jaydeis!]

The mission in Lestari had been a success. However, Merlin was painfully aware that the two other parties didn't succeed, thanks to AOL updates. His mind immediately went to thinking about what he could have done had he been in either location, then to how Arthur must have been feeling right now with the fall of Celliwig.

Despite his thoughts, he kept an encouraging smile on his face for anyone who passed him and made sure to as cheerful as he could since they succeeded here and everything would be alright for the Lestari folk.

Merlin focused on his kinetic magic to move some additional rubble out of the way. Just in case there had been something or someone they missed. It certainly wasn't an attempt to keep his thoughts in check or anything.

1. Goose catching - Open (cw: mentions of things associated with hunting geese)

[One would think that someone as much like a bird as Hawk would have no problem catching a goose. But then it is a goose and they are annoying and among the very few birds he dislikes. The others being mostly the birds that can't fly.]

I swear, when I catch you I'm going to enjoy plucking out each and every one of your feathers and making you into dinner!

[He's then going to use some kinetic magic to move something into the goose's path. Of course the goose jumps jumps right over it and keeps on running away. Damn bird. Maybe someone can help him trap it.]

2. Candle pathway - Closed to Chris

[Having caught and killed a goose he felt he'd make good use of it. He's definitely a much better cook than Chris and she's one person he doesn't mind cooking for. He roasts it with herbs, makes some mashed potatoes and a salad and even brews a drink made from fermented apple juice that came out well (though he's going to keep quiet on already having drunk quite a bit of it). He knows all of it will taste great because like anything else he tries he's a really skilled cook even if he finds it boring. He enjoyed plucking the goose far more.

Since everything looks so pretty right now he's going to set up something outside with a few candles lit. It's off the path itself, but allows them to see the candles around their homes and they can walk around more once they finish eating. At the very least he wanted her to enjoy the roast goose that is the results of his efforts dealing with a very annoying bird that makes him look like a nice guy.

Once Chris can be seen, he'll lead her over to the table and she'll see a tiny hint of the dashing knight he was months ago as he makes some effort at being a gentleman. Still a bit rough around the edges, but there's some clear effort.]

I hope you don't mind something outdoors so we can enjoy the displays while we eat.

3. Dragon not quite slaying, part 1 - open

[Not a surprise that Hawk decided to join this group. He loves a good fight and dragons are powerful creatures. The Stone Giant sounded fun, but an intelligent creature like a dragon was far more desirable to fight.

So he's there and definitely one rushing in to be among the first to attack the dragon with his twin swords. He looks to see if he can find any others just as eager for a good fight to join up with.]

About damn time we got a worthy opponent to fight!

4. Dragon not quite slaying, part 2 - closed to Darin (cw: mentions of wanting to die, Ys IX spoilers)

[Well, this was definitely not going well and it's clear he's going to need everything he's got. With all these people present he hates using his berserker ability, but their numbers are down and he could use the edge it gives him to draw this to a conclusion already. He knows the drawback well, but truly their options are getting to slay the dragon or die trying at this point. A dragon is a worthy opponent, so there is no shame in dying here to him and it would be the only acceptable reason to fail here.

So he decides to go ahead and use it. It will be very obvious something is off. Even if the red eyes aren't visible, one can't miss the mostly black aura surrounding him. He looks quite pleased with himself and uses his magic to add lightning to his swords and begin his attacks anew. He is acting now like he just arrived here. He's clearly enjoying himself a lot, as evidence by his very creepy laughter as he taunts the dragon.]

Taking a big dragon like yourself this long to kill a puny little human like me?

[Yep, he's definitely lost it.]

Edited (bold tags are helpful to see prompts!) 2021-09-23 10:15 (UTC)

i. some pressing matters.

[ New places mean new experiences! And what better way to get acquainted with everything than to take part in Camelot's traditions? Sans is here, settling down in a seat and learning from the locals how to dry and press some flowers! It isn't too much work for him, which Sans is happy for. Come join him! ]

ii. trip a little light fantastic!

[ He never thought he'd see something so beautiful- a bunch of candles marking different paths at night. Sure, bioluminescent lights in the underground were gorgeous, but there was something about being out at night and still having the place lit up as bright as day. Things like this made him that much more grateful. Forgive him if he doesn't answer you right away- it truly is a stunning sight to take in. ]

iii. wildcard.

[ An open prompt for anything we want! Feel free to hang out with Sans and we can spur of the moment make things up as we go along! Or if you'd like to plan some things out, feel free to hit me up at

spooksville! ]

Threaded | Flat

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Xiao Xingchen | The Untamed/Chenqing Ling

Zidane Tribal | OTA

I. Untitled Fall Game

II. Candles in the Night

III. Triage - Stone Giant Part One

IV. Triage - Stone Giant Part Two

V. Wildcard