isleofavalon | EVENT ✨ Sugar and Siege

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EVENT ✨ Sugar and Siege

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This is the event log. If you have questions about y event, reply to this comment HERE. Click here to view top-level comments only.

The fairy queen is less than pleased, but not angry, with how her quest went. She has Princess Bluebell of the Guinea Pig Nation speak, and Princess Bluebell also has a favor to ask... which seems to be the calm before the storm, as an unknown third party who made off with the Fisher King earlier this month have performed a ritual to resurrect him and left the veil open, letting in untold forces that have engaged in a Wild Hunt... and the prey is Camelot.

CONTENT WARNINGS:

1st Prompt: --
2nd Prompt: Active: Battle, disease, famine, living death, rage; Historical/Not active in prompt: mentions of serial killers, murder, biological warfare, god/human love affair
3rd Prompt: --

This prompt is backdated slightly and takes place on February 18th.

A live broadcast comes to everyone's devices, featuring a rather peculiar speaker. "Attenchun, kindly o-otherwowders! Tis I, Pwincess Guacachia Bluebell of the Guinea Pig Nation of Nowth Elphame. Though our home is too small to be noted on the Laage Neighbow's maps, I asschuwe you I am caulified as Ambassadow for Chween Elphame. Though you had failed her chwuest, many of you have shown the twust she asked fow even if not the bwains. Those who have will be shown gweat gwatichude, but she does feel [squeaking sound of dismay that cannot be translated out of guinea pig adequately] as the Fishaa King's body was pawt of hew pwans to dishmanchle the Cawamidy and didn' want to speach chuday because of it. Evewyone send good wibes and wikes, she won't speak when she's not
[again: squeaking sound of dismay that cannot be translated out of guinea pig adequately]... the Cawamichy won't be ended if you all don't wowk with the Chween, King Awfur's gwaces or notch, you know! But that's none of myyy busy-ness! Elphame offews a rewawd fow the Fishaa King's body now, much to keep you "fat and happy" for many yeaws! I also have a favew to ask on behaaf of my people. Our Festiva of Life is next week and the usuaw souwce of one of the chey ingwediench of our festiva cakes was a Leschawian, bwessings to them!" As it turns out, the Guinea Pig Nation (all talking guinea pigs who like to dress up in various outfits- in style now in particular is old western themed outfits, but the Princess must always wear her crown) are in a pinch because their Lestari hook-up for the feathers died in the fall of Lestari. They need help to pluck feathers from a bird called the Prism Tweeter! Their people love to decorate the outside of their Festival of Life cakes with their feathers, which are made of finely spun sugar in a variety of colors. These birds are typically found in the first Ash Mountain, but upon its fall, migrated to live in the Forest of the Felled as one of its new, more colorful residents. It only takes one feather to cover a cake, so pluck no more than one feather per bird and the whole flock will go unharmed... the only trick is catching these delectably sweet aviators: The birds can magically phase through physical, non-enchanted objects, so you have to surprise them to grab them. The plus side is, they really love vanilla beans, so they're easy to lure out of the trees.. you don't have to be George of the Jungle to help out the pigs. More of a stay-at-home kind of helper? That's fine too. They need bakers to make as many tiny cakes as they need for the festival since it's so last minute this year! Hurry up and grab a friend to get to baking 3-layer 1 inch cakes wrapped in rainbow feathers to help these little guys out. The Elphame Traders will make a special trip to Camelot to pick up all of these cakes as a favor to the Guinea Pig Nation, so you can stay at home and bake with your friends no matter where you live. This prompt takes place on February 22nd and February 23rd.
	A few days after the fun and fancy-free stylings of the Guinea Pig Nation ahead of their Festival of Life (you weren't invited, sorry, too big you would destroy their homes- but they appreciate the help!) things are going pretty mundanely. That is, until what sounds like a battle cry is heard approaching New Camelot. On the horizon, what appears to be a massive cavalcade of demon horse-riding wraiths lead by four knights in what appears to be ancient armor rush toward the city. A few of the locals who hear the sound and come out to see what all the fuss is about immediately seem to spook, shouting something about the Wild Hunt. Usually it's something preserved for earth and those who find it will be taken along and dumped either in Avalon itself or taken straight to the underworld, but their presence here in Avalon.. well, that can't be good. The shouting seems to alert the castle, which seems to alert more people, and within a matter of minutes people are being rushed to take cover within the castle walls for siege.
All of Camelot's gates are closed and people are directed to a couple of different places: knights and those who wish to fight are to prepare for battle at each of the gates. Healers who wish to stay and help the wounded are to gather in the citadel, where the injured will be taken. Those who wish to battle and heal will act as field medics to get people into a state enough fit to be taken to the citadel. Those who wish to offer other support may be asked to hand out food and water within the citadel or fetch supplies around the city, or to rush to the library to try to figure out what the hell is leading this hunting party toward them. King Arthur will lead the knights into battle. Merlin will also be assisting in battle, using a variety of magic from atop the castle. If your character gets into a pinch and you aren't sure how to get them out, feel free to have him send a magic spell to block an enemy. Knights given the authority to direct other fighting characters as they see fit (though your non-knight fighter's compliance is, as always, depending on your choice as a player). Those who wish to opt out of this event entirely will be whisked away by some of the Fairy Queen's spies to Nicnevin for safekeeping. If you do not want your character to remember or acknowledge any portion of this event, we can handwave that the Fairy Queen arbitrarily found your character annoying and put them under a sleeping spell for the duration of their stay. This will be done before the outer city gates are broken through, so your character can be safe the whole time and just chill in a hotel room in Nicnevin. Those who stay will be fighting wraiths (unkillable enemies) lead by four beings called the Knights of the Veil. Those who have rushed to the library to find answers will be able to spread the following information regarding the enemies, though first-hand experience may also be how your character finds out some of it: The Knights of the Veil live in the void between the world of the living and the dead and escaped when the veil was not closed during a ritual to raise a heavily cursed and protected corpse back to life. Though there's no way to know which corpse, recent news of the Fisher King's body going missing leaves some speculation and fear about who it was that was raised, but no one has any idea who did it. The Knights of the Veil have touch-based magic in addition to weaponry which you may have your character afflicted by at your behest. The four knights are as follows: Carlea: Once a proud Queen, she sold her soul to the darkness after her husband was killed by enemies and the prince of the enemy nation forced her to marry him. She used this ability to brutally murder every last citizen of her enemy's kingdom over time in secret and feed them to a pet bear she was gifted by her new husband, saving him for last. Carlea's touch will invoke a curse of famine, causing all food and drink to turn to ash in the touched individual's mouth. Rubion: Rubion was a serial killer in his world known for killing over a hundred people, though the exact number is not known. Who he was before that isn't particularly known, but as a killer, he was known for brutally killing anyone who crossed him in a fit of rage. He was from a time before forensics and tended to kill witnesses, so he was never caught. That is, until he missed seeing a small child hiding under his bed during one of his rampages. The child's grandfather took him in and killed Rubion himself after he found out why the child would not speak for a month straight. It is thought that his own god cursed Rubion to stay in the void where he could not torment his victims in the afterlife too. Rubion's touch will invoke uncontrollable, violent rage and turn even the smallest slight into a mountainous anger. Augusto: Augusto was the general of an army who used the blood of his people's sickly to spread disease in conquering nations. He did not choose to become one of the Knights, instead being cursed to eternal damnation by a priestess in one of the villages he wrought destruction upon. Augusto's touch will inflict a disease of the player's choosing upon their character, at full height of symptoms within 30 minutes of touch. Pien: Pien is a god of an older religion who was banished from the heavenly kingdoms for loving a human so much she attempted to give her eternal life despite that it was forbidden to grant eternity to mortals. She has a high-and-mighty attitude, and if disrespected will disrespect you right back with dignity-obliterating consequences. Her followers tended to be on the M side of things. Her touch will invoke conscious zombieism, meaning that your body will die and begin to rot despite still being able to move, and you will be aware and able to communicate and feel during this experience. The Knights and Wraiths cannot be killed by any means as long as the ritual remains in effect and their tie to the underworld is stable, so for the time being this is a heavily unwinnable battle. Thankfully, wraiths are not very coordinated even if they are aggressive in battle so it's easy to dodge, flee, or take cover.

On the second day of the Siege, devices will flicker with a face we haven't seen in some time. She is this world's mother goddess, after all, so if threatened she will come to offer reprieve. Morganna looks almost amused at how much destruction had been wrought by the actions of, truly, one man and those he had strung along. Morganna will not punish nor reveal them, but she will speak on the matter:

"Those wishing for this to end, rejoice. I have birthed verbena upon your doorsteps. Take another's hand, light a candle and burn the flowers. Whisper 'lights out' three times together, and pray to send some of your magic to me. I need as many of you to do it as possible, or else I will not be able to freeze time fast enough to stop the calamity from engulfing this place afterward when I complete the ritual shutter."

verbena flower

That is all she says. The ritual won't do much if only one person does it outside of today as Morganna is keeping secret what she does on her end to complete it. If your character's name is possessed by the fairy queen, they will be forced to participate in this ritual so they may notice something odd if they weren't intending to do it.

After the ritual is complete, all personal rituals will be voided and need to be recast. (This includes things like brownie summoning spells or the banishing of lesser frost fairies if your character was doing that from last year to keep their house warm.) This will also cause both the sun and moon to black out for about a day afterward, so you may want to get on board with artificial lighting or spells until a party heading to Celliwig to repair that ritual can get out there in about a day's time.

The most dangerous ritual that has been broken will be the time freeze. Morganna uses everyone's magic to give herself superspeed to recomplete the ritual to recast it, along with a significant portion of the Isle of Avalon's itself that had been built up in surplus having everyone here for so long. However, there are still 2 seconds in which the massive event that threatens the multiverse can move forward. It is now visible in the sky to the north during the night even without being at the End of the World, and will stay that way for the duration of isleofavalon until the multiverse is saved. It is outright terrifying if you travel to the End of the World now, taking up the majority of the sky.

For a month afterward, those who participated may find themselves fatigued without clear cause... but in general, magic will be misbehaving and causing accidents for everyone for about the next month.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ ((Sorry for the delay! OOC things came up.))

Ritsuka probably looks worse than she actually feels: covered in mud from launching herself out of the way a few times from both wraiths and Camelot's own fighting forces, and dressed in what appears to be a reasonably impractical outfit. She's lost her hairtie somewhere in all of the conflict, which means her hair is a mess in her eyes; it just kind of adds to the whole "lost kid who definitely shouldn't be here" look. As of now, her strategy flat-out is just sticking to the walls and hope that she doesn't get noticed.

But when she hears the sound of someone shouting, her head snaps up to trace the source of that voice--and then she looks around to make sure there isn't anyone too close--before she waves back. Yes, please, get her out of here. ]

Hey! I'd appreciate it!

[((No worries! Tonight and tomorrow are going to be hectic for me, so I feel you.))

Claire spots the kid, well...young woman really...and heads that way, waving her over with one arm. Yeah. This poor girl is a mess, and she's glad to be here to help. The streets are still clear, for the moment, but it's not as bad as it could be. Probably.]

This way. Stick with me. There's an inner gate a few blocks up that we should be able to get to. I'm pretty sure the wraiths haven't taken it yet.

Don't say that, it definitely means I'm gonna run into them...

[ But she starts to jog in the direction indicated. Carefully, though, because joking aside, there is a part of her that's genuinely worried that might be the case. And while she could probably take one wraith long enough to get away, she's definitely not equipped (or trained) to handle a horde. ]

And knowing my luck, they're definitely the kind that'll keep going, even after a headshot.

Trust me. I've been in the air most of the battle so far.

[Feet churning, she jogs after the girl, fingers twitching as she conjures up shadows to obscure their escape into the gathering late afternoon gloom.]

They definitely aren't too phased by bullets. But they don't like it when you restrain them. I can manage that.

That's better than nothing.

[ Though frankly, Ritsuka knows she's not going to be much help there, either. ]

Just saying here and now, I'm probably better as bait than anything else. I'm no good in a fight, but I'm real good at running away.

Don't worry about it. I'm not going to use you as bait.

[She hooks a thumb at herself, and then chuckles.]

I'm a Knight of the Realm. I'm here to get you, and anyone else that isn't a fighter, to safety. Just trust me, okay?

That's already loads better than some of the knights I've met...

[ She isn't even mad. Sometimes one of someone's titles is literally the Knight of Treachery, so she'd be the worse clown for not expecting some underhanded tricks. You've gotta make your peace with it, when you're friends with someone like that. ]

I trust you, but I am also not above bribes to help ensure it too. I'll buy food.

[Mordred is a good boy. Sometimes.]

Well, glad to hear it.

[She'll take food, too. But more that she's doing well. Claire's hardly a "True Knight" or anything. She's a garbage pail kid from Ohio.]

We'll be heading into territory that's kind of sketch. I don't know how many of them have broken through the lines, but the castle's the goal. So, focus on that if we get separated, kay?

Good goal! I like it, it's big and easy to find.

[ It might not be easy to get to, especially if she has to take every side alley she can to avoid getting caught in the horde, but you know what? It's still easier than some of the scavenger hunts* she's been on in her life.

(* They're not really scavenger hunts, but they're also not not that sort of thing. Ritsuka isn't above simplifying.) ]

--My name's Ritsuka! Tell me your name, so I can scream it if I get lost?

I'm Claire. Claire Redfield. A pleasure.

[You know, as much a pleasure as being chased by a screaming horde of immortal death-ghosts can be.

Still, she smiles confidently, trotting along and waving her familiar ahead. The barghest lopes forward, slipping into alleyways to check for problems.]

If you start feeling like you can't keep up, shout, and we'll figure that out, too.

I was in the volleyball club when I was in school! And I haven't slacked on regular jogging since!

[ Okay, it's been like four years since she was in that club, but she's not lying about the running part! She's very good at running and dodging at this point in her career.

But maybe it's the overconfidence that does it. Maybe she should've been a little more self-aware, because of course, that's when her boot catches on a loose stone--something that probably got torn up in an earlier fight, just high enough that it catches her by surprise.

The sound she makes, as she goes down, is something like: #*(&(#KDLF#&>>?? ]

[Claire, content to let her talk and less than worried with that reassurance, stops short and nearly trips herself when she hears that sound. Whirling, hackles up, she's ready to fight...and realizes that the girl's just fallen down.

How ridiculous.

Hurrying over, she grabs Ritsuka's hand and hauls her up.]

Careful, there. We can't afford to trip too much or they'll catch us.

[They being the wraiths that are skittering around the corner after them. A few dozen yards away, but they're fast!]

Let's move!

You could just leave me to die, that feels pretty legit.

[ It's a rookie mistake, and she knows it. She's kind of glad it's a near-stranger who's seen her do that, because if it had been anyone who had known her... there's no way she'd be hearing the end of that for a long time.

But even as she makes the suggestion, she's up and running again, glancing back once over her shoulder. ]

I feel like it's cheating that they can run?! Weren't they dead a little while ago? I can't move that fast right after I wake up!

[Yeah, no. She isn't gonna leave anyone to die. She dragged a little kid through a zombie apocalypse, this is nothing.]

They're undead or something. I don't even freaking know, but they're annoying and fast.

[And, all Claire can do is throw a glob of shadows behind them. It expands outwards, tendrils of shadow whipping out to grab the rushing wraiths and entangle their feet.]

I can buy us a little time but let's not waste it.

Right, right--

[ She picks up the pace at that, though she does glance back over her shoulder one more time. ]

--Remind me the next time I get any wild ideas about going outside on a day like this, that I really should just stay in bed!

[ Honestly, maybe she should have stayed in bed before she'd agreed to go along with Ardyn in the first place, but especially even more now. ]

Sure. Definitely. I feel the exact same.

[Spare her from the zombies, the undead armies, and fae curses. She's just a gal from Ohio. Let her live.]

Make a break for it, kay? I've gotta stay put for a sec to get this spell to work.

[ It is deeply unfortunate and unfair that normal girls have to deal with plot bullshit, instead of being lazy gremlins. This alternate Camelot is calmer than some of what Ritsuka has had to deal with, but that doesn't actually make it any easier!!

She does pause for just a second, not quite frowning as she looks at Claire. ]

Are you sure? I'm not really in the habit of just leaving someone behind.

Yeah, I'm sure. I need a minute. Not long. We've got enough of a lead.

[She's already working the magic, blending Green with one hand and Dark with the other. It's been a year of practicing this spell, but she's gotten it to the point where fusing the two types together doesn't make her sick.]

Gonna grow something real ugly that'll keep them busy. But I can't move once I start this, or the spell will backfire.

[ There's a moment where she hesitates; there's still a large part of her that hates the idea of leaving someone behind. She's hated it since Orleans--maybe since even Fuyuki, when she'd been about as powerless as she is now. Cognitive magic isn't going to work against an undead horde, and her own grasp of it is still so tenuous...

Finally, she nods. ]

If I don't hear you in a minute, I'm coming back. Okay? So you'd better mean it.

Yeah. I do. I'm not suicidal. And I'm not that kinda knight.

[She means that, too.

Squaring up, Claire sets her shoulders, hands coming up to begin weaving something complicated. Green magic and Dark magic blending together like skeins of yarn. Something that doesn't look too terribly wholesome at all.]

Get a move on, Ritsuka. I'll be there soon.

[ There's another second of reluctant hesitation. She still hates running! And what's going on right here seems like it's going to look very cool!

But she's not stupid. She's got no advantages here, and there's no one who could swoop in to save her from herself.

So after that moment, she turns and she runs. She doesn't even look back, even though she really wants to; she's ready to bug Claire for the details later. ]

[The spell comes together with a rush of energy, the shadows binding themselves to vines that burst out of the ground. They twist together and form a human-like shape. A plant monster, with tendrils of green trailing all around it, lets out a warbling noise and surges towards the Wraiths.

Claire, directing it with some of her thoughts, turns and bolts after Ritsuka. She's not lied at all. She was planning this retreat, and this is a pretty gross distraction even if the plant is under her control...and probably won't last long. Though it does have a reach advantage on the wraiths thanks to the vines.]

Almost...!

[ At the sound, Ritsuka does glance back. Oh boy. Oh heckie. That's going to be something that's going to have a role in her nightmares from now on. ]

Seriously! If fate's gonna cast us for extras in a zombie movie, at least pay us next time!!

[ Even as she complains, she puts on an extra burst of speed. The sooner they reach some modicum of safety, the better. And honestly, no matter how awful that thing looks, as long as it's acting as a protector, she'll take it. She's watched enough (bad) horror movies on top of her Everything Else to be grateful for any help she can get. ]

Go! We're almost to safety.

[Putting on that final burst of speed, Claire rounds a corner just behind Ritsuka, and allied lines come into view. Camelot's soldiers, a battle line to hold back the horde.]

Don't shoot! We've got a couple of wraiths a block or so behind!

Friendly fire definitely counts in real life!!

[ She's wailing that not quite at the top of her lungs as she just barely avoids crashing into one of the soldiers. It takes a bit of sidestepping and fancy footwork, but she ends up doing a sort of spinning sidestep around the man that looks a lot more graceful than it feels. ]

Yeesh, let's not ever do that again...!

EVENT ✨ Sugar and Siege

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Been a hectic week, sorry!

It's cool! I've absolutely been there

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and scene?