[center][h1][b]Recap Post[/b][/h1][/center] [hider] The Shimmertown arc was the first Arc in the RP. Taking place in the city of Shimmertown. This are takes place during the dates of Auddium 72, 4256 - Olfaccium 5, 4256. The plot of this arc covers the meeting of the Pactmakers and the Being of Many Names as the city of Shimmertown becomes covered by a new Distortion, and cumulates to the Battle of Shimmertown and the death of a Seed of Insight. The arc widely sets up the Cult of Insight as a threat to the world at large and sets the stage for events moving forward. In addition it lays the grounds of current international conflicts, particularly between the Nation of Sight and the Empire of Touch. The prologue starts by introducing the cult who gained influence with the King of the Nation of Sight. With this influence they were able to spread their influence to three cities. One of those cities being Shimmertown. ---- The Being's Appearance and the Day of Madness The Shimmertown arc beings inside the walls of Shimmertown shortly after the Cult's arrival. The town has been on edge since then, not just because of the Cult's unwanted presence, but also due to the Army of Touch being not far from the town's walls. Despite this, Shimmertown's Lord has been inattentive to the people's complaints. The soon to be Pactmakers, meeting at an inn before the Being appears and warns them of the cult, the insight, and the Seed of Insight which will create a distortion. The being tells the pactmakers that they can use Crystal Jade to avoid being touched by insight as they sleep, and gives them tips on how to kill the Seed of Insight. After the Being's disappearance, the pactmakers go to sleep only to awake to a town in chaos. That night, a Distortion falls on the town. Everyone sleeping in darkness that night become touched by Insight. The morning after, becomes known as the Day of Madness. When the pactmakers wake, they find a city in chaos with people on the streets kill each other in a blind rage. Worse still, people from the cult, led by Sightless Syella have found the pactmakers and attempt to capture them. After the Inn goes up in flames, the Pactmakers escape to the roof top in an attempt to escape. They are found and cut off by Syella and her followers however, and a fight ensures. During the fight, the Pactmakers learn that by shattering Crystal Jade, you can create a 'flash bang' and disrupt a Sightless' connection to the Insight. The Pactmakers barely escape and hideout in an abandoned building. ---- The Kharu-Natjier and the Battle at the Clock Tower The day after, the pactmakers decide they need help. They split up into two groups in order to accomplish this. One group follows Karina (Borg's character) to the city's clock tower. Using Týfurkh's (Fetzen's character) abilities, they decided that they could use the clock tower's height to send a message to the General Frost, Karina's father. The other group follow's Chres (Pezz's character) to find a mysterious figure they learn of. Supposedly, this figure might be able to assist their plight. The group following Chres, end up meeting a character going by the title of the Kharu-Natjier. They find the man taking residence in an ancient system of tunnels under the city. The man appears to be from a foreign nation but has a grudge against the cult. At his side were two allies that he plotted with. Svephraey and Malkev. The Kharu-Natjier identifies the Pactmakers for what they are and agree to assist them while also offering them safety in the tunnels. Shortly after their meeting, Chres and the rest leave to find the others. Karina's group make it to the Clock Tower and successfully relay their message. However, unknown to them, Cult members managed to track them down and surround them in the tower. The Cult followers are led by a girl Named Tayla (Pezz's character), a girl who Karina fought the day prior. While having tracked the pactmakers down while following orders of Syella (The cult apparently has need a pactmaker), Tayla had an ulterior motive. She wanted another chance to kill Karina. Ultimately, Tayla and Karina's fight is inconclusive, and the fighting draws the attention of Sightless Nieffar, the sightless given charge of the Shimmertown mission. Chres' group manages to meet up with the other, however, and assist in escape with the help of Svephraey and Malkev. ---- Preparation for the Battle of Shimmertown The Pactmakers spent the next few days resting and preparing for the upcoming battle. Karina, looking to prove herself to the army of touch, sets to work on a few diplomacy matters. Specifically, she attempts to get Malkev to support the Empire of Touch. While he eventually agrees to support her so long as his family remain protected, he never actually agrees to being a 'pawn' to the Empire. The pactmakers also manage to find salt (salt being necessary to kill the Seed) and learn more about the Kharu-Natjier and his strange people, the Nhatkelese. During one of their preparations, the pactmakers are approached by messengers from the Army of Touch. The army received Karina's message. They inform Karina that her father, Viktor Frost, has given her a new mission. To open the eastern gate to the Shimmertown Wall, on the 5th day of Olfaccium. That will be the day that the army will assault Shimmertown. While Malkev works to rally the people up in anger, the pactmakers formulate a plan involving distractions and an assault on the wall (The wall guard has turned to the cult). With a pouch of salt and a crystal jade candle each, The pactmakers set out to open the gate. ---- Assault on the Wall The Battle of Shimmertown begins early on the 5th day of Olfaccium. While Malkev riles the city folk into a riot, the pactmakers head to the northeastern wall to begin their assault. Three distractions take place during this time to help the Pactmakers sneak into the wall. Malkev's riot attacks the Eastern Gate from with. The Army of Touch feint an attack on the southern wall. And the pactmaker's three Familiars use the underground tunnels to sneak into the wall on the southeastern side of the wall with crystal Jade candles, hoping to draw the Sightless' attention further south instead of north. The distractions successfully pull most of the wall guard south side, making it easy for the pactmakers to enter northeastern section of the wall. However, they encounter resistance has they make a mad dash south, to the Eastern gate. After much fighting, the tired pactmakers enter the eastern gatehouse and open it to rioting citizens. The citizens storm the gate in a disordered fashion and attack the wall guard while the Pactmakers attempt to open the gate. While trying to open the gate, the Tayla splits Karina up from the rest of the Pactmakers for a final confrontation. This battle results in a loss for Tayla and the death of Smit the closest person she had to a friend. Tayla is spared, however, and is taken prisoner. The rest of the pactmakers, aside from Jen (Fist Guy's character) encounter resistance from Sightless De'laire. After killing her, they successfully manage to open the gates to the Army of Touch. While all this occurs, Jen finds himself in a fight with Sightless Syella who nearly deals a lethal blow on Jen. However, Jen is saved by a seemingly random explosion that bathes him the flickering light of a fire. Blind to the Insight, Syella leaves, but not before making a deal with Jen. A deal that will involve him betraying Chres to the cult. ---- Assault on the Wall - Aftermath The army enters the city and gains control of the east and south side of the city. During this time, it is revealed that the Kharu-Natjier and most of his people, save at least two, abandoned the city. Apparently they had no intention of actually assisting in the fighting. Meanwhile High General Viktor Frost meets with Malkev and the Pactmakers. Viktor tries to encourage Malkev to be the new lord of Shimmertown, but under the Empire's command. While Malkev considers, the talks break down when Viktor informs Malkev that he intends to take Malkev's nephew, now without father, as a ward to a lord in the Empire of Touch. Seeing this for what it was, a hostage situation, talks break down. Malkev is sent to a 'room' to rest and think things over. Before Viktor leaves, he notes that the pactmakers' job is not done yet, as the Distortion is still over Shimmertown. The pactmakers depart, prepare for one last fight. A fight to kill the Seed of Insight. ---- The Seed of Insight Back in the underground tunnels, the remaining two of the Kharu-Natjier's people guide the pactmakers to an exit close to the building that the Cult set up as their church (near the center of the city). Suspecting to find the Seed within, the pactmakers, accompanied by Touch Soldiers under Karina's to command, manage to assault the Cult's church and take control of the building. While the pactmakers don't find the seed in the building's basement, they do find a relatively new tunnel smelling of rot and decay. After traversing through the tunnel, the pactmakers find themselves in a ruined cellar beneath Lord O'Kal's mannor. At the center of the cellar is a giant Seed and a pile of corpses upon which it fed. Sightless Nieffar appeared behind the seed and revealed that a Seed of Insight is an extension of the Sightless transformation, and that this Seed of Insight had used to be the Lord of Shimmertown. Lord O'Kal. Nieffar then gives into the Insight hoping to use it's deepest powers to turn the tides of war. Instead, Nieffar ends up losing himself to the Insight. Transforming into a Seed himself and merges with the existing seed. A chaotic battle ensues, with many of the pactmakers ending up wounded. During the battle, the Being appeared to taunt the pactmakers each time one of the Seed's hearts were ripped out. Eventually the Pactmakers manage to rip out four hearts, with the last two belonging to Nieffar. In a final desperate attack, the Seed tries to crush the Pactmakers, however, the seed that used to be Nieffar begins to rot and breaks away from the other Seed. With Nieffar now dead and the other seed without hearts, the seed is cut off at its base and salted. The seed dies and turns into shadow metal. The Being appears shortly after. ---- The Truth of the Unspoken Pact The Being congratulates the pactmakers while taunting them simultaneously. The Being reveals that he was broken long ago and is trapped on this word because of it. He implies that defeating the cult will help free him and that all he wants is leave this world to see what lies beyond. The Being admits to being tired and suffering from a madness which he blames his off-putting attitude on. The pactmakers, however, are still displeased with the Being. Seeing him as unhelpful and secretive. Eventually, Chres pins the Being and tries to get answers about the Unspoken Pact. The pact the pactmakers made with the Being unwittingly. The Being relents and tells the pactmakers the truth. The Pact helps the Being exist as he survives off the legacies of others. Whenever, a pactmaker dies, the Being takes the pactmakers legacy and name. Wiping the pactmaker from the remembrance of others, except other pactmakers. The Pactmakers are outraged at this revelation, but the Being states that if he dies, then his power will likely pass onto Vi'daerus. The Discarded of Sight. Upon hearing his name, Vi'daerus breaks into the bubble of existence created by the Being. Appearing as a white, unseeing eye peering in through a crack in reality, Vi'daerus launches oily tendrils towards The Being. With a snap of his finger, the Being disappears. Vi'daerus disappearing with him. ---- Battle of Shimmertown - Aftermath The cult's hold on Shimmertown is lost after the death of the Seed and the loss of the Distortion. With the army now in control of the city, things start to calm down in the city. Sitting in his cell alone, Malkev receives and unexpected visit from Svephraey. While mostly there to taunt Malkev, Svephraey begins to talk about her interest in the Kharu-Natjier and the strange power that he hold that can't be block with magical deterrents. Malkev, with no other choice but to listen, find himself in a deteriorating state and eventually coughs up blood. Mocking him further. Svephraey reveals that she poisoned Malkev of her own volition. Malkev dies alone in his cell. Svephraey uses his corpse to create a new Splinter. A puppet corpse that obeys her every whim. During this time it is revealed that she was the one who created the explosion that saved Jen during his fight with Syella. During this fight she learned of the Power of Gods from Syella's conversation with Jen. As she walks away, she idly wonders how one could usurp such a power. Elsewhere, Viktor Frost is greeted by Princess El'lysael (The princess having run away earlier in the arc). The princess informs him that she wants to help the army of touch overthrow her father, the King of the Nation of Sight. As Viktor Frost contemplates this development, he notes to himself a secret that he knows. The princess's true father is the Emperor of Touch. Seeded when the emperor forced himself onto his own sister, El'lysael's mother and the now deceased Queen to the Nation of Sight. ---- Epilogue Back in the Shining Palace, Sightless Vetius, accompanied by Prince Al'likar, probed the crystal jade exterior of the Shining Palace. Vetius noted that he was looking for a way to 'hack' into the magic behind the Crystal Jade, and corrupt it. However, he would need an artifact in order to do so. Prince Al'likar, who has at this point decided to work with Vetius to fight against the Being, asks how they would find this artifact. Vetius reveals a name or title. The Hekkru-Natjier. In another small city on the southwestern coast of the Nation of Sight, a different set of pactmakers with the assistance of a woman going by the title Breath, managed to kill a different seed that had planted itself in that city. This group of pactmakers fared far worse than our main characters with at least one of them having died. The Being appears before them, but is interrupted by Breath, who managed to somehow enter the Being's bubble of existence. Surprised by this development, the Being calls Breath by her real title. the Nashep-Natjier. The Nashep-Natjier shatters the Being's bubble of existence, forcing the Being to disappear. Nashep-Natjier then tends to the injured pactmakers before apologizing to them. One by one, the Nashep-Natjier kills the pactmakers she helped. With each death, she uses her powers to break their pact and to release their legacy back into the world. However, the Nashep-Natjier notes sadly that she failed the Pactmakers, as she was unable to break the pact without killing them. She then mentions that she can't beat the Being this way, for with each broken pact, the Being will form another. Regardless, she notes that it is her duty to break the Being and others like him. Even if it means killing all the Pactmakers. [/hider]