Lugubrious

Mid/High Casual - Divinus: The Deity Roleplay (Rebooted)

100 years, eh? That's a lot of time for Escre to do fun stuff.

Fire Emblem - The Reclaimers of Peace

Sanguin, Westroad Village

In surprisingly short order, the scouts returned. They reported few to no anomalies in the terrain that might derail the general plan. Around these parts, what wasn't riverside delta was smooth, rolling, forested hills. No large rocks had been spotted, and if there were any happenstance crevices or bolt holes in the area around where the enemy was gathered, they were both small and well-hidden beneath the trees. As Hugh sounded the five-minute watch, soldiers raced here and there to secure their gear and prepare to fight. Sanguin studied her scimitar, shield, and armor, poring over each for deficiencies that would require a last-minute preparation. Finding nothing she could fix in the allotted time, the myrmidon made her way to the front of the Bravuran camp, from where the Reclaimers would ride to war.

“Ready...” Sanguin heard the knight captain's voice. “Go!”

She took off running, racing across the grass, not at her top speed but at a sustainable one. Her first objective was to get to the nearest copse; after that, she'd move with her allies to the second one and wait for Taene, Kel, and Dylan to flush the enemy from the top of their hill. Around Sanguin were some of the other lightly-armored soldiers, including the mages. More encumbered warriors, those lacking horses at least, brought up the rear. Regardless, the whole army crossed the open grass, navigating past corpses from the recent battle and avoiding patches of mud. The river skirting the base of the hill, when approached, proved to be significantly less wide than it had appeared from afar—likely the sun reflecting off its liquid surface that had made it look bigger. Just as Sanguin was hopping over it, a mere fifty feet from the small patch of trees that was her second target, there was a cacophonous noise from the top of the hill. It was a mixture of neighing, crackling ice, roaring fire, and the panicked yells of men and women. Over the top of the hill, the enemy appeared: about fifteen assorted people appeared, garbed in brown clothing and dark gray armor. They rushed down the hill, fleeing from lance point, sheer cold, and searing heat. One of the archers, however, turned and loosed an arrow at the manakete.

The foes were immediately aware of the Reclaimers' presence, however, as not all were lying in wait in an ambush. From the back, Hugh roared an order: attack, but try to capture some alive. The battle had begun with the Reclaimers at a slight disadvantage due to their lower elevation.

Mid/High Casual - Divinus: The Deity Roleplay (Rebooted)

<Snipped quote by Lugubrious>

How long, exactly?

@Kho

Several days, perhaps.

Mid/High Casual - Divinus: The Deity Roleplay (Rebooted)

No, it's been a while since then and my collab with Cyclone.

Heroes of Beacon - the Next Chapter

No worries, Pannette.

After Eklispe posts Krysanthe's follow-up bowl, I'll make a post of my own.

Mid/High Casual - Divinus: The Deity Roleplay (Rebooted)

Ialu

and

[center]Invidia the Liaison[/center

Ialu looked at the crystal dragon, Mirtagn. He laughed a little bit as the dragon spoke. Caution? Four thousand? No, that was before all of the death that has just happened...Three thousand joined my army and more than two of those thousands fell in battle against the southerners and Zerabil, cursed be his name." The giant of a man that was the warlord turned to Mirtagn, suddenly not so large next to the dragon. Still, he radiated power that revealed him to be every bit as dangerous.

"They have only a thousand men, women, and children left in Garakai, and surely not all are traitors. They will fall before us like tufts of wheat to the scythe. I'll be surprised if more than a dozen of the skeletal dragons fall. This will be an easy victory, yet you are right to advise caution. The caution must not be towards our enemy, though, so much as ourselves. We must show restraint. We will kill the traitors and the ones responsible for enslaving your kin. The rest of them and the rest of the city should be spared."

He shrugged. "It is not quite time. To maintain order I sent some of my own soldiers to fight on the ground, and it will be a long march for them. We can fly and travel far swifter than my soldiers; if we leave now we will be there too soon. We must wait a time longer to allow them to arrive. Patience, Mirtagn. I will summon you when it is time.

With that, Ialu saw to some things before retreating back into his Mighty Cottage. He retreated into the dark depths of his trophy room. He rubbed a hand over his new favorite, Thulemiz's helmet, and then suddenly stiffened. He sensed that he was not alone. He spun to face a dark figure, and spoke softly, "An intruder. Fancy my collection? Perhaps you should join them." He gestured to the sight of grisly remains: severed heads on shelves and preserved corpses nailed to the wall.

The dark silhouette stepped into the light, revealing the dark robes and wooden mask of a member of the Sanguine Communion. Had the great plan concocted at the summit held what seemed like so long ago been seen to fruition, Ialu would have likely been able to recognize that garb on sight, but for now, the heroes were strangers. Invidia stood without leaning on a staff; his wounds had healed. His axe was in parts, hidden inside his robes, but he did not anticipate needing it. "Not today. It is a shame we did not meet sooner." The air around Invidia reverberated to produce a hollow, echoing speech, given the outsider's lack of mouth. "I spoke with one of your warriors at the war summit. A pity the dragon god stepped in and ruined everything. It was a marvelous sight to see a gathering of the gods, however. Only one other mortal was present that day. But the Zerabil I knew is no more."

Ialu snorted, "And I took you for a thief. You must be the Invidia that my man mentioned. A pity indeed about that meeting. No doubt you saw the remnants of the wretched southerners feeding the crows as you came here. If only fortune would have allowed them to die fighting the Cimex instead..." The warlord eased a bit but kept a cold edge to his voice. He was not so trustful of this one.

It was some gratification to know that the mighty warrior wouldn't mindlessly attack. Invidia felt that this man, though hopelessly enthralled by his dedication to the god he loved, would fit well into his plans. "Indeed. The Cimex must have suffered their own catastrophe to not have attacked us. Regardless, it is the southerners that have caused me to seek you out. I have intelligence that their leader Thulemiz is no more than a pawn of the Execrable Chaos, Vestec, at this point. Vestec is a devil among high ones, a mere pretender at godhood who seeks nothing but to amuse himself by playing those he views as lesser against one another. I do not know about you, Ialu, but I have kept in close contact with the one that uplifted me. Escre, the Great Spirit, is fighting a war of its own in the cosmos. Only narrowly did it recently prevent Vestec from taking over the planet's core and claiming every soul for its own. Dark times, indeed, are upon us. I have come to you seeking to lend my strength, and that of the Sanguine Communion, to a fellow champion of humanity."

A set of piercing eyes stared unblinkingly at Invictus throughout his long spiel. While the darkness and his mask covered his face, Ialu didn't have to see the intent on one's face. He had a way of sensing their emotions. This one seemed to mean well. "A 'Thulemiz' is their leader now? What of Zerabil? Did I slay that one when he invaded my lands?"

The icy edge to the warlord's voice was gone, as were his provcative words and implications. Invictus seemed to be neither a spy nor an enemy, so Ialu would speak plainly. From his side he pulled out the Blade of Chaos, the scepter having been tucked into his belt. The artifact glowed malevolently and cackled with chaotic energy as the warlord twirled it a bit in one of his giant hands. In Garakai, they supposedly worship the Mighty One by the name of 'Vestec'. I defeated a great Dyun and claimed this scepter from it...though of course, it was a vicious blade when I took it...the thing has a way of transforming. That 'Vestec' gave me this weapon and sent me to slay the king of Garakai and claim it for my own...though admittedly I have of late wondered whether or not Vestec and the Mighty One are truly one and the same..."

Now that it seemed that Ialu was talking without suspicion or apprehension, Invidia felt that the prospects of cooperation were good. When Ialu produced the Blade of Chaos, the outsider instinctively flinched. Deciding that a fruitful partnership should be based off of trust, Invidia reached up and removed his mask, revealing a face without features. "You may have known, but I am an outsider. A secret race. If we are to be allies, I felt that you should know. Wait a moment." Invidia shuffled aside his robes, until his chest was beared, at which moment the huge, crimson eye there opened wide. Even without employing his real eye, Invidia could detect a devil's taint, but doing this confirmed it. "We outsiders are blessed with true sight. We can see through the machinations and illusions of gods, and recognize their signatures. That weapon is undoubtedly an implement of Vestec. It is...a truly horrible thing. It infests its wielder with malice, making them more prone to violence, debauchery, and the like. You are a mighty hero indeed to remain this sane."

Mention of 'outsiders' made sense, Ialu sometimes thought that he could sense strange creatures flitting around the outskirts of his town, almost human but not quite, always trying to go undetected. In truth, he had thought it was his own paranoia or delusion, so there was some comfort in knowing his suspcions had merit. Invictus showing his true form still took the demigod aback, though. He answered the revelation with only silence.

At the mention of the Blade of Chaos, the scepter glowed a bit brighter and some red flashed into Ialu's eyes. If only for a moment, he looked ready to kill. Then it was gone. "You are right, outsider. Even now it tells me to kill you. It sometimes drives me into fits of rage, I am not always so composed. Once or twice I promised to rid myself of it, but..." Ialu then thought of revealing the scary truth: that he was addicted to the thing and could never let it go, that he sometimes heard its whispers in his mind, even when it was far away, too far to send those whispers itself. He would not reveal that secret, though.

"...the one called Ferghus cursed me to never wield a weapon again. The Blade of Chaos is harmless in my hands, but if it was taken by another then that one might not be so resilient to its effects. I don't fancy the idea of someone using it against me, so I shall keep it close...if not because it is mine by right of conquest, then because I am best suited to be its guardian. I have found that I can no longer misuse its power, nor even use it as a weapon at all."

"As for your other question, the hero Zerabil died a while ago. Vestec corrupted him, telling him his god had abandoned him. Thulemiz is Zerabil reborn. Some of my fellow outsiders have been keeping watch, and they tell omens of something terrible brewing in the south. Magic that stinks of corrupted life. And there are rumors among humans too. They must have some new edge. I decided that you would need one too. My Sanguine Communion monks, though not incredible in number, are warriors unmatched. The lifeblood flowing in their veins, runoff of the planet's core itself, sustains them from deadly wounds and gives them power to alter their own bodies. Size, shape, power, all of it. That power...my power..." Here, Invidia raised one arm. The cloth shuddered before ripping apart, and beneath, the oil-black skin of the outsider erupted in a shower of blood. In the arm's place was the limb of a predator, long, armored in scale, and possessed of deadly claws. "...Can be yours."

Now Ialu grew very suspicious. While he longed for another weapon of the sorts that he could still use, he expected there to be some price to pay, some obligation, some form of downside. "At what price? You know, I prayed to your 'Escre' once. The Earthly Below, they called him. Eternal darkness reigned and we slaughtered a dragon in his name to receive help, but to no avail. Why does he care about our plight now? What do you and him want?"

Invidia replaced his mask, rearranging his robes and putting them back in order. "Have you looked into the sky at night, and seen a stream of light meandering across space? Escre did hear you, and it did what it could to prevent the endless night. It was the first to challenge Sauranath after he destroyed Orabil. But none of that matters now. Escre is no longer concerned with affairs here on Galbar. It is looking for different solutions. I followed its example. What do I want from you? I want you and yours to take our powers and destroy the pawns of Vestec. Wipe them from the planet's surface, so that their souls may be cleansed in the Spirit World. That is all."

Vestec. That name came up time and time again. Ialu still wondered whether that was his Mighty One. In any case, the Mighty One cared only for the strongest and would not mind Ialu proving his strength against other followers...and this 'Vestec', if that was not one and the same as the Mighty One, was not worth a thought. He had no qualms with slaying the followers of the one called Vowzra, so why shy away from those of any other god? They all seemed rather weak to Ialu.

"I would gladly hunt them to the ends of the earth. I never forget a slight, a betrayal, an attack...but I need more! Tell me all that you know of their plotting and plans; when last they moved to take me by surprise it was only through sheer luck that I discovered their ploy and managed to seize the element of surprise back into my own favor. I must know what they are doing, have time to lure them into my clutches to end their threat, to your Escre, to my people and lands....to myself. The very continuation of their existence is an insult to my power!" A tinge of anger and madness began to creep into him now, he was visibly becoming prickly.

If Invidia had a mouth, he would have smiled. "Then it is agreed. I will continue my reconnaissance on the enemy and report back here when I have the information you need. I will send my monks to join your forces. It is no use splitting them up; once the foe learns of our alliance, they will attack the tabernacles. In the mean time, take this." The Liaison produced a large wad of blood-soaked sponge from a hard case and handed it to Ialu. "Crush the sponge to release the lifeblood. It will soak into you. Your strength is already legendary, but with this infusion, you will begin the path to invincibility. Hail to you, Ialu." With that, Invidia turned toward the door, bound to depart.

Ialu held the sponge, the slightest bit of the lifeblood within seeping into him. He already possessed an unnatural ability to heal, but as the liquid touched him he felt it enhancing even further. It would be useful. "Good hunting, outsider. My men already march north for Garakai. Soon myself and some of Sauranth's dragons will depart as well; Aztoc has made many enemies. Perhaps your monks should join us, as he does worship this 'Vestec' after all."

The outsider paused before nodding. "I'll lead a contigent myself." Then he was gone.

Fire Emblem - The Reclaimers of Peace

The encounter will begin tomorrow morning.

Phoenix Wing (A Fairy Tail RP-Always Open, Open)

Fleo Plector – the Stands

Fleo cringed. She turned quickly back and forth, trying to see if anyone in her immediate vicinity was in a similar state. Did that really just happen? One minute the Pirate Lord witch and the Iron Enigma wizard were locked in brutal combat, dealing shattering blows against one another, doing everything they could, seemingly, to incapacitate the other. For a while, Fleo had been pretty convinced that each actually meant to slay the other. Somehow, when the dust cleared, the fight ended not with a fatality but with a voluntary draw, and on top of that, the two combatants had taken the phrase 'kissed and made up' to a whole new level.

Such a thing, Fleo thought, would have been embarrassing if either of the two had been in Phoenix Wing. Even now, the dusty woman squirmed a little. It didn't seem possible. In small, controlled doses, Fleo could understand how casual fighting could bring two people closer together, but not in a single fight between complete strangers, and not one of this magnitude! If she had been impaled with an enormous snake fang, or cooked with emerald fire from the inside, she would have been angry and resentful provided she'd survived. Until now, she thought that anyone would have. Intense pain did not biologically correlate to any good emotional reaction. But these two not only made out in the middle of the arena, but left together shortly thereafter. ”How...bizarre. Normal people don't do that sort of thing...?”

As the next match got underway, the lesser-known guilds of Tough Love and Rider's Blade, she absently constructed a dust yoyo and started goofing around with it to pass the time. The whale-man summoned by one of the competitors caught her interest. Was it like a Celestial Spirit? She'd never heard of this one before.

Indigo Afina – the Stands

Upon seeing the current fight concluded, Indigo almost cooed with delight. It was a matchmaker's dream come true! ”Ah, love at first sight!” she declared. ”Who would have thought an enflaming poison and a searing inferno would have created such a burning passion, and between two rival guilds, nonetheless! This has the makings of a starcrossed lovers story. Two enemies, grudgingly united by a single love, brought closer together and made stronger by the efforts of their two finest warriors! Oh, it's so wonderful!”

X

@Burthstone

Mark's suppressed mirth did not go unnoticed by Stacy, who chuckled a little to herself. His comment about killing didn't dispel this good mood. “Eh, who hasn't? Wizardry is a dangerous line of work. Personally, I don't know where people get off sticking a stigma to just you bunch, when two of Phoenix Wing's top members -Damian and Lazarus, actually- have killed dozens of people.” She paid special attention to the deadly members that Mark indicated. Vales, eh? Fascinating. And the tale about the sister, too. “Well, I know who to keep my foureyes on.”

She laughed, and leaned a little closer to Mark -purportedly to hear better- as the crowd went wild for the end of the Iron Enigma/Pirate Lord match. Right about now, she gauged it would be difficult for Mark to ignore the tightness of her red shirt. Behind her glasses, her eyes glinted, and she wore a curious smile. “Is Jacob the only one who kisses girls he's just met?”

Nero the Genie – the Stands

@Invisible Man

As Eve gushed out her emotions, Nero listened with wide, increasingly worried eyes. How could he not have picked up on how unhappy she was currently!? Even given his general level of incompetence with the emotions of others, the time he'd spent with her should have clued him in to what would make her distressed. Seeing her so conflicted, and full of dangerous feelings ready to bubble over and react explosively with her powers, the dark mage had no idea what to do. His usual reassurances and jokes wouldn't shore up this dam. Even as Eve's rant tapered off and she leaned against him for support, which sparked a slight tumult of emotions inside of him as well, he could feel the chaos within her growing. A definitive solution was needed.

”Hey, hey. Don't quit on me now,” he tried for consoling, but knew that he must have sounded a little strained. He found himself angry at the Time Lord as well, for helping her to reach this state. From the get-go he'd assumed that the man was a manipulating scumbag with too much power, but this...was he trying to set her off? The color drained from Nero's face as he considered the terrifying possibility. If the Time Lord has attached, leechlike, onto Eve and influenced her in order to rile her up, knowing full well that her unstable psyche was connected to her very unstable abilities, he might have willingly been converted her into a walking, necromantic time bomb. When Nero spoke again, his voice was shaky. ”I-I know what will help. Jus-just take a breath, or two, or th-three, and think happy thoughts."

As discreetly as he could, Nero wrapped his cloak over Eve's shoulders, and beneath it reached into her back. He rummaged around inside, seeking, and almost recoiled when he found what he was looking for. Stealthily, he pulled it out, and examined it in his palm. ”Holy sh...cow!” he muttered, looking at the thing. It was a round crystal ball, hopeless gray in color, with one side eroded. The inside was covered in spikes, making the whole side look like some unholy maw. It emanated a foggy black aura, a presence that Nero felt could smother and suffocate all happiness. Eve's sadness was immensely powerful—injected into anyone else, it could kill them easily. Nero suddenly realized that all the happiness Eve had cultivated was the sole reason she was still alive. And I thought I had it rough...

He slipped the thing into his pouch and held Eve close to himself, and arm around her waist. Right now, she would be beginning to feel a little better hopefully, now that her sadness had been removed. This time, Nero's voice was slow and calming. ”Shh...it's fine. Don't worry about the Time Lord, or Dragon Fang, or any of the people in this whole darn arena. Just focus on you and me. It'll all be dandy. You've been doing a wonderful thing, trying to make everyone happy, but you've forgotten about the most important person. You.” Nero wished he could do something more to help her. At a loss, he tried hugging her instead. To anyone else, the genie and the necromancer must have looked like just another couple. ”Try, uh, try to focus on yourself for now. How do you feel?

Mid/High Casual - Divinus: The Deity Roleplay (Rebooted)

@Lugubrious Oh well, maybe Thulemiz will find a way to access the Astral Home's soul reserves. Dunno if that will annoy Escre or not, but it wouldn't mess with the Astral Home itself. I forgot that Escre basically gave Quay a lesser form of necromancy ^^'

Hmm, what makes you think Hael is gone?

@Kho

Hael hasn't posted in ages, even after we've mentioned him several times.

The souls are contained within Escre's private dimension, the Spirit World. I remember there being some sort of rule that beings couldn't access private planes unless invited by the gods that create them.

Heroes of Beacon - the Next Chapter

@Akashi Mayhiro I don't mean to be criticizing, but Abel didn't actually address Akashi in my last post. It was directed toward his own group. I'd be fine with you keeping your post the way it is, but I'd also recommend interacting with your own team members for the most part.