Lugubrious

World of Light - a massive post-apocalyptic game crossover

@Stekkmen@ProPro@Lmpkio@Archmage MC@Old Amsterdam@DC The Dragon@DracoLunaris@thedman

The OOC is live! Find it here:

https://www.roleplayerguild.com/topics/175703-world-of-light-a-post-apocalyptic-crossover/ooc

World of Light

RP Timeline

Day One

• Precipice Knoll - In the morning, Kirby wandered up from the Badlands, weary and hurt from his travels, and stops to rest on a hill crowned by a single dead tree. While there, he was suddenly attacked by a group of random enemies, including Bowser, Blazermate, Tora, Courier 6, the Centurion, the Hunter, Zer0, Linkle, Din, Death, Geno, Ratchet, and Michael. Using their powers and numbers the enemies crushed him, but in his final act before passing out Kirby creates a number of Friend Hearts to free his attackers from Galeem's influence. Stunned by their awakening, they try to come to terms with this strange new world
• 1-1 - Carrying Kirby with them, the newly-minted team met a strange man, jovial but cloaked in black, who calls himself the Master of Masters. He told them about the World of Light, spirits, and Galeem's influence. He also crafted a Keyblade from Tora's heart and used it to manually free Minako from Galeem's influence. After that, he told the team what defeating Galeem would entail. They adventured through the obstacles and enemies of 1-1. Geno flew ahead toward Peach's Castle in the distance, narrowly avoiding the robotic sentries by the moat, while Death and the Hunter wandered off on their own
• Ancient Garden - Come the afternoon, a verdant riverland lay in the would-be heroes' path. Flush with Rabbids, many of them rambunctious and hostile, the team battled through, running into Roadhog along the way. Even the Master of Masters helped out. At the same time, Geno managed to infiltrate Peach's Castle, finding himself inside a dungeon where Mario, Donkey Kong, and Spyro were being held. As he faced off with his old friend, the crew under Bowser's leadership got closer to the castle. Kirby teaches them about friend hearts along the way
• Junkyard - Before reaching Peach's Castle, the team had to fight through the Junkyard, an all-out warzone of metal and clutter where the Rabbids fought against machine hordes. Taking the Rabbids' side, they pushed through, earning some respect in the process, and eventually battled it out with the formidable Engineer-Bastion duo guarding the moat. After winning, however, they spotted fire in the sky: Megadragonbowser had shot down Hat Kid's spaceship, which came to a crash landing in the castle's moat. Megadragonbowser prepared to face the newcomers, but Master Hand appeared instead and took over by summoning a handful of opponents, many of them with personal connections to the heroic challengers, including Junpei, Poppi, Henry, Franklin, Junkrat, Clank, and Gaige. However, Geno and Mario appeared to back them up. A fierce fight ensued, but the team managed to free their friends and bolster their numbers
• Peach's Castle - as evening fell on Peach's Castle, the heroes confronted Megadragonbowser, the Tyrant in Orange, the Ultimate Boss. After freeing a handful of captives, including Banjo and Kazooie, they threw down with him in the Throne Room. While he managed to kill Zer0 and Gaige, the heroes soundly defeated him, and the Centurion lay claim to his spirit. Galeem's first Guardian had been defeated. Peach, the Toads, and the other captives were all freed. Bowser was reunited with his son and Kamek. The remaining machines pulled back, and the Rabbids swore fealty to the crown. In the evening that followed, everyone celebrated with a big meal and a well-deserved break. They found a rudimentary map of the world, delivered in secret by another black-coated stranger, and made plans for the morrow. During this time, Henry, Junpei, Donkey Kong, Kirby, Spyro, and Minako left, while Junkrat, Roadhog, and the Master of Masters decided to stick around the Mushroom Kingdom. Two travelers, Gene and Donovan Lee, arrived and joined the group. Everyone settled in for a good night's rest, not imagining what they'd gotten themselves into

Day Two

• Dawn of the Second Day - To make their trip eastward toward the Land of Adventure, the team turned their eyes on the junkyard and scraped together a small fleet of karts and cars to ride on. A man named Steven Stone also showed up, giving a few interested team members like Din and Junior a crash course on Pokemon. Then the heroes set out in dramatic fashion, a few Rabbids in tow, with Peach stepping up determined to take charge. They drove east, past the idyllic highlands of the Mushroom Kingdom's eastern corridor, and eventually reached a dusty wasteland criss-crossed by countless roads
• Paved Wilderness - Soon, the convoy came under attack. A number of enemy vehicles rolled in to raid them, including Sweet Tooth in his trademark ice cream truck of death and Mr. Grimm in a colossal monster truck. Though these enemies put up a fierce fight, the heroes won, and Peach fused with the spirit of Mr. Grimm in order to gain the ability to extract spirits herself
• Hammerhead - In the middle of the Paved Wilderness the convoy pulled into Hammerhead, a designated safe zone comprised of gas station, mechanic, and diner. There they met a few interesting faces, included Captain Falcon, Nero plus Nico, and the party of one Noctis Lucis Caelum, headed for the dangerous Dead Zone to the north. They parted ways with some of the rabbids, as well as Geno and Mario, then most of the team journeyed southeast toward the Land of Adventure. However Blazermate, Gene, Donnie, Ratchet/Clank, Jak/Daxter, and Banjo/Kazooie all joined Nero on a trek to the Dead Zone. Blazermate sent a teleporter along with the other group to keep the team halves in touch
  Lumbridge / Dead Zone - in a beautiful countryside of green, green grass, blue skies of freedom, and bordering mountain ranges on every side, the heroes arrived in the First Town. This medieval village, guarded well by heroes of legend, bustled with activity, and at its beating heart was the Guild Castle where quests and other day-to-day activities were dispensed, catalogued, and handled. Within the team found a black-robed Guildmaster who offered the newcomers some quests. At about that time they also met Geralt, the Witcher-turned-local-celebrity, who'd just been investigating Sabrewulf on the werewolf's mountainside estate. Meanwhile, the duos who rode to the Dead Zone with Nero and Nico got their first taste of its grim apocalypse, full of zombies and demons. They managed to link up with Noctis, Prompto, Gladio, and Ignis, help them out against a Tank, and send them packing out of the Dead Zone before the young men could get infected
• Peach's Castle - Kamek warped back to peach's Castle to converse with the Master of Masters. Their chat yielded some interesting information
• Lumbridge / Forest Temple / Ravine Wood / Pelagic Lake / Peach's Castle - The Centurion accepted a standing challenge from a local martial artist, Ryu. Hat Kid, Franklin, and Michael took a quest investigating the disappearance of a merchant girl, Tressa. To free her they ended up solving three puzzles, including ones that introduced her to the redefinatory rabbit Baba and the eccentric Pizza Trolls. The Koopa Troop, Tora, and Poppi took a job gathering ingredients for the Battle Chef, Mina. Din, Geralt, and Linkle journeyed to a lake to cull the fishman infestation. After handling it, they also met Euden, a young prince on a quest of his own
• Charnal Lane / Coral Highlands / The Hamlet - in the afternoon, the Dead Zone crew set out to rid the place of the three great Qliphoth Roots that would open the way to the Qliphoth itself, and the Guardian lurking therein. To do so they took a route along the doomed city's left side, where it bordered Empty Space. There they got into a sticky situation with demons known as Suffering, but also met Sans and Mr. Bones, who seemed to be wanderers. Meanwhile, the Courier managed to reach a fascinating stretch of land in western Land of Adventure in search of Wigglers, where he scrapped with some Bullet-kin before meeting the Ace Cadet, a local monster hunter. They returned to Lumbridge together. At the same time, the Koopa Troop plus the Centurion, Tora, and Poppi made their way through the farms of Morgensloft to reach the Hamlet, a town of pigs. After some time there they resumed their grocery hunting
• Cathedral Canopy - in a plaza before a great cathedral wreathed in odd wooden webs and crimson leaves, the Dead Zone crew both reunited with Nero's acquaintance V and fought against the colossal Ent. Its demise marked the destruction of the first Qliphoth Root
• Lumbridge - as the day wore on, the heroes scattered across the Land of Adventure returned to town, awash in goods and new friends. Everyone got the chance to catch up as they enjoyed a lovely feast, making the most of both splendid food and loot from their questing
• Police Station - in the Dead Zone, the crew moved back into the depths of the city, thick with the masses of the dead. There they came upon the Redgraccooon City Police Department, where a number of survivors -including Olivia, Black Mage, Fox, Joker, and Nadia Fortune- had been holding out for an untold period of time against daily waves of demons and zombies. After entering the heroes became trapped too, and quickly found that as much danger lurked within. They tangled with Mr. X, a killer Doctor in a pocket dimension, a camera-wielding Organization member, and finally the Preta spirit haunting the police station, which broke the curse keeping everyone trapped there--only for an immense swarm of monsters to come knocking on the station's doors
• Ancestral Farmstead - before the day of questing was done, however, the heroes had one last matter to look into: an emergency in northeastern Land of Adventure, where something dangerous was happening in the blighted steppe. After breaking out the cars to drive over through increasingly eerie terrain, they arrived at the farmstead to find not just a fearsome diseased Brachydios, but a horrific abomination: the Thing from the Stars. In the battle that followed, refracting between dimensions, the heroes piled up stress, injury, and nightmares, but after returning to Lumbridge they received a hero's welcome and a stay in the finest beds the inn had to offer
• Sundered Market Avenue - as the demons and zombies surged in the dark, early hours of the morning, the survivors all escaped from the police station, a number dying in the process, including Vivi, Gene, and Olivia. Everyone fled down a street torn apart by upheavals to seek refuge in the formidable Argent Tower. There they holed up while Blazermate's teleporter got them out one at a time, including the rescued Skull and Panther, and Sectonia was freed from one of the display tanks in the lobby as well. Those who survived made it to Lumbridge for a little safety, peace, and quiet

Day Three

• Lumbridge - the dawn of the first day saw the adventurers awaken after a long night to find a number of refugees in their midst, currently undergoing decontamination at the town's fringes. Those who braved the Ancestral Farmstead the night before met in the Guild Castle to present the Guildmaster with the proof that they'd completed their quest, while also making the most of their additional loot. However, the Guildmaster declared that for making him lose a bet, the Seekers would be playing a game with him first. He proceeded to open a giant hole in the floor of the guild hall beneath the heroes, creating a portal to the Devil's Casino and trapping them inside
• Devil's Casino - after revealing himself to by Gneidxick, the Nobody of King Dice, the guildmaster subjected the Seekers to a devilish board game that forced them to fight his minions. Geralt and the Courier toppled the Tipsy Troop, Tora and Poppi beat Phear lap and Chips Bettigan, the Koopa Troop trounced both Pip/Dot and Hopus Pocus, Hatty wrung out Mr. Chimes, Franklin and Michael picked apart Mangosteen, and Ace, Peach and Linkle stamped out Mr. Wheezy and Pirouletta. After beating Gneidxick's game, the team prepared to confront him, but another Organization member appeared to steal the show. After berating Gneidxick she took him away, leaving everyone else to their own devices. Cuphead and Mugman burst into the casino to find quite the mess
• Lumbridge - with the entire team reconvened in one place, everyone took the chance to catch up and recuperate. The heroes found that the Casino existed on the complete opposite side of the continent, presenting a new way forward. Construction began to create a lift that could lower from the guild hall to the Devil's Casino. Everyone agreed to cross the Land of Adventure together in order to challenge the region boss in the enigmatic End, and they spent the rest of the morning in preparation for the biggest boss fight yet. After outfitting themselves with as much equipment and supplies as possible, the heroes met to set out on a long drove through the verdant valley
• Southeastern Mountains - at the tail end of a long drive across the Land of Adventure the Seekers used their various vehicles to ramp over a deep gorge and reach the rocky range where the End resided. They fought their way through Subspace Emissary enemies as they navigated the canyons to finally arrive at a pristine valley
• Spiral Mountain - With the End just a short climb and walk away, Master Hand appeared to manifest a giant tower atop Spiral Mountain itself, as well as a handful of snipers on top (Link, Quiet, the End, Hawkeye Gough, and Imani) equipped with weaponry that could instantly reduce anyone to a Trophy with a single hit. After a fierce and unconventional fight, the Seekers managed to prevail, killing all the snipers but Link. With the Hero of Time on their team, they climbed Spiral Mountain to proceed through the tunnels behind the giant stone witch head and enter the End itself
• Lumbridge - Sakura arrived in Lumbridge. She met the Phanom Thieves, then went and fought her role model Ryu, who freed her from Galeem's influence. Then, she joined Euden and rode Mym (in her dragon form) across the Land of Adventure to try and catch up with the other heroes
• The End - Within the end, after a few of their number imbibed Enderman spirits to aid in mobility in this dark dimension, the Seekers challenged the Ender Dragon, the Leviathan in Black, the Adventure's End. It fought not just with its massive strength and size, but a bottomless torrent of noxious purple acid from its gullet, and the crystals atop the towers that ringed its arena healed it until destroyed one by one. It took everything the team had, and nearly took some of them out, but they managed to destroy the Ender Dragon and send an Off Wave across the whole area. Courier 6 lay claim to the monster's spirit
• Ruins of Redgraccoon City - Nero, V, and Nadia returned to the Dead Zone through Argent Tower to fight their way north in search of the second Qliphoth root. Pestilence-filled city streets gave way to massive upheavals and fissures in the earth itself, flooded with lava and infested with demons. After a chance encounter with a lone delivery man, Sam Bridges, the trio met Doom Slayer and together slew the demon Echidna. From Sam they learned that once he made his delivery, the Dead Zone would effectively be nuked, giving their operation a hard time limit. They proceeded to the second root, rescuing Pandemonica as they carved a way through the demons
• Eryth Sea - With the dissolution of the End, the giant chunks of terrain once suspended in the air began to fall, taking the heroes down with them. They found themselves above a beautiful inland ocean ringed by spiky mountains. After saving themselves, the team maneuvered across various sky islands toward a futuristic silver city floating above the Eryth Sea. On the way a scouting team from Alcamoth intercepted them: Jigglypuff, Ness, and Falco. A quick chat later, and all were headed for Smash City
• House of Pain - on the other side of a wrecked mall suspended over a pit of lava, the Dead Zone team entered the remains of once-great courthouse, where they came face to face with King Minos, judge of the damned. Together they fought and overcame him. Afterward, Nadia had to spill the beans about her real goal, as well as the final Dead Zone target: the Skullgirl. With that in mind, everyone boarded the newly-arrived Nico's van and set off
• Smash City Alcamoth - a number of familiar faces welcomed the Seekers to Alcamoth, a huge self-contained city where many fighter spent their days training in arenas both simulated and real throughout, all centered around the giant atrium with its lovely park in the front half and the nine-story Ark Mall in the back. An hour after they met with Isabelle, who promised to help organize an all-hands-on-deck meeting, an immense gathering took place in the atrium park where the Seekers both filled all the Smash City denizens in on the state of things and announced their campaign to set the worlds to rights. Even the Master of Masters showed up, somehow, and his answers helped persuade Primrose to join the team. Everyone agreed to lend their strength to the cause, and Vandham stepped forward to help by organizing the Alcamoth Mercenaries as a fighting force to support the 'Hero Teams'. Peach and the others made plans to split the team three ways: one for the Dead Zone, one for the desert to the east, and one to venture back to the Deep Blue Seaside by way of the Devil's Casino. Sakura, who'd arrived from Lumbridge with Euden and Mym, fought in a tag-team sparring match with Mag Launcher, Skull, and Donovan
• Demonic Convergence - the Dead Zone team wound up in an area so turn apart by the destruction that the streets flowed with lava, with an unholy Super Gore Nest on the other side, and there joined Raidou Kuzunoha to engage a couple notable demons in battle. Afterward, Nero happened to reunite with Dante, who'd accidentally fused with the spirits of two powerful female demons. Once he filled her in on his mission, she joined the Dead Zone team to delve into and destroy the Super Gore Nest from within
• Desert Landing - Yellow Team (Courier 6, Primrose, Fox, Sectonia, Midna, Tora, the Phantom Thieves, and the newly-upgraded Poppi QT Pi) set out through narrow canyons to finally emerge and see a breathtaking vista of the Sandswept Sky in all its staggering enormity. All the way across it they espy not just Split Mountain, but some sort of huge monster circling its peak. Figuring that to be as good a lead as any, they set out across the sand using Mona's vehicle form. A brief encounter with a cloaked woman helped point them in the right direction. At this point, the Courier abandoned the rest of the team and flew off on his own
• Inkwell Archipelago - As the afternoon turned to evening, Blue Team (Ace Cadet, Sakura, Cuphead, Link, Junior, Kamek, Hatty, Isabelle, and Geralt) arrived in the Deep Blue Seaside via the Devil's Casino on Inkwell Isle Three, itself reached via Junior's Warp Graffiti. At the dock they found a curious Organization member who informed them about the Maw, describing it as the best way to reach the place where the region's boss lurked in the Bottomless Sea, but the Seekers weren't buying it. They boarded Captain Brineybeard's living ship Shippy to sail to Limsa Lominscuttle Town
• Argent Tower - Red Team (Bowser, Donovan, Jak & Daxter, Blazermate, Linkle, and Mag Launcher) arrived in the Dead Zone via Junior's Warp Graffiti and then Blazermate's teleporter. They were immediately beset by hordes of enemies, including a lot of Flood, but the camera-wielding Organization member appeared to give them a hand. The team fought free of the Tower and set off southward using a Shockdozer recovered from the horde
• Divine Beast - on their way through the desert Yellow Team ran afoul of Vah Naboris, and after a scuffle they boarded. Inside they fought against both Urbosa and Thunderblight Ganon, and after claiming victory Midna fused with Urbosa's spirit to claim the Divine Beast for their own. With this much more efficient mode of transportation they made tracks across the desert's Waking Sands
• Hell on Earth - Red Team's daredevil drive took them on death-defying twists, turns, and jumps through the devastated city. It culminated in a chance encounter with Dante on a ridge overlooking a lake of lava inside the city ruins, where she fought the entire team at once. The Seekers managed to prevail by damaging Dante enough to free her, after which Red Team joined up with Nero, Nico, Nadia, Doom Slayer, and Pandemonica
• Mercenaries: Recruitment Drive - Nintendog, Wii Fit Trainer, Zelda, and Doctor Mario ventured to Peach's Castle to recruit available talent in the area for the campaign against Galeem. They managed to persuade Luigi, Daisy, Junkrat, Roadhog, Hollythorn the goblin and her crew. After a surprise machine assault from a Carrier Tank parked near the Junkyard, Henry, Minako, Junpei, DK, and Spyro joined as well
• Limsa Lominscuttle Town - Blue Team reached the grand, salt-streaked seastack city, quickly getting acquainted with some of its most interesting inhabitants, the Shipgirls of the Azure Navy. Everyone spread out around the fascinating place to see its sights, encountering various colorful characters on the way. A few even found new pets. Peach learned about the Abyssal Fleet from Admiral Merylwyb. Link went missing. Some heroes fetched funds from Peach's treasury to buy an airship with. Geralt and Isabelle enjoyed some karaoke together before the little dog headed back to Alcamoth
• Lakeside - Using Vah Naboris, Yellow Team reached a big oasis with a huge pyramid on one side and various ruins on the other. Primrose joined the Phantom Thieves as they explored the pyramid, which resulted in the acquisition of the detached Persona Necronomicon, while the others found a curious sort of war games going on at Lakeside. They crashed the party but were forced to retreat, though the Heavy, the Medic, Blue Poison, and the dwarven Scout joined their team as they left
• Catacombs - Beneath a library pierced by the Qliphoth plagued by Mimics, Red Team discovered the sepulcher of the Skullgirl, Bloody Marie. A ruinous battle ensued, during which Marie used her ability to summon and control skeletons to bring forth Sans against the heroes. Raidou and the Doom Slayer were destroyed, but the end the Seekers were victorious. However, Linkle took hold of the Skull Heart, and though she gave her best attempt at a pure-hearted wish the malignant artifact twisted her words and turned her into the next Skullgirl. The black-coated savant showed up to teleport her away. In the aftermath of the right, Sephiroth showed up, but after everyone took out their frustrations on him he was soundly defeated and freed. Everyone learned about the Dead Zone's imminent void-out. Blazermate made a new teleporter, and everyone went through to Limsa Lominscuttle Town
• Ocean Blue - aboard their new airship Atomos, Geralt, Sakura, Kamek, and Junior flew out over the ocean to join an ongoing naval battle between the Azur Navy's shipgirls and the Abyssal Fleet. They experienced their first harrowing taste of violent naval warfare, and even squared off against an Abyssal elite, the Seaplane Tender Water Princess. After fusing with a fallen shipgirl, Sakura fought and managed to friend heart the Seaplane Tender. The Abyssal's awakening both sparked a personality of her own and imprinted her on Sakura. One other lesser abyssal was freed, as well. Meanwhile, Ace, Peach, and Cuphead trawled Limsa for another ship to take to the Bottomless Sea, and ended back where they started: with Captain Brineybeard. Ace also happened to meet Frog
• Drywall - Vah Naboris transported Yellow Team as far as a great rampart of ruins that spanned the whole width of the Sandswept Sky at the one-third mark: the Drywall. Forced to leave the Divine Beast behind, the Seekers made their way up a few at a time courtesy of the team's fliers, although both those up top and those down below got accosted by enemies. Those who made it found extra help in the form of Yoshitsune, and the split team prevailed against their adversaries before reuniting atop the Drywall. Then, as the sun began to sink, they made their way through the ruins
• Dragonspine - Linkle awakened on a snow-covered mountain in the Frozen Highlands as the new Skullgirl, and after some not-so-encouraging words from the Black-coated Savant, attempted to get her bearings
• Limsa Lominscuttle Town - the Atomos with its new passengers and Red Team arrived in Limsa at approximately the same time. Sakura fought against her friend Karin in a chance encounter, and the freed Abyssals gained the names Bella and Rika. Everyone else converged at the restaurant Bismarck in the Upper Decks, where Cia had been holding Link captive for a terrible date. She took the Seekers on by calling upon color-coded clones, but in the end was both outnumbered and outmatched. After her defeat, Kamek and Sephiroth fused with her clone spirits, and both Bowser and Ace received boons from Poseidon and Aphrodite, respectively. In the aftermath, Admiral Merlwyb arrived with a retinue of guards, but the Seekers convinced her of their intentions to help stop the war with the Abyssals at its source. Things settled down, and the heroes got to enjoy a late, hard-earned dinner
• Scrapyard - back in 1-1, Daisy, Wario, Luigi, and the goblin Hollythorn scouted out the area, and found the staging ground where the carrier tank responsible for the attacking machines resided. Within they discovered Eggman and his assistant Robo-ky, as well as the mad doctor's intentions to attack Peach's Castle again
• Snowdin - after hours of travel, Linkle arrived in a cozy little town in the heart of the Frozen Highlands. She attempted to make herself at home, but soon ran afoul of a local nuisance, who picked a fight with her and quickly proved himself not only far stronger than he should be, but functionally invincible. Linkle managed to trap him in order to escape the fight, and in so doing got the attention of Albedo, a keen alchemist staying in the town. They managed to help one another, and Albedo decided to help her in her mission, Skullgirl or not
• Inside the Wall - with the way forward blocked, Yellow Team delved into the drywall itself, navigating its crypts and corridors while fighting off various monsters. They wound up in a beautiful underground oasis, where they got a chance to eat, drink, and rest for the evening before continuing. They slid down a slope of glittering sand in the light of a gorgeous sunset, reaching the desert's Sinking Sands as night fell
• Night Falls in Limsa - in the night, most of Blue Team explored the seaside town before settling in at the Mizzenmast Inn. Sephiroth, however, murdered a shipgirl and fuses with her spirit, tipping the balance. She then fled Limsa Lominscuttle Town, navigating north through a dark marsh to the Courtyard, where she challenged and barely escaped the legion of vampires there
• Night Falls in the Sinking Sands - after dark the Seekers headed northward, following a set of train tracks even as the sand grows sticky and treacherous underfoot. They fought off sand beasts and desert robots to arrive at Sweet Canyon, an island of desserts risen from the desert. There they met Red and Laharl, and after clearing out some foes in the village of Parnasse, Fat Princess welcomed them for the night
• Night Falls in the Dead Zone - in the dead of night, the void-out occurs in the Dead Zone, and the ensuing explosion is visible from as far away as Limsa Lominscuttle Town. The catastrophe is so immense that Galeem itself stirs, intervening to protect the Qliphoth, which afterward is the only thing left in a vast crater of tar where the plague-stricken city used to be

Day Four

• Azur Navy Harbor - shortly after the dawn of the fourth day, Blue Team joins the fleet of shipgirls in order to launch Limsa's biggest offensive yet in hopes of turning the tide of the war. With Shippy and the Atomos in tow, the massive fleet hastened northward through the Deep Blue Seaside, traveling through perfect conditions along the beautiful coast for hours. The heroes used the time to get to know one another a bit better
• Creature Beach - Sephiroth awakened in pretty bad condition on a stretch of beach, last night's combat having taken its toll on her
• Parnasse, Dessert Village - once ready to depart, Yellow Team rides a sweet-themed train northeast along the trade route that connects Sweet Canyon and Al Mamoon, the next stop on their voyage to Split Mountain. As they passed over the steel pitfall Hollow Heights, however, disaster struck, blowing everyone picked up at Lakeside off the train. Trusting in them to make it out of there, the others picked themselves up and proceeded toward their destination
• The Black Bay - at length Blue Team and the Azur Fleet reach a bay not far from the Bottomless Sea, where the Abyssal Fleet has their strongholds. There they challenged the Midway Princess, Harbor Demon, and their monstrous hordes in an immense, chaotic, and traumatic naval battle. Allies fell, heroes fused to survive, and the sky filled with acrid smoke--not to mention bombers and the Helmaroc King. Eventually, however, the Seekers helped the Azur Navy push up toward the Abyssal bases, taking out the Harbor Demon in the process. The heroes managed to break through and escape up an inland river
• Al Mamoon, Cream of the Eastern Desert - Yellow Team arrived in the great desert city, awed by its size and scale. Though formerly a sprawling medieval city, it had seen a great deal of industrial and economic development, and after leaving the train station (where they happened to see the impressive Railway Gun) they explored the marketplace for anything useful, including lunch. Then they made their way to the palace for an audience with Her Moojesty the Cowlipha, Queen Lowlah. Big Band and Alex Mercer also met this team during this time, although the latter didn't join them
• The Main Man - the Mercenaries Junkrat, Roadhog, Euden, and Mym visited the Rocket League Arena in the Paved Wilderness to find Mario, and after a lot more dramatic action than they bargained for they succeeded
• Frozen Highlands - in the morning Linkle and Albedo set out in search of leads, hoping to find a way to take out the region's seemingly invincible Guardian. Together they journeyed a long way across the Highlands and eventually reached the frigid mountain pass where the Cold Monastery stood
• Luma Pools - in the shelter of a tropical jungle of gorgeous pinks and blues, the Seekers took a break to try and destress from the heart-pounding concussive action of that morning. For lunch they dined on fruit and fish, and before setting out again they met with Mirage, who happened to be vacationing in the area. He climbed aboard, joined soon after by the mysterious Mr. L, and once prepared the team set out once more, headed for the Bottomless Sea
• Atlantis Resort - Sephiroth's trip along the coast eventually brought her to a huge resort complex, home to all sorts of fun aquatic activities and swimwear-clad guests. She joined in, participating in a number of games in order to rack up points for prizes, but eventually her past caught up to her. A posse of several peacekeepers from Limsa Lominscuttle Town managed to track her down to hold her accountable for her murder, and after arresting her they began the trip back. On the way, Sephiroth attempted to resist, but rather than just attacking her weaker foes, she repeatedly tried to escape and got stunned by the Shadow Tag ability of Officer Nanu's Pokemon. This led to an unexpected victory for the underdogs, and Sephiroth was slain
• Connecting the Hamlet - the mercenaries King Dedede, Steve, Shovel Knight, and Knuckles worked together to build a path from Lumbridge to the Hamlet in hopes of extending Lumbridge's resistance to re-generation to the other town's porcine inhabitants
• Grima's Temple - after finding Queen Lowlah in a state of gluttony-addled delirium and unable to perform her duties, Yellow Team ended up meeting with her Vizier instead, Validar, who had effectively been ruling Al Mamoon in Lowlah's stead. Backed by the elite of his Grimleal organization, Ciella, Kan-Ra, and Azwel, he pledged to help the Seekers in exchange for their aid quelling the Resistance, a group who'd been committing terrorist acts throughout the city in the name of cleansing 'corruption'
• Wildwood Glade - Albedo and Linkle moved from the Cold Monastery down toward the nearby valley via flag-line, ending up in the mountaintop Goat Village, where they ran a friendly footrace. Afterward they proceeded across its spires and after a brief delay at the Windmill descended into the valley of wildflowers itself. There they happened to meet Freya, and upon learning of their plans to oppose her son Baldur she made herself the pair's enemy. After making their escape, the two had no choice but to return the way they came, more or less empty-handed
• Palatial Gallery - in their investigation of an area in Al Mamoon's southern district that appeared to be from their own world, the Phantom Thieves and Primrose ran into Jesse Faden, who was in search of a paracriminal. They worked together to take down Kleiner, which resulted in Jesse's acquisition of the powerful Tool Gun, then proceeded into the gallery together
• The Bottomless Sea - right after reaching the storm-shrouded, tumultuous Bottomless Sea in the afternoon, the Seekers aboard Shippy (as the Atomos could not fly here due to the magical atmospheric interference) were attacked by sea monsters, including Tentalus and the deceptively childlike (but in truth pure evil) Scylla, but the heroes came out on top, and narrowly avoided a run-in with a massive Megalodon as well
• Al Mamoon - before committing to the Grimleal's operation, Yellow Team attempted to gain a small foothold in the city. To that end they completed a number of quests, from pest control to demon exorcism to delivery, and earned some money while keeping an eye out for disturbances
• Grineer Sealabs - as the storm worsened, the Seekers found a green, futuristic structure that protruded up from the waves. They landed there and made contact with a local administrator, Tyl Regor, just as a number of clones Guests were sent up from the labs below. Nearby, the Maw emerged from the darkness to receive its new passengers, but things quickly went south when the colossal machine Grun appeared. Unable to flee from the mechanical menace aboard Shippy, Blue Team chose the Maw over the Grineer Sealabs, and hastened inside the grim vessel. Mr L, however, did not make it
• Museum of Vanity - inside Madarame's palace, the Phantom Thieves, Primrose, and Jesse fought against all manner of strange creatures, navigating puzzles and various hazards, to arrive in a gigantic interior space of tacky gold and Escher-esque staircases. After reaching the park up top where a number of artists had been kept captive, they found and freed Yusuke Kitagawa, who rejoined the team as Fox. When Madarame himself made an appearance, the team staged a daring getaway using Mona in car form and balloons from Jesse's Tool Gun
• Streets of Al Mamoon - during the course of completing his quest, Big Band took care of a bomb threat set in motion by several Resistance members, including Mao. Meanwhile, in pursuit of a thief Yoshitsune met Goldlewis Dickinson, a man from Midgar on vacation in Al Mamoon but drawn into the local conflict
• The Maw - once inside the Maw, Blue Team was ambushed by the Lady, who used two demons known as Resentment to swindle their progress. Turned back into four-year-olds and kept that way through curse-sustaining ritual, the Seekers were sent spiraling down into the lowest reaches of the Maw: the Belly, a huge sprawl of lost property and misplaced belongings, haunted by an unseen predator within the heap and Bongo Bongo up above. They managed to navigate their way across the junk landscape and even deal a deadly blow to Bongo Bongo's eye
• Al Mamoon - with their quests completed later in the afternoon, most of Yellow Team met back at the Bazaar to spend their freshly-earned money. They met up with Big Band afterward, and based on what they'd learned about the wrongdoings of the Resistance decided to take action. They pursue several suspects in a frenetic procession through the streets and alleys of Al Mamoon and wind up at a warehouse, where they got into a scrap with Resistance fighters Koga, Tira, Maeve, Mao, Klee, Daemon, and Cass. The brief but furious struggle ended with a victory for the Seekers, who freed a few of those present
• The Depths - fresh from the Belly, Blue Team found themselves faced with the Depths, a flooded factory with four floors -and the exit- underwater. Within they not only encountered the wretched Moreau, but a machine capable of scanning brains and uploading their copies into machines, as Mirage found out. Though he bore them no ill will, Moreau was too terrified of the Lady to let them go, and transformed into a giant fish monster. Only by sending a few team members to distract Moreau while the other took a submarine down to drain the water under attack by sea monsters did they manage to escape by previously-submerged elevator, and even then it was narrow
• Al Mamoon - after the fight ended Kan-Ra arrived with some acolytes to address the situation. The Seekers decided to band together with the Grimleal to address the Resistance threat, so they split into two groups in order to raid the other two hideouts. Mao led Ciella, Midna, Sectonia, Jesse, Laharl, Joker, Mona, Fox, Necronomicon, and Braum to Rocket Inc, while Kan-Ra led Tora, Poppi, Yoshitsune, Fox, Big Band, Primrose, Red, Panther, and Skull to the Obelisk Temple
• Rocket Inc - in the ground floor of the office building the Seekers and Ciella engaged Jinx, Shadow, Amara, the Dragonborn, and Fuse in a shootout followed by brutal melee. They wiped out several Resistance members and then dug deeper into the complex beneath the office building
• Obelisk Temple - once deep within the Egyptian-inspired ruins, Kan-Ra's team got ambushed by Charnok, Donte, Daisy Fitzroy, Earthquake, and the Witch Doctor, splitting the team even further between the corridors and caverns. They fought back heroically, but their foes kept warping away before their destruction. When the team finally reunited at the bottom of the place and made it past a simple puzzle, they encountered two Resistance members, Robin and Tharja, who'd been rescuing the others. From them -plus the captive fairy Drippy- the Seekers learned more about Validar and the Resistance itself, but due in part to Azwel and Kan-ra's presence the situation ultimately escalated into another fight. The team faced the same Resistance members again plus Sora, who'd been tricked into captivity within the dank dungeon. Most of the villainous Resistance members perished, but others were spared, including Robin, Tharja, and Sora, after a heroic arrival from Goldlewis helped defeat him. After sorting things out, everyone returned to the surface with some Resistance members in protective custody to reunite with the others and head to Validar's palace
• Prison of Elders - deep beneath Rocket Inc the Seekers found a technological colosseum suspended in an empty space. There they found Nastasia, the mind-controlling ringleader of the Resistance, and soon an all-out showdown began between the heroes and their enemies, with Ciella's Feral Shroud eliminating any chance of retreat. Reinhardt, Shadow, Fuze, Uncle Sven, Orendii, Mordecai, the Dragonborn, and Shayne/Aurox fought against Joker, Fox, Necronomicon, Braum, Midna, Jesse, Sectonia, and Mao in a series of two-on-twos that quickly turned in the Seekers' favor despite the Vandal reinforcements. During the course of the frenetic battle, Ciella unleashed her white-winged Agito form and devastated the arena with her raging waters. Soon only she, the Seekers, Shadow, a couple freed allies, and Nastasia remained. When the fight finally ended, Nastasia was eliminated, and Sectonia bound the ringleader as a Striker to make her brainwashing power her own
• The Cafeteria - after escaping Moreau's Depths, Blazermate, Peach, Sakura, Ace, Mirage, the Koopas, Rika, Bella, Geralt, Link, and Nadia all reached a hallway separated by bars from a mess hall where strange, gaunt children stared at the food arrayed before them in silence. With agonizing hunger deepening the despair that settled over them, several of the Seekers tore into the food offered to them by the children or fetched by the long arms of Junior's Mimikyu, although the act of voracious eating seemed to have some sort of darkly nebulous effect on the heroes and their surroundings, as if under the effect of some sort of curse. Bella used her leviathan tail to break everyone into the cafeteria, at which point the Runaway Kid offered to lead them through the next area
• The Kitchen - still hungry and desperate but sated in part for now, the shrunken Seekers made their way through the Kitchen, quickly encountering the Brothers, a pair of monstrous chefs hard at work with the grisly preparation of their accursed meals. When the kids engaged stealth mode and made some noise to distract them, another butcher showed up to chew them out--Larry Chiang. In the course of their disagreement the chefs accidentally revealed the hiders, and despite attempting to fight Bella and Rika got captured along with Sakura. The chefs took their captives to another room and locked the door, forcing the Seekers who remained to make a choice. Only those who hadn't eaten could fit through the vent to pursue them, so those that did -Ace, Peach, and Nadia- went another way, moving from the Kitchen through a sudsy washroom into the adjoining restaurant. In the main kitchen Mirage, Geralt, and Link encountered Antoine, King of Cuisine, two Tempura Wizards, as well as Fujimoto the sushi chef, although the latter paid them no mind. When the Seekers launched a daring rescue attempt, it ended with Bella killing and voraciously tearing into Larry, which led to the realization that eating aboard the Maw would cause people to grow--the gruesome secret behind the children and the Kitchen's never-ending supply of meat. Of course, a real scrap with the Tempura Wizards then ensued
• The Restaurant - Nadia, Ace, and the Runaway Kid made their way through an enormous, multi-leveled Japanese-inspired restaurant where dozens if not hundreds of grotesque, gelatinous, eternally ravenous Guests feasted. Dodging the Guests' attempts to grab and eat them, the Ace and Nadia worked together as they tried to reach the dumbwaiter to get into the main kitchen with the others. They managed to get into the dumbwaiter and then lure Antoine out, at which he began to chase them through the massive open dining space at the end of the hall, the Grand Atrium. There the runaways got the attention of Cookatiel too. Using the environment and furniture to their advantage, the two kept themselves one step ahead until Blazermate arrived to bail them out. Antoine ended up falling down into Cookatiel's stew, and the big bird careened through a wall. After Ace christened himself and Nadia the Ace Decoys, Blazermate brought them both back to the others
• Handprint Crater - Continuing their trip, Nero and Nico took Banjo and Kazooie, Yuri, and Pit with them to inspect what remained of the Dead Zone and gauge the possibility of eliminating the region's boss. After making through way through the rolling green hills and forests of the Land of Adventure, and stopping for a breather at Hammerhead, they crossed the Paved Wilderness, passing by several races being held out in the badlands, including Cheese Land. Eventually they reached the crater where Redgraccoon City once stood, finding both the Qliphoth still intact and a giant tar handprint around it. Yuri warned of a ghostly presence down in the crater, but before everyone could proceed, a storm rolled in. As Timefall began to descend upon them the team fled at top speed
• The Throne of Al Mamoon - The reunited Yellow Team headed for the desert city's palace. On the way they met Raz, the court's inexperienced and somewhat overloaded psychoanalyst. He decided to tag along in hopes of advocating for the former Resistance members in hopes that the revelation that they'd been brainwashed would lead Validar to spare them. Together the Seekers entered the throne room for an audience with Validar before his gallery of advisors, including Ciella, Azwel, Kan-ra, Cinderella, the latter of whom distracted them for a little by angling for dirt on Ciella. Robin provided a little historical context on Validar, and the audience began. Validar offered his gratitude and granted the Seekers the Railway Gun in order to cross the eastern desert, as well as a Gold Pass so that everyone could enjoy the hospitality of Al Mamoon. However, he then asked the Seekers to share their grievances with him, revealing his Investigation Captain, Reptile, who had been spying on the heroes. The team made the case for the prisoners, and everyone ended up deciding on a public demonstration of Nastasia's ability to control minds along with the testimonies of the accused and of those who could vouch for their characters in order to convince the angry populace that the former Resistance members were victims as well. With the demonstration scheduled for tomorrow morning, the captives were taken into custody, and the Seekers turned loose to enjoy the evening
• Rocket League Arena - Nero and the rest of Neo Red Team regrouped at Hammerhead, then accepted another mission from Vandham to visit the Rocket League Arena while they were in the Paved Wilderness. There they met the foul-mouthed hoodlum Asbestos. Afterward, a ship came out of the blue, landing beside the arena. Nero made contact with a group who turned out to be the Wonderful 101 (or a small part of them at least), working in partnership with Bridges, an organization based out of the megacity Midgar with the mission of connecting the world. Nero and the others informed them about Alcamoth, then joined them to fly back to base
• Frozen Highlands - with no other options, Linkle and Albedo retraced their steps through the Alpine Skyline and the Monastery, then all the way back to Snowdin, where they spent a while recuperating. While Albedo recovered from the cold in Grillby's, the two met Frisk, who was kind enough to offer some hot cocoa. The wolf girl treat arrived with Albedo's corgi, and everyone enjoyed a few moments of comfort. When Treat realized that Linkle was a rabbit girl, however, she ran off. Hoping to make things right, the trio of Linkle, Albedo, and Frisk followed her to the Beneviento House up above Snowdin on a desolate cliffside, where Treat had been squatting. They presented her with some traditional Snowdin gifts and warmed her heart. After investigating a disturbance in the basement, which turned out to be a monstrous dollmaster, the gang quickly left the Beneviento House behind. They went to the Warrens to have a word with the rabbitfolk, those being a mixture of Funny Bunnies and Sylvans, and they also met the skeleton Papyrus
• Snowdin - after setting things straight with the rabbitfolk, Linkle, Albedo, Frisk, Papyrus, and Treat looked for a healer. They found one in the form of Nia and her blade Dromarch, a gentlemanly white tiger. While Nia got everyone healed up, the group conversed, which led to the realization that the catgirl had once been a companion of Tora’s. Papyrus told Treat that she could stay in his house, but she decided to room with Nia and Dromarch for a while. Everyone else resolved to travel to the icebound city Edinburgh MagicaPolis to search for answers about the seemingly invincible champion of the Frozen Highlands, so they left Albedo’s corgi in Nia’s care
• The Theater - after reuniting in the kitchen, the kids of Blue Team made their way back out to the Grand Atrium, where they caught a distant glimpse of the Lady high above them. They set off in pursuit, making their way up a ton of stairs to arrive in an auditorium filled with masked mannequins, where five ponderous royals slumbered in gallery boxes overlooking the kabuki stage. From afar everyone watched the Runaway Kid climbing onto the stage to make a run for the hallway behind it that would lead to the Helm, but before he reached it the theater went dark and the Resentment demons appeared, funneling him straight toward the Lady, whose dark power reduced him to a nome before the three disappeared into the shadows. Ace, Nadia, Link, and Glenn took a detour into the Lady's Chambers, while the Koopa Troop plus Geralt and Blazermate went into the Storeroom. While Mirage, Peach, Sakura, and Bella commiserated, both contingents ran into a Resentment, which they managed to deal with inventively, though not before one of them devoured Glenn. With an unbroken mirror in hand, the team reunited in the nightmare theater to take the stage. There, they fought against the Lady, who attacked them from the darkness, using her telekinesis to hurl objects at them while ripping up the planks around them to expose a dark pit beneath. However, the children were able to hurt her using the mirror, held by Sakura, to show the Lady her own reflection. Hat Kid also swooped in to help save the day, using the light of her Projectile Badge to reveal the Lady in the dark. As the lady defeated, the urge to devour her swelled, but Geralt finished her off before anyone could succumb
• Evening in Al Mamoon - Yellow Team made the most of their Golden Passes for the rest of the day. Goldlewis, Jesse, Sora, Mao, Raz, Tora, and Poppi all got dinner together, an event made more interesting by the surprise appearance of an Organization XIII member who called herself 'Ram'. Midna, Sectonia, Primrose, and Yoshitsune visited a spa on a fantastical sky island via magical transportation. Later, Tora and Poppi joined Fox at the Railway Gun to make preparations, where they also found Big Band and Peacock. Jesse and Mao went to the Museum of Vanity for some dungeoneering. Everyone got a good night's rest, several at Bear and Breakfast
• The Helm - After realizing that the death of neither the Resentments nor the Lady got rid of their curse, the kids climbed all the way to the Helm following Hat Kid, where they found the Maw's controls and realized that Hatty had already steered the Maw across the Bottomless Sea towards a strange island. Blue Team also found a strange, gaunt man weaving some sort of magic, loudly and insisting he wasn't up to anything. Just then the Maw ran aground, the whole vessel tilting over and crashing and coming apart. In the calamitous collision, all were rendered senseless

Day Five

• Carcass Isle - One by one, the Seekers of Blue Team awoke on the dark, stormy shores of an uncharted island in the very early, pitch-black hours of the morning, with only an uncanny greenish glow in the sky to light the way. Behind them lay the hulking wreck of the Maw, all its secrets buried within it, and around them lay the corpses of countless sea creatures of all shapes and sizes. Back to normal, they picked themselves up out of the tide and took shelter from the rain on the shore. There they happened to meet Delsin, a survivor from a different shipwreck, who provided some firewood for warmth
• Violated Fishing Hamlet - Once rested up and patched together on the beach, Peach, Bowser, Junior, Kamek, Rika, Bella, Sakura, Mirage, Nadia, Ace, Hat Kid, Blazermate, Geralt, Delsin and Link proceeded inland. There, they ran into a flooded, ramshackle settlement of Murlocs, and everything went to hell. In the course of the fight Blue team struggled against Murlocs, Shark Giants, Crabsnakes, Fizz, Tidehunter, Sea Crawlers, the abominable Judicator, and the enormous dying mass of Scylla laying in the harbor on one side. The skeletal pirate Spinal also appeared with a Dhelmise companion, although he proved a friend rather than a foe. Despite the odds, the Seekers -happy to be themselves again- seized victory despite the grueling conditions, and after taking their foes' strengths for their own they descended into the well that the Judicator crawled up from
• Parasite Farm - once underground Blue Team could rest for a moment from their harrowing fight, then continue deeper through a strange grotto. They wound up in a big open cavern string with nets, built up with walkways, and carpeted with a heaping hoard of milk-white slugs. On the far end Master Hand appeared to issue the team a challenge: defeat three minibosses in partially flooded caverns beyond three tunnels within five minutes. The Seekers split up and scrambled to get it done. Peach, Bowser, Junior, Link, and Mirage took on the Trial of Desire against the Siren, whose song could turn them against one another. Nadia, Hat Kid, Geralt, Delsin, and Ace took on the Trial of Purity against the Oceanid Rhodeia, who could conjure waves of increasingly powerful hydro mimics as parts of the battlefield sunk into the water. Spinal, Bella, Rika, Sakura, and Kamek took on the Trial of the Abyss against three powerful abyssals: the New Southern Battleship Princess, the Pacific Princess, and the Abyssal Sun Princess, leader and regenerator of the Abyssal Fleet. The fights were furious but brief, with Mirage getting sent back to Limsa and Delsin perishing, but the Seekers made it back ot Master Hand in time, never realizing just how close they came to facing annihilation
• Kosm's Beach, Where All Things Must Come - Blue Team continued downward through the Azure Weald, a winding cave of luminescent alien beauty where Abyssals and all manner of sea monsters prostrated themselves in silence. After digging through a wall of dirt, the Seekers emerged onto a dark, rocky shore ringed by cliffs beneath a stormy sky, a spatial impossibility given how far underground they must have been beneath the ocean. There the witnessed the birth of the Orphan of Kos, the boss of the Deep Blue Seaside, and a deadly fight began. Though but one foe, the Orphan demanded everything the Seekers had, especially in its second phase. Even then, just when it seemed like they finally beat it, the 'dead' Orphan became a Beached Thing, turning the beach into a swamp of tar from which echoes of the past began to rise. Aided by ghosts of those that had gone before them, the Seekers were finally able to slay the Orphan, and Geralt claimed its spirit before a bed of golden Chiralium hands. Thanks to Junior's Warp Graffiti, Blue Team was then able to leave Carcass Isle behind, teleporting all the way back to Limsa Lominscuttle Town to sleep like the dead all the way through the rest of the morning until the afternoon sun hung high in the sky
• Carcass Isle - before leaving, some team members returned to the reeking shore they washed up on. There they found New Southern, King K Rool, and Moreau, who they took with them back to Alcamoth on the way to Limsa Lominscuttle Town
• Garfont Center - before retiring for the night, Peach paid a visit to Alcamoth to check up on current events and get Hat Kid some medical attention. After perusing the Mercenary Headquarters, including the Spirit Board, she met with Vandham. They caught up on various mercenary missions, but the biggest news was the arrival of the Virgin Victory, bringing not just the Wonderful 101, but personnel from Bridges and the recon team lead by Nero
• Morning Ride on the Railway Gun - in the morning, following the demonstration in front of the palace, Yellow Team met up at the train station to begin the final leg of their journey across the Sandswept Sky. Midna, Primrose, Jesse, Mao, Tora, Poppi, Big Band, Peacock, Braum, the Scout, Yoshitsune, Sora, Sectonia, the Phantom Thieves, and the surprise last-minute addition of Ciella made quite the group, and together they settled in for a ride across the desert to the foot of Split Mountain that would take the whole morning, sneaking in some training time on the train as they went
• Tostarena Town - the train ride finally came to an end at the festive, colorful Mexico-inspired town of the skeletal Tostarenans at the foothills of Split Mountain, where everyone took a brief siesta to have lunch and get equipped for the arduous journey ahead. While in Tostarena, they happened to run into the thief Therion, a prior acquaintance of Primrose's. Once freed, he joined the team
• Redstone City - the first stage of the climb to the Split Peak was a hike through arid canyonland above Tostarena Town. This might have been easy if not for the presence of tons of Riders, daredevil bikers, boarders, and other athletes constantly zooming through the place, then fast-traveling back to the top in a constant, frenetic downhill rush. Higher above Redstone City, the team encountered a more temperate climate, with redwood trees around a vertical cliff that encircled the whole mountain. A huge sleeping bear blocked a cave leading through the perimeter cliff. Big Band tried playing music and some of the others tried petting him, but nothing -not even the new arrival Laharl- worked until Midna tickled his nose with some leaves. With a mighty sneeze the bear shot backward, opening the way
• Baur's Reach - the bear Baur turned out to be amicable, and went back to sleep after welcoming the heroes to the Reach. It was at this point on the mountain that snow began to fall, blanketing the ground and coniferous boughs beneath the soothing pink-blue light of the sun. The team progressed carefully and in wonderment of winter, contending with both the environment and various hazards lurking within. Their trek took a long time and a lot of effort, but several hours later they climbed past Where Olive Trees Wither (Midna meeting and receiving a quest from the ironbound prisoner Gemino in the process), above the tree line, and made their way along a steep mountain path to arrive at High Hrothgar, where the Greybeards offered refuge from the cold
• Inner-Mountain - past High Hrothgar, the Seekers made their way through the unimaginably cold bowels of Split Mountain's interior, first winding their way across a serpentine icy bridge over a bottomless pit beneath the unseeing gaze of a frozen titan. They traversed ancient, Draugr-riddled catacombs, then emerged into a large, dark cave with vast upper reaches entombed in ice, including an old pirate ship. There they found a lift, but it lacked key components, so Yellow Team began their search. They looted and gathered for a while, but soon after they reconvened they came under attack. The Wendigo were incredibly vicious, high-damage predators, dishing out deadly wounds left and right, and the microorganism colony Kelvin posed an elemental challenge. While the Seekers won, Sora and Yoshitsune were so badly wounded that they retreated then and there, first to High Hrothgar and then all the way back to Tostarena. The others used the lift to ascend through the Inner-Mountain and up to its lofty mountain snowfields
• Graveyard of the Peaks - once the Seekers and the Phantom Thieves emerged from the Inner-Mountain, already freezing cold, roughed up, and tired, they found themselves at the bottom of a vast slope of deep snow and unyielding stone. A ways to the right stood the Convent of Our Lady of the Charred Visage, where molten lava and burning fervor served as the last bastion of civilization against the cold. Before our heroes lay countless grave markers, not to mention the frozen corpses of intrepid explorers. As if that wasn’t enough Master Hand appeared. Rather than offer a combat challenge, it challenged them to overcome the slope instead. With Big Band in the lead, the team forged onward and upward toward the faint and distant light of Split Mountain’s summit, but the crippling cold wind and brutal snowstorm ate away at their strength and stamina. Eventually, all of them succumbed
• Limsa Lominscuttle Town - past noon, the Seekers who made it back to the Edge of the Blue’s seastack city began to awaken: the Koopa Troop, Geralt, Peach, Blazermate, Sakura, Ms Fortune, Ace Cadet, Link, and Hat Kid. Though still sore and disquieted from their eldritch exploits the night before, they were comforted by soft beds, tropical warmth, fresh sea breezes, and the gentle rumble of waves. After receiving an invitation to attend a celebration party at Karin Kanzuki’s seaside estate, the Seekers set out to enjoy the rest of the day as a well-earned vacation
• Heaven’s Edge - after trickling in past a couple resorts south of Limsa Lominscuttle Town to Karin Kanzuki’s luxurious beach house, the Seekers got a chance to relish in all the sun, surf, drinks, and barbecue they wanted. Whether swimming in the lush coral shallows, playing volleyball, or simply enjoying one another’s company, everybody had a much-deserved good time. The sole exception was Link, who happened to stumble upon an Evergaol in the shallows, in which he encountered an amalgamate Cerberus. Unprepared physically or mentally for another fight so soon, he lost, and though Cerberus helped him out afterwards, the experience soured him enough to prompt a fateful decision
• Apex of the World - in the midst of the deadly white-out, the members of Yellow Team individually witnessed a strange scene: a council of strange figures in robes of white, appearing to them on the brink of death to bring comfort and a second chance. Suddenly they awoke, filled to the brim with vitality and flying upward from the frozen slops to sail up through the storm. Through the blistering winds, through the unimaginable cold, through a gauntlet of flying stone serpents kept at bay by the green lasers of the Organization member Hallextram, until finally everyone burst through the clouds. They hopped across the lesser peaks, surrounded by a sea of clouds beneath a sky of boundless blue, with the floating lands of Skyworld, Columbia, and Celestia in the distance. Still the peak of Split Mountain loomed before them, but closer than ever before. Yellow Team began the final stretch of their journey
• Jondo - just before Split Mountain’s peak, nestled among the lower mountaintops, the Seekers found an immense metal bell, built upside-down and into the mountain so that its peals might resound through all the earth. Above them wound the colossus Phalanx, who all believed to be the Guardian they’d sought all this time. Midna, Primrose, Therion, Braum, Raz, Fox, Big Band, Sectonia, Tora, Poppi, the Scout, and the Phantom Thieves had finally reached their destination, and there the power of flight left them. Once they planted the Portcrystal, they were joined by Ciella, Robin, Tharja, Mao, Peacock, and Jesse, and the battle with Phalanx began. As it progressed, however, doubts began to grow. Phalanx was barely fighting back, and there seemed to be some other mechanism in play arranged around the sides of Jondo. Once the great bell tolled, the truth was revealed. Phalanx wasn’t the Guardian at all; it was a far bigger, far stronger, and far deadlier worm, imprisoned within the bell at the apex of the world: Red Eye. Awakened, the immense monstrosity broke free, tumbling down the mountain and leaving a vast trail of destruction in its wake. The Seekers knew that it could destroy everything in the Sandswept Sky if left unchecked, and began a mad dash back down to the base of the mountain riding on the back of Phalanx
• Bridges to Alcamoth - in the Garfont Center at Alcamoth, Vandham held a big meeting with the new arrivals representing the Wonderful 101 and Bridges. They discussed and elucidated Midgar, its Ever Crisis, the effort to make connections across the World of Light, and about the Dead Zone as well. Reluctant to use the Bridge Babies to detect BTs unless absolutely necessary, those present decided to look into the possibility of reverse-engineering Yuri Kozukata’s Camera Obscura. Plans were made to receive the Seekers in Midgar, set up the Chiral Network, and so forth
• Argentum Trade Guild - late that afternoon, a huge Nopon merchant vessel known pulled into port, and the band boarded to do some shopping in the fascinating floating market. In the process, they even made a couple new acquaintances: the money-minded robot Susie, and the sorcerer Rubick. Later on, everyone but Link and Mirage reconvened for delicious Cuban cuisine at Rum for Ale
• The Eastern Sands - with precious little time while the stunned Red Eye recovered from its trip down the mountain, Yellow Team rushed to the Railway Gun parked in Tostarena Town. The Conductor already had it spooled up, and with Raiden newly arrived to lend a hand, everyone piled on. Once the Railway Gun got underway, Red Eye gave chase, and the boss battle of the Sandswept Sky began. Everyone worked together, manning different roles throughout the train, to keep it running, defended from Akrid, and armed, both with turrets manned by the Phantom Thieves and the massive cannon with its complicated loading process.
  109

Evergaols

These structures can be found littered throughout the world, irrespective of an area's technology level or theme. They are arcane prisons, with capstones that glow purple at all times when active, and which lead into pocket dimensions shrouded in quiet darkness and enclosed in an impenetrable ghostly barrier a little wider than the brick-lined depression itself. their captives victims of a cosmic filing accident on Galeem's part when recycling the ashes of infinite realms into the World of Light, and unceremoniously deposited into such dour receptacles.

In essence, these errors are the result of an index overlap caused by shared names, and the prisoners of each Evergaol themselves are amalgamations, though what form this takes is different every time. Therefore, said prisoners are also aberrations that Galeem couldn't instantiate into its world properly and have, by no fault of their own, lost their chance at a new existence. Instead they are kept in stasis, confined forever, since no being under Galeem's influence can activate an Evergaol. If somehow activated, however, the Evergaol follows the principle of 'loser stays'; the prisoner and the challenger are both locked inside until one is proved the victor in a trial by combat, at which point the victor is ejected back into the World of Light. However, activating an Evergaol also weakens the seal, and if reactivated again afterward it can be opened to let out whoever's inside, or even trap an outsider within.

Players can design their own Evergaols for one another to encounter in the World of Light. They simply have to follow the principle of a shared name, and an amalgam that is the result. Prisoners can incorporate 2-3 characters/entities/weapons/etc of the same name, and how they overlap is up to you to work out. They don't have to be horrific or anything. Once the idea is written up and suggested, preferably in a spoiler hider, it is a candidate for acceptance

Known Evergaols

• Three-headed's Evergaol - Cerberus

World of Light - a massive post-apocalyptic game crossover

this sounds fun. i like super smash, but if I get to play a character from any game i want i'm going to be something stupid. is that ok

either that

or waluigi

@Stekkmen

Hey, after Piranha Plant, anything is up for grabs.

Just make sure whatever you pick is engaging and fun enough to keep you committed to the RP. I've seen some situations somewhat like this where someone makes a character essentially to make a joke, then drops interest immediately after.

World of Light - a massive post-apocalyptic game crossover

Sorry to double post, but I had not become aware of Amsterdam's interest before submitting my last.

Consider me very heavily interested, Lugs. Would you be against someone playing a character already in the game? I was really looking at Robin (female, skin 2) and was curious if it would be viable.

@Old Amsterdam

I'm glad to have you on board! I would not at all be against playing someone already in the game, so consider Robin up for grabs.

World of Light - a massive post-apocalyptic game crossover

Have you considered the option of characters building up to a final smash? Second question, more for others as I wouldn’t want to, but with the background set here is Kirby officially off limits?

@ProPro

I can say that yes, Kirby would be off-limits to play as, but he will still appear prominently in the story. As for having Final Smashes, that does sound fun, but instead of limiting each character to one set in stone, it seems a better idea to me to simply allow each character a surge of reality-defying power when in possession of a Smash Ball, which enables them to unleash any one of their super-strong attacks to suit the situation.

@Lmpkio, Geno looks good, but keep in mind that at the start he won't be quite as strong or blazing fast as he would be normally.

@Archmage MC, I like your character as well, looks cool. However, I would question fire and environmental immunity, particularly at the outset of the RP. There's enough story in the OP to write and finish the background section; Lmp's sheet is a good example if you want to make note of the beginning of the World of Light at all. Other than those things, just keep an eye out for typos and you're good to go.

@thedman I'm glad it could at least capture your interest. I hope to see you join us sometime in the future if your schedule permits a full commitment.

So, six people down to play at the moment. I think this is grounds to say the RP is officially going to happen, and to start work on the OOC. Hopefully, additional interested players will show up in the meantime. I'm pumped to get the ball rolling!

World of Light - a massive post-apocalyptic game crossover

@Lugubrious I was thinking of combining two characters with similar kits. They're both healers, just one would lead to more comedy using the kit of the other. But if not I could use the character with a better kit, although their personallity might not mesh well at all with the rest of the players due to how casually comedy dark they are.

@Archmage MC

Well, an option in this case would be to go with the one with more personality, and put the other down as the first Kindred Spirit. If the two meet, and tbe other becomes the first's spirit, your character can gain part of the spirit's kit.

World of Light - a massive post-apocalyptic game crossover

Are there any particular rules/guidelines to who the Kindred Spirit characters should be or is it or of a "npcs I would like to see" request list kind of deal?

@DracoLunaris

There's no real restriction, but a character with a close bond to your character (such as a partner or good friend) is more likely to appear.

Spoiler

@ProPro

Maybe. I haven't put too much effort into planning endgame story in just the interest check.

Hm... can I combine or retool a few characters or no? Or do I have to RP as that character?

@Archmage MC

You can make slight changes if necessary, or expound a bit on a character that would otherwise be too shallow but generally you should aim to be true to your chosen character.

World of Light - a massive post-apocalyptic game crossover

I'm glad to see so much attention so quickly, and to count you in! If there are any questions or thoughts, I'd be happy to hear them.

World of Light - a massive post-apocalyptic game crossover

With an army of Master Hands under its control, Galeem sought to create a new world.

The fighters and their countless stories came to an end as light consumed them.

Thus, the universe was crushed in the hands of Galeem.

Those who fought the light were devoured.

The others lost their bodies and became spirits.

Only one survived.

A star of hope twinkles faintly as the dust settles on a new world.

---

Welcome to the World of Light. An otherwordly entity known as the Lord of Light, Galeem, has annihilated the universe, sending streams of all-consuming light into every game world to wipe the slate clean so that he might build something anew. Only Kirby, borne on a Warp Star while Galeem's attack still picked up speed, escaped.

But the weight of the world is a heavy burden indeed, and his constant fight has left him exhausted. He managed, however, to free a small group of spirits, and split his remaining power into Friend Hearts to revive them. They're a motley crew, hailing from a variety of world and origins, but with Kirby unable to fight any longer, the task of finding and defeating Galeem falls to them.

You're one of these revived spirits. You can be any game character from any game franchise, hero or villain, side-characters of all stripes. You face impossible odds, an adventure across landscapes that span the imagination, an endless series of battles, puzzles, and obstacles, meeting friends and foes familiar and new on the chance that you might reach the Lord of Light and undo all he has wrought.

In essence, this is a massive crossover adventure, with the players deciding where to go and what to do, encountering all sorts game worlds, characters, and items. There will be some RPG elements, with EXP for word count and as rewards, and each level earning you a new ability. Since most characters bring with them a narrative, who you pick and what you do will directly impact the RP's events, so the possibilities are endless.

Important Notes

1. All standard roleplaying rules apply. Be excellent to one another.
2. Your characters will start off somewhat weak, no matter how strong they were originally, but as you play you'll become stronger and more capable.
3. Your character will have to be from a game, but it can be any officially-licensed game, no matter the console or company.
4. While you start with one character, you will be able to get another if you want after meeting certain conditions.
5. While not 18+, there will be some more mature themes going around, and I expect some violence.

Sheet

Here's a tentative sheet if you want to start planning out your character. Coding is included, which you can take if you 'view raw' this post and copy from there.

CS

Name:
Game Origin:
Appearance: (You can use just an image, a description, or both)
Personality:
Background: (A history, a few sentences minimum, of where the character came from and what you were doing prior to the events of the World of Light. Galeem might have attacked at any point in your character's story, and his attack stretched across the dimensions, potentially reaching characters that are canonically dead)

Specialty: (What your character's best at; what their main role will be to the group, like defense, magic attack, healing, traps, you name it. Can be general or specific)
Level: 1
Experience: 0/10 (The amount of EXP required to level up will double with each level, but rewards get bigger, too)
Powers: (You start with one, no matter how many your character had before, and will earn one with each level. They should make sense for your character)

Strengths: (Things your character's always good at, or always can do; essentially, passive abilities or bonuses. You start with three, but you can add more in place of powers when you level up)

Weaknesses: (Faults, flaws, inabilities, and so forth. Nobody's perfect)
Spirits: (Here's a fun one. As you adventure in the World of Light, chance are you'll free spirits, which are entities from other games. If you bond with them, and convince them to remain in the dangerous World of Light rather than disappear, they'll channel you their own strength. These can result in your character gaining new powers or strong equipment without having to level, though the price is some sort of change to your character, physical, mental, or both. Start with none for now)

Kindred Spirits: (Some souls are seemingly bound together by destiny. Put up to three characters here closely tied with yours, and you'll run into them sooner or later in the RP)
Inventory: (Whatever gear, weapons, and items your character has)

✧ Adventure Must Continue ✧

Helena

@Ithradine@HueMan

Features cold and hard, Helena entertained the woman's response. More words of dubious veracity, though followed by something that could not be construed as anything but an ultimatum. Yet, no matter how Priscilla's words reverberated, the ghoul commander had put aside her fear. No matter how strong the opponent, she knew her duty, and how to see it through. The simplicity of the answer to this burgeoning question -pass or fail- provided a sort of security. Either Helena would extinguish this marauder, or she would pay for her failure with her life. With that in mind, she was ready to begin.

Movement to the side stole Helena's attention for a moment, and she spotted a familiar form rising from the underbrush. Skout, the menacing automaton, had appeared, and he trained his pistol upon the stranger's head. Without a moment's hesitation or warning he unleashed a powerful blast, taking a preemptive strike that seemed capable of putting the threat down in one shot.

The Cathedral's warriors, however, were not so lucky. From the ensuing burst of steam and dust, Priscilla emerged unscathed. A furrow could be seen in the earth, plowed by her scythe's blade sunken in to minimize the knockback of Skout's shot. She straightened herself, and through the air relayed a final message for disappearing. Just like that, the scene had turned to normal.

Helena allowed herself to relax, stowing her dagger away and resuming her dignified, austere posture. “How pointless,” she spat through gritted teeth. After casting a glance at the village, not so far away that someone could have witnessed the encounter, she strode over to where Skout still stood. From the nearby forest, her lieutenants appeared, bringing the total soldiers present to six. “Skout, thank you for coming to my aid, though it seems it was unnecessary,” she told him. “Though we have little to show for our run-in with this Priscilla, we have gleaned some information about our surroundings, and should return to the Cathedral. If we ran into someone with this power already, future scouting parties should be far more prepared.” The others nodded, and Helena's team prepared to move out.

Tatter

@Ithradine@FalloutJack@Lauder

Tatter's news lit a fire in Morningstar like oil splashed on coals. Before anyone could object, pipe up, or even think twice the excited gargoyle had launched herself into action, shortly followed by a more literal launch out of the Cathedral. All thoughts about the king, and the importance of delivering him to Volaris, seemed to have flown out her ear just as fast. That left the specter along with the man, and the indolent children of the Supreme Smith.

Neither Sagi nor Xirphi gave the impression that they had anything to say, so a moment of awkward silence passed before Lucius broke it with an abrupt cough. His question spurred Tatter to action. “Well mister king sir, I don't know much about customs, and I don't know where the Supreme One is, but I can make you comfortable while you wait.” She narrowed her eyes, sizing him up. A dozen unsavory options ran through her mind, but it was with the greatest of restraint that she heaved a sigh and told him, “The Tower of Dignity should be fine. Jack will entertain you.”

A chuckle and a smirk issued from her as a follow-up thought occurred to her. “Oh, but don't worry, he'll just give you tea and probably have a boring, normal conversation. The time for fear comes later. Now, follow me. Or don't, I'll just carry you.” She started to drift back through the hall, making it clear to Lucius that he should follow her toward a door in the back.