Izo responded to Taya saying "At least she seems to be aware that we are generally, invariably, doomed." before shifting his attention to the newcomers. The fool who was shot and the fool who follows, it seemed speech making was going to be a theme for this one as insufferable as it was going to be. Another duo followed next and attempted to report on the state of the area around them before deciding to stop as everyone had not yet arrived, apparently.
After the last oddly ginger entered and stated something about the sinister atmosphere, which was blatantly obvious to Izo and he was amused that was something that needed to be stated, he put the remains of his breakfast to one said and said generally to everyone "I suppose getting to know each other is a good enough start, perhaps it will increase the time before you all start murdering each other hm?" his eyes sweeping over each of the people present as he spoke.
"I am Izo Saitou for anyone who did not hear yesterday, would anyone else like to introduce themselves to the group?" while he began the sentence genuinely the latter part of it was laced with sarcasm, he felt like he was addressing some kind of addiction recovery group speaking in such a way. Perhaps that is a good way to speak to a group of potential killers?
Verdan entered the Laughing Knave and sat at the bar without a word before waving the barkeeper over to him and asking "Excuse me sir but what is the..strongest alcohol you have? And do you also have a waterskin of some kind I would be able to purchase off of you to put it in?"
As he spoke, the doctor removed the heavy tome he was carrying from his side bag and began to leaf through for an entry he had been reading earlier on a rather interesting affliction. He also offered his gloved hand up to his companion raven to move the bird down onto the table and added "Oh, and if you have anything for the bird that would be marvelous."without bothering to look back up as he rifled through the pages.
Izo had not been sitting for a minute before he was approached by Taya, even as she spoke he assessed this seemingly new person who had approached him. She seemed familiar to him, perhaps he had merely glanced over her in the chaos that was yesterday. Regardless he gestured to the seat opposite him and shortly said "Sit if you wish." before returning to his meal for a few moments.
After a small pause to continue his meal, and to allow Taya to sit, he directly asked "So, what is your name? Who are you? I cannot exactly recall seeing you yesterday during our arrival." as he finished his questioning he noticed Himura speaking up, once she was done speaking he sighed and muttered to himself "If there are no murders within then next week I will flay myself until my back is red." before returning to his eggs.
Zetsibo stood in silence as each of his fellow deities spoke, each of them registering the loss of Sandrimor on after the other like a set of dominoes. The amount of sorrow,grief and despair was almost too much for him as he let out a slight shudder of what could arguably be called pleasure at the overwhelming atmosphere present in the room. Despite the wonderful rush this situation provided him, it was a problem even for him. Zetsibo was even a little sad, with Sandrimor gone who knew how many of the others would attempt to end him before he could even begin to sow despair in the hearts of mortals.
"If Sandrimor is truly gone,I myself fear the chance one of us will decide they are the only one suited to the throne." Zetsibo said as he walked into the throne room, examining the room more closely now that Perillian had lit the place up somewhat. Frankly he preferred it without the lights. As the Icon of Despair reached the end of the room he examined the throne more closely, how would he look on it? Such a thought did not last long however as he banished the possibility from his mind, his ascending to the throne would require the death of many of his brethren. It was not worth it for, as Amp has put it 'a glorified title'.
"Oh yes,I wouldn't worry about me desiring the throne. I'm well aware my ascendance would require the death of many. And that just wouldn't be fun for anyone now would it." Zetsibo said,attempting to reassure those still present of his intent before turning away from the throne and walking back towards the entrance and more specifically Legio.
"My apologies dear Legio but I'm afraid you shall not have reason to end me this cycle." he said with a rather dry chuckle. He continued after a a split second pause "Regardless, perhaps we should set out some..rules for this cycle,hm? You wouldn't want me to start destroying your creations unrestrained and I would rather you didn't do the same to my own. Not directly at least." the despair deity added as he cut a portal into his domain before stepping through the glowing white gateway and gesturing for Legio to follow if he so wished. As Zetsibo stepped through he waved his shadowy claws and a pair of stone seats rose up from the dusty dark sand, followed by a simple table of the same colour. Whether Legio followed through or not Zetsibo sat in the chair directly opposite the portal and stared into the portal expectantly.
Verdan let out a sigh at the declined request before muttering as she walked away "Don't blame me if the bodies start rising again..."
After Lilith had dealt with the rest of those present and gave them her offer he stroked the beak of his elongated mask thoughtfully. A witch was no sentient undead, would his dear patron allow him to deviate from her commands? With some uncertainty Verdan responded "Finding out how that gas was produced could provide an interesting insight....and I could use the gold. I will assist in eliminating this witch." Immediately after speaking he eyed his raven assistant (who had presumably returned to sit on his shoulder now the coast was clear) to see if it warranted any response from it.
Vlath sat with his fellow tribe leaders for some time, discussing the possible plans that could be enacted to defeat this enemy. Grash had called for them to fortify the settlement and be ready for the impending assault while Mex had claimed an ambush would be the best course of action. After some debate Vlath had silenced the two of them with a growl and a threat [colour=DarkGray] "This settlement is in ruins, the shelters we have erected are pitiful and are not worth fortifying. The wisest course of action would be to leave across the river and find a new home to fortify, one near to the forest would serve us well." the voidcaller decreed as Grash settled into silence with a low growl and Mexi merely stared between the other chieftains. Now both were completely settled he continued " The bridge across the river will be guarded at all times, as will the river itself. Once all members of the covenant are safely across I will ask that the champions of the void in their greatness would act as our defenders from the river itself, waiting below the waves to strike out at any foe foolish enough to cross. If they attempt to cross the bridge will have to be destroyed. If they attempts to defile the Holy Stones before facing us we may have to retaliate, until we know this enemies location Silentpaw scouts will remain on the east side of the river while our warriors prepare themselves on the west side. Are there any questions?" Vlath said, concluding the speech with a question that was more to show he was allowing other ideas yet none came.
The other chieftains simply nodded and with a wave of his hand Vlath dismissed them from his tent before adding "We will begin the migration as soon as your people are ready. Bloodfang I would have you wait behind."
Grash Bloodfang turned to Vlath with some curiosity before asking "What do you wish from me Voidcaller?" he asked.
Vlath responded "When we have destroyed this enemy, you will take this old landing site and turn it into a fortress against not only enemies from the west but also those from the sea. Do not fail me in this war or I will do it myself Grash." there was a tone of finality in the Voidcallers voice, while Grash had been the first to suggest the fortification of Wolfhelm (or Seagard as Vlath would insist on calling the conceptual fortress) he was giving this task to Grash as serious order, not a idle mission to be done at his leisure.
"It will be done,Voidcaller." Grash said with a bow before he himself left the tent after his fellow chieftains.
After his meeting was done Vlath made a sigh and began to pray to the Gods yet again, requesting he allow the void beasts to obey his commands so he may conquer this enemy.
Wulfhelm will be relocated across the river as soon as possible while Silentpaw scouts will remain on the east side to try and find the enemies location. The void beasts would hide in the river and wait for Vlaths command to rise while the warriors of the covenant would ready themselves and fortify the other side of the river, destroying the bridge if the enemy attacked and began attempting to cross. If not the Silentpaw archers would simply pepper them with arrows until Vlath deemed any of the enemy where close enough to the water for the void beasts to strike.
Vlath informed Grash he would be expected to create the fortress of Seagard at the old location of Wolfhelm to defend from the sea and the west.
Saitou Izo was already coming to as Monokuma's voice blurted from the speakers,albeit that didn't make the sound any less jarring to him; Izo was used to a morning of almost complete silence in his on personal quarters, not being woken up like a child. Sighing as he dressed himself, Izo contemplated his situation. He was still attempting to deduce whether or not this was the work of some cult or not, after all there were many who would weep with joy to see his death or disappearance. Regardless, he would not allow his captors to control his emotions as they seemed intent to. As he took another look around his new bedroom he took a deep breath, perhaps that would be more difficult than he hoped.
The grumbling in his stomach was all the urging Izo needed to try and seek out the messhall, which he found after a few minutes of walking through the camp; the place was not very large at all. As he entered he noted a handful of the other hostages were also eating, at least a few of them hadn't broken into some kind of murderous frenzy. He gathered himself a platter of eggs,bacon and sausage before sitting down at a seat near the entrance and eating. The food was surprisingly good for a organisation that had kidnapped a group of teenagers, Izo noted and chuckled to himself-albeit the chuckle was more slightly louder exhale of air.
As the last of the undead fell, Verdan let out a sigh and shook his head as he walked from the gallows down to where the corpses lay. He would never rest from his work,even after such an attack. The doctor turned to Lilith as she approached the group "Yes,yes such things are all well and good but rewards can wait until the route of this problem has been purged. Would you allow me to see the bodies of the undead? I wish to examine them so I may attempt to locate what the gas did to these poor souls." Verdan asked somewhat distantly as he examined the remains of the zombies from a distance.
It began with a sound. A tear, a crack, a bang, what did it matter? He heard something for the first time in centuries; his time of rest was over and his time of action had begun.
Zetsibo shifted and twisted from form to form in the darkness above as he tried to settle on body for this cycle, after all he needed a form that would incite despair in all the little things his peers would creat. After a time his form settled into a humanoid figure of shadowy substance and bone, his head would be comparable to that of a wolf skull if not for the great horns protruding from just above his new form's empty black eyes. The being's torso seemed to be fortified by bone and his arms ended in elongated black claws. From the torso down the shadows elongated and twisted to form a pair of legs. Zetsibo examined his new form with some mild interest; the skull would do most definitely, however it still felt a little...bland. With a snap of his claws rows of white feathers formed along the deities shoulders and bag,gradually quickly being replaced with black as more formed down until the cloak reached the bottom of his legs. Satisfied, he discarded the cloak for now; he had much work to do before he could settle into such fanciful clothes.
Zetsibo turned to his next obligation before he could do much else; his core. Holding out his hands the Icon of Despair opened his skeletal mouth and 'exhaled' a stream of shadowy vapor into the palm of his hands, as it formed into something of a spherical shape it solidified and began to flicker and darken as streaks of almost painfully bright white light moved along the surface of Zetsibo's core. Truly an orb worthy of himself. Now complete, the core vanished and without another thought about it, Zetsibo turned to other matters
Having sufficiently prepared himself for the cycle ahead Zetsibo now needed to prepare his domain. A simple swap of his hand through the empty space around him opened the way to his realm, stepping through Zetsibo examined the barren plains around him. The sky seemed to have darkened since the Roil, that would not do at all. As the thought entered his mind the stark white sky of the Despairing Planes grew far light,piercingly light. Now he had adjusted the sky the Icon of Despair examined the rest of his realm, simply walking for some time and examining the mounds of blackened rubble that may have once been villages; perhaps a few had been fortresses of some long since dead servant. It mattered little to him; the great game would continue and he would create and consume servants as needed, all to create the despair he so craved.
As Zetsibo raised his finger to once again leave his little slice of existence, a name popped into his mind. Ab'thar. After pausing for a moment to consider whether it was yet worth bringing his avatar into existence,he Icon of Despair shrugged and waved his shadowy arm with a flourish. Immediately after the movement a small clump of dark vapor left the deities body and rapidly began to grow and shift into somewhat of a hound-like form from the abdomen up before a white wolfish skull formed atop the being. The avatar of Zetsibo looked up at it's master before letting out a 'howl'. It was a terrible noise, like the failing scream of a man with a popped lung. After the Houndlord was done Zetsibo simply said "Wait." before tearing open a portal and stepping back into the barren canvas that was the mortal realm.
Reappearing in the mortal realm with the burning white sky of his domain at his back, the god of despair sought out those who had also awakened and was pleased to quickly find both Anacahe and Perillian already awake. He would have gave a smile if he could however given his form he simply settled for a simple greeting "Ah there you are, I thought I was the first to have awoken for a moment. You both slept well I trust?" his voice seemed to echo outward from inside his skull, however given Zetsibo often favored rather skeletal forms this would likely not be met with much surprise from anyone present.
Minor Domains: Negativity emotion,madness, suffering,fear,nightmares
Opposing Domains: Hope,bravery
Appearance:
Zetsibo's second form is that of a great dragon, it is a hundred metres long and is capable of breathing streams of pure white fire.
Zetsibo rarely takes on his second form however he finds it sometimes necessary to inspire terror at his might among mortal races in some situations. Or perhaps briefly appearing to a single mortal to drive them to paranoia.
Core Appearance: Zetsibo's core is a simple black orb with streaks of white light streaking through it.
Personality: Zetsibo possesses a highly nihilistic view to the world around him, he recognizes the constant cycle of destruction and recreation renders everything he or his fellow Gods build to be pointless. To him the universe is a game and one he intends to enjoy despite the risk that may pose to him- if he can get his fellow Gods to understand that fact then even better but that is not his priority.
Zetsibo is generally a rather detached and calm deity; never getting particularly heated or emotional about issues although underneath he has a constant itch,a craving to spread despair wherever he can. Zetsibo has a natural obsession with despair in all it's aspects whether he is the thing causing despair or even if he is receiving such despair.This obsession can naturally lead to him becoming far more excitable when it's subject is involved in a situation, sometimes he contains it and sometimes he does not. Despite this and his nihilism Zetsibo is capable of enjoying many things and can often be found in his domain enjoying those little things in his down time between spreading sorrow and despair.
Relationships: Zetsibo has no real issue with most of his fellow immortals, although he does see them as somewhat ignorant to the nature of their reality he does not blame even the most scholarly of his fellows from avoiding the truth. While those who have bonds with their creations may find the Icon of Despair infuriating he merely enjoys inflicting despair upon mortals and does not mean that as a personal attack on their creator.
Allegiances: While Zetsibo held no true allegiance over the cycles he consistently supported Sandrimor as a bid to earn his protection from other Gods who were less likely to tolerate his consistent torment of mortals. Now Sandrimor has faded he is seeking any God who could guarantee his protection as he continues his method of passing the eons.
Domain: The Despairing Planes-A large plane of black soil and seemingly glowing white water. There is little in this realm except for the various beasts created by Zetsibo-most already unleashed on the world but a select few may be exclusive to the Despairing Planes. The Planes are also inhabited by a race of beings that are similar to those in the rest of the world that possess pale skin and grey eyes. These mortals live in small clustered settlements around the Planes which are raided on a nightly basis by Zetsibos beasts and are slaughtered. By the next day they will have reassembled and return to their menial,pointless work in their settlement.
Peoples: Fiendish/monstrous races, the mad and the nihilistic
Avatar and Anathema: Anathema: Claws of Torment-a set of of obsidian colored metal claws empowered by Zetsibo himself during his earlier cycles as a method of defending himself from potential aggressors, the claws quite literally siphon away the energy from a God and cast them away in a rather colorful display,against mortals these claws radiate despair and misery and are capable of sending all but the most willful of mortals in a downward spiral into complete despair. These claws are usable by Zetsibo in both his forms, the claws simply grow or shrink to suit his current form. Unfortunately for him the claws seem to have broken in the last Roil, perhaps Perillian could repair them..
Avatar:
Perhaps the only being in existence Zetsibo holds any true affection for, despite it essentially being an extension of his own will, Ab'thar is comparable to a loyal hound; it is eager to please it's master and is ferociously loyal despite having an intellect to match that of a hound as well. Ab'thar may be Zetsibo's most loyal and adored companion but that does not exempt it from it's master's nature; on several occasions Zetsibo has 'killed' his avatar purely in an attempt to feel a rush of despair although these attempts usually end with Zetsibo recreating the avatar within a few centuries or so due to it' general use in his harassment of mortals. When ordered to (and often when left to it's own devices) Ab'thar will hunt mortals, usually those who are already paranoid or are particularly filled with despair, and allow them to grow somewhat aware of his presence over a period of time before either leaving them alone or brutally murdering them for it's master's pleasure.
Ab'thar is capable of warping from place to place around the normal realm and is capable of whispering into the minds of most normal mortals,albeit in a language incomprehensible to the majority of races. It is also almost entirely incorporeal, minus it's canine-esque head and skeletal claws the avatar seem to be made entirely of a (primarily) black and white mist.
Banned
