let's set d o w n some (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
groundrules) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
westwhere2022-05-18 06:35 pm
groundrules) wrote in westwhere2022-05-18 06:35 pm
Entry tags:
- 2ha: chu wanning,
- arc iii,
- arcane: viktor,
- asoiaf: daenerys targaryen,
- finale,
- harry potter: hermione granger,
- kingdom of the wicked: emilia,
- kingdom of the wicked: wrath,
- legend of fei: xie yun,
- mo dao zu shi: xiao xingchen,
- mo dao zu shi: xue yang,
- oh! my emperor: beitang moran,
- oh! my emperor: su xunxian,
- owl house: eda clawthorne,
- sword of frost: yun yifeng,
- the gifted: marcos diaz,
- tian guan ci fu: xie lian,
- touken ranbu: kanesada,
- triangle strategy: jens macher,
- umbrella academy: diego,
- umbrella academy: five,
- untamed: lan sizhui,
- untamed: wen qing,
- warcraft: anduin wrynn,
- warcraft: wrathion,
- word of honor: zhou zishu
the tithe
The Arc III finale stretches until 2 June — and it’s erupt to no good.
THIS HOUSE IS YOUR HOUSE
The Ke-Waicai believers prepare for human sacrifice rites to prevent the eruption of the Ke-Sanwon volcano. They will lead tributes to the volcanic crater, which is lidded by the grounds of a decrepit haunted temple — known as the House of Ravens.
At the heart of the temple is a trodden dais that comprises four slowly receding plates. Numerous temple columns and deteriorating walls offer overnight hiding places, but beware the flinching statues and irritable large ravens. Meat, blood or shiny offerings can distract the birds.
- ■ Use the three previously gained keys to infiltrate the House of Ravens at night through forest pathways revealed by the Huntress.
■ Entrants to the House of Ravens are fully or partially depowered. Their ancestral curse is immediately lifted. Their strength is pulled into the Ke-Sanwon crater, which brims with raw magical power.
■ Hide on temple grounds until dawns, when the dais plates fully open to reveal a 10-metre entryway into the volcanic crater.
■ Overnight, characters are relentlessly tempted by mirages that only they witness: the eerie voice of a loved one might coax them to commit their greatest sin, or they could repeatedly relive memories that led them to such follies.
■ Characters guilty of drunkenness and gluttony feel deathly parched, starved and drawn to a lavish spread that is constantly far out — and ends up comprising raw corn and stale water, when they finally reach it. The lustful find their companions irresistible, or trail after a delectable beauty, who dissolves when touched. The wrathful mull violence, while the envious suspect their companions possess what they most desire. The proud are contemptuously incited to prove their superiority or independence, while the slothful give in to callous indifference towards their peers.
■ The stone statues that decorate the House of Ravens retaliate once visitors succumb to their sins: smaller sculptures throw stones or throttle nearby sinners, but only move when you do not look into their eyes. Larger 4m-tall statues exit the walls and give (slow) chase, retreating after 10-15 minutes. The statues stop attacking at dawns.
LET THERE BE BLOOD
CONTENT WARNING: BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF NPC PAIN, TRANSFORMATION
By dawns, the believers of Ke-Waicai have rallied their tributes — each crowned with wreaths of branches and crops — before the open dais. Roughly two hundred villagers attend the rites, along with eight powerful priests who use elemental magic.
- ■ A first sacrifice walks a long narrow plank that starts from the dais and goes a few metres into the mouth of the volcano. The plank shivers under from heat, but withstands weight.
■ During 15 minutes of exposure, the volcanic magic enshrouds the sacrifice, who painfully transforms into one of the animalistic tar creatures housed in the labyrinths of Ke-Sanwon.
■ Magically sensitive characters can feel this tribute now hosts volcanic magic, and that Ke-Sanwon’s power has slightly diminished.
■ The rites are interrupted by the significantly weaker, but wrathful Beastmaster, whose xenomorphic creatures attack the temple and seek his missing son
■ Characters should free the remaining tributes during the skirmish. They can be as nerfed as you need (if at all) during the rest of their stay in the House of Ravens.
■ The dais must stay open to access the volcano. You can take control of it and of the House by defeating the magically endowed priests, (literally) shouldering the head priest’s ancient white raven and holding its leash.
■ Pass the raven around and defend the bird’s current holder! Whoever carries the raven is often targeted by the village mob and the Beastmaster’s creatures.
■ The clashes last a few hours, until the Beastmaster and villagers exhaust their forces.
■ Diego Hargreeves, Xie Lian, Wrathion, Daenerys and Jon Snow apprehend the Beastmaster, slaying him, when he refuses to relinquish the Brotherhood. Decide who lands the killing blow. His last words: ”You’ve… seen this place. My animals… our dead… have more compassion than these living.”
FIRE AND BRIMSTONE?
The volume of magical energy and tormented spirits inside the volcano weighs heavily on the fracturing dark water mirror that has prevented Ke-Sanwon’s eruption so far. It’s going to blow, unless you:
- ■ Throw more dark water in to fix the mirror fissure. You can get dark water from volcanic cracks, dried wells and creepy crop fields.
■ Use ice / cold magic and ol’ science to cool down the volcano and help the mirror heal. Or lend Moiraine and Magnus a hand as they work with cold magic, and protect them while they cast.
■ Help Wrath and Wei Wuxian exorcise the volcano’s ancient spirits. Many have lost consciousness, reduced to memory fragments and feelings of wrath, pain and resent.
■ Guide villagers to bring sea water. Anduin (on top of the dragon Wrathion) and the harpy Eda are flying in supplies. Viktor is coaxing shipments from his werewolf friends of Ke-Waiar. Large phoenixes are also up for grabs for deliveries. Ensure couriers can safely arrive and quickly discharge their water.
■ Several characters are set to each absorb some of the magical power contained within the volcano, developing aftereffects. They must walk the wobbly plank and stay exposed to the volcano magic for under 15 minutes to avoid transformation: the longer they linger, the more power they take in, feeling as if they are burning from within. Exit quickly and rest copiously after. Those who spend over 10 minutes exposed suffer intense fevers and require immediate medical assistance to cool down.
WILL SOMEONE THINK OF THE CIVILIANS?
Beyond the House of Ravens, assist villagers who want to safeguard their possessions or evacuate by sea.
- ■ The gradual spread of Ke-Sanwon’s magic infects some villagers with temporary animal traits. These effects dissipate within three-four hours.
■ Characters who remain in the villages may feel more irritable and resentful, overcome by the feelings of the volcanic spirits.
■ Coordinate water and supply deliveries with those at the House of Ravens.
■ The Hok-Shinn are divided in their response: some resort to daylight robbery to secure the funds for their own safe departure; citing security, the men of Sairen unsympathetically rally commoners into designated parts of the village, often splitting apart families that then need help finding relatives; alone, Weisi’s followers keep the peace, but are frequently overwhelmed by waves of panicked villagers, thugs and animal hybrids.
■ The magical spillage overwhelms the forest fox spirits, leaving some enraged and prone to attack. Others assume the shape of beautiful wo/men and ask escort into Ke-Waihu for shelter, without disclosing their fox natures. These ethereal strangers betray their origins with cold smiles, glimpses of fleetingly sharp teeth, a fondness for chicken, and… is that an extra set of ears? No harm befalls those who bring a fox into the village, though s/he may insist on now being your lawful spouse.
THE AFTERMATH
With the clashes and Ke-Sanwon subdued, the villagers of Ke-Waicai request back their temple keys and white raven. They lead the party to the beacon of the House of Ravens — the beautifully carved and now-closed dais above the volcano.
- ■ Party companion Hatisse confirms the beacon can be revived within days.
■ She warns that an eruption was prevented by depleting the volcanic magic now, but that the threat could recur within five to 10 years.
■ All character curses (ancestral or individual) are lifted, and powers return completely.
■ Spend some downtime in the villages. Ke-Waicai offers the most luxurious, but frosty accommodations, while the werewolves of Ke-Waiar are tired, but thrilled hosts. Those who suffer from lycanthropy are now experiencing fewer and fewer ‘nocturnal episodes.’
■ In Ke-Waihu, villagers have now calmed and are grateful for help with reaping the fresh harvest and watering their crops, as well flows revive. Every other night, Hok-Shinn Weisi organises a bonfire with village musicians, hearty dances, fresh bread and ale. Villagers seek to marry off their… alluring spawn to their saviours.
■ Within days, Hatisse summons the party to the activated beacon: a pool of white energy, in which one must slowly descend. Characters who were dropped or AC swept in May enter the beacon first and are presumed returned to their home worlds. Characters set for a canon update follow in — but are spat back by the portal and return within minutes.
■ Inevitably, the remaining volatile magic of the volcano disrupts the beacon and ruins the dais. Happily for you, the Merchant will soon get in touch with your next ticket east.
Daenerys Targaryen | ASOIAF
[The magic feels heavy here, as it had in the House of the Undying. Having seen apparitions and shadows before, tempted by various images and lures, Dany is prepared to wander through the pathways and past the crumbling columns. There is nothing here that is worse than the Undying trying to feed on her, biting here and attempting to consume her.
But there is still a voice, Viserys's, whispering to her as though he were standing behind her. 'Dany, please,' Each time, it was as if she felt his breath against her ear. She would turn sharply, clutching her chest like the frightened little girl she had once been. Nothing, always nothing. The whispers though would continue. Reminders of the things she never hand, accusations that her companions were happier than she was. 'They have families, they have homes. They never had to beg on the street or sell their mother's crown. They didn't kill their mother. They didn't kill their brother.' It was powerful and overwhelming.
Dany would stop to lean against a column, pressing her palms to her ears, trying to block it out. But she didn't possess the "dragon" that her brother did, not towards friends and the anxiety to find the boy overpowered all else.
After each bout, she'd hurry forward, as though she could outrun her sin.]
Further in. We might find signs of him further in.
no subject
[The place is vast, and while there is little time to search, going at it blindly will not in fact help.]
The place is more than half in ruins. If someone has resided here, they probably had to make their own shelter, using whatever they could find.
... This is no place for a child to survive on their own.
no subject
[She was feeling desperate. If there was some good she could do, she would do it.
And she was envious of anyone else who might solve this mystery.]
A child should not be underestimated. It is possible to survive under the worst circumstance. I won't hold out hope, but there will be some sign.
no subject
[But no, clearly, this place wasn't meant to house people for years while awaiting whatever destiny they had, whether volcano death or otherwise.]
We will look, if only to bring whatever we can to Hyang-Tai. But I am not hopeful. If they did not use the child in their sacrificial rituals, there is still little chance he is still here given the look of the place.
[That doesn't necessarily mean he's dead... but 'not here' doesn't really give any answers either.]
... If you mother brought you here as a child and left you there, what would you think?
no subject
[Which made this a bit more intimidating. Was the name of this place chosen for something more nefarious? Ravens were scavenger birds and often followed death.
No. She didn't want to think about that.]
Possibly. There will be some sign regardless. I don't believe that there will be nothing left of him, as if he never existed.
[She was silent a moment, looking around the ruins.]
I never knew my mother. I only had my brother. He would be more likely to bring me to a place like this for his own ends. I- I would not rely on others around me, I would either find my strength to survive on my own or...succumb.
no subject
[Which doesn't actually make it better in Moran's eyes. His entire life revolves around questioning and discovering new things, so following some teachings blindly is the epitome of foolishness as far as he is concerned.]
We'll keep looking, as long as we can.
no subject
[Blessings or a sense of devotion? It was something.]
Until the volcano finally erupts?
no subject
[And that could be before the volcano erupts.]
no subject
no subject
The columns whisper down decay and soot; his feet drag the weight of the world in rubble and debris. Wet, somehow, heat and condensation. As if children wept an errant trail for Lan Wangji to follow, one step and the next, in a mad, quieted exploration.
He searched. They, far too many, all searched. At times, he strayed from the righteous paths of the temple's keep and stumbled on the distant silhouette of master Beitang Moran, carrying out his own expedition. At others, he encountered only his thoughts in sharp, ghastly and wintered whirlwind.
And now he finds her, the girl, depleted. Unmoored, but he lacks the strength and the skill to heal her. Only, bows at a distance, enough of his body remembering itself to perform an artless curve. )
...we searched. ( He cannot speak the words, should not. A father, and Sizhui safe, and how can he flaunt his failures so? ) Apologies.
no subject
The column was a bit wet, either from rain or humidity, it was difficult to say. Even still, it grounded her. It was a reminder of home, one of the only things that made sense in this world, the same as the magic that haunted her in the House of Ravens.]
We will continue to search, every grain of sand, every column, under every rock. There must be some sign of him.
no subject
It schools him to awareness, to his back straightened and his gaze sharp, as if physical correctitude might instil mental discipline. And yet, as his arms break the bow, tender: )
Not on this day. The mountain bleeds. ( Soot rains upon them, land tremors disrupt their footing. Screams start in the horizon, and they will not see the terrors end with midday's sun, of this he is certain. There is no hour that can forgive today's horrors, but dark. ) We must preserve our forces.
( Rest, he need not say, because he wonders how much kindness she has afforded her body, if she has given a fraction of its resolution to acts of ease. )
no subject
Her hand brushes against the stone as she pushes herself up, catching on a loose rock with her finger. She pulled it back, noticing a smear of blood...as well as a piece of cloth. Red, red like her blood.]
Look at this.
no subject
Only, it is the linen alone, how it ruptures and thins, and he does not linger with the shadow of his touch, only kisses the edge of the fabric with two fingertips, reverent. Coarse, absent silk. No lace. No trims. He intends to ask, What is this?
But Daenerys appears arrested by the moment, drowned in the thrall of a mystery Lan Wangji only grasps with utmost ignorance. On the top of his dried, clammy tongue, Elaborate. Instead, he thinks: not of what the cloth might be, but of why she would display it to him, choose it above all for their reunion. After: )
You think it linked to the child. ( Pertaining to his attackers, his criminal mother, or the boy himself...? Lan Wangji is lost, briefly, in a skipped moment of ambiguity, purpose and meaning diffuse like twilight. Then, his unarmed hand reaches at short distance before him, crisp, electric flickers of magic on the crest of materialisation sparking, dying, rustling. ) Spirits may encircle it. May I inquire?
no subject
[She couldn't jump to that conclusion. After all, she had no way of knowing that this could come from something belonging to the child. But it was still something in a sea of endless waste. If she was eager to latch onto something, could any really object? She said she wanted a sign of the child, any sign that he had been here and perhaps he might still be alive.
She offered out the small bit of cloth. It was barely the size of a fingernail and rather fragile. Even in handing it over to him, some threads started to pull loose.]
You mean some residue of him there?