HONEY, WE’VE GOT VISITORSSa-Hareth-brand
Cassandra tries to flag the future, gets left on read.
True story — and then, the dead come.
His offer neglected, a desperate Unhalad resorts to sieging the farmhouse in search for the mirror
that was previously on the Imperious.
He’s in for disappointment, while the party prepare for... house guests over the
early-morning 16 June to 17 June period.
 |
Around 3:30am (16 June) of a storming night, those who are awake or sensitive to the supernatural may hear the winds and fleeing rats whisper that something comes.
At 3:45am, Karsa’s wards around the farmhouse set off, briefly shrieking. Within minutes, Unhalad’s undead infiltrate the farmhouse, with one slight creature first entering down the kitchen chimney.
A small faction of undead remain on the roof, while a swarming majority circle the farmhouse. Throughout the night, they attempt to break in through doors and windows, making slow progress. They are warier of the forest-facing back entrances.
The attackers comprise droves of undead, some clearly only recently converted in haste. They are weaker for it. |
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Over time, the undead drip into the farmhouse. They lack the coordination for a concerted effort. Attempting to exit within the first three hours of the siege will prove disastrous, as too many undead wait outside.
The undead will seek a mirror, being first and foremost drawn to Winnie, who carries a similar item on her person. Fox and Five will also be of interest. Fox can escape attention by discarding the shards.
Any character that was bound to Anurr’s tree still bears the lingering marks of Anurr’s undeath is especially perceived as an enemy. Regulus enjoys the same treatment, given his extensive recent stay with the free people.
The undead will savagely wreck the house in their hunt, striving to kill those in their path. They can be slain regularly. The older, "properly" summoned undead (identifiable because of their clear state of rotting) should be incinerated or severely amputated to avoid further resurrection.
Because of the overwhelming number of undead, it is best to keep lean, mean and mobile within the house.
Karsa joins the farmhouse around 6am. She’ll teleport in, but the density of undead outside will prevent her from teleporting out safely. Alongside three party volunteers, she reinforces some of the wards, decelerating the advance of the undead. Her group will also throw away any of Unhalad’s markings (salt and ash) out of the house and into the inner garden pond. |
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Come sunset (16 June) Unhalad himself will ride outside of the farmhouse, holding distant vigil over the hostilities with his retinue. On his arrival, unbound farmhouse animals will flee into the forest.
Unhalad will be recognisable because of the immensity of raw power he emanates — a feeling of great and overwhelming despair and hunger.
Options to evacuate the chaos include sneaking out, fighting the undead, calling on reinforcements from any local allies, or holding position until around 8am of 17 June, when Unhalad’s last-minute forces start to disintegrate because of the haste in which they were summoned.
The minority of Unhalad’s forces that were summoned back alive with the appropriate diligence will not break down and will need to be banished.
The free people will not intervene, unless they are called in. |
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If you’ve made it this far into Sa-Hareth’s worst hazing ritual, congratulations. A few more days of crud to go.
Over the next few days before the 21-22 June departure, characters will have to make do with their shattered lodgings and dearth of supplies, or can seek sanctuary back in Sa-Hareth. Any money spent on accommodations will have to come out of the travel fund. You're on your own, kids.
The animals can return from the forest, and the free people might spare some food and water, gifted to those who stood out during Anurr’s trials. The Anurr cultists of Sa-Hareth could also part with a few provisions for their good friends, Xie Lian and Xiao Xingchen.
To opt out of the event, have characters out of the house on the night of the siege. It will be difficult to re-enter. The OOC plotting floor is yours! |
FARMHOUSE LAYOUT
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westwhere2021-06-14 07:23 pm
ninja flips in
Looking a lot more roughed up than when they had last crossed paths Lily fought her way to the northeast corner, darting towards Regulus once she spotted him. Whatever worst-case scenario she had imagined after hearing his talk of partially sentient fire was blown away by the question he asked.
"Of course I do I passed the N.E.W.Ts with flying colors," she said it all in a breathless rush, shaking her head as she waved her wandless hand at him, her face scrunching in disapproval. "But you can't be serious Regulus!" The knowledge that he even knew how to cast fiendfyre in the first place was utterly dismal, and while now wasn't the time to question him and kick herself for not pressing him for more information before agreeing to this mad alliance she absolutely would be doing that later.
If they lived.
Squaring her shoulders Lily took a breath and shook her head firmly before meeting his eye again, trying to replace her sense of bewilderment with determination.
"What do we have to do?" Later she would have a lot to say about it, but for now she tried to focus on the very dire matter at hand.
Re: ninja flips in
“Good, I’ll need your help from it getting out of control. I'll do my best to control the direction it burns, but if an undead breaks free from the group and lights something not-undead on fire, I need you to douse it.”
no subject
Her shoulders rose and fell as she took a few breaths, trying to consider the best way to approach this while ideally serving to spare the farm and herself from any danger.
"So I'll follow after the line of the fire, pushing it back if I have to and putting it out?" This was meant to be her last push for the effort. Lily had barely gotten to rest and had spread herself thin over the course of the siege. She believed she could do what was being asked of her here, but if it failed she might not be able to help anymore. She imagined Regulus stood the same risk.
no subject
He pulled her into a room without windows so they could hash this out without interruption.
"I'm going to apparate us to behind the army. I've been that far out, so I know I can get us there. But I cannot guarantee there won't be any stragglers failing to keep up with the rest of the group, we're going in hot. That means you need to have the first five to ten spells you want to use to eliminate," not trip or leg-lock or body bind - he really meant decapitate or blow up, "any of the undead that notices us already queued up in your mind and ready to use when we land. I'll be doing the same. We'll then need to get closer to the army because I'm going to be cautious with our jump. Better to have to run to catch up to them than pop into the middle of them. Once we're close enough I'll start the fire."
He paused, giving Lily a chance to collect her thoughts for this.
"Do you have any questions?" Better ask them now instead of out there.
no subject
Her mind worked a mile a minute over what Regulus laid out, considering what she would have to contend with to keep the fire away from the farm.
"I might have to take off to put out fires, I'll cast a silencing charm around myself so I can move and work a little more freely. You intend to push them towards where Wei Wuxian is going to bring in his reinforcements, correct? And squish them?" It was a very effective, very dangerous plan. Lily would have been the last one to think of it, given the nature of the magic he intended to use, and while she loathed considering the dark arts useful - it might work.
no subject
"Keep your thoughts focused when you apparate where you need to go."
If she splinched herself Regulus would have to make a choice between keeping the undead pinned and coming to help her. But in order for her to keep on top of rogue flames - and Regulus would be doing his best to keep a strong mental check on where the fyre spread, this was just a tricky spell, and Lily was the necessary backup - Lily would need to do a fair amount of apparating behind the army.
"We stay in contact with the quartz when we are apart. Are you ready?" He would give her a moment to queue up her spells if she needed it.
no subject
Hopefully here on the outskirts of the skirmish, they'd have to contend with fewer undead approaching, but Lily didn't know what lay ahead for either of them. Especially if she was to apparate around into points unknown to put out, or push the Fiendfyre back to where it needed to be.
It was going to be difficult, not just to control the fire Regulus was going to conjure, but to stay alive in the first place. "If the worst happens, send up sparks so I know where to find you, I'll do the same." He'd likely be too focused to notice if that happened, she knew, so she hoped it didn't come to that.
Holding her hand out for him to apparate them both into position she squared her jaw, looking over at him. "Good Luck Regulus." There would certainly be no time to say it once they were outside.
no subject
There were a few straggling undead dotting the landscape between them and the horde.
"Let's go," Regulus said and broke into a run towards that dangerous mob, trusting Lily to keep up with him.
As he ran, he sent Reducto towards any undead in range. But when they got closer, a good number of undead noticed the commotion happening behind them and turned to investigate, and then also to attack.
Now, outside of the walls of the farmhouse, he could use something far more destructive.
"Expulso!" He aimed it right at the center of the undead that had turned towards them. The whole group burst apart with blue light and the undead not caught in the center of the explosion were thrown back into the mob, bowling down undead until they lost momentum.
And it gave them a bit more room to work with. Though it did get the attention of more undead, who were regrouping and starting for them.
Regulus had to start now.
He planted his feet. "Lily, I'm going to start," he shouted towards her as a warning.
And a moment later, a flick of his wand, and a continuous stream of fire shot of our his wand at the oncoming undead. A few flicks more and the fire morphed into terrifying monsters made out of flames - serpents, dragons, chimeras. It took great concentration on Regulus' part to direct those flame-monsters towards the horde, rather than let them run amok at random. But attack the onrushing undead those flame-monsters did, igniting and incinerating corpse after corpse and rendering them piles of smoldering ruins.
It was working. For now. Regulus hoped Lily was able to do her part to keep those flame-monsters in check.
aaaand scene
Even if he hadn't reminded her as firmly as he had, Lily wasn't aiming to stun or merely incapacitate this time. What he meant to do required more concentration than she could fathom, or it would go terribly, terribly wrong.
"Bombarda Maxima," she said quickly, hitting one of the undead towards the middle of the nearest group, and sending body parts flying. Repeating the spell Lily sent undead in pieces, hurtling back towards the larger group of attackers, wanting to get them in the line of the Fiendfyre, while hopefully culling as many as she could in the process.
She heard him shout but was too focused on driving the undead as close together as she could to respond. At the first roar of the flames, Lily began to sprint along the side of the blaze as it rushed towards the army of undead, keeping on the side closest to the farm. Keeping her wand raised Lily used the counter-curse to cut a swath of protection between herself and the flames as she moved before, with a loud pop, she apparated, moving towards a spot further ahead where the flames had begun to slip off course.