[PQ] [SE] Purple hel

Sah

With his completed, Sah turned to other vital matters. The spread of the void and Family was growing and encroaching on the settled regions by the day. It had yet to reach Halo to the same extent but it was only a matter of time if actions weren't taken now. Torchline, the Climb, and the Draig were buffering the icy region, but if one fell, the void would dig deeper into his home.

The Wild Thunder had figured that he would use his newest magic to his advantage and maximize how many of the infected creatures he could cut down. After putting a notice to ask for volunteers to join him today, Sah waited at the edge of the trees. As people arrived, he quickly gave out the first instructions.

"Good morning. Our task today is to destroy and kill as many void-infected creatures as possible. Local hunters have informed me that they've spotted a large flock of voidbound hels in the area.  We'll start by looking for tracks, clues, and other evidence of where to find them." The Wild Thunder paused, and his eyes narrowed. "Above all, be careful and avoid injury at all costs. Let's go."


~
SE Voidbound hel hunting PQ!
Round 1: Post your character arriving and looking for clues.

1. Sah
2. Thalassa
3. Maea


Voidbound Hels (common ): The once friendly Hels now bear the taint of the void. If a Voidbound Hel chooses to land on you, a suffocating void aura envelops you instantly. It's no longer a matter of a leisurely stroll on the ocean; the void energy they bring becomes a relentless force, stealing your breath and plunging you into a desperate struggle for air.

I think therefore I am,
But what if all I do is bleed?

A ship is safe in harbor,

Thal approached the group on the beach, nodding to Sah in recognition after having met him at Maea' experiment. Her blood was itching for action, to spill Void blood and make a dent in the spreading infection. And maybe flex some of the new weapons in her arsenal. 

Stretching her fidgeting muscles, she attempted to calm her anticipation to a focused attention, looking for signs of the Void hels. Her eyes scanned the sky for signs of the birds while also sifting through the white sand for feathers or tracks. She stuck close to the group, keeping them in her peripheral to prevent someone from being caught in their grasp. The glint of her unsheathed daggers might also serve to ward off the hels.

---

Thalassa arrives and starts looking for signs of the Void hels!

Thalassa

but that's not what ships are built for.

"If I could fly I would never come back", you said

It was good to be out and about again. Not only to escape home and the dilemmas she had to face there, but to do something about this looming threat at the shores of every region. It was a no-brainer to sign up for Sah's mission, and she arrived onto the beach with every intention of making herself useful.

There weren't a lot of gore crows in Torchline, and none of them had her bleached out, bone white coloration. Squawking out a raucous "Oo-kay!" upon receiving the instructions, she took flight to cover the beach from the air. She quite looked forward to measuring her talons against a flock of Hels. Void touched or not, they were annoying birds - it should be a fun time.

---

Maea scouts for Hels from the air, in her Gore Crow shift.

Maea

Sah

The hels proved themselves to be expectedly elusive. Thalassa found feathers, but they were in too much of a disarray to determine the direction of the birds from them. Sah found tracks, but they turned out to belong to actual hels and not their void-infected cousins. From her vantage point in the sky, it was Maea who located their quarry.

The flock of monstrous birds was perched on a rocky outcrop overlooking a stretch of tidepools. Maea counted five visible birds. The rocks where they perched lay in the shade of a large nether veil palm tree. The hunting party would need to take care of that as well before they left.

Before that, they needed to get close enough to attack without alerting the birds.

~
Round 2! No post order.
Time to follow the trail, but don't let the hel's notice your approach!

Nether Veil Palm (uncommon): The once resilient palm now stands twisted, its fan-shaped leaves tainted by shadows. Dark tendrils reach out from its bark, creating an unsettling contrast to the once vibrant landscape. Touching the bark induces an unsettling feeling of coldness.

I think therefore I am,
But what if all I do is bleed?

Instead of any ominous, life-threatening scene, you are greeted by the sight of cloud wyrms hovering slightly beyond your reach. They twist and turn through the air, puffy forms following their wakes; giving some refuge from the sun.

One even seems to look at you, uttering a soft greeting, before moving on, after its brethren.

---

You’ve encountered a Cloud Wyrm. This counts as an uncommon creature encounter for the purposes of levelling, but does not count as a Random Event for levelling or MP. There will be no further admin/re intervention. If you choose to follow this creature, you do so at your own risk, however, just having it in this thread is enough to satisfy your levelling requirements.

Cloud Wyrm (uncommon/mythical) - Cousins of the dragon, these small and serpentine creatures boast no wings or destructive breath. Rather, they breathe clouds. Their four-legged white bodies can be seen slithering through the air, puffy clouds streaming from their mouths to ease the intensity of the sun on the plains. They never get any bigger than a weasel, and are known as docile, playful creatures, and they seem to enjoy collecting shiny things.

"If I could fly I would never come back", you said

Flying along the coast was a pleasant experience despite the grim task at hand. Warm and balmy breezes provided lift that made flying a near effortless affair and from her lofty vantage point the Archlight ocean spread out vast and inviting as far as her beady bird eyes could see. In a misty haze overhead she recognized cloud wyrms, and was sorely tempted to take a detour - for lunch, for sport, who knew - but a moment later something purple caught her attention and all else vanished from Maea's thoughts.

Swinging up high into the air, she began to circle to signal Thalassa and Sah to her discovery. Waiting until she saw them approach, she would keep circling and provide a distraction if needed, so that the others would be able to close in on the birds undetected. A single gore crow was not much of a threat to them; and the quietly hoped they wouldn't all come crying after her tailfeathers.

---

Maea circles over the void hels to show where they are, and will distract them so the others can get closer without being noticed.

Maea

A ship is safe in harbor,

Her luck proved lousy, only spotting a few feathers scattered across the beach in a seemingly random pattern. She sighed in annoyance, half-wishing she could join Maea to search the skies, scattering the cloud wyrms in her wake. Would it feel like swimming? Diving through clouds and gliding on wind currents? Maybe one day she would find out. In the meantime, Thal trailed behind, feet stubbornly planted on the ground.

During one of her envious glances towards Maea, she noted the circling, the universal signal for spotted prey. Smiling in anticipation, Thal clutched her daggers close and looked to Sah, making sure he had also noted the signal. Her body dropped into a stalking crouch that silenced her footsteps. Even the brush of her cloak had become imperceptible. She crept into the shade of the nearby foliage, letting her black attire melt her into the shadows. That was when she noticed the suspiciously dark Nether Veil Palm near the Void Hels. Its black tendrils seemed to stretch towards her, seeking to leach the warmth from her body. Maybe if they could get the hels close enough to touch the tree, they could burn them both to a smoldering pile of ash all at once... 

Thal looked up to Maea and pointed to the tree, attempting to hint at the inklings of a plan. She then looked back at Sah and wordlessly pantomimed her idea as well. 

---

Thalassa uses the shadows to creep towards the Void Hels and signals to the group that she wants to use the tree against the hels.

Thalassa

but that's not what ships are built for.

Sah

With Maea as a guide and a distraction, Sah and Thalassa were able to get into position. Shadows and years of experience made the task an easy one. Crouched behind the foliage, they were able to see the palm and hels. Sah's eyes narrowed as he took in their surroundings. At Thal's gesture, the Abandoned glanced between their quarry and judged the distance. They'd need to get the birds closer to minimize escapees, but it was a solid idea. He nodded and quickly turned to catch Maea's eye as well.

Using what he hoped were simple gestures to get his point across, the Wild Thunder outlined their next course of action. They needed to get the birds closer to the tree and set it ablaze. One of them would need to watch the others' backs as they acted.

~
Round 3! No post order. Sah will take what's left.
Time to put the plan in motion.

1. One to lure the birds towards the tree.
2. One to set the tree on fire.
3. One to provide support and ensure that neither of the others gets touched by the hels.

I think therefore I am,
But what if all I do is bleed?

"If I could fly I would never come back", you said

While Sah's gestures were a bit cryptic, they were simple enough that even someone unfamiliar with him could catch the gist. Seeing as she was already closest to the tainted birds, Maea decided to play the role of bait.

Letting out a raucous caw, she dropped abruptly from her vantage point high above the tree and plummeted towards the hels. Bigger than them by a good wingspan and a half, she quickly found herself surrounded by flapping wings and obnoxious cries, and had to fight a wave of dizziness as the void taint emanated from their presence. Taking off as fast as she can, she drew them around in a circle, pressing ever closer to the Nether veil Palm until she finally darted in beneath the fronds. There she stayed, beak open and gasping in mingled unease and excitement.

They could just torch the thing up while she was still there. Fire would be a blessing compared to this awful aura of purple and black.

---

Maea chooses option 1. and hassles the void hels so they will pursue her to the tree. She'll linger as the thing is torched, as she's fireproof.

Maea

A ship is safe in harbor,

Watching Maea dive in, Thal decided to act as the spark. She crept around the tree to its base, careful to avoid the reaching black tendrils and the suspicious bark. Grabbing a nearby rock and some dry tinder, she sat in the shadows to wait for the Void Hels to migrate towards the Nether Veil Palm.

The moment they all got close enough in proximity, she struck the stone across her dagger to spark a fire. Reaching out her hand in concentration, she urged the fire to grow, consuming the tree. Thal continued to feed her magic into the flames, trying to keep any stray breezes from stopping its ascent up the trunk. 

---

Thalassa strikes a stone against her dagger to start a fire at the base of the tree, using her fire manipulation to encourage the flames. 

Fire Manipulation: Can manipulate flames. Must be within a 5ft radius, control is weak and unstable and requires concentration.
Type: Dark | Rank: Basic

Thalassa

but that's not what ships are built for.

Sah

The vicious voidbound hels eagerly flocked around Maea and followed her to the tree where Thalassa lay in wait. With the strike of her stone, the base of the tree was set ablaze. The breeze from the ocean fueled the flames higher and they soon overtook the entirety of the tree.

The hels caught in the flames screeched as they were burned to a crisp. Meanwhile, Sah used his telekinesis to shove one trying to flee straight into the fire. Soon all of the tainted birds fell lifeless on the sand. The tree still stood, but it was barely hanging on to its twisted life.

Sah stood up from where he was hidden and approached to inspect the palm. "We'll need to fully destroy this one and dispose of it and the hels." He glanced at Thal and held out his hand, letting fire ignite in his palm. "You can borrow my fire if you want."

~
Last round! Destroy the tree and dispose of the remains!

I think therefore I am,
But what if all I do is bleed?

"If I could fly I would never come back", you said

When the fire flared up around her and hels began dropping dead into the sand, the white gore crow took off again and came flying out of the inferno with flames licking her wings. A bit sooty and out of sorts after lingering too long in the draining shade of the Nether palm, she swung high into the air to regain her bearings and catch her breath.

Leaving the stoking of the flames to those on the ground, she remained in her shifted form and came down only once the palm had been reduced to a pillar of charcoal. Gingerly picking up pieces to gather them up and dispose of them somewhere else, it was with a sense of accomplishment that Maea joined the others in the cleanup. They worked well together, now as in the past, and she considered all over again whether to invite Sah to the expedition she and Talyson had planned.

But that would be a conversation for another time. Once she was done here, she had business to attend to back in the Grounds. The new year had only barely begun, yet the sheer amount of work before her had Maea feeling behind on schedule already.

---

Maea leaves the last kill to Thalassa and Sah, and helps dispose of the remains afterwards.

Maea

A ship is safe in harbor,

Thal's eyes blazed with vicious satisfaction as the Void Hels screeched, falling away in charred mounds of ash. The fire licked against her face like a comforting brush of fingers, encouraging the violent desires in her heart. Even as the fire simmered down, the echo of its warmth kept her ready for more. 

Apparently Sah had the same thought as he offered his own fireball in response. Nodding in thanks, she turned to Maea. "Nice work luring them in. Leave the disintegrating to me." With a few more minutes of work, she had no doubts that the Nether Veil Palm would be reduced to flecks in the wind. Eager to begin, Thal reached for Sah's flame, pulling it to reignite the tree.

---

Thalassa uses Sah's fire to light the tree again.

Fire Manipulation: Can manipulate flames. Must be within a 5ft radius, control is weak and unstable and requires concentration.
Type: Dark | Rank: Basic

Thalassa

but that's not what ships are built for.

Sah

Sah and Thalassa made short work of the tree. It went up an inferno, brighter and hotter than before. The purple and shadowed hue to the air began to dissipate as the last leaf was incinerated. Maea was able to clean up and dispose of the remains safely so that no passing creature would make the foolish mistake of having an infected meal. The quick clean-up also eliminated the risk of anything leaching into the soil.

Sah grinned ferally as the fire died, and it was clear that their work was done. "Perfect. Thank you both." It was just a stretch of beach, but it was still one more area cleared of the void's taint.

~
All done! Thank you!!
-[FIN]

I think therefore I am,
But what if all I do is bleed?