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Character of the Season
Frail in body but dangerously quick of mind, Nikandr is the sort of character who proves that curiosity can be just as perilous as any weapon. A necromancer, inventor, and problem-solver with more ambition than self-preservation, Niki approaches the world like a puzzle box begging to be opened, even when what’s inside has teeth. Blunt, dry-witted, fiercely independent, and carrying a history best left partially buried, he has a knack for making even failure feel fascinating. Whether he’s raising the dead, moving across Caido to King's End, or experiencing a hangover for the first time, Nikandr brings a wonderfully strange spark to Caido, and we can’t wait to see what trouble his brilliant mind wanders into next.
Congratulations, Niki!
Credits
Court of the Fallen was created in October of 2018 by Odd, Honey, and Crooked.
OG Skinning provided by Kaons, with functionality and many custom plugins made by Neowulf!
By the time the caravan comes into view, there is not much left of it; the wagons lie broken across the flat stretch of pale sand, their wheels half-buried, their canvas coverings torn loose and snapping weakly in the dry wind. Crates have been smashed open and scattered between the bodies of pack animals and guards, spilling cut lengths of Dream Cacti across the ground in wet, glistening pieces. The cactus flesh should have dried quickly beneath Hak Etme’s sun, but instead it gleams strangely, soft and luminous where it has been split, its inner pulp threaded with faint colours that seem to shift whenever they are looked at directly.
Worse, something is eating it. Worse still, is what that thing is.
The creature crouched among the wreckage is large enough to dwarf the nearest wagon, all long limbs and cracked hide, with hooked claws sunk deep into the sand as it braces itself over the ruined cargo. Dark, bark-like plates rise along its spine, broken by dry root-spurs and brittle leaflike growths that scrape together whenever it moves. Too many eyes gleam along its narrow face and shoulders, blinking out of rhythm with one another as it lowers its head into another shattered crate and tears into the cactus within. Sand pours from its mouth when it lifts its head.
For a moment, the desert around the caravan seems to bend. The ruined wagons appear closer than they are, then farther; the scattered cacti seem to lie in two places at once; the creature’s shadow stretches across the sand far larger than its body. Welcome to the Key Quest, you have 48 hours to join.
This is a KQ intended for characters between Level 5-10, the stats will scale based on those who join, and is a 'difficult' encounter. Please give priority to those who have indicated they need a "MEDIUM KQ TO LEVEL" in the levelling-needs channel.
1. 2. 3. 4.
Remember to include a summary at the bottom of your post with all action taken. If weapons/upgrades/abilities/items/shifts/etc are used, please include their desc. from your profile at the bottom of your post as well.
REMEMBER: KQs are rewarding but dangerous. They may cause death and/or permanent changes to your characters.
Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!
Dreamhollow
Areas Found: Hak Etme — Rare
The Droughtmare is a large, gaunt predator resembling a cross between a jungle cat, antelope, and stag. Its body is all long limbs, hooked claws, cracked hide, and jutting ribs that glow faintly with trapped dreamlight. Too many watchful eyes are set along its narrow face, neck, and shoulders, giving it an unnerving awareness of everything around it. Dark, bark-like plates run down its spine, interrupted by dry root-spurs and brittle leaflike growths that scrape together when it moves. Sand spills from its mouth and nostrils when it breathes, and its oversized shadow snarls and stretches in ways that do not match the position of the sun. Around it, dunes, ruins, and distant figures become unreliable, seeming closer, farther, or entirely misplaced until the Droughtmare charges from an angle that should have been impossible.
2,215 | To Hit: +78 | Dmg: 115 Hostility: Will attack onsight/to the death Movement: Walk 50 ft.; Sprint 70 ft.; Leap 30 ft.; Mirage-Step 40 ft.
SPECIAL SKILLS
Mirage Distortion: The area around the Droughtmare becomes unreliable, making dunes, ruins, allies, and escape routes appear closer or farther than they truly are; Dream-Hunger: The Droughtmare feeds on fear, exhaustion, panic, and disorientation, growing more aggressive around tired or frightened prey; Impossible Angle: It can seem to cross open ground without taking the path between, appearing from heat shimmer, blowing sand, or the edge of a false image; Desert-Curdled Nightmare: Its body behaves like a nightmare forced into flesh, with movement that is too sharp, too dry, and too sudden to seem natural; No Safe Horizon: Looking away from the Droughtmare for too long risks losing track of its true position, as the desert briefly shows where it was, where it might be, or where the viewer fears it has gone
TRAITS
Cracked Hide: Its dry, bark-like hide is split by heat and desert exposure, with root-spurs and brittle leaflike growths along its back; Many-Eyed Watch: Extra eyes along its face, neck, and shoulders let it track movement from unnatural angles; Sand-Breath: Sand spills from its mouth and nostrils when it exhales, leaving a dry, choking taste in the air; Wrong Shadow: Its shadow is larger and more violent than its body, snarling, stretching, or moving before the creature itself attacks; Gaunt Frame: Its long limbs, hooked claws, and exposed glowing ribs give it a starved, predatory silhouette built for sudden pursuit
ACTIONS
Raking Charge: The Droughtmare launches forward in a sudden, brutal rush, striking with hooked claws and slamming its full weight into anything in its path; Mirage-Step: It vanishes into heat shimmer, blowing sand, or a false horizon before reappearing nearby from an unexpected direction; Fear Bite: Its jaws snap down with crushing force, leaving wounds that feel dry, cold, and strangely dreamlike despite the desert heat; Shadow Maul: Its oversized shadow lunges a moment before the body does, confusing prey and making the real strike harder to anticipate; Sand-Choke Roar: The Droughtmare releases a harsh, rasping roar that drives sand through the air and makes nearby creatures cough, stumble, or lose sight of one another; False Oasis: It bends the desert into a brief illusion of water, shelter, or safety, drawing prey into exposed ground before attacking; Dream-Rend: When it wounds a target, flashes of dreamlike fear, lost paths, and half-remembered jungle darkness can overwhelm their senses for several moments.
My clothes still smell like smoke Your name's still in my throat But the glow ain't worth the burn that loving leaves
The desert has always been good at hiding things. Like the ocean, it has depths yet to be fully explored, and though this land is not vast compared to the sea, its heat stretches on long enough to turn away most, and the sand and wind shuffle secrets beneath their own tide of motion and time. Grateful for the cooler time of year, Colt has been traveling the banks and corridors of bone and dust in search of hidden resources and better understanding of this region.
Deepfrost though it may be, she still wears the cooling clothing for this area. A lightweight long-sleeve shirt and pants, loose and billowing in passing breezes. It keeps her protected better from the sun, and traps what sweat she has so it stays there to cool on her skin. Her boots carry her with purposeful strides over the expanse, barefoot in the least sense of the word (that is, horse-less for once). Her hat's angled to keep the sun from her eyes, and behind her the rattle of arrows in her quiver keeps tempo with every other stride as she moves.
She's been heading towards a dark smear on the horizon, the stain on the sea of gold sparking interest, but as she gets closer, her steps slow. The scene of disrupted travel and hunger being sated (?) gradually unravels into view, and then stretches and rolls and flickers away again. That the details prove difficult to pin down, the edges of the creature hazy in a way the crabs here have mastered, is proof enough to her that getting too close would be disastrous. The sheer size of it is threat enough, nevermind its fuckery. Keeping still and far enough away that she shouldn't have snagged its attention easily, she begins to rifle through her options to untangle from this less than ideal situation.
Colt observes from a distance (not in range).
On her is everything in her profile and a pocket knife, a shortbow, arrows in her quiver, and a small pack with some food, a canteen with water, and basic first aid supplies.
When fire meets gasoline Lights you up quick but you can't control the heat It burns bright but damn you lose everything We only ever end up ashes on the breeze
Received a Gilded Market wig from Remi that resembles her usual hair and is enchanted to stay on better than most wigs | has a reverse centaur tattoo on her left hand with the legs going down her pointer and middle fingers that looks like this.
Noe had written about some of the troubles she'd run into at Hak Etme. Not surprising, given the general wild state of the land, but Kaisel agreed to come and assist her for a bit; offer some weaponry, brush up on some fighting techniques with her, even do some threat disposal in the immediate area.
This is a bit more than what he had in mind.
Fitted in the lightweight and lighter-colored version of his usual soldier garb (long sleeves and pants for general protection, boots) given the region, Kaisel's struck out into the sands on a makeshift patrol to get the lay of the land and some of its problems. Chakram at the ready in hand, Kaisel's anticipating some preying orchids or clamics, not the remnants of a caravan and a creature that looks like it could be related to Astaroth.
Seeing Colt off to the side, he does similar to her and doesn't approach further, but instead sidles closer to her. "Pssst," he calls softly. "What is that?" he whispers to her, positive the answer won't be good even if she knows it.
Kaisel is standing near Colt
On him is everything in his profile, and in his backpack he has basic supplies like: water, granola bars, bandages, matches, a compass, and a pair of shorts to change into so that he’s never caught unprepared at a sleepover again.
Regional Score bonus: +23 in all shrine visits, drops, PQ+s, KQs, etc. (You must post this at the bottom of any post where a +23 should be included). Residents cannot be cursed at shrines in this region.
Highest Overall Score bonus: +10 in all shrine visits, drops, PQ+s, KQs, etc. (You must post this at the bottom of any post where a +10 should be included).
Kaisel
When all that's left is dust, they'll remember us
Wearing a watery blue, faded and stretched-out sparkling hair tie on his left wrist
Nova's drawn by the strange rippling of the desert. The horizon waves, the sand nearly sparkling like a beacon to call her forth. At first, she wonders if it's one of these 'mirages' that people have mentioned before - or, better yet, a mirage crab. However, as she gets closer, a dark splotch ruins the wavy, glittery vibes, growing larger the closer she gets, looming in quiet threat that should scare her.
'Should' being the key word.
She doesn't stop, curiosity and prideful ego drawing her near enough to see the sharpened claws and scattered eyes. Somehow respecting her survival instincts enough to stay silent, she pauses just to stare at the towering structure of sticks. Her lips peel back in quiet disgust, disappointed that it's so ugly when she's traveled so far.
Deciding that she'd rather not look at this monstrosity, Nova flashes a confident grin that vanishes when she taps the diamond earing she wears. The rest of her loud outfit disappears with her, from her pink and blonde hair to the light layers of her dreambird inspired dress, all the way down to her glittery white boots. They melt into nothing as she moves sneakily closer, having to hold back a giggle when the thrilling anticipation mounts, pounding against her chest. She's pulling in a quiet breath to call on her magic when she spots Colt and Kaisel, creeping close to them with new mischief sparkling in her mind for two of the people who hurt her siblings.
Close enough to hear the question Kai asks, Nova grins even if they can't see it. "Your mom." She doesn't know if that's how the joke works, but she thinks it's hilarious and she can't help the disembodied giggles that erupt from her.
Nova arrives in her usual flare with everything on her profile except Jeff (her Bag of Holding includes a variety of helpful items, snacks, and plenty of glitter). She immediately turns invisible, creeps closer, and messes with Colt and Kai (out of range from the Draughtmare).
---
You Blinked | An earring that renders the user invisible (can still be detected through other senses). (Made by Nova)
Type: Grey | Style: Other | Level: Basic | Cost: Bonus Action
---
Bag of Holding | A glittery crossbody bag that can hold an infinite number of items, so long as they fit within the bag's 3ft x 3ft opening. The bag always feels nearly weightless, but always looks about 75% full. (Made by Nova)
Type: Grey | Style: Other | Level: Basic | Cost: (None)
Lucky Buckle | A well-crafted belt buckle that, when worn, grants +3 luck. Must be included in all PQ/PQ+/KQ/DROP posts to be counted.
Type: Light | Style: Other | Level: Basic | Cost: Other
Regional Score bonus: +5 in all shrine visits, drops, PQ+s, KQs, etc. (You must post this at the bottom of any post where a +5 should be included). Residents cannot be cursed at shrines in this region.
A lone cactus rises from the sand ahead, its pale green flesh unremarkable against the sun-bleached landscape. The Dream Cactus stands perfectly still, enduring the heat without complaint.
At first there is nothing unusual about it, but lingering too long brings a strange sense of calm, as though the desert’s harshness dulls around it. Heat shimmer bends the air, and the cactus seems almost to waver, though it never truly moves.
It remains where it is, quiet and unassuming, easy to pass by without ever realising how close it is to something quietly magical.
Dream Cacti
Areas Found: Hak Etme — Common
These cacti are like any other at a first glance, their flesh full of water and nutrients. But their barbs are different, and the spines that cover the plant can cause extreme nightmarish hallucinations. Extracts from these spines can be used as one of the ingredients to make a drug known as ThirdEye — a powerful if not unpredictable psychedelic.
Nightmare Venom: contact with or puncture from spines induces vivid and disturbing hallucinations; ThirdEye Ingredient: core component in the creation of a potent psychedelic drug
TRAITS
Water-Rich Flesh: stores drinkable water and nutrients; Barbed Defence: covered in sharp spines to deter consumption; Psychoactive Potential: spines contain hallucinogenic compounds
ACTIONS
Consuming the flesh is generally safe and hydrating, but ingesting or being pricked by the spines results in extreme, often nightmarish hallucinations; effects can last for hours and may leave the user disoriented or paranoid.
Why do you stay until you see blood? Why does the weight fall upon us?
The desert was quiet. It was a far cry from the Greatwood and its myriad bird calls and bubbling brooks and other forest sounds, but Liam was getting used to that. He'd have to, if he wanted to live here in the foreseeable future.
He was on a scouting trip today, intending to explore some of the terrain and see where might be friendly enough that he and Maea could build a home together, once the region was tamed. Though he was certain they would be living in tents for the foreseeable future, it never hurt to dream of what may one day be possible.
A dark smear on the horizon caught his attention, and he moved closer to investigate. As he approached, however, he slowed and eventually came to a stop far enough away from the bizarre, frankly creepy-looking creature that seemed to be snacking on the remains of a caravan to (hopefully) keep from catching its attention. His hand fell to the hilt of his sword as a matter of habit, his muscles tense as he surveyed the scene before him. On the far side of the creature, he could make out some familiar faces - Colt and Kaisel - but he hesitated to join them, worried that that much movement would draw the monster's ire.
---
Liam arrives with everything on his profile, except for his companions, and a pack that includes basic survival supplies, such as snacks, a canteen of water, a basic first aid kit, a pocket knife, etc. He is currently standing on the opposite side of the creature from Colt, Kaisel, and Nova, observing the scene and is out of range.
We're on the same side in the same war Why stay 'til you see blood?
Minor powerplay allowed without permission.
Feel free to use force/magic on Liam.
Nova 's giggle carries across the shifting sands, and for a moment the Dreamhollow stills over the broken caravan, its narrow head buried among the split remains of the Dream Cacti. Then, all at once, it snaps upright. Sand pours from between its teeth in a dry stream, pattering over the smashed crate beneath it. Along its face, neck, and shoulders, too many eyes open in quick succession, each one fixing on the place where the sound had come from. The creature stares directly through the empty air where Nova stands unseen, its cracked hide creaking as its body goes rigid.
Its many-eyed gaze shifts landing upon Colt and Kaisel.
The Dreamhollow’s shadow moves first, stretching across the pale sand in a long, snarling shape that reaches toward them before the creature itself has taken a single step. Then every visible eye locks on Kaisel; the charge is immediate.
There is no warning roar, no circling, no testing the distance. One second the Dreamhollow is crouched among the wreckage, and the next it is running, long limbs tearing through the sand with impossible speed. The space between it and Kaisel warps under the heat shimmer, the caravan seeming to slide away behind it as though the desert has briefly folded the path shorter for its sake.
Claws rake through the place where he had been standing a heartbeat before.
The Dreamhollow misses him by inches, its momentum carving a deep gouge through the sand as it skids past, ribs glowing faintly beneath its cracked hide. Sand sprays outward in a choking fan, and its oversized shadow snaps its jaws silently over Kaisel’s retreating shape before stretching wide across the ground between the gathered travellers.
When the creature turns, slow and sharp, sand spills again from its mouth.
Your randomly assigned posting order is Colt, Kaisel, Liam, Nova.
The creature moved ~30ft towards the group. This puts it ~5ft away from Nova/Colt/Kaisel and ~60ft feet away from Liam.
My clothes still smell like smoke Your name's still in my throat But the glow ain't worth the burn that loving leaves
If Kaisel's appearance here is a surprise, the relief at having anyone else beside her hides it. Not bothering to take her gaze off the creature for longer than necessary, she only spares him a sideways flick of her attention before it settles back on the gorging thing. "No idea," she admits with matching quiet. Not friendly, she's tempted to say, but that much should be clear. Still of a mind to consider how to extricate themselves from this problem rather than rush into it, that potential is swiftly removed when disembodied giggling rouses the thing's many-eyed gaze straight towards them.
Colt stiffens further, akin to a rabbit who considers immobility the greatest form of camouflage. To no avail as the beast stretches eerily over the distance, simultaneously in motion and stationary, its shadow separate in a way vaguely reminiscent of a different danger in this desert. All thoughts of what the hell to that all too familiar and childish voice vanish as it charges, Liam vaguely clocked in the distance as another shape arriving. Colt breaks from Kaisel's side with a strangled "oh fuck!" Her pulse kicks up alongside sand, the thing narrowly missing Kaisel, and far too close to her for comfort. On instinct, she scrambles for something quick enough to matter, her trigger finger too fast to consider the recoil.
"Break it, Ves," she grinds out between her teeth as she scrabbles back for balance, trying to keep the thing in front of her as she channels Vesper. There'd be no running from this now, not unless she intends to leave more wreckage of everyone here for it to feast on. Given she needs all the helping hands she can get, and certainly doesn't want to see more dream cacti bleeding out in the heat, she's no intention of letting this thing survive now. "Stand back!" she shouts across to Kaisel, in case he'd be dumb enough to charge in headlong and break his own neck on the thing's creaking skin or Vesper's vantablack. Liam's far enough away to be safe, and Nova's out of sight, out of mind for the time being.
Colt uses 1 of 2 Deepfrost 320 channels to summon Vesper to damage the creature.
Channeling (Accepted) : Allows an Accepted to channel a herald/demigod/spirit during a time of crisis (2x a season). Can be combined with other accepted channeling to increase power.
Type: Light | Rank: Upgraded | Cost: Action
When fire meets gasoline Lights you up quick but you can't control the heat It burns bright but damn you lose everything We only ever end up ashes on the breeze
Received a Gilded Market wig from Remi that resembles her usual hair and is enchanted to stay on better than most wigs | has a reverse centaur tattoo on her left hand with the legs going down her pointer and middle fingers that looks like this.
The less than helpful answer is no better received even for having expected it. The doubly less than helpful addition flips Kaisel's answering hrrrmmm into a "Wha—" He spins on the spot, glancing back and forth with narrow eyes. Were he not a victim of invisible shenenigans often enough he might have considered this to be a haunting, and in its own way, it still is.
Ordinarily, he'd have quipped back that she only looks like that when he'd forget to defrost the chicken before she got home like she asked him to. As it is though, standing in a hellhole with a variant of a hellhound on the loose, Kaisel's much more inclined to sharply reach out and grab hold of whatever unseen fly is buzzing around. He might've too, if not for the noticeable shift in Colt beside him, and to that his attention swings back around just in time to see the thing launch itself directly at him.
"ShiiiIIIIiit!" he calls, eyes wide, given just enough time to dive off to the side in the sand. His momentum carries him into a tucked roll with his chakram gripped firmly. He pops back to his feet quickly, the maneuver a practiced one, though the sand tugs his balance more than the training mat, staggering him to the side a touch as he fights to pull himself fully back up. "Uhh, I could really use a White Knight about now, this thing's trying to give me a fade I didn't ask for!" Kaisel calls out spiritually for his father-in-law, Ronin, the need for a quickfire solution urgent as the creature whirls near them all (sans Liam). "Think you could return the favor?"
Colt's shouting about keeping clear, and obviously, he wants no part of that fucking creaky freak. He also doesn't know what she means to stand back from, assuming it's just the things claws, which are far too close still in his opinion, hence calling for the demigod that can properly smite the worst of the world. "Get out of Ronin's way!" he advises back.
Kaisel uses 1 of 2 Deepfrost 320 channels to summon Ronin for damage.
Regional Score bonus: +23 in all shrine visits, drops, PQ+s, KQs, etc. (You must post this at the bottom of any post where a +23 should be included). Residents cannot be cursed at shrines in this region.
Highest Overall Score bonus: +10 in all shrine visits, drops, PQ+s, KQs, etc. (You must post this at the bottom of any post where a +10 should be included).
Kaisel
When all that's left is dust, they'll remember us
Wearing a watery blue, faded and stretched-out sparkling hair tie on his left wrist
The pull catches under Vesper’s ribs like a hook, and the world tears sideways. He arrives with sand under his boots and Colt at his back.
That part he knows before he understands anything else. Not where he is, not what’s happened, not why the desert’s laid open around him in broken wagons and butchered pack animals and cactus flesh shining wetly in the sun. Just Colt, close enough behind him that the knowledge of her is immediate and viciously clarifying.
Then the Dreamhollow turns.
Vesper’s teeth set hard enough for his jaw to ache. There’s no time to ask, no time to make sense of the way the wreckage seems to double and shiver at the edges, no time for the curse that drags hot and low through the back of his throat as the thing’s many eyes find him. His hand lifts, fingers curling as shadow condenses in his palm, darker than the black beneath a closed door, heavier than night, and the dark matter snaps forward.
It doesn’t fly so much as unfold, bursting from his hand in three separate lengths of absolute black. They lash across the sand like living things, each one thickening as it goes, one striking for the creature’s chest, one for the hinge of a forelimb, one whipping high toward that narrow, many-eyed head. Where they pass, the light seems to give up around them, the desert briefly carved into strips of nothing.
Vesper doesn’t wait to see if it’s enough and instead he turns fast enough that the edge of his coat cuts through the hot wind, and for one bare second Colt is there in front of him: real, alive, too far from safe and too close to all the things he’s never learned how to say cleanly. His mouth opens, and a thousand things crowd his tongue all at once. "Be—" And then the channel breaks, taking him with it.
Vesper sends 3 bolts of dark matter at the creature.
Magic: Dark Matter Tendrils | Vesper may condense dark matter into tendrils. Control is excellent, and multiple tendrils may be created at once. (In quests or other combat situations requiring dice rolling, only 3 tendrils may be created per post). Range 60ft.
Type: Dark | Rank: Mastered | Cost: Action
Regional Score bonus: +5 in all shrine visits, drops, PQ+s, KQs, etc. (You must post this at the bottom of any post where a +5 should be included). Residents cannot be cursed at shrines in this region.
☆ has a pale star tattoo beneath his left eye, and freckle-sized constellations move across his skin
☽ hair changes from bleached blonde to brown
☆ telepathic: Sunlit Shadows | The user can read the surface thoughts and emotions of those within a 60ft radius. Control is excellent. Note: "Thoughts and emotions" include anything written in a character's narration in a post.
Kaisel calls and Ronin is already half answering before his feet hit the sand. It's true that the White Knight doesn't look particularly like his moniker in his Kiss The Cook apron and wielding a spatula, but that doesn't make him any less for it. (And where is his merch, anyway?)
He's been channelled often enough not to try and fight for clarity, and he takes in the scene - wagons, cacti, slaughtered animals, Kai and Colt and Liam - with barely a glance. His gaze fully settles on the Dreamhollow as six bolts of radiant fire ignite in a halo around his head and shoulders, but it's then that he notices, too, the already half-departing shadow of Vesper and the cold night of his power rippling in his wake.
"Get home safe," he grates out to Kaisel as he releases the hold on his firebolts, sending half a dozen knightly fuck yous directly at the creature's chest. The sight of it will be burned into his memory long after the channelling ends, and suffice to say he'll be on edge and waiting for news, if not for further calls for aid.
Ronin fires six radiant firebolts at the creature. If he hits, his Now You! feat is active. If he misses, please use his reroll feat lmao.
Magic: Once More With Feeling | Twice per combat (e.g. KQs, PQ+s, PVP) Ronin may use two actions in one turn.
Type: Light | Rank: Mastered | Cost: Feat
Magic: Radiant Firebolts | Ronin may summon radiant energy as a fiery projectile. Control is excellent, and multiple projectiles may be created at once. (In quests or other combat situations requiring dice rolling, only 3 firebolts may be created per post). Range: 60ft
Type: Light | Rank: Mastered | Cost: Action
Magic: Now You! | When Ronin successfully hits a target, the next ally who posts gains advantage on their attack.
Type: Light | Rank: Basic | Cost: Feat
Magic: Luck of the Dice | Ronin may re-roll one fail per KQ.
Type: Grey | Rank: Basic | Cost: Feat
Regional Score bonus: +23 in all shrine visits, drops, PQ+s, KQs, etc. (You must post this at the bottom of any post where a +23 should be included). Residents cannot be cursed at shrines in this region.
Highest Overall Score bonus: +10 in all shrine visits, drops, PQ+s, KQs, etc. (You must post this at the bottom of any post where a +10 should be included).
Why do you stay until you see blood? Why does the weight fall upon us?
Liam was too far to hear the disembodied giggle, but he didn't miss the way the creature's attention was drawn toward Colt and Kaisel - or at least he thought that was what was happening. It was hard to tell, what with the way the scene rippled and morphed before his eyes. It was quickly confirmed, though, as the thing stretched strangely towards the far pair, and before Liam could think the better of it, he was scrambling across the sand, drawing his Ironbough as he strove to get in range, tracking slightly to the side so as to be out of the way of any attacks fired towards him that might miss.
When he thought he was close enough, he paused, scrabbling to maintain his balance in the sand. For a split second, he thought about firing - but he needed a moment to load his crossbow, and he didn't want to be a sitting duck while he did that. So instead, he did the only thing he could think to do. Shouting out to Colt and Kaisel, he cried, "I'm going to channel, so watch out!" Then, as he began to quickly load his crossbow, he added, "Remi! A little help would be much appreciated!"
---
Liam moves 30 feet towards the creature, but angles to the side to hopefully avoid being hit by any friendly fire that misses the monster. He then channels Remi to attack the monster (1/2 Deepfrost channels).
Channeling (Accepted) : Allows an Accepted to channel a herald/demigod/spirit during a time of crisis (2x a season). Can be combined with other accepted channeling to increase power.
Type: Light | Rank: Upgraded | Cost: Action
We're on the same side in the same war Why stay 'til you see blood?
Minor powerplay allowed without permission.
Feel free to use force/magic on Liam.
The carefree giggle is quickly cut short when the creature turns its eyes towards them. Even invisible, it feels like the multitude of gazes are trained in on her, and although Nova won't admit she's scared, it's creepy and she's suddenly very uncertain she wants to be here.
She winces as the sand falls in a mockery of drool, looking very much like the Dream Cacti was only an appetizer. "Oops." The word is soft and not nearly enough to describe the flurry of panic that rises the moment it bolts across the space to nearly take Kaisel's head off.
For a moment, she doesn't move, shocked and altogether displeased to be closer to the creature. But as the others spring into action, she does too. Nova runs to put distance between her and whatever that thing is, avoiding the onslaught of shadow and fire as she does. Recognizing her brother's magic, she looks back with a giant invisible grin on her face. "Vesp-!" But he's already gone, taken by the magic that had called him here.
Her smile plummets with disappointment, annoyance and frustration bubbling to the surface as she spins to throw her own barrage of fire magic at the massive stick monster. She'll have to talk to him later about at least saying hi.
Nova puts 30ft between her and Colt/Kai/creature while still invisible, making sure to stay out of the way of the other attacks, then blasts the creature with fire magic.
---
Fire Manipulation (Abandoned/Hybrid): Can create and control flames within a 30ft radius.
Type: Dark | Rank: Mastered | Cost: Action
You Blinked | An earring that renders the user invisible (can still be detected through other senses). (Made by Nova)
Type: Grey | Style: Other | Level: Basic | Cost: Bonus Action
---
Lucky Buckle | A well-crafted belt buckle that, when worn, grants +3 luck. Must be included in all PQ/PQ+/KQ/DROP posts to be counted.
Type: Light | Style: Other | Level: Basic | Cost: Other
Regional Score bonus: +5 in all shrine visits, drops, PQ+s, KQs, etc. (You must post this at the bottom of any post where a +5 should be included). Residents cannot be cursed at shrines in this region.
but baby i've been here before; i've seen this room and i've walked this floor
It was not the first time Ronin had vanished from their kitchen, but that did not mean Remi liked it, nor that his gaze did not stay fixed on the empty place his husband had occupied a moment before. Still, there was a practiced shape to the worry now; his breath held, his chair pushed back so that he could tend to their bacon so it didn't burn. When Ronin returned, there is only a moment in which the Bastion could offer his husband a crooked smile, before the same pull caught him.
Heat struck first. Then light. Then sand beneath his feet, shifting badly enough that Remi had to catch his balance as he arrived beside Liam, breathless and already looking around: Broken wagons, dead pack animals, torn canvas, Colt and Kaisel farther ahead, and a creature beyond them, large and wrong, its hide cracked and ridged and its many eyes set in too many places.
His gaze swept over the living in one sharp pass. No one on the ground. No wound demanding his magic before anything else. The monster was still some thirty feet off, but distance seemed a poor thing to trust when the desert itself rippled around it, so Remi did not waste time trying to trust it.
The shift took him as he moved, his body folding into the Rarog’s shape before the sand had finished settling around his boots. Claws tore into the ground as he surged forward, driving himself straight at the Dreamhollow with all the force six seconds could hold. There was no room for warning, no room for strategy beyond putting himself closer to the creature than Liam was, than Colt and Kaisel were, than anyone breakable should have to be.
He lunged, claws outstretched, jaws open, snapping for the thing’s neck, aiming to bite down through cracked hide and root-spurred flesh before the channel could wrench him away again.
Remi attacks as a Pixiu, using his 30ft of movement to get near the creature and biting/slashing at its throat.
Regional Score bonus: +23 in all shrine visits, drops, PQ+s, KQs, etc. (You must post this at the bottom of any post where a +23 should be included). Residents cannot be cursed at shrines in this region.
Highest Overall Score bonus: +10 in all shrine visits, drops, PQ+s, KQs, etc. (You must post this at the bottom of any post where a +10 should be included).
Speaks with a thick Italian accent.
Force and magic can be used against Remi without permission.
