if i open my eyes

As the sky opens up and pulls me in
I can see, I can breathe, I can feel again

It was with some anxiety that Soh approached the shrine, an offering in her hands and a great deal on her mind. She felt wholly unqualified to be making this particular journey - to be carrying the hopes of all of Stormbreak on her shoulders - but she was going to do the best she could by her people. She was going to do whatever it took to see the Abandoned defenses disabled. That was what Stormbreak wanted - and, happily, what she wanted, too.

She knelt before the shrine, the offering in her hands. It was a beautiful bauble of blown glass, a perfect sphere that held the colors and shapes of a galaxy in motion, dotted with little flecks of white to represent a starfield. She hoped that Safrin would like it; she knew less about the goddess than she did about Frey or Ludo, but she'd done her best to bring something that she thought was fitting of Safrin's rumored beauty.

"Hello, Safrin," Soh said softly, nervously, as she carefully set the glass ball on the shrine, ensuring that it wouldn't roll away. "I come to you on behalf of Stormbreak to humbly request your assistance. While the Starshield has served us well, we would like to allow Abandoned into our region now, if that's okay. Can you help us?"

------

This is for an RQ to disable the Abandoned defenses of Stormbreak.

And I'll wave goodbye to the ones below
As I float on by to the great unknown

Sohalia

every bait and switch was a work of art

There were some who had seen Safrin arrive without any of her normal pomp and circumstance. This was usually a sign of fury on the goddess's part, or of trust and vulnerability. That she didn't appear this way to Sohalia was in no way a slight, but instead should be thought of as a display of appreciation that, of all the heralds the Luminary had been considering, that she'd settled (correctly) on Safrin. No doubt Safrin had Ronin to thank for that, but his moment would come later.

All around the Celestine the gentle pulse of ever-present starlight winks and brightens as the air grows heavy with the scent of lilac and petrichor. Twilight thickens as darkness begins to wrap itself around the shape of the goddess who seems to appear out of the very fabric of the cosmos itself. "No need to kneel, Sohalia." Safrin murmurs gently, extending out a hand to encourage Stormbreak's Heart to rise.

The glass bauble rises gently into the air, moving toward Safrin where it begins to spin as if suddenly caught in orbit. "The starshield protected Stormbreak against the Ascended." The goddess says with a kind smile; there was a good deal to learn about Stormbreak's history, and Safrin didn't begrudge the new leader this slight slip.

"It has been decades since Abandoned have set foot in Stormbreak..." Safrin muses. "You are sure this is what you would like?"

you're the one prize i'd cheat to win

As the sky opens up and pulls me in
I can see, I can breathe, I can feel again

The gentle pulse of starlight filled the Celestine, and Soh felt a little thrill as Safrin appeared before her. The goddess was beautiful, and Soh couldn't help but stare with admiration as she appeared from the very fabric of the cosmos. At Safrin's invitation, Soh rose to her feet, trying for grace but appearing to scramble to her feet more than anything. "Thank you," she said reverently, feeling more than a little tongue-tied. It was so different than her meeting with Frey, when she'd had Jude at her side; standing before one of the heralds entirely on her own, representing her entire region, was terrifying and awe-inspiring in equal measure.

At the goddess's gentle correction, Soh winced. "Sorry," she murmured. "I'm - still learning." For a moment, she felt very foolish for having made such a blunder in Safrin's presence, despite the grace that the goddess showed her. But then, at Safrin's question, she perked up a bit. It was easier to speak for her people than for herself, and so her voice was a little stronger, a little more sure, when she said, "We held a vote, recently, and most of Stormbreak was in agreement," she confirmed. "I think we'd all like to welcome Abandoned into our region; they have so many talents, and I think they would be an asset to Stormbreak. Aside from that, I think we've gotten a bit of a reputation as being anti-Abandoned, and we want to be seen as welcoming to all."

And I'll wave goodbye to the ones below
As I float on by to the great unknown

Sohalia

every bait and switch was a work of art

"Once upon a time the Voice had many talents as well." Safrin warns. "You grew up inside the barrier, did you not? You've seen for yourself the ramifications that abandoned with many talents can bring. Still..if it's what Stormbreak would like..." Safrin splays her hands and nods. Like a parent who is letting their child make their own decisions are so long under their wing, so too would Safrin allow Stormbreak this choice if it was what they wanted.

'Here is what you must do.'

---

Tasks. There is no time limit. There are currently 10 active Breakers. This means 5 unique characters have to participate. Characters can participate more than once. Sohalia must participate in at least 2 threads, and Lena, Anju, and Everest must participate in at least 1.

1. 2 ME in other regions letting them know of the change
2. A PQ collecting the hand-mines around the gates of the city
3. A thread with at least 3 Breakers destroying the hand-mines in Apopo (burning them) or the Maw (sinking them).
4. A thread with at least 3 Breakers filling the holes left by the hand-mines with region-appropriate flora

you're the one prize i'd cheat to win

As the sky opens up and pulls me in
I can see, I can breathe, I can feel again

Sohalia inclined her head at Safrin's warning. "That is true," she admitted softly. And she didn't argue, though a part of her longed to point out that one person's sins shouldn't condemn the rest of an entire race. Perhaps the goddess knew that already, though, as she seemed willing enough to grant Stormbreak's request. And if there was a little warning in the back of her mind that perhaps Safrin's warning should be taken more seriously than as a cautionary tale, Soh set it aside for now.

"Thank you, Safrin," Soh said with a genuine smile for the goddess. "We will complete these tasks, and I will return to you."

-FIN-

And I'll wave goodbye to the ones below
As I float on by to the great unknown

Sohalia