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## Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

http://forums.shiningforcecentral.com/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=15124

### Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Sat Aug 29 2009 11:55pm
by TheUnknownMarine
((Old topic was getting full, and since a database crash looks possible, I backed it up. So, new topic.))
While Dam was organizing his expedition to Grans, another member of the newest Shining Force was attempting to gather allies for a cause.
His initial forces all but depleted by the conflict, Field Commander Jim Radford makes it known that he seeks any who will accompany him in a series of missions to support the war effort while the larger armies move into position. Details for the moment are vague, though.

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Wed Sep 02 2009 11:36pm
by Alpha
((Finally getting to my Septimus stuff in Manarina. He does indeed go to a magic store and sells stuff to afford a holy crap awesome item.
He starts off with 110,000gp. He sells his Bracers of Armour +2 (2,400gp) and his Ring of Wizardry II (24,000gp). He then buys a Metamagic, Quicken [Greater] Rod for 136,000gp. This leaves him with 400gp.))
Meanwhile, about two weeks ago....
Not long after Talacre's meeting with Sheila about her need for speed, the brothers Arishel make a visit to their home town of Stamp. Or more specifically, the 'house' they grew up in. Given that fact, the elven mage is able to bypass the wards that protect the residence.
: Greetings, Father, Laeralas says with a smug grin as he and his brother materialise mere feet away from their sire, Raelan.
I wish you'd at least give me some warning, the clearly surprised older elf admonishes his elder son, frown masking his face. I almost blasted you away.
: But where would the fun be in that? Talacre joins in with a chuckle, clearly amused by the spectacle.
Nevertheless, it isn't safe. So don't do it again, Raelan persists, adamant in his point. His expression then softens more to one of concern with the debate over. Now what brings you here? More battles at our doorstep?
: As you wish, Laeralas says with a sigh and a shrug. And no, things are quiet for the time being, and although others are busy we don't expect to be called upon for some time to come. So, to that end...we have a commission for you!
I see. Well, that shouldn't be a problem. Let's see, then, Raelan replies, rising to his feet and beckoning to his sons. Laeralas and Talacre unsheathe a weapon each, and place them on the table before their father. It's an amusing sight, as the younger brother's courtblade is larger than Laeral's kris dagger many times over. Well, it gladdens me to see you still use these, he comments, lifting one, then the other to examine the crafting he had done over a decade ago. What exactly do you want done?
In response, Laeral takes a folded piece of paper from a pocket. He then whispers a cantrip, and it folds into a tiny paper aeroplane, which proceeds to fly to Raelan's extended hand.
Ambitious, the brothers' father comments. But certainly possible. It'll take time however. Return in two weeks. I assume you're not going to stay and spend time here? he asks.
: Unfortunately, no. There's much work to be done at headquarters, Laeral replies. We just need to get a couple of things, then we'll head back.
: Our thanks, Father, Talacre says, and he produces the gold necessary to fund the magical improvements for the weapons. He then turns to regard Laeral. Race you? he asks with a grin.
: Well, if you want to lose...
With a flash and a blur, both brothers disappear from site, one through teleportation, the other running at a ridiculous, but controlled speed. The elder brother heads to their respective quarters to pick up their backup weapons to fill empty sheaths. The younger meanwhile heads to the library to get a book for a certain star travelling warrior.
((Upgrading Talacre's courtblade from +4 to +6 costs 15,000gp (base = 72,000, minus 32,000 from existing enhcnatments, divided by 2 as Raelan is crafting it, -25% from Extraordinary Artisan). It comes out as a +5 Construct Bane Starmetal Masterwork Elven Courtblade.
Upgrading Laeralas' kris dagger from +4 to +8 costs 36,000gp (base = 128,000 32,000(existing enchantments), divided by 2 as Raelan is crafting it, -25% from Extraordinary Artisan). It comes out as a +3 Blurstrike Spell Storing, Deadly Precision, Flametouched Masterwork Kris Dagger.
The entire process takes 12 days))

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Wed Sep 16 2009 12:58am
by TheUnknownMarine
Sheila is walking around the compound, seemingly oblivious to the snow and cold as she hums a happy tune.
Having recently arrived back with his brother, Talacre had spent the past half hour looking for Sheila. Giving up, he took a perch on one of the highest spots the Fort had to offer.
The space warrior finally came into view, and the young elf stands up. He half-crouches, as if ready to spring. "Onetwo," he counts, and then jumps with all his might. He soars twenty five feet in the air from his already high point, aiming to land just in front of Sheila. Spiraling and twisting gracefully in the air, he lands with a thump, though is of course, unhurt. "Three! Good afternoon!" he exclaims with a grin.
"Gah!" Sheila cries, jumping back as her hands go to her guns. The reflex motion is stopped when she sees who it is, though. "Geez, Tal, you scared me almost to your death! What's up?"
"Well, my brother and I similarly scared our father earlier in a like fashion. I thought I'd make a day of it," he explains brightly. "That's two 'positive' reactions so far, and still no injury. Maybe I should stop before I push my luck too much," he goes on with a chuckle. "In any case, I have something for you from the Stamp village library." He reaches into a satchel hanging at his side, and tosses a thin, but tall tome to Sheila. Inked on the cover is the title: Ways of the Blade.
Sheila catches the book with ease, smiling as she reads the cover. "This is that book, huh? Thanks!"
"Yes, this is the one. A good portion is dedicated to what's known as 'Blade Dancing', the style of fighting I use," he says. "It's quite rare, so the librarian in Stamp made me promise to get you to promise to take 'exceptional care' of it and return it once you're done." The elf shrugs. "You know how librarians are."
: "Eyep!" Sheila says, flipping through some of the pages. "I'll take good care of it. They're not going to make me pay late fees or something are they?"
Talacre laughs in response. "No, I got an extended loan. You may keep it for up to three months apparently. If you need more time with it, renewing it will be easy." He pauses a moment. "Though I hope it won't take us that long to clear things up here."
"I was about to say!" Sheila says with a laugh. "If I'm still here after three months, either we all got a paid vacation for our valor or something has gone seriously wrong!"
"Agreed!" Talacre concurs with a nod. "Right, I have to head off now and do some training routines with this new sword and get used to it. Father is enchanting my usual one and I won't get it back for a while," he explains.
"You gonna be OK with the new blade?" Sheila asks, closing the book with a clap of its covers and shrugging it under her arm.
"Should be," the elf replies. "It's the same style of weapon, though without the superior metal and enchantments. He shrugs. [b]"I won't have to rely on it for too long, so it shouldn't be a problem."
"Hope not. I know lotsa warriors get picky about their weapons," Sheila says, patting her holstered pistol with her free hand. "I'm super fond of my V.A.S.H.s but I'm not married to them or anything like I hear some soldiers are. Man, this one guy I know? He ran straight back through a running battle because he dropped his favorite rifle back near an ambush point."
Tal nods. "I'd say I would do something similar if I dropped my blade. It's pretty unique and valuable. But as it's my only weapon in battle, the only reason I'd ever have to run back to it is if someone or something separated us!" he says with a laugh.
Sheila laughs. "Someone separating your sword from you sounds painful!"
"You'd think so!" the elf says, still chuckling. "In any case, I have to be off now. Hopefully that book's useful for you! Let me know if you make any progress." That said, the elf nods and begins to head off.
"Gotcha!" Sheila says with a wave. "Seeya around!"

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Wed Sep 16 2009 5:00pm
by Arcdragnbreth
A few days after clearing the siege near Manarina, Isis finds an elf knocking on her door. "It's Ashathel Faesaen," he called, through the door. "Do you have a moment?"

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Wed Sep 16 2009 9:42pm
by TheUnknownMarine
A voice sounds from the air as the door opens of its own accord.
: "Sometimes I think too many of them. Come on in, sit a spell, cast one even."

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Thu Sep 17 2009 2:29am
by Arcdragnbreth
"Thanks," the bladesinger said, coming in to take a seat. "I'm trying to find someone and, to be honest, my divination skills aren't that great. I was hoping you might be able to help? "

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Thu Sep 17 2009 4:19am
by TheUnknownMarine
Isis gives out an irritated moan.
: "Uuuurgh. Look it's not like I don't appreciate what you all are trying to do, but I swear! Doesn't anyone in your band appreciate priorities?" Isis says, shaking her head. "I mean, of course it's a good idea to run around saving your loved ones, but can't you defeat the world ending evil first? Well fine, but you better hurry up and kill Domaric, then the Strife Lords after this!"

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Thu Sep 17 2009 3:17pm
by DragonmasterDon1
As advised, Isyndel spent her first night in Manarina resting. She slept soundly, more soundly than most nights in recent memory; whether it was the massive magical defenses she felt swirling around the city or simply the fact that being surrounded by so many of her peers made her feel more comfortable was difficult to discern.
In all honesty, it really had no relevance anyway. She slept, and that was good enough for her.
The next morning, she rose and bathed (something else the elf felt she was not given enough opportunity to do these days) and took breakfast at the same time as several of the town's students, an experience she grew to enjoy after several harrowing minutes of quiet stares and a handful of meek inquiries regarding her general health. When one of them asked her to explain how to properly manipulate the elements, she suddenly felt very much at home.
Still, her purpose that day was singular, and it would not be long after that she would find herself at the door of ArchMagus Balyn.

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Thu Sep 17 2009 9:12pm
by TheUnknownMarine
"Enter," a gruff male voice says from within the room.

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Fri Sep 18 2009 5:19pm
by DragonmasterDon1
She did so, bowing her head respectfully as she stepped into the room. The wizardess scanned her surroundings for but a moment before deciding to, as usual, cut straight to the heart of the matter.
"ArchMagus," Isyndel began slowly. "I am told you are the man I need to speak to regarding the application of the city's magical defenses being manipulated into a weapon. Should you be willing to do so, I would be most interested in studying the process involved."

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Sat Sep 19 2009 4:53pm
by Arcdragnbreth
"Sure... I'll keep that in mind, I guess," Ashathel said. "I have a ring here... I'm hoping that it'll help with the divination, since I don't much know who I'm looking for personally."

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Sat Sep 19 2009 10:33pm
by TheUnknownMarine
The room is meticulously kept, nary a speck of dust on a modest bed, chest, bookcase, and drawers. The only exception is a large desk which is strewn with papers and books. Several arcane runes line the walls in a repeating pattern.
The speaker is an old human, weary and worn. He looks at Isyndel for a long moment before replying.
"It's actually quite simple. The most basic transmutation effect to convert all the energy held up into the barrier into an offensive bolt, then an abjuration effect to shield the city from backlash and keep the energy contained until it reached the target. It's a wonder no one else thought of it before me, frankly," Balyn says, emotionlessly. He waves a hand at the desk. "All my notes are in there... somewhere. I haven't had the time to keep my desk organized with all the work lately. If you want to study the technique, feel free. I'll answer any questions you have after you're done."
--------
"Right, right," Isis says, the ring floating out of Ashathel's hand and over to her right. She snaps the fingers of her left hand and once more a massive book appears. "Let's see..."

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Sat Sep 19 2009 11:47pm
by DragonmasterDon1
Isyndel raises an eyebrow at the desk before exchanging a look between it and the ArchMagus, and then nods. "My thanks, I shall make every effort to not disturb you further."
No stranger to such work, the wizardess places her reading glasses on her nose and immediately begins the process of reading and organizing the papers as quietly as possible.

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Sun Sep 20 2009 2:52am
by TheUnknownMarine
"I'll leave you to it, then," Balyn says, looking towards the doorway. "I've got a meeting or two to attend anyway, so your timing was good. Don't touch anything else, most of my things are warded. I'm sure a shock is the last thing you want when you're trying to study. I'll be back in an hour or two."
With that, the Arch Magus turns to leave.
----------
"It's an area between Iom and the midway section of the continent," Isis says, pointing to an area on a nearby map. "That's all your getting. It's enough for you to find her, and you all can't start to rely on me. 'Course, you didn't start to rely on Yeesha, so I guess I shouldn't worry, but all the same. Can't take chances with the fate of the world and all that."

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Thu Oct 01 2009 4:34am
by Arcdragnbreth
"It's probably more than enough," the swashbuckler said, nodding. Frowning, he added, "Hmm... that's orc territory. Anyway... thanks for you help. I'll let you know how it goes."
((Ash sidequest unlocked: The Hundred Orcs!))

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Sat Nov 14 2009 7:30am
by TheUnknownMarine
Kria sighed, back in her tent in her home HQ. Her mind cast back to the battle of shade abbey, with Gilliam gone...along with all the others. Their ranks had depleted tremendously in some ways and she thought back to the metal warrior...and stopped. "Hmm? Metal? Metal? Wasn't there, like, another guy?" She frowned, pondering it. "OH! In Galam! With that cutie in the headband!?" Kria grinned, leaping to her feet and running out of her tent, exploring HQ for some of her friends, pouting when she realised they were gone. It's just me this time then? Fine! Those two'll help out! I know it! They...gotta. She looked at the newest trinket and nodded, touching it and mouthing a word...disappearing from site. "GALAM! GALAM! GALAM!"
The city soon appears around Kria, but months after the war here as it were, the city is almost unrecognizable. The damage repaired and the streets no longer full of refugees or starving soldiers, a lingering sense of happiness and hope fills the air.
Though many troops marshaled for war still patrolled the streets, there is no longer desperation affecting them, and the townsfolk go about their business free of fear.
Kria blinked. "Huh. These days are like, way outta the loop." She blinks, shaking her head and wanders through the town, just getting a feel for it again, remember when she sang that song, long ago. She looks around, trying to remember the castle
As Kria wanders through town, she bristles slightly, thinking about how peaceful this is, compared to the rest of the world, and the sacrifices of so many of her companions, finding a suitable square, she once again bursts into flame, rising into the sky on wings of fire, singing an song of elegy and rebuke...
"As your battle ends, once more those warriors go into the fire.
Though two are gone, they invoke the last Strife Lord's Ire.
Many have fallen in the name of the Light!
Yet here you do not know their plight.
I am Kria, I sang here once! I return again, to let you hear the story. The story of the new Shining Force!
Countless fall and countless rise, yet here it is forgotten!
Noble Gilliam, man of metal! The Brave Paladin! Max returns to fight!
Here in Galam all is alright, yet the rest of the world sinks into night!
They battle on, as you sleep warm and safe, but why should they fight in your place!?
Brave soldiers of Galam, know that battle continues on! Two of strife are done, the devils back in the prison!
The gods released, the Clerics feel their power slowly return. But more remains, one last monster to defeat!
Erebeus lives, as Max and the others do fight on! His blade swings, their cries rise to the sky.
Will you help, or leave us to die!?"
As Kria ends, she gently returns to the ground, the fire and wings vanishing as she slowly sinks to her knees, weeping silently for those gone, an eerie sight in such a happy town
Those in the area are taken aback by this sudden show, many not knowing how to act. Stunned by the display of power and emotion in front of them, many simply stare, while a few move to and fro.
"I find it somewhat funny that when this city was in its darkest hour you sang of hope, and when it sees the light at the end of the tunnel, you return to sing of woe," a familiar voice quips from a nearby rampart.
Kria blinks, wiping her tears, beginning to laugh as she looks at the voice. "W-well,wouldn't be the first time I've been called crazy!"
"Probably not the last either," Ian quips, leaning against a battlement. "So what brings you to Galam, aside from scaring the wits out of hapless cityfolk?"
Kria giggles, swooping into the sky again, landing beside the Shining Hero. "Oh, just wondering if you felt like helping me and your uncle out...?"
"You felt you needed to ask?" Ian asks, raising an eyebrow. "We've only recently finished securing the island, but since then, we've been readying an expeditionary force to send to Rune. Should be ready in a few days."
geddis the hero: Kria nodded. "Are ya all, like up to date? On what's been happening?"
Ian frowns. "Not really... Why? What news do you have?"
Kria sighed, clearing her throat. "Wow, I'm like, very not good at this. Wanna grab your metal man and we'll go somewhere and I'll give ya a briefing?"
"He's not mine," Ian says, getting up. "But sure, I'll go find Adam."
"Follow me," he says as he walks off.
"Sure!" Kria smiles, humming to herself as she walks after him, her previous grief apparently forgotten.
Ian leads Kria to the castle war room, which is pretty much like the other war rooms Kria has seen, full of maps and papers. He leaves for a few minutes and returns with Adam.
"So?"
"Well, To make this easier, what's like, been going on here? Have you had any news from other parts of the world?"
Kria drummed her fingers on the table, as she waited. Obviously slightly uncomfortable in the role she had thrust herself in
"A little. We heard that there was an attack on the Abbey, but it was driven off. We also heard that the Destonians were losing ground rapidly in their part of the world, and that the Cult had been pushed back to the Guardiana/Alterone region."
"Yeah, like we freed Manarina as well, took out Shailtor and we're helping drive off the destonians. Max assembled his old crew and is currently leading an attack on Rune." Kria looked sad. "But other forces don't know what to decide, some other members are exploring for allies and treasure...like me."
"Oh?" Ian asks.
"Oh! The gods are free now too!" Kria nodded. "I came for you two."
"Well everyone knows that," Ian says with a grin. "You did? Well don't we feel special. What do you want with us?"
Kria tilted her head to one side, not sure about this. "You need to come to the HQ." She blinked, thinking this was obvious. "Um, I have a teleportation device I made. Just, we've had many losses lately...so I thought..."
"What?" Ian asks with a frown. "I'm not sure what you're getting at. Why do I need to go to your HQ?"
"To help us fight the cult?" Kria says tenatively
"But I'm already doing that from here," Ian says with a sigh. "Look, I see what you're trying to do, but I'm of far better help here then there right now. Here I can get my force ready to move in short order and have all of them fighting alongside you in a matter of days. If I go over there now, I'll just be another sword."
"Just be patient, we're almost ready."
Kria stamped her foot. "Oooo. Are you really needed here right now? I mean, people at HQ are deciding where to send armies, and doing war plans and picking which area to like, attack. Shouldn't you go, and like input?"
"When I actually have troops ready to commit? Absolutely. Until then, it's best I stay out of things. Your commanders seem competent enough without my help, and there's always uncle Max over there if you really need help," Ian says with a grin. "Relax, we'll be over there before you know it."
"But Max has already gone...and the other's haven't decided what to do yet. They're all just arguing..."
Ian frowns. "Gone? Where?"
"What do you mean arguing?"
Kria sighed. "He gather up his force and battles on even now. The other commanders can't seem to make up their minds where to send their forces." Kria frowned. "I wonder if Maxie needs help?"
"If he did, he'd know to come here," Ian nods, gravely.
geddis the hero: "And abandon Anri and the rest of them to keep fighting?" Kria looked on incredulously
"What? No, I meant in a strategic sense!" Ian says, offended. "Obviously if they were in the middle of a battle he wouldn't leave."
"Well, I still think someone should come with me to represent Grans interest." Kria pouted, looking over at Adam. "You're likely to keep a level head, wanna help me? And help them, like not take forever?"
"That's a good idea," Ian says, nodding approvingly.
"I would be glad to help if you need my assistance," Adam replies neutrally.
Kria nods. "Yeah! And like, if they don't really help...you can laser them!"
"That's not such a good idea," Ian says with a wince.
Kria nods to herself. "Ok. So like, how long till ya are ready here then?"
"I can leave at once," Adam replies.
Kria nods, grinning. "And when's the army ready?"
"Five days at best, seven at worst," Ian says.
"Awesome! Ooo, they're gonna be pleased with me!" Kria gets up suddenly, waves at Ian and grabs adam,before disappearing...back to her tent.
Adam seems nonplussed at reappearing in a gaudy pink tent full of trinkets, baubles, and shinies.

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Sun Nov 22 2009 12:03am
by Alpha
This is a spacer.
It is creating space.
It has fulfilled it's purpose.

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Sun Nov 22 2009 6:51am
by TheUnknownMarine
It is night time at Fort Ordalia when word comes from Aspina that the Republican Army is ready to move, and the railroad is ready to be used. The remaining Force members are gathered in the auditorium to plan their part in the attack. The Republican plan is simple. Use the railroad to ship Republican troops straight to the heart of the Empire, Destonia Castle. Synbio's Force will safeguard the train from attempts to block or delay it, Medion's Force will join the attack on the city in an attempt to sway some of the defenders to join the allied cause, and the newest Shining Force...
Destonia Castle is extremely heavily fortified, and warded against teleportation, Jim says, his hands behind his back. A mapstand is next to him, displaying a map of the Imperial Castle of Destonia. Originally I had considered teleporting the Black Op's Thundershock superheavy tank just outside the ward range and letting it lead the way inside... I seem to remember a similar tactic leading to success before on this world. However, on reflection, I want to put forward a different plan. Jim points to the castle. The only effective air defense the Destonians have is magic. We stopped them from excavating any advanced weapons from Storich, and bows won't do anything against a dropship's armor. Our Basilisk Assault Dropship has room for twelve people besides myself and Sheila. I want to take twelve volunteers and try to drop in from the ceiling. But not just any place...
Jim grins at the assembled warriors. I want to get there in advance of the main troop column. Before the Destonians are ready. Before they think to get the Emperor to safety. I want the dropship to smash open the roof of the throne room and have us rappel down, and take the Emperor. Cut off the head, the snake dies. And then this childish tantrum of a war thrown by Destonia will be over, and we can focus all our attention on the real threat. What do you think?

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Sun Nov 22 2009 12:51pm
by Alpha
: "Daring, yet bold," Laeral replies with a grin. "I like it. And if you're looking for speed, use my brother in your plan. Nobody is faster than him."

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Sun Nov 22 2009 7:57pm
by Aldur
Michael nodded in agreement. "I'll go. I have a bone to pick with the emperor, plus I can fly, so I'll be useful in this proposed idea."

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Mon Nov 23 2009 5:17am
by Arcdragnbreth
"Noble work, indeed," Garudaos said. "While it would be good to see such a tyrant dethroned, I would likely do better by providing some support from the skies - at least for a time."
"I'm in," Ashathel said, almost immediately. "When we were passing through to make the negotiations, we heard and saw the results; this has gone on for far long enough, and I for one would love to see this finished."
"I'll stay with the train," Gabriel said. "More soldiers to swat that way."
"I can go for some organized mayhem," Dam said. "Dealing with the Black Owls has only whet my appetite for crushing evil organizations."
"I think I should get out a little more," Graigus said, speaking more than he had since returning from the mansion. "I don't mind helping with the train instead, though."
"I will go where needed," Pantherath said simply, giving his usual nod and glance at his commander.

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Mon Nov 23 2009 7:49pm
by Dark Maiden
"This sounds like it could be fun," Kayla murmurs. "If you have need of guile and stealth, you know where to find me."
"So you think that killing the Emperor will stop that war?" Kethra asks. "That is as sound a plan as we can hope for at this point. Count me in."
"I would be more than happy to participate in this operation if you have need of me sir," Jessica says.
"Your cause is indeed noble my friend," Myala says with a smile. "I will support you in any way that I can."
((How long after the group returns from the manor does this meeting/operation happen?))

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Mon Nov 23 2009 8:36pm
by Alpha
"Who said anything about killing Domaric?" Laeral points out. "If he's dead, we have no options. Keep him alive, but captive gives us a lot."
"I could even create a pocket dimension we could temporarily keep him in," Septimus puts in. "That way, escape or rescue would be practically impossible."
"I'll volunteer my services on the train," Tanis offers. "My magic would be much better suited there."
"I'll go with you to the throne room," Tal says to Jim, nodding at Laeral's earlier words. "It'd be possible to drop in and grab the Emperor before anybody has a chance to react. Even faster if somebody hastes me first."

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Mon Nov 23 2009 9:02pm
by TheUnknownMarine
"Laeralas has the right of it, we'll be attempting to capture the Emperor," Jim states. Sheila glowers at this answer, but says nothing.
((This happens a week after the mansion so we don't have to deal with book time issues.))

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Tue Nov 24 2009 1:04am
by Dark Maiden
Kethra blushes and rubs the back of her head.
"If you have need of my protective magics, I suppose I could help. If you need a Mage just to blow things up, then you should probably ask the elf," Merla says, pointing to Damas.
"I can do more than just blow things up," Damas grumbles, clearly annoyed.
A broad grin spreads across Merla's face but the halfling says nothing more.

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Tue Nov 24 2009 1:19am
by Alpha
"That's my speciality," Tanis says, the warmage grinning as he speaks.

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Tue Nov 24 2009 11:32pm
by TheUnknownMarine
"All right then. Looks like Michael, Talacre, Ashathel, Dam, Pantherath, Jessica, Kayla, Kethra, Merla, Graigus, Laeralas, and Myala are going on the dropship, the rest will help Synbios defend the train," Jim says with a nod. "That sound about right? Anyone else have anything else to add? If not, we'll be leaving in the late morning. Make sure to be ready."

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Mon Nov 30 2009 12:34am
by Aldur
Michael grinned as he thought about the upcoming battle. "Oh yeah. Emperor of Massacres is getting Massacred!"

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Mon Nov 30 2009 1:10am
by TheUnknownMarine
The day of the attack comes. Those going with the train teleport there, the massive machine already on the move towards the heart of the Empire. Its holds full of Republican soldiers and war equipment, the roof of the cars guarded by the famed Synbios Battalion, resistance has been relatively light so far as it passes through the borderlands of the Empire. That is expected to change drastically once they near the heartland. The tension on the train is palpable as each passing hour brings them closer and closer to the final confrontation with Domaric.
Two hours after the train defenders teleport away, Jim summons everyone to the dropship to begin loading them in, making one last check to make sure all equipment is in place and everyone ready. The angular Basilisk-class dropship circles above, a chill wind buffeting the mountain fortress as the four thruster-engines on the craft flare and rotate to VTOL mode, setting the vessel down with a loud clank. The rear hatch opens and Jim gestures to the seats lining either side of the ship.
"All aboard!" Jim shouts. "Next stop, Destonia!"
As everyone piles on, Jim is the last to be seated, checking to make sure everyone unfamiliar with ship travel (which is almost everybody) has their seatbelts properly fastened. When everything is ready to go, Jim sits down and buckles himself in, the hatch closing and view of Fort Ordalia vanishing as with a rumble the ship lifts off and begins flying towards its destination.

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Tue Dec 01 2009 2:02am
by Alpha
"This...this is new," Laeral says, staring intently at every pixel filled image on the videscreens. "If only one of these had been available when I was trekking and teleporting all over the face of this world," he continues, reminiscing.
Talacre says nothing, apparently in a mixture of awe at their method of travel and in mental preparation of the upcoming venture.

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Tue Dec 01 2009 4:35am
by DragonmasterDon1
Tucked neatly away in Damas' pockets was a hastily scribbled, tightly folded note.
It read:
Damas,
Please be careful. If you would have it, I would spend time with you when you return. I feel I am a poor excuse for a friend as late. I will make time if it is your wish. It is mine.
With regards,
Isyndel

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Tue Dec 01 2009 5:20am
by TheUnknownMarine
A tremendously loud boom sounds as the Basilisk enters supersonic speed a few minutes after takeoff.
The flight takes a long while, three hours to be precise. A long time perhaps, but considering the sheer amount of distance traveled, some 8,000 kilometers, it is also a very SMALL amount of time, relatively.
((If anyone wants to RP anything aboard the ship enroute I'd be up for it and would CP it here later.))
The time passes, as it tends to do...
"Glad we could add a little something new to your life!" Sheila says with a laugh in response to Laeralas' musings. "You think this is cool, try a paradrop from the back of this thing! Hey, that's something maybe we could set up after all this is taken care of, take everyone who's interested, get 'em a parachute, go skydiving off the dropship... Sound good, Cap Jack?"
"Hey you know me!" the pilot's voice comes over the intercom. "Any excuse to fly my baby up in the air, right? War or peace, it's all good so long as I can soar around!"
Jim smiles a little at the exchange. Sheila laughs again.
"If you start singing that one song about taking away the sky, I'm going to have to hit you, Jack!" Sheila calls.
"Just 'cause you're jealous of my fine singing voice doesn't... Hang on..." Jack says. "We're coming up on the capital. Beginning to deaccelerate... Hoo. Hang on tight, kiddies. This ride is about to become a little bumpy."
The videoscreens hanging from the ceiling of the vessel show the feed from the external cameras, and the sight isn't a peaceful one. Around the capital city of Destonia, almost invisible at this distance, are scattered groups of flying defenders. Tamed beast-dragons, pegasus knights, wyverns, chimera... The Destonias have obviously pulled out all the stops to defend their capital.
"All right, most of those aren't gonna be a problem," Jack drawls. "Dragons though... Well as I said, might get a little bumpy. ETA combat drop five minutes."
The dropship jolts abruptly, shaking as the pilot triggers decelerators to slow the craft down from its previously supersonic speed.
"We can probably expect General Fiderit to be with Domaric, and probably the Rainbloods and other notables," Jim says, tensing himself for combat. "They're going to be fielding the best of the best, but that's still not going to be good enough. For all their might, the Destonians are still only a mortal army, and we've fought worse."
"But..." Sheila says with a wince. "They DO have that deal with th' Cult? We might be fighting more than that if they expanded the deal..."
"That's possible..." Jim says with a frown. "But we'll have to see. Jack, how much trouble are those air defenses going to give you?"
"As I said, dragons might be annoying, the rest is nothing," Jack says from over the intercomm. "So long as I don't try to slug it out with 'em shouldn't be a bother. Why?"
"Can you afford to circle around in case we need a quick pickup?" Jim asks.
"Yeah, I can manage that. It won't be a perfect circle mind, gotta dodge and weave th' sky dinos," Jack says. "Four minutes."
"Good. If it gets too hot for you, pull out... We'll simply escape into the surrounding area and get to an extraction point," Jim says.
"Pfah! Like we'll need to!" Sheila says with a roll of her eyes. "We're gonna steamroll these Destonia dunces!"
"I can guarantee you'll have the advantage of surprise considering my method of entry..." Jack says with a chuckle. The city looms closer and closer in the viewscreens as the ship hurtles towards it. "Three minutes."
Jim says nothing more, rechecking all his gear one last time as Sheila does the same.
"Two minutes..." Jack says. "One minute. Entering air defense zone. Here we go!"
Just entering the outskirts of the city, a virtual fireworks show erupts around the dropship as a combination of magical spells, primitive artillery, and even breath weapons from monster managing to fly close enough buffet the vessel. Though the swift ship manages to simply avoid most of the attacks, some hit home. Spells like magic missile home in on the ship as it slows down to drop its payload, pelting the hull with arcane energy as fireballs erupt on its surface and the occasional arrow bounces off.
"Twenty seconds! Weapons free!" the pilot roars as the viewscreens show the imposing form of Destonia castle. The restraints on each of the warriors unlock automatically. Jim immediately stands, bracing himself with a ceiling strap. "Here's the best part!" Jack woops as the dropship's weapons pods open and launch a salvo of missiles at a certain point of the castle's roof. The venerable and fortified structure crumbles like cake at the sheer force of the ordinance delivered against it. The dropship immediately swings around and opens the rear hatch, hovering over the hole it just created. Jim and Sheila each run towards the back of the ship, tossing over two ropes attached to the dropchamber's ceiling as Jim also pauses to throw a smoke grenade down into the castle's interior. Between the grenade and the dust thrown up by the dropship's attack, the interior of the castle is not visible, merely a gray cloud.
"Go go go!" Jim roars, grabbing one of the ropes and rappelling down, using the side of the castle wall.
"Wheeeee!" Sheila yells, following him. Both figures soon disappear into the smoke.

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Fri Dec 04 2009 2:13am
by Alpha
"I'll try that!" Laeral says with a grin at the prospective skydive.
"Me too!" Tal chimes in. "Sounds fun!"
Laeral laughs at his brother's reaction, and begins casting protective spells for the small Force.
[Laeral casts:
Shield [self]
Blur [self]
Blur [Ashathel]
Extended Haste [all]
Mass Resist Energy [Electricity, all]
Mass Bear's Endurance [all]
The Haste gets cast just as we drop. It last 38 rounds from casting]

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Sat Dec 05 2009 1:25am
by TheUnknownMarine
The chaos and confusion caused by the smoke grenade and dynamic entrance of the Force is enough to allow them time for everyone to disembark the dropship, sliding down the ropes provided to land safely in the throne room. The smoke clears just as the last two make it down and the dropship begins to dust off...
The Emperor is hardly unprotected.
Theme: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2k58QhGX ... re=related

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Sat Dec 05 2009 1:47am
by Alpha
((Now...idea. Talacre has a move of 150' right now. His quicksilver boots allow him to move his full range in a swift action. He could get to Domaric, no trouble. I'm just not sure how grabbing somebody really works. Because grappling is a big mess and we all know it))

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Sat Dec 05 2009 2:16am
by DragonmasterDon1
((use rope))

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Sat Dec 05 2009 3:01am
by TheUnknownMarine

> Alpha @ Sat Dec 05, 2009 1:47 am) wrote: ((Now...idea. Talacre has a move of 150' right now. His quicksilver boots allow him to move his full range in a swift action. He could get to Domaric, no trouble. I'm just not sure how grabbing somebody really works. Because grappling is a big mess and we all know it))

((You'd have to make a touch attack and you'd be provoking an AoO from Domaric, plus anyone you run through unless you make a tumble check.))

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Sat Dec 05 2009 4:53am
by Aldur
((Futhermore the room is protected from Teleportation, and Dom's no slouch at combat. Whatcha grappling for?))

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Sat Dec 05 2009 1:40pm
by Alpha
((Tal can tumble like nothing else - he autopasses. His boots don't count as teleporting. And I never said I'd be grappling for sure - I'm just looking for a way out of this where we don't have to murder everybody to get our prize))

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Sun Dec 06 2009 3:15am
by Dark Maiden
Damas pulls a folded piece of paper out of one of his pockets. He unfolds it and reads the words written upon it. The sorcerer says nothing. He merely smiles as he refolds the letter and tucks it back into his pocket.
-----
Jessica seems to be rather content during the trip. Then again, she has done this sort of thing many times before, so it shouldn't come as much of a surprise to the people that know her. Though the experience is new to Kayla and Kethra, they both seem to be fine. Merla looks as if she is going to be ill. Myala seems to be alright, though she is clutching her holy symbol a little more tightly than normal.
Shortly before the drop, Jessica, Merla, and Myala shield the group with their powers and spells. Jessica has little trouble during the descent since she has done it many time before. Kayla and Kethra are very athletic so they have no trouble at all. Merla and Myala are a little bit nervous about it but they have little trouble aside from that.
-----
((Sorry for the delay. Here are the buffs from my casters.))

- Jessica
  - Deban [7 PP | Damage Reduction 5/- | 19 rounds | All]
  - Force Screen [17 PP | 19 minutes | Self]
  - Psionic True Seeing [9 PP | 19 minutes | Self]
  - Thicken Skin [19 PP | 90 minutes | Self]
  - True Metabolism [15 PP | 19 minutes | Self]
- Merla
  - Displacement [19 rounds | Jessica & Myala]
  - Contingent Energy Resistance [19 hours/90 minutes once spell activates | Self]
  - Ghostform [19 rounds | Self]
  - Greater Invisibility [19 rounds | Dam & Kayla]
  - Mass Bull's Strength [19 minutes | All]
  - Mirror Image [6 images | 19 minutes | Self]
  - Protection from Arrows [19 hours or until discharged | Jessica & Myala]
  - Shield [19 minutes | Self]
- Myala
  - Bless [19 minutes | All]
  - Elation [19 rounds | All]
  - Holy Aura [19 round | All]
  - Mass Aid [16 temporary HP | 19 minutes | All]
  - Mass Align Weapon (Good) [19 minutes | All]
  - Mass Death Ward [19 minutes | All]
  - Mass Spell Resistance [19 rounds | All]
  - Prayer [19 rounds | All]

((I'll make a combat post once I've calculated my buffs. *Skulks off*))

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Tue Dec 22 2009 10:41pm
by Alpha
((So Jess, I didnt know your characters could cast up to 4 spells in a single round. Amazing))
Laeralas remains in place and chants a potent spell. Bright, sizzling energy gathers around him, and spreads out onto several of his allies. The brilliant coloured light settles on their weapons, transforming them somewhat.
Strike true with these, Laeral informs the group. Just be glad there are no undead or constructs among our foes.
[Cast Brilliant Aura. Jim, Sheila, Ash, Pantherath, Kayla, Graigus, Talacre, Laeral and Dams weapons gain the Brilliant Energy special ability. In Jim and Sheilas case, it affects their ammo.]
His weapon glowing with arcane energy, Talacre invokes the power of his quicksilver boots. In the flash of an impulse, the elf shoots across the room, an actual blur (as opposed to the blur he is when running), ducking and dodging around Destonian troops, never giving them a chance to strike at him.
The dervish reaches the King of Slaughter and dances about him, whilst avoiding the green-haired pegasus knight with ease. Talacre strikes again and again at Domaric, always using the flat of his blade. Despite taking the extra care to not slice the Emperor to bits, the enchantment Laeral cast makes the entire process far easier. His attacks finished, he moves back to join his allies.
Stand down! the elf yells at the Destonian troops. Or the next attacks wont be made with the flat of my blade!
[Enter Dervish Dance. Use Quicksilver boots to get to C14, auto passing with tumbles. He then tumbles about Domaric, striking 5 times, attacking for nonlethal. Brillian Aura means armour and shield bonuses to AC are ignored. Finish one space above Jim
Attack modifiers
1d20 + (bab) + 8(DEX) + 5(enchantment) + 1(w.focus) - 1(trait) + 5(dervish dance) + 2(acrobatic attack) + 1(elation) + 1(bless) + 1(prayer) + 1(prayer) 4(nonlethal)
Damage modifiers
1d10 + 9(x1.5 str) + 5(enchantment) + 8(INT) + 1(trait) + 5(dervish dance) + 2(acrobatic attack) + 1(elation) = 1d10+31
For every hit after the first, additional +1d6 from Flay Foe.
Attacks: 1d20+ 39/34/29/24/39 = 41/44/44/30/42
Damage: 34/31/37/34/45, all nonlethal]
[Laeralas
HP: 207/191, AC: 31, DR: 5/-
Fort/Ref/Will: 18/26/23
Talacre
HP: 253/237, AC: 37, DR: 5/-
Fort/Ref/Will: 19/24/16]

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Wed Dec 23 2009 8:06am
by TheUnknownMarine
(("Who Dares, Wins"- motto of the British S.A.S.))
Domaric sways on his feet after the merciless barrage of attacks, though he does not fall. The Imperial army looks uncertain on what to do, the elite guard of the emperor shocked at the ease with which the elven swordsman penetrated their most potent defenses.
: "Heh..." Domaric laughs. "Heheheheh... An airship... and a blade dancer this time... It's always something..." The emperor stands. "Let me guess. You won't leave here until I agree to pulling my forces back and ceasing hostilities against the Republic?"

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Wed Dec 23 2009 8:46am
by Arcdragnbreth
((Disclaimer: I am sorry that this post is so godforsaken long. It won't happen again... this battle, anyway.
Support spells are as Follows:
(O) From Ash:
---> [150 rnds] Indomitability: Any damage-dealing attack that would drop you below 1 HP leaves you at 1 HP; spell is discharged after blocking one such attack. (Talacre, Graigus, Myala)
And the following on himself: Cat's Grace, Fox's Cunning, Mirror Image, Shield (each 150 rounds).
(O) From Pantherath:
---> [18 rnds] Recitation: +2 atk, AC, and saves (lck), +3 if a worshipper of the Light (All)
---> [180 rnds] Fortunate Fate: A character who would be killed in a way that cound be undone by a heal spell is affected by one
(Myala, Jessica, Pantherath)
---> [180 rnds] Fortunate Fate:
---> [1800 rnds] Resist Energy, Mass: He casts the spell separately for Fire and Cold; fire resist 30 and cold resist 30 (all)
And the following on himself: Divine Power, Righteous Might (18 rnds), Owl's Wisdom, Eagle's Splendor, Healing Lorecall (each 180 rnds), Soul of Light (600 rnds).
(O) It is assumed that, as usual, Ombligo cast Greater Mighty Wallop on Graigus, increasing his unarmed attack by 4 size categories; I'm assuming his CL is 19.
(O) Also note that the listed info for weapon attacks and defenses don't take into account things like Combat Expertise and Power Attack; they'll be added on the fly.))
<}-=<{^}>=-{>
The spellcasting swashbuckler wove a spell around the dwarf, bulking him up more than a bit.
((Cast Enlarge Person on Graigus.))
-={ Ashathel }=-
(O) HP: 219/219 +16 temp (reg. 181)
(O) Weapon Attack: Holy Force Blade +41 (dmg 7d6 +2d6 holy +7 int +6)
(O) Defenses: AC 50 (touch 37, flat 26), Fort 20, Ref 26, Will 19
(O) Special: Song of Celerity 1/1
(O) Spells (CL 15):
-----> Lv. 0: Detect Magic, Detect Magic
-----> Lv. 1: Orb Of Electricity (lesser) x3, Magic Missile x3, Benign Transposition x3
-----> Lv. 2: Freeze 1 x2
-----> Lv. 3: Bolt 1 x2, Sound Lance x2, Freeze 2
-----> Lv. 4: Assay Spell Resistance x2, Freeze 3
-----> Lv. 5: ---
-----> Lv. 6: Freeze 4 x2
(O) Buffs:
[3600 rnds] Resist Energy (elec): Elec resist 30
[1800 rnds] Resist Energy (fire): Fire resist 30
[1800 rnds] Resist Energy (cold): Cold resist 30
[300 rnds] Shield: +8 AC (shield), blocks Magic Missile/touch attacks
[190 rnds] Aid: 16 HP (temp)
[190 rnds] Align Weapon (Good)
[190 rnds] Death Ward: immune to death spells, magical death effects, energy drain, and any negative energy effects
[190 rnds] Bull's Strength: +4 Str (enh)
[190 rnds] Bless: +1 atk & fear saves (morale)
[190 rnds] Bear's Endurance: +4 Con (enh)
[190 rnds] Blur: 20% miss chance
[150 rnds] Cat's Grace: +4 Dex (enh)
[150 rnds] Fox's Cunning: +4 Int (enh)
[150 rnds] Mirror Image: 6 images
[150 rnds] Brilliant Blade: Weapon has the brilliant energy property
[38 rnds] Haste: +1 atk, +1 AC & Ref (dod), +30 ft speed
[19 rnds] Deban: DR 5/-
[19 rnds] Elation: +2 Str and Dex (mor), +5 ft spd
[19 rnds] Holy Aura: +4 AC (dfl) & saves (res), SR 25/evil, blocks possession, successful evil attackers are blinded
[19 rnds] Spell Resistance: SR 31
[19 rnds] Prayer: +1 atk, dmg, saves, skills (lck)
[18 rnds] Recitation: +2 atk, AC, and saves (lck)
-=-=-
The invisible rogue slinked up to the closest archer and struck with one of his saps, not yet willing to bloody his blade.
((Move to W5, attack the archer with his blackjack.
Atk: to-hit 42, dmg 34 ; damage is subdual. The other hand is holding an actual knife.))
-={ Dam Dicem }=-
(O) HP: 180/180 +16 temp (reg. 142)
(O) Weapon Attack:
-----> Holy Silvered Knife +28 (dmg 1d6 +2d6 holy +7d6 or 7d8 sneak +4)
-----> Silvered Knife +28 (dmg 1d6 +7d6 or 7d8 sneak +3)
(O) Defenses: AC 40 (touch 34, flat 28), Fort +16, Ref +26, Will +14
(O) Special:
-----> Sideslip 3/3
-----> Silver-tongued Devil 2/2
(O) Buffs:
[3600 rnds] Resist Energy (elec): Elec resist 30
[1800 rnds] Resist Energy (fire): Fire resist 30
[1800 rnds] Resist Energy (cold): Cold resist 30
[190 rnds] Aid: 16 HP (temp)
[190 rnds] Align Weapon (Good)
[190 rnds] Death Ward: immune to death spells, magical death effects, energy drain, and any negative energy effects
[190 rnds] Bull's Strength: +4 Str (enh)
[190 rnds] Bless: +1 atk & fear saves (morale)
[190 rnds] Bear's Endurance: +4 Con (enh)
[38 rnds] Haste: +1 atk, +1 AC & Ref (dod), +30 ft speed
[19 rnds] Deban: DR 5/-
[19 rnds] Elation: +2 Str and Dex (mor), +5 ft spd
[19 rnds] Holy Aura: +4 AC (dfl) & saves (res), SR 25/evil, blocks possession, successful evil attackers are blinded
[19 rnds] Spell Resistance: SR 31
[19 rnds] Prayer: +1 atk, dmg, saves, skills (lck)
[19 rnds] Invisibility, Greater
[18 rnds] Recitation: +2 atk, AC, and saves (lck)
-=-=-
The enlarged dwarf tool off, a flurry of fur and wood tearing off towards the unfortunate archers in the corner. Thankfully for the ranged attackers, only the heavy feet and fists connected.
((Charge to U3 and attack the archer at U2; redirect attacks towards the archer at V3 if/when the U2 archer drops. All damage is unarmed and subdual... for now.
Atk1: to-hit 45 (crit confirm 29), dmg 69
Atk2: to-hit 35, dmg 68
Atk3: to-hit 29, dmg 55
Atk4: to-hit 21 (nat 1)
Atk5: to-hit 30, dmg 55
Atk6: to-hit 28, dmg 54
Atk7: to-hit 26, dmg 41))
-={ Graigus }=-
(O) HP: 212 +16 temp (reg. 174)
(O) Weapon Attack: Staff of the Monkey King +27 main/+27 off-hand(12d8 +2d6 holy +11 main, 12d8 +4 off-hand)
(O) Defenses: AC 43 (touch 33, flat 37), Fort 29, Ref 26, Will 22
(O) Special:
-----> Stunning Fist 15/15
-----> Wholeness of Body 18 HP
-----> Hybrid Form 2/3 (3 min. each)
(O) Buffs:
[11400 rnds] Greater Mighty Wallop: +4 size categories to damage (unarmed)
[3600 rnds] Resist Energy (elec): Elec resist 30
[1800 rnds] Resist Energy (fire): Fire resist 30
[1800 rnds] Resist Energy (cold): Cold resist 30
[190 rnds] Aid: 16 HP (temp)
[190 rnds] Align Weapon (Good)
[190 rnds] Death Ward: immune to death spells, magical death effects, energy drain, and any negative energy effects
[190 rnds] Bull's Strength: +4 Str (enh)
[190 rnds] Bless: +1 atk & fear saves (morale)
[190 rnds] Bear's Endurance: +4 Con (enh)
[150 rnds] Enlarge Person: +1 size category
[38 rnds] Haste: +1 atk, +1 AC & Ref (dod), +30 ft speed
[30 rnds] Hybrid Form: +4 Dex, use hands & feet interchangeably, climb 40 ft
[19 rnds] Deban: DR 5/-
[19 rnds] Elation: +2 Str and Dex (mor), +5 ft spd
[19 rnds] Holy Aura: +4 AC (dfl) & saves (res), SR 25/evil, blocks possession, successful evil attackers are blinded
[19 rnds] Spell Resistance: SR 31
[19 rnds] Prayer: +1 atk, dmg, saves, skills (lck)
[18 rnds] Recitation: +2 atk, AC, and saves (lck)
-=-=-
The Woren stretched his hand forward and allowed the divine power to flow through him, cutting off any knightly charge with singing heat and catching the archer nearby.
((Cast Wall of Fire along the Q-line.))
-={ Pantherath }=-
(O) HP: 219/219 +38 temp (reg. 169)
(O) Weapon Attack: Purity Blade +34 (dmg 2d6 +2d6 holy +2d6 bane [vs. evil outsiders] +22)
(O) Defenses: AC 34 (touch 20, flat 30) Fort 25, Ref 20, Will 25
(O) Special:
-----> Smite Evil 2/day
-----> Lay on Hands 54 (reg. 42)
-----> Turn Undead 20/20
-----> Turn Water/Bolster Fire 10/10
(O) Spells:
-----> Lvl. 0: 6/6
-----> Lvl. 1: 8/8
-----> Lvl. 2: 4/7
-----> Lvl. 3: 4/7
-----> Lvl. 4: 4/7
-----> Lvl. 5: 6/7
-----> Lvl. 6: 6/6
-----> Lvl. 7: 6/6
-----> Lvl. 8: 5/5
-----> Lvl. 9: 3/3
(O) Buffs:
[3600 rnds] Resist Energy (elec): Elec resist 30
[1800 rnds] Resist Energy (fire): Fire resist 30
[1800 rnds] Resist Energy (cold): Cold resist 30
[600 rnds] Soul of Light: Healing spells cast/received grant additional +(spell lvl x2) hp
[190 rnds] Aid: 16 HP (temp)
[190 rnds] Align Weapon (Good)
[190 rnds] Death Ward: immune to death spells, magical death effects, energy drain, and any negative energy effects
[190 rnds] Bull's Strength: +4 Str (enh)
[190 rnds] Bless: +1 atk & fear saves (morale)
[190 rnds] Bear's Endurance: +4 Con (enh)
[180 rnds] Owl's Wisdom: +4 Wis (enh)
[180 rnds] Eagle's Splendor: +4 Cha (enh)
[180 rnds] Healing Lorecall: Heal ranks as CL for healing spells, also remove Daze, Dazzle, Fatigue, Exhaustion, Nausea or Sicken.
[38 rnds] Haste: +1 atk, +1 AC & Ref (dod), +30 ft speed
[19 rnds] Deban: DR 5/-
[19 rnds] Elation: +2 Str and Dex (mor), +5 ft spd
[19 rnds] Holy Aura: +4 AC (dfl) & saves (res), SR 25/evil, blocks possession, successful evil attackers are blinded
[19 rnds] Spell Resistance: SR 31
[19 rnds] Prayer: +1 atk, dmg, saves, skills (lck)
[18 rnds] Recitation: +3 atk, AC, and saves (lck)
[18 rnds] Divine Power: BAB = char level, +6 Str (enh), +18 temp HP[18 rnds] Righteous Might: +1 size category, +4 str & +2 con (size), +2 NA (enh)

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Wed Dec 23 2009 8:25pm
by Dark Maiden

> Alpha @ Tue Dec 22, 2009 5:41 pm) wrote: ((So Jess, I didn?t know your characters could cast up to 4 spells in a single round. Amazing))

((Obviously the spells with longer durations were cast in advance, and the spells with shorter durations were cast prior to combat. Don't be a wise ass. I'm going out to dinner with my fiance, as it is his birthday today, so I might take my actions later today, but most likely tomorrow.))

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Wed Dec 23 2009 9:34pm
by Alpha

> Dark Maiden @ Wed Dec 23, 2009 7:25 pm) wrote: ((Don't be a wise ass. ))

((That's asking me to be something I'm not. And I just won't have that ))

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Thu Dec 24 2009 12:56am
by Dark Maiden
((I suppose I should be used to it by now. ))
Kayla moves silently across the room. She crouches low near the archers, still completely invisible, waiting for the right moment to strike.
((Kayla moves to Y-6.))
Kethra puts the magical orb she normally carries on her person down on the floor beside her, but gently as not to damage it. She had no desire to cause any permanent harm to the soldiers, and would avoid doing so unless necessary. The half-elf moves across the room with the speed of a cheetah, and strikes at the archer before her just as quickly.
((Kethra moves to X-5 and attacks the archer at X-4.
Attack: 40, Damage: 28, non-lethal.))
Myala calls out in celestial to invoke the power of her deity. The elven priestess sprouts white feathered wings, much to the surprise of both her allies and her enemies.
((Myala casts Greater Visage of the Deity on herself.
Jessica and Merla are holding their actions for now.))

JESSICA

- Hit Points: 178/178

- Armor Class: 40

- Power Points: 399/466

KAYLA

- Hit Points: 172/172

- Armor Class: 35

KETHRA

- Hit Points: 180/180

- Armor Class: 43

MERLA

- Hit Points: 152/152

- Armor Class: 33

MYALA

- Hit Points: 212/212

- Armor Class: 37

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Sat Jan 02 2010 8:30am
by TheUnknownMarine
Graigus succeeds in knocking out the two archers around him, but Kethra and Dam only manage to stagger the sharpshooter they target. The warrior of Destonia takes a step back and quick as lightning sends a stream of arrows towards Kethra. With her supernaturally honed skills, she is able to dodge or deflect most of the missiles, but a pair manage to strike her out of the volley, one striking her chest dead center.
((1 Crit, 1 hit, 4 misses. Crit:36 damage Hit: 14 damage.))
The archer engulfed in flame swears as he jumps out of the wall, instantly bringing his bow up to fire a volley of six arrows at Kayla. Of the six, only two manage to hit though one strikes the assassin's chest dead center as with Kethra.
((1 Crit, 1 hit. 4 misses. Crit: 54 damage. Hit: 16 damage.))
"Emperor Domaric, surrender your armies and step down as Emperor!" Jim calls out over the roar of the flames. "Publicly acknowledge Medion as the new Emperor of Destonia and hand over power to him. Do this and you will not be harmed, nor will any of your men! Those are our terms!"
The emperor frowns.
: "Really? Pity. I was willing to agree to something, but not those particular terms. Certainly not those terms. Hand over power to my traitor of a son? Never! I am the Emperor of Destonia and will remain so until I die!" Domaric shouts. One of the nearby bishops steps to the side and heals the emperor of his wounds with a word.
"I was hoping you'd say that!" Sheila says, gleefully.
: "You'd be fools to take my life... Only I can keep Destonia under control. Without me, the nation would dissolve into a bickering, warring mass of nobles and city-states. But I have no such compunctions with you. See now why they called me the 'Lord of Massacres' in my youth! Come on, ELF!" Domaric says, pulling a massive runed greatsword from his robes and swinging it effortlessly at Talacre. Though skilled and fast, the elven swordsman is hard pressed to put up a defense. Each blow is relentless, powerful, and skilled, and three strikes break past his best attempts to parry and dodge. Three large gashes open up on the elf.
((Hit, Hit, Hit, Miss, Miss. 29, 33, and 32 damage. These blows ignore all forms of damage resistance.))
"I am sorry it had to come to this..." General Rogan says, drawing a longsword and moving to the emperor's side. He immediately launches into a dazzling display of flashing metal, working his blade with skill and speed. However this time Talacre is able to keep his guard up and avoids taking a wound. Then a lance jabs at him from behind the general, Honestly joining the fray. The lancetip only manages to graze him however. All through this time, the Holy Aura flashes and flashes, but each of the combatants fights through the bright light.
((One hit. 11 damage to Talacre.))
The heavily armored forms of the Emperor's personal guard clomp towards Talacre, but only one manages to reach and strike him, a single blow with a warhammer breaking one of his ribs.
((Nat 20, no confirm. 21 damage.))
One of the Ur-Monks casts a potent spell, a lance of utter darkness striking Talacre. However, his strong spirit minimizes the effects.
((Energy Drain on Talacre. Nat 19, hit. Talacre gains 2 negative levels.))
One of the nearby Imperial Archmages chants words of arcane power and a hail of icy spears suddenly crash down on Talacre, both ripping into him and draining his body heat.
((Freeze level 4. Talacre takes 89 cold damage. No save.))
The other Archmage whispers some words of power and looks down at those assembled across the room. Horrible pain suddenly jolts through their bodies and they feel a great thirst attacking them as water is sucked from their veins.
((Horrid Wilting on everyone still around the rubble. Fort save DC 25 for half damage. 71 damage. Jim and Sheila both pass.))
The Ur Monk whispers some sort of chant and a pillar of fire erupts from the ground around Sheila and Jim. The pair evade it, dodging aside with incredible reflexes.
"Protect the emperor!" Fiderit roars. "Fiderit Special Defense Battalion... CHARGE!"
Through the flickering fire thunders a wall of shining steel and stamping hooves as a line of centaurs in full wargear charges the heroes. Pantherath is saved by his full plate, not one, but two enemy lances driving into the protective metal without it yielding. Laeralas is just as lucky, the Blur spell he cast allowing him to barely avoid a lancetip aimed for his chest. Sheila easily leaps up and over the charging centaur. Jim and Ashathel don't come out as unscathed. A lance drives itself deep into Jim's side and a devastating blow impales Ashathel partially on the Imperial Guard's lance. Though the injury is grotesque, Ashathel manages to cling to life and consciousness... or at least that's what would've happened had the knight struck Ashathel and not a mirror image. The image dies horrifically then flickers away.
((4 misses, 1 hit on Jim for 25 damage after DR. Ashathel loses a Mirror Image and avoids taking 80 damage from a critical hit charge.))
Finally with a bellowing roar, Fiderit himself charges, the general colliding with Laeralas. A rib is broken and his side torn open as the rune encrusted lance of the centaur general tears through the elf with only minor difficulty. Though the injury would've felled many lesser men, Laeralas is not one of them. He stands tall despite the wound.
((Hit! 100 damage to Laeralas.))
Sheila laughs maniacally. "Fiderit! We get a rematch! I think you'll find I've grown in power since last we met!"
Fiderit's eyes narrow. "You... That thief that broke into the vault..."
"Hey, I got a bit of your hair, Fids! That's how we could scry on you!" Sheila chortles. "This is partly all your fault! Nifty, huh?"
((Next turn! Map will be up once I grab Alpha or Arc.))
Note to self: Forgot to take Jim/Sheila's actions this turn. Edit in with map.

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Sat Jan 02 2010 11:52am
by Alpha
((I'm interested to know how Talacre took so many melee attacks, considering he moved back to AA16))

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Sat Jan 02 2010 3:51pm
by Dark Maiden

> TheUnknownMarine @ Sat Jan 02, 2010 3:30 am) wrote:One of the Ur-Monks casts a potent spell, a lance of utter darkness striking Talacre. However, his strong spirit minimizes the effects.
> ((Energy Drain on Talacre. Nat 19, hit. Talacre gains 2 negative levels.))

> Dark Maiden @ Sat Dec 05, 2009 10:15 pm) wrote:Mass Death Ward [19 minutes | All]

> Death Ward: The subject is immune to all death spells, magical death effects, energy drain, and any negative energy effects.

I will try to post my actions later.

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Sat Jan 02 2010 7:25pm
by TheUnknownMarine

> Alpha @ Sat Jan 02, 2010 11:52 am) wrote: ((I'm interested to know how Talacre took so many melee attacks, considering he moved back to AA16))

((I misread your post and thought you were standing next to Dom with your swords. Doesn't really matter though, most of those were readied actions triggered to when someone got close to the emperor. The Elite Guard wouldn't have been able to hit you, but since you tumbled back through everyone, you fail the very last roll and take a hit, so it evens out. (The last check got up to DC 53.))
((And of course, Death Ward nullifies the Drain. I'm not keeping track of buffs, you guys are.))

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Sat Jan 02 2010 9:17pm
by Alpha
((With buffs, Tal's Tumble is take 10 + 54. So even with the -10 penalty you imposed, it's impossible for him to not succeed. And even if 10 + modifier wouldn't auto-succeed, I'd roll for it instead, to see if I could make it))

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Sat Jan 02 2010 10:04pm
by Dark Maiden

> TheUnknownMarine @ Sat Jan 02, 2010 3:30 am) wrote:The archer engulfed in flame swears as he jumps out of the wall, instantly bringing his bow up to fire a volley of six arrows at Kayla. Of the six, only two manage to hit though one strikes the assassin's chest dead center as with Kethra.
> ((1 Crit, 1 hit. 4 misses. Crit: 54 damage. Hit: 16 damage.))

> Dark Maiden @ Sat Dec 05, 2009 10:15 pm) wrote:Greater Invisibility [19 rounds | Dam & Kayla]

Sorry I overlooked that before. Kayla has taken no action yet so unless the archer has See Invisibility or True Seeing up, those attacks will have to be redirected.
Actions coming when the map is up. I promise.

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Sat Jan 02 2010 10:13pm
by Arcdragnbreth
((Hate to be another question, since the maps aren't up, but... did the spells take into account the SR 31 everyone has?))

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Sun Jan 03 2010 1:25am
by TheUnknownMarine

> Alpha @ Sat Jan 02, 2010 9:17 pm) wrote: ((With buffs, Tal's Tumble is take 10 + 54. So even with the -10 penalty you imposed, it's impossible for him to not succeed. And even if 10 + modifier wouldn't auto-succeed, I'd roll for it instead, to see if I could make it))

((I thought your mod was +52. All right, ignore that last 21 damage then. For future reference though, you can't choose to roll if you wouldn't auto-succeed. The downside of taking 10 is not knowing if 10 will be enough to pass. If you say 'I take 10' and I say "You fail", you can't say "I change my mind, I want to roll." Not that it's going to matter much with your monstrous mod.
Kayla has it too, huh? For some reason I thought twas Dam only. No matter, Kethra is struck by those hits then.
Yes I took SR into account, except for the Flame Strike where I forgot, but that was evaded anyway.))
Edit action:
Jim watches Domaric's attack on Talacre with a look of disbelief.
"He's still COMBAT CAPABLE?!" he roars. Sheila winces, even in the heat of battle.
"Sorry, sorry! I don't know as much about this region, I thought..." Sheila sputters.
"Nevermind! Just a hitch in the plan is all, we can still pull this off!" Jim says, swinging his gun around to open fire on Fiderit, Sheila beating him to the punch with a hail of hyper-accelerated bullets from her guns. The high explosive rounds, further enhanced by Laeralas' magic, tear through Fiderit's defenses with ease, exploding within his body and tearing apart the centaur general before he can even utter last words. The other knights look aghast at this display.
((Sheila full attack: 6 hits, 1 crit. Total: 363 damage. Fiderit is slain.))
"Goddamn it Sheila," Jim shouts, shifting his gun to aim on one of the nearby knights. "Why aren't your guns loaded with stun rounds?!
"Screw that, if they're not smart enough to surrender I'll blow them away until they get some damn sense!" Sheila retorts.
"That's not what..." Jim roars in frustration again, then starts barking tactical advice to his comrades in the field.
((Jim: Full round: Tactical Advice: +4 AC for everyone for 5 rounds.))
Map: http://entertainment.webshots.com/photo ... 1159ngjfUv

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Sun Jan 10 2010 1:34am
by Dark Maiden
((Jessica, Merla, and Myala pass their saves against the Horrid Wilting spell and take half damage.))
"We wished to avoid this," Myala says sadly, "but you have forced our hand." The priestess moves up behind Jim and says a prayer in the celestial tongue. The wounds of those around her begin to close.
((Myala moves behind Jim and casts her 8th level domain spell --- Mass Cure Critical Wounds. Because of her PRC it is automatically maximized and empowered. Everyone within the drop down area regains 76 hit points.))
Kethra grunts in pain as the barrage of arrows strike her. The half-elf pulls them out of her body and stares into the eyes of the archer in front of her. "I have had just about enough of you," she says before she jumps forward and lets loose a barrage of attacks on the archer.
((Kethra takes a step forward and uses a full attack action on the archer in front of her.
Attacks: 45, 44, 34, 42, 28, 39; Damage: 23, 23, 22, 21, 16, 26; all damage non-lethal))
Jessica notices that Kethra is badly wounded. Trusting that Myala can handle the healing without her for a little bit, the psion blinks out of existence, only to reappear behind Kethra. She reaches out and touches the half-elf's shoulder, channeling her power to repair the damage to Kethra's body. "How do you feel?"
"Better --- thanks to you," Kethra says with a grin.
((Jessica expends her psionic focus and uses Psionic Dimension door, spending the extra PP to manifest it as a move action. She reappears in the space behind Kethra and uses Nares, spending extra PP to augment and empower it. Kethra regains 70 hit points.))
Figuring that Dam, Graigus, and Kethra could handle a lone archer without her help, Kayla makes her way across the room the aid her allies against the centaur knights. She quietly comes upon behind one of the knights and attempts to drive her knife into a vital area.
((Kayla moves behind Pantherath and attacks the centaur knight in front of her.
Attack: 41; Damage: 40))
"I wish it did not have to be this way," Merla murmurs as she casts the most powerful ice spell she knows on the centaur knight that had wounded Jim.
((Merla casts Freeze 4 on the centaur at Z-16. 70 cold damage, no save. So far as I'm aware you can't deal non-lethal damage with spells, so it's lethal.))

JESSICA

- Hit Points: 178/178

- Armor Class: 45

- Power Points: 367/466

KAYLA

- Hit Points: 172/172

- Armor Class: 40

KETHRA

- Hit Points: 146/180

- Armor Class: 48

MERLA

- Hit Points: 152/152

- Armor Class: 38

MYALA

- Hit Points: 212/212

- Armor Class: 42

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Sat Jan 16 2010 10:50pm
by Arcdragnbreth
"Face it, Commander Radford... this guy doesn't want the easy way, and his people are tired of doing this over and over again. At least your tried!" Ashathel said, stepping forward to lay into the charging soldiers.
((Ash takes a 5' step to the northwest, then full attacks the centaur with the most HP. Redirect attacks as necessary.
Atk1: to-hit 53, dmg 50
Atk2: to-hit 43, dmg 49
Atk3: to-hit 39, dmg 45
Atk4: to-hit 39, dmg 43
Atk5: to-hit 29, dmg 40))
-={ Ashathel }=-
(O) HP: 219/219 +16 temp (reg. 181)
(O) Weapon Attack: Holy Force Blade +41 (dmg 7d6 +2d6 holy +7 int +6)
(O) Defenses: AC 50 (touch 37, flat 26), Fort 20, Ref 26, Will 19
(O) Special: Song of Celerity 1/1
(O) Spells (CL 15):
-----> Lv. 0: Detect Magic, Detect Magic
-----> Lv. 1: Orb Of Electricity (lesser) x3, Magic Missile x3, Benign Transposition x3
-----> Lv. 2: Freeze 1 x2
-----> Lv. 3: Bolt 1 x2, Sound Lance x2, Freeze 2
-----> Lv. 4: Assay Spell Resistance x2, Freeze 3
-----> Lv. 5: ---
-----> Lv. 6: Freeze 4 x2
(O) Buffs:
[3600 rnds] Resist Energy (elec): Elec resist 30
[1800 rnds] Resist Energy (fire): Fire resist 30
[1800 rnds] Resist Energy (cold): Cold resist 30
[300 rnds] Shield: +8 AC (shield), blocks Magic Missile/touch attacks
[190 rnds] Aid: 16 HP (temp)
[190 rnds] Align Weapon (Good)
[190 rnds] Death Ward: immune to death spells, magical death effects, energy drain, and any negative energy effects
[190 rnds] Bull's Strength: +4 Str (enh)
[190 rnds] Bless: +1 atk & fear saves (morale)
[190 rnds] Bear's Endurance: +4 Con (enh)
[190 rnds] Blur: 20% miss chance
[150 rnds] Cat's Grace: +4 Dex (enh)
[150 rnds] Fox's Cunning: +4 Int (enh)
[150 rnds] Mirror Image: 5 images
[150 rnds] Brilliant Blade: Weapon has the brilliant energy property
[38 rnds] Haste: +1 atk, +1 AC & Ref (dod), +30 ft speed
[19 rnds] Deban: DR 5/-
[19 rnds] Elation: +2 Str and Dex (mor), +5 ft spd
[19 rnds] Holy Aura: +4 AC (dfl) & saves (res), SR 25/evil, blocks possession, successful evil attackers are blinded
[19 rnds] Spell Resistance: SR 31
[19 rnds] Prayer: +1 atk, dmg, saves, skills (lck)
[18 rnds] Recitation: +2 atk, AC, and saves (lck)
-=-=-
"Pointy ears is right, Jimmy; time to turn this sack of crap into molding meat! Monkey monk, help with the horses - and don't go easy on them!"
((Dam takes a 5' step to the west, then full attacks the archer.
Atk1: to-hit 45 (crit confirm 43), dmg 62 (67 if crit lands)
Atk2: to-hit 40, dmg 56
Atk3: to-hit 32, dmg 48
Atk4: to-hit 27, dmg 42
Atk5: to-hit 38, dmg 44
Atk6: to-hit 23, dmg 23))
-={ Dam Dicem }=-
(O) HP: 180/180 +16 temp (reg. 142)
(O) Weapon Attack:
-----> Holy Silvered Knife +28 (dmg 1d6 +2d6 holy +7d6 or 7d8 sneak +4)
-----> Silvered Knife +28 (dmg 1d6 +7d6 or 7d8 sneak +3)
(O) Defenses: AC 40 (touch 34, flat 28), Fort +16, Ref +26, Will +14
(O) Special:
-----> Sideslip 3/3
-----> Silver-tongued Devil 2/2
(O) Buffs:
[3600 rnds] Resist Energy (elec): Elec resist 30
[1800 rnds] Resist Energy (fire): Fire resist 30
[1800 rnds] Resist Energy (cold): Cold resist 30
[190 rnds] Aid: 16 HP (temp)
[190 rnds] Align Weapon (Good)
[190 rnds] Death Ward: immune to death spells, magical death effects, energy drain, and any negative energy effects
[190 rnds] Bull's Strength: +4 Str (enh)
[190 rnds] Bless: +1 atk & fear saves (morale)
[190 rnds] Bear's Endurance: +4 Con (enh)
[38 rnds] Haste: +1 atk, +1 AC & Ref (dod), +30 ft speed
[19 rnds] Deban: DR 5/-
[19 rnds] Elation: +2 Str and Dex (mor), +5 ft spd
[19 rnds] Holy Aura: +4 AC (dfl) & saves (res), SR 25/evil, blocks possession, successful evil attackers are blinded
[19 rnds] Spell Resistance: SR 31
[19 rnds] Prayer: +1 atk, dmg, saves, skills (lck)
[19 rnds] Invisibility, Greater
[18 rnds] Recitation: +2 atk, AC, and saves (lck)
-=-=-
The monk nodded, as much to himself as to his invisible leader, then moved acrossthe area on his hands and feet at top speed, swapping his staff between them as necessary. He leaped the rest of the distance and struck hard with the weapon, no longer holding back as he had before.
((Charge to Y17, launch attacks at the strongest knight standing. Redirect as necessary.
Atk1: to-hit 47, dmg 85
Atk2: to-hit 44, dmg 79
Atk3: to-hit 31, dmg 76
Atk4: to-hit 27, dmg 71
Atk5: to-hit 25, dmg 68
Atk6: to-hit 31, dmg 61
Atk7: to-hit 27, dmg 57))
-={ Graigus }=-
(O) HP: 212 +16 temp (reg. 174)
(O) Weapon Attack: Staff of the Monkey King +27 main/+27 off-hand(12d8 +2d6 holy +11 main, 12d8 +4 off-hand)
(O) Defenses: AC 43 (touch 33, flat 37), Fort 29, Ref 26, Will 22
(O) Special:
-----> Stunning Fist 15/15
-----> Wholeness of Body 18 HP
-----> Hybrid Form 2/3 (3 min. each)
(O) Buffs:
[11400 rnds] Greater Mighty Wallop: +4 size categories to damage (unarmed)
[3600 rnds] Resist Energy (elec): Elec resist 30
[1800 rnds] Resist Energy (fire): Fire resist 30
[1800 rnds] Resist Energy (cold): Cold resist 30
[190 rnds] Aid: 16 HP (temp)
[190 rnds] Align Weapon (Good)
[190 rnds] Death Ward: immune to death spells, magical death effects, energy drain, and any negative energy effects
[190 rnds] Bull's Strength: +4 Str (enh)
[190 rnds] Bless: +1 atk & fear saves (morale)
[190 rnds] Bear's Endurance: +4 Con (enh)
[150 rnds] Enlarge Person: +1 size category
[38 rnds] Haste: +1 atk, +1 AC & Ref (dod), +30 ft speed
[30 rnds] Hybrid Form: +4 Dex, use hands & feet interchangeably, climb 40 ft
[19 rnds] Deban: DR 5/-
[19 rnds] Elation: +2 Str and Dex (mor), +5 ft spd
[19 rnds] Holy Aura: +4 AC (dfl) & saves (res), SR 25/evil, blocks possession, successful evil attackers are blinded
[19 rnds] Spell Resistance: SR 31
[19 rnds] Prayer: +1 atk, dmg, saves, skills (lck)
[18 rnds] Recitation: +2 atk, AC, and saves (lck)
-=-=-
Confident his allies would handle the rest of the foes on his side of the flaming wall, Pantherath focused his fury at Domaric, then raised his hands high. No sooner had he done so than the air above the Imperial forces melted and sparked, filled with supernatural flames.
((Pantherath casts Assay Spell Resistance as related to Domaric, then casts a Maximized Firestorm via Divine Metamagic; 102 fire damage, Ref DC 24 for half. Pantherath has a +18 bonus to CL checks (if necessary), +28 against Domaric.))
-={ Pantherath }=-
(O) HP: 219/219 +38 temp (reg. 169)
(O) Weapon Attack: Purity Blade +34 (dmg 2d6 +2d6 holy +2d6 bane [vs. evil outsiders] +22)
(O) Defenses: AC 34 (touch 20, flat 30) Fort 25, Ref 20, Will 25
(O) Special:
-----> Smite Evil 2/day
-----> Lay on Hands 54 (reg. 42)
-----> Turn Undead 18/20
-----> Turn Water/Bolster Fire 10/10
(O) Spells:
-----> Lvl. 0: 6/6
-----> Lvl. 1: 8/8
-----> Lvl. 2: 4/7
-----> Lvl. 3: 4/7
-----> Lvl. 4: 4/7
-----> Lvl. 5: 6/7
-----> Lvl. 6: 6/6
-----> Lvl. 7: 6/6
-----> Lvl. 8: 5/5
-----> Lvl. 9: 3/3
(O) Buffs:
[3600 rnds] Resist Energy (elec): Elec resist 30
[1800 rnds] Resist Energy (fire): Fire resist 30
[1800 rnds] Resist Energy (cold): Cold resist 30
[600 rnds] Soul of Light: Healing spells cast/received grant additional +(spell lvl x2) hp
[190 rnds] Aid: 16 HP (temp)
[190 rnds] Align Weapon (Good)
[190 rnds] Death Ward: immune to death spells, magical death effects, energy drain, and any negative energy effects
[190 rnds] Bull's Strength: +4 Str (enh)
[190 rnds] Bless: +1 atk & fear saves (morale)
[190 rnds] Bear's Endurance: +4 Con (enh)
[180 rnds] Owl's Wisdom: +4 Wis (enh)
[180 rnds] Eagle's Splendor: +4 Cha (enh)
[180 rnds] Healing Lorecall: Heal ranks as CL for healing spells, also remove Daze, Dazzle, Fatigue, Exhaustion, Nausea or Sicken.
[38 rnds] Haste: +1 atk, +1 AC & Ref (dod), +30 ft speed
[19 rnds] Deban: DR 5/-
[19 rnds] Elation: +2 Str and Dex (mor), +5 ft spd
[19 rnds] Holy Aura: +4 AC (dfl) & saves (res), SR 25/evil, blocks possession, successful evil attackers are blinded
[19 rnds] Spell Resistance: SR 31
[19 rnds] Prayer: +1 atk, dmg, saves, skills (lck)
[18 rnds] Recitation: +3 atk, AC, and saves (lck)
[18 rnds] Divine Power: BAB = char level, +6 Str (enh), +18 temp HP[18 rnds] Righteous Might: +1 size category, +4 str & +2 con (size), +2 NA (enh)

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Fri Jan 29 2010 1:25am
by Dark Maiden
(( *Tumble weed blows by* ¬_¬ ))

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Wed Feb 03 2010 2:11am
by TheUnknownMarine
Dam nearly kills one of the remaining archers, opening horrible wounds that threaten to drop the foe to the ground. The sniper turns, only to open his back to Kethra and suffer a barrage of blows that lays him out cold on the stone floor.
Healing spell and technique alike mend the wounds of the group as Myala and Jessica tend to the wounded.
Kayla slips a knife into the centaur's broad back as Merla encases one in ice. That ice is soon shattered, along with the knight it surrounded as Graigus cartwheels over and pummels the centaur warrior to death. He even manages to badly wound one of the knights next to the dead one.
Ashathel rips apart one of the other centaur knights, Talacre following his example and leaving Sheila to finish off the wounded one left by Graigus. Jim turns and opens fire into the last remaining knight, Laeralas finishing him off with his knives.
Pantherath calls down a rain of fire on the enemies' heads that pierces their protection and burns all of them near death... one of the mages beyond even that as he is reduced to cinders. The Imperial Guard to the north seem horribly injured by this attack... Then the two High Priests to either side wipe away the damage with a pair of Ultimate Aura spells.
The return fire is almost as dramatic, a great cascade of energy that dances from warrior to warrior and electrocutes them. The remaining enemies appear to be drinking potions.
((Everyone except Kethra, Dam, and Jessica must make 3 DC 25 Ref saves for half, or take 31, 40, and 41 electrical damage, respectively. Jim and Sheila pass and evade.))
A sudden barrage of deadly accurate arrows from the last archer causes Michael to fall unconscious, but in the heat of battle, no one notices.
((Aldur is pretty much done, so Michael is KO'd for this battle.))
NEXT TURN!

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Sun Feb 14 2010 12:48am
by Dark Maiden
((Kayla passes her Reflex saves and takes no damage. Merla passes her Reflex saves and takes 55 damage. Myala passes two of her Reflex saves and takes 45 damage.))
Kayla avoids the bolts of lightning raining down on them with ease. Merla manages to avoid the worst of the it, but she is still wounded. Myala is also able to avoid the worst of it, and her resistance to the elements granted to her by her celestial form makes the wounds she does receive little more than an annoyance at best.
Jessica lays her hand upon Kethra once again and channels her power into the half-elf, causing her flesh and muscle to mend almost instantly. The psion then takes cover behind a wall nearby.
((Jessica uses Nares on Kethra, restoring 49 hit points, and moves to U-5.))
"Shall we take care of the straggler then?" Kethra asks, running off before Dam can answer her. Appearing before the lone archer almost faster than the naked eye can see, the half-elf strikes with a single punch.
((Kethra moves to S-6 and attacks.
Attack: 35; Damage: 30))
Myala calls upon the power of her God to heal the wounds of her allies.
((Myala casts Mass Cure Light Wounds, restoring 40 hit points to everyone within the drop area.))
Merla turns to Jim and asks, "Shall I dispel the wall of fire so that we may move forward?"
((I will be holding my actions for Kayla and Merla for now.))

JESSICA

- Hit Points: 178/178

- Armor Class: 45

- Power Points: 348/466

KAYLA

- Hit Points: 172/172

- Armor Class: 40

KETHRA

- Hit Points: 180/180

- Armor Class: 48

MERLA

- Hit Points: 137/152

- Armor Class: 38

MYALA

- Hit Points: 207/212

- Armor Class: 42

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Thu Mar 11 2010 3:30am
by TheUnknownMarine
The fight drags on, the group slowly making progress on the throne amidst exchanges of gun and spellfire. The group's healers keep the enemy from inflicting any casualties, until at last the two warbands clash in melee, everything dissolving into chaos.
"This isn't..." Jim begins to say, then narrows his eyes. "Focus fire on Domaric. Take him down and the rest might capitulate."
"NOW you're talking sense!" Sheila says with glee as she vaults over the battle lines, dancing in and out of Honesty's reach to close on Domaric. With visible enjoyment, she fires her pistols multiple times, the high velocity rounds piercing the heavily enchanted masterplate of the Emperor and punching into the old body below. A burst from Jim follows, shredding apart his magnificent cape and slamming into his back. The Emperor stumbles, blood pouring from his mouth. Talacre is next, twin blades working in and out of gaps in the old warrior's armor. Then Dam, Kayla...
In the chaos, it is impossible to tell just WHO landed the final blow, but at long last, the Destonian Emperor, along with most of his cohorts, lies slain.
"Drop your weapons!" Jim shouts, leveling his gun at the remnants of the guard. Their leader killed, most lose the will to fight, weapons falling limp from shaking hands. Jim looks around, blearily. "This... was not how it was supposed to go..."

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Thu Mar 11 2010 7:25am
by Alpha
"About damn time," Tal says, panting slightly from the battle exertions. "They should've dropped right away."
"Are we going to raise him?" Laeral asks Jim, sending it via a telepathic message using a spell. "I imagine he's of more value alive."

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Thu Mar 11 2010 8:30am
by TheUnknownMarine
Jim turns to Laeralas, responding telepathically.
"That's a good idea... but perhaps we should leave it up to Prince Medion. What do you think? At the least maybe preserving the body in case?"

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Fri Mar 12 2010 1:46am
by Alpha
Laeral merely nods at first, before speaking aloud, albeit quietly to Jim.
"I do not possess the talents for this - perhaps Merla or Pantherath could, though."

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Sat Mar 13 2010 9:40pm
by Arcdragnbreth
"How else was it supposed to go, Jim?" Dicem asked, shaking his head. "He wouldn't give up, and we couldn't leave him there. It was always going to come to this, whether we did it ourselves or someone else did."

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Sun Mar 14 2010 6:25am
by TheUnknownMarine
"Everyone looks to be OK here. I think we can let Medion cover the rest," Sheila says with a satisfied smile.
"That's..." Jim says, but is interrupted by an urgent beeping from his comm system. He touches a hand to his headset. "Jim here."
"Sir!" the comm officer shouts on the other end. "You've got to get back to the base! Fast! It's under attack from all directions!"
"What?! Who?!" Jim roars.
"Don't know!" the comm officer replies. "They're pressing the defenders hard! You've got to hurry!"
"The base is under attack!" Jim shouts to the others. "We need to get home FAST! Anyone have a spell? There's no way the Basilisk can reach there in time!"

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Sun Mar 14 2010 9:33pm
by Dark Maiden
"I do, but I can only take six other people aside from myself with a single spell," Merla says as she looks around, trying to count how many people are there.

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Sun Mar 14 2010 10:48pm
by Alpha
Laeral sighs at Merlas lack of immediate action. As he chants a quick transportation spell, Talacre speeds towards the prone form of Domaric, slings it over his shoulder and makes his way back to his brother. Laeral finishes the spell and he promptly winks out of sight, six others disappearing in a similar fashion.
[Laeral, Tal (with Domarics body), Dam, Graigus, Ashathel, Sheela and Michael are back to base]

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Sun Mar 14 2010 11:01pm
by TheUnknownMarine
"We better follow," Jim says to Merla.

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Mon Mar 15 2010 10:53pm
by Dark Maiden
Merla nods and casts her teleportation spell. In a fashion identical to Laeral, she as the remaining party members blink out of existence in an instant, only to reappear shortly afterward at their destination.
(( Merla and the rest of the party are now back to base as well. ))

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Wed Mar 17 2010 9:25pm
by TheUnknownMarine
Music: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YSiDzOdyXL8&fmt=18
The party arrives back at base to find blood and fire waiting for them.
A massive attack has apparently taken place at Fort Ordalia, dead and dying guards and indeed, dead and dying comrades litter the battlements and courtyard of the newest Shining Force's mountainside HQ. Smoke pours from caves in the mountainside where the Rangers' artillery emplacements apparently fought to the last. Craters from their handiwork before their demise are everywhere, and the corpses within give no doubt as to who the attackers were.
Cultist corpses, mixed with the slain bodies of undead, monsters, and any other creature the Cult could press into service are intermixed with the bodies of the slain heroes and defenders. Fires alight on some parts of the fort, harried noncomabt survivors still rushing to put them out as remnants of the Force and their allies battle with remnants of the Cultist attack force.
"This... This can't be..." Sheila mutters.
"Everyone split into groups," Jim says, hoarsely. "The fighting looks mostly done, and we can help finish off the remaining foe faster if we sweep the area. But if you get into trouble, don't hesitate to get more of us, understand!? We can't..." Jim swallows. "We can't afford to lose any more." Jim looks around. "And SOMEONE find out what the hell happened here!!"

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Sat Mar 20 2010 3:12am
by Dark Maiden
"How could... How could this happen?!" Jessica says, angry and upset at the same time.
Kayla, Kethra, Merla, and Myala are strangely silent in spite of the devastation. One look at any of their faces, however, tells that they are just as upset about this as everyone else.
"If we wish to split evenly, then our only option would be two groups of seven," Merla says, containing her emotion to the best of her ability. "We could also split into two groups of five, and one group of four. That would split our forces so that we could cover more ground, but not too thinly." The wizardess then adds to herself in a hushed tone, "I wish that the others were here. We could probably use their help."
((Thoughts on how we should group up?))

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Sat Mar 20 2010 4:43am
by Aldur
Emerging from the fiery rubble nearby, a very angry catfolk appeared, smothering in her own dark flame. "I think a building fell on me..." Kria groggily got to her feet, leaning on her sword, coughing up a little blood.

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Sat Mar 20 2010 4:59am
by TheUnknownMarine
"Christ. Medic!" Jim calls as he dashes over to Kria. Supporting her as best he can, Jim directs her to sit down on a stable piece of rubble. "Ease up, you're badly hurt. We'll heal you right up, though. You'll be fine. Can you tell us what happened here?"

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Sat Mar 20 2010 5:11am
by Dark Maiden
Jessica rushes to Kria's side with her pack slung over her shoulder. She sets it down and reaches into it, pulling out her Meditech Kit. She opens the rather heavy looking container and begins to treat Kria's injuries with the contents.

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Sat Mar 20 2010 4:47pm
by Aldur
Kria grins at the sight of her companions. She coughs a little, shrugging. "Tons of enemies just appeared somehow. It was like, brutal. Everyone did their best I think. It looked like we'd win. But then like, this creepy golden skull appeared and did all sorts of magical mischief, then the big guy Erebeus appeared, and we were losing. Then like, the battlement fell, and now here I am."

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Sun Mar 21 2010 4:00am
by Alpha
Tanis emerges from some rubble close by, in a similar fashion to Kria. He does not seem as injured as his dear friend however. Perhaps his abilities to manipulate fate aided him.
"Kria!" the catfolk exclaims, rushing over to his purple friend. "Thank goodness you're alright!"
"I'll get Talacre to scout ahead slightly, and myself and Septimus will follow," Laeral says to Jim. "We'll be back asap." With that, the trio depart, searching the ruins, with Talacre checking his speed to allow the other two to keep up.

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Sun Mar 21 2010 10:26pm
by Dark Maiden
((I thought that Damas, Gabriel, Garudaos, Septimus, and Tanis were with Synbios. -_o))

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Sun Mar 21 2010 11:49pm
by TheUnknownMarine

> Dark Maiden @ Sun Mar 21, 2010 10:26 pm) wrote: ((I thought that Damas, Gabriel, Garudaos, Septimus, and Tanis were with Synbios. -_o))

((In the chaos, some people ended up in other places.))

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Mon Mar 22 2010 12:17am
by Dark Maiden
((So you're leaving it up to us to decide what happened to those left behind then? Or something like that? o.o))

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Mon Mar 22 2010 12:24am
by Alpha

> Dark Maiden @ Sun Mar 21, 2010 1:26 pm) wrote: ((I thought that Damas, Gabriel, Garudaos, Septimus, and Tanis were with Synbios. -_o))

((That's news to me that my characters were there))

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Mon Mar 22 2010 2:37am
by TheUnknownMarine

> Dark Maiden @ Mon Mar 22, 2010 12:17 am) wrote: ((So you're leaving it up to us to decide what happened to those left behind then? Or something like that? o.o))

((Everyone is here now. Somehow.))

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Mon Mar 22 2010 4:00am
by Dark Maiden

> TheUnknownMarine @ Sun Mar 21, 2010 9:37 pm) wrote:((Everyone is here now. Somehow.))

((Righto.))
The elven sorcerer Damas emerges from some rubble off in the distance, but still within their field of vision. He rises to his feet, and upon spotting his friends with his keen elven eyes, he starts walking towards him. As he gets closer, they can see that he is covered with dust from the debree and that his hands are bloody and bruised. Other than that, however, Damas seems to be unharmed.
"Oh my God, Damas!" Kethra cries, rushing over to meet her friend. "Are you alright? What happened?"
"We were attacked. What do you think happened?" Damas asks, slightly on edge. "The battlement came down and most of us ended up buried beneath rubble. I suppose I should simply count my blessings, though... It could have been a lot worse."
"What happened to Faralon? And the others?" Kethra asks, biting her lower lip.
"I cannot say," Damas replies. "Though I can say it would be best to regroup and search for them. They are strong and may be alive for now, but that could change if we don't find them soon."
Without even having to be asked, Myala walks over and lays her hand on Damas, healing his wounds with her magic.
"Thank you," Damas says, nodding to Myala.
"Jim," Kethra says, turning to him. "I will take Damas, Kayla, and Myala with me to search. The ruins are vast and we will cover more ground in small groups."
With that, the group departs to begin their search.
((Does this work? If not, I can change it.))

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Mon Mar 22 2010 4:45am
by TheUnknownMarine
((Works fine for me.))

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Fri Mar 26 2010 9:51pm
by Dark Maiden
Upon reaching the dorms and patrolling around the outside you find the corpses of Van and Aurik. It appears they died while fighting. The dorms themselves appear to be barricaded from the inside.
Kethra stops upon spotting the bodies of Aurik and Van. Her shoulders slump, and tears well up in her eyes.
Damas walks up behind Kethra and squeezes her shoulder lightly. "It is never easy to watch your friends die, but it was inevitable that we would have casualties after such an attack. Don't blame yourself."
"I will attempt to raise them from the dead later, but for now we must focus on finding and gathering the survivors," Myala says.
Kethra nods solemnly and turns to the others. "We should search for a way in. There may still be some people alive inside."
It takes some searching, but Kayla manages to tell that one of the side doors is not barricaded... just locked.
Kayla pulls a small case with her lock picks in it from her belt pouch, and kneels down on the ground. Making use of her tools of the trade, she attempts to pick the lock and gain entry.
Kayla easily opens the locked door. Sweeping inside, it doesn't take long to explore the dorms. The butler, maids, and general staff of the base have taken refuge in the upper floors, Kayla finds them behind another locked door, terrified but safe.
Kayla sighs with relief. After making sure they are alright, she returns to her friends that are still waiting for her outside. "The staff were hiding inside. None of them are hurt, thankfully, but they are pretty shaken. We should return to Jim."
Kethra nods. "Perhaps we should bring...the bodies back too..."
Between the four of them, they manage to carry the corpses of Aurik and Van back.

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Sun Mar 28 2010 5:42am
by TheUnknownMarine
Dam leads his team through a smoking series of craters around the heavily damaged stables. Though it seems most fires had been put out, a great deal of the building is still charred.
Smoke rises lazily from the stables and from the craters as Dam approaches a cluster of bodies.
Looming through the smoke towards you is a group of armored warriors that move with silence they should not have. Dam barely sees pinpoints of red glowing from underneath dark helmets.
"Spectacular," the rogue said, shaking his head. Pointing out the incoming foreigners, he groaned, "I hope you're not tired, because I don't think those guys are."
The armored figures begin to charge at the heroes now, emerging from the smoke to reveal five dark armored warriors, armed with jagged sword and spiked shield. Their features are masked with shadow, only red eyes shine forth from under helms of dark metal.
Extending a hand with teeth bared, the templar attemptedto use his divine power to crush the invaders. ((Implosion cast; Fort save 23 or die.))
The monk takes off at top speed, his staff swinging left and right. ((38, 37, 26 and 24 for attack rolls; 67, 61, 61 and 53 for damage.))
arcdragnbreth is no longer idle at 10:25:18 PM.
The elven swordsman focused his own magical energy on the last of the soldiers in line, bringing devastating cold to bear. ((Freeze 4))
"You probably aren't going to enjoy this," the rogue said, blinking in and out before disappearing completely. He reappeared behind the lead invader, driving his blades into his back. ((Sidestep used, then attack. 41, 40, 24 and 22 for attack; 51, 47, 42, and 39 for damage))
One of the foes is immediately crumpled into a ball of metal and shadow as Pantherath implodes him. Another weathers a storm of icy cold only to be sliced apart by twin dagger strikes. A third is bashed to death by the unnaturally strong strokes of a dwarven monk. One of the surviving ones hisses, murmuring gibberish before slashing at Ashathel. The swordsman catches the blade with his own, however. Pantherath isn't as fast, the shadowy sword slipping under his defenses and dealing him a light wound.((Pantherath takes 18 damage.))
Maintaining his concentration, the Woren turned the devastating spell to his own attacker, growling savagely.
The warrior lets out a shrill, inhuman scream as he too is torn to nothing.
"You can start talking, or you can end up like them," Dam warned the final remaining warrior. "You won't get the chance again."
The warrior utters a crazed laugh, speaking more gibberish.
"Same thing the last guy said," the rogue nodded, his blades moving to strike at the same time as the bladesinger's sword and the monk's staff.
The warrior is torn apart in short order by the combined attacks.
The final soldier removed, the rogue looked around to see which allies might still be in the vicinity, buried under rubble..
((spot 37, after three aid another checks.))
After a thorough search, the rubble is clear. Nothing is found there, but nearby, amidst the scene of a great battle is the slain and mangled corpse of a great batfolk, a woman in powered armor, and a catfolk ranger. Their bodies lie atop a small hill of slain foes.
Pantherath's scream almost shook the field around him, recognizing his teammates amidsts the bodies of the fallen.
The dwarf turned away from the scene, gripping his staff tightly.
"Damnit," was all Ashathel could say, dropping to his knees at the sigh of Merkass' lifeless body. "Damnit all to hell..."
"Get their bodies out of that garbage," the human said, looking between the elf, dwarf and woren. "Scratch that; check them for life, Pantherath, then let's make sure there isn't anyone we can still help before we take care of them."
All of them are quite dead on further inspection.
"We'll be back for you," the bladesinger promised, the renewed vigor of anger energizing his steps and he and the others continued across the battlefield.
Making their way towards the rear of the base, the team hears the sounds of fighting from up ahead.
The quartet picks up their speed, hoping to catch the attackers in time to prevent more casualties.
The four race ahead, sighting a battered and wounded Mahler holding his ground against a squad of six death knights led by an armored figure in red bearing a massive sword.The golem is surrounded.
Faster than the rest by far, the monk led the charge towards the fight, intent on helping his friend before he joined the other fallen ones.
The death knights slash again and again at the golem, the blades simply clanking off his stone skin most of the time, but occasionally one breaks through, cleaving a bit of stone off.
The golem retaliates, striking with granite fists imbued with holy might as he slams his hands together and crushes the helmet of the foes. That knight falls to the ground.
The rogue closes the distance between himself and the battle with rapid steps and even more rapid warps through space, the ring of blink causing him to appear and disappear as he struck at the knights.
Not waiting to close to melee, the spellcasting swashbuckler aimed a Bolt spell to miss those in melee with the foes assaulting the golem.
The Templar struck with magic of his own, the divine fire of Flame Strike bearing down on the foes as well.
"Hmmmm?" the red figure turns. "Well. Back already? I thought you'd be still busy in Destonia. Unless my Emperor's plan has failed already..."
Combined with the Flame Strike and Bolt, Dam is able to take down his target.
"Your Emperor's will said we should off you if he dies, so it's time to make with the decapitating," the rogue insisted, joining forces with the monkey shen to launch attack after attack at the red-clad warrior.
The Woren, finally closing to melee range, gladly swung his Purity Blade at the impure fighters around him, interposing himself between the attackers and the battered golem.
Choosing to remain just out of melee, the spellcasting swordsman used a sonic spell to batter one of the more injured soldiers. ((Sound Lance))
"That may well be, but now's not the time. I'll let you play with these others and just finish my business," King replies, raising his sword with an almost casual motion and slamming it into Mahler's chest. The sword cleaves deeply into the stone before the Rainblood withdraws the blade. "See... I was told a very useful secret. This one is vulnerable. All of these here were vulnerable. But you... You still having someone looking after you. We'll fight later."
King Rainblood vanishes as Mahler utters a stubborn "No..." before collapsing and falling still. And far off in the Elven Village, a small man made of carefully piled stones suddenly crumbled apart.
The destruction of another Death Knight by the attacks does little to ease the shock as the remaining undead slash and cleave at Graigus, the nimble monk evading the attacks.
"Begone!" the Templar demanded, bringing his holy power to bear as he challenged the dark energies within the reanimated corpses. ((Turn Undead.))
The monkey shen ducked and batted away strikes, before once more taking the offensive.
Dam Dicem joined the dwarf with twice the fury, blinking blades aiming between chinks in armor and slots in visors.
Changing gears, the bladesinger's next spell sent ray after fiery ray across the battlefield, scorching the Death Knights they struck. ((Scorching Ray.))
What isn't destroyed by the fierce barrage of blows and spells is turned to flight by Pantherath's holy power as the foe is driven away from fallen friend.
"Keep searching,". the rogue said, not bothering to check the remains of the stony soldier.

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Mon Apr 05 2010 5:33am
by Arcdragnbreth
OH SNAP ARE YOU READY

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Mon Apr 05 2010 5:45am
by TheUnknownMarine
As the heroes search through the battlefield, a sudden peal of unholy laughter echoes from all around. A shrill voice scrapes against the minds of everyone present.
Only those who have faced him recall the voice of Moritae, the lich.
"Once so high and mighty... now scattered and broken. You were fools to oppose us, but even greater fools to fall into such a trap as this. Heeheehee... You gave me time enough to complete my apoethesis, and for that I thank you. But even so, I think you will find your enemies united against you here... Or did you think you were the only ones capable of facing a common foe?"
The space around the fortress bends and warps as teleportation gates begin to open just within the battered and broken walls. The wards meant to keep teleportation out buckle and fail against the assault, and soon gates open everywhere, flooding the base with a second wave of monsters, cultists, undead, demons, devils, and villains all too familiar.
"Have fun, my little heroes! This is the end for you! This is your last stand!"
Before anyone can even say something in response, the enemy is upon the group, sheer numbers crashing into the heroes and forcing them apart from each other as sheer chaos grips the battlefield.
War in a Flash: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rfPczRQ9 ... re=related
"Form up! Try to..." Jim shouts as he ducks under a sword slash and knocks away a charging cultist with a boot. Cursing a blue streak as he strafes the area in front of him and backs up in an attempt to maintain distance, he shouts again. "We're being cut off from each other!"
----------
Elsewhere, Sheila is a blur of motion, racing across the battlefield and ducking, weaving, and jumping to avoid the foe while keeping up a volley of gunfire. She nods to Talacre as they pass each other in the heat of battle.
"I..." BLAM! "Am so..." BLAM! "Glad...." BLAM! "I read that book!" BLAM!
------------
Being able to fly, Kria avoids getting caught by the chaos on the ground, but soon finds herself tailed by a group of devils in the air, an aerial dogfight imminent.
----------
Septimus and Tanis find themselves chanting back to back as the fighting forces them further away from the others. Letting loose a devastating barrage of arcane power, they manage to blast away their pursuers before they realize they hear a familiar voice nearby... Ivellas and Kyuu are fighting something just behind a nearby building...
Just having finished running a Glabrezu through, Pantherath too makes out the sound over the din of battle.
---------
"Kill them all!" Moritae shrieks.
"Find the girl, foremost," a far more deeper, sinister voice commands. There is no mistaking the voice of Erebeus, last of the Strife Lords. "Others are coming for her..."
--------
Talacre raises his sword to bring down on a roaring Chaos Warrior when suddenly a giant blade meets his own. Looking up, he sees the crimson armored form of King Rainblood in front of him.
"A warrior of the dervish school?" King questions. "This might provide some sport..."
----------
Nearby, a column of flame barely misses incinerating Laeralas as the spellblade sees a cloaked and armored red figure advance towards him.
"Elf of Stamp..." Knight Rainblood declares. "You have something we want."
-------
Cut off from the others by a flock of Vrocks, Kethra and Damas struggle to keep the enemy at bay... until strangely the Vrocks retreat to a circle around the two, and a hulking figure steps forward. Clad in animal skins and blood, the wild-eyed man grins, showing fangs as he looks at the pair.
"I drank deeply of your druid's blood," he says. "He was weak. Are you weak? My name is Borokuth the Blighter... and we have met before. In that speck of an Elven Village." He smiles. "This time... This time though, it will be you that falls."
---------
Merla, Kayla, and Jessica make an unlikely trio as they beat back a pack of slavering hellhounds. The canines are no match for the three heroines, but press on despite horrible losses, attacking with blind fury. With only numbers on their side though, it's not long before the pack lies decimated. The sound of clapping is heard over the battlefield as a tall, pale man in black armor approaches.
"Well done. Well done," the man croons. "I admire women that can take care of themselves... You're wasted in a place such as this. Come with me, I will take you to a place of safety until this battle is over. Then we can chat about your futures..."

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Tue Apr 06 2010 4:52am
by Alpha
Tanis throws out a hand, a wave of rippling power surging from it, clearing the last devils out of the way for himself and Septimus. He twists his head at the familiar sound, and glances to his spellguard companion.
Septimus nods. Quickly! he says, clapping his hands and muttering swift words of power. His and Tanis movements gain in speed. They both then take off to investigate this something behind the building, though the Guardianian has to work hard to keep up with the swifter catfolk.
---------
As Talacre arcs his weapon, Kings sword clashes with it though the Rainbloods matches the elfs courtblade in length, it makes it looks like toothpick in comparison of width. And yet, the enchantments the Arishel brothers father placed upon it hold strong.
Ahhthe King. Sport maybe, but only for those who are cheering for me. Words said, Talacre erupts into attacks of blinding speed. Despite this though, he is clearly playing it defensive for now, lining up to parry anything King may throw at him with the elaborate training of years. The elf, perhaps, is not as confident as maybe he first though.
[Dervish dance, acrobatics, etc the usual stuff. Also elaborate parry for that wondrous boost to defences. And of course, ye olde attacking.]
---------
The daggerspell silently thanks his rogue training as he nimbly avoids the flamestrike. He casually turns to face Knight, and allows the Rainblood to come to him.
Is that so? Laeral queries flippantly, flipping his daggers in the air as he speaks. Do tell. The question is just a chance for the agile elf to cast a silent spell, disguising his hand gestures as he tosses the daggers.
[Cast a Silent Greater Heroism]

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Tue Apr 06 2010 5:14am
by TheUnknownMarine
"We know Simone is here. Give her to us and we will leave," Knight Rainblood says as he advances. "You do not truly believe you can best us as you are now, do you?"
--------
King Rainblood moves with all the skill he is reputed to have, parrying or allowing many of Talacre's blows to fall on his armor. Despite that, more than a few get through. King Rainblood chuckles in response to this, seemingly ignoring the blows.
"Cheering? I hear only the screams of the damned and dying..." King rumbles darkly, swinging his sword around in a broad arc that Talacre easily jumps over. However, King suddenly reverses the swing, catching the elf in the side and opening a wound. "It's been a while since I've enjoyed such a chorus..."
A chain of holes suddenly opens in King Rainblood's side. The King of Rainblood turns, seemingly undisturbed by the development to face Sheila, who dashes forward, twin pistols smoking.
"Jerkface, you can't kill him until I manage to perfect this whole speed thing!" Sheila shouts. She grins at Talacre. "Hey, mind if I join in? Or is this a private party?"
King Rainblood growls and slashes at Talacre, who just manages to leap backward. "Whatever happened to the days of old, and honorable duels..." he muses, nostalgically.
-----
Septimus and Tanis race forward, perhaps followed by Pantherath, to see a terrible sight.
Amidst the smoking ruins of the armory, Ivellas and Kyuu face off against Erebeus himself. Ten feet tall, wielding a giant sword of pure black energy, the Lord of Strife advances towards the bruised and battered former Royal Guards. Ivellas stamps his hooves impatiently, waiting for something as Kyuu holds his staff out, defensively.

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Tue Apr 06 2010 6:02am
by Dark Maiden
"You bastard," Kethra hisses through gritted teeth.
"Kethra, be calm. We cannot allow our emotions to get the better of us now," Damas whispers to the monk in elvish. He rests his hand on her shoulder and murmurs words that she does not understand.
Kethra feels strength well up within her as Damas casts his spell. "I wonder how bad your bite really is," the half elf says, gazing at Borokuth with a bemused smile on her face. She falls back into a defensive stance and motions for him to come over. "Well? Come on, we don't have all day."
Damas puts some space between himself and Kethra, but not too much. He casts a spell of endurance on himself as well, and his gaze shifts between Borokuth and the Vrocks circling around them.
-----
Kayla steps forward in front of Jessica and Merla, towards the man in black. Her intense, penetrating, baby blue eyes meet his, and narrow. She still holds her daggers in her hands, the blades still stained red with the blood of the hellhounds. "Who are you, and what do you want?" the tiefling asks impatiently. "Be quick about it please; I have no time or patience for tricks or bullshit right now."
((Oh noes, a girl that cusses. *GASP* And, uh, where the heck did Myala end up? ))

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Tue Apr 06 2010 6:34am
by Alpha
Well, I could. But theres lots of thing I could do. Laeral says, still juggling his daggers and holding his ground. But it seems youve created some chaos in my knowledge of companion locations, so I will have to decline for now, he taunts with a grin as another silent spell is cast. And of course I believe we can best you otherwise we wouldnt still be here.
[Cast a Silent Greater Blink. Also, thanks to extended abjuration class ability, his Shield spell is still up. Resist energy should be too, thinking about it Fire/Cold/Electric all.]
---------
Too bad, King Talacre says, continuing his onslaught, magical items flaring to life with power about him. But you can screw that honourable duel. Welcome aboard, Sheila! With that, Talacre speeds up to an unimaginable speed. Hes a literal blur as he runs circles around King, whilst his attacks quicken to slot an additional strike in. The dervish is no longer holding back, his previous parrying stance gone to take out the King of the Rainbloods.
[Quicksilver Boots for 20% concealment, Bracer of Quick Strike for a 5th attack, Power Attack 5]
---------
Fear crosses Septimus face as he realises what they face. But the wizard that was once just a simple farmer casts his most powerful spell to attempt to turn the tide. Dispelling energy surround Erebus, as Septimus tries to strip any enchantments the Strife Lord has empowering him.
[Cast Reaving Dispel. 1d20+20 to dispel each ongoing effects on Erebus (each rolled separately), and any one dispelled can be transferred to Septimus. DC25+spell level to ID spells, though this isnt necessary to reave them]
Tanis, however, fumbles with his old and nearly spent Staff of Defence, activating a powerful protective effect to cover him, the three Guardianan Royal Guards and (maybe) Pantherath.
[Cast Shield of Law. Tanis can also use some of his Fate abilities if needed]

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Tue Apr 06 2010 7:41am
by TheUnknownMarine
Another stream of fire envelops Laeralas as Knight rushes forward.
"Then you could DIE."
---------
No longer holding back, Talacre still has some trouble breaking past the formidible defenses of the King Rainblood. It is obvious the killer's reputation is well deserved, as he parries one attack with his giant sword and ripostes with a devastating lunge that rips open a large wound on Talacre's chest. However, this also opens an opportunity that Talacre is swift to take advantage of, rolling away to slash again and again at King as he recovered from his lunge. Sheila closes to point blank range, firing away as she does so. Some supernatural force deflects half of the bullets away, but half break through. Slashing again and a third time, King fails to strike the elusive elf, growling softly at his lack of success. Between Talacre's sword and Sheila's shots, King Rainblood swiftly loses his earlier arrogance.
"It seems I underestimated you..." he states, taking a defensive stance. "...so I will no longer hold back either."
---------
Borokuth bellows a bloodthirsty howl and breaks into a mad dash for Kethra, arms and mouth opened wide like a beast. Kethra, however, easily manages to dodge the clumsy but powerful attack.
The Vrocks merely watch in silence.
---------
"I am Venethetrion. The Unholy," the man replies to Kayla. His smile reveals sharp fangs. "I just do not want to see such capable beauties fall on a bloody battlefield. You're wasted here. Here you will die, your beauty torn apart and ruined, your power sapped to nothing... but come with me and I can immortalize all of that..." His smile widens. "I promise."
((Oh you'll see where Myala is soon enough...))

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Tue Apr 06 2010 10:01pm
by Dark Maiden
Damas brings his most powerful ice spell to bear on Borokuth after her charges at Kethra like a mad bull.
((Freeze 4))
Kethra weaves around Borokuth easily enough and counterattacks with a flurry of blows after Damas casts his spell.
((Flurry of Blows, obviously. ))
-----
Kayla flicks the blood off of her knives and watches Venethetrion warily. "So, we can choose eternal youth and beauty, but at the cost of our souls. Or we can fight here and possibly die..." Kayla smiles at Venethetrion, revealing her fangs. "I think I speak for all three of us when I say that we would rather risk death than abandon our friends. After all, who truly wishes to live forever when you will be forced to watch all that you know and all that you love crumble to dust around you?"
((}}

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Tue Apr 06 2010 10:41pm
by TheUnknownMarine
Venethetrion pauses for a minute at Kayla's words.
"Ah, but watching everything crumble can be so much fun..." Venethetrion finally says as he draws a heavy shield and morningstar. "Sure you won't change your mind?"
---------
Kethra goes in low and hits the vampiric brute with one, two, three, four hard fists to the gut. The brute pauses as the blows, forced back as bone snaps under the assault. He growls madly as he ducks under Kethra's final attack, a spinning jump kick aimed at his face. Then Damas finishes chanting.
Ice coats Borokuth's form as giant shards of the stuff whirl around and drive deep into his body. He roars incoherently, abruptly changing course and charging at Damas. The physically weak spellcaster is not fast enough to get out of the way and he is bowled over by the foe. Borokuth swiftly straightens up and turns in an oddly fluid motion, grabbing Damas by the legs and swinging him around before throwing him against a nearby stone wall. The sorcerer hits the structure hard and slides down to the ground, his body aflame with pain.

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Tue Apr 06 2010 11:32pm
by Dark Maiden
"Damas!" Kethra cries.
Damas grits his teeth and forces himself up into a sitting position. "I'm...alright...I think," he groans in his native tongue. "Don't...worry...about me..."
While the sorcerer is fumbling around in his belt pouch for a potion, Kethra charges at Borokuth. She is intent of getting his attention off of, and keeping it off of Damas.
-----
Kayla sighs and shakes her head. "Sorry to disappoint." The rogue watches Venethetrion and waits for him to make a move.

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Wed Apr 07 2010 12:02am
by TheUnknownMarine
"Ah. Well then I shall have to show you the error of your ways," Venethetrion says as he mouths unholy blasphemies. Sheets of fire spring up around the group, burning them badly as the vampire laughs jovially.
----------
Borokuth turns towards Kethra, just in time to catch a flying kick to the chin. The brute stumbles back before letting out a bestial roar and grabbing the monk by the wrist. Horrible weakness begins to spread through the elven martial artist as her skin turns a pallid shade of gray where it was touched.
((Kethra is afflicted with a magical disease that lowers all her physical scores.))

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Wed Apr 07 2010 2:55am
by Dark Maiden
Kethra shudders as the sudden weakness spreads through her body. "W-What is this," she murmurs to herself in elvish. She falls back into a defensive stance, figuring that it might be her best option.
Damas finally finds a potion and pops the cork, chugging the contents. He shudders at the horrible taste it leaves in his mouth, but the pain begins to subside at least.
-----
Jessica focuses the power of her mind to mend their wounds before falling back slightly.
"Oh, that's how it's going to be, is it?" Kayla blinks out of existence for a moment and then back into it on Venethetrion's side. She attempts to drive her knives into him.
((Her kukris have the Holy enchant in case it matters. ))
"I suppose I'll just have to fight fire with fire, won't I?" Merla says as she brings the power of Ultimate Blaze to bear on Venethetrion.

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Wed Apr 07 2010 3:51am
by Alpha
Ha, maybe. But not today! Laeral counters as he digs in to meet the charge. The flames wash over him, dissipated somewhat by the protection from energy spell Pantherath had cast earlier and perhaps dodged altogether if he manages to blink away from its effects or avoid it through dexterity alone.
The rogue/wizard then launches into a dizzying flurry of attacks, revelling in the newly granted strength from the tomes found in Galms mansion. As the daggerspell spins and slashes, arcs of lightning dance around his daggers, before erupting upwards to the sky, gathering strength and crashing down into Knight.
[Greater Blink gives 50% miss chance, and Laeral has no chance of his own actions failing. Use Daggerspell Flurry to allow a full attack + quickened Bolt 4]
---------
Meanwhile, Laerals brother finds himself shifting his swordplay style again in an attempt to keep King off guard, or at least try to not become predictable, Talacre plays it defensive once more, albeit slightly differently this time. He channels some of the inherent magical ability so common to his family into his blade, using his blade dancer training. The courtblade seems to now react more quickly to parrying Kings strikes, something that Talacre surely needs if only to distract the mighty foe and allow Sheila to continue to blast holes.
[Use Enchant Blade to make blade defending. This round, transfer all blade enhancement to AC, which is +5. Elaborate parry too for another +7ac, but -4 to hit. Deadly defence in effect, which is extra damage on hits when fighting defensively.]

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Wed Apr 07 2010 5:31am
by TheUnknownMarine
Damas's injury begins to seal as Borokuth looks at Kethra with glee, pressing the attack and slamming into her gut with twin uppercuts that lift her off her feet and cause her to fly back a short distance. Kethra feels the wind knocked out of her.
---------
"A pity it could never be anything but," Venethetrion replies as he deftly parries Kayla's blades aside with a single massive stroke of his morningstar. Then a fiery serpent bursts from the ground and wraps around the vampire, roaring a challenge that nearly deafens the ears as a great column of flame envelops the undead. Venethetrion roars in pain, then glares at Merla.
"You'll pay for that, you damn midget," Venethetrion growls as he intones a dark chant and points at Merla. A thin black beam of energy lances forth at the wizardess.
((Unless she has some counter, Merla gains 3 negative levels.))
--------
Laeralas presses the assault, inflicting notable damage on the Rainblood while receiving none himself, the Red Assassin's Halberod moving too slowly to land a blow. Again and again the bladed staff lashes out with great speed, but it is not enough, the Daggerspell appearing and reappearing all around the armored enemy, almost like a living ghost or illusion.
"Commendable..." Knight hisses, taking a defensive stance. "But this battle has only begun... I see brute force will not work with you. Perhaps some finesse..."
-----------
King and Talacre's swords continue to clash together, the elven swordsmaster's blade meeting the over-sized weapon of the assassin king each time he attempts a strike... But in turn Talacre finds his own attacks parried or deflected by armor. Talacre moves in low, twirling like a tornado, but finds the King's blade shifted to catch his just before the courtblade would meet his shins. King Rainblood attempts to move his sword down the length of Talacre's, using the elf's own weapon to guide his into his arm. Talacre jumps to the side just in time, managing a lucky, shallow hit on King's arm. King Rainblood whirls his sword around and attempts to slash Talacre in the side, Talacre brings his sword up to block once more, but this time King deliberately hammers the weapon again and again, the powerful impacts beginning to tire Talacre's arm.
Finally, King Rainblood raises his sword over his head in a powerful vertical cleave, but Talacre dances back at the last moment, the sword crashing into the ground and leaving a large gash in the earth. Sheila drops to a knee and fires a full barrage at the enemy, explosive rounds tearing apart chunks of his armor as King slowly turns to the agent, then back to Talacre.
"So... That's your plan..." he says, a hint of a chuckle on nonexistent lips.

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Wed Apr 07 2010 7:27am
by Arcdragnbreth
Dam leads his motley group towards the sound of fighting, then the lich makes his proclamation and a mob of cultists backed by flying demons and devils burst towards the heroes.
Appearing from all directions, the horde swiftly encircles and rushes to close to melee.
"Did I mention I hate the Strife Lords?" the rogue snarled, blades pointing at tumultuous mass of malevolence bearing down on him.
Easily outpacing the elf, woren and human behind him, the dwarf once more led the charge with his staff, shifing to his furred form mid- stride before launching blow after blow.
"We really should have killed him for good," Ashathel muttered, all too familiar with the lich's nefarious escapades. Following as closely behind Graigus as his feet would allow, he warned, "Conserve your magic for healing, Pantherath!"
"The Light will provide me with more than enough strength to smite these piteous beings!" the Templar snarled, grasping the air with a clawed fist. Responding to the divine call, waves of fire rolled across the field, singing the foes around him. ((Maximized Fire Storm.))
The Fire Storm immolates all those around the group without problem, nearly a hundred burned corpses now littering the ground around the warriors of Light. However, more press up behind those, clumsily charging into the fray.
More and more press forward, the formation of the team becoming strained as the heroes begin to get separated from each other in the heat of combat.
"Graigus..." a cold voice echoes.
Graigus turns to see a familiar masked figure. A figure he first saw back at his temple during the tournament.
"You!" the monk said. "I knew you were up to no good!"
A dark chuckle is his reply. "I'm the Dread Master Wrath, servant of the Chaos Cult. I should hope you'd not be so stupid as to think I was up to some good."
"Why waste your skills hurting others?" the monk asked, circling the masked man.
Wrath laughs darkly, striding towards the monkey monk before falling into a combat stance. "Because that is the entire POINT of my skills... To hurt others. To drink in another's pain... there is no greater joy. Don't lie to me and say you've never felt the glee of utterly annihilating an opponent... I still remember what you did to that kid at the tournament..."
"I didn't enjoy it," the monk said sadly. "I didn't realize I'd gotten so strong, or that he was so determined. I never wanted to be powerful, only to be able to grow... but if I am poweful, then I'll defeat you so others have the same chance!"
Wrath laughs. "Growth means power! But let me show you just how far you have to GO!"
Without warning, Wrath launches himself forward, connecting with a solid punch to Graigus' stomach that almost knocks the wind out of him.
The monk staggered back a handful of steps then stopped with purpose, shifting his feet. Planting the staff in the ground, he vaulted forward and attacked, hand-like feet launching a quartet of kicks.
A gauntleted hand blocks a striking foot, then another knocks the second blow away, Wrath ducks under the third, but the fourth hits him squarely in the helmet, knocking him back a foot with a growl.
"Good... Wouldn't want this to be easy..." Wrath hisses. "This was destiny, Graigus. Thanks to that blasted Master Parmecia I was denied my chance to face you in the ring of honor... but a bloody battlefield fits us better anyway..."
"Fang of the Dark Lord!" Wrath declares, raising a fist. Black fire blazes to life around it. "Secret technique!"
The armored monk then jumps at Graigus, fist lashing out to produce a black snake made of utter darkness. The shadow serpent launches forward and bites deeply into Graigus' calf, the monk feeling his strength seep away.
The dwarf jerked his foot back, injured but undaunted. "Master Quialis taught me too well to fall to you!" he warned, leveling his staff at his waist before striking with a half-dozen savage thrusts.
The thrusts catch Wrath off his guard, and though some clank off his dark armor, most connect solidly and cause him to stagger back. "Perhaps... but Master Chu Rao certainly did not... I was present when the fat fool fell!"
Wrath's eyes gleam. "That's why it's destiny for me to kill you as well."
The dark monk erupts into a storm of motion, a group of mirror images surrounding Gragius and lashing out with a devastating combo of hard punches from all directions.
Twirling his staff rapidly, the monkey shen guided many of the blows away from his body, injured mostly through the sheer number of blows. Then, responding in kind, his staff swept wide arcs through the air before solidifying into a steady stream of six stiff strokes.
The blows fall on Wrath, but he seems to pay them no heed, instead pressing the attack to rain down a flurry of blows on Graigus, the enemy monk's hands moving too fast to be seen with the naked eye. "What? No shocked assertions? No declarations of vengeance?"
"Revenge won't bring Chu Rao back," the monk said through gritted teeth, shifting to take as little damage as possible from the rapid strokes. Sweeping his staff in front of him to provide room to move, the monk advanced with his own flurry of blows. "Revenge doesn't make me feel better, but justice will - and justice is stopping you from hurting anyone else!"
Wrath seems to falter, then roars with barely controlled fury. "Then you had best prepare yourself for an eternity of pain! I will NOT fall to such as you!"
(1:58:21 AM) TheUnknownMarine: "BURN, Akaikurokaran!"
(1:58:23 AM) TheUnknownMarine: "BAN-KAI"
(1:58:27 AM) TheUnknownMarine: lol no
(1:58:30 AM) arcdragnbreth: lol
(1:58:51 AM) TheUnknownMarine: blah blah pain
"Servant of the Thirsty One! Strike of IOM!" Lines of crimson energy begin to crawl around Wrath as he punches the ground in front of Graigus. A column of blood red energy erupts from the ground below the dwarven monk, sending him hurtling skyward while at the same time burning his skin.
Graigus lands painfully back to the ground, jolts of pain indicating a few fractured bones from the impact of falling a hundred feet from the sky.
Wrath advances slowly towards Graigus, laughing darkly all the while.
Meanwhile...
Ashathel just manages to slice a death knight in two before a sudden tingling at the back of his neck warns him to hit the deck. A giant bolt of lighting splits the air where he was just a minute ago as mad laughter echoes around him.
In the chaos of the battle, Ashathel doesn't immediately see what attacked him. Another bolt of lightning, this one striking Ashathel dead on and lifting him off the ground to crash into a nearby building wall.
This time the elven warrior is able to see his attacker, a golden skull with gems for eyes and teeth, laughing maniacally thirty feet above him.
"It's been a while, Ashathel! Pity Shailtor got to Cedric before I did, but at least I had some fun with Aurik and the others that were here!"
"Do you like my new body?"
(2:11:08 AM) arcdragnbreth: "You look like a rapper," the elf said, shaking his head. "Kids these days..."
(2:11:15 AM) arcdragnbreth: or...
"You'd need a new one, of course; last I remember, Gabriel turned you into a chew toy," the elf retorted, standing more easily than he otherwise would be able to, thanks to the long-lasting energy resistance spell. "So do you want to come down, or should I get up there and get you?"
"I've got an idea, why I don't come down there and get YOU?" the demilich replies, swooping down on Ashathel as a black beam emanates from his teeth. The elven warrior immediately feels a tugging sensation on his very soul as agony rips through his body.
A powerful force begins to pull his spiritual essence out from his corporeal being. Though he manages to hold fast and remain standing, the ordeal leaves him greatly weakened.
((Trap Soul failed, Ash is still alive, but has 4 neg levels. Still freeform, just letting you know.))
The elf stumbled forward, then narrowed his eyes. His fingers played across the air, focusing his power against the lich before he battered the undead with a lance of pure sound.
The spell fails utterly, Moritae laughing hysterically.
"And you call yourself a wielder of magic? Have a taste of what I can do..." Moritae says. "Demon Breath!"
A wave of shrieking souls blasts over Ashathel, sapping his strength even further as life force is drained from him.
"Don't think I only do swords and spells," the swashbuckler warned, sheathing the force blade and drawing his bow with a smooth motion. He released a quartet of arrows, one after another aimed at Moritae.
The arrows simply rebound off the golden skull, Moritae's laughter increasing. "Stupid pointy ears! How did you and yours ever give me any trouble back when I was but a lich?" Moritae seems to grin, the gems that make up his teeth gleaming. "Here... Let me take away your eyes. You don't seem to have much use for them, anyway."
"I'm not going to make it that easy," Ashathel said, wavering forms solidifying as mirror images of himself appeared at the call of his spell.
"Yes you will," Moritae responds, as one by one the images wink out.
Aiming as best he could, the elf released anothe volley of arrows towards the demilich's voice.
Unable to see their effect, Ashathel only hears the demilich's laughter increase. Moments later, blinding pain envelops him as he becomes the target of an Ultimate Blaze spell.
"Run away, little elf!" Moritae hisses. "Run away! Stumble in the dark! Stumble and flee!"
"I'm too busy keeping you in the air," the bladesinger insisted, the energy resistance spell allowing him to remain on his feet. Firing more arrows, he asked, "How long do you think you can keep this up, Moritae? You haven't even beaten us with the advantage of surprise, how do you expect to stop us now?"
"Easily," Moritae replies. "Half your group is already dead, elf. Their corpses lie under the stones of this place that will serve as their tomb. I admit I've failed before... but this time the odds are on MY side."
"What's new?" Ashathel asked. "You've always had the odds on your side, and that's never been enough. A new set of bones flopping around under that gaudy skull doesn't change a thing."
"Ears that don't hear as well," Moritae sighs. "Well... Literally now."
Ashathel's hearing begins to fade, but a sudden surge of willpower enables him to hold onto that sense. "Hmmmm. An interesting flaw in that spell. I'll make adjustments later..."
"You keep thinking that," the swashbuckler insisted, bowstring twanging once more. "When we defeat you, I'm going to close my eyes so I can listen to the sweet sound of your phylactery being ground into powder."
Moritae laughs even harder. "That you would say that... just shows how ignorant you really are. Bolt 4!"
A tidal wave of lightning crashes into Ashathel, setting his nerves on fire as pain wracks him yet again.
Meanwhile...
Dam found himself backed up against a wall, a group of twelve cultists in robes with venom dripping daggers surrounding him.
"We're going to serve your heart on a platter to Lord Erebeus, thief..." one hisses.
"Spare me," the rogue said, shaking his head as he blinked in and out of materiality. Lashing out at the nearest of the cultists, he asked, "The heart is so overdone; what happened to the lungs? And the stomach has so much practical use; how could you not want one of those?"
The cultist barely gets out a gurgle before he dies, the others seemingly shocked at Dam's ability to move so fast.
The invisible blade continued to attack, striking at the next closest of the foes. "And everyone forgets how decorative eyes and ears can be."
Another cultist falls as the others get over their surprise, rushing forward to attack Dam with daggers and knives. Though not wielded without skill, it swiftly becomes clear that the enemies are simply not up to Dam's skill level.
"What about tendons for shoestrings?" Dicem asked, cutting lines of red across the body of another invader. "I mean, who wouldn't want laces on their boots that move with their feet so seamlessly? "
"Hit him, damn it, HIT HIM!" one of the cultists shrieks as another dies.
"I'm trying!!! He's... He's too damn fast!"
"You're also forgetting the worth of bones - they're the perfect medium for jewelry and creative carvings," the rogue insisted, darting between the remaining cultist as he attacked to put them between himself and the wall.
Another falls and the cultists turn to face Dam, fury in their eyes. They are caught completely by surprise as the wall behind them bursts apart, and a ten foot tall boxy machine strides forth on stubby legs. Blasting steam from numerous valves, the machine grabs one of the cultists and crushes him in a machine fist before throwing him away, a shoulder cannon opening fire on the others, who quickly scream and scatter, this being the final straw.
"I don't know what they mean; they seem to be running away far faster than I would," the mountebank pondered aloud. "So, what's with the Ancient toybox?"
A hatch pops open and a young man with an odd hat pokes his head out. "Eh? I've had this for months, Mr. Dicem!"
He sighs. "It's OK, no one ever pays attention to me, even WITH the SteamSuit."
"What I mean is, why haven't I seen it in action before now?" the rogue asked. "Least you could have done is asked for some help - I'm no expert, but I've read a few books. But that's not important; we need to start bailing out some of the others. I highly doubt they'll all have such an easy time of things."
Daran winces. "It got REALLY damaged... I only now got it working again. Sorry, I didn't want to bother anyone else with my problems."
The sound of footsteps approach.
"I have a feeling this guy isn't going to be as considerate," the fiery-haired man said. "We'll talk later - close the hatch and get ready to show me what all that work was for."
The familiar form of Derrik Swiftjoke rounds the corner, not looking happy at all.
"See what I mean?" the invisible blade said smugly. "Not considerate at all."
"Hey Mr. Swiftjoke!" Daran calls brightly. "Oh man it's good to see a friendly face!"
Derrik glares at the upbeat tinker, who finally winces and ducks back down into the suit, closing the hatch.
"I am..." Derrik begins to say, clearly restraining himself. "EXTREMELY displeased with your performance, Dam." He holds up a finger. "But to be fair, I can say the same about all the idiots in this merry little band of yours."
"What? Was I supposed to have stabbed them in the face more?" the rogue asked. "Or is there something else you're referring to? I let so many people down daily, you'll have to pardon me while I try to figure out which appointment this is about."
"Oh, I don't know, look around you," Derrik says, waving his arms. "Maybe the shattered remains of your burning home base might be a clue! That in itself is bad enough, but..." Derrik bites his lip. "Simone. You had Simone ALL this time."
"And what is that supposed to mean?" Dam questioned.
Derrik's eyes narrow. "I told you to tell me if you found her. I ASKED you. Why. Why did you not do this VERY simple thing?"
"I don't know, maybe it had something to do with being busy trying to save the world," the rogue said. "More importantly, your mini merchants have been around us for a while; why didn't any of them notice and mention it to you?"
"I never told them!" Derrik roars. "I'm not going to get my apprentices involved in..." Derrik shakes his head. "Whatever. Look, where is she. I know she's here."
"Your guess is as good as mine," the rogue shrugged.
"Here's an idea; why don't you tell me what you know, and what probably everyone here besides our little group of heroes knows?"
"Ah, that's right..." Derrik says with a dangerous smile. "Did your Cypressian friends never tell you what that girl was? What she could do?"
"Not really; they're not the most talkative bunch, honestly," Dicem said. "Can't blame them, especially after Cedric bit it, but I get the feeling I'm not going to be happy when I hear what you have to say."
"That girl is the key to everything... That girl has the power to ANNIHILATE the Strife Lords... Well, the one's that left anyway," Derrik smiles ferally. "Erebeus can be torn apart by that waif... She's something beyond an Innovator."
"So then what's the catch?" the invisible blade inquired. "If she can do it, why hasn't she?"
"Because she doesn't know HOW," Derrik says with a grimace. "And since we're still fighting a war, I'm going to go ahead and say that you dunderheads haven't been able to MAKE her know how."
"I love you too," the red-haired man mocked. "Come on, then; we need to make this quick, before something happens to her."
"What... What are you going to do?" Daran asks from within his steamsuit.
"Probably leave a lot of bodies laying around looking for her," Dam said, sighing. "Then we'll get her somewhere safe, and figure out what we're doing after that."
"Actually..." Derrik says, looking to the side. "Erebeus... is here. Now. If we can trigger Simone's power, we might be able to destroy him."
"And if we can't, she'll probably end up dead and us along with her," the rogue said, shaking his head. "If she can't control it now, then we're not going to try and force it out of her - not like this."
"She might end up dead anyway," Derrik replies. "All of us might. So what? So long as Erebeus dies in pain, that's all that matters."
"You're a real piece of work, Quickquip," Dam said, shaking his head. "She's a girl, not a sword or a spell to be wielded however we choose. I want the Strife Lords gone as much as anyone else here, but there are costs that shouldn't be paid."
"Simone's been hunted for the past year by people wanting to just use her!" Daran shouts. "If you're like them, I won't let you near her!"
Derrik growls. "What do you think ANY of you were? You were all hounds I helped to turn loose against those STAINS on creation. So long as you rend and devour those brothers, I could care less what you think, but it seems this last task is something you cannot HANDLE."
"Then handle it yourself," the rogue said, waving a hand dismissively. "Come on, kid; we need to find her before someone else does."
Derrik grins and slips a dagger from a hidden sheath. "I intend to... Last one to find the girl is a dead man! Hahaha!"
With that, Derrik vanishes.
~~~
"The Light has not failed yet, nor will it ever cease to provide when faced with such stains on creation," Pantherath snarled, wiping away many of the centaur and the foxling's injuries.
((Mass Cure Light Wounds.))
Smiling dangerously, he looked to the armored form of Erebus. "Your wicked brother has fallen, Erebus; have you done your duty and come to atone for your sins, or must I wipe you from existence myself?"

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Wed Apr 07 2010 8:13am
by TheUnknownMarine
Erebeus: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oaIsvZpLPSo
Erebeus turns towards Pantherath, resting both his hands on the pommel of his black energy sword. Septimus' spell finds nothing to dispel on the Strife Lord save a few mass area spells he apparently was caught in, such as Haste, Boost, and Shield. Those he dispels with ease.
"I invite you to try, son of Katt. You hold as much menace to me as a blade of grass before a tiger," Erebeus intones. "You may still be protected by a Watcher, unlike these wretches here, but that is no longer enough to stave my power off. You were slow, sluggish. The incompetence of those serving me gave you many an opportunity to strike, but you did not seize them. This destruction is the price for that failure."
"Your arrogance will be your death, Erebeus!" Ivellas shouts. "We've been through too much to fall here!"
"That is where you are wrong, my dear knight," Erebeus says, turning towards the centaur. "You're blind to what has happened around you, even with the information gained from the gods themselves. All your fighting and you still have made only the barest effort to understand the WHY of things."
"What... What are you talking about?" Kyuu gets out. Erebeus turns to stonily regard him.
"I have no intention of explaining away the knowledge I have. Suffice to say that while I have learned the truth of this world, the lot of you struggle in ignorance. An advantage I find well suited to my victory," Erebeus states.
"Talk all you like, blow wind and smoke, it doesn't matter!" Ivellas roars. "You killed my father and ruined my homeland! Your time is up, Erebeus!" Ivellas turns to Kyuu. "Now!"
Against Strife: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aL79isTP ... re=related
Kyuu raises his staff and chants out words of arcane power, the words spilling from his lips like a prayer of desperation. A group of fiery comets materialize and streak down from the sky, slamming into Erebeus and exploding with ground shaking force. Erebeus disappears into the maelstrom of fire created by the spell, Ivellas bringing up his shield and lowering his lance.
Seconds later, the sound of metal boots stomping into hard earth herald Erebeus as he steps through the inferno, slowly bringing his sword up in a high two handed stance. Ivellas bellows a war cry and charges forward, closing the distance between him and Erebeus with startling speed. His lance crashes into Erebeus' chestplate and pierces through it, causing the Strife Lord to grunt and halt his advance. Ivellas smiles savagely at the clean hit... then his smile falls as he realizes that Erebeus is still standing.
"Now who is the arrogant one?" Erebeus murmurs as he brings his sword down on Ivella's backside. The black energy blade shears through Ivellas at the waist, cutting away the human part of him from the horse half. The hero splits in two as Erebeus chuckles. "Still... a good hit. As a show of respect, I will let you die in peace and not raise you in my service."
"NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!" Kyuu screams out, his face torn with sorrow, horror, and disbelief in equal measure.

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Wed Apr 07 2010 9:27pm
by Dark Maiden
Wishing not to suffer another charge from the physically superior Borokuth, yet unwilling to sit there and do nothing, Damas looks around for a place that he can take cover and cast his spells in relative safety.
Kethra focuses her chakra to heal her wounds, and waits for Borokuth to make his next move.
((Wholeness of Body.))
-----
Merla feels weakness spread through her when the black energy lances strike her. Her eyes narrow and she says, "And you will pay for calling me a midget you vile bloodsucker!" She brings another Ultimate Blaze spell to bear on the vampire, but this one seems to be more powerful than the last, as if all her hatred of evil is behind it.
((Empowered Blaze 4.))
Kayla narrows her eyes and continues to press the attack.
Jessica moves up behind Merla and reaches down to touch her shoulder. The weakness leaves the halfling, but the psion cannot restore the mana drained by the vampire's spell.
((Jessica uses Psionic Restoration to remove the negative levels, but I'm pretty sure it doesn't restore prepared spells lost, so... Merla loses Acid Storm {Maximized}, Crushing Hand, and Prismatic Sphere.))

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Thu Apr 08 2010 3:15am
by Alpha
Laerel chuckles lightly. Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps, he taunts, though silently he apprehensive at what one of the mighty Rainbloods could throw his way especially whilst hes on his own.
Still flickering with the blink spell, Laeral flourishes his twin blades, and they darken for a moment before going transparent. He continues his spinning onslaught, his blades piercing Knights defences more easily and one strike unleashes the spell Laeral had stored within one dagger. More electricity strikes the Rainblood, though this one isnt as potent.
[Cast Wraithstrike (a swift spell) attacks are resolved as touch attacks for this round. Also, the spell storing dagger releases a Bolt 1 onto Knight as a free action. Attack x6]
---------
Talacre switches style again, and he blurs past King, tumbling and swinging an attack with amazing ease. He then proceeds to races to the closest building andruns straight up the wall, so great is his speed. The elf then launches himself off it, some twenty feet in the air. He pirouettes and whirls in the air, to make his form a more difficult target as he uses gravity to his advantage, aiming to land a mighty airborne strike to King and hoping Sheila might distract the foe as he does so.
Succeed or fail with such an attack, the blade dancer already plans where the following two strikes will fall when he lands. Go low, after the high strike.
[Combat expertise for extra damage and +2ac, power attack 5]
---------
NOOOOOOOOOO! Septimus shrieks, wracked to his very core at seeing his leader, teacher and friends fate, dispatched oh-so easily by the lead Strife Lord. The wizards response is reflexive power emanates from him, that granted by his Incantatar training. Purifying energy exudes from him, and envelops the nearest spellcaster Tanis. Simultaneously, he casts the most power spell any wizard can cast. He wishes
[Use Incantatar ability to apply Purify Spell to Tanis casting. Cast Wish in an attempt to save Ivellas]
Tanis chants as quickly as possible, heart racing at the presence of Erebus. He uses the purifying energy loaned to him by Septimus to attempt to drive back the Strife Lord, or at least stall him.
[Cast a Maximised, Sudden Empowered Flame Strike, adding 2 fate points. Purify increases its damage dice to d8 from d6. So 190 damage ((15x6) x 1.5 + 10[warmage edge]), good, half fire, half divine, reflex save DC28 for half damage.]

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Thu Apr 08 2010 3:29am
by Knight_019
((Yeah, the lot of us really appreciate you deciding we're inactive for not posting during something like a 5 month period where it was one battle dragging on that we weren't involved in. Thanks for killing guys off, but no thanks.))
*Ivellas braces himself for what he expected to be a lethal blow, fully expecting to see his father once more. For a moment, he even thought he felt the crackling, cold, yet searing pain of the dark-energy coursing through the blade pierce through his side, and the leaking of his life force from his body. However, in but an instant, it seemed like it had only been a daydream, the blade instead passing in front of him in a near miss as his body shifted just out of the way, almost not from his own volition.
With wide-eyed shock, Ivellas turns his face back to the Strife Lord before setting his composure instead to a stone-cold glare.*
: "You'll not have my soul this day, fiend. At least not so easily."
*A quick turn dragging his hooves, Ivellas scoops dirt and debris into Daran's bladed horseshoes and tosses it into the air between himself and Erebeus with a snap. A kick out at the Strife Lord landing on his armor propels Ivellas quickly away and out of reach.*
: "Fall back, regroup, and prepare to unleash hell!" *Ivellas shouts, rallying the remaining troops, The force commander immediately takes his own advice without stopping, rushing as quickly as he can to his nearest allies.*

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Thu Apr 08 2010 3:59am
by Dark Maiden
(( That is so epic.))

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Thu Apr 08 2010 5:02am
by TheUnknownMarine
((You could stand to have less of an attitude. If you want to drop characters, this is a good time to do so, otherwise your return means most of your PCs are ressurrectable.
Edit: Seriously. You guys are seriously pissed off about this? This isn't directed at Knight, I'm talking with him over AIM, this is directed at everyone else. People aren't active in months, I'm given the distinct impression they are out of the game, and you get mad when this happens? I recall Alpha doing the same with a much stricter deadline than half a year. Look, I'm willing to take people back that want to come back, but I'm really sick of people getting pissed off.))
The Wish warps space-time and saves Ivellas' life, Erebeus chuckles at Ivellas' survival, then starts laughing deeply, not even bothering to dodge the Flame Strike as it hits him dead on.
"So... Your Watchers have returned. Did our attack fail, or are you just that stubborn?" Erebeus muses, the flames washing over him. "Hmmhmmhmmm... Very well. This will prove more amusing..."
The terrible figure of the Strife Lord raises his sword and strikes the ground with it, a wave of black energy rippling forth to crash painfully into all assembled. It feels like an icy hand on your hearts, but somehow you pull through.
-----------
Laeralas stabs and stabs and then slashes for variety, Knight Rainblood falling a little and leaning heavily on his staff. He points a finger at Laeralas and utters words of power. A maelstrom of arcane energy suddenly engulfs the Daggerspell, ripping apart his magical defenses and buffeting him with the resultant energy. However, Laeralas has grown in power to where his body can easily withstand such a storm.
((Rainblood Disjunction. All spells on Laeralas are dispelled, he takes light damage, and a few random magical items on him are disenchanted, up to you what.))
----------
"Argh!" Venethetrion crises as fire engulfs him once again. Then Kayla jams her daggers firsts into his neck, then his sides. He turns, in a rage. "You bitch!!!" he roars, smacking Kayla in the gut with his morningstar. The weapon flares with dark energy and Kayla feels a numbness spread from her stomach.
----------
King Rainblood turns and charges towards Sheila, slashing high with his first strike, then too low with his second, the agent jumping away from each attack with a smile.
"Missed me! Hahaha, you can'- ARGH," Sheila bites back her comment as the giant sword of King Rainblood blazes with energy and slices through her side. Sheila stumbles back weakly, firing as she does so.
Then Talacre strike from the skies. the elven swordmaster brings his sword down and through King Rainblood's left arm, severing it from his body. King Rainblood lets out a bone chilling howl as a bloody limb falls to the ground. Talacre isn't done even then, whirling around and slashing again and again at King's body, adding to the damage.
"You..." King rumbles. "You will pay for THAT..."
((Regret Hit on Sheila. 1 HP. King is mostly armless.))
-----------
Damas quickly sees that the circle of Vrocks are preventing any movement from the open battlefield.
Kethra heals her injuries, then dodges aside when Borokuth attacks, the berserker running right past her.

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Thu Apr 08 2010 6:11am
by Dark Maiden
((I think people are annoyed because this came out of nowhere, but that's just how I see it. Also, this campaign has been dragging on for quite a long time, and I would very much like to see it end soon.))
Damas casts a spell on himself and his skin takes on the texture and hardness of stone.
((Stoneskin cast.))
Kethra decides to fight defensively as not to take any unnecessary damage.
((Kethra is fighting defensively.))
-----
Kayla staggers back and folds her arm across her stomach. "A bitch, am I?" she groans. "I'm not a bitch, I'm THE bitch. Get it right."
((I think I can do a full attack. ))
Merla throws two orbs of force at the vampire, one right after the other.
((Orb of Force and Quickened Orb of Force.))
Jessica's puts some space between herself and Merla. Her eyes glow brightly and her forms begins to waver and shift. Mere moments later, a very large, and very mean looking black dragon stands where the psion had been standing only moments ago.
((Jessica uses Greater Metamorphosis to turn into an adult Black Dragon. She loses 200 XP in the process though. I'm pretty sure I can do that, as an adult black dragon has 19 HD, which is equal to my manifester level. I'm kind of fuzzy on whether or not I can still use my psionics though.))

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Thu Apr 08 2010 8:09am
by Arcdragnbreth
((This is SF:CW. Our characters are brothers-in-arms, with powers that vastly exceed that of the rest of the world. If one of the PC's goes missing, someone will notice, we will find that person, and return them to the party. There are virtually no diseases we can't cure, curses we can't remove, and justifications for why a player's not involved we can't overcome. Given that fact, how else is the DM supposed to remove an inactive player, besides death?))
The monk lands hard on his back... then springs to his feet almost instantly, the simian spirit of his shen form allowing him to recover far better than expected. Channeling his ki to mend the fractures, the monk set himself into his most powerful defensive position, waiting to return the favor.
"I think I understand now, what about me you don't like," Graigus said, his voice sad. "You hate me, because I reached this level without sacrificing my heart and soul for power. For that, I really am sorry... but it also means you won't stop unless one of us dies. Come on, then, and let's see whose path truly leads to true enlightenment!"
Elsewhere...
"Maybe I'll take you up on your offer," the elf said through gritted teeth, the electric resistance again proving to be a major boon. Making out the next nearest section of the battle, the bladesinger took off as fast as he could without opening himself to unnecessary attacks, hoping that the next skirmish provided him with allies in his unamtched fight.
((Max combat expertise while he moves to another group's battle, hopefully...))
In another part of the fort...
"Double time, kid," the rogue said, taking off towards the hole in the wall. "We need to get to Simone fast, before..."
Coming to a stop, he turned to face Daran. "You know her better than I do, Daran; where do you think she'd hide, if a battle broke out here?"
And in the midst of true darkness...
"Guard us against the eclipse that threatens the day!" the Woren cried, divine magic granting those around him greater protection.
((Mass Death Ward on those facing off against Erebus.))

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Thu Apr 08 2010 9:03am
by TheUnknownMarine
((Ending the campaign soon was one of the reasons an inactive purge was triggered. Well, moot point now.))
"Graaaaaaaaaaagh!!!" Wrath screams, charging towards Graigus with a single fist raised, blazing with power.
Wrath closes to melee and delivers a devastating gut punch to Graigus that feels like fire over his body. Indeed, the energy around Wrath's fist flows into the other monk and begins to ravage his physical form.
The monk lifted to the tips of his toes under the force of the blow, staggering backwards and nearly slumping to the ground. Catching himself at the last moment, the Staff of the Monkey King swept low, aiming to trip and batter the other monk.
Wrath is swept off his feet by the sudden attack, falling to the ground with a grunt.
His foe knocked from his standing position, the dwarf delivered another stream of thrusts, his attacks increasing in speed with each stroke.
Graigus' fast and ferocious assault batters Wrath, his armor swiftly getting dented and in some areas, beaten off his body. However the Cult monk manages to let out a feral howl and kick Graigus off him. He slowly rises, panting, blood dripping from several places beneath his armor.
"I'm not done yet!" the ascetic insisted, balancing on his staff as he delivered a stream of kicks towards the newly risen warrior.
The kicks causes Wrath to stagger back, he manages to block one or two with arms and dodge a third, but the barrage clearly weakens him further. "Ven... Vengeance of the Maw..." he whispers, folding his hands together. "Devil's Light!"
A stream of crimson energy blasts towards Graigus, but the monk easily jumps out of the way.
The energy beam strikes the ground a few feet behind him and explodes, making a large crater to add to the battlefield.
"Your dark power doesn't come from within," Graigus declared, the tip of his staff striking hard with each thrust. Also panting with exhaustion, he decided aloud, "I'm going to finish you in the next attack, Wrath, so prepare yourself for the end!"
"I'll take... You with me..." Wrath promises, glaring at Graigus. "An idealistic fool... Like you... Doesn't deserve such power..."
-------
Ashathel barely dodges another lightning bolt as the demilich gives chase, cackling madly all the while.
-------
"In this chaos?" Daran bites his lip, thinking. "Well... she hangs out with Yeesha a lot when she's here... The library?"
-------
Borokuth charges again, and again Kethra is able to easily sidestep the blow, pounding into the foe with a flurry of blows that causes the sound of bones breaking to echo in the air. Borokuth is forced to the ground while Kethra sweeps his feet from under him, and roars in pain when she snaps his left arm in two.
Damas finally has rock hard abs, but Isyndel isn't here to see them.
------
Venethetrion struggles with Kayla as the assassin strikes again and again at him while he blocks blade after blade with morningstar and shield. Then an orb of force strikes him in the side, causing him to stagger and pause, the second orb hitting his left shoulder and blowing his shield arm clean off. Venethetrion howls as he loses an arm, dropping the morningstar and leaping at Merla, grappling the wizard and putting her into a hold while he opens his mouth and brings his fangs close to her neck...

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Thu Apr 08 2010 9:31am
by Arcdragnbreth
"I never wanted it," the monk says sincerely, indignation tempered with disappointment, then all replaced with determination. "But now that I have it, I'll give you everything I have!"
The monk's staff, tossed high into the air above him, tumbled end over end as it rose to meet the sky. Already built low, the dwarf seemed almost to compress himself as he ducked into a sloppy, bobbing sway from side to side, fingers curled inwards as if grasping the handles of ale-laden mugs.
"In a forest full of trees, a monkey cannot fall; in a bar full of ale, a drunk cannot stand," the monkey shen spoke, his words slurring slightly as he slipped fully into the drunken boxing stance. "Hear the name of the path between the two - Stumbling Steps of the Drunken Monkey!"
Surging forward with an unexpected start, the monk delivered a solid jab to Wrath's stomach, his stumble to the left only an opening for a swift roundhouse kick. Staggering back only a step, his other foot rose high for a kick, then snapped down and launched the drunken master forward for a trio of sloppy but effective swings. Catching the staff as it descended into his waiting hands, Graigus lurched to the left and swung right, then swung high as he dipped low. Using the staff like a long cane, he braced himself as he leaned back for another pair of kicks, then regained his feet before stumbling forward for a pair of awkward elbow jabs. Pulling back, Graigus eyed his opponent for one final time, then hopped into the air to finish with a spinning headbutt.
Wrath staggered backwards a handful of steps, his disbelief apparent as the final blow drove him away. The armored monk took a shaky step forward, then another, the next two strides bringing him to his knees as one leg and then the other lost the impetus to move.
"You," Wrath gasped, outstretched arm clawing the air in front of him. His next words were drowned by the gurgle of blood as the last of his strength faded. The monk's grip on the empty space before him loosened, arms swinging down to his sides as the remaining muscles slackened and went limp.
Graigus remained in his original stance for a moment, then another, watching his opponent's body for signs of the coming attack. Then, as he observed the utter stillness of the man before him, the monk gasped in a sob, as much for his dead master as the still-kneeling corpse before him.
"May your wisdom in this world pave the path to the next," he whispered, fighting back tears as the fur faded to leave the dwarf as hairless as he usually was. "And I... I forgive you for what you did. Rest with that, Wrath."

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Thu Apr 08 2010 8:09pm
by Dark Maiden

> TheUnknownMarine @ Thu Apr 08, 2010 4:03 am) wrote:((Ending the campaign soon was one of the reasons an inactive purge was triggered. Well, moot point now.))

((I suppose that makes sense.))

> TheUnknownMarine @ Thu Apr 08, 2010 4:03 am) wrote:Damas finally has rock hard abs, but Isyndel isn't here to see them.

((:lol:!!!))
Damas focuses his mind and pools his mana into a single spell. After some words and gestures, her brings the power of Ultimate Freeze to bear on Borokuth.
((Maximized Freeze 4))
Kethra smiles at the amazing display of Damas' spell, and the obvious damage it causes. Confident now that they can win this, the monk presses the attack with all of the force she can muster.
-----
Merla's eyes widen as the vampire leaps at her, grabs her, and his intent becomes clear. "Unhand me you bastard!" she shrieks, struggling against him but to no avail.
Kayla narrows her eyes and leaps at Venethetrion, attempting to drive her knives into his back and either finally bring him down, or force him to drop Merla.
"Leave the halfling alone," Jessica growls. Having a great deal of reach because of her size, she attempts to grab a hold of him and pull him off of Merla.
((Jessica will attempt to join the grapple, and will make the check against Verethetrion.))

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Thu Apr 08 2010 10:17pm
by Alpha
Exulting in the Ivellas still lives, Septimus gaze meets with Tanis momentarily, and they nod in an unspoken communication. The spellguard chants two quick spells, and protective energy flows out to all the nearby allies.
[Cast a Quickened Mass Resist Energy [Fire] and a Fire Shield [Chill]]
Grinning in a toothy way that only a catfolk can manage, Tanis goes to casting one of his newly learned spells. He chants passionately, and soon, four fiery and small orbs appears around his hand, circling above the palm. The warmage then tosses them up slightly, and they orbit his head as an ioun stone might, growing in size as they do. Then, with a single, precise gesture, Tanis casts them at Erebus, aiming to smash each meteor into the Strife Lord.
[Cast Meteor Swarm, all aimed specifically at Erebus. Seps protective spells will shield the good dudes]
---------
Laeralas grunts in annoyance as the disjunction hits him. His magical tunics colour loses its lustre, one of his rings splutters in a magical discharge, the spells leaking out and one of his bags of holding splits open, no longer able to hold the items stored in there.
Luckily for me, I can sell that weapon of yours to a merchant and that armour to a museum to buy back what you just ruined! The elf continues his barrage, tumbling about and around Knight, even climbing up one side and down the other as he finds any opening for his daggers. He chants another spell as he does so, and begins to flicker in and out once more blink is back.
[Tunic of Steady Spellcasting, Ring of Spell Storing, Bag of Holding are disjunctiond. Full attack again, with some fun jumps and flips thrown in. Daggerspell flurry to cast Greater Blink again]
---------
Im sure! the elf taunts, but moves to position himself between King and Sheila, using his body as a block. Normally hed now focus attacks from the side of the Rainbloods severed arm, but with Sheila so injuredthe blade dancer goes purely defensive once again, protecting the star traveller.
[Move between King and Sheila, resume attacking. Full defence from weapon for +5 ac, elaborate parry for -4 to hit/+7 ac.]

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Thu Apr 08 2010 10:50pm
by Knight_019
*As things seem to turn dire against the Rainbloods, a shill screech pierces through the air, and the sound of fire ripping toward the battleground tells Laeralas that he won't be alone for long. Dagron begins a headlong descent straight toward the Rainblood Knight, another mote of fire forming in his mouth.*
: "You're supposed to be dead? Why do none of you ever stay dead? Go away!", *Dagron shouts at his foe. A stream of fire erupts from the dragon's mouth, covering the red-garbed menace in a cone of intense, buffeting flames.*
: "Sorry pal," *Dagron starts at Laeralas,* "I was out looking for just this sort of thing. Apparently I looked the wrong direction..." *he finishes, trailing off.*

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Thu Apr 08 2010 10:53pm
by Alpha
Laeral laughs at the sight of the young dragon, glad to see him. No worries, my friend, he calls, easily dodging the flame spewing from Dagrons maw. Come and join in!

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Thu Apr 08 2010 11:18pm
by Dark Maiden
((Yay, Dagron!!! ))

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Thu Apr 08 2010 11:19pm
by TheUnknownMarine
Damas' spell encases Borokuth in a block of ice, the berserker frozen with his hands outstretched and mouth snarling, a fearsome visage even then.
Then Kethra hammers into the frozen foe, strike after strike landing with jackhammer force until the ice shatters along with Borokuth, pieces of him tumbling everywhere...
The Vrocks caw in panic and take to the sky.
-------
Jessica reaches down and easily plucks the vampire lord off of Merla, the undead noble sputtering in rage at the indignity of the situation before calling out another incantation and causing fire to rain down on the group once more, burning them even further.
--------
Despite Talacre's formidable defense, despite King only having one arm to wield his weapon, the elven swordsmaster is pressed hard by the leader of the Rainbloods.
"Die!!!" King roars, his sword crackling with energy as he brings it down on Talacre's body. Talacre brings his sword up to parry, but the blow has too much force behind it. Talacre's sword is forced down as King Rainblood's blade cuts deeply into his shoulder, causing the elf to drop to the ground for a moment. Fighting back the pain, Talacre turns the injury into an opportunity, moving his blade forward in a thrust that adds yet another wound to King. The Rainblood ignores this and presses the attack, pulling his sword back and driving it forward into Talacre's gut. The agile elf does manage to dodge... but only enough that the blade misses his center and inside stings along his side. King raises his sword again and this time Talacre rolls out of the way just in time to see the hard earth split where he was a moment ago, King's sword striking with enough force to cleave stone.
The steady thunderclap retorts of Sheila's pistols and sparks flying off King Rainblood's armor along with holes blasted through indicate the agent is still in the fight. As Talacre flips himself back up into a standing position, he notes that King's movements have definitely slowed...
---------
"Daemon Breath!" Knight shouts as a gout of lost souls erupts from his hands and slams into Laeralas. Evading the unholy magic proves impossible and blasphemous burns open up all over the elf. Sustained by his willpower and desire to see his brother again, he does not give in, however. Instead, his attacks only increase in ferocity, slashing and stabbing the Rainblood until at last the armored assassin takes a step back.
"You..." he hisses. "You defeated me, but I will DRAG you to HELL with me!" Knight Rainblood raises the Halberod and snaps it over his knee. "You will NEVER have my weapon OR my armor!!!"
Arcane energy starts gathering around the broken staff like a whirlpool of lightning in midair, Knight Rainblood's form beginning to glow as he chuckles, laughs, then laughs madly. Laeralas has just enough time to through himself into a nearby crater for cover as a massive explosion rips through the area, driving the elf to near unconsciousness and leaving nothing but pieces of shattered red metal and a new crater where Knight Rainblood once stood.

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Thu Apr 08 2010 11:26pm
by Knight_019
*Ivellas manages to regroup with the rest of his force, but before anyone can exchange words, the dark energy crashes into all of them. The impact feels as though daggers of ice had penetrated into him, but not through pain in his flesh. Instead, his soul felt tugged upon, torn, shredded, and pieces felt as though they fled away, heading toward someone or someplace else. Memories of his father suddenly seemed distant, yet the pain of slaying his corrupted form surfaced all the stronger. Ivellas shakes it off, though he stands visibly weakened, disturbed, and chilled to his core.*
"EREBEUS!" Ivellas defiantly shouts at his nemesis, "It has been long since I've cared for whatever dark purpose, shred of knowledge, or trinket of power you hope to find by ravaging this world and corrupting its people. Your ambitions are nothing more than an idle curiosity at this point, and we will stand before you even unto the last bastion of untainted life if it comes to it. You will be defeated, your aims thwarted, and any desire to know what shred of knowledge you think yourself to have rendered useless as this world continues on!"
"But I c-" Kyuu sheepishly begins to exclaim before a strong motion of Ivellas arm tells him to shush.
*Magical fire rains down from Septimus on the gathered cult forces, and Ivellas signals his remaining forces to continue the assault.*
"Now drive them from our homes!"
"Hey, I can do that!" Kyuu excitedly exclaims. With a wave of his hands, Kyuu conjures four glowing orbs, hovering above his right palm. They spin, slowly at first, but rapidly gain speed until blurring into roaring ring. With a flick of his wrist, the foxling mage sends the orbs careening toward Erebeus. In a blur, he conjures up yet another set, this time from his left hand, and sends them flying as well.
((Meteor Swarm, Greater Celerity, Meteor Swarm))

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Thu Apr 08 2010 11:48pm
by Alpha
The battle is finally beginning to wear on Talacre, and elf begins to show fatigue, despite his training for tireless combat and dervish dancing. Buthe still has two arms, and King likely couldnt take much more.
Sheila! Stay out of his reach! he says, preparing for another assault. His crosses his green courtblade of starmetal before him, and throws himself at King again. The first strike smacks into the stump where Rainbloods arm had been, no doubt causing agony. Talacre skits around the back, and aims a slash to hamstring his foe, before spinning about once more to slam his blade on Kings upper back. All strikes aim to cause the Rainblood to lean forward slightly, lining up the dervishs final attack. Talacre jumps high, impossibly high, from behind King, and brings down his sword in an overhand chop, aimed right at the red armoured creatures head.
---------
Too bad, Laeral says, laying on his back as pieces of red metal fall down all around him like an odd rain. But at least Ill live. His breathing is heavy, and the injuries threaten to overcome him. Dagron? he calls weakly. Think I could hitch a lift again, and we could find a healer?

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Fri Apr 09 2010 12:06am
by Knight_019
*From the rubble of the destroyed walls and buildings near the fleeing Ashathel, groaning, screaming, and the cracking of stone become suddenly audible. Fighting seems to continue loudly nearby. How close, however, is not apparent until an explosion of stone erupts from debris between Ashathel and the lich chasing him down. An enormous rhinocerous with a cultist and death knight impaled on its horn bursts forth, and instantaneously, mid-charge, catches sight of the floating skull. A twist of its body sends the enormous beast careening into Moritae, causing the floating skull to fly with great speed into the remnants of a nearby wall and debris, hopefully inconveniencing the undead caster enough to buy Ashathel some time.
The animal's form wavers, then fades into the familiar batling shape of Rhizor.*
"Did you think we couldn't hear you, you miserable pile of bones? Or I suppose that's bone now, ksksks" Rhizor hisses, taunting his old foe. "Heal!" With a shout from Rhizor's diminutive frame and voice, much of the wounds inflicted upon Ashathel are removed.
His own wounds, however, would just begin. The wave of energy unleashed by Erebeus makes its way to their current location. Though strong of will, Rhizor's drive to continue is torn asunder, his desires shattered, his hopes crushed, and his remaining thoughts are of his failed experiments with the dark, his temptation by the Strife Lords, and the ramifications that, had any of them truly succeeded, the disaster he might have visited upon the world. Even in toiling to find countermeasures to the negative energies that fueled their dark machine of death it only furthered their influence. Looking upon Moritae once more renewed his desire to finish this defense, and it gave him a chance to redeem himself, but he felt lost and alone now.
"No..."

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Fri Apr 09 2010 12:44am
by Dark Maiden
Damas walks over to Kethra and gives her a potion. "Drink this."
Kethra takes the potion and drinks it, the wounds she suffered at the hands of Borokuth healing further. She still feels weak though. "Thank you."
Damas nods. "You're welcome. Come on, we should try to find the others."
Kethra nods and sets off with Damas.
------
Merla reaches into her belt pouch and pulls out a vial full of blue liquid. She pops the cork and downs the contents, cringing at the horrible taste. Her wounds begin to heal.
Kayla cringes in pain from the burns inflicted by the fire, yet she cannot help but snicker. A sly smirk spreads across her lips and she continues her attack against the somewhat crippled vampire lord.
"It is time you learned just how dangerous I can be when you try to hurt my friends," Jessica hisses. The psion turned dragon opens her mouth, and tries to sink her very large, and very sharp teeth into the vampire lord.
((Yay for dragon bitings? ;;))

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Fri Apr 09 2010 6:25am
by TheUnknownMarine
Jessica bites into Venethetrion as Kayla slashes into him once more. The vampire lord hisses, then dissipates to a green fog that swiftly attempts to crawl away.
---------
Talacre's strikes hit on the mark one after another before he finally vaults into the air and jams his sword into King Rainblood's head. The starmetal blade sinks to the hilt, the balde piercing helm, skull and going down the neck to rest the tip somewhere in his torso.
King Rainblood utters something between a roar and a dying groan, crimson energy flaring around him before his body turns to stone within the space of a few seconds.
Sheila stands, bending at the knees and breathing heavily. "That... was rough."

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Fri Apr 09 2010 6:40pm
by Alpha
Talacre sinks his courtblade into the ground several inches, and leans heavily on it. The elf doesnt speak for a few seconds, obviously trying to regains his breath.
Itreally was, but it doesnt seem to over yet, he pants. Lets find a cleric, then rejoin the fray, he suggests.

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Fri Apr 09 2010 8:09pm
by Dark Maiden
Merla recalls that vampires can only be killed permanently by driving a stake through their heart and dismembering them, or exposing them to sunlight. When she realizes that they do not possess the means to do either, the wizardess lets out a long, drawn out sigh. "We do possess the means to kill him, but I imagine that he will be out of commission for some time. Let the coward run."
Kayla cleans the blood off of her knives and sheathes them. "We'll be ready for the bastard next time."
Jessica resumes her normal form and uses her psionic power to heal their wounds. "We should press on."
Kayla and Merla nod in agreement, and the trio moves on to find their friends.

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Sat Apr 10 2010 6:20am
by TheUnknownMarine
Erebeus chuckles darkly as meteor after meteor crashes into him. The Strife Lord makes no effort to dodge the fiery missiles, standing his ground and letting each one break on him like the tide against the shore. When the magical assault ends, he remains, bits of flaming rock occasionally clinging to him as he slowly steps forward.
"If this is the best you can muster, I don't know why I worried..." Erebeus rumbles. "It's annoying that your Watchers were able to return, but you're still lacking in both power and wisdom..." Erebeus laughs deeper. "Naive boy, do you think to destroy that which you cannot comprehend? Know thine enemy is the first rule of strategy and you seek to blindly ignore it! But here, let me show you something you SHOULD be able to understand..."
Erebeus raises a single gauntlet and points it at the group.
"Demon Breath!" Erebeus intones. A wave of shrieking souls and spectral disembodied eyes bursts forth in front of the heroes, washing over them and stealing away yet more of their strength.

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Sun Apr 11 2010 1:53am
by Arcdragnbreth
"Shatter and Holy Smite may be the only spells that will work on him now," Ashathel said, his strides bringing him alongside the druid, "but he's no smarter than he was last time. We can still take him."
"Now what was it you were saying, Moritae?" the swashbuckler continued, drawing an arrow and twirling it, before releasing a far more accurate barrage of flying shafts. "Something about me running? Or was it agreeing when I said I was going to finish you off this time, once and for all?"
~~~
"Library it is, then," the rogue nodded, making a beeline for the damaged structure.
~~~
"Do not falter!" the Woren insisted, imbuing the injured with renewed strength. "Though he may try to dim our light, we shall not be quenched so long as the Light provides!"
((Mass CLW.))

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Sun Apr 11 2010 5:13am
by TheUnknownMarine
"Arrows again..." Moritae says with a sigh as the missiles just plink off him harmlessly. "You're beginning to bore me, elf. Well let's have a taste of the bat..."
Rhizor feels another strong pull at his soul, but barely manages to fight it off.
"Ah. Of course. Your Watcher is back," Moritae says with another sigh. "I was having so much fun, too..."

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Mon Apr 12 2010 6:05pm
by Alpha
Reeling at the Demon Breath onslaught, Tanis is driven to one knee in pain. The catfolk decides to switch elements, and extends a single finger. A beam of white-tinged-blue energy shoots from the outstretched digit and buries into Erebus, leaving an area frozen.
[Polar Ray]
Like Tanis, Septimus suffers greatly from Erebus attack, though he is able to shake most of it off, thanks to Pantheraths healing spells. He then sidles over to where Kyuu is standing and claps a hand on the foxlings shoulder. A white glow passes from Septimus hand into the fire savant, metamagical arcane energy pouring into him. Simultaneously, the spellguard extends his powerful stave, and issues a spell from it.
[Cooperative Metamagic: Kyuus next spell is Maximised and Purified. Use Greater Metamagic Rod [Quicken] to cast Bolt 4]
---------
Laeralas and Talacre remain in their previous positions, waiting on replies from respective companions.

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Tue Apr 13 2010 4:46pm
by Knight_019
Dagron spreads his wings, stretching them out while approaching his friend.
"Hop on. There are plenty more evils to destroy here... or do you think Alex wouldn't approve? the wyrmling asks with a smirk.

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Wed Apr 14 2010 8:12pm
by Arcdragnbreth
"I need to get up here, or him down here," the spellcasting swordsman said. "Anything you can do about it?"

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Fri Apr 16 2010 6:30am
by Alpha
I guess it doesnt matter right now, Laeral laughs, as he hops onto Dagrons back. Its really been a while since we last did this! he says, swigging a healing potion to ease his hurts.
[Go Dagron Air!]

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Fri Apr 16 2010 7:07am
by TheUnknownMarine
Kethra and Damas soon stumble onto the scene of Moritae fighting with Rhizor and Ashathel. The elven warrior finds the bat-druid unresponsive.
"Ah..." the skull grins at the arrival of more elves. "More playmates. This should be fun..." he turns and his eyes flash. "Are you REEEEEEEEEEADY?"
Green smoke begins to emanate from and whirl around Damas as he finds his thoughts more and more difficult to concentrate on. Finally the smoke envelops him and his clothes and gear fall to the floor, a pile of stuff around a moving lump that swiftly jumps out and meows.
Damas has been changed into a cat.
((Polymorph Any Object))
Moritae chortles at this turn of events, then floats down in front of the feline.
"Boo!"
Moritae begins laughing maniacally as the confused cat scampers away in terror of the unnatural thing in front of it.
-----------------
Kayla leads her group to the sounds of battle that had been echoing for a while, the struggle against Erebeus.
The Polar Ray strikes the Strife Lord, appearing to have little effect. He shakes his head.
"Mortals never learn..." Erebeus rumbles as he mouths a dark incantation. A sinking feeling hits each of the heroes and heroines in their stomachs as the protective magics around them fade away to nothing.

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Wed Apr 21 2010 11:23pm
by Dark Maiden
((I've been feeling really miserable, so there isn't going to be much detail in my post. ))
Jessica uses her Nasar technique to heal her allies that are fighting Erebeus.
Kayla tries to move up behind Erebeus and drive her curved knife into a vital area.
Merla casts a Haste spell on the group.

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Thu Apr 22 2010 7:13am
by TheUnknownMarine
((Moritae is flying. : ( ))

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Thu Apr 22 2010 11:24pm
by Dark Maiden
((Thank you for telling me. ))
Kethra watches as Damas runs away, and then looks back at Moritae with her eyes narrowed. "Coward," she hisses angrily.

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Wed Apr 28 2010 6:17am
by Arcdragnbreth
The Woren wastes no time in reapplying one of the most vital of spells, protection against the darkest of magics.
((Mass Death Ward cast.))
~~~
"Don't suppose you have a way to get him down from there, do you?" the elf asked, firing more of his arrows. "Because this whole shooting at him thing is getting real old, real fast..."
~~~
The rogue arrives at the site where the library is meant to be, his eyes and ears attuned for any suspicious activity.
((Spot 29, Listen 37.))

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Wed Apr 28 2010 6:48am
by TheUnknownMarine
Moritae laughs hysterically as a crackling wave of lightning launches itself at Ashathel and Kethra. The two barely manage to dodge aside, and Ashathel is lightly wounded by the passing of the magical assault.
Then the flapping of wings is heard as a familiar figure flies above...
Dagron and Laeralas have arrived.
----------
"Right, right," Sheila says to Talacre, injecting herself with something. "Just give me a minute and I'll be fine..."

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Tue May 04 2010 10:20pm
by Dark Maiden
"Unfortunately, no," Kethra says, nimbly dodging Moritae's magical assault. She then sees Dagron and Laeralas, and a smile graces her lips.

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Thu May 20 2010 9:52pm
by Alpha
Spotting the dire situation from his perch on Dagron, Laeral recognises Moritae for what he truly is. The elfs keen ears also catch Ashathels comment on reaching the evil enemy. As the young dragon beneath him nears the confrontation, Laeral launches himself and lands lightly next to the bladesinger.
I had a spell in mind to bring him to us, the daggerspell offers. But I fear it would have no effect on him anymore. Sowhy dont you go to him? And use that wondrous green blade of yours.
With that, Laeral pokes Ash, empowering him with flight and added heroism.
[Quicken cast Fly on Ash. Cast Greater Heroism on Ash]
~~~~~~~~~~
Anytime youre ready, Tal says with both a smile and a smirk.
~~~~~~~~~~
Tanis reverts back to searing Erebus with divine energy.
[Maximised Flame Strike.]
Septimus follows Pantheraths example of restoring protective spells, whilst taking a different route to attacking Erebus. A bright lance of light streaks towards the Strife Lords eyes.
[Cast Mass Bears Endurance. Cast Quickened Lucent Lance. Ranged touch: 29, SR check: 37. Erebus is blinded for 1 round, 55 damage, no save.]

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Sat May 22 2010 9:15pm
by Arcdragnbreth
"That's more like it!" the bladesinger said, heading straight for the demilich. "Did I mention how much I miss you guys?"
((Charge attack on Moritae.))

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Sun May 23 2010 1:52am
by Alpha
Probably, Laeral says with a laugh. But one more works too!

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Sun May 23 2010 8:10pm
by TheUnknownMarine
"Hey wipe that smile off your face," Sheila grumbles. "I'm good to go, let's roll!"
With that, the energetic agent dashes forward.
----------
Ashathel's blade carves a gouge into the skull which shrieks at the sword's touch, then retaliates by opening its jeweled maw and biting deeply into Ashathel's shoulder. Black lightning crackles around the wound even as the elven swordsmen feels a fell energy course through his body, shutting it down bit by bit as only Laeralas' magic keeps him in the air.
His vision begins to blur, things begin to get dark, and his ears are filled with the laughter of the vile demilich... but he manages to cling to life even as he struggles to shake off the effects of the vile attack.
---------
Kayla barely manages to backflip away from the roaring column of fire that Tanis summons, leaving Erebeus in the center of a large smoking crater. Undaunted, the Strife Lord continues forward, only to be met with a lance of pure light that gives him pause for a moment.
The spells wash over Erebeus and he growls slightly as he raises his sword and a column of utterly dark energy streaks into the sky. Moments later the column crashes like a tidal wave into the assembled heroes, weakening them further even as they feel Pantherath's Death Ward protecting them against the brunt of the assault.
"I don't NEED eyes to see anymore..." Erebeus murmurs as he turns to savagely kick Kayla away from him even as she slips her blades through his defenses. "And where you're going... neither will you."

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Thu Jun 03 2010 4:13am
by Alpha
Talacre nods, and speeds off, easily keeping pace with Sheila, though he politely doesnt race ahead of her. Let us find my brother, he suggests as they speed through the fort. The blade dancer keeps his ears and eyes open for Laeralas.
~~~~~~~~~~
Laeral claps his hands with a quick spell, and this time flight comes to all those in the area. He rises up to flank Moritae with Ashathel, whilst hoping that somebody can heal the bladesinger.
[Mass Fly, move into flanking position]
~~~~~~~~~~
Septimus brings down a concentrated lightning storm on the Strife Lord, the blue bolts slightly off colour, as white energy intermingles with it.
[Purified Bolt 4]
Tanis continues his barrage of holy fire.
[Maximised Flame Strike]

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Sat Jun 05 2010 7:08pm
by Arcdragnbreth
"Not... not quite, Moritae," the elf gasped, barely remaining conscious. "Let's... try something more powerful, shall we?"
Mustering what energy remained, the elf once more set his arcane prowess to work - but this time he used it to empower each strike, lashing out five times with stroke after stroke of the Ancient weapon in his hand.
((Five attacks, each with Arcane Strike applied; beginning from first (and highest attack bonus) to last, he expends a 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 6th level spell.))

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Sat Jun 05 2010 7:19pm
by Alpha
((Let's hear it for +16 to hit for all attacks and +16d4 damage to all hits!))

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Sun Jun 06 2010 12:47am
by Dark Maiden
Kethra grins and flies up into the air. "I think that it's about time you get what's coming to you, Lich."
((Kethra will fly up to Moritae and attack if possible.
Attack: 30; Damage: 36))
-----
Jessica uses her psionic power to mend the wounds of her allies.
((Nasar, +40 HP))
Kayla grunts in pain but recovers from the kick quicker than expected and presses the attack again.
((Attacks: 39, 36, 29, 35; Damage: 41, 43, 46, 32))
Merla focuses her mind, and an invisible force attempts to pry Erebeus' weapon out of his hands.
((Telekinesis, attempting to disarm.
Attack: 43))

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Sun Jun 06 2010 7:59pm
by Knight_019
With a powerful roar, Rhizor sends streams of kelp at the demilich, comically covering him in strands upon strands of plant matter. A derisive snort follows, Rhizor more irritated by the powerful lich's presence than threatened.
((Kelpstrand, 6 strands of kelp conjured and attempt to grapple the lich.
Ranged Touches (6): 43, 43, 40, 33, 32, 34.
Grapples: 68, 53, 63, 53, 67, 62))
In a surge of arcane power, Kyuu hurls a tremendous, arcing bolt of lightning that, instead of crackling, erupts in flames from his paws, traveling above the remaining Strife Lord's head. Bolts of flame strike down and around Erebeus, searing white hot as they near him with holy energy.
((Maximized, Purified [from Sep], Searing, Flame Substituted Bolt 4))

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Sun Jun 06 2010 10:58pm
by TheUnknownMarine
Moritae floats backward from Kethra's attack, his bejeweled grin laughing at the monk's attack only to be caught by Rhizor's enveloping strands of kelp.
"Plants?! Against me?!" Moritae shouts in disbelief. He sounds almost insulted. The canny lich wastes no time in mouthing a word of power that sends a wave of fire outward, disintegrating the grappling plant life and reducing it to ash. Rhizor makes his snort, attacking the lich's ego as well.
The floating skull then turns to Rhizor, eyes aflame with indignant rage and unholy power alike.
"That's it! Enough playing around!" he shrieks. Power flares around the lich as he summons and enhances a magical effect. "Time to escort you to your graves! Grand Desoul!"
A rippling darkness emanates from Moritae, taking the form of a black robed skeletal reaper armed with a razor-scythe of pure, ghostly bone. The reaper grins malevolently at Rhizor and the batman feels the claw of terror at his gut, frozen in place as the scythe descends and cuts through him, leaving no wound or sign of its passing. However, the ghostly form of Rhizor's soul is ripped from its bodily shell. The reaper grasps it with a mad cackle and vanishes into thin air, Rhizor's soulless body collapsing to the ground.
"Heroes! So smug! So arrogant!!!" Moritae shrieks as he sends lightning to blast the bat-corpse, not satisfied with just killing him. "Dead, dead, DEAD! Now what?! Your castle is burning, your friends are dying, and what will you do?! HEROES?! You will DIE!!!"
Moritae finishes his speech with a mad laugh and turns to Kethra... focused completely on petty revenge over strategy.
Assuming Ashathel was out of the fight was the last mistake Moritae ever made.
The swordsman crashes into the flying skull like a green comet, movements supernaturally swift, even for an elf as twin wheels of arcane runes form around Moritae.
"...what?!" the demilich manages to get out as the Force blade crashes into him again and again and again, powered by the technology of the Ancients, the magic of the modern day, and the will of a hero. The powerful undead only manages a single shrill shriek as the sword takes apart his skull, shatters his many gems, and slices into his very soul. The fragments of the skull fall to the ground, and the essence of Moritae dissipates.
-------------
Meanwhile
The library, located at the far north-eastern part of the fort, is mostly intact, only a few areas of damage and breaches in the ceiling mostly. Smoke rises lazily from it from areas where fire scorched it, but those were apparently put out swiftly, before major damage could occur.
It takes minutes of stressful searching as the sounds of combat echo in the background, but Dam manages to find a backdoor that is merely locked, not barricaded. The struggle against Erebeus is clearly visible at the center of the fort.
-------------
At Erebeus...
Erebeus winces back from the powerful bolts of holy flame, then growls with increasing anger.
"Enough of this FARCE!" Erebeus bellows, whirling his sword around to knock back all those in melee with him. He points his sword at Kayla. "You will SERVE..."
Kayla suddenly feels an overriding compulsion to turn and attack her friends. They all hate her anyway, everyone hates her, everyone must DIE. They ALL MUST DIE. The desire to kill, to shed blood against those who were moments ago her battle-comrades and kin battles with her real self and is gaining steam by the moment.
Something is wrong. Erebeus is far, far more powerful than when the group last faced him, and even above the level of power that Shailtor showed before his defeat.

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Thu Jun 10 2010 5:46am
by Arcdragnbreth
The elf slumped backwards, arms hanging limply from his sides. Still, he managed a weak smile and a nod, before giving a grand sigh at the devastation before him.

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Thu Jun 10 2010 2:30pm
by Knight_019
*His final spurn of Moritae's power, Rhizor has only a rhinoceros' smile on his face when his soul is ripped from his body, the remaining husk falling to the ground, lifeless. Though his body lay mutilated, charred, and scattered to the wind, he was finally free from the nightmares of the world, the burdens of his past, and Erebeus' already-seeping corruption.*
"We should get out of here as soon as possible," Dagron says, looking off into the distance. "There was a lot of fighting and fire and exploding and bad things over that way," the wyrm gestures with his head [b]"And it looks like it's getting worse!"[b] With not a word more, Dagron leaps into the air, prepared to take off with everyone else.

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Sat Jun 12 2010 3:22am
by Alpha
((Time for some freeform innovationmaybe itll be allowed. If not, its a cool idea anyway))
Tanis glances at Septimus and they both nod at each other. Time to try something they had discussed a few days ago, a plan potentially lethal. The warmage casts a spell, and a small bead of fire steaks towards Erebus andhangs in the air.
[Cast Delayed Blast Fireball. Got lucky and rolled a natural 20 for SR]
Tanis spell cast, Septimus goes to his own. He times it so that just as the waiting fireball reaches its destination, his forcecage takes effect, enveloping Erebus.
[Force Cage on Erebus. 10 cube windowless cell, no save]
The trap in place, Tanis squeezes his fist. The fireball detonates. In a small confined space. With the fire nowhere to go but circle round and round the same place, potentially bringing Erebus to a boil. The ensuing flare up of heat and explosion is beyond what youd normally see from a blaze spell due to the unique conditions. Even the immovable forcecage seems to shake somewhat.
[Detonate! Boom!]
~~~~~~~~~~
Laeralas wastes no time in hopping back onto Dagrons back, casting spells as he goes. He still hadnt replaced the protective enchantments that Knight Rainblood had stripped away.
[Shield, auto quickened from class ability, Persistent Grave Strike]
~~~~~~~~~~
Talacre continues racing about with Sheila, searching for his brother. It probably doesnt help that Laeral is now airborn. Or it might even easier to spot a large dragon in the air.

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Sun Jun 13 2010 1:29am
by Dark Maiden
Merla attempts to wrench Erebeus' sword from his hands again, but finds her concentration broken by a knife in her back. The halfling gasps in pain and turns around to see Kayla standing behind her. "W-What," she murmurs faintly.
((Kayla's Attack Roll [33] vs Merla's Armor Class [23] results in a hit. Damage from the hit [35] vs Merla's Concentration Check [32] results it her losing her concentration and her Telekinesis spell ends. Merla is at 79 hit points.))
Jessica gasps when she catches sight of this and narrows her eyes. "Kayla, what the hell are you doing?!"
"S-Stay right there psion... After I'm...done with the halfling, you're next." Kayla's voice is strained and her words are forced. She is fighting a losing battle against whatever foul magic Erebeus has placed on her.
"Something is wrong with Kayla! Knock her out, restrain her, do something!" Jessica yells, panicked. Getting an idea, the psion calls upon a power that she has yet to use, a fully augmented Ego Whip.
Kayla finds her mind, her ego, and her very sense of self under attack by Jessica's power. It is too much for her to handle and she crumples to the ground, unconscious.
"Nevermind, problem solved," Jessica says with a sigh.
((Jessica's fully augmented Ego Whip [19 PP] deals 18 points of Charisma damage. Kayla fails her Will Save [Natural 1 ] and since her Charisma is only 12, she passes out.
I wasn't sure how this should be handled, but Kayla is down until someone casts Restoration on her, so it's not an issue anymore. ))

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Tue Jun 15 2010 6:42am
by TheUnknownMarine
Contained by the force cube, the potent fireball's full strength is unleashed upon Erebeus, then amplified. The Strife Lord disappears within the forcecage, shielded from view by a curtain of fire that does not recede for a good few seconds. When it does, it reveals Erebeus, his armor-form glowing red in some places, sword at his side. In his right hand he clutches something, and it crackles with evil energy.
The forcecage explodes outward, buffeting the assembled heroes with shards of invisible force before dissipating.
"An interesting trick, but a trick nonetheless. And tricks will not stop me," Erebeus rumbles. "But since you seem intent on proving your worth I will let you be the next to join me. Come now... switching sides is nothing new to you..."
Tanis begins to feel the same overriding desire to kill and mindless hatred surge through him as Kayla did just a moment before.
--------------
Dagron takes wing, easily carrying his passenger through the air toward whatever their destination might be. Talacre manages to spy the dragon as it soar overhead, the fortress is not that large, then something else catches his eye.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ChRpUdTmwQc
A part of the barracks explodes outward as Jim Radford jumps from the second story and hits the ground in a roll. Blasts of energy slam into the ground as he continues dodging even while pulling himself to a standing position and grabbing his gun.
The bat-winged form of Galm exits the hole left in the barracks wall.
"The same tactic works every time in this world..." Galm growls as he launches himself towards Jim. "Separate and kill the commander, the troops follow."
Jim leaps to the side, barely avoiding the brunt of the charge as a claw catches him in the side, raking him and leaving sparks of fell energy in the wound. Jim grunts as he turns to fire his weapon at Galm, the hyper-accelerated rounds piercing demonic flesh to no effect. The Vandal simply ignores the wounds opened by the advanced weapon.
"Damn you, Galm..." Jim hisses as the Vandal turns and lashes out with a blast of force that catches Jim on the right arm and blasts the limb off his body. The field commander slams against the wall of the barracks he had just been blown out of, desperately fighting the pain to seal his wound with a spell before he died of blood loss. His severed arm lay in the snow a few feet away, still clutching his weapon. Galm flies to one side of him as Elise appears at the other, smiling evilly.
"It's over now," Galm intones.
"...Jim," Elise says with a falsely sweet smile.
"I see," Jim says, looking from one to the other, then producing his grappling hook and launcher with his other hand and firing it at the roof. He ascends just in time to avoid begin caught in a crossfire of unholy energy.
"Jim!" Elise calls out, appearing before him in mid air. She smiles evilly. "You have no idea why you came back home, did you?"
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Jim gets out as Galm appears closer, lashing out with another forceblast that tears off Jim's left leg. The soldier vomits at the sudden shock of pain, then glares at both the fiends as he rams the last of his healing through his body to stop the bleeding.
"This isn't over!!!" he gets out, rolling onto the roof then dropping through a breach into the wall into the building's interior. "You're not going to find her!"
Elise and Galm both smile, then move to follow.

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Thu Jun 24 2010 1:39pm
by YsFanatic
a spacer was wanted

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Fri Jun 25 2010 8:56am
by TheUnknownMarine
Jim was propped up against the wall, his laser pistol held shakily in one hand as he stared out the hole blown in the barracks over the fire-dotted ruins of the fort that'd been the newest Shining Force's home for a short time.
"It didn't work," he said quietly. His ploy failed. Galm and Elise weren't going to follow him after all. They weren't going to finish the job. No help was coming. They were going to just let him die. Jim stared blankly at the devastation through the goggled eyes of his gas mask.
"It happened again..." Jim murmured weakly. "Everything we had... everything we could bring to bear... and it still wasn't enough..." Jim suppressed a moan of pain and shifted, propping himself up further against the stone wall. "I tried my best... right up until the end... didn't I?." Jim's remaining leg and arm were starting to go numb. There wasn't really a sense of peace. Just sorrow. Regret. "When they said life wasn't fair... I never really thought it was true to this degree..."
The words were words he'd never utter in front of his troops. But that was okay. He was alone now. There was nothing left for him. No more duty, no more mission... there was nothing left to give. Jim let his gaze wander over the fortress one last time before his eyes closed and his head drooped.
--------
Erebeus laughs as attack after attack falls on him to seemingly no effect.
You stand before me, arrayed in power and drained by the weariness of war. But what hope can you have against me? I who have harnessed a power beyond the comprehension of this world's pathetic gods and the knowledge of a sea of stars. I who have done what no other could and bent the ancient magic to my will alone. I am no longer a mere spiritual entity leeching off negative energy to survive. I am a GOD in every sense of the word! More than that, I am a god to the gods! And you writhing maggots think you can stand before me? Quail before my might! Erebeus roars, slamming his sword into the ground as it shatters into a million shards of pure darkness. Those shards fly apart, jamming themselves into the hearts of each hero and exploding in a cascade of dark energy. The assault goes right through the heroes' wards like they weren't even there, and one by one, each falls to the ground, their life stolen. Erebeus raises his hand and the sword reforms there. Silence falls over the battlefield as he looks over the dead.
"Was it REALLY justice that drove you? Righteousness? The desire to protect? No. I think not. You were strong in every area save one, but that was enough..." Erebeus laughs as dark power gathers to him. "Now... how best to desecrate your remains... Shall I raise you as undead? Use you as parts for an Overlord? Simply hang your entrails around my gates as a decoration? Or..."
A shining sword arced down from overhead as a glowing blade bit deeply into the Strife Lord's shoulder. The hulking armor whirled around, growling in recognition even before he laid eyes on the subject.
"Arthur..." he growled.
Before the Strife Lord, wearing armor and bearing the same blade that felled Panzer, was the last Innovator, Arthur. All around him flashes of light appeared as Rodi, Melody, Basso, Akane, Forte, Doyle... and Lisa appeared, fully armed and ready to fight.
"You can't be serious..." Erebeus said as he began to raise his sword of fell energy.
"You can't be allowed to live," Arthur returns, power flaring around him as he lunged forward to stab at Erebeus again. The
Strife Lord easily parried, but swift as the wind, Akane and Rodi were beside him, plunging artifact swords forged in the Far East deep within his body, empowered further by legendary skill and strength. Even this was not aimed to wound him, but rather to hold him, as Doyle rolled under the storm of blows and launched a single throwing star that caught the link by an edged tip and threw it far from Erebeus' hand.
"The Link! NO!" Erebeus boomed, attempting to turn, but finding himself caught in place by ninja blades.
"The Link... That foul piece of black chain started all this. It's what gives you your newfound power, what lets you rise against god and man alike," Arthur says with narrowed eyes. "You did not arrive here unnoticed, Erebeus. But we waited, watched, and searched, until we became certain of your power, certain of your nature... and certain of the way to defeat you."
"Rise, heroes of the Light!" Melody cries out as Arthur and Lisa raise their own blades to channel holy power. Rippling vital energies flow from staff and sword towards the bodies of the fallen, re-energizing them, restoring them, binding soul to body once more. A sea of shuddering breaths are taken as the last Shining Force stirs to life once more. One by one, sword, spell, claw, and more are turned against Erebeus once again. This time, the blows begin to clearly affect him. Without the Link to draw power from, Erebeus is less of a terrifying titan and more of the same foe the Force had faced twice before in his brothers. Roaring with outrage, fell energy lanced from his fingers and darkness poured from his being towards the heroes, but spell after spell and iron will nullified the assault. The clash of good and evil continues, Erebeus barely able to defend himself against the onslaught, trying desperately to find the Link that was knocked from his hand.
The steady flap of bat wings heralds the arrival of Galm, followed by Elise as they soar above the fierce melee, apparently not paying the combatants any heed as their eyes search the ruined keep. Elise's lips curl as she points to a spot near Dam.
"There," she says. Galm nods and unleashes a massive bolt of purple lighting that blasts away the wall near Dam, then melts away a second wall of illusion and force, a last magical defense until in the middle of a circle of rubble Yeesha and Simone are seen.
"The Narrator..." Erebeus hisses, turning his attention to the scared young woman behind the arch-wizardess of Cypress.
"Sure as hell won't be YOURS!" Derrik roars, charging out from a shattered wall with a small group of armored troops wielding strange guns at his side. He grins. "Sorry it had to come to this, but with enough money, you can find anything. Even soldiers trained in the most powerful Ancient weapons you can get. Simone is MINE!"
"She's not any of yours!" Daran shouts, ducking inside his armor and bringing the systems up to bear. Yeesha raises her staff in front of her.
"And you'll die before you touch her!" Yeesha promises.
"I don't know about that," a soft, subtle male voice said as Lew appeared on a ruined battlement above. "There are quite a lot of people interested in her... and that little piece of chain. Do you really think you can keep EVERYONE from getting their hands on it?"
Erebeus surged with sudden strength, sending Rodi and Akane flying as Arthur dashes to interpose himself and keep him held back. Dark energy strike Innovator blade once more as he turns to the others. "Don't let anyone get near her!!" he calls.
Derrik's troops open fire even as he rushes forward, drawing an enchanted dagger from a chest sheath.
"Give her to me!" he shouts as he runs. "You don't UNDERSTAND what she is... what she can do! What she can do to Erebeus! She could end this war, she could kill the last of the Strife Lords, she could be the key to my REVENGE! Give her to me!!!" Derriks' eyes narrow as his pleas fall on deaf ears. "I won't have you stand in my way... Not when it's all so close..."
Derrik is cut off as a blast of energy sends him flying back, his troops scattering. Galm shakes his head at the merchant.
"No... She is mine. The secrets of the Creator can be laid bare with her, one of the first... The answer to all the mysteries the Ancients tred to unlock and more..." Galm soars down towards Simone. "She is the key to understanding the past, no, the key to understanding EVERYTHING!"
Lew is in motion with blinding speed, leaping onto Galm as he draws close and crashing him into the ground.
"No, my dear friend, I can't allow that..." he says with a smile before his mouth opens to an obscene width, moreso than would be possible even if he unhinged his jaw, and belched forth a stream of twisted faces and screaming souls. Galm seems
only irritated and hurls the man back.
"Demon's Breath on me?" Galm snarls, incredulously. "Lucifer, the passage of time has dulled your mind..."
"Well here's something that's not dull!" Basso roars as he buries his axe into Galm's back. "I promised you back then that I'd repay you... The time has come for you to collect your debt with interest! This has been a long time coming!!"
Galm whirls around and delivers a supernaturally strong punch to the dragonman's chest that sends him flying back. A holy sword soon after comes crashing down upon Galm's shoulders as Lisa executes a somersault slash. She glares at Galm with maddened fury in her eyes.
"You raped me..." she hisses. "Both my body and my MIND! You violated... everything. Now you're going to understand what it means to be POWERLESS!"
"I gave you a son, a powerful heir to your kingdom when the Empire finally crumbles," Galm booms. "But I suppose I cannot expect appreciation from such shortsighted mortals."
"No, but you can expect death," Rodi said, sternly. "They come now, at last. The time has come for them to strke."
Galm's eyes narrow. "What do you..."
Flashes of light all round the battlefield again as Julian and Jane appear from thin air, leading the famed Julian's battalion. Next to them is an older man in an odd blue robe, clutch a globed staff. Julian levels his blade at Galm.
"Now, then!" he roars. "Know the same end as my father, monster! Julian Battalion, attack!!!"

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Fri Jun 25 2010 9:12am
by Arcdragnbreth
"Forgive me, guys," Dam whispered, closing his eyes. "I want to stay... but there are more things that need to be done than simply fighting. Someday, I hope, this will all be for the best."
Then, clicking his heels, the rogue activates his boots, dragging the Narrator Simone, the wizardess Yeesha, and the tinker Daran away from the fray.
~~~
"I wish I'd remembered to pack a blanket or something," the orange-haired mountebank muttered, snowflakes crunching underfoot as more swirled in the air. "Come on... Graigus' temple isn't too far away. It's the only place I could think of that would be safe on short notice, but we don't have much time if we're going to figure out something else that works."

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Sat Jun 26 2010 8:15am
by TheUnknownMarine
Oblivious to the earthshaking events half a world away, Graigus' temple is perfectly serene in the mountains.
---------
"No!" Erebeus roars. He clenches a fist and raises a hand only to be interrupted as Derrik throws himself on top of the Strife Lord, stabbing wildly with his dagger.
"Oh no you don't! You're not following! Someone else can have her so long as it's NOT YOU!" Derrik roars.
"Arrogant MERCHANT!" Erebeus booms, driving an iron-shod fist through Derrik's stomach. The merchant-mage wobbles unsteadily on his feet, then falls back with a cry of pain. The mercenaries he brought open fire on the Strife Lord, their weapons launching bolts of sizzling black at the demonic being. This serves to enrage and distract Erebeus further, opening more opportunities for others to press the attack. Arthur and company do exactly that, not leaving the Strife Lord a moment to retreat or regroup.
Julian launches himself at Galm, bringing his sword up and over his head in a leap attack. Galm growls at shields himself with a wing at the last second, but Jane teleports to his other side, launching a blast of arcane energy at him. Galm raises a shield with his other hand, blocking the assault.
"Now you think to turn against your own kind? Hmm hmm hmm... Maybe the Vandal blood in you is stronger than we thought..." Galm laughs, darkly.
"Talk of bloodlines is pointless," Jane returns. "People are people. I am who I am."
"And what you are is DEAD!" Ignatius shouts as he flies down from his perch atop a shattered tower, firing blasts of supernatural energy with both hands. The bolts of eldritch energy strike Galm to no effect, the powerful Vandal waiting until Ignatius had drawn close to melee before lashing out with a single claw and tearing out his throat. Ignatius stumbles backward with a shocked look on his face.
"No, that is your fate..." Galm rumbles. "For daring to strike at your own father... before you were READY."
"IGNATIUS!" Lisa shouts out, the fury takes hold of her completely, she can no longer even form words as she flings herself at Galm and savagely attacks him again and again and again, heedless of defense. Galm blocks clumsy blow after clumsy blow before finally locking a hand around Lisa's throat and beginning to squeeze. His tail lashes out at Julian, knocking the swordsman back as his other hand fires a wave of unholy energy that temporarily knocks the rest of Julian Battalion off their feet. His grip begins to tighten as suddenly the sound of gunfire splits the air.
"Someone order some cavalry?" Sheila cries as she dashes forward, firing both pistols while charging Galm and leaping up to deliver a scissor kick to the Vandal. The reckless assault deals little damage, but succeeds in distracting Galm enough for Lisa to break free with a ragged gasp and take a few steps back.
"Take her place, then..." Galm rumbles as he grabs the GICS agent by the throat.
Elsewhere on the battlefield, a shadowy figure was beginning to cast a spell, only to be interrupted as a cascade of icy blades crashed into him.
"Ah..." Lew said with a fake smile as he turned to the waiting form of Queen Anri. "I was wondering when you'd make your appearance. Where's your new shadow?"
"Right here," Max said as he burst from behind a ruined door behind Lew and put the Chaos Breaker to his back. "Sorry we're late. Had to get a few things in order."
"While Erebeus is concentrated here, Mae and her forces, supported by the Cypressians and Ian's Shining Force, are pushing towards the Citadel of Strife," Anri said with cold fury in her ice-blue eyes. "We'd join them, but..."
"Lew. Lew Siffer. You didn't even really try all that hard to hide it, did you?" Max asked. "When I first heard of your help, it bugged me for quite some time. I felt something was wrong... I could've never guessed to this degree."
Lew smiled. "Yes, I didn't put much effort into this guise, did I? Yet only now at the end did you manage to piece it together. That's rather sad, don't you think?"
Anri narrowed her eyes. "You're going to do some explaining."
"No, I'm afraid not. You see, there's a scared little chickadee of a bookworm out there, and if I leave now, I can fol-" Lew began to say. He was interrupted as Max drove his Chaos Breaker through the Devil King's back. Lew gasped in pain, falling to his knees... then started laughing hysterically as he stood up again and kicked Max away, removing the holy blade from his chest with a single hand.
"You didn't really think it would be that easy did you? I'm a DEVIL KING!" Lew said with a wicked smile. "And you have NO IDEA how funny I find it that I very nearly was able to compromise your little band of new heroes to the point where I could've had them GIVE me what I wanted."
Max rolled to a standing position and jumped to reclaim his sword as Anri sent a wave of ice after Lucifer. The Devil King smiled and joined battle as yet more chaos erupted.
Only slightly so far, the earth began to rumble all across the globe...

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Thu Jul 15 2010 5:56am
by Arcdragnbreth
"Rise," the woren said lightly but firmly, a furred hand pulling the fallen commander to his feet, half dragging him across the debris-decorated floor. "The Rangers have need of their namesake, Jim Radford, and our work is not yet done."
~~~~~
A storm of staff strikes rolled across the back of the Vandal, the dwarven monk finishing with a sweeping swing meant to knock Galm off his feet. "Put her down! You aren't going to hurt anyone else that easily!"
~~~~~
"Swords, magic... far be it from me to change the status quo," the elven bladesinger said, strolling slowly towards the unmasked Devil King. Stopping alongside the slayer of the Dark Dragon, he pointed his blade at Lucifer and said, "I kinda broke my evil spellcaster... mind if I borrow yours?"

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Thu Jul 15 2010 7:00am
by TheUnknownMarine
"I guess we can share him..." Max says with a grin as he rolls over to where the Chaos Breaker landed and sweeps up his sword in a fluid motion.
"Oh come on," Lucifer says with a smile, raising a hand to partially deflect another stream of icy shards from Anri. "There's still only three of you, no matter how empowered. And I can do THIS."
Lucifer inhales deeply and belches forth a cloud of screaming souls that strip away the strength and vitality of the heroes around him. An attack that would've felled any ordinary being, the Demon's Breath badly drains the trio opposing the final Devil King.
----------
Jim stirs weakly as Pantherath drags him back to life. He manages only an unintelligible groan as the Templar carries him off. Consciousness is slow to return.
---------
Any normal being would find a direct assault on the Vandal of Vandals a futility... but Graigus Stonemead was no longer a normal being. Each blow of his staff struck like a meteor from heaven, empowered with righteous wrath and indignation. Galm winced at first, but the blows kept coming until finally he released Sheila with a howl and recoiled, barely managing to keep his footing. The GICS agent hit the ground, coughing and clutching at her throat as she gasped for air.
"That was a FOOLISH thing to..." Galm growls, but stopped as light began to coalesce around him. Looking up, he jerked backward as a blinding beam of energy shot down from the heavens to where he was just standing. Even Galm was not fast enough, and the beam melts off his left arm at the elbow before exploding and sending everyone flying. Galm looks up again, irritation plain on his face. Another beam strikes Erebeus dead on, but is mostly negated by an energy shield that pops up around the fiend. The shield breaks under the strain, but leaves the Strife Lord mostly unscathed. Another beam streaks towards Lucifer, but the Devil King waves a hand and the energy blast twists in midair to strike a part of the castle instead, collapsing that part of the fortress.
"That damn ship..." he growls. He turns to Elise even as his arm begins to regenerate. "Handle it."
Elise nods and shoots up into the sky.
----------
In low orbit...
"You're kidding me! NONE of the cannons took them out?!" the captain of the Vagabond shouted from his chair. "We overcharged those with every nanojoule the reactor could put out!" he turns. "Engineering! Are you SURE the repairs were one hundred percent complete?!"
The reply from a harried man in a rumpled uniform at his station was less than convincing. "We THINK so... It was a miracle we managed to repair everything at all with all the..."
"Just get them ready for another round! We'll try to overwhelm them with barrages! Gunners, be more careful, you almost hit the heroes with that last sho-"
"Incoming bogey, from battlesite!" the comm/scan officer yelled. "Closing fast!"
"A bogey! You're joking!" the captain grimaced. "They don't have spacecraft and even when firing, nothing should be able to detect..."
The captain trailed off as the image of a white haired, red armored beauty came up on his viewscreen, clearly rocketing towards the ship.
"One of those..." he murmured before shouting. "Evasive action! EVASIVE ACTION!"
The ship of course, was not as fast as Elise. The Vandal burst through the lower hull and out the upper in the space of a few seconds, turning around and bursting through the ship again as she flew back down to the planet surface, not even bothering to cast a spell or use any attack beyond the ramming. Explosions blossomed from several areas around her entry and exit points as vital and volatile pipelines were forcibly severed. The frigate began to move erratically. On the bridge there was panic.
"Sir, the cannons..."
"Damn the cannons! How's my ship! Casualty report!"
"Five dead around the damaged sections, sir! Hull breach in the midsection, emergency seals ARE active... Cannot maintain shielding, weapons, or engines! All power is needed for life support!"
"Canny bitch, she screwed with our power..." the captain muttered, his face growing grim. "How'd she know to... Nevermind. Helmsman, how MUCH of the engines cannot be maintained?"
The helmsman was a bald humanoid with pure black eyes. "Sir... We can't maintain orbit. We're going down."
"Escape systems report malfunctions!" the distressed cry came from another bridge officer. "Sir, we've got no shuttles and our pods are damaged!"
The captain collapsed into his chair. "So... that's it then? Right. Old girl... Right." he frowned and collected himself. "Reroute all power that can be rerouted to the engines. Helmsman, do you best. All hands, brace for crash landing!"
---------
Elsewhere, the flap of leathery, demonic wings cut through the still night sky. A humanoid flew, far away from the desolation of the once proud Fort Ordalia.
"Oh we're going to be deliriously happy, you'll see..." the female voice whispered. She was very beautiful. A model of desire... if one could see past the wings, horns, and tail. She cradled with supernatural strength a sleeping figure, an elf with blond hair in green clothes. Ilrael smiled. "Let those fools fight over the world... Let that monk try to find you... You're mine now, until the end of time. And together we will sing such songs as would make all the heavens and all the hells weep with joy..."
The demoness giggled and began to sing softly, continuing to hum even as she put mile after mile between her and the fort, speeding toward a new life.
---------
The rumbling grows in intensity as Erebeus pauses in his assault. Arcs of lightning begin to play across the sky, though there is no storm.
"No..." he murmurs. "They can't have managed to..."

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Thu Jul 15 2010 5:21pm
by Dark Maiden
(( Oh noes! ))
Jessica does her best to keep the party going, but she is starting to feel the strain. It is doubtful she will be able to keep it up for too much longer.
Merla bites her lip as the fighting rages on around her. She is quickly running out of options, as most of the spells she could manage to cast are either too weak to hurt their enemies, or would hurt her allies in the process. One spell springs to mind and she unleashes the might of a Bolt spell on Erebeus. It might just branch off and strike other enemies, depending on where he is standing.
Mere moments after Lucifer attacks, the half elven monk Kethra comes out of seemingly nowhere and attacks with a jump kick. Regardless of whether she hits him or not, she manages to land gracefully somehow and says, "Make that four."
Seeing that her allies might need some help with Lucifer, Kayla rushes over and tries to stick her knife in him. "Five is even better I think," the tiefling says with a grin.
((Rawr! ))

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Sat Jul 17 2010 12:26am
by Kaihaku
A few stones roll aside from a pile of rubble beneath the crumbling ruins of the fort, a small hand grasping out at the air and latching onto a splintered beam. A small figure, worn and battered, slowly crawls from the wreck of once great aspirations and takes in the scene dismally. Death, though still unpleasant, was not a new experience and neither was the powerful magic that had revived him.
Light help us. Felix murmurs dismally, eyes trailing over dead comrades and broken fortifications. Starting forward as soon as his wits catch up, the halfling heads towards the flashes of power that mark the few heroes yet standing. His heart breaks as he notes that so few of his friends among them. As the halfling hurriedly shuffles to the aid of his Queen and her hero, he draws his blade, though little help it may be.

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Mon Jul 19 2010 5:44am
by Arcdragnbreth
The monk bounced once, then twice, before rolling back onto his feet. Not missing the opportunity, he presses his attack once more while Galm's arm continues the process of regeneration.
~~~~~
"These guys really don't know how to take it slow, do they?" Ashathel said through gritted teeth, twirling his blade before delivering slash after slash.
~~~~~
"Servants of justice, persevere!" Pantherath demanded, spreading healing to those in the fight as he half-carried, half-dragged his commander forward.

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Mon Jul 19 2010 6:58am
by TheUnknownMarine
Felix's crystal shard glows and feels warm to the touch as the battle rises in intensity.
Kethra manages to drive her foot into Lucifer's back, causing the Devil King to growl with irritation and stumble a bit. The halfling's blade bites at him and he throws the brave little warrior aside, ignoring the injury dealt. As Jessica's and Pantherath's healing washes over the group, Max takes the opportunity to press the attack, dealing another heavy blow with the Chaos Breaker as Anri covers him with a well placed Ultimate Freeze. Lucifer growls and his hands flare with dark power as he slams them over Max. The Dragonslayer gives out a strangled gasp as the greater part of his life force is stolen by the blow.
Ashathel's sword lands blow after blow and Lucifer finally drives the elf back with a concussive blast of energy.
"ENOUGH! I tire of FISTICUFFS with FOOLS!" Lucifer roars, spitting out a word of power. Hellfire roars around him in a protective aura, covering the Devil King in flames. "Heaven's wrath or hell's fire, heroes? Too bad you didn't stay friends with Odd-Eye, this shield..."
Unnoticed in the fray until the very end, Kayla makes her declaration and slips her swords into Lucifer's back, the fiery shield not touching her.
"... only leaves those with the blood of devils untouched..." Lucifer finishes, as he staggers forward a little. "Unbelievable... I came so close..." he grins slightly. "But... I'll take solace... in keeping my secrets to the end."
Kayla twists her blades and Lucifer explodes into a pile of ash.
---------
Merla's lightning spell hits Erebeus, but he ignores it. For a moment, he ignores everything as attack after attack strikes him, and he only stares into the sky for a time. Then he roars with mad rage and begins laying about him with his blade in a berserker fury. Those from Julian's battalion fare the worst. Donhort reels back, a terrible wound opening his chest. He clasps a hand to the injury and groans.
"I... I'm sorry. I've got to fall back..." he mutters, turning to flee. Erebeus continues his rampage, driving his blade straight through Thousand and unleashing a fireball of dark flame onto the ogre-rider Turk.
"Argh... This... injury is too grave. I'll be back when I get a chance to patch up," Thousand grunts as he staggers back and takes to the air, drops of dragon blood raining down from the huge hole in his side.
"Yaaaaa! Sorry everyone, pick up where I left off!" Turk screams as he rides his tamed ogre away from the battle.
"Flee!" Erebeus roars. "FLEE!"
He slams his blade into the ground and the earth splits around him, blasting away those still in melee with him. All fly several feet through the air. Arthur, Akane, and Rodi get up shakily and swiftly cast a series of healing spells to undo the damage caused to themselves.
---------
Distracted as he is, Galm is put on the defensive by Graigus' attacks. The monk's potent attacks injure Galm a little, but more importantly keep him off-balance. This opportunity is taken advantage of by both Basso and Lisa, who hack at the Vandal with holy sword and axe. Galm's regeneration begins to slow, unable to keep up with the sheer volume of injuries being dealt to him. He doesn't roar, he doesn't shout or curse... Suddenly his eyes narrow and without a word the air around Lisa and Basso... constricts. The fabric of reality seems to crash the heroic pair for a brief moment before the strange man with the globe staff that appeared with Julian frowns and narrows his eyes. Reality untwists itself, but Lisa and Basso fall to the ground with horrific injuries, bones broken and flesh torn.
"This does not matter," Galm coldly states, even as Sheila rolls away and begins to open fire on him again, recovered from the near crushing of her throat. The powerful and enchanted bullets pierce Galm's demon skin, but Galm is more than a being of meat and bone. "Even if you overwhelmed me to the brink of death, you could never push me over. Not without an Innovator. If Arthur sacrifices himself to slay me, then Elise will go free and take my vengeance." A thought occurs to Galm and he smiles. "I suppose you'll have to choose."
--------
The last bout of healing has restored Jim to consciousness. He blinks at Pantherath.
"I'm... not dead?" he asks weakly. Then his eyes widen. "Oh Christ, my arm, my leg, I..." he shakes his head, grimacing and looking down before turning to Pantherath again, his eyes flashing. "I can't reach my sidearm without my... arm. Grab it and put it in my remaining hand. I'll do what I can."
----------
Above the heroes, the sky turns red and a portion of it seems to collapse inward before shooting forth a fiery meteor that crashes in the middle of the battle. From that aerial rupture, a spiderweb of arcane energy forms until the sky is alight with it. Then it shatters in an instant and everyone feels jerked forward despite not having moved an inch. Something feels... different. The meteor is unseen in the middle of a large impact crater.
"The barrier..." the old man with the staff mutters. "Gone?"
"No! It can't be! All those sacrifices... All that work... All that POWER!!!" Erebeus screams in rage as the sky changes. He looks around with mad intensity. "Where'd..."
"You may notice the absence of Doyle," Rodi notes, clinically. "It's because he's the fastest runner here... and we have assurances you will not be able to teleport away..."
Erebeus turns to face the globe-staff man, who smiles innocently.
"It's just my little contribution," he says. "Among other things..." his face falls. "But not that meteor. Not mine." he turns to Arthur and Julian. "One of yours? No? Then..."
The man is interrupted as Erebeus fires a blast of unholy energy at him, only for it to be deflected by a shimmering shield. Arthur and his allies immediately resume the attack.

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Fri Jul 30 2010 3:27pm
by Kaihaku
Felix stumbles back to his feet, eyes widening as Lucifer crumbles to ash around the outstretched blades of the mysterious rogue. Good job! The Halfling praises, not entirely sure who exactly they had been fighting but certain that it had been an important enemy. Honestly, on reflection, he wasnt sure who the mysterious rogue was either but she must be a powerful ally to defeat such an enemy.
Your majesty, what should I do now? The Halfling asks next, turning to the monarch of his native land and looking up at her uneasily, Im not sure His sentence trails off, the Halfling only now noticing the crater where the flaming rock had impacted from the heavens above, Uh.

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Fri Jul 30 2010 5:36pm
by TheUnknownMarine
Anri tightens her grip on her staff as she surveys the battlefield.
"...Erebeus. We have to take down Erebeus! Swiftly!" she breathes, raising her staff and chanting arcane words. A storm of ice crashes down on the Strife Lord, but is deflected by an unseen shield. Max begins to dash towards the last of the three that had started this whole mess.
The melee only intensifies against Erebeus and Galm. A gleam of red and white is seen descending from the sky and those with keen senses can see Elise soaring down to rejoin the fray.
A dull red glow begins to emanate from the impact crater.

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Sat Jul 31 2010 7:54am
by Arcdragnbreth
"I can do more than that," the Woren said, placing the gun in Radford's good hand before placing his arms gently on the human's shoulders. Pantherath's hand shone brightly, bestowing a near-searing heat that spread through Jim's body like a wildfire through dry brush. Inside his body, he could feel the damaged portions of his body healing more thoroughly, as destroyed muscle and vanished bone regrew and knitted itself together from what still remained.
((Luck of the dice, indeed; Miracle used to cast Regenerate, and the roll was a pair of 1's on 2d10.))
~~~
Ashathel is only a step behind Max, the elf's blade swinging in time with the human's as both bore down on the final Strife Lord.
~~~
"Then we'll take you as far as we can!" Graigus insists, twisting around legs and under arms as his staff swings overhead and underfoot, snaking between his limbs and fingers between bone-crunching strikes to the Vandal's still-injured body.

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Fri Aug 06 2010 1:25am
by Dark Maiden
"Thanks!" Kayla says, smiling at Felix. She then turns and sprints after Max and Ash to help finish off Erebeus.
Kethra follows close behind. It was time to finish this, once and for all.
Merla narrows her eyes as the battle rages on around her. Her options are clearly fading fast, as any harmful spell she could cast would harm her allies in the process. An idea springs to mind and the wizardess turns her attention to Erebeus. Using her magic, she attempts to strip him of any beneficial enchantments that he may have and take them for herself.
((Reaving Dispel on Erebeus. Spellcraft check is 1d20+35. Caster level for the dispel attempt itself is 20.))

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Tue Aug 10 2010 1:50am
by Kaihaku
"Right!" Felix answers his Queen, heading after the others with shield and sword at the ready. Unfortunately, no matter how fast as he hurries with his short legs he soon falls behind the others. He can't help but long for the speed of the knights and that brings on the memory of being carried away by Sir Prestle long ago, his jaw clenches as he bites back the thought. Instead, he slides his sword back into its scabbard and slings his shield over his back before drawing his bow. At least that way he could offer some help while closing the distance.

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Tue Aug 10 2010 8:41pm
by Lord Oddeye sama
((I was told to post this.))
Possibly unnoticed by the warriors at work, a minuscule dot of light popped into existence far above, delusory star in the cruel night. As suddenly as it came, this "star" shot downward and, upon reaching a vantage point above the battlefield, instantly burst into blinding light that went to fill every corner of the nearby space, pouring from an indistinct cone in infinite showers shining over them all like a great moonlight torch.
Two distinct forms came into view within the drapes of sheltering light piercing the pleading shadows. The heart of their bright cover descended as they did, obscure outlines looking over the crowd of fighters and fallen, gently gliding down as if weightless through the power that be.
Descending through clouds of dust and smoke, the two gracefully touch down atop the cracked stone likeness of a great shield, the same shield once held by the towering statue of the Strife Slayer. The colossal statue, formed from living stone, now lays shattered in countless pieces, toppled by the malevolent powers that had laid siege to the fortress.
From the little that transpired, one wore rich clothes worthy of a fancy sovereign, strands of blond hair occasionally showing amidst all the shimmer and glimmer, as well as the regal handle of a weapon hanging at the guest's side.
Bathed in the light of his radiant companion, for some the second figure might just make up in familiarity what he lacks in glory. Pure white wings jutting from his back, glasses poised strategically over his nose, long white overcoat snapped close against the breeze, and silver shield held ready in hand...the oh so mysterious figure stands ready to join the fray with great flair and flamboyance.
The first figure spoke up, a pleasant, almost reassuring feel in a voice that might be familiar to some.
((Obligatory jingle))
"Hmhmhm... Well met, my friends. How are you faring on this fine, glaring night?"
A small creature resembling a squirrel or a weasel climbed up the man's shoulder, emitting little squeaky sounds. Or was it actually laughing? Be that as it may, it might have delivered a message only the man could understand, for it suddenly came to his attention that there were more fallen than friends in the vicinity.
"Silly me, you are right! I grieve not all our friends can hear us from where they are. Would you arrange this, Dear Doctor?"
"What? Not 'all' of our friends...wait just a minute... That old codger said that everyone was dead but... Hey! No fair, you're supposed to stay dead unless I'm around." The Doctor protests playfully, his eyes brightening as he sees so many of his friends still alive.
"There goes my dramatic entrance."
"Right. No promises but I'll give it my best attempt." The Doctor looks out over the battlefield, commanding the fallen to return to life with some authority, "Wakey, wakey! Come on, back on your feet already! No more lazing around in the afterlife! There's a huuuuuge mess to clean up."
((Miracle with 5,000 experience burnt for 'Swinging the tide of a battle in your favor by raising fallen allies to continue fighting. ' Everyone who wants to be resurrected is resurrect, unless there's still interference in that area. Which would make me jealous of the NPC's resurrection powers. ))
"I swear, we leave them alone for a few days and they trash the place." The Doctor says confidentially to his companion, before turning his eyes to the group closing on the final Strife Lord and calling out cheerfully, "Kayla! You go girl! Kick his ass!"
The little animal squirmed and squeaked with laughter before inadvertently losing balance, caught back in time by a providencial hand made of heavenly force. Or at least, it knew how to keep itself in the air just fine, soaring back on its rightful shoulder perch. Its master did not reply, placidly expectant while the Doctor's miraculous spell took effect.

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Wed Aug 11 2010 1:20am
by Dark Maiden
Kayla turns her head at the sound of a familiar voice. "Alastor!" she cries, her eyes brimming with tears. They are tears of joy, however -- not sadness. She nods her head and smiles at him. "You betcha!"

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Wed Aug 11 2010 3:09am
by TheUnknownMarine
((No interference, but it takes variable times to work to explain why some people may be slow to return...))
Jim can't help but gasp in pain as his limbs regrow with tremendous speed. Bone erupts from the stumps first, followed by tendrils of nerve, ligament, and muscle. As the magical healing still works, he can do little but stare at his reforming limbs, even speech beyond his power.
Unnoticed by most due to the raging fight, a hand reaches up from the impact crater and a tall figure begins to pull himself up from it.
Arthur looks up at Alastor, an odd expression crossing his still youthful features. Then he looks back to Erebeus and tightens his hold on his blade.
"Holy crap, they're back! Hahahaha, I knew it!" Sheila cheers as the Doctor and nobleman appear over the battlefield.
Merla feels a surge of fell power course through her body as she siphons some of Erebeus' strength from him. Ecstasy fills her being as the desire AND capability to destroy floods her veins, raw dark magic pooling in her being. Erebeus growls at her for this thievery, irritation plain even for his featureless visage.
((Merla's alignment temporarily changes to Chaotic Evil, but she retains her allegiances, vendettas, and is not compelled to attack her allies. All of her magic is maximized, empowered, and gains the Fel descriptor. All her direct damage spells are restored.))
Hemmed in by all directions by heroes, Erebeus swings his sword in a wide arc, forcing back the tide of good. Alastor's magic permeates the battlefield in a sparkling green aura of pure life and his growl of irritation rises in volume. It cuts off into a mocking laugh as Max and Anri join the attack on him.
"Oh it's always you two..." Erebeus rumbles. "You don't even know what you really are. Again and again. You always show up. The spirited swordsman, the noble wizardess... I saw the past you yourself don't remember. The Link showed it to me. Blanc Neige, Cyrille, Toma... Ancient names. Familiar names? Feel the old tinge of lives lost tugging at your memory?"
Max and Anri slow, a puzzled look settling on their faces. Erebeus chuckles.
"Even if you idiots kill me, it will gain you nothing. You've allowed an equal threat to slip by you... And that is why even if I die here, I will die content," the Strife Lord states.
"Enough of your blustering!" Arthur shouts, bringing up his blade. The sword begins to glow blue with power. "This ends now!" Erebeus stands his ground.
"Like son, like father... Penchants for the dramatic won't win battles, a lesson both of you should take to heart," Erebeus hisses as Arthur charges. The Innovator leaps high into the air, bringing his sword crashing down on Erebeus with the force of a small comet. Erebeus moves his own sword around Arthur's, the Innovator striking true. The blessed blade cleaves the black armor that surrounds the Strife Lord, leaving a large breach that pulses with azure light. Erebeus roars in pain, then...
Then it becomes clear that the reason he moved his own sword was not to parry, but to strike. The black energy blade of Erebeus slides easily into Arthur and out his back, breaking through defense after defense as sacred armor, defensive spell, and well honed skill all falter to the onslaught. Arthur gasps in pain and Erebeus kicks him off his sword with one black metal boot to the stomach. The Innovator collapses to the ground, breathing shallowly and unmoving.
"ARTHUR?!" Akane screams, rushing to his side.
Seeing an opening, the heroes of Light press the attack on Erebeus. Max brings the Chaos Breaker down on Erebeus' blade, forcing it down as Ashathel slashes deeply into the Strife Lord's gut, or where his gut should be. Erebeus grunts, but makes no other acknowledgment of the attack. Kayla opts for a more precise strike, driving her daggers into the cut Arthur made. Erebeus howls in pain and backhands the tiefling away, the impact causing her to roll several feet. Kethra attempts to land a series of blows on Erebeus' form, but when her hands strike the metal, she feels unholy fire burn them.
Felix's crystal begins to pulse strongly as he peppers Erebeus with arrows.
"Julian!" Jane urges. "Arthur is..."
"Can't worry about that now!" Julian says, continuing to slash at Galm. "Focus on this first!"
"Can a lady cut in?" Elise asks smoothly as she drops in from above, smashing Julian into the ground with a palm glowing crimson. Jane looks on in horror as Elise sends crimson lines of lighting over Julian's body. "I promise to make the dance as quick as possible..."
Graigus' blows keep bruising the Vandal as Sheila drops to a knee and fires round after round into the demonic being. Galm doesn't make a sound as he suddenly punches Graigus in the chest with all the force of a plummeting dragon. The sturdy dwarf is sent flying back, several of his bones broken as Galm turns his attention to Sheila. Sheila tenses herself to dodge, but then lets out a strangled gasp as an unseen force clenches on her throat and lifts her into the air.
"Now..." Galm hisses. "Where WERE we?"
"GET. Your HANDS! OFF!! MY!!! SISTER!!!" a voice booms as a blur of black and red slams into Galm. Sheila falls to the ground gasping for breath a SECOND time as Galm finds himself grappling with a tall blond man in a rumpled black suit. Sunglasses cover his eyes,but twin pinpricks of red light can be dimly seen behind them. Galm narrows his eyes at the newcomer, who offers him a feral grin. "Hello, appetizer."
A vague sense of alien horror tingles at the back of everyone's mind and rivulets of utter darkness begin to emerge from the ground in several places and slowly coagulate into pools.

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Wed Aug 11 2010 2:07pm
by Kaihaku
?Ah! Enrick! You're shining in my face!? The Doctor protests, leaping away from his friend and skidding down the ruins of the great stone shield nimbly, ?There, that's better..." He adjusts his glasses, "I can see again.?
WARNING: SPOILER!
These were cast after fetching Enrick but before warping in.
Coventry
Freedom of Movement, Duration: 189 Minutes
Polymorph(Angel Wings), Duration: 17 Minutes
Moment of Prescience, Duration:19 hours or until discharged
Foresight, Duration: 189 Minutes
"I haven't heard reasoning that lame since that archery contest. 'I die content because...uh...there's other evil stuff going on'." The Doctor scoffs as he hops to the ground, flipping a diamond from a pouch on his belt and catching it in hand, "Is that all you got left going for you, Errorpus, that there's an 'equal' threat we let slip?" He shudders, "Quick, someone cast silence so we can at least pretend he died with some dignity."
"Did the other two get all philosophical in the end? I guess that's the only smug prick routine you got left." The Doctor pauses his tirade to raise diamond in the direction of the fallen Arthur and murmur words of healing. The diamond crumbles to dust as restorative power swirls over the hero, jolting him back to life. "'Here, let me show you how superior I am by giving a history lesson, because all my superiority definitely isn't showing in how this fight is going.'"
[Revivify, at 30ft via Divine Reach.]
"I got to admit, this is not how I wanted to remember you. It's kind of an embarrassing end for the, you know, mysterious dark overlord of an evil empire." The Doctor continues. "So much for bragging to future generations about facing the great Errorpus, instead its going to be...yeah, well, he kind of whined pompously when we killed him."
Running across the torn earth as fast as his little feet can carry him, Felix notches another arrow to his bow and lets it fly, this time at Elise as she brutally assaults Julian. Lowering his bow, the halfling touches a hand to his crystal and pulls it out as he rushes to join his Queen in battling the final Strife Lord.
[Shot on the run, somewhere around 40 to hit. If that's a near hit, I can do the math, otherwise please spare me.]

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Wed Aug 11 2010 6:52pm
by TheUnknownMarine
"How unfortunate our time together is fated to be so short, you may have made an amusing jester after I devoured part of your soul," Erebeus sneers. "Hopefully a better jester than healer..."
The revivification spell seems to have helped restore a little of Arthur's energy, but it has failed to heal him completely and he still lies dying on the ground. Coventry has bought time and little else. Akane attempts a powerful healing spell only to see it sucked away into nothing by the baleful wound. She appears on the verge of tears.
Felix's arrows strikes true, burying itself in Elise's shoulder as his crystal glows reassuringly. The Vandal growl and snaps off the arrow, looking up and glaring at the diminutive warrior.

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Thu Aug 12 2010 1:38am
by Dark Maiden
(( I take direct damage to mean anything that deals damage immediately and not over time.))
"S-Such power," Merla gasps as the fel energy courses through her. "Incredible..." The wizardess raises her arm and giggles as fel fire envelops the Strife Lord. "You talk too much Erebeus." Her expression is one of pure bliss -- something that is foreign to anyone that knows Merla. She is clearly enjoying this, and for someone who is normally so calm and collected -- it could be very, very bad.
((Blaze 4. 156 damage. Spell Resistance check 40.))
Kayla grunts in pain, but she recovers from the blow quickly and presses the attack once again.
Kethra bites back a cry of pain, but her expression makes it plain that trying to hit Erebeus hurt her. Feeling that her talents might not be suited for fighting him, she joins the fight against Galm.
Jessica tries to best to keep her allies fighting, but she is running out of power. "I...can't hold out...much longer," she says between breathes.

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Tue Aug 17 2010 12:26pm
by Lord Oddeye sama
"*chuckle*"
The shining one looked toward Coventry while the atmosphere dimmed slowly at the edge of the cone, giving the darkness some respite.
"Wouldn't it make a grandicious epic, though? Shining in my Face? The moving travel of daylight toward the city of Coventry, starring..."
The man stepped to the edge of his pedestal of momentary glory, the grand curtain of divine light finishing to recede to reintegrate his aura, warm glimmer of light in a world of night.
((Climatic moment))
"Enrick de Corberailles."
"I know I put on some weight but...a city? Really?" The Doctor protests, glancing down at his waist.
The weasel familiar burst into squeaky laughter as Enrick threw his arms up to picture the "grandiciousness" of it all.
"Of course! A faraway city, in the literal sense of the w... of the... w... " He interupted himself, his expression dulling, "w-wait."
He rose his head, looking displeased. He directed his attention skyward.
"Wait. What is this melody? No! No no no no no, this is just not going to work here. The situation calls for something more personal!"
((Climatic moment))
Enrick sighed deeply.
"No, no. You call that climatic? Besides, this is completely outdated. No, try again."
((Climatic moment))
The dashing swordsman considered the change, but shook his head.
"Umm... I'm up in the air about claiming his theme as well. He did have some taste though... But this is not befitting of my person. We're like day and night... Who recorded those anyway... they're so loud... Seriously, try again."
((...Climatic moment))
"Ah, whoops! It's a touch early for this one, don't you think? But I do appreciate the variation."
He nodded with a satisfied face.
"Not bad. We're getting there. Come on, there's got to be something nice we haven't heard yet."
((...
Climatic moment?))
The weasel looked at Enrick with concerned eyes.
"Master, my master. Aren't you going to be late?"
Enrick shook his head.
"Not to worry, Zack! We've still got a little while to... Oh. Oh my. This. This tune. This is it! The perfect choice."
He stroked his blond hair and posed with poise.
"Excellent, yes. Excellent choice. Let's try this again."
((So be it.
Climatic moment))
Enrick's feet lifted off the stone shield and he took to the air gracefully, sliding across toward Elise and leaning his head to look at her.
"Hm... Will this lady accept a token of my courtesy?"
His mouth stretched into... radiance. Too much radiance.
((SHINY SMIRK ATTACK!))
"The drama induced may prove very memorable though."
The Colorful God Rapier leaping out of its sheath and into his hand, Enrick slid back toward Erebeus in a trail of white light.
"Allow me to demonstrate."
Raising the divine foil, Enrick delivered a strike with a flourish.
*SHING!*
The blade lit up with holy energy, negative matter turning to gold to form a carapace shaped around the Strife Lord's body. The glimmer of the gold extended to Enrick's aura and some distance around even as rose petals began to dance about. The sensation within this aura was disturbing but not unpleasant... It wasn't to everybody's taste though. But the fabulous power of it inspired Enrick's allies to do their best, for this was a golden moment.
Enrick withdrew his blade from Erebeus. No sooner did he feel something urging him away. Light envelopped him whole.
"Oops! The pull! So long my friends~!"
Enrick vanished from the area in a bright prismatic explosion, leaving but a hovering blue rose behind him...
((I took some liberties... Unlocked Enrick's approved special for the occasion. For the rest:
- Elise was "smirk attacked". Result is up to TUM. Lasts at least 1 round if effective at all.
- Erebeus is "covered in gold". This lasts 1 round.
- For the purpose of the lingering aura effect, as well as possible retaliation, treat the blue rose as if it was Enrick himself. For now anyway...
- The "Colorful God Rapier" is an enhanced holy weapon of the appropriate power level. Can't wrap my mind around the details so whatever works.))

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Wed Aug 25 2010 11:13pm
by TheUnknownMarine
A gold sheen coats Erebeus and his movements slow to a stop. Then the sound of metal groaning fills the air as the gold coating begins to bend, then shatter under the strain of holding the Strife Lord. Erebeus lets out a low growl that becomes a scream of pain as Merla's spell strikes him.
The figure grappling with Galm turns for a moment and whistles appreciatively at the assault on Erebeus. "And here I thought I was the only one around that could break the fourth wall. Then again I guess it's a tad thin here, innit?"
Galm takes this opportunity of distraction to slug the figure in the face. One of the lenses of the dark sunglasses shatter, revealing an eye glowing crimson, with a smoky trail of power. The figure turns back to Galm. "Well that wasn't very sporting, now was it?" He then leaps back at Galm, pressing the attack.
Elise looks almost puzzled. "What the Dark was that? Well, no matter." Elise raises a hand and blasts everyone assembled with a barrage of screeching souls, the infamous Demon' Breath.
The pools of darkness continue to grow as Erebeus screams in frustration. He glares at Merla.
"You may have beaten me back this day, but I'll haunt your children and your children's children until their nightmares become their reality! I am the Scourge of Worlds... Saving this one means nothing, I'll find another," Erebeus roars as he plunges his sword into the ground and vanishes into a pillar of utter darkness that splits into the sky.
"NO!" the newcomer roars. "Goddammit, you can't escape now, you..." The red-eyed man begins struggling to break out of the fight with Galm and towards Erebeus before he vanishes, but is foiled by the Vandal, who takes the opportunity to fire a powerful blast of energy into his back. The angry ally goes flying into the mountainside, piercing deeply into the stone as rocks tumble down to cover him.
The pools of darkness explode upward as several of the amorphous voids known as Tideforms pull themselves from the earth all around the group.

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Fri Aug 27 2010 11:22pm
by Dark Maiden
"Coward!" Merla says angrily as Erebeus vanishes from sight.
Kethra's eyes widen as the Tideforms emerge around them. "These things-"
"-look familiar," Kayla says, finishing Kethra's sentence for her.
"God damn it," Jessica grumbles.

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Sat Sep 04 2010 7:02am
by Arcdragnbreth
"Last I heard, these were not pleasant things to deal with," Ashathel said, looking around. Tightening his grip on his sword, he asked, "Is there anything we need to know?"
"Holy weapons can damage it!" Graigus said, thrusting the holy end of his staff like a spear repeatedly into the nearest of the monsters.
"So what I usually do it is, then!" the elf said, his enchanted Ancient weapon carving paths through the air and the Tideforms.
Pantherath whispered a prayer, gathering the theurgic power still remaining to him. Reaching out to the skies above, he closes his hand as if crushing something, then tossed the hand open at the Tideforms. Immediately, a field of holy energy fell heavily, dropping onto the void-like oozes.
((Maximized Righteous Smite, from BoED.))

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Thu Sep 09 2010 9:04pm
by Cyrus
In a ruined part of Fort Ordalia, a mote of light sparks into existence. The small star floats in the air, throwing long shadows on the ground when it does not flicker and fade. Then, the light grows. A blinding white orb spreads out, consuming the air, the earth, everything. Suddenly, it wavers, peeling away to reveal two young women: a tall, silver haired woman dressed in armor, and a brunette woman dressed in priest's robes, clutching a tuning fork in her hands. They sit on a cracked stone shield, made for a warrior three times their size.
Gail's reflexes fail her, lost in the miracle she had experienced. She looks to her friend with a breathless smile. "Sophie...Thank you." The knight remembers their purpose, looks out to the battlefield, and shoots to her feet, ready to defend her allies.

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Fri Sep 17 2010 2:59am
by TheUnknownMarine
Pantherath's mighty spell keeps the living darkness at bay, the alien forms emitting a shrill shriek like claws of iron against steel as holy light blasts into them. Chunks of the creatures evaporate under the spell, one undulating frantically as Ashathel and Graigus lay into it while vulnerable. That unlucky ooze melts away into nothing.
Slowly the heroes of Light that remain begin to form up as tideforms surround them. A a wave of ice magic from Anri freezes part of another Tideform as Max cleaves into it with the Chaos Breaker. The other heroes similarly use sword, spell, and lance to hold the line against the sea of evil. The Tideforms lash out with tentacles of nothingness, severely injuring several of the Shining Force, but healing magic from Melody keeps them on their feet.
In the midst of this chaos, Galm takes this opportunity to press the attack against Julian, darting forward to drive twin claws imbued with evil energy into his gut. Julian lets out a pained yell as his lifeforce is sucked from his body.
"I've been patient this whole time, but that patience is RUNNING OUT!" Galm roars.
"Julian!" Jane screams, unleashing a blast of mystical energy that knocks Galm away from him. The half Vandal rushes to Julian, catching him as he collapses. "Are you..."
"I'm fine... Galm!" Julian wheezes.
"And me," Elise says, landing near Graigus and grabbing the dwarf with both hands before biting him on the neck. Graigus feels dizzy and weak, unable to move as Elise drinks his blood.
"Gah! That's... uh... dammit, just die!" Sheila shouts, unable to think of a witty comment as she fires both pistols at Elise to little effect. The hyper accelerated rounds tear through her, but she simply regenerates. Sheila snarls and ejects her magazines. "Fine... I'll bring out the special ammo for you..."
"Aura!" Jim shouts, throwing a grenade at a cluster of tide forms. The bomb explodes into shining light that heals the group and sears off more from the living voids. "Me and most of Julian Battalion will hold off these things! Take down Galm and Elise! Fast!"
Akane is still desperately trying to revive Arthur to no effect. Spell after spell courses through his body, but the malignant energies of Erebeus work to claim his life.
A massive explosion erupts from the pile of rubble that buried the newcomer. His eyebrows begin to twitch.
"This is beginning to get annoying..."

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Thu Sep 23 2010 8:53pm
by Lord Oddeye sama
Just then, the blue rose stopped spinning. It remained fixed in midair amidst the rising chaos. Suddenly, it turned a deep green. That's when the bolstering sensation subsided. Petals stopped raining as the flower's own petals began to fall, its color changing to a dull gray.
Drained from its vivid color and properties, the rose dropped to the ground, withering...
---
Transcending light and boundaries, Enrick moved far across the realms of Rune, feeling the tideforms' consuming evil brushing against his body and soul through his helpful creation. No matter, he could stand this much in his condition.
A bright object held tight in his hand, he smirked and squinted at the intensity of this blinding lightspeed travel.
His next destination would be...
WARNING: SPOILER!
*sunglasses*
...cancelled this time.
(("YEEEEEAAAAAAH- wait)) wha...!"
Insidiously, as if through a volition of its own, the item slipped from his fingers as an ominous influence set into motion, leaving him powerless in this dimension.
"Waaaaaah!!"
Man and artifact went separate ways and blinked out of sight.
"Appearances are deceiving... Enrick van Maerglecrow."
...

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Fri Oct 01 2010 9:04am
by TheUnknownMarine
A promise of hope.
A promise of peace.
A promise of justice.
A promise of healing.
Liars...
Ending 05: The Speed of Darkness
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-9Vla35 ... re=related
Perhaps one final slap across the face of Good, perhaps one last spit into the eye of justice, the power of Erebeus is felt once more for one last time on Rune as once again those blessed by the Watchers fall comatose. Galm laughs uproariously at this fortune, only Julian and Jane facing him with the remainder of the Julian Battalion desperately trying to hold back the Tideforms. They are only barely succeeding, several of their number having fallen already, lost forever to the corrupting touch of pure darkness.
The Vandal of Vandals raises both hands, dark lightning streaming forward to envelop Julian and Jane. The pair are brought to their knees, fighting to avoid collapse as Galm strides forward, walking among the paralyzed warriors of the newest Shining Force. He chuckles with dark glee as he moves, bending down and snapping a neck here, clawing open a throat here, murdering hero after hero. Slowly, weakly, some of the heroes begin to come to... though in the chaos who remains to be seen.
Arthur draws in one final breath and releases it, along with his life force. Akane lets out a scream of pure pain, hugging and shaking the last Innovator as if it might bring him back when the most potent of magic could not. When that fails, she slumps over his body and does not move, having lost the will to fight.
Elise keeps drinking, draining Graigus dry with no one to stop her. She drops the now lifeless corpse to the ground and smiles, refreshed from the feeding. Suddenly the satisfied smile turns to a look of pain and shock as a bloody hand, wreathed in pulsing streamers of void erupts from her chest.
All the blood Elise had just drunk floods forth from her as the hand withdraws and the mystery man steps back. Almost absentmindedly, he nudges Graigus with a foot.
"H...How?" she gasps. "Only... An Innovator... can..."
"Kill you?" the man asks with a feral grin. "Don't believe everything you read, sweetheart. It's a pity, brains, beauty, good fashion sense... You'd have been a keeper if you just weren't so damn murderous." the man puts his hands on Elise's shoulders and draws her close, planting a kiss on her lips before whispering in her ear. "Go to hell, you monstrous bitch." Then he punches her hard in the gut, knocking her over to die on the ground. He turns, the sunglasses on his head partially shattered, one eye aflame with crimson light and red smoke revealed. He snarls as Galm reaches down and lays hands on Sheila.
"The F*** did I say about touching my sister?!!" he roars, drawing a large, runed, silver pistol from a holster under his suit jacket. The weapon glows with prismatic light for a moment before a powerful blast of energy blasts towards Galm, knocking the Vandal back from Sheila and leaving a huge hole in his chest.
"You..." Galm hisses, but is interrupted by Julian and Jane as they set upon him screaming. Julian plunges his sword into Galm again and again as Jane blasts him with arcane and mystic energy alike. Already badly wounded by the attacks before, Galm falls, clutching at fatal wounds in pain, puzzled by the situation.
"But... without the Innovator..." Galm hisses.
"You aren't a Vandal anymore, idiot. You're a Narrator. Different ruleset," the mystery man says with a roll of his eyes as he steps forward, raising his gun. He groans. "Oh right, what am I doing. Julian, your kill. I leave it to you."
"Agent... Rant..." Jim gets out as he comes to. "What..."
Agent Rant waves a hand at Jim as he holsters his gun and stares into the sky.
Another Tideform falls and the rest retreat, bubbling back below the earth's surface to places unknown and deep. Of Julian's battalion, only Primula, Thousand, Kate, and Spiriel remain, not counting Julian and Jane themselves. Nonetheless, they cheer as the foe retreats at last. The former companions of Arthur are not so happy, looking around the battlefield with silent concern.
In the distant sky, the clouds seem darker, the light from the sun dimmer.
((Some confusion on this, only when "The End" pops up is it actually over. Game is still running until then. Ending sequence is started is all.))

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Fri Oct 01 2010 8:51pm
by Kaihaku
There were no more Miracles in him. He had wasted all that potential, all that incredible power on frivolous conveniences in Celestia. He cursed himself for being so reckless. He cursed the narrators for interrupting his nap. He cursed Erebeus for taking a cue from Shailtor. He cursed the Stranger for letting his guard down.
Then she was there, his sister, and with her came hope for the dying stranger. Sophia was a miracle worker in her own right and in some ways a better one than him. She could save the man who he had never met.
He opened his mouth to speak, to call to her, but no words came. He bid his arms to move but nothing. What was this? The Doctor did not know why but, in his heart, he knew that hope was swiftly extinguished in that moment.
?Hope is overrated.? The Doctor whispers hoarsely, starting as he realizes that once more his body was his to control, ?...gail... Gail! Sophia!? Tears of joy streamed down his cheeks, eyes able to look on his beloved at least one more time, ?What you doing here, you morons! Get back to heaven this instant!?
?Alastor! Be serious!? Sophie shouts back at her brother, shuffling down the cracked stone shield. Tears flow freely from her eyes as she tries not to look too closely at the fields of dead.
There was one last trick up his sleeve, a final trump card to risk, now that the stranger had passed from life. Down the path to the death the Doctor felt, reaching out to catch that swiftly fading essence and pull it back to the world of the living. At the same moment, he reached into his pocket and snatched out a diamond. Moving with practiced skill, he raised the diamond in the direction of slain Graigus and murmured words of healing all the while striding to the side of the stranger fell by the Strife Lord?s dark power. Restorative power swirls over the dwarf, jolting him back to life even as the Doctor knelt over Arthur and brought the unique trick death had taught him to bear.
[Revivify on Graigus, at 30ft via Divine Reach.]
[Coventry Special on Arthur?s Corpse]
?There?s?too many dead....so many...? Sophie manages, fighting her reflex to gag, as she comes to the first group of fallen, ?I?I don?t know??

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Fri Oct 01 2010 9:15pm
by TheUnknownMarine
Jim breathes heavily, ripping off his gas mask and taking in lungful after lungful of air.
Sheila looks over to Sophie, opening her mouth to give comfort, then closing it as she realizes she doesn't really have any to give at the moment.
Breath hastily speeds back into Graigus' lungs as the Doctor's magic shakes him awake... but he feels different. Stronger, more alert, yet at the same time weaker in some way... Odd sensations plague the newly risen dwarf as he returns to consciousness.
Raw mystical power surges around Coventry as he pumps it into Arthur's corpse. Akane straightens up and steps back, looking at the Doctor and Arthur with a quiet desperation. The horrible wound caused by the Lord of Strife begins to close... then begins to open... then closes, then opens, the wound itself fighting, wavering even now with the power imbued into it by the final Strife Lord.
Arthur coughs, breath returning to him as blood spatters over his armor. His eyes blink awake, but still the healing energy fights with the remnants of darkness lodged in the last Innovator's chest. Still pumping energy into the wound, Coventry feels it is not yet enough... more energy is needed. He must continue to channel, longer than has been needed before if this is to work.
"Alastor..." he says weakly.

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Fri Oct 01 2010 9:27pm
by Kaihaku
"Quiet, save your energy." The Doctor snaps, struggling to maintain the flow of life force. "Gail! Sophie! Need a hand here!"
"Uh..." Sophie shakes her head, swallowing back the bile and hurrying uneasily pass the rows of corpses to the side of her brother and the fallen hero, "What...what kind of wound is that?"
"Miracle, quick." The Doctor answers, mentally willing the potent divination on him to trigger.
[Moment of Prescience triggered to assist in this effort]
"Alastor..." Sophie breaths, her eyes widening as she turns back at the field of dead, "I...I...only have one prepared..." She looks down at the burnt corpse of a friend, eyes reddening. One or many... "Hal..." One or many... I know what you would do.

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Fri Oct 01 2010 9:32pm
by TheUnknownMarine
"It's not easy..." Arthur gets out, grunting in pain as he too, fights to keep him alive.
With the aid of the mighty divination, Alastor sees that Erebeus imbued the wound with a virulent dark energy design to counter and cancel out immortality as well as prevent resurrections and healing. A death sentence to nearly any living thing, the sheer amount of positive energy being pumped into Arthur is slowly erasing it. If he keeps channeling, there's the possibility it will be overcome, but those odds go up dramatically if others aid him, or if a way to remove the dark energy directly is found.

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Sat Oct 02 2010 1:42am
by Dark Maiden
Somehow separated from her group in the chaos, the priestess Myala finally finds her way to the field of battle. What her amber eyes behold is more than enough to give her pause. Corpses of friend and foe alike litter the field -- people she had fought with, loved, and come to call 'friend' -- all dead before her. Myala fights the urge to vomit, even as the tears flow freely down her porcelain cheeks. "N-No..." she murmurs. This cannot be... How could this happen? It is then that she catches sight of Alastor, Gail, and Sophie. There are some that yet live... Myala slowly makes her way across the field to them, taking care not to step on any of the bodies.

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Mon Oct 04 2010 1:47pm
by Cyrus
Gail looked between them: Alastor, Sophia, and the stranger. She knelt down next to her fiance while he attended his patient, watched the siblings go back and forth, glanced at the black, otherworldly presence of the wound. "Is there any other way?"

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Sat Oct 09 2010 1:31am
by TheUnknownMarine
The suited man growls lightly as his eyes scan the air, then suddenly he stops and smiles.
"Gotcha, ya bastard..." he mutters with a grin as he reaches inside a pocket of his jacket and withdraws a tattered package of cigarettes.
Slowly growing more and more visible in the sky above is a rectangular shape of metal, flame pouring from countless breaches in its side as it plummets towards the earth below.
"It might not be easy, but..." Akane begins to reassure Arthur, but she is interrupted as Arthur's eyes seem to focus in intensity, a hand clamping down on Coventry's as he turns to face him.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMXPaXZb ... re=related
"No! Being a father... It isn't easy..." Arthur rasps, fighting for each word as if they were more important than the struggle being fought for his life. "Your mother... never told me about you... maybe she never had a chance to... When I finally found out, you were already so grown... You already had a father, a sister, a whole family..."
Arthur's face tightens, he sucks in a breath of air before he manages to continue.
"I didn't want to intrude on that... didn't want to complicate your life with a father who'd always look a youth, didn't want to risk what you already had..."
Arthur coughs up a mouthful of blood and a ragged gasp goes from his mouth before he continues. "Above that... I didn't want to risk you getting dragged into... all this. Thought... if I kept away you might be safe..." He is silent for a moment, his eyes distant. "But here... you are. Even in that, I failed." His eyes start to lose their focus. "I hope... I hope you were happy... during that childhood I missed..."
A tremor runs through the once great hero's body. "I... wish I could have been with you... watched you grow up into a young man..." The eyes slowly close, the iron grip on Alastor's arm weakening. "...maybe that is another price I had to pay..."

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Sat Oct 09 2010 12:03pm
by Kaihaku
"I said to be quiet." The Doctor answers lowly, shaking off the older man's grasp and touching a hand to the fallen warrior's side as he speaks a word of power. The color of the figure fades to gray, flesh giving way to cold hard stone.
((Free, Swift, and Move... Still got me Standard Action.))
[Polymorph Any Object >> Flesh to Stone]]
"Gail!" The Doctor falls back, catching himself on a hand and pointing emphatically at the new statue. "Gail!"

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Mon Oct 11 2010 6:10am
by TheUnknownMarine
Meanwhile, across the battlefield, Yang's apprentices emerge from the burnt rubble of the shop. Numbly they walk over to Derrik's body and stare at it.
"He...Hey... Master Swiftjoke?" Yang quietly says, reaching down and shaking the body lightly. "You've got to get up... Master Swiftjoke? This is a joke, right? Some stupid prank of yours where you pretend to be dead and then some magic trick or artifact you have stashed away revives you... right? Right?"
Nothing but silence meets Yang's inquiry as he blinks hard. Yin just looks at the body, his face tight, hands balled into fists.
"You... You've got an Ankh of Resurrection... or a phoenix down... or a fairy in a bottle somewhere on you... right? There's some trick right?" Yang says, desperation entering his voice as he begins to search the body for any item, any life restoring item that Derrik would've kept on him for his erstwhile apprentices to activate. He finds nothing.
"Got to be a trick... Come on... wake up, it's not funny..." Yang says, shaking Derrik again, his voice beginning to break. His resolution falters, tears begin to stream down his face. "It's not funny..." he moans, shaking Derrik even harder, as if not knowing what else to do.
"Not... funny..." he manages to get out again before the words fall to sobs.

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Mon Oct 11 2010 8:03pm
by Dark Maiden
So much death.. So much grief... Myala thinks to herself as she watches. Have we been forsaken? Has everything we have done and fought for been for nothing? The priestess turns her gaze skyward, hopelessness and despair threatening to overcome her as much of what she cares for lies in ruin.
(( I know it's corny. Don't judge me. ))

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Fri Oct 15 2010 11:53am
by Cyrus
Gail is taken back, staring from the son to the father and back again. Her fiancee's unspoken wishes pound at the back of her mind, a gesture of violence towards the statue, and eventually the frantic order forces response. "Why?!" Her eyes soften after the outburst. "What's happening to him?"

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Mon Oct 18 2010 5:17pm
by Kaihaku
"The wound is cursed with dark energy!" The Doctor shouts back to his beloved, "We need...we need..." He puts a hand to his head, the effort of his slew of actions a moment before hitting him, "We need to either bombard it with enough positive energy to wipe it out...or separate the dark energy from the body." He takes a deep breath, steadying himself as best he can, "I can...rebuild his body once the wound is separated from it..."
"Holy Light, merciful..." Sophie whispers with quiet anxiety, "...merciful creator and friend of all that live." She closes her eyes, pushing back her doubts and focusing on her love for her friends, "Please, have mercy on us, raise up the fallen here so that they may bring healing to the world. Please, restore these Shining Souls here to life."
((Miracle with 5,000 experience burnt to resurrect fallen allies. Everyone who wants to be resurrected is resurrected, unless there's still interference in that area or the Light does not respond to Sophia's request.))
Felix coughs. The halfling stares up at the sky for a moment, the familiar sensation of resurrection coursing through him, and tries to remember dying. He can't. With a sigh the plucky warrior stumbles to his feet, clutching at his crystal pendant and looking around in confusion. A few tears form in his eyes as he spots a familiar figure looking over the battlefield. "Lady..Myala..." He whispers, a happy smile spreading across his face.
((That's assuming Sophia was successful.))
"Unless you have a...a mountain positive energy left..." The Doctor continues unevenly, fighting against the vertigo that always followed the little trick death taught him, "Our best option is to break him apart and hope that we can put the pieces back together."
Felix frowned thoughtfully, the gears of his little mind turning slowly. Positive energy, why did that sound so familiar, someone had talked to him about that a long time ago. He blinks and looks down at the crystal in his hand. "Solomon..." His frown deepens, as he began walking towards the healers as fast as his little feet can carry him, holding out his crystal.

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Mon Oct 18 2010 6:07pm
by TheUnknownMarine
Under the call of Sophie's miracle, life is restored to some of the fallen. Ignatius takes in a ragged gasp of air as his wounds repair themselves, Lisa begins to stir, the Shining Warriors that fell begin to rise.
But many of Sophie's companions remain still, their souls weary of this war, not wishing to return.
Felix's crystal begins to glow softly as it nears the remains of Arthur.

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Mon Oct 18 2010 6:39pm
by Kaihaku
"Hal... Alex..." Sophie whispers softly, tears flowing freely down her cheeks, "Please... The...the war is over..."
Pulling the chain from his neck, Felix holds out his crystal to the healer, mumbling quietly, "Um...my crystal holds positive energy..."
"No, we need a lot of positive energy..." The Doctor says with a wince, looking at the crystal skeptically, "I don't think a trinket like that has the punch we need."
"Oh...sorry." Felix says sheepishly, slowly pulling back his hand as he glances uncertainly up at Myala.
"Wait, it can't hurt..." The Doctor snaps, snatching the crystal and shoving it into the petrified wound, "Every little bit helps."

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Mon Oct 18 2010 7:12pm
by TheUnknownMarine
As it contacts the fell energy left behind by Erebeus, the crystal flares with white light. An energy pattern the exact opposite of the darkness infecting the wound manifests, spreading across the injury and slowly canceling the dread malady.

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Mon Oct 18 2010 7:14pm
by Kaihaku
"I'll be damned..." The Doctor murmurs.

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Mon Oct 18 2010 9:06pm
by Dark Maiden
Jessica is one of the first to come around. She stares at the sky above her and murmurs, "Dying officially sucks. I have no desire to do that again any time soon." She staggers to her feet and gazes at Jim. "Sir," she says, making a feeble attempt at a salute.
Kayla opens her eyes and finds herself face first on the ground. "I thought dying would have been worse than that," the tiefling murmurs to herself. She slowly pulls herself to her feet and moves to Alastor's side.
Kethra is the next to come around. Having died at least twice now, the journey back to the land of the living does not seem to phase her much. The monk is quick to get to her feet, and moves toward where the others have started to gather.
Merla takes a deep breath of air when she finally comes around. The halfling slowly stands up, letting out a long, drawn out sigh when she sees the dead around her. Still somewhat shaken by the last feeling she remembers before her death, she walks over to the others.
"Priestess, it is good that you live," Kethra says. "I was worried when you became separated from us during the fighting."
Kethra's voice seems to break Myala out of her trance. She looks at Kethra for a moment, then the others that have gotten up. "It is a miracle. May the Gods be praised..." It is now that she notices Felix looking up at her, and she manages a faint smile.
"I know not who restored us, but it would appear some among us did not wish to return," Kethra says sadly.
"This war has been long and brutal. Perhaps they simply wanted to finally rest," Myala replies, sounding equally sad. "Let us pray that their souls have found peace."

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Mon Oct 18 2010 9:32pm
by Kaihaku
"The Light is merciful." Sophie answers Myala in a broken hopeless voice, a blank look in her eyes as she stares at those still dead.
Felix nods to the priestess, then turns to limb back to where he awoke and pick up his sword. He looks at it sadly, then slides it back into its scabbard and slings his shield over his back. "Sir Prestle..." He sighs, a sad light in his eyes, "I guess our quest is over." His equipment in order, the halfling makes his way to a half-collapsed shed. Digging through the ruin, he pulls out a shovel and looks at it with a sad frown.
"Yeah, that was my reaction too." The Doctor answers the tiefling, stilling holding the crystal in the wound, "Death is way overrated." He tilts his head, looking at the petrified hero thoughtfully, "What do you think, Kayla? Where would it look better? Out on my patio or in the living room?"
The tears begin to flow again, Sophie stumbling away from the others as she tries to make way to somewhere far from all the dead.
"You know... It's a bit risqué but how about the bath?" The Doctor continues, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Mon Oct 18 2010 11:10pm
by TheUnknownMarine
Jim returns the salute numbly as his eyes are drawn the fiery ship plummeting from the heavens towards the ground just over the mountains. His eyes widen.
"The Vagabond..." he whispers helplessly.
The ground shakes for a moment as the great vessel slams into the ground, the shriek of protesting metal and clamor of impact heard even from here.
"Wow, that sucks," Rant says, searching around in his pocket for something, eventually withdrawing a pack of cigarettes and plucking a single one out with his teeth, the coffin nail lighting seemingly of its own accord. He takes a long drag before exhaling and speaking again. "You guys are gonna need a ride."
"What an almost unmitigated disaster," a cold voice comments as another man materializes. A black suit immaculate and perfectly pressed, slicked back black hair and an aura of order characterize him. He steps over the corpses of friend and foe with some disdain. "Please," he begins. "at least tell me you managed to trace him."
"A larger concern," cuts in another voice as another suited figure, this one a raven-haired woman, appeared without fanfare. Approaching the others with quiet grace, she looks around with concern, her gaze lingering with regret on all the dead. "...the link, the Shell fragment. Did you find it?"
"I didn't," Rant said, waving to the new arrivals. "Hey Renee, Rennex. You missed the party. Some ninja ran off with it. Part of their group," Rant says, nodding to Forte and Rodi. "I'd ask them."

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Wed Oct 20 2010 7:09am
by Arcdragnbreth
The woren, rising under the call of the divine power, immediately got to his feet and searched around for those in need of help. He reached deeply into his reserves of power, but as he observed others around him rising he realized that his power would not be enough to help those who remained still. Shaking his head, he stood at the side of his commander, saluting the three elite agents with his usual grim stare.
Graigus rose shakily as well, finally comfortable with standing. He rubbed the back of his neck, somewhat disoriented, with the feeling that something was notably different with his body, although he couldn't quite place it...
"I'm... I'm just going to follow her lead," Ashathel muttered, following after newly arrived healer. Catching up to Sophie, he slowed his pace to match hers, but said nothing else.

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Wed Oct 20 2010 8:27am
by TheUnknownMarine
Akane looks over the body of Arthur, turned to stone. Her face is twisted and taught with emotion. She turns to Alastor.
"That's not funny..." she whispers. "That's... not funny at all. Please... Turn him back. Turn him back quickly!"
----
Rennex returns the salute, saying "At ease," without a hint of emotion. He turns to Forte and the members of Arthur's old adventuring band. "You have the artifact? That single link of black chain Erebeus carried?"
"Maybe we do," Forte says evenly. "But I think I'd have to ask your interest in such an item."
"Who are you?" Rodi asks, watching the mysterious newcomers with wary eyes.
"Old friends..."a musical voice answers softly. A shower of energy, like a rain of light coalesces into the form of the Goddess Mitula. "Very old friends..."
Renee smiles. "Goddess Mitula."
"Agent Renee," Mitula says, returning the smile. "It's been far too long."
"Far too long for a friendly meeting, not nearly long enough for this sort of thing," Renee sadly says, sweeping her arm to indicate the devastation. Mitula looks down a little, the smile turning sorrowful.
"Yes... I wish I could draw you here with good news for once." the goddess says. She turns back to the others. "Agents Renee, Rennex, and Rant are from the outsider group, the G.D.O. They are allies, the same as Commander Radford and his troops."
"To answer your other question, we are here to take the artifact Erebeus had in his possession and transport it to a safe location," Rennex said, returning Forte's cold gaze. "Obviously the vault it was placed in here has been breached or this whole situation wouldn't have happened."
"So you expect us to just hand it over?" Forte asks. "After all the trouble that thing has caused?"
"Frankly, yes. 'All the trouble that thing has caused' should have shown you just what it takes to keep it sealed," Rennex responds. "We have just such a facility prepared for it. Far away from here, I assure you."
"Well I like the sound of that," Basso grumbles as he sits up. "Take the damn thing if you ask me. We've got enough problems without that piece o' crap making it worse."
"Repeatedly we've learned the lengths people will go to to acquire that piece of chain," Rodi states. "How do we know you can be trusted with something of that magnitude?"
"Look around you. Our dead are here as well," Renee says. "Your caution does you credit, but what can you do? If the Link remains here, it will just spread more suffering like a cancer in your world. Even if you seal it, the chance remains ages in the future it will be rediscovered, or a greater force will arrive to claim it now that its secret location is revealed." Renee frowns. "You know it can't stay."
"The Link is only half the problem though," Rennex says, turning to Rant. "I asked you if you managed a trace on Erebeus."
"Yeah, yeah," Rant frowns. "Got... Damn! At least a general direction, but he's slippery. Trying to narrow it down now." Rant growls. "Better not be getting away..."
"Such an opportunity lost..." Rennex says with a frown. Jim looks at him questioningly. Rennex sighs.
"This place was... uniquely suited to be able to end them. What kind of weapon you use doesn't matter against the Strife Lords, or at least, not fully," Rennex explains. "They're creatures of will and thought, projections of a consciousness. What matters is the mind, the WILL behind the weapon."
"Soul versus soul," Renee quietly says.
"The GDO's technological brute force could not solve this problem, neither could the clever stratagems of a thousand worlds..." Mitula said, quietly. "But here... Here was an opportunity... On this world, the souls of a hundred heroes were forged and prepared by this world's nature. On this world, and on this world alone in so many years did the Strife Lords have a chance of being defeated..."
"And at least two of them were," Renee says. "And the third has been forced to flight and denied his prize, something we're all very grateful for."
Rant glowers, but says nothing.

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Sun Oct 24 2010 12:25am
by DragonmasterDon1
A weary voice rose moments later from behind them. "The girl," Isyndel rasped, meandering awkwardly into the light, covered in grime and blood. "Simone...where..."
Then her legs buckled, and she collapsed into a heap before them.
The trails of her tears left streaks through the dirt and grime caked across her cheeks as she rose slowly, steadily to her feet. She brought her hands up from the ground toward her face as she did so to wipe them away, but paused at the sight of wet scarlet languidly trailing from them before deciding to use the sleeve of her muddied robe instead.
Her breath caught in her throat once more as she forced herself to look upon the ground before her, and the whispered apology she began to mutter froze abruptly as a choked sob threatened to subdue her once more. But she looked upon the devastation before her, much of it sourced from her very own bloodied hands, and inhaled deeply.
Necessary, but wrong.
What would he have thought? The man whose ideals she had failed to uphold, the one who had paid the ultimate price for that very idealism?
It was necessary.
But it was still wrong.
She pursed her lips and straightened the hems of her robe as she turned firmly on her heels and ambled away as best as she could manage, her legs unresponsive and weak, either from a wound or from the position she had collapsed and fallen unconscious in when the world seemed to sink around her, she couldn't be sure.

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Sun Oct 24 2010 12:53am
by TheUnknownMarine
"Dam took her," Sheila finally says, breaking her uncharacteristic silence. "I dunno where, he grabbed her, Yeesha, and Daran and then took off with those boots of his."
------------------
Meanwhile...
"Where are we?" Daran asks, looking around.
"Graigus' temple," the rogue said, nodding at the three monks escorting them. "It's a bit dusty, but they're alright for guys who like to punch things."
"Will be safe here? Where exactly is it?" Yeesha asks.
"It's better not to ask right now; just know that this is probably the safest place to be right now, with Graigus still at the fort," the rogue said. "No one's going to think to come here."
"If you're sure..." Yeesha says, uncertainly.
Nothing disturbs the group as they make their way to Graigus' temple.
"It's the best i can do for now," the human said, running his hands through his hair. "Wrath was the only Cultist who's been here, as far as I know, and there isn't a better defended place that's under the radar. Not only that, it's pretty well protected from scrying."
Yeesha nods. "Well... I guess there's not many places that would work anyway with Fort Ordalia..." she trails off.
"So..." Daran says, looking at the temple. "Do we... just go in? Or wait for someone to let us in?"
"You are welcome to enter; did you think that the allies of our disciple would be turned away in their hour of need?" an aged man said, smiling as he held a staff familiar to those who had traveled with the dwarven monk for some time. "It has been too long, Dam Dicem."
"I'm Yeesha, of Cypress," Yeesha says, curtsying in her robes. "May I ask the name of our host?"
"I am Quialis, the current leader of the Stone Leaf Temple," the man said, bowing slightly. "You are much welcome to whatever hospitality we may provide."
"And we thank you for that," Yeesha says. "May we come inside?"
"Did you expect to remain out here?" the aged man asked, a twinkle in his eye. Turning to enter the structure himself, he said, "Children these days are so full of formalities..."
Daran and Yeesha move to follow Quialis. Simone hesistates for a moment before following.
"Something has happened, if you have come so suddenly," the older human said, walking through the halls. "There were reports of strange lights in the skies, but during these times we could do little but wait for news."
"The Fort..." Daran says, wincing. "It's been attacked..."
"I see," Quialis frowned, stopping to turn back to those assembled. Looking from Yeesha to Daran to Simone, he thought aloud, "Perhaps you, though I doubt it... not you, young man. Are you in need of protection, young lady?"
Simone's face twists with pain. "I always will be, it seems..."
Daran frowns and puts a hand on Simone's shoulder. The elf maiden looks down.
"And? What is the problem with that?" the monk inquired.
"I'm tired of seeing whatever I come to care about burn down around me!!!" Simone yells, her composure breaking. "I'm tired of being scared... of being hunted... of feeling like I bring doom to anyone that comes near me..."
Tears now begin to silently leak from Simone's eyes.
"What would you like instead?" the aged man inquired.
"A normal life..." Simone whispered. "Or at least, more normal than this. I don't want to be hunted anymore..."
"Then do so," he said, simply.
"Do so what? I'M not the one hunting me," Simone states.
"That can be argued," the monk smiled. "But no, I refer more to the reason for why you are being hunted. Can you not simply remove the reason you are so heavily sought?"
Simone shivers. "No..."
"She's being hunted for who she is," Yeesha quietly says. "Kind of hard to remove your birth."
"Is it?" Quialis asked, looking deeply into the spellcaster's eyes, his body shivering for a moment as a hint of the beast within rose to the surface. "In this world, where men can become beasts and beasts can become men, who is to say it is difficult to change who you are?"
Simone is quiet for a minute. "That's a good point, but I don't think this particular thing can be changed..."
She turns to Quialis. "Or do you know how?"
"You would know better than I; I don't even know what you want to change!" he chuckled. "My dear child, I suspect you will find that you had the means at hand all along."
"That would be the cruelest irony of all..." Simone quietly says, before looking down.
"Eh... Anyway, what do we do now?" Daran asks, turning to Dam.
"We don't die, I hope," the rogue said. "That is why I dragged you all along, after all, and while I would like to rush back into battle, I have a feeling that being able to kill won't be as useful as being able to save this time around."
"So we just wait here... until what?" Daran asks.
"For a day, at most, then I head back and check on things," Dicem said. "For the time being, I can move you guys around twice more today, but if I go and check now I could be walking right into a wall of fire. Not only that, but if something happens and you need to be moved again, it's going to have to be quick - enter me."
"So we all just wait for tommorrow?" Yeesha asks. "I could prepare some scrying by then..."
"I hate to impose that long with such short notice, old man, but the last time we were at the fort, there was an Erebus giving us dirty looks," Dam said. "Plus, your bed is looking rather comfortable right now."
"Haha... your humor is payment enough for any inconveniece you might imagine, though I am ashamed to say that we cannot find any objections."
-Meanwhile, Doctor Coventry gets the impression he is missing out on grade A jokes-
Winking, the panther shen said, "I suppose I mush look harder then, must I not?"
"So, I guess take a nap then?" Daran asks. "Are there guest quarters or something?"
"There are; a few of the room we cleared for the tournament remain unused, so you are welcome to claim them as your own," Quialis said, tapping his staff on the stone floor twice. A small ratfolk in traditional martial arts robes scurried over, bowing deeply.
"This is Scheller; he will show you to your rooms. Scheller, they will be staying in the best of the tournament rooms."
"Thank you," Yeesha says, returning the bow.
The ratfolk nodded, then led the quartet along towards the designated area.

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Sun Oct 24 2010 2:39am
by Cyrus
Gail, having silently watched the battlefield as it collected with remnants of the group, started when a badly wounded figure appeared near the strange conference taking place nearby. Gail watches while the figure stammers out a few words, then bolts when the woman falls, coming to her side. The blood trailing down the woman's dress caused the knight's heart to skip a beat, and she turns her over, looking for the source. It is then Gail notices the face. She knew this woman...Isyndel, wasn't it? She shook her head; it didn't matter. Finding the wound, the angelborn's hands glow, and she presses against it, watching the wounded for a reaction.
[Laying On Hands on Isyndel. Think the Doctor needs to have a word with her.]

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Sun Oct 24 2010 11:04pm
by DragonmasterDon1
She'll be talking to this Doctor too right
Isyndel awoke with a gasp, the surge of energy that coursed through her snapping her from the sudden slumber. She pressed her hands to the ground and wearily forced herself into a sitting position when her eyes fell upon Gail.
"My thanks," she breathed weakly, her lips crooked into a narrow but warm smile before she crooked her head to look at her surroundings slowly, gathering her bearings.
It certainly did not take a genius to determine a fair deal of what had happened here with simple glances, and her intuition was keen to fill in a fair amount of the blanks she'd have drawn otherwise. She turned her head to face the assembled, clearly relieved.
"So you survived," she spoke, coughing between words. "Judging by your expressions you assume the worst is over. I am relieved, I had expected to find a far more wretched scenario if I managed to make it here," she said with a pause as she rose awkwardly, slowly, to her feet, staggering even as she made it there.
"And Simone is gone. Safe, by my reckoning given her company, but..." the wizardess trailed off in thought for a moment, pressing her chin into her fist.

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Mon Oct 25 2010 12:14am
by Cyrus

> DragonmasterDon1 @ Sun Oct 24, 2010 6:04 pm) wrote:She'll be talking to this Doctor too right

Swoon.
Gail offers a worn smile and a nod at Isyndel's recovery, letting the scholar take in her surroundings and speak freely. At the mention of the battle's outcome, though, defeat takes the place of relief. "You are not wrong. The fighting is over, and there is an end in sight." The soldier looks to the darkening sky. "But it may be an end...we won't live to regret."

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Tue Oct 26 2010 2:28am
by DragonmasterDon1
"Nonsense," Isyndel replied flatly. "I have no intention of succumbing to such a fate, and I thoroughly doubt whatever elaboration any of you have to the contrary will convince me otherwise."
She folded her arms tightly about her chest. "Though perhaps there is a certain bit of hubris in that considering I've yet to hear the explanation," she trailed off, meaningfully.

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Sat Oct 30 2010 3:43am
by Cyrus
Gail's gaze falls back to earth at Isyndel's answer, landing on the mage. The paladin sighs. "We...Alastor, Sophie, and I...when we left, we went to Celestia, to try and bring the forces of heaven to help us. We found them, and found no help. Instead...we found the truth." A grimace twists her face, and her eyes fall away. "This fight...this war...it's been repeated many times, in many ways, but it always happens here, we are always here to fight it...and the end is always the same. The Creator looks down on his work, on us...and remakes the world in a new image." The angelborn pauses. "We came back down to fight, to save those who need us...but we came too late."

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Sat Oct 30 2010 1:20pm
by Kaihaku
"I wasn't talking to you." The Doctor answers, pulling the pulsating crystal from the wound and looking at it thoughtfully, "You should be able to heal your hero now, the dark energy has been dissipated." Sliding the crystal into a pocket, he stands and shakes his head, "You restore him to flesh, I've already given him more time...and energy come to think of it, than he's given me." He bows to the petrified hero, stating sardonically, "Now if you would excuse me, I have friends to bury."
The Doctor turns and strides from the legends, stepping carefully through the field of fallen, his eyes narrowing at the impromptu catching up session for great and powerful. He shakes his head, barely biting back a sneer of contempt, murmuring under his breath, "So glad you could made it."
Stepping up onto the wreckage of a cart, the Doctor takes a deep breath and raises his hands. "Friends, I'm not much of one for words so I'll just leave it at rest in peace." He brings his hands together in a mighty clap, then gestures commandingly at the cliff-side.
As if life had been bestowed upon it, the rough stoneface trembles and begins to mould, folding in on itself. Rock flows away, forming dozens of small chambers along the base of the cliff - burial caves for the fallen.
[Greater Stone Shape at 30ft via Divine Reach]
The Doctor sighs heavily, his eyes wavering behind his stern frown, then he raises a hand commandingly and speaks words of power, raising an army to help him put the fallen to rest.
[Animate Objects: Every cart, wagon, and that remains even partially functional begins to assist the Doctor in gathering fallen allies.]
Hopping down from his perch on the cart, the Doctor weaves magic through the air and casts another spell on himself. He grows to many times his normal size. Then he begins gently picking up dead allies and carrying them to their final resting place.
[Polymorph into Hill Giant]
Felix casts aside his salvage shovel as the funeral caves are formed, instead moving to help bury the dead with all the aid his little body could muster.
Sophie stumbles through the field of dead for a long time, barely aware of the elf following her, until at last she reaches the shattered remains of the wall her brother had raised. Collapsing against it, she looks out over the beautiful countryside - spared all the death or destruction behind her. Her eyes are blank once more, the fountain of her tears dried for the moment.

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Sat Oct 30 2010 7:25pm
by TheUnknownMarine
"I don't... I don't know how to return someone from stone..." Akane says. "Those magics are new, I only know the old teachings..."
Unnoticed by Akane until she was next to the body, Renee bends down and lightly touches a finger to the fallen heroes' head. Stone fades back to flesh and the last Innovator returns to his human form, though he now sleeps deeply. Without a word, Renee turns and walks back to her comrades. Doyle has reappeared, and after some commiseration, he hands over the pouch containing the Link to Rennex.
Rant snorts. "Well as LOVELY as this little get together proved to be, we've got to go clean up the mess left behind again..."
Rennex nods, turning to Jim. "We're going to chase Erebeus before he has too much of a lead. After we secure the Link at a vault facility. I'll send word for evac, do not worry."
"The ship..." Jim begins.
"Controlled crash, no one died," Renee soothes. She frowns, looking at the newly forming graves. "If I only had some time... I might be able to..."
"We don't have that time," Rennex cuts in, coldly. "Prepare for teleportation."
"Wait! Bro!" Sheila says, moving towards Rant. The Trio agent waves a hand.
"Seeya sis, we'll catch up later," he says, before all three vanish as soon as they had come.
"Dammit!" Sheila roars, kicking the dirt. "What the hell just happened? What's going on!? ARGH!" Sheila starts punching a nearby wall. "I HATE IT WHEN I DON'T KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON!"
Jim shakes his head. "Maybe it doesn't matter now..."
Sheila winces. "So... What now?"
"I don't know..." Jim wearily says. "The Doc seems to have the right idea, though. The dead need to be tended to as well as the living."
Akane bends down and collects the fallen form of Arthur, looking to the others. "I'm going to get Arthur to safety... He needs rest."
Rodi nods. "Perhaps that is best." The ninja looks over to the dead and those mourning them. "We too, should leave. Make sure no remnants of the army are in the area. Basso..." Rodi points to the comatose forms of Lisa and Ignatius. "Carry them to a place of safety with Akane. They too, will need some time, I think."
The heroes of the Holy Ark nod and begin to go about their tasks.

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Sun Oct 31 2010 7:10pm
by Dark Maiden
Now that things seem to have calmed down, Kethra steps forward. She speaks to Jim, as he seems to be in charge at the moment. "One of our number--the sorcerer Damas--was turned into a cat during our battle with the Lich Moritae, and ran off. Now that things are, for the most part, calm, I wish to search for him."
"Take me along when you do. A polymorph spell should be easy enough for me to reverse," Merla says confidently.
"Should?" Kethra questions, raising an eyebrow.
"How some confidence in my abilities, will you?" Merla says sourly. "Besides, even if I cannot reverse the spell, it should wear off on its own in a few hours."
"That is...reassuring?" Kethra mumbles.
Jessica, Kayla, and Myala, on the other hand, do what they can to assist Alastor with his task.

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Sun Oct 31 2010 10:16pm
by TheUnknownMarine
Jim nods. "Go, find him then. You need help?"

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Sun Oct 31 2010 11:33pm
by Dark Maiden
"We would welcome the help, of course," Kethra replies with a weary smile. "There is a lot of ground to cover and a lot of places he could be hiding."

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Mon Nov 01 2010 12:18am
by DragonmasterDon1
"Hubris, indeed," Isyndel whispered, placing her fingertips on her forehead with an exasperated shake of her head. "Ever the playthings of Gods and Devils."
The wizardess paced, muttering under her breath as she did so. Words she knew, words she overheard, memories dangling before her on strings she couldn't connect, questions looming before her with answers veiled from sight. The Strife Lords, the Creator, remaking the world.
Isyndel flinched mention of Damas, and briefly entertained the thought of assuming the search for herself. She bit her lip and suppressed it; he was in good hands, and if anyone would understand her decision to remain to piece this out, it was he. She clasped her hands, resumed pacing, resumed mumbling.
Then she stopped after a moment, and simply looked at the living, listening. An ending we won't live to regret, Gail had said. Maybe it doesn't matter now, she heard errantly from Jim. These people were not simply in mourning for the fallen or slowly weaning off the adrenaline rush during their battles against terrible evil, no, it was far more foreboding than that, far more sinister.
It was defeat. And acceptance thereof.
She turned to Gail.
"Then so be it," Isyndel stated coldly. "I stand by my word; I refuse to accept such a fate. Should it come to pass, the world will take me shrieking into the nether until I can no longer do so of my own volition."
Her eyes wandered slowly between those still nearby. "Until then I suggest we assume our fate is not unchangeable. We make do with what is left to preserve what is left, and should this "Creator" decide to remake us then, so be it. I've nothing better to do," she sneered, before her lips curled into a short smile and she added "And besides, I happen to enjoy a good mystery, and there are still plenty dawdling here, one in particular."

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Mon Nov 01 2010 1:36am
by Cyrus
Gail's eyes follow Isyndel's, watching the force go about its grim work. "But how can we fight a Creator? A entity who made the world, who made the soul, who made all life? The best we could hope for is to..." A thought strikes Gail, and a familiar light enters her eyes. "Survive."

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Mon Nov 01 2010 1:57am
by DragonmasterDon1
"Better put, the worst we could do is not," Isyndel countered, pushing a fist against her hip as she raised a finger before her. "Which seems something akin to our current destination already, as I understand it. There has to be a better resolution than this somewhere, and we simply aren't seeing it."

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Mon Nov 01 2010 2:19am
by Cyrus
Gail looks up to the scholar, considering something before she pushes up onto her feet. Her face hardens. "We...can't only safe ourselves. There are so many people, so many living things out there whose only crime was to be born." She begins to pace, her brow furrowed and a hand pressed to her face. "We can't forsake them. We need a place made to house so many people, something created to keep them safe from...whatever could happen..." She stops, eyes looking down at the earth, before they rise to Isyndel. "Megiddo."

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Mon Nov 01 2010 2:34am
by DragonmasterDon1
"I cannot say I understand the Megiddo enough to know if we can use it for what you are suggesting. Perhaps Mister Radford could elaborate on that further," she said, glancing toward Jim, her expression less of a request and more of an expectation. "But good, a start, something to fall back on if we can find no other options. I'm not yet convinced we are entirely lacking in those yet, but one thing at a time."

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Mon Nov 01 2010 3:09am
by TheUnknownMarine
"Megiddo is a fortified installation, might save a few hundred people if Black Ops has it cleared out and ready to go," Jim says, slowly coming out of his stupor as a task becomes apparent. "Why? What do you expect to happen?"
Jim turns to Sheila. "Go help 'em find Damas."
"Yessir," Sheila says with a swift salute.

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Mon Nov 01 2010 5:42am
by Cyrus
Gail's face blanches. "A...all that space...for a few hundred?"

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Mon Nov 01 2010 6:12am
by TheUnknownMarine
"Five hundred would be a conservative estimate. You might be able to cram in up to a thousand I suppose," Jim says, stroking his chin. "Living conditions would be pretty poor, though. Again, what exactly is happening?"

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Tue Nov 02 2010 1:44am
by Dark Maiden
Kethra is able to lead Merla and Sheila to the last place she saw Damas. The monk picks up his abandoned pile of equipment, knowing full well he will need them when Merla returns him to his original form.
"Where should we start looking?" Merla asks curiously.
"Let me see... If memory serves, he ran off in that direction," Kethra replies, pointing her finger.

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Tue Nov 02 2010 3:27am
by TheUnknownMarine
"Hey Merla, do ya got a Polymorph spell?" Sheila asks. "You could turn into a tracking dog or something and just sniff him out."

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Wed Nov 03 2010 12:05am
by Dark Maiden
"I do not have that spell prepared," Merla says.
"This could take a while then," Kethra says with a sigh.

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Wed Nov 03 2010 3:45am
by Cyrus
It takes Gail a moment to recover, though the realization still leaves her a little stunned. "The Creator...now that the final battle is over, the Darkness...will unmake the world, and the Light will remake it, remake us, in a new image, for they are both the Creator and they have done this many times before. Even with a...a force divorced from the Creator, invested in life...if we do nothing, the world will end."

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Wed Nov 03 2010 4:04am
by TheUnknownMarine
Jim blinks.
"What? How do you know that? Are you serious?" he barks a bitter laugh. "Of course. Of course it wasn't over yet, how silly of me to think so..."
Jim runs a palm over his face, then through his hair. "Well, what do we do about it?"

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Wed Nov 03 2010 5:15pm
by DragonmasterDon1
"We start by asking the question I should have asked originally: why remake everything in the first place?"

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Fri Nov 05 2010 7:43am
by TheUnknownMarine
"What, you're suggesting we can find a way to convince it not to?" Jim asks. "Find out its reason and nullify that?"
------------
While the others despair and get desperate, Kethra and Friends ™ find Damas after a long and hard search. Everyone has the good taste to not comment on how Damas is literally being a pussy as they scoop up the cat and cart him off.

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Fri Nov 05 2010 8:33am
by Cyrus
"That...might not be possible," Gail interrupts, her face falling. "The Creator is one entity, but it is one out of many, a society of such beings who live...perfect lives. The Creator wants to replicate this, to prove such a society can occur again. These wars, this battle...the Creator designed all this to...test the spirit of the living, to make sure they are worthy. Every time, life has failed." Gail looks out to the field of dead, a grimace framing her features. "Even now...even with Erebeus defeated, it was not by us. Those who were not dead arrived too late, or could not fight, or..." The holy warrior falls silent, turning away from the grim work while a hand covers her face.

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Fri Nov 05 2010 8:43am
by TheUnknownMarine
"What? That doesn't make any sense..." Jim says. "The Strife Lords were outsiders, unknown to this place until the wars started, it couldn't possibly have manipulated..." Jim trails off, his brow furrowing. "Wait, wait... You say that life has failed the test EVERY time? There have no been NO instances of people passing?" Jim frowns. "If that's true, we don't have a success to argue with or try to duplicate..."

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Sat Nov 06 2010 4:30am
by Dark Maiden

> TheUnknownMarine @ Fri Nov 05, 2010 2:43 am) wrote:Everyone has the good taste to not comment on how Damas is literally being a pussy as they scoop up the cat and cart him off.

(( !!! *Dies* ))
"I thought for sure that Dispelling magic would turn him back to normal," Merla grumbles as they walk back to the others.
"At least you tried," Kethra replies. "You said he should turn back to normal after a few hours anyway, right?"
"I said should. Polymorphing spells can be made permanent."
"By the Gods, I hope not," Kethra says with a sigh.
Damas purrs contentedly in Kethra's arms as they walk back.
(( I did some research and came to the conclusion that Polymorphing spells can only be reversed by a Polymorphing spell. So Damas is stuck as a cat for at least three hours, if I'm reading it right. ))

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Sat Nov 06 2010 11:56am
by Kaihaku

> Dark Maiden @ Fri Nov 05, 2010 10:30 pm) wrote: (( I did some research and came to the conclusion that Polymorphing spells can only be reversed by a Polymorphing spell. So Damas is stuck as a cat for at least three hours, if I'm reading it right. ))

((Unless you ask the Doctor who keeps a full arsenal of Polymorph Any Object spells, as well as most lesser varieties of Polymorph, on hand to spread mischief at any time. Speaking of which...))
The Doctor casts polymorph on Felix and Kayla, transforming them into hulking hill giants so they could carry even the heaviest of the fallen to the burial caverns. In hill giant form himself already, the Doctor continues to gently move fallen allies to their final resting place.

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Sun Nov 07 2010 1:48am
by DragonmasterDon1
"Enough," Isyndel spat, features hardening. "More information, less pessimism, unless you want to curl up and off yourselves already and save the Creator the effort."
She bit the side of her lip, then toyed idly with it using her finger in thought for a moment. "End of existence," she whispered. "Creator remakes everything, humanity fails, humanity always fails, as if that is something new, nowhere to g...," she trailed off, before looking over her shoulder to Jim and Gail again. "...why did Dicem take the girl? And where? Speculation?"

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Sun Nov 07 2010 1:54am
by TheUnknownMarine
"I don't know where, somewhere safe I'd guess. Can't you use magic and send him a message?" Jim pauses. "They all wanted her. Galm, Erebeus, Lucifer... even Derrik. She has some kind of power inside her they all want. Power enough to make even those beings want it added to their own, I suppose."

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Sun Nov 07 2010 1:58am
by Cyrus
"Dam...took Simone," Gail asks, before her brow furrows. "I don't know...where would you keep someone like that safe? How did they leave, maybe we could trace them that way?"

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Sun Nov 07 2010 2:02am
by DragonmasterDon1
"Better yet, where would you keep them safe from their existence being erased," she mused. "Dam Dicem always seemed to be one step ahead of the game in my few encounters with him; perhaps it is safe to assume so here. And speaking of people ahead of the game," she levelled her gaze cooly at Jim and Shiela. "The rest of your people; what were they here for? Simply to destroy the Strife Lord?"

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Sun Nov 07 2010 2:32am
by Cyrus
"No...No, that wasn't it. Not all of it. They were arguing with the heroes who sealed the Holy Ark, about something they were keeping from the others...the Link." Gail level a cool glare to Jim. "That's what they gave them, wasn't it? What makes it so important that they would take it for themselves? What does it do?"

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Sun Nov 07 2010 2:44am
by TheUnknownMarine
"Don't you remember what Mitula told us?" Jim asks, turning to Gail. "The Link is a fragment of utter evil, essentially a battery with nigh limitless evil energy that calls other evil to it. It was what caused the Strife Lords to take an interest in your world, it was what they sought." Jim shakes his head. "Such a thing must be contained, if not destroyed."
Jim frowns again. "Is there anyway we have to contact Dam? Find out where he went?"

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Sun Nov 07 2010 2:59am
by DragonmasterDon1
"I can do one better, I can take us to them," Isyndel began. "But let us be sure all are agreed to this course of action before I even attempt it."
((Isyndel will use Wish to do so at some point unless someone can come up with a pressing reason not to find Simone))

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Sun Nov 07 2010 3:42am
by Cyrus
Gail falls silent at Jim's assurance, a finger on her lips while she thinks. It is a moment of contemplation before she returns to Jim. "Can we trust her?"

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Sun Nov 07 2010 3:45am
by TheUnknownMarine
Jim raises an eyebrow. "Trust who?"

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Sun Nov 07 2010 3:48am
by Cyrus
"Mitula."

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Sun Nov 07 2010 3:50am
by TheUnknownMarine
Jim raises an eyebrow. "Why wouldn't we trust her? Besides, the Link isn't here anymore, not like there's much we can do about that."
-----
In short order, Isyndel gathers those wishing to go and then... wishes them to go.
The group appears amidst a cloud of scintillating sparks within the place that Gail swiftly recognizes as Graigus' monastery. They appear to be in a large common area of some sort, but details are lost as the object of their efforts comes into focus.
"You're alive!" Simone shouts, overjoyed as she darts up from a chair she was sitting in to rush the group. She hugs Isyndel (and Kethra too, if present) and looks at the others with a smile. "I was so afraid none of you would survive, there were so many powerful... well, villains there! Is everything OK now? What happened?"

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Mon Nov 08 2010 1:35am
by Dark Maiden
Kethra seems surprised at the sudden affection from Simone, but she hugs the young elf back just the same.

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Mon Nov 08 2010 2:38am
by DragonmasterDon1
As the assembled began to fade into view, Isyndel said simply "We are not expected. Stand ready."
She was unprepared for the attack she received anyway, despite the warning, but regained her composure quickly enough and embraced the girl warmly, wrapping one hand behind her head as she drew her close. "It is good to see you, young one," she whispered, before releasing her slowly. "Are you well? Where are we?"

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Mon Nov 08 2010 3:45am
by TheUnknownMarine
"We're in Graigus' monastery, Dam brought us all here during the fight..." Simone says. She pauses a moment before the next comes out in a rush. "We're all fine... but how is everyone? We won, right? Everyone's OK?"

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Mon Nov 08 2010 5:06am
by DragonmasterDon1
Her eyes sunk. "Many lives were lost in the exchange, and I am yet uncertain as to whether or not we are better for it," she replied, sighing. She bit her lip, and added dryly "One among us was also turned into a cat; I should like to have this fixed as soon as possible."
((Jess, I'd love to RP with Damas btw, if you get on AIM at all I don't have whatever SN you use, I don't believe)).
"Monastery...why..." she trailed off in thought again, which she's been doing for like seven years now.

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Mon Nov 08 2010 5:26am
by TheUnknownMarine
"Dam thought I'd be safe here while all the fighting was going on..." Simone says, her face paling at the grim news. "Who... No. No, I'll find out when we return..." Simone's face tightens and she stops for a moment before continuing. "So... is it over?"

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Mon Nov 08 2010 8:25pm
by Dark Maiden
(( My AIM screen name is LiliDragunova now, the same as my Yahoo screen name and my email. I promise not to change it anymore. I'm usually online in the evening after 6-7, so I'll turn on AIM. ))

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Mon Nov 08 2010 10:58pm
by Cyrus
"No," Gail says, stepping forward with a grimace. "This is...far from over." She looks around, and her face is framed with concern. "Where are Dam and the others? We thought they were here, with you."

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Mon Nov 08 2010 11:26pm
by TheUnknownMarine
"They are, just somewhere else here," Simone replies. "It's a big monastery..." Simone winces. "What do you mean it's far from over? Did they get away?"

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Tue Nov 09 2010 1:59am
by DragonmasterDon1
"Perhaps it would be best to have Gail explain our scenario, I would say her understanding of it makes mine pale in comparison," Isyndel told Simone. "If you would excuse me for a moment, I would like to see about curing Damas' malady for a few moments." She bowed politely to Simone and turned to Kethra, unable to mask the small smile that played upon her lips as her eyes lowered to Damas. She feigned a sigh. "Though I dare say I do greatly like cats," she joked wistfully.
"I must admit that he does make a rather adorable cat, but I think I would very much like to have my friend back the way he was." Kethra glances down at Damas for a moment, then looks back to Isyndel. "Let us have it done," she says softly.
Isyndel nodded, the sentiment echoed silently in her response. She raised her hand before her lithely, closing her eyes, and quietly began the incantation of her spell.
Gail's explanation sounded tinny and vague, almost far away, so much so the Wizardess could not make out the words despite only excusing herself to the back of the group to perform the magic she now weaved about her. The final words were spoken in concert with deft movements of the hand outstretched before her, and she released the spell into the small feline before her, opening her eyes.
Damas' form begins to waver and change, growing larger and larger. Before long, he sits on the floor before them in his original form. "What is--where am I?" Damas murmurs, his eyes darting about frantically. After a few long moments, he appears to regain his composure when he realizes that he is no longer a cat. He quickly notes that he is recieving some rather awkward looks, and upon looking down he finds out why. Though back in his original form, he is completely naked and quite exposed. Damas' entire face turns a deep shade of scarlet. "I-I...excuse me!" he stammers, leaping to his feet and running from the room as fast as he can--attempting to cover himself the best he can as he does so. A few moments later, a door can be heard slamming shut in the distance.
Kethra stands rooted to the spot, her eyes wide, and her cheeks flushed. She stares forward blankly for about a minute, as if her brain had stopped, before she comes back to her senses. "That was...weird," she mumbles.
Isyndel felt the heat rush to her face but for an entirely differently reason; she was clearly embarrassed but less by the naked form before her and by the fact that she had not calculated the possibility that countering the devious magic of the Strife Lords would have unpredictable results, since their magics were the stuff of rather unconventional studies. Her embarrassment is masked merely by the fact that allowed her gaze to linger almost pointedly in the few seconds before the man excused himself. "Well," was the only word she managed, before making sure she stood between herself and the gaze of Simone.
"Maybe I should...find him...give him his things," Kethra murmurs.
"Allow me," she replied, outstretching her arms. "It would seem I owe him a rather rotund apology, despite my success."
Kethra nods and hands Damas' pack to Isyndel. "All of his things should be there, including his clothes."
Isyndel excuses herself once more to find Damas.
((Conversation to be finished/added later))

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Tue Nov 09 2010 8:03pm
by Cyrus
Gail starts when Isyndel leaves, about to chase after her and protest, but then she realized the scholar was right; she had to be the one to ask it. No one else could answer could answer the question the girl would have. Gail turned back to Simone, to those waiting eyes. How could she ask the impossible of a child? How could she put the world on the shoulders of another, just for being born?
"When the Creator made the world," Gail begins, focused on Simone, "he did so as...an experiment. He had come from a perfect society, a perfect world, and wanted to see if such a society could be made by mortal hands. So he created good, and he created evil....Then, he made the world, and the life that walked upon it. He tested this life, forced them to struggle between these two forces, and see if they could make a perfect world from imperfect parts. He tested life...and life failed him. Thus, he remade the world in a rain of fire, and started again."
"This battle...this war...this was our test. The Vandals have been slain, Erebeus runs in defeat, but it was not by our hands. The people of the stars - the outsiders - this was their victory." Gail bows her head, hiding her face. "We have failed again."

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Tue Nov 09 2010 9:32pm
by TheUnknownMarine
Simone's face pales.
"So... was it all for nothing, then?"

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Tue Nov 09 2010 11:28pm
by Cyrus
Gail shakes her head. The grimace doesn't leave her face. "No. There is still hope."
"What I'm about to ask of you...is cruel. It's too large for any one person, no one should have to bear it...but crueler still is that so many people, that life itself, should be judged and condemned for having done no wrong. It is something that must stop." Gail bites something back and turns away. When she speaks again, her voice has cracked. "I don't know you, Simone. I...don't think more than ten words has passed between us. All I know about you...is how special you are, the power only you possess. If there was any other way, if we could turn anywhere else, we would." She pauses, taking a ragged sigh. "We need to confront the Creator...and we need your help."

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Tue Nov 09 2010 11:37pm
by TheUnknownMarine
"My help?" Simone whispers. "What? But I'm... What can I do?" she looks around, uncertain. "Everyone says I have these powers, but I don't know how to control, how to contain them... What am I supposed to do? What do you WANT me to do?"

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Thu Nov 11 2010 10:54pm
by Lord Oddeye sama

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Fri Nov 12 2010 11:48pm
by DragonmasterDon1
A few moments later, Isyndel returned, presumably with a clothed Damas. She softstepped through the assembled and immediately placed a comforting hand on Simone's shoulder.
"I have not worked it out yet, child," Isyndel said gently. "But I am not giving up. Not yet. Link your hand in mine, and I will promi..."
She snapped her head backward at Jim. "Mitula. You said it a moment ago before...of course! We were all so caught up in...how could I have..."

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Sat Nov 13 2010 12:03am
by Cyrus
"How can I be right here and yet still miss everything," Gail doesn't say.

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Sat Nov 13 2010 12:08am
by TheUnknownMarine
"The Vault!" Jim shouts, smacking his forehead with his palm. "She told us right where to go from the start..." A look of disbelief comes over his face. "You mean NO ONE investigated that? We had five different teams and none of them..." Jim laughs bitterly. "What a mess... What an absolute mess..."
Jim is interrupted as a sphere of light begins to take form in the middle of the group. Finally two figures are disgorged from it, one the familiar figure of Viki, the other a female elf in blue and purple robes with pink hair tied down in twin ponytails. The female elf takes a minute to regain her balance, leaning on a staff of twisted wood.
"Man, that's a new one on me, I've never had teleporation magic twist so strangely!" she exclaims, prodding a wall of the monastery with her staff. "What the hell did they make the wards for this place out of! Gah!" she shakes her head. "Well that doesn't matter now!" she turns to the group, doing a double take. "Who the hell are all of you?"

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Sat Nov 13 2010 12:20am
by DragonmasterDon1
"We are all responsible, Commander Radford," Isyndel replied sternly. "Duties notwithstanding."
"Man, that's a new one on me, I've never had teleporation magic twist so strangely!" she exclaims, prodding a wall of the monastery with her staff.
"Have you had a lot of things on top of you before?" Viki asked innoculously, her expression clear that she had absolutely no idea how that could possibly be taken. "I feel like anything that landed on top of me would be new."
"Viki." The wizardess could not help but smile at the mention of her name. The girl had her faults, but her talents and timing had proven useful before. "It is good to see you."
She curtseyed slightly to the new person before them. "I am Isyndel, one of the lead representatives of the most recent Shining Force. And you are?"

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Sat Nov 13 2010 12:35am
by TheUnknownMarine
"I never said we weren't," Jim says with a sigh. "I'm just amazed none of us did anything given how many of us there were."
"Pyra. Pyra Myst," the elf says, executing a short bow.
"Jim Radford," Jim says.
"Er... I'm Simone..." Simone says. Pyra chuckles.
"Oh, I know who YOU are, Simone. The rest of these guys are new though. More Shining Forces? Figures," Pyra shrugs, turning to the girl. She grins. "Hoo! Took me quite a while to find you! But now that I'm here, I've got a million and one questions for you! Finally, the last pieces of the puzzle will..."
Simone winces, looking quite uncomfortable. Pyra grimaces.
"Oh my. That's not a good sign. Why do you look like..." Pyra begins.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Simone states.
"...you've lost your memory," Pyra's eye twitches as she finishes. Her hands ball into fists. "You have GOT to be kidding me! I jump all across the timestream for Creator only knows how long and when I finally catch up..." Pyra throws up her hands. "What else can go wrong today?"

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Sat Nov 13 2010 12:42am
by DragonmasterDon1
"Is the end of everything sufficient to fulfill that query?" Isyndel queried, rather dryly.

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Sat Nov 13 2010 12:45am
by TheUnknownMarine
Pyra's eye twitches again.
"What, again? What happened this time?"

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Sat Nov 13 2010 12:46am
by DragonmasterDon1
Abbreviated post in place of Isyndel's repeating storytelling.

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Sat Nov 13 2010 12:50am
by TheUnknownMarine
Pyra listens intently as Isyndel tells her story, then raises her hand at the end of it.
"Uh, excuse me? You did, you know, drive off the bad guys. Pretty sure that means you passed the test."

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Sat Nov 13 2010 1:02am
by DragonmasterDon1
"Not entirely. At least, I do not believe so. Were I to speculate based on what Gail has told us of the Creator, I suspect the reason we have in fact failed this test is because we have failed to deal with the artifact known as The Link. It is mostly conjecture, but what else do we have to go on? The sands of the hourglass have all but fallen."
She turned to Jim once more. "We find this place Mitula mentioned -- and quickly, or all is lost. It may already be so, I suppose, but perhaps it is not too late to make up for our failure to do so before. I find it best to operate under that assumption in any case."

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Sat Nov 13 2010 1:17am
by TheUnknownMarine
Jim nods. "Right, we'll..."
"Daran knows where the Vault is," Simone quietly says. "So does anyone from Ivellas' force that survived... They were the ones that took the Link out."
"Oh, cool. That makes this a lot easier. I was going to try and break into the Vault anyway," Pyra says with a grin. "I'll tag along, I guess."
She puts a finger to her lips. "But I really don't think you guys failed the test. So long as good in some form triumphs, it's usually enough to cause the Creator to stay his hand." she shrugs.
"How do you know all this again?" Jim asks.
Pyra smiles. "I've been searching for truth. For centuries."
Jim opens his mouth to speak again, but a device on Sheila and Jim begins to emit a shrill alert.
"Tidesign? But..." he plucks the device from his belt and examines it. "Of that magnitude..." he grimaces. "It WAITED?! It WAITED until they LEFT?!"
Pyra snaps her fingers and a series of orbs of light appear all around, showing different parts of the world, gigantic dark voids slowly pouring forth from rifts in space and time. She winces.
"The Creator destroys things with heavenly fire, this is... something else," Pyra says.
"Tideforms, gigantic ones..." Jim breathes. "Didn't Mitula say something about them being related to the Link? They must've come here to look for it..."
"Like everything else the Link drew here..." Sheila curses.
Jim turns to Sheila. "Go find Daran." He turns to Viki. "Viki, can you teleport us to the Vault? Or close to it?"

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Sat Nov 13 2010 1:23am
by DragonmasterDon1
"Perhaps we haven't failed," Isyndel conceded. "But this certainly proves our work is not done in any case. We are moving out as soon as possible," she spoke to those attending. "No one will blame you if you are too fatigued from the battle and wish to stay behind."
"The Vault with all the dwarves in it? I don't think I can get to the Toran Republic from here," Viki stated, tightening her grip as she leaned on her Wand. "We're not going to steal things, are we?"

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Sat Nov 13 2010 1:29am
by TheUnknownMarine
Jim takes a deep breath. "Can you take us to a place one of us has been to before?"

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Sat Nov 13 2010 1:42am
by DragonmasterDon1
"Not if you're going to steal things. That isn't nice. But if you're just going to look I can. Focus the image in your mind and I'll take you there!"

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Sat Nov 13 2010 2:10am
by TheUnknownMarine
"Right, just wait a moment," Jim says, rubbing his head. He takes a moment to tap his comm on. "Sheila, go find everyone else too, I guess."
"Should we gather the others back at the base?" Jim asks, turning to Isyndel and Gail.

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Sat Nov 13 2010 2:53am
by DragonmasterDon1
==End of Conversation from Post from before Pyra appeared==
She nodded and accepted them. A short time later she found herself knocking on the door he had retreated to. She cleared her throat. "I have your things," she began, setting them on the ground before her. "My head is turned and no one is around."
The door opens and Damas reaches out for his things, pulling them back into the room with him before shutting the door once again. Ten minutes pass before the door opens again. "I am decent now," Damas says flatly.
She nodded, and spun on her toes to face him before lowering her head. "I'm sorry, that should not have happened. I can only assume the version of the spell cast on you differs from the standard variants of that spell I've studied. Just the same, the responsibility is mine. I hope you can forgive my errant mistake."
"There is no need for you to apoligize," Damas says. "No one is perfect--you could not have known that would happen." Damas sighs. "Humiliating though it was, I am quite grateful to be my old self again."
"You've nothing to be humiliated about," she said softly, before pursing her lips, a bit surprised at herself for saying so. "I am relieved. When I arrived on the battlefield, I did not see you and I assumed the worst, yet again. I would have been quite angry if you were to move to the afterlife without allowing me the chance to see you once more when things cleared. If they clear. We seem to have a rather large abundance of "ifs" to resolve still. I am not certain how much of it you may have heard, as a feline." She bit her lip, letting herself show for the first time the anxiety that she had been suppressing for quite awhile in front of the others.
"Your concern is appreciated," Damas replies with a smile. "Unfortunately, assuming the form of an animal forced me to take on an animal's intellect as well, so I am afraid I know little. The last thing I remember clearly was the Lich's spell hitting me. I felt fear in his presence, then joy when I was found, but I was pretty well incapable of any sort of coherent thought."
Isyndel quickly recounted all that she had herself learned, leading up to the apparent hopelessness of their scenario. She left nothing out, and when she was finished, she brought her eyes up to his. "You see why I thought this could be the end. I am functioning on bravado alone, and I am uncertain where it comes from. I have no answer to give these people, Damas. I cannot promise them their lives, their world, any of it, and yet, I told them I was not going to stand down. I feel foolish."
"Isyndel, you are many things, but a fool is not among them. I have no answers for you either. However, I can say that just giving up and accepting our so called 'fate' would be foolish. There is something my mother, Gods rest her soul, used to say to me: It's not over until it's over. I have far too many people that are important to me to just lie down and die. Where there's a will, there's a way, or so the saying goes. I intend to fight until we win, or until death claims me. I would have it no other way, and at least I could be at peace knowing I tried."
She exhaled frustration sharply through her nose, then took a deep breath, creasing traces of a smile across her lips. "That is a comfort; I was beginning to think I may be the only one to feel that way. I think perhaps I would have liked your mother."
"I think you would have," Damas replies with smile.
She bit her lip, and tentatively brought her hand to his forearm. Awkwardly, she traced it to his hand and clenched it weakly. "There are people important to me too," she spoke. "People I want to protect. Even if perhaps I am ill suited to explain it to them."
Damas gently squeezes her hand in response, his eyes locked with Isyndel's as she speaks. "Ill suited? Oh, I don't believe that," he says kindly.
She shrank from him despite herself, her eyes quickly finding the floor to her right. "When I came to the battle, and did not see you...it...bothered me. Every time you have entered battle, it has bothered me. For awhile now." She paused to collect her thoughts for a moment, placing a finger upon his lips in case he made a sound, which would easily derail her. "And I've realized...that part of this is not simply bravado. I do not wish to have my existence erased, and not simply because I am a living organism with a survival imperative. I want more time...to spend with you."
She stepped away from him, turned her back, but did not let go of his hand. "I have made many mistakes in coming to this conclusion. Many. And I fear you will hate me for them. Perhaps you already do." She looked over her shoulder, using her other hand to brush dirty azure locks from her face as she did so. "But I needed to tell you that. That no matter what may come, you...mean more to me than I ever thought possible."
"Isyndel..." Damas appears stunned at her confession, but relieved at the same time. "Of course I don't hate you. I could never hate you." He pauses for a few long moments before he continues. "Would it...bother you...if I said that I...felt the same way about you?"
The edge of her lip curved upward slightly. "It does not bother me. In actuality, it pleases me to hear it, but unnerves me at the same time," she whispered.
"I know the feeling. I'm happy, but nervous, as silly as that must sound," Damas says, lightly chuckling.
She clenched his fingers more tightly, and took a deep breath as she stepped back to him, facing him once more. "Then I must bear up a bit longer," she replied, placing her free hand palm-down over his heart as she arched her neck upward to look at him, eyes sparkling with determination. "If there is a way, I will find it. I promise you this."
"And I shall be by your side until the end my lady, whatever that end may be."
She nodded matter-of-factly, as if the subject were never up to debate, and stood on her tiptoes, placing her lips upon his cheek gently.
Damas' cheeks turn a light shade of pink. He is surprisingly silent.
She lowered herself to her toes and watched him silently for a moment. "Am I
being...presumptuous? I am sorry."
"Not at all. I was merely not expecting it," Damas replies with a sheepish grin. "You know, as much as I enjoy your company, I think that perhaps we should rejoin the others."
She nodded. "There will be time for this ... discussion later. A fair amount of it." And with that, she turned quickly and marched purposefully back to the other room.
==Back to Current==
Isyndel nodded to Jim. "No telling what we will run into there. I think it worthwhile."

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Sat Nov 13 2010 3:08am
by TheUnknownMarine
Jim nods. "Right. Viki, can you please teleport back to base and gather up everyone you can and bring them back here? I'm going to figure a few things out, or try to, with Daran and the others. We'll be moving on the Vault soon."
((Last boat towards endgame-ville preparing to shove off. If you've got something to do beforehand you have a very short time to do it. If you're in for endgame, please post your character reacting as...))
A short time later, Viki reappears with the people she could find.

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Sun Nov 14 2010 6:34am
by Dark Maiden
(( All of my characters will be present. <_< ))

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Tue Nov 16 2010 10:24pm
by Cyrus
Gail seems galvanized by the new revelations, ready to continue on.

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Sat Nov 20 2010 12:57am
by DragonmasterDon1
Viki returns with like nobody then, except Eve and Langston, who offer no explanation as to where they are and what they were doing, but Eve says something inspirational and Langston says something affable.
Obviously no one else is going to post so systems are go.

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Sat Nov 20 2010 3:20am
by Dark Maiden
(( I said the rest of my characters were coming. ))

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Sat Nov 20 2010 3:41am
by DragonmasterDon1
Sorry, I meant almost nobody lol

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Sat Nov 20 2010 4:32am
by TheUnknownMarine
"Right then..." Jim says, securing his mask and helmet in place once more as everyone is gathered. "We're going to the place Mitula described. The Vault. Hopefully we'll find some answer as to what to do there. So what do you know about the place, Daran?"
"Eh... not much..." Daran says, grimacing. "The ruins we went through... Some of them were Ancient, others were foreign to me, and it looked like there was a third kind beneath that..."
"That'd be the Vault all right," Pyra offers. "From what I studied of it, there were multiple complexes built over it, the final one of course, being the original halls belonging to the Creator."
"Right," Jim says, checking his weapon. "Defenses?"
"There were robots, but we blew them up..." Daran says. "Oh! There was also a powerful mage guarding the way forward, but we defeated him. Other than that, just passive wards we breached..." Daran grimaces. "But the way we entered the deeper ruins caved in..."
"We can use magic and explosives to clear the way if needed..." Jim begins.
"Not needed," Pyra says, holding up a hand. "There should be another way in. The Vault and the ruins above it were a huge place."
"How do you know all this again?" Sheila asks.
"I told you," Pyra says with a sigh. "I've been on a search for truth."
"That doesn't explain anything!" Sheila shouts.
"Regardless, we have no time," Jim says. "We'll take all the help we can get. Daran, go over to Viki so she can sense where to go."
"If you guys are going, so am I," Yeesha says. Jim looks over to her.
"No. With your injury you..."
And then Viki teleports the entire group, nullifying any words Jim was about to say.
The Ruins of Thanas: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4okMCBcr ... re=related
The world fades away, to be replaced by the imposing Manarinan Mountains rising from the ground before you. Standing in seeming defiance of the ominous storm clouds gathering in the sky above, the peaks jut high into the heavens, disappearing into the gray.
Set into the mountainside, its protective illusion dispelled, a ruined doorway stands. Worn down pillars and carvings, unrecognizable now, line the passage inward.
"Here again... This... This is where it all started..." Daran whispers, turning to look at the two massive slabs of mithril that had been the door, still lying in the sand where so long ago Tao and Anri blasted them off their moorings.
"More right than you know..." Pyra quietly states.
Jim pauses, expression unreadable beneath his mask. He makes no move or statement, merely staring at the entrance to the ruin.
The dark halls before you seem to wait patiently for you to return within.

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Sun Nov 21 2010 12:54am
by DragonmasterDon1
"There is little time to waste," Isyndel said, before beginning to walk forward, falling in behind Daran. "Lead on."
"Looks like a blast," the rat muttered, straightening his belt with a twitch of his whiskers. "Glad I got dug out of a pile o'rubble for this."
"Why did you dig under it in the first place?" Viki asked blearily.
"I didn't."
"Oh. Oh!" Viki exclaimed. "You just sneezed and ended up there, didn't you???? You're just like me!!!"
Langston simply stared at her, then trailed his eyes over the girl down, then upward, before just staring at her again. He opened his mouth to say something, and decided simply not to.
She grinned ear to ear, eyes closed, and clutched the end of her staff toward her shoulder. "I thought I was the only one."

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Sun Nov 21 2010 6:56am
by Arcdragnbreth
"Had we only known what it was at the time," the dragonman sighed, his wings adjusting themselves behind him. "Perhaps we could have avoided much of this trouble..."
"Am I the only one who doesn't know exactly what we're going to be telling this Creator?" Ashathel asked. "I mean, we can't exactly use the usual lines, here..."
Gabriel looked around distrustfully, his supernaturally powerful senses alert for any changes and any oddities. He nodded at the elf's words, but gave no more attention to anyone's speech.
"Do you think we could kill him, if it doesn't work?" Dam asked.
"Amazing," the dwarf breathed, his natural predilection to superior craftsmanship activated in this ancient place.
Pantherath said nothing, most of his attention occupied by thoughts of the battle that had past, and others yet to come. He looked to his commander from time to time, awaiting any new orders.

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Sun Nov 21 2010 9:20am
by TheUnknownMarine
"Only one way to find out," Jim says, his fists tightening as he moves forward to the door.
"Er, right..." Daran says, moving forward. "This way..."
Inner Ruins: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8FgRZCVzi1c
The tinker nervously leads the group into the darkness, a shoulder lamp from Jim along with whatever other light sources the group carries illuminating the way. They pass crumbling stone halls, the shattered remains of robots and summoned monsters defeated by the warriors under Ivellas so long ago. Slowly the architecture turns from the carved stone and pillars to the smooth blue stone and ceramics that characterize the structures of the Ancients.
The group passes by the massive diamond tablet that held the dire warning that went unheeded for so long. Daran sparing the structure a wincing glance.
"All the signs were there..." he mumbles. "...we didn't heed them."
"Geeeez, if it weren't rooted in the temple and a priceless piece of lore, think how much cash that diamond would bring in! It's bigger than Varro!" Sheila exclaims as she sees the tablet. Jim frowns and looks over the writing.
"A great war between all worlds..." he mutters, reading the text engraved into the diamond. "...sealing a great evil. It's talking about how the Link was made, what Mitula mentioned..." Jim shakes his head. "...but anything beyond that is scratched out."
As the group passes by the object, Simone lays a hand on the diamond tablet, her eyes distant, as if seeing things no longer there.
Finally the group comes to the vast abyss, spanned by the single, wide stone bridge. On the other side is the pillared temple face, decorated by engravings of stern angels and the two statues of knights, holding their hands outward in warning. Between those is the doorway inward.
"This is where we fought that mage..." Daran says, quietly. "He never said his name, I don't think..."
"Forgotten..." Simone suddenly says. "He forgot it himself... So that's what he called himself. Forgotten."
"How do you know that?" Jim asks.
"I don't know..." Simone says distantly. "This place... I feel strange."
Jim pauses. "...almost like you're coming home."
"Exactly," Simone says. Daran looks at her with concern as Jim looks around.
"Didn't you say something about caving in? When do we reach that part?" Jim asks.
"Huh? Oh! Right! Uh..." Daran looks around. "That's odd... I thought this was the part that was sealed off, but..."
"Maybe it was," Jim states. "Maybe it was."

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Tue Nov 23 2010 3:51am
by DragonmasterDon1
Isyndel narrowed her eyes speculatively as she watched others talk, particularly Jim and Simone, but said nothing, pursing her lips in thought as her only response.
((Is there room to cross the bridge to gather before the door, or does the bridge lead directly to it?))
Langston sniffed the air about him as he began poking about their side of the bridge in examination. His whiskers twitched in irritation.
((Search: 14 + 26 = 40))

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Tue Nov 23 2010 5:15am
by TheUnknownMarine
((There is room to gather on the other side.))
Langston finds the remains of several robots and monsters, long destroyed, but nothing else.

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Sat Nov 27 2010 8:01am
by Arcdragnbreth
"Only one way to find out," the rogue shrugged, walking through the opening ahead of the others. "Come on... it'd be nice to get this over and done with quickly."

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Sat Nov 27 2010 8:46am
by TheUnknownMarine
Inner Ruins: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8FgRZCVzi1c
The group crosses the bridge and enters the odd temple like structure without difficulty, the architecture changing once again from the Ancient's work to that of something else.
Past halls of engravings set into stone walls, the group comes to the stone statue of the holy knight that blocked the way to the Link chamber. It is still moved to the side, revealing the secret passage yawning behind it. Daran points at it.
"That's the statue the queen cast a spell on to make it move out of the way," Daran says. "They said these ruins were older than their spells could detect..."

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Sat Nov 27 2010 8:50am
by Arcdragnbreth
"Why is... why is that there?" Pantherath asked aloud, his shock apparent in his tone of voice and the wide-eyed stare he gave the carving. "That is... that is Iaiden, the founder of the Templars; how would the people of this world know of him?"

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Mon Nov 29 2010 4:21am
by TheUnknownMarine
"That is Templar armor..." Jim murmurs. "This place seems to be generating more questions than answers." Jim shakes his head. "But perhaps it's better not to think of it now, we have a world to save after all."
"The next chamber was a dead end, where we found the Link," Daran says. "I don't know where we'd go from there..."

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Tue Nov 30 2010 12:36am
by DragonmasterDon1
"Maybe over here, check this out!" the rat exclaimed, twitching his whiskers as he pointed out his discovery, a passage off to the left of the room by some of the statues.

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Tue Nov 30 2010 5:18pm
by Kaihaku
"What do you know... I guess you boys have been meddling here for longer than even you knew." The Doctor comments at the Templar statue, breaking the silence he had kept since he finished burying the fallen comrades.
Quiet even for him, Felix silently hurries after Langston, ready to back the ratfolk if trouble erupts.
Sophie barely reacts to either discovery, sticking close to her brother and the Strife Slayer.

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Tue Nov 30 2010 11:08pm
by TheUnknownMarine
"But that doesn't make sense..." Jim mutters. "The GDO has been around for thousands of years, but the timeline... these ruins here should predate even that, millions of years ago, not just thousands..." Jim shakes his head. "Can't think about it now, we need to hurry before the Black Tide grows."
Langston manages to open the hidden door with a few deft movements of his fingers on a hidden series of pressure panels, a portion of the stone wall sliding back to reveal a passageway of stairs descending down into darkness.
The stairs seem to go on for hours, large and made of what looks like polished obsidian. The deeper you go the more a sense of incalculable age seems to permeate your surroundings. The sensation that you are descending into the very heart of the world hangs over your heads. Simone remains quiet, a distant look on her face.
Finally the stairs stop, the passageway leveling out into a vast, cavernous chamber easily the size of a small village. The ceiling arches far above, vaulted and inlaid with moving sapphire lights and silver lines as the floor drops below into a swirling abyss of stars.
The True Shining Path: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c99M4VUEZAs
A single path, broad enough for an army to traverse, spans that abyss. Made of smooth, blue polished stone of an indeterminable type, it leads from the edge of the stairs to a gigantic, golden door barely visible at this distance. Lines of sapphire and golden light trace their way across this span, ever moving in an intricate dance whose purpose is unknown. The air seems to hum with energy.
What draws your attention the most though are the walls. Inlaid with painstaking detail along the chamber walls flanking the path are gigantic murals depicting among others, the people of the first Shining Force.
Here in this chamber carved aeons ago is an exact replication of Queen Anri, hands weaving as she summons a Freeze spell. There is one of Max, hand on sword, looking resolutely towards the west. Another depicts the steadfast Gong deep in prayer, another Adam surrounded by gears, Lyle amidst smoke from an explosion... and further beyond those are more familiar faces. The Julian battalion, Arthur and his comrades... all are here. And there are many faces the bulk of the force does not recognize as well.
"The Shining Forces..." Jim breathes.

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Wed Dec 01 2010 8:55am
by Arcdragnbreth
"Either the artist took some liberties, or the Queen aged well," Dam said, looking at Anri's form on the mural carefully. Whistling, he added, "Nice gams. Max, however..."
"Amazing," Garudaos said, looking across the span of sculpted images. "I have never seen anything like this before. But I do not understand... how can these be here now?"
"I don't like it," Gabriel muttered, continuing to sniff the air.

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Wed Dec 01 2010 7:00pm
by DragonmasterDon1
"Perhaps its simpler than it appears," Isyndel mused out loud to no one in particular as she continues walking. "The structure appears beyond ancient because it is, but it is by no means indicative that those portrayed upon it are older than we know them to be. In fact, given what we know already, we should have expected this," she finished without further explanation as she scanned the structure wide-eyed, enthusiasm and anticipation practically radiating from her as she fought to contain the grin creeping over her face.
(( Isyndel gains the title "遺跡マニア!" ))

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Wed Dec 01 2010 8:55pm
by Cyrus
"So...the people who built this knew the future. They learned about the fate of the world, the ones who would save it, the outsiders...and they left this here." Gail stares at the murals that dominate the walls, her brow furrowing while she searches for something. She begins to wander down the hall, and her pace quickens with the length of her search.

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Fri Dec 03 2010 4:11am
by TheUnknownMarine
As Gail makes her way down the hall, a voice reverberates through the vast hall, its source unseen yet omnipresent. The voice sounds almost like a thousand voices speaking as one, but somehow in a completely natural way. The words it speaks are laced with authority and age. The voice sounds deep, powerful...
...and above all else it sounds tired. Weary beyond human comprehension.
How many of you are there..." the voice rumbles as Gail passes by the image of a young man with long blond hair held back by a bandanna.
"Usually there was only one... One among the many... but you're different..." the voice pauses, almost as if in contemplation.
"There is not one, but a few... and those few are bound to more than one in turn...

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Thu Dec 09 2010 7:23pm
by Arcdragnbreth
((Assuming we can all hear it...))
"Well, what can we say? We've found that the buddy system works best when exploring ancient and disturbingly pristine structures," Dam said. "If you're who I think you are, you did a marvelous job with the spit shine."

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Thu Dec 09 2010 7:26pm
by Kaihaku
"So that was the cure all along." The Doctor murmurs half under his breath, shaking his head.

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Fri Dec 10 2010 5:09am
by DragonmasterDon1
"Um...am I the only one worried that the air is kind of...talking? I don't think its supposed to do that," Viki said anxiously, leaning sheepishly on her Wow Wow Wand.

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Sat Dec 11 2010 9:51am
by TheUnknownMarine
"Yeah, well, a lot of things are happening that aren't supposed to happen," Jim says to Viki as he continues forward.
Whether it is a response to Dam's statement or not is hard to tell, but the voice speaks again as the group continues to move down the path. Among the murals is Pyra, amidst a group most of the team is unfamiliar with. She clearly sees it, but it doesn't appear to faze her. The familiar murals are behind the group now, new ones taking their place, ones that perhaps only the G.D.O. soldiers recognize. Bowie and his Force, Mars, the adventurers from Klantol...
The first mortal steps taken down this path for eons. The stones shudder at your passing. They remember the power behind you, though the flesh and spirit be new. You are familiar here, yet foreign. You are not part of the bloodlines. You are outside the cycle, yet resonate with it..."
The voice pauses. The air in the chamber seems to... move slightly. Faint traces of shapes undefined by even the sharpest sense dance in the void between wall and path. Occasionally a line of light flashes there.
"The deaths of all those people... Countless people over countless years.... Trillions on trillions... All the suffering this world has endured since its inception was towards the answering of a single question...
"A single truth..." Pyra whispers, an odd gleam in her eyes. The other end of the chamber, with its vast golden door grows nearer and nearer.
Was all of it for nothing? Or will I finally find out the truth even I sought? the voice muses. "The darkness outside spreads. The cogs of fate have been stolen, one by one. Those who tinkered with, observed the gears slain, fled, or rendered impotent. Here, at the end, it seems all plans have fallen to ruin, all predictions failed, all machinations fallen to dust, and all tests but one destroyed..."
The shapes in the air take more definite form, a host of luminous humanoid forms with no distinguishable features twist from the air, flying down to either side of the path and filling the space between path and wall, that huge expanse, with row after ordered row of spirits that seem to be little more than light bound in a form. They watch the heroes with faces little more than outlines against luminescence.
A light breeze blows through the chamber as the voice emits what seems like a heavy sigh. The spirits drop to a knee as one, then begin to vanish from sight.
"Perhaps the eternal game truly is finally drawing to a close."

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Sat Dec 11 2010 11:31am
by Cyrus
Gail points a dark glower to the floor of the majestic hall, golden eyes menacing from a furrowed brow. The rambling, the spectacle, the...disregard for creation fed a fire in her heart that she could not quench. She had to ignore it, to look forward. "We don't have time for this." If the chamber continues, then so does she, her pace quickened with purpose.

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Tue Dec 14 2010 12:53am
by TheUnknownMarine
The voice sighs as the group quickens its pace towards those great golden doors. They pass mural after mural, hero after hero, heroine after heroine lost to time...
?Even I who created this world have questions unanswered... and my own creator is long since vanished... I have sought solace in what I made, not what made me," the voice muses.
At last, the group arrives at the great golden doors. This close they see innumerable carvings of angels, runes, dragons, gods, demigods, heroes... The doors appear a priceless work of art, engraved with precise images of almost every notable being for all of recorded history.
"Now then... what sort of harbinger are you? Do you bring doom or salvation, or something caught between the two extremes... I don't even think you know. I don't even think you understand what you've done, what you are, or what your presence in this place means."
The great golden doors open wide, the group suddenly compelled to enter. The doors close behind them.
---------------
You stand on something, but you do not know what, or see what it is. You don't see anything, really. Aside from yourself, you only see your companions... and...
Formless, chaotic cascades of energy whirl here, like smoke, water, or fire. Even the door you entered from is lost to your sight. An endless expanse of energy and void. That is the place you stand in, perched on nothing.
A presence strikes you, pressing on your mind like a great typhoon straining against a dam, or the immense pressure of water outside a submarine deep in the ocean. It threatens to flood your consciousness, submerge it within itself, it calls to you on some deep level... and on some level you want to let it take you. A thousand voices, a thousand whispers drown each other out, rendering themselves nought but background noise...
But you can withstand it. Your will has been sharpened and strengthened by trial after trial, and much like the ocean, the presence is passive, not actively seeking to breach your mind. You can hold.
A pinpoint of light pierces through the haze of energy and bursts into a great fiery sphere of blinding illumination. Chaotic for only a second, it reforms itself into a single shape...
The form of one great eye. The same eye that appears time and time again on so many civilizations throughout history, again and again on so many crests, flags, and emblems, as if burned into every living thing's subconscious from demon to dragon.
Creator: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=03ovHpx5WjE
"You have arrived at the seat of Creation. At the center of your world. At the most ancient of places, the most holy of holies, the most inviolate of sanctuaries..."
The form reverts to a chaotic cloud of golden light, energy barely bound before taking another shape, this time an outline of a perfectly proportioned man, his features obscured by the light shed from his body.
"Outside the creeping darkness begins to wash over the surface like a wave, devouring all it touches, infusing everything with pure corruption, convincing creation to slay itself, to die. Why have you come here?"
The form collapses again, changing back to the huge eye.
"Do you even know? Do you even know why you are here? Or did you come all this way, entered the chamber of the being that created you without a sense of what needed to be done?"

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Tue Dec 14 2010 8:49am
by Arcdragnbreth
Pantherath immediately opened his mouth to speak, then closed it just as quickly. Thinking for a moment, he growled in frustration, balling up his fists as he nodded resolutely.
"I am not fit to speak here," Pantherath said. "Though we of the GDO have come to assist you, the creations are the only ones fit to speak for themselves to their creator. You are not like my people, who relinquished themselves to evil; you can and will do what must be done. The Light will be with you all - of that, I have no doubt."

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Thu Dec 16 2010 5:56am
by DragonmasterDon1
Isyndel turned from side to side after Pantherath spoke and then swallowed at the realization that she would likely be the one to address this being. She found the sensation almost comforting, having spent the better part of her life as of late dealing with scenarios where the fate of existence seemed to hang on her head.
She stepped forward, digging her nails into her palms as she clenched her fists briefly. "Amongst us we all know but bits and pieces, fragments of the truth, but we come united in purpose -- to end the cycle of chaos and destruction. I do not pretend to understand all of that which has transpired; I can only understand that our world and seemingly many others are full of danger and suffering the likes of which many of us have never seen. I accept that in this world evil must exist, it is necessary to maintain balance in life for it to prosper, but as you say, the scales seem to have tipped much too far."
She frowned pensively, looking at the ground. "I do not, however, accept that the only way to correct this is to effectively reset the world, as I am told has been done before. Even if it is the case, I can do no less than look for other solutions. Innocent people, innocent worlds will die. I do not want this any more than I wish to die myself. But even I am at a loss. Our journey has led us here; tell me, please, has it been for naught?" she pleaded.

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Thu Dec 16 2010 7:52am
by TheUnknownMarine
A cold, searing anger blasts the minds of those present at the words.
"I accept that in this world evil must exist," the voice says, its powerful voice thick with contempt. "Do you know? Why? What makes a balance between good and evil worth preserving? Do you dare presume to speak to ME of the worthiness of... of BALANCE between good and evil? That there even can be such a thing? No. You spoke truly. You really DID come all this way only armed with fragments of the truth..."
The form collapses again, this time re-emerging as a blazing phoenix.
"Balance between good and evil... Defend that statement if you can. I wonder if you would care if it was not your world, but some other that faced the knife. I wonder if you wish to defend because you believe everyone deserves defending or simply because you and yours are threatened..."
The form whirls on itself, changing to a robed figure, arms held out as if to embrace the group, or perhaps give them benediction. The anger fades for a moment, replaced by a feeling of soothing love.
"Yet... even so, you stand before me. You stand tall, not having fallen prey to the horrors, tragedies and fractures of the soul that claimed your comrades. Valor... perhaps. A spark of something more, some connection to the greater world. You've done so much..."
Again the form changes, exploding outward to imitate a great dragon. The feeling of love fades to be replaced by one of intense scrutiny.
"Yet MORE was demanded and not MET! You held the world's fate in your hands and constantly took half measures! Great sacrifices were made by those both on your team and without, and for what?" the voice states, punctuating the words with a loud draconic roar. "You accomplished much, but were capable of even more and you TURNED AWAY."
The venom fades from the voice, even as the form of the dragon collapses back into a bent, old, tired man constructed of golden, shining ethereal brilliance like the others. A weary sorrow rolls over the group's minds. "Yet... You admit to it. You don't try to claim false glory. Only fragments of the truth."
The form shrinks back to the eye, the intense emotions fading away for the moment.
"If you had cared, if you had striven for the answers, I have no doubt they would've been yours. You've come so far... and yet still are so flawed," the voice says. "Only now at the end, does it begin to matter."
A great sigh ripples through the chamber.
"You want to know if your coming here was for naught. Yes... and no," the voice rumbles.
Images of great pools of darkness bubbling up from cracks in the earth and rifts in the air appear all around the heroes. A torrent of pure corruption, of death, of void, rolls forth across the globe.
"Cleansing fire only rains down when evil has won, when there are none left to oppose it. You'd already passed this test, however close it came. The Strife Lords are driven away, the last of the Vandals slain, the voice states.
"This tide of darkness is not my doing."

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Mon Dec 20 2010 2:48am
by DragonmasterDon1
The muscles in her face tightened with restraint as the being spoke. Perhaps it was her conversation with Damas earlier, or the sensation of all the people behind her whose lives could hinge on her words that gave her reason to remain calm. She did not know, but saw no reason to question it -- if allowing the being to cast judgment upon them could manifest into something productive, the tightly knotted fury inside her chest was worth containing.
"Then to whom do we owe credit to? Another creature? Some being from another world? Life itself?"

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Mon Dec 20 2010 3:07am
by TheUnknownMarine
Consider it a parting gift from the last Strife Lord, the voice states. "That tide of utter dark... they are shadows... fragments... children of the pure corruption that wears the mask of the black chain link you stole from the upper vault so long ago. They seek out, are drawn to the unholy scent of their progenitor even from far across the void... While the link was within this vault, the emanations that drew them where contained. While it was in the hands of Erebeus, they were siphoned off. When the Outsiders took it, they shielded it well. But..."
The form writhes, but does not change form.
"For a brief time, it was neither in the hands of evil nor sheltered by light, for a time it lay in the hands of the Queen of Guardiana, who knew not what it was, nor how to shield it. That brief time awoken the tide. Later, when Erebeus mastered the powers of the Link, he used it to call them here, to provide a distraction for his escape. You noticed them did you not? The tideforms bubbling up and attacking you while the last of Strife fled the world? Yes..."
The great eye seems to convulse violently, but still remains.
"They have more awareness than you think... Some instinct well honed if naught else. They waited for the Outsiders to leave before descending on this realm, searching for what called them here. Of course, they do not know that both the one that called them has fled and the thing they seek is also gone."

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Mon Dec 27 2010 2:21am
by Cyrus
A hawk's glare settles over Gail's face, and she steps forward, confronting the great eye. "How do we stop them?"

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Mon Dec 27 2010 4:30am
by TheUnknownMarine
"I would be very surprised if you can," the voice says with a great sigh. "There's too many for you to fight in any meaningful way, and they'll ravage the world before returning to the void."
The eye collapses in on itself, reforming into a monstrous lizard.
"Perhaps I should consume the world in flame once more... This disaster is after all, the result of mortal failure. As usual..." The lizard's form writhes, growing instable. "Yes... It's bending the rules a bit, but if the world is going to die anyway, might as well take down the destroyers with it... Such a poor showing, this age would've doubtlessly been doomed the next time around anyway with heroes like this. Fire might spare everyone the terror of that tide, a kinder end..."
The form explodes outward before reconstituting itself in a bent, crippled old man.
"But... the test WAS passed. Those are the rules. Millions of people had no part in this, thousands tried to help..." the voice mutters. "...though if the dark tide overruns the planet... Souls might not be able to be reincarnated if devoured by those abominations... If they're all killed now they can always be brought back later..."
The form grows unstable like the last as it speaks, unraveling itself and reforming as a sharp-clawed warwolf.
"Maybe it's better that way. Maybe it's better this world die a final, true death. Maybe the dark tide SHOULD wash over everything. Maybe a forever sleep would be preferably to this endless, torturous futility..." the voice snarls. Almost immediately after the last word is uttered, the form breaks apart, snapping back together as a robed kyantol.
"No... No, that cannot be..." the voice whispers. "That is not justice."
The form wavers for a moment before melting back into the eye.

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Tue Dec 28 2010 6:20am
by Arcdragnbreth
"As someone who's taken up residence in the afterlife at least once, let me tell you... it's not a suitable alternative, at least from what I remember of it," the rogue said, far more serious than usual. "If we passed this so-called test, and the real problem is the... the Tideforms, right? If they're the problem, why not just wipe them out and leave us be?"

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Tue Dec 28 2010 9:11am
by TheUnknownMarine
The eye collapses into a writhing ball of divine incandescence, but does not reshape itself into a different form as it has done so many times before. Rather, it seems as if different shapes each struggle to emerge from the ball only to sink or be pulled back down.
"I... could..." the voice whispers. "Perhaps... that would be..."
A pained gasp builds to an enraged howl that cuts through it's speech and the voice changes, becoming harsh, anger.
"No! This is the consequence of YOUR failure!" the hall shakes as a terrible howl of pain, anguish, and rage spills forth from the air, the golden ball of light dimming, taking on a shade of crimson. "YOU had EVERYTHING you needed, and you STILL allowed this... this INSANITY to continue! Why? WHY should I help you? You who didn't even help the world that spawned you?! You that broke apart like matchsticks under a giant's boot just as you neared your goal?!"
The shade of crimson grows more pronounced with every sentence, edges of black beginning to infect the once pure brilliance.
"So predictable... Why, then? Answer me that. WHY should I help you?"

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Fri Dec 31 2010 10:33am
by Kaihaku
Sophie lets out a ragged gasp, the tears flowing freely down her face in response to the vitriol pouring from her world's holiest of holies. Her dull eyes hardly acknowledge her tears, staring emptily before her.
"Tell me a bit more about our failure?" The Doctor asks quietly, surprisingly subdued given the circumstances, "Is all really lost because we 'broke apart' just as we 'neared our goal'?"
Felix trembles at the stern rebuke, not quite understanding the point behind it but cowed by it's strength none the less.

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Fri Dec 31 2010 9:22pm
by Cyrus
Gail's face twists into a hateful grimace at the demands of their Creator, and she turns away, unable to look upon it. "You...cannot be the Light. No part of the Creator - of a just Creator - could be so petty, so cruel. So broken."

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Sat Jan 01 2011 9:17am
by Arcdragnbreth
"You disgust me," Dam Dicem spat.
The elven bladesinger, silent until now, uttered angry words behind those of his allies.
"Wait a minute... how the hell is it our fault? Until a few months ago, some of us didn't even know what the hell the Cult was, and you want to drop everything that's gone wrong on our shoulders?"
"We made some mistakes - we know that," Graigus offered, clutching the staff in his hands tightly. "But not everything that went wrong was our fault, and we've been trying to fix everything ever since. We might still be able to do something, but we can't do it alone."
"My dwarven friend is correct," Garudaos said, extending his wings in a long stretch before closing them once more. Placing a calming hand on both the rogue and the swashbuckler's shoulders, he continued, "You have allowed this cycle to continue as it has, however many times it has, because you have been looking for something different to occur, because you have been looking for a reason not to begin everything anew once more. I say to you now, the opportunity you have sought has come. We have triumphed over much, despite losses small and great; at this most crucial of times, if we are to truly become what you think we are capable of becoming, it will need to be your hand that assists us, even as we assist you."
Both the woren and the half-giant shared a distasteful glance between themselves, before leveling a scathing stare at the current form of the progenitor of this world.

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Sun Jan 02 2011 3:16am
by Dark Maiden
Kayla and Kethra look at each other for a moment before looking back toward the Creator, looking rather annoyed. Jessica and Merla look shocked, but neither one says a word. Damas on the other hand appears to be rather disgusted. He does not speak either, but he does not need to. The look on his face is more than enough.
Myala places a hand on Sophie's shoulder. "Please...calm yourself dear," she whispers soothingly.

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Sun Jan 02 2011 7:53am
by TheUnknownMarine
Unnoticed by the heroes, Pyra stands silently, looking intently at the Creator with a gaze that almost looked as if she was looking past him.
Jim stands firm, fists balled at his side, but makes no move or sound than to observe for now.
Simone looks as if she's not present in the room, her face and eyes distant. Occasionally she will mouth words but utter none. Daran is torn from looking at her with concern to the rest of the room in awe or terror.

> "Tell me a bit more about our failure?" The Doctor asks quietly, surprisingly subdued given the circumstances, "Is all really lost because we 'broke apart' just as we 'neared our goal'?"

The pulsating arcs of energy slowly, painfully, take shape into a great eye once more. Now mostly crimson with a pupil and iris of golden light resisting the encroaching change, the voice speaks again.
"You... had chance after chance... You had access to grand libraries, kingdoms, sages, even gods were in your debt... You had all the resources you needed and more... But you never used them," the voice gets out. It is ragged, harsh, a thousand voices speaking from throats torn with grief, pain, and rage. "You never sought the answers that would have allowed you victory... You never came together... as you should have."
The room rumbles slightly as wait seems like a low moan of pain echoes throughout the chamber.
"You failed to slay Erebeus before he called down his final retribution. Was not your goal to save this world? The world that housed everything you ever loved or knew?" Another low groan of pain. "Maybe... that was never your goal. Maybe you saw your fate and turned away... Maybe you never cared."

> Gail's face twists into a hateful grimace at the demands of their Creator, and she turns away, unable to look upon it. "You...cannot be the Light. No part of the Creator - of a just Creator - could be so petty, so cruel. So broken."

The eye washes crimson and distorts into the blazing outline of an angel.
"His same words. You are your father's child. Petty? Cruel?! Bold words from one who climbed Celestia for no real reason. From one who forsook their friends with promises of heavenly reinforcements only to not return with them when the time came!" the voice roars. "And you... If you spent just a few moments at the peak of Celestia searching for knowledge, you'd know the supreme irony of you stating no part of me could be so petty, cruel, and broken."

> "Wait a minute... how the hell is it our fault? Until a few months ago, some of us didn't even know what the hell the Cult was, and you want to drop everything that's gone wrong on our shoulders?"

A howl of pain echoes in the chamber and the blazing angel collapses, reforming into a giant crimson serpent. As it speaks, the crimson overtakes the light until only a few patches of shining gold remain.
"Because you could have saved them and you didn't!!! Because you had all the means, all the advantages, and you SQUANDERED them! Because so many souls that were worthy gave even their lives and because of you those sacrifices were in vain! And then... and then you shirk the responsibility! Millions are going to suffer and die and rather than give pause, rather than consider what part YOU might have played, you stand there getting indignant?!"
A peal of thunder and Dam, Damas, Pantherath, Gabriel, Kayla and Kethra are knocked off their feet as an unseen force impacts them.
"You DARE! You DARE to stand there sneering at the time of the apocalypse?!" it booms. You disgust ME!
Graigus breaks in at that time.

> "We made some mistakes - we know that," Graigus offered, clutching the staff in his hands tightly. "But not everything that went wrong was our fault, and we've been trying to fix everything ever since. We might still be able to do something, but we can't do it alone."
> "My dwarven friend is correct," Garudaos said, extending his wings in a long stretch before closing them once more. Placing a calming hand on both the rogue and the swashbuckler's shoulders, he continued, "You have allowed this cycle to continue as it has, however many times it has, because you have been looking for something different to occur, because you have been looking for a reason not to begin everything anew once more. I say to you now, the opportunity you have sought has come. We have triumphed over much, despite losses small and great; at this most crucial of times, if we are to truly become what you think we are capable of becoming, it will need to be your hand that assists us, even as we assist you."

The serpent falters, twitching slightly before collapsing into a chaotic, grand orb of energy. The cascades and arcs of crimson and golden light that make up the orb seem to struggle with each other, flashing with great intensity.
"Yes..."the voice says, the anger draining from it to be replaced by great weariness. "That is... correct. Not everything was your fault... You have tried... Some of you have tried so hard..." the voice pauses. "Garoudaos... you have become a greater hero than your forebear ever was. I'm... so... proud..."
Coventry, Graigus, and Gail notice that some of the golden color has returned, the spread of crimson halted and reversed somewhat.
"You... don't understand... Did I allow the cycle to continue?" the voice reflects, each word costing some effort. "No... I no longer have control over it. Perhaps I never did. The world and I... Creator and creation... are linked in ways difficult to describe." A gasp of pain seems to interrupt the overgod's words. "You were right... though. I was always searching for a way to end it... To break the cycle..."
"Wait, if you weren't in control of the cycle, who was?" Jim asks.
"The prodigal son speaks..." the voice gets out. "No one... controls it. It's become a part of this world's nature. A part I have tried so desperately to excise..."
A shudder seems to rock the chamber and the crimson light flares, for a moment outshining the golden.
"Not that it matters NOW when you wretches have catapulted us all into oblivion! You..." A scream of pain from a thousand thousand voices overcomes the words and they cease. The crimson light dies down for a moment, the golden overtaking it. Great pain ladens the voice when next it speaks.
"It was... never a choice... Oh, my poor children..."

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Sun Jan 02 2011 8:47pm
by Dark Maiden
(( Oh joy, a God with MPD. Just what we need. ))
Kayla and Kethra seem to be fine, just a little shaken up. They exchange looks again, then try to stand up, appearing more confused now than anything else.
Damas on the other hand looks like his bell has been rung a bit. While not injured, his head hurts and his ears are ringing. Damas gets to his feet, though he looks just about as confused as everyone else. "Now what do we do?"
Merla sighs and shakes her head. "We all share responsibility for this. Throwing blame around and having shouting matches is not going to help anyone," she says calmly.

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Mon Jan 03 2011 4:13am
by Arcdragnbreth
The Templar's lip curls in a snarl, but he says nothing as he rises. Standing next to his commander, Pantherath continues to glare disapprovingly.
Though it is the half-giant who falls, it is a massive lion who rises, roaring defiantly at the avatar of the creator before them. Only Ashathel standing between him and the deity halts his progress at all, and even then he waits with predatory patience for the final insult.
"So let me get this straight, you oversized bag of wind," the fiery-haired human began, standing slowly. "You're mad at us because you didn't tell us what was up from the beginning and we didn't get everything done you wanted us to, and now when we come to find out the rest that you so conveniently left out, you throw a temper tantrum? Here's an idea - since you're suffering from impotence over there, why don't you tell us what we need to do now to get this damn cycle broken? That way, we can do all the work again, and you can get back to hating us for being what you made us to be."

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Mon Jan 03 2011 1:49pm
by Kaihaku
"It looks like I was right all along." The Doctor says quietly, shaking his head, "I hate it when I'm right." He turns back to the others, "If I thought it would make a difference, I'd stay and listen...listen to a powerful deity berate mortals for being too weak, too flawed, too broken. But it's not going to make a difference, there's evidence enough of that in the world. If this being had the power or will to help this world the world wouldn't be the state it is in." He walks pass the group, back towards the entrance "Let's go, I'm sure our mere presence is an offense to this holy ground and, personally, I'd rather be doing something useful."
Sophie leans aganist Myala's shoulder, the kind gesture too much for the priestess who begins to sob.
Felix winces as he listens, trying to understand the raging debate.

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Tue Jan 04 2011 2:14am
by Dark Maiden
Myala gently strokes Sophie's head in an attempt to comfort the younger priestess, though she says nothing.

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Tue Jan 04 2011 7:25am
by Cyrus
Gail looks to those behind her when Alastor leaves, catching sight of Myala comforting Sophie. She moves to her friend out of instinct, but stops, a memory burning in her mind. She remembers sitting on the sky-born steps of Heaven, looking out at the vast golden plains and mountains the color of sapphire. She remembers what was missing there. The servant turns to her god, steel in her eyes...then turned away, laying a hand on Sophie's shoulder. Her voice, tired and beaten, says everything. "We should go, Sophie. There's nothing for us here." Looking up to Myala, Gail gives the older cleric a melancholy smile. "Thank you."

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Tue Jan 04 2011 9:42am
by TheUnknownMarine
((Jess: More or less, yes.))

> Formless, chaotic cascades of energy whirl here, like smoke, water, or fire. Even the door you entered from is lost to your sight. An endless expanse of energy and void. That is the place you stand in, perched on nothing.

The main problem with attempting to leave was the simple fact that there was no portal, no door leading back from whence the heroes came. There was nothing but the expanse of energy... energy which at those final words began to cascade wildly, chaotically.
"My time... is up..."the Creator gasps before the multitude of voices that make up his scream in unison as the crimson light fully overtakes the golden, no trace of the former brilliance present in the chamber. The form collapses and explodes outward into a sea of screaming faces edged in pure darkness and colored bloody crimson. Screams of pure anguish fill the chamber, a never ending cacophony that makes it difficult to concentrate.
"Aw hell," Pyra mutters, slamming her staff down near her feet. A diamond-like shield of energy encapsulates her.
A blast of pure force knocks everyone off their feet and batters them badly as the screaming reaches a crescendo.
The screams of pain in the chamber are then replaced for a few moments by insane, maniacal laughter.
Descent into Madness: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oyQp9n4I ... re=related
"Everything... dies..." the voices rasp. "Today you will watch as everything you know vanishes from existence. You will struggle in vain with all your vaunted strength, and you will fail. And you will finally know just how worthless you really are..."
The voices trail off into a scream of pain, then begin to gibber madly, the joining of voices gone, replaced by thousands of different ones all speaking at once pure insanity. Suddenly the chamber flashes and a single bloodcurdling scream rips through the air, silencing everything else.
Pain wracks everyone for a moment as injuries suddenly appear on them where there were none before. The voices return to gibbering madly as the energy swirls chaotically around the heroes.
((Everyone takes 25% HP damage. Not going to state specifics, just giving you an idea of how serious damage is.))

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Wed Jan 05 2011 4:10am
by Dark Maiden
Damas, Jessica, and Merla look to be a little worse off than some of the others present. This is understandable, however, because physical frailty is the price that they pay for their power. Kayla is hurt, though not so badly. Kethra and Myala and holding up fairly well in comparison.
"By the Gods," Myala mutters, her eyes wide with horror.
"So this is how it ends?" Kayla grasps the locket around her neck that her mother had given her and brings it to eye level. "I'm sorry..." she says to herself.
Kethra hits Kayla in the back of the head. "Snap out of it! We can't just give up!"
Kayla turns her head to look at Kethra. "What can we do against a God?"
((*As GIR* YAY, WE'RE DOOMED!))

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Wed Jan 05 2011 6:14am
by Arcdragnbreth
"Gods are a lot more fragile than they would have you believe," the rogue said, drawing his blades and reversing his grip on them in one fluid motion. "You just need to find the weak spot..."
The woren's divine power spreads over the group, closing the wounds that were just inflicted. Though he says nothing, a steady growl echoes from his throat.
Already on edge, the primeval roars even louder, searching for a single target at which to strike in the maelstrom of cosmic shapes.

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Wed Jan 05 2011 6:36am
by TheUnknownMarine
Gabriel notices that the sea of screaming faces seems somewhat material. His claws might find purchase there.
((Deadline is Friday.))

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Sat Jan 08 2011 9:56pm
by Arcdragnbreth
No sooner does the leonine barbarian discover a target than he leaps upon it as if he were hunting a gazelle, biting and clawing at it with reckless abandon.

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Sun Jan 09 2011 3:34am
by TheUnknownMarine
Gabriel pounces onto one of the screaming faces, ripping it apart as a fountain of blood erupts from the torn face, which continues to scream even as it is obliterated. Gabriel is absolutely soaked, sopping wet with blood.
The faces all scream in unison, a deafening wall of sound that crashes into the group. Gail immediately moves to shield Alastor and Sophie, bearing the brunt of the damage they would've sustained. To everyone else, it feels as if a hammerblow was dealt to them, knocking them off their feet and battering their flesh. Beyond that, the primal, horrible scream stirs ancient fears and ice settles in the heroes' stomachs.
The faces writhe and wriggle, emerging from the crimson sea of energy until a titanic wall of heads, twisting and shaking on half-concealed necks protudes from the crimson abyss.
At the terrible sound, Jim collapses, hands clutching the sides of his head, eyes tightly shut as he struggled with something the others could not see. Sheila is immediately at his side, taking a moment to check him before frowning and switching out the clips on her pistols.
((Everyone takes 30% damage, except for Gail who takes 50%, and Alastor/Sophie who take 10%. Next deadline is Tuesday.))

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Tue Jan 11 2011 7:30pm
by Dark Maiden
Myala calls on the power bestowed upon her by her God to heal their wounds.
Damas narrows his eyes and unleashes is most powerful Freeze spell, but is careful to aim his spell correctly and not hit Gabriel.
Merla follows Damas' example but with the power of Ultimate Blaze, and she too is careful not to hit Gabriel by mistake.
Kethra narrows her eyes and charges into melee, her limbs crackling with electricity as she strikes.
Kayla shakily stands, obviously afraid. Come on girl, get a grip... This isn't the time! She removes her blades from their sheathes as she moves, which glow with holy power as she strikes.
Jessica uses her psionic powers to raise a shield around her allies, and hopefully provide at least some relief from the damage that they've been suffering.

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Tue Jan 11 2011 8:24pm
by Kaihaku
"Gail!" Alastor exclaims, reaching out for his fiancée who had just shielded him from the destructive cacophony. At the first touch of his fingers healing energy pours into the holy warrior, sealing her injuries and restoring her health.
Sophie shudders as the violence breaks down, falling back away from the others with hollow eyes.
Felix raises his shield, wincing at the pain surging through him, then draws his sword and struggles to near the screaming faces.

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Wed Jan 12 2011 7:45am
by Arcdragnbreth
"HALT!"
His wings spread wide, the dragonman interposed himself between the monstrous mass and his allies, weapons and shield kept away.
"This cannot be! We did not come to fight a battle against a god - that we have done, and that we have loathed! We did not come to shed blod - the very earth around our feet is soaked in it, dyeing our every step crimson!"
"We have risen above and beyond the need to kill; though necessity has demanded it from us, our hearts have yearned for greater pursuits than the ending of life. What we do here is not our will, but what has become of our once noble natures. After months of endless battles and wearying struggles, we lash out, because that is what we have come to know and understand; it has been the only way to survive and protect that which is most precious to us, and yet may such grim tasks still fall to us still."
"But we can do better, here and now!" he implored and insisted, his voice rising higher. "Can you not see that the Creator is split, as we are split? Can you not feel that the Creator suffers, as we suffer daily, with the necessity of causing death, when creating life was always the intent? If we fight here and now, we fight not a mad demons of war such as the Strife Lords were, but wounded creatures such as we have become! These blades of ours strike the deity before us, but score our hearts and souls with each stroke!"
"And you... you too, have been wounded, as we have been wounded," Garudaos continued, turning his words firmly towards the presence all around them. "We cannot fathom what you have seen, even though we have seen the tales etched in the stone that marked the pathway here. Nor can we comprehend what it is to complete the same task again and again, only to have the correct conclusion slip away like sand in an hourglass. I say to you too, that it is time to put down the blade and the spear, and time to step forward."
His hands dropping, the knight of Guardiana's wings raised higher and wider, stretching to their limit. He looked between his allies and the being they had come to meet and speak with, breathing deeply as his eyes pierced his surroundings.
"This world has been wiped clean, only to be dirtied time and time again. Like a grand page meant to be the most beautiful of paintings, a sketch has been drawn. Each time, the sketch has been found wanting, but it has not been the fault of the artist; neither can we blame ourselves as the page, or even the pencil. There is a distinct picture which must come into being, a shape and a form to be taken, if only we allow it to be so. I say now, as moth and worm and mold come to consume this page, that if we come together, we can purge them all - but only if we come together. If we continue along this course - if we take another step down this path stained with blood and steel, regardless of who wins, we all will lose. Our chance to reshape this world, to break the cycle of destruction - this opportunity is not yet lost. It is heavy, but in our hands is the strength needed to bear it safely ahead; shall we not grasp it?"
((Rolled a total of 28 on diplomacy.))

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Wed Jan 12 2011 8:45am
by Cyrus
Gail holds tight to the only family she has left, shielding them from the broken god and the madness of his dead mind. She hears the screaming, the sound of tearing flesh and split, a single voice rising out above the buzzing of the unknowable forces surrounding them. She listens as the man calls out to the Creator's remains, looking for some semblance of reason, for some inkling of mercy. She waits for the hammer to fall again.

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Wed Jan 12 2011 9:23am
by TheUnknownMarine
Damas' Freeze spell coats a section of the wall with ice as Merla's incinerates another head, melting the 'flesh' off of it until a charred skull is all that remains, silently continuing to shriek.
Kethra's ki and electrically infused strikes plunge into the wall of screaming faces, the powerful strikes breaking jaws and shattering skulls even as the wall of heads bites at her arms, leaving her with several painful wounds.
Kayla's blade drive deeply into one head, a gout of high pressure blood blasting from the wound as the head deflates like a torn waterskin that has been overfull. The blood strikes Kayla with the force of a sledgehammer and she feels a deep sickness ebb into her bones.
Suddenly Damas bursts into ghostly blue flame as he feels the latent energy that makes up many of his lower level spells surge and burn up at once. Only after the most agonizing three seconds of his life does the arcane flame recede.
((Damas loses all his spells of 5th level and below and is now at 20% health. Kayla is afflicted with an unknown debuff. Kethra takes 10% damage.))
Garoudaos begins his impassioned speech, strongly calling out in the midst of darkness for sanity and peace. The roar of madness and pain sung from a thousand-thousand torn throats threatens to drown out his words, but he persists despite the chorus of agony.
Pyra sets her eyes on Garoudaos as he states the group can do better.
"I see," she simply says, walking over to the dragonman, shattering her barrier while doing so. She lays a hand on the Guardianian knight's shoulder and closes her eyes. Garoudaos' words suddenly ring louder with volume and clarity as Pyra's hand glows and the dragonman feels vitality flow through him and into his voice. That voice, already strong with deeply felt conviction and heart, gains just the bit of extra strength needed to cut through the buzzing of madness like a clarion through a battle's din.
The screams grow slightly softer, the maddening writhing of the abyssal energy and movement of the heads slowing.
((Next deadline is Thursday.))

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Thu Jan 13 2011 2:32am
by Arcdragnbreth
"Sheathe your blades, friends," Garudaos continues. "No more attacks, no more strikes at the future wearing the sins of the past. Here before us is no Shailtor, no Erebus; those we crushed. Before us is one likened unto Mitula and Volcanon, one who would aid us, if we can only find in us the strength to give that aid. We have done so in the past, and become stronger for it; now, we must do it again, but to do so we must use diplomacy, not daggers - speech, but not spells. Mend your bodies, and then we can set about the task of mending our hearts!"
"Do you not tire of this endless conflict?" he inquired of those around him, looking between creator and creations. "Are we not in our spirits and souls longing for days before these, times when we were lesser in strength but more in all other aspects? Think back on those halcyon days! Remember the feel of the wind, before it was dulled by the armor on our backs! Remember the color of the grass and the taste of the streams we grew up around, before they ran red with blood! Remember the smell of the mountains and the valleys, before they were filled with the stench of the dead! Remember these times, not because we cannot return to them, but because we forget our truest of selves when we forget these things! Remember them now, I say, and commit yourselves fully to stopping this violence!"

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Fri Jan 14 2011 4:22am
by Cyrus
"But those days were never ours."
Gail steps forward, her melancholy eyes on Garudaos while she speaks. "Ever since this cycle began, even though we couldn't see it, the earth has always been stained with blood. The countless millions who came before us, who lived lives we can never know about, their tears and bodies still fell, and we cannot forget them. Since the beginning of this cycle, there has never been a peaceful world that was not a lie. There has never been a world not built on corpses."
"And the worst crime is that it is no one's fault. A god, a true god, is a perfect being, and can only judge others by its own perfection...but life was not made to be perfect! Life was given free will, the ability to choose its own fate, but as long as this punishment exists, it can never be free." She looks around to her allies, conviction placing steel in her eyes. "Look at all we've done! We rose up to the impossible, time and again, and we are found wanting! How much more perfect can life become?!" She pauses, listening to her voice ring out. "Violence is not the answer... but if the world is remade, with life and the Creator tied together, we doom another generation to this same fate. We cannot be a part of that."
"If we could still the conflict of life," Gail continues, after collecting her thoughts. "If we could end pain and suffering and cruelty, we would have done it ourselves...and if life rises up again, then we still have that chance. But a god cannot help us in that, and to ask it to help us in that is to demean the efforts of the living. If life is reach that point...if a new world is to be born, free and innocent, then there can be no outsiders made to test our faith through suffering, and no final judgment to end us when things seem dark. We cannot promise to a god that we can meet His expectations, and He cannot promise that our failings will not be judged. That's why if life is to reborn...then Creator and Creation cannot meet again."

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Fri Jan 14 2011 6:59am
by Arcdragnbreth
"You do yourself a disservice, if you believe the previous peaceful times to be a lie," the dragonman said sadly, shaking his head. "It is true that there were those before us who were happy, who lived those same times... but to say that they were a lie is to say that they did not exist, or that there was not true happiness in what we once had. Neither of those are true, nor is it true that distancing ourselves from the Creator will be the best solution; perhaps some may feel better if his hand were not present, but to do so would be asking him to live in unyielding solitude for eternity."
"There are many here who are disillusioned, who no longer understand or respect the deities as once before - and for good reason. There are things that were said and done, and things which should have been said and done; we have been denied answers, and had our faith repaid with less than it should have been," he offered, looking especially between the divine spellcasters and the most religious of warriors. "But while we have not received what we should have, it has ever been a lack of foresight, not a shortcoming of good intent. Gail has said rightly - our gods are not perfect. Yet, if even we have fallen short of our own standards, how can we shun the divine for doing the same, simply because they wield more power? Indeed, we have become near gods in our own power; each of us, I say, could raze a town single-handed in a single afternoon, were it our wish, or restore to life those who have been slain with but an utterance of words."
"I thank you for choosing life over death, if even for a moment," Garudaos added, sighing as the battle halted temporarily. "We all choose not our materials, but our forms. You are steel, I am velvet; we cannot trade places, much as we would wish. But woven tightly enough, or sculpted finely enough, we each have the potential to be a suit of armor. Birth and birthplace - the world around us make us who we are, it is true, but there are myriad forms we can take, once we have been fashioned into a material of good worth. Even the most poisonous of herbs can be a healing poultice, if only the purpose is true and the will is strong; I have seen in all those gathered here the materials to be much more than a simple poultice, if we would accept it. The divinity before us and the divinities below us may have greater materials, but our purposes are no lesser because we are not adamant or mithril; indeed, it is because we lack the inherent strength that we should be proud of achieving things which even they could not."
His tone more humble, but no less intense, the dragonman spoke to the Creator, "There are two sides to you, Worldmaker; I was not sure, before now, but after seeing what has happened in this place, I am certain of it. One side indeed cherishes life and liberty, but alongside it sits another, one that revels in crushing beauty and innocence. What I ask of you now is to purge yourself of your lesser man, of the one who urges the destruction that forces you to create anew; give it a home of flesh and bone, one outside yourself. Leave it here in this place cut off from the rest of all creation... and let these corruptions call Tideforms reside here as well. All of the darkness, the pain and the destruction these things would cause - let them visit these ills on one another for as long as they both shall live, away from us all. Draw into this place all of the hurt and the vile; seal this place, and them inside it, and join us in the world your hands have helped to create. More than that, I ask that you seal here your power to unmake the world, and finally take that step forward which has eluded you in the past. Take the strength needed to continue this cycle, and dedicate it to the eradication of the same."
Looking between the assembled men and women of the Shining Forces, he continued, "More than that, I ask for us all to sacrifice once more, as we have sacrificed in the past. We have gained much power, yes, but we have no need of it, if we are once more to live among men and women of our kind. I ask that, as the creator leaves behind the power of a god, we leave behind the power to smite a god. Our enormous magical energies, our superhuman strength and speed; I say to you that in a world where we must bring to an end the wars and strife that have plagued us, it must be done not with our bodies, but with our minds. This process of rebuilding is something we cannot begin if others fear our ability to crush them at a whim, and for good reason; if we do not do this, we risk becoming as the being before us has become - good in intent, but subject to the destructive desires of our baser emotions, when they arise. There is time yet for us to reclaim that which we will sacrifice, if we so choose, and yet in the act of doing so, we can and will gain so much more. Once we were happy, on the ground; we can take this chance to step down off our pedestals, and reclaim that happiness again in time."
Turning to Jim and the rest of the Rangers, Garudaos smiled. "You have come from afar, and though we could have come to this point on our own, having you here has added another hand to lighten our load. I would not ask that you do this, for I fear that the end of our troubles does not mark the end of the struggle for you all; still, selfish as it may be, I do ask that you leave with us that which you gained while with us. It would mark an everlasting covenant between our people and yours, a sign that even against terrible odds, the assistance of another is a greater weapon than any that could be forged."

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Fri Jan 14 2011 9:09am
by TheUnknownMarine
Pyra releases her hold on Garoudaos as he continues to speak. His words ring true and strong, but the glow of enchantment fades from them.
"What are you suggesting exactly?" Jim asks, speaking up for the first time since the terrible battle began. "That we donate some of our power or life force or whatever to fuel a magical effect? How? Would that work?"
"And we're only leaving some of that power, right?" Sheila asks, worried. "I mean us Rangers. We've still got to track down Erebeus..."

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Fri Jan 14 2011 4:56pm
by Arcdragnbreth
"I do not know, exactly," the dragonman admitted. "I am no worker of the magical, arcane or otherwise; what I do know, however, is that with all of the resources we have at our disposal, and here in this place, we must be able to do this thing, somehow."
"We all only need to give a little," he offered. "The power that you donate is yours and yours alone; I cannot tell how much to give, or even force you to give if you intend to give nothing at all. But I believe that if we can use these hands to destroy, we can use that same power to create."

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Sat Jan 15 2011 3:50am
by TheUnknownMarine
((Ball is in your court for the time being. Moves out of your court, next deadline, Monday.))

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Sat Jan 15 2011 5:57am
by Cyrus
"Can we ask that of Him," Gail asks, a grimace on her face. "Not just to give up his anger, but his capacity for anger, the ability to choose anger? Even if He becomes...invested in life and its well being...can we say that the choice to do so was right?"

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Sat Jan 15 2011 8:36am
by Arcdragnbreth
"All we can do is ask," Ashathel said, after moments of deliberation. "I mean... what do we have to lose from asking, right? As it is now, if nothing changes, either the world gets destroyed by Tideforms, or the world gets destroyed and remade by this guy... or his alter ego, I guess. So far, this looks like the only answer that keeps either of them from happening."

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Sun Jan 16 2011 8:55pm
by Dark Maiden
"I cannot believe that you are suggesting this," Kayla breathes heavily, flicking the blood from her knives before sheathing them. "But if this doesn't work, I'm only going to say 'I told you so'."
Kethra puts some distance between herself and the entity that is supposed to be their Creator to rest and think.
Damas lets out a horrible scream when his own arcane energy immolates him. After the flame recedes he sinks to his knees, breathing heavily. "Y-You're insane," is all he manages to gasp in response to the conversation around him.
Myala tends to the wounds of her allies then speaks. "Garudaos is right. We should at least try. What harm can come from it that has not come to us already by fighting?"

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Mon Jan 17 2011 12:49am
by DragonmasterDon1
"It bears an attempt; rest assured those come before us were more likely to draw steel first in any case," Isyndel said, with a sneer as she narrowed her eyes in study.
((Roll the usual Spellcraft/Arcana checks, she's like +30something))
"Yeah, well, in the meantime, I'm just gonna be over here," the ratman added sheeplishly, tiptoeing to the side. "Thing seems less stable than Kria."
Eve nudged toward the front protectively, still on the ground.
The teleportress' gaze meandered about the room, somehow managing to be fascinated by the pretty colors and terrified at the same time.

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Mon Jan 17 2011 3:48am
by Dark Maiden
(( Merla's is pretty high too in case it matters. ))

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Mon Jan 17 2011 4:09am
by TheUnknownMarine
It takes some quick thinking, but Isyndel theorizes that a modified Wish spell might work for what Garoudaos is proposing. Usually, this most powerful of magics draws on and drains some of the caster's power to rewrite reality in a relatively small way, but if fueled with power from everyone present, it might be able to rewrite reality for most of, if not the whole globe.
Even if some other method is devised, it could serve as a powerful aid to enhance whatever solution the heroes device.
Merla realizes the same thing, only she thinks of the priestly Miracle instead of the arcane Wish... However, the Miracle supposedly calls on the power of the deity worshiped... how it may work in practice for this is unknown.

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Mon Jan 17 2011 4:23am
by Dark Maiden
"Myala, would it be possible for you to use a Miracle and our power to alter reality?"
"In theory. I would be calling upon the power of my God, Volcanon, and I do not know if he would defy his creator by aiding me."

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Tue Jan 18 2011 8:57am
by Cyrus
Gail looks to the still form of the Creator when the debate dies down, staring at the half-formed beings that watch them in silence. She finds herself unable to watch for long, and soon turns away. "Would we...ever ask that of a person?"

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Tue Jan 18 2011 11:35am
by TheUnknownMarine
The chaos in the background dies down to a low moaning and groaning as the horrific mess that was the creator shifts and moves, but makes no attack on the heroes.
Pyra taps a finger against her lips, thoughtfully.
"If you do this... a magical ritual drawing on your powers, it isn't going to be reversible," Pyra states. "You're going to be very vulnerable compared to what you once were. You might've made some enemies... and there's no going back once you're committed. Are you sure about this?"
"So what if we're not as powerful..." Jim mutters, looking at Pyra. The field commander looks harried. "What's the point of power if you can't use it to do your duty? To protect those who need it?"
Sheila is silent throughout this, an oddity by far overshadowed by the situation the group finds itself in.
Pyra shrugs and makes no further comment.

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Tue Jan 18 2011 11:22pm
by Arcdragnbreth
As the half-giant reverts to his original form, he continues to glower at the form of the Creator as he listens to the words spoken around him. Finally, he comments, "You can take it all. I'm barely a real person as it is; better what I have go to use."

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Wed Jan 19 2011 4:52am
by DragonmasterDon1
"There is no need to trouble Volcanon; I can perform a similar feat without his interference. If anything I insist upon it, I was most adamant that we investigate here. Should any sacrifice be required my shoulders shall bear most of its burden," she stated flatly, her lips pursed tightly as she took deliberate pause for a short breath, struggling with something in her head.
She shook her head at Gabriel. "Only I will do that. I will need more power beyond what I can give, but I will not let any of you take more responsibility than I if this is the action we have chosen, if there are no other options. I will ask for volunteers to join me, and take as little power from each as I can, split evenly amongst them."
"The last magic I will ever wield," she finished, and despite all her newfound strength over the past few weeks, she could not manage to hide a brief second of crushing despair from crossing her features at the admittance. Her head lowered, she closed her eyes and pursed her lips once more. "No mortal being should ever wield such a power. The price is fair penance."
She straightened her robes and turned toward the Creator, stepping away from the assembly.

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Wed Jan 19 2011 10:05pm
by TheUnknownMarine
As Isyndel speaks, an odd silence falls over the chamber.
The moaning and shifting of the terrible form that was once the Creator of the world has ceased.
Jim moves towards Isyndel.
"I'll give back what I gained on this world... How will you take it?" Jim asks.
"Yeah..." Sheila says, moving to join her commander. "I mean, we don't gotta lock hands an' sing or somethin' do we?"

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Thu Jan 20 2011 12:55am
by Dark Maiden
Damas moves to Isyndel's side. "Isyndel, do you remember what I said to you before? That I would stand by your side no matter what? I have no intention of going back on my word now. This weight will not be yours alone to bear. I will share this burden with you."
"As will I," the halfling wizardess Merla says. "I have spent years studying the secrets of the arcane. This knowledge has made me powerful--but what is the point of having power if everything we know will be destroyed? It is better that the power I do have be used to save our world."
"A great sacrifice to be sure, but if it will save our world then it is worth it," Kethra says.
"I took an oath to aid the people of this world in any way that I can," Myala says. "I will gladly sacrifice my power to that end if it is required."
"This is not my world, but I also swore to help people in need. This world is in need of our help and I give my help gladly--whatever form that help takes."
Kayla is silent, her bones aching with whatever affliction runs through her. The look in her eyes betrays that she is deep in thought.

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Thu Jan 20 2011 4:44am
by DragonmasterDon1
"I am still working the process through," she replied to both Jim and Shiela, focus maintained on the Creator before them. "But I do not believe much will be required on your part besides opening yourself to me as I wield the magic. In theory, I should be able to reach to those we select for volunteers and carefully use what they have partitioned off for the task to be completed."
But then her focus wavered as Damas approached, and she wheeled upon him ready to steadfastly deny him his request but faltered as she looked into his eyes. "I hope this is the last time I will be called upon to make a decision such as this," she whispered, intertwining her fingers in his briefly. "I do not want to do this to you, yet...were I to refuse to do so, I could not ask it of anyone else. My heart aches taking from any, but from you...how can you live on and not grow to resent me for this? How will I bear looking at you, having chosen the world at your expense?" She released his hand, clenched her fists to suppress the emotions suddenly coursing through her, and turned as Merla and the others spoke.
To them all, she nodded, her expression shifting from morose to neutral as quickly as she could manage. She did not speak again just yet though, the threat of her fears and uncertainties still silently eating at her.
"It's like someone took one of Ivanov's paintings and ran water over it," Viki mused to no one in particular, continuing to stare absently at the colors all about her.

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Thu Jan 20 2011 4:48pm
by Kaihaku
"This won't be the first time that we've put everything on the line." The Doctor offers with a weak smile, "I just hope it's the last." He adjusts his glasses with a finger, adding thoughtfully, "I don't even know if I can still channel it, but my power is divine and yet not bound to any deity. If you direct me, I'll try to add a miraculous element to that wish."
"I'll give anything." Felix says quietly, he didn't understand exactly what was going on but he knew that it was of the utmost importance.
"For Hal, for Alex..." Sophie whispers quietly, "I'll see this through to the end."
"Gail." The Doctor says suddenly, turning back to reach a hand out to the angelborn, "Let's face the end of the world hand in hand."

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Thu Jan 20 2011 7:52pm
by Cyrus
Gail takes her fiancee's hand in her own, squeezing it tight and offering up a small smile. In her other hand, a small gold star is clasped close to her chest. "We'll make it through this. All of us."

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Thu Jan 20 2011 9:24pm
by Dark Maiden
Kayla casts her gaze on those around her--first to Damas and Isyndel, then to Alastor and Gail. A long, drawn out sigh escapes her lips, and there is a look of longing...and jealousy in her eyes. She could see the bond between them--the bond of love and trust--a bond that she would likely never experience. Kayla had always been treated like a monster by a majority of the people she met in her life. The one person that had ever really cared about her was her mother. She has not seen her mother since the incident in their hometown of Yeel, and now Shera could very well be dead for all she knew. Kayla fights back the tears that threaten to escape her eyes as if refusing to allow such weakness to overcome her. Yet was she not being weak now by having doubts? A majority of her companions had eagerly stepped forward to lend their power to Isyndel and save the world from destruction. Kayla is quite conflicted, however. On one hand she could sacrifice her power to help save the world, but then she would be vulnerable to the masses that would hate and fear her. On the other hand she could refuse and the entire world could very well perish, including herself and her mother if she still lived. What most 'heroes' would find to be a simple choice...Kayla is not finding to be so simple. The tiefling rests her forehead in the palm of her right hand and murmurs, "I don't know what to do..."

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Thu Jan 20 2011 9:39pm
by TheUnknownMarine
Noticing the tiefling's indecision, Jim quietly walks over and lays a hand on Kayla's shoulder.
"Do what you think is right. That's all anyone ever has to do," Jim says. "This is your decision. No one else can make it for you."

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Fri Jan 21 2011 12:01am
by Dark Maiden
Kayla sighs heavily. "That's the problem Jim--I don't know what I think is right. Almost everyone I've come across in this world has been cruel to me because of what I am. I didn't choose this existence. I didn't choose to be born. Sometimes I wish that I hadn't been if only to spare my mother the burden of raising a demon child that was forced on her." Kayla stops suddenly and shakes her head. "Here we are at what could be the end of the world, and here I am going on about my past like it matters to anyone." The tiefling rubs her arms as if she is cold and her eyes dart back and forth for a minute as if she is nervous. "Part of me wants to do what more noble souls than I would consider to be the 'right thing.' The other part of me doesn't see the point. Why help the world when I have no stake in it?" Kayla chuckles mirthlessly. "I sure picked a fine time be start having doubts, didn't I?" She turns away, wrapping her arms around her body and stares at what passes for a wall.

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Fri Jan 21 2011 12:11am
by TheUnknownMarine
Jim looks evenly at Kayla for a minute.
"Have you really come this far and not seen the answer?" he asks, quietly. "When you've shed your blood with your comrades and seen them shed their blood for you, can you truly say you're alone in this world? Can you say you're without a stake in this world when you have friends willing to risk their lives for you and yours? I seem to recall hearing something about your team rescuing your mother. Would they do that if they didn't care?"
Jim sighs. "Whatever you choose, remember that power isn't the only thing you've gained throughout this. Or at least, it isn't according to what I've seen and heard."

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Fri Jan 21 2011 1:07am
by Dark Maiden
"Friends?" Kayla murmurs. "They owed me nothing, and yet they risked themselves to help me rescue my mother anyway. They were the only people aside from my mother to treat me like a person. It was not at all like what I had experienced before joining their team. I suppose that those are all things that a friend would do, aren't they? They trust me with their lives. It would be wrong to betray that trust. Am I monster? Maybe I am, and maybe I'm not. But I sure as hell won't be a good person if I let them make sacrifices on my behalf and not do something for them in return." Kayla turns around the face Jim, and oddly enough she has a genuine smile on her face for once. "It does seem that I am not as alone as I once thought I was. Thank you for helping me see that Jim. Really, I mean it--thank you."

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Fri Jan 21 2011 1:12am
by TheUnknownMarine
Jim offers Kayla a weary smile.
"It was the least I could do."
Jim turns to Isyndel. "I think we're as ready as we'll ever be..."

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Fri Jan 21 2011 7:31am
by Alpha
((And here was you thinking I might have come back))

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Fri Jan 21 2011 9:23am
by TheUnknownMarine
"You're willing to lay aside all that power... become so vulnerable..." the mound of heads murmurs as one. It doesn't complete the thought, the horrific wall of twisting flesh collapsing in on itself, shrinking smaller and smaller.
"Even with all that..." a quiet voice says from behind the group. Simone steps forward. "It might not be enough."
"Simone..." Daran begins to say. Simone looks at him and shakes her head.
"It's all right, Daran," Simone says, lightly touching his shoulder for a moment. "I'm grateful you tried..." Simone turns to the others. "Grateful all of you tried... but it's all right. I don't need protection anymore."
The abomination that was the Creator continues to slowly collapses, now only the size of a house where it was mountainous before.
"I remember."
Simone wistfully stares into the abyss around the heroes.
"I was the second, actually..." Simone states. "Given the power to call to other planes, far distant for help. Given the power to beg aid for a world we knew was going to die..."
Simone turns and smiles sadly at the heroes.
"If everything in your world is part of a cycle, then the only thing that can break that cycle is something from outside of it... So we called for help. And we were answered."
Simone looks down. "They came slowly... but they came steadily. The guidance and guardianship of thousands on thousands of beings, reaching out from their world. Even though the distant was so great..." Simone reaches out into the air, a spark flares to life there and floats away. "...they still kept a silent vigil... still kept this world in their hearts."
"There was... always a connection there..." Pyra says, thoughtfully. "Perhaps even before the wars began. Dreams from that place seemed to have real effect here... and sometimes more than dreams."
Simone looks over to Pyra. "You were first. I remember that. You and Milo, and that hero of yours..." Simone smiles again her eyes seem to be seeing things long past. "Then they found Max... no... I found Max. So long ago..."
Simone looks up into the sky. "We kept him safe and faded back into the cycle... Returning when Max was needed again. Other Narrators did the same for theirs. When the wheel kept turning, again and again despite our attempts to stop it for good. Thousands of reincarnations, maybe even millions..." Simone shakes her head. "But..."
Simone turns back to everyone. "I'm sorry... This isn't the time to be spouting off like that. I'm still reabsorbing the memories brought up by this place. By my previous incarnations. I still can't control my powers... but I can open them up to you. With everyone joined like this... Perhaps it will be enough."
The Creator's form finally shrinks down to the size of an ogre, then dissolves, leaving behind a worn, weary, beaten old man in a purple robe. One that those who journeyed to Celestia might find familiar. Simone's face wrenches.
"Grandfather..."
"No..." the old man gasps. Strands of gore and bloody slime still cling to his frail form. "You don't understand... This vault was broken once, its treasure stolen. If reused, it will be broken again with enough time. Since its beginning, this world was built around this prison... this prison of a seed of evil. And that seed has tainted everything that came after it. I would not wish a such a fate on any new beginning... Sealing away cannot be the answer."
"Creator is linked to creation," Pyra states. "Just as every noble thought empowers the Light, so does every dark wish grant the Darkness strength. Even if the current form of Darkness was sealed here, the collective spite of mortalkind above would resurrect it in a few centuries' time without fail. Even if it was destroyed."
"A collective consciousness?" Jim asks. "Wait, 'collective spite of mortalkind'? Did mortals corrupt the Creator?!"
"That's not quite it, and I think that damn artifact had a large role to play," Pyra says, shaking her head. "But this is hardly the time to split hairs."
"It's like Nei..." Sheila whispers.
"Well, what do we do, then?" Jim asks. "Burn the wish as planned and just ignore him?"
"No..." the old man whispers. "Understand... The Light... I'm just one face of it... It wanted you to succeed from the start. It never left you... It never left anyone. It kept powering you even when you doubted it. Ii wanted you to doubt it. It wanted you to come here... and end this one way or the other..." the old man's face creases with pain and sorrow. "I've been forced to watch myself destroy the things I loved, kill the ones I loved most for millions of years... It has to end," the old man shakes his head. "The Light deliberately blinded itself, kept the bulk of the consciousness from considering you a threat. It... we... helped you all this way."
The old man gasps in pain. "The fact you were willing to talk... to make such a sacrifice has allowed the Light to fight its dormancy. It is holding the Darkness back, but the corruption of the Tideforms on the world is steadily fueling its power and weakening ours. You have to work fast. We are caging the beast, but cannot deliver a blow. That must be your task."
"But wait, Garou's suggestion was to seal off his power..." Jim says. "That's different than destroying his dark half or just sealing it off in here unchanged. He wanted to drain both of them of all their powers and join the world as mortals... Would that work? Wouldn't that preserve the being, but not the power and corruption?"
Pyra taps her lips with a finger. "He did say that... I thought he meant... Hmmm..."
"I cannot see into the future with all ours powers locked in the present," the old man says. "Whatever your choice is, you must make it soon! When the moment comes, we will help as best we can, even if it just boils down to holding the monster down!"
A tremor rocks the chamber as a foreboding chill enters the hearts of the heroes.
Simone turns to Isyndel.
"Isyndel... Please. Whether this is an ending or a beginning we must start."

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Sun Jan 23 2011 12:34am
by DragonmasterDon1
She nodded. "Concentrate your wills if you intend to participate. Focus on nothing but me. I will do the rest."
With that, Isyndel began the incantation, focusing only on the weaving of magic before her. She weaved and canted fervently, her arms and body moving in sinuous, seemingly thoughtless motion. She blanked her mind of anything but the words and motions for now, for fear she would be unable to handle the magnitude of the task before her.
Altering the fate of an entire world and the being that created it.
Too much to bear. But she did not falter.
She began to reach the magic out from her body to the consciousness' of those around her, slowly dancing about each as she weaved tiny, invisible strands of mana between herself and each.
The air about her began to dance, cascading over and through her skirts and robes and hair, swirling in an invisible vortex around her body and causing the sweat forming on her brow to burn cold. The wizardess bore down further, deeper than she had ever done before. She had no choice in the matter, the amount of power beginning to course through her veins would overtake her, could burn her mind, body, and soul alike.
A circle of light etched around her protectively and ever-so-slowly began to expand.

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Sun Jan 23 2011 1:23am
by TheUnknownMarine
((Please post your "contribution" and if you do anything special. This will be moving swiftly, so if you're doing anything, do it now.))
"Well... here we go..." Jim murmurs, opening himself to Isyndel's spell.
"Here ya go, use it wisely!" Sheila advises as her own energy is added.
"If it'll help... take all of it..." Daran quietly says.
The strands of mana become visible, a web-work of light connecting those who had given of themselves and funneling towards a central point, just in front of Isyndel.
A blinding sphere of radiance begins to form in front of the arch-wizardess.
Simone closes her eyes and lifts up her head. The strands of mana shoot through her as they do everyone else, a torrent of energy pouring from the young woman towards the sphere.
Pyra watches the proceedings intently as the tremendous magic forms.
Isyndel feels a sort of mounting ecstasy as so much raw power flows through her, is drawn to her, shaped by her... Slowly her awareness begins to increase as the magic unfolds, every wisp of energy involved in the monumental spell revealing itself to her.

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Sun Jan 23 2011 2:14am
by Dark Maiden
((4 levels from Jessica, 13 levels from Kayla, and 18 levels from everyone else. 89 levels total from me. Nothing else to add IC.))

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Mon Jan 24 2011 2:20am
by Cyrus
Gail watches while the threads of mana swim through the air to her allies, resting on them and fueling the miracle taking place. The soldier looks to her holy symbol, the small star conjuring memories of a world gone by, grounding her even in the presence of divinity. She feels the tension ebb out of her mind, opening up to the world...then her eyes open wide, a single memory coming into focus. Cupping the star, Gail reaches out to a familiar presence, calling out a stream of white fire that fills the reservoir her hands make. The fire spills out and bleeds from the cracks between her fingers, and the angelborn recalls a feeling from long ago, a calm birthed from spent anguish. She lets the stillness in, and the fire boils and bubbles and cools until it is black and smooth as glass. "Alastor," Gail finds herself calling, lost in the rediscovered power and the memory at what would come. The woman turns to her fiancee, and gives a soft smile.
"Merge your power with mine."

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Wed Jan 26 2011 11:52am
by TheUnknownMarine
Isyndel keeps concentrating, gathering all the mana, all the essence, all the power she could from the assembled heroes. The last Shining Force all exhale in unison and it feels like something flows from deep within them towards the gathering orb of brilliance before Isyndel. It feels... almost pleasant, like letting go of a deep breath you've held in for too long. At the same time, it feels tiring and strangely sad... Abilities the heroes had begin to fade, power flees them, traveling towards the spellsphere.
Isyndel's hands begin to grow unpleasantly hot as she begins weaving the immense raw energy into the desired effect. It takes all of her vast knowledge, all of her arcane talent to handle such an extraordinary amount of supernatural power and not only not be consumed, but create a spell the likes the globe has never seen and likely will never see again on the fly.
Myala's Miracle is the first to go off, just before her power flows into the spell. A fiery phoenix envelops Myala, it's piercing cry echoing throughout the abyss as the god himself channels himself through his priestess' body. Isyndel feels the presence, the consciousness of the First Phoenix join hers, the deity shielding Isyndel from the growing heat of the magic, fortifying her body against the damage channeling so much power would entail.
Sophie's Miracle follows suite, her natural talent at divining and crafting taking on a life of its own and flowing into Isyndel. Sophie's Miraculous power allows her to see the magic even more clearly, allows her to guide it, weave it with unparalleled precision, giving her a sixth sense that lets the Arch-Wizardess instinctively know what step next to take in shaping the Ultimate Wish.
That is not all it does. For a brief moment, the Light's power flows through Sophie, adding yet more energy to the spell. A consciousness alien, yet so familiar touches on Sophie's mind. No words are given, the message communicated by a strong emotion instead. We never stopped loving you. We never stopped supporting you. Whatever you decide, whatever you believe, please be happy. All of you, please be happy.
Then the presence is gone and the last of the power flows into the spell from Sophie.
The old man grunts in pain and a tendril of darkness erupts from his back for a moment. The avatar closes his eyes and screams and the tendril retreats.
"Hurry!" he urges.
Alastor Coventry's Miracle is the last to finish. A hammer forged of pure will, a rebel's cry against the injustice inherent in base nature, all of Alastor's being rushes at the spell being formed with the force and strength of a thousand hurricanes. When the spell begins to falter, the brute force of the Doctor's Miracle shoulders it up, in places where the strain is too much, it is reinforced. The Doctor is not finished.
With a reserve of energy, he and Gail put forth all of their will, power, and inner strength and change reality. All of a sudden the abyss around the heroes teems with energy, all flowing towards the spell that must save the world.
Then their energy too, flees from them.
-----
Far away, floating in between existence and oblivion, a solitary spirit opens its eyes, a faint tingling waking it. The resonance of a power that was familiar.
"It's over... At last..."the Forgotten one whispered. His lips curled into a soft smile. "I made the right choice... for once..." The eyes closed again and the spirit faded to nothing.
-----
Finally, Simone spreads her hands wide and a torrent of energies pours from the girl that the Force had saved time and time again into the spell they hoped would save everyone.
The Last Spell: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OwXXnNTjN2Y
Shaped by skill and pure will from energies forged in countless battles, Isyndel feels the energy of the Ultimate Wish reach its peak. All is shaped, all is gathered, all is ready.
"Aaaah!" the old man cries as he begins to spasm uncontrollably. "You need to cast NOW! We don't have much time left!"
Empowered and guided by the Miracles of her fellows, Isyndel reaches out with her consciousness and grasps the magic. It feels as if she holds the entire world in her hands, and perhaps that is not so far from the truth. No words need to be spoken, the wish is already being screamed by her very soul.
SAVE US. ALL OF US.
The magical energy exploded outward just as the old man gave his last breath.
-------
Unforeseen Ending: The Wish of Ages
Across the globe the Tideforms rampaged towards the cities of mortalkind.
A vast wall of utter darkness loomed before Tristan, a tsunami of oblivion crashed towards Bedoe, an ocean of death rolled towards Manarina.
A column of fire erupted around Bedoe, ensconcing the entire city in holy flame. With a shriek, the massive monstrosity threw itself at the blaze. Immense chunks of the creature were burned off, seared away, annihilated, but the thing kept attacking, slowly smothering the god-fire that kept the birdmen safe.
At Tristan, a halo of sacred light encircled the town, the tsunami smashing into it with enough force to make the ground quake. The halo sparked and shuddered, holding the darkness back... but slowly losing ground, inch by inch as the abomination began to overpower the goddess' blessing.
At Manarina, the same shield that kept the city of magi safe from Strife Lord and Devil Army alike, was raised just in time to repel a gigantic Tideform from rolling over the populace. The monster roared as it lashed at the magical barrier, blow after earthshaking blow striking it.
At the center of that last city, the Narrator Isis stood within a circle of wizards, her hands held up to the heavens, channeling all the power she possessed and all the power the mages could spare into the protective shield.
"Hold it..." Isis grunted. "We've got to hold it..."
"It's not enough!" one of the mages cried out. "I don't have the energy... I can't keep up..."
"We've got to..." Isis whispered. "Even Mitula and Volcanon are about to..."
The spell shield began to spark and waver, the Tideform outside letting loose a chilling alien howl as it gathered itself for another attack on Manarina's defenses.
"Wait!" someone in one of the watchtowers cried. "What's that? Over there, the mountain!"
Still channeling, Isis turned, her eyes slowly widening.
Atop one of the Manarinan Mountains, the very same one Isis knew to contain the Vault deep below even its deepest roots, a pillar of shining light was expanding outwards.
"They did it..." Isis murmured as the wall of brilliance ripped across the landscape and straight into the Tideform. The abomination let out one final alien howl as the light consumed it utterly, annihilating, purifying every last bit of it. Then the light washed over Manarina and Isis dropped to her knees.
"Lady Isis!" one of the mages cried out, running over to help her. "What's wrong?! what WAS that?!"
"Nothing is wrong... didn't you guess?" Isis murmured, a tired smile on her face. "That was our salvation." The Narrator closed her eyes. "I have to leave you all now. Another will come by soon to take care of you, don't worry. But... I have to go." Isis opened her eyes one last time and looked at the city she had grown to love. "It is finished."
Then she disappeared.
---------
The wall of shining light spread across the globe in mere seconds, cleaning the whole planet of its Tideform infestation in less than a minute. The halo of light and wall of fire fell from Tristan and Bedoe as the collective power of the greatest band of heroes to walk the globe lanced over the gigantic abominations, sending them back to the oblivion they embodied.
From space, for a brief moment, the entire planet was one pure globe of light. A second sun that did not hurt to look at, a star radiating peace, serenity, and hope.
The light faded a few seconds after. The hope remained.
---------
When the light had receded, the old man was gone. The abyss that had surrounded the heroes before was now an endless plane of gentle light. A sea of illumination that they floated in. A sense of peace and fulfillment remains with the heroes. Somehow they know the desperate gamble worked.
Almost immediately, two of the group notice changes...
Gail's eyes have lost their golden sheen, returning to the ice blue they once were before the wars dragged her in. The touch of otherworldly grace she once carried is also gone. Having given even the spark she was born with, she is aasimar no longer, now a human. Nothing less. Nothing more.
Gabriel feels different too, more whole, purer, as if something about him has been changed dramatically on the inside..
Pyra leans on her staff, the only one standing in the entire group. She looks out at the light, a reflective expression on her face. The energy to speak has temporarily left those who donated, but it is apparent the same is not true of the sage.
"He wasn't always like that, you know," she says, sadly. "In the beginning, he really was pure goodness. No evil twin attached. In the beginning..." Pyra trails off. "That damn artifact corrupted even the purest intent. I hope whoever took it knows what to do with it... No, more than the artifact..." Pyra shakes her head. "It was more than just the Powers of Light and Darkness being epitomes of their respective extremes. More than them being two halves of a whole." Pyra turns towards the heroes. ?All his creations were linked to him, part of him. It was the urge to live and to die within each of us battling. The urge to give up and slump down or tear down and destroy versus the urge to embrace and love, to struggle and live, to experience and grow. The Powers of Light and the Powers of Darkness... As they were part of the creator, so did everything form a part of them." Pyra sighs. "This war... that raged for so long... it was fought within and without.?
Pyra holds up a hand and a ghostly image of Max forms in it.
"The same souls reincarnating over and over until they get it right." Pyra holds up her other hand, an image of Anri forming in it.
"Reincarnating until they manage to build a utopia that doesn't fall..." Pyra says as the images morph into Galm and Elise before vanishing. Pyra lowers her hands. "In the beginning, it wasn't so much that the spirit was a test to get into heaven, it was that this world is supposed to be MADE heaven. If the test of spirit was passed, it meant that the civilization would make it to utopia. It meant it would not crumble under the powers it had gained. It was a marker of sustainability, because if the world's people lasted long enough they would all eventually become Innovators." Pyra's smile falls. "...or Vandals if the test was not passed. In the beginning, the fire was not rained down by an angry Creator. It was spread by consequences, of people with too much power and far less empathy, and little else."
Pyra reaches out and her staff reappears in her hand. "Not only those of mortals though. Throughout its history this world has been beset by extraplanar invaders. Demons and devils, flocking to destroy the civilizations that truly approached what the Creator wanted for them. They were drawn here by something. I think you know what."
Pyra pauses. "Now that corrupter is gone, the corrupted left... Perhaps our home has a chance at last." She turns and grins. "Sorry if I rambled. Thanks to you... Thanks to being here, I put the last pieces of the puzzle together. Couldn't keep it in."
Pyra looks down for a moment, more thoughts flitting through her mind, then she turns and gazes back at the light. "...and yes. It worked."
Energy finally returns to the heroes. Though still greatly weary, they can speak and act normally.
Daran, Jim, and Sheila slowly, painfully get up and stretch.
"Man... it feels like I've been asleep almost forever..." Sheila complains.
"After this mission, I could stand to sleep almost forever," Jim comments, rubbing his neck.
"It worked? We saved the world?! We saved the world!!!" Daran cries out with joy. The tinker turns to Simone. "Did you hear tha... Simone?"
Simone does not answer, because she, and Daran now, are busy staring at her arms, which periodically seem to fade in and out of existence.

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Wed Jan 26 2011 6:50pm
by DragonmasterDon1
Isyndel lowered her arms defiantly and nodded to herself, endorphins and hormones still swelling a maelstrom in her body. Satisfaction, pride, jubilation, joy, and numerous other thoughts surged through her, and she spun around to face everyone.
Her eyes immediately fell upon Simone, and it all sank away. It came as no surprise to her, having felt her power along with so many others so intimately only a short time ago.
It was a conclusion she had no choice but to accept at the time, and no choice but to accept now.
Crestfallen, she fell to her knees and lowered her eyes, sweat-soaked hair caked over her face.

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Thu Jan 27 2011 1:34am
by Dark Maiden
Damas moves to Isyndel's side and rests his hand on her shoulder.
Kayla looks around--her eyes settling on Gail. She notes the changes in her right away because of her otherworldly nature. "She gave everything--even that part of her--to save us all." Perhaps I could have done more... The thought leaves her mind quickly and a sense of peace replaces the momentary doubt. "No--it all worked out fine in the end. All that remains is what to do now..." Kayla slowly shifts her gaze to Simone and her eyes widen. "What's happening?"

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Thu Jan 27 2011 6:05am
by TheUnknownMarine
The light imperceptibly grows brighter in the background.

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Thu Jan 27 2011 6:21am
by Cyrus
Gail's breath came out in shakes when the spell finishes, her skin coated in a cold sweat. She still felt the touch of the wish on her, the fingers of magic that dug and coiled around her heart. They froze her, drew the heat from her muscles and her bones in themselves while they grasped something inside her. Then they pulled away, whatever they had taken wrapped in their grasp, and left only cold. She brushed away a few stray hairs, and glanced up when they caught the light. They were red.
The maiden noticed the confusion, and looked up to watch while Simone disapeared before her eyes. A moment came back to her, a minute of desperation where she had laid the world at another's feet, a person she had not known. Her heart fell away, but she forced herself to stand and watch and remember her face. She would carry it with her for the rest of her life.

### Re: Shining Force: The Chaos War IV

Posted: Thu Jan 27 2011 6:33am
by TheUnknownMarine
Simone's face tightens.
"I'm... I'm not sure..." she admits, fear in her voice. "Something to do with the wish?"
"Well make it stop!" Daran cries. "Someone, make it stop!"
"Who? All our power..." Jim doesn't complete the sentence, shrugging helplessly. Pyra turns once more, her face taut as she looks intently at Simone.
"It is something to do with the wish... but I can't see what's causing it. That... and I do not have the power necessary to change what is happening. I am sorry," Pyra states.
Simone's face turns ashen and she looks down. Daran looks frantically around him.
"You... you're kidding me... after all that... After all that I... we're going to lose her?" Daran says, his hands shaking.
"It's... it's all right..." Simone quietly says. "With everything that happened... I thought it might end someway like this."
Simone looks up, tears in her eyes as the fading effect begins to move up her arms and to her torso. She turns to Isyndel.
"If you... when you see them again, tell Lilah and Yeesha I wish them well... I was glad of their company." she smiles. "And yours too of course."
The elf-maiden makes her way to the Doctor, looking down a little as she speaks.
"I guess we'll never be able to find Gracia now... but I guess it doesn't matter anymore. Thank you for trying to help me, for trying to help me understand myself. I won't forget it," Simone says, giving the Doctor a light hug before stepping back and turning to his fiancee. She takes the angelborn's hand in hers.
"It isn't your fault. Don't think it is," is all she says before releasing the hand and walking to Ashathel.
"Maybe... maybe one day I would have been able to dance like you taught me. Live like you taught me. But the fact that you tried, that is worth a lot to me... You'll find your brother. I know you will. Tell him goodbye for me when you do," Simone says, leaning forward and giving Ashathel a peck on the check. She turns to Daran.
"Maybe what we had was more than a youthful crush. Maybe it wasn't. I wish we had the time to find out..." she says, giving the young tinker a kiss on the cheek as well. The smile fades. "But... maybe some things just can't be."
Falling Apart: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VK2uTtuI84w
Simone drops to a knee, her entire body beginning to fade in and out of existence. The plane of light around the group begins to grow brighter as this happens.
"You should... go now..." Simone gasps, almost fully transparent. "While you still can." Simone bites her lip, then speaks one last time, tears streaming down her face. "I might forget for a while. I might not be able to keep the time you gave me close for a while... but I'll remember all of you in the end. I promise. Farewell... And tell the others farewell too."
"We will," Jim promises. The heroes' surroundings grow brighter and brighter, Simone soon almost lost in the luminescence.
Jim turns to Viki. "Viki... You still have your powers, don't you. I wonder... perhaps that was why you were drawn here. Your part to play... Viki. It's time to leave."
Viki nods and raises her staff, the heroes of the last Shining Force vanishing as the light shines brightly enough to completely obscure Simone from view. A last wistful sigh is the last sound from her lips.
Shortly after, though it cannot be seen, she too is gone.