[Game Thread] Chapter Seven: Bloodlines

[dalarangreen]

Prior to Silverforge's arrival To say that the Sword in the Dark's mother was stunning was, in Brood's mind, a definite understatement... The demi-goddess was beautiful and mysterious in ways that no ordinary freeborn nor Child could hope to achieve. By contrast Morgan was far scruffier than Brood had imagined, particularly when contrasted with the staffed-clean-shaven fellow beside him. If Brood had not been shown Morgan's face by the Sword in the Dark earlier, Brood was fairly certain she would have mistaken Morgan for the clean-shaven fellow. Still, given all the stories she had heard of Morgan in the last few days, should she really be surprised? Brood, unsure of how to start a conversation, tried to gain the attention of Minloth Zilira, bowing deeply as she approached. "Mother of the Sword, it is more than an honor to have you join us Children for the Festival," Brood spoke respectfully.

This was one situation where Brood's social ineptness and lack of expression acted in her favor: Silverforge's approach had no effect on her outward appearance.

Inside, however, Brood felt both startled and confused. She had more than thirty questions to ask, but knew that now was probably not the time to ask them. Why had Silverforge sought her out, of all people? Was that really Silverforge?

Brood had worked with Faces in the Dark before and knew that their missions were often more complex and nuanced than Brood would be able to keep track of. Brood had been taught to strike from a cloak of shadows, hidden from sight. Faces were taught to stand in the light, cloaked in a web of lies and intrigue. Brood respected the Faces' art, but it was beyond her skillset.

And Silverforge... She knew Silverforge, but mostly from Min's stories and from Cypher. They had crossed paths a few times and worked together several times as well. Still, when he was disguised, Brood would hardly be able to recognize the man. However, she knew that if it was indeed Silverforge, as the telepathic message suggested, then she could trust him implicitly.

In other words, if she could determine that this man was indeed Silverforge, then Brood's role was simple: be prepared to strike quickly when given the signal.

[Acathala]

"Thank you for your time." Nallaul says to the god.
He returns to the king. "Patron Father." Nallaul grimaced as he realised he did it again. Pretending the last sentence never happened, Nallaul speaks again. "Your....majesty. May I enquire if you have reached a decision on Tel'shar?"

[Xian]

Adam "Certainly looks like we need to seize the fun here, while we have the chance..." Adam says as he laughed as he continued to try to outdo Sublime, but those darn divine gifts kept getting the better of him. "You know, I am not the religious type, but I guess if I were to follow one, I suppose you would be a bad choice... you don't seemed to be embroiled in the intrigue and politics that the others seem to enjoy. Just martial excellence... and a sense of humor. Let me know when you want to start a following... I might join up." Adam said it semi-seriously, but of all of the divine / semi-divine beings that he had encountered in his life, and even most of the mortals that he had met in his lifetime, Sublime did not seem to hung up on herself or her role as a demi-god. "You know one of these days, I am going to get you in our sparring matches... I almost had you the last time." Adam said as he watched his armored form heal up. Almost being in that Sublime let him power up his best technique, only to disrupt it at the last moment. Adam then spotted Sei'Eileti. "Hey, look it seems my friend has arrived and so has Morgan... odd they used to say he was the life of the party. Wondered what made him into such a sourpuss? Anyway, I guess I better go track him down and make sure that he has a little bit of this fun... he has anger management issues. I do hope that you will not make yourself difficult for me to find again." On his way to Sei'Eileti, Adam did stop and give Mrith an informal greeting... he was in fact still in the human form of his Emerald Dragon skin and promise is promise. "So, Lady Mrith, it appears that our paths have crossed again... I apologize that urgent business had called me away, so I was not able to have that drink with you on that day..." Adam said as he produced the fragrant Halvan fruit wine and offered dexterously two glasses. "But a promise is a promise, dear Mrith, the finest white wine I could find, fruity and soft yet not too dry. Can you spare an old warrior some time? I understand if you have duties that require your attention elsewhere. "

[Blue]

Mrith noticed Adam's approach as his trajectory led him into her general direction. She made a reserved wave of the hand to salute him and then began to walk to close the distance and quicken the impact.
She played along, being the playful kind.
"There is naught to forgive, good sir."
She studied the vintage. "Though if there was, it must be forgiven, by all means!"
She ceremoniously took a glass, a little impressed that he'd been carrying those around without breaking them.
"People like me almost always have a duty somewhere that needs our attention." and her tone of voice implied that it didn't mean much in the current circumstances, presenting the glass that needed filling.

"So far this party has been a pretty sobering experience for me. Your timing is perfect, I must say. How have you been?"

She had noticed that Morgan had arrived and did have words to share with him, but Morgan being himself he'd likely get swarmed soon enough and likely had a few people he wanted to speak with himself. She didn't like feeling rushed and would prefer to have his attention later on.

[Xian]

Adam Originally Posted by Mrith "There is naught to forgive, good sir." She studied the vintage. "Though if there was, it must be forgiven, by all means!" She ceremoniously took a glass, a little impressed that he'd been carrying those around without breaking them. "Please, Lady Mirth, just Adam... I am just a humble soldier, lord and master over no one save myself." Adam says earnestly as his smile widens at the notion that Mrith is pleased with his selection. Adam was glad to see that she was still as laid back as he had first met her... unlike most, with the exception of the Children, who seemed a bit too stuffy or loaded with courtly intrigue. Adam was not being dishonest when he declared... and preferred... being just a humble soldier. Adam still could not fathom those that actually enjoyed or relished politics. "Anyway, I am very happy that my selection pleases you, dear lady... I had to call in a few markers for it, so I am glad to see that it was not for naught." Originally Posted by Mrith "People like me almost always have a duty somewhere that needs our attention." and her tone of voice implied that it didn't mean much in the current circumstances, presenting the glass that needed filling. "So far this party has been a pretty sobering experience for me. Your timing is perfect, I must say. How have you been?" "Another reason, I prefer my role as a soldier... while it is nowhere as grandiose as those with title and position, there is something to be said for a bit of anonymity... that and as a great general once said, a soldier has the "luxury" of looking his enemy in the eyes." Adam says as he pours gracefully though with a bit of a flourish the wine for Mrith. "As always, I am glad to be of service... much of the party seems to be ""sobering" but the Children and their moonshine down in the trenches seem to be making an actual celebration out of it. As for me, I have been doing my best to enjoy the good times... to make the most of the moments I do have. As they say, immortal or no, when it is your time, it is your time. I mean I got arm wrestle a demi-goddess... how that for a bucket list item, right? Cheers!"

[Makenshi]

 

The robed man gave Silverforge a disapproving look. "I'm not in the habit of introducing myself to someone who hides their own appearance beneath not one but two fabrications at an event such as this. I assume you're a Child, of course, which only further begs the question on why you feel you need to hide your heritage here especially given Zilira herself is not only a known Half-Fiend, but a daughter of Ashtarte (the now dead Demon Goddess) herselfpresent company."

"Isn't that a bit rich coming from you, Malhas? Or was it Kahlas?" Comes a voice from an unexpected source. Standing just by Kala's legs was a scraggy and battered looking tabby cat that had clearly just spoken.

The man, You can attempt to make a Knowledge (religion) check to find out more about the two names (Malhas and Kahlas) that Mortimer mentionedMalhas presumably, transferred his annoyed look to the cat. "And I'd have thought that you'd know the power of names, being a wizard's familiar, Mortimer."

Mortimer snorted before snarking back at him. "Really? Try again. That's just wizard speak for 'I don't want to talk to you', Morgan used it all the time when meeting with foppish noble brats. Besides, you're in the presence of not one but two Demi-Goddesses and currently living in the palace, so I think I can reliably say that you're safe for the moment."

The unknown woman didn't respond to the introduction or the question, instead making a series of complicated gestures with her hands towards Kala, which the Demi-Goddess responded to in kind. Some sort of sign language? If so, it wasn't one that either Child had encountered before. Otherwise they both seemed content to stay out of the argument between the cat and the man.

Brood manages to get a much warmer reaction from the dark-skinned Demi-Goddess as Zilira beams at her greeting. "Mother of the Sword? Is that what they call me? I'd have assumed they called me the Mother in the Dark or some-such. Either way, it's a pleasure to meet you as well...?" She trailed off, obviously asking for her name in the process while Morgan didn't seem sure whether to get involved in the argument going on nearby or not.

 

Vulcar likewise doesn't acknowledge his previous greeting faux-pass. "Not entirely yet, no. You can be assured that I won't be executing him at least, but other than that there are still various options. Equally, though, you can be assured that I have no intention of letting him live free in Halva after what he did. Most likely, he will be exiled to fend for himself, in which case I'm sure he'll be fine from what you've told me of him, but I can't say for sure yet."

 

Who and Where? Brood: Talking with Silverforge. Mrith: Talking with Adam. Adam: Talking with Mrith. Nallaul: Talking with King Vulcar II. Silverforge: Talking with Brood. King Vulcar of Halva, Vulcar's fiancéePrincess Celes of Shali, Cypher is the eldest of the Sword's three Children but also the least seen. This is because she is a Face in the Dark (see classes thread), meaning she has spent most of her time infiltrating Fiendish churches and cults. In her case, she infiltrated the Church of Deimos in Sharak and even spent a time as King Kaeyin's religious advisor. At some point during this she become pregnant with and bore a twin daughter and son of Kaeyin (although neither he nor anyone else was aware of them) who have been raised by the Children in the Dark when she is not around. As a Face in the Dark she is highly skilled at divine magic, stealth and subterfuge. Being a Godling she is also among the most powerful of mortals although not quite a full-fledged God.Cypher of the Firstborn In'ira and her twin toddlers, Ismael and Miya: Inside one of the tents, where the babies/toddlers/younger children mostly seem to be, along with Coiya, Future and Nallaul. Most often shortened simply to Bane, he is the middle-child of the three but also the tallest and bears a striking resemblance to his grandfather, Vulcar Halva I, the man who founded Halva and the First Halvan Empire. Bane's Gift is for understanding magic items, which are somewhat of a speciality of his and generally what he spends most of his time doing outside of freeing slaves, striking out against the Fiends or otherwise performing his duties. He is an Eye in the Dark (see the classes thread), meaning he is skilled at stealth and arcane magic. Being a Godling he is also among the most powerful of mortals although not quite a full-fledged God.Balor-Bane of the Firstborn In'ira: Talking with Tinker and Wit. Min is the youngest, most reckless and most immature of the three, having only passed her Swordright in the past few years. Unlike her siblings, she has embraced her psionic heritage and uses it in combination with the sublime way, having had a lot of training in both from various other Children. Min is a powerful Wilder and a highly skilled Swordsage, as well as having learnt how to further manipulate psionics by being an Elocator. Being a Godling she is also among the most powerful of mortals although not quite a full-fledged God.Min of the Firstborn In'ira and her sword-brothers, Toy and Geld: Mingling with other Children. One of the original investigators and without doubt the most high profile of them even before the investigations were revealed to the world at large during Chapter Five. He has made a name for himself for shouting at or otherwise picking fights with powerful and/or influential people, including a few Gods, most often by trying to call them out on their behaviour. As well as having fostered a close working relationship (if not friendship) with the King and his soon-to-be Queen, Morgan is also a childhood friend of Kala (one of the newest Gods in Aheka), a former pupil of Esiard Emlyn and, as has been revealed recently, not only currently in a relationship with Minloth Zilira but also responsible for freeing her from the binding that had been placed on her to serve the Halvan royal family for almost a thousand years. Despite this recent prestige he still maintains a network of friends and allies from all walks of life throughout Halva.Archmage Morgan Wainwraith, Kala was a deaf-mute Seer long thought to be the reincarnation of Airis, partly because she was innately talented at using divine magic with little to no training from a startlingly young age. It has recently emerged that she is in fact the daughter of Airis and Malvain, broken free by Malvain and entrusted into the care of her half-brother Malhas (see Other) who stunted her natural gift in order to better hide her. Her true power was unlocked by Fisali and she has since steadily grew in strength and power, with her political influence, especially to the worshippers of her parents, likewise growing and growing. Since becoming a Demi-Goddess, Kala has displayed powerful divine magic, with a particular knack for using glpyh and symbol spells as well as healing magic. She has even proven capable of resurrecting the dead, however it appears to tax her in some way.Kala, Malhas is a son of Malvain born around a century ago or more (exactly when is unknown), although he has never been very widely known, even among his father's own followers. His most notable act was masquerading as his father in order to provoke an alliance of Deities (good and evil) to fight and slay Malvain. Malhas has recently claimed he did so because Malvain was planning some sort of world-spanning war which, given the separate machinations of Zera to do likewise, could very well have been a catastrophe. Malhas has recently emerged as being the one responsible for hiding Kala's true power, as well as keeping an eye on her by masquerading as a worshipper of Airis by the name of Kahlas. He has been helping her out since, although the two do not always see eye to eye. Malhas is a highly skilled and varied user of both arcane and divine magic although he full abilities and limits have never really been tested.Malhas and a Drow Demi-Goddess who was thought dead. Most notably, she is both the ultimate female ancestor of the Halvan dynasty/had been bound to serve them into recently by powerful magic and the mother of Coiya Halva, the second ever King of Halva and better known now as the Sword in the DarkMinloth Zilira: Just arrived, along with another, unknown woman. Didina Reid is a beautiful young Tiefling woman, most notable because of her large horns which she habitual decorates with jewellery. Although she was born to the former High Council member (but still influential Council member) Alleron Lyrason her father not only disinherited her due to her obvious Tiefling nature - claiming that she was not his daughter - but has repeatedly hired people to try and kill or otherwise deal with her. Didina has survived against these attacks in part due to having forged her own network of allies/friends and in part through her natural psionic talents. Eventually, this gained the King's attention and he not only named her a Lady but also took lands and wealth from her father in recompense, all in order to recruit the Mindbender and Thrallherd to aid in investigating the attempt on his life. Despite being a powerful Telepath, Didina dislikes fighting which has only intensified recently with the death (and revival) of her closest friend, Misa Serokai (see below). She has stressed that she was hired to investigate, not to fight, so it unclear how much she intends to continue to help with current events, especially with their original task having been completed once they confirmed it was Zera behind the assassination attempt. As a Telepath, Mindbender and Thrallherd Didina is highly skilled at using Telepathy powers and mind-effecting powers in general. Didina revealed that she had contacts/friends in the Church of Inanna much earlier in the story, however it has recently emerged that not only did she have some sort of contact with the Cult of Acedia but had some form of interaction with Acedia herself that she avoided talking about. It is because of this that she did not join the rest of the party in confronting Acedia and later getting involved in the battle between several Archgates and several of the Unknown Gods.Lady Didina Reid and Misa Serokai is a generally scruffy-looking young Arian woman, however as the daughter of the long-serving Arian ambassador to Halva she was born and raised in Halva. She was brought into the investigation in part because of her close friendship with Didina Reid but also because of her own minor seer abilities. Namely, that having been born blind she has greatly refined the Serokai's natural precognition to allow her to experience the world through what she describes as some form of 'touchsight', more feeling it than seeing it, as well as sometimes getting vague premonitions of danger. This form of 'sight' even allowed her to recognise the incredibly powerful mage known as Shade, who ordinarily can not be recognised unless he wants to be due to some sort of magical amnesia effect that he constantly emits. Misa was not only killed, but reduced to dust during the most recent Fiendish incursion upon Aheka however the newly ascended Demi-Goddess Kala was able to not only restore her but cure her blindness in the process - something that Misa has refused in the past as her people believe it is a distraction from the true sight she has mastered and fears her abilities will fade as a result. She stayed behind with Didina when the party left to confront Acedia and her forces.Lady Misa Serokai: Mingling. Archgates Mirik Orn, Selene Jual, Sei'Theofan Rudaa, Shara Segali, Sei'Raeth Segali, an Alainn: Mingling amongst the Children. Anorde and Celi: Sitting alone, watching the proceedings and drinking. A (literally) ethereal looking woman with blonde hair, one green eye and one blue eye that appears to float/fly about, passing through most physical objects and attacks (which is likely where the name comes from). Has a very unusual appearance (pale skin, wings, clothing that appears to have melded into her skin). Like her siblings and unlike all the other Unknown Gods, she has outright admitted to/claimed to be a daughter of Airis and Zera, which has earned suspicion from many (most importantly Jester of the Demon's Moon). Other than her incorporeality she has mostly displayed powerful divine magic, potentially even reviving the recently slain (Revivify) and using various high-level healing/restoration spells to aid others.Airiel the Unbound: In one of the larger buildings, helping tend to injured Children rather than joining the festivities (so far anyway). The most striking of the 'Un' siblings because of his uncanny resemblance to his father, Zera, save for the blond hair and blue-green eyes of his mother (Airis). Fortunately for him, Zera's face isn't widely known outside of the Sei and high-ranking military types. Fought with and killed Gula by taking an immense beating and then somehow 'transferring' his injuries onto Gula once Gula tried to use a God-killing poison on him. As Gula was dying Tinker (see below) used an unknown artifact to steal and store his divinity. He has displayed powerful psionics, in particular having repeatedly absorbed injuries from those around him to heal them and transferring both these and his own injuries onto Fiends. Against both Gula and Jester (see the linked to Chapter) he has displayed not only an incredibly resilience (i.e. taking lots of damage) but an incredible ability to rapidly heal himself when he chooses not to transfer his injuries. He has also displayed another former of magic using an unknown tongue, mostly by simply calling out a single word/short phrase, however exactly what it is is unknown.Airin the Undying: Using his psionics (in particular telekinesis) to help the last of the rebuilding/fixing going on. Like her sister, Airza's appearance is highly unusual as she not only has stone-like and bronze-coloured (actually bronze, not just tanned) skin with patches of incandescent scales on it but also pitch-black cracks running all across her body forming strange symbols all over her body. Her having one blue eye and one green eye doesn't register nearly as much as it normally would as result. She was mostly active in the Fiendish Planes before helping to defend her brother from Jester (see the end of the current Chapter). Unlike her more magical siblings, Airza has shown simple but brutally effective overwhelming force when she has fought, mostly using her fists and/or an oversized bastard sword, as well as an ability to not only rapidly heal herself but simply shrug off most forms of damage in the first place. In the unlikely event that a Binder meets her, they may recognise that her appearance and certain other abilities are a result of Binding magic.Airza, the Unbroken: Mingling with the Children. At first glance, Arte doesn't look very remarkable, and unlike his sister, Sublime, has shown a tendency to hang back and strike from afar rather than get into the thick of fighting. He also tended to kill almost exclusively with practical, quick bouts of magic, rather than toying and humiliating his opponents as his sister did. Most notably, the two of them killed Superbia, with Arte countering any of her attempts at magic and even seemingly to re-direct her attempts to teleport away while Sublime killed her in (otherwise) single combat. Has displayed a large variety of both arcane and divine magic, even sometimes combining the two, but has mostly worked with his sister, Sublime to compliment her focus on fighting. Like her, he hasn't really shown much in the way of 'support', with even his divine magic being used for almost exclusively offensive purposes.Arte: Gone to look for Rapture or 'one of the triplets'. Boss' appearance is by far the most intimidating of the Unknown Gods. Not only does he bear an uncanny resemblance to Deimos (same hair colour/general build, but different eyes and a skull mask that covers the top of his face rather than the bottom of it) but his entire body is covered in writhing, living spiked chains that he not only fights with but uses to move around on. He has almost exclusively shown up in Phare in the recent fighting, specifically their capitol Feid, helping to fight the Fiends, albeit in an incredibly brutal fashion and usually while cheerily singing inappropriate songs in the process. For those who who have been/were recently victims of particularly nasty people (especially those using a position of power to avoid paying for their crimes) he may have revealed himself as much as a few years before the current events, coming out of no-where to either kill the person in question or confer some sort of compulsion-laden mark on them to force them to 'atone' (with the compulsion often being rather sadistic in nature). All such targets of his have been nasty pieces of work and he tends to arrive and leave in an abrupt fashion. Apart from using the spiked chains wrapped around his entire body like combat tentacles and brutally ripping things into pieces he has also shown a smattering of sorcerous magic (albeit, not very high level), some powerful invocations and a knack for striking at weak points.Boss: Using his chains to help with the building/repair work. Lady is the most visible (literally) of the Unknown Gods, mostly because her appearances tend to be heralded by her exuding waves of blinding light from her body. What makes her obvious affinity for light more unusual is that she is a dusky/grey skinned Drowtouched, wearing mostly white with some grey and black. She first emerged as Deimos and the Fiends attacked the Drow underground but subsequently moved across Aheka turning up in various places to help out. Each time usually using not only her light powers but mass telepathy to announce her presence, threaten the fiends or rally the people. Along with her (seemingly innate) light-based powers, she has also displayed powerful offensive psionics and sorcery, as well as occasionally fighting with a sword.Lady/Sulion: Using her psionics/magic (mostly telekinesis) to help the rebuilding/repair work. A tall grey-skinned Drow-touched man wearing goggles, a tattered wide-brimmed hat and a long overcoat filled with various bits and pieces. He has mostly only shown up in order to use some sort of device to strip Gula, Ira and Superbia of their divinity before they were killed, however he has fought a little as well. Tinker has displayed skill with a pistol, the use of various magical items (most notably the one that appears to drain divinity) and the occasional use of high level arcane magic.Tinker: Talking with Bane and Wit. Faces, as he has generally introduced himself recently, is an incredibly skilled shapeshifter that has only recently been revealed as being 'Mask' (see People of Aheka). His 'default'/diplomatic form is a young man with dark hair wearing a mask with a simplistic stylised grinning face on it. Although he joins the other Unknown Gods in confronting Jester in the most recent Chapter his other antics are otherwise unknown. It seems likely he has masqueraded as others to either use the chaos to spy or sneak up people. Even his 'Mask' persona seems to be just another persona, as he acts much more reserved and unassuming in his 'grinning face' guise. Like the other self-confessed Children in the Dark among the Unknown Gods he is not only unknown to them but the Family he claims to belong to (the Harlequins) is similarly completely unknown. Other than his shapeshifting he hasn't really displayed any real skills as Many Faces except for being very good at pretending to be someone else, however as Mask his using a variety of skills/magic led people to believe he is a Chameleon (i.e. capable of using a wide variety of abilities/magic depending on the situation). Given the revelation of his true power this may have been an inaccurate assumption.Many Faces: ??? Rapture is an unusually tall elf-touched woman (6ft+) wearing the traditional mismatched armour of the Children in the Dark who carries a halberd with magical runes and markings carved into it like a staff would have. Like the other self-confessed Children in the Dark among the Unknown Gods she is not only unknown to them but the Family she claims to belong to (the Dervishes) is similarly completely unknown. She has displayed not only great skill with using her halberd in battle, but also appears to use it as a focus/aid to both high-level offensive arcane and divine magic.Rapture: Mingling with the Children. After the Lady in the Light, Shadow has been the most noticeable/seen of the Unknown Gods, mostly as a result of engaging in a very public fight with Invidia in Feid. That she has been fighting by using some sort of shapeshifting 'shadow' that surrounds her and tends to take on large monstrous forms with great fluidity certainly helped make her noticeable. She also revealed herself to the Children before the current events, specifically Teaches Humility (a former PC who you can find in the Lords and Ladies thread). Like the other self-confessed Children in the Dark among the Unknown Gods she is not only unknown to them but the Family she claims to belong to (the Avengers) is similarly completely unknown. She has mostly relied on immense physical prowess to fight, combined with the fluid shapeshifting, reach and natural attacks of her 'shadow beast armour/suit thing', but using the occasional bit of arcane magic (usually to banish Fiends from a distance).Shadow: Helping the rebuilding/repair work, mostly with tentacles/brute strength. Except perhaps for Many Faces, Snark is the most unassuming of the Unknown Gods. He wears the typical mis-matched armour of the Children in the Dark and, unsurprisingly predominantly fights with a sword, but if anything he's a little shorter than average and definitely shorter than most of the other Unknown Gods. Most notably, he seems to only speak by quoting sayings, bits of scripture or even parroting what other people say around him (often mockingly). He has generally accompanied Lady, both among the Drow and on the surface, but occasionally split up from her to deal with threats by himself. Like the other self-confessed Children in the Dark among the Unknown Gods he is not only unknown to them but the Family he claims to belong to (the Silencers) is similarly completely unknown. He has shown himself to not only be a skilled swordsman but a practitioner of the Sublime Way, including some supernatural uses of it (mostly Devoted Spirit manoeuvrers/stances). He has also displayed minor magical abilities, great skill at stealth and a keen eye for weak spots.Snark: Mingling with the Children. Sublime is by far the most talkative of the Unknown Gods, although this mostly takes the form of boasting, mocking and generally being an annoyance in any way she can while fighting. True to her boasting, she is a strikingly beautful woman with long dark hair, pale skin and clothing that while cut to allow her freedom of movement is obviously ornate, high quality and designed to also show off her physique. Although she predominantly fights with a sword it has the ability to rapidly change shape to suit how/who she is fighting, mostly taking the form of various melee weapons but sometimes pairs of them or even a metallic bow that creates its own entirely metallic arrows to fire. She most notably killed Superbia in (mostly) single combat (her brother countered Superbia's magic and attempts to flee, otherwise not engaging her) but also swathes of other demons. Even against Superbia Sublime maintained her cocky arrogance, constantly belittling and mocking the Goddess as they fought and claiming that she was disappointed with how weak Superbia was before beheading her and using her decapitated head as a make-shift flail against her own forces. She appears to fight for the thrill of fighting and/or to prove herself superior as far as has been observed. She has almost exclusively fought physically, bar some supernatural uses of the Sublime Way, and mostly at melee, but of particular note is not only her use of archery but that she somehow appears to be able to use the Sublime Way with it. Her skill, particularly with the Sublime Way, is quite frankly equal parts terrifying, awe-inspiring and unequalled as far as most people will have ever seen, making her boast of being 'Perfection Personified' more understandable (but still very arrogant).Sublime: Talking with Adam near the heads of the slain Sins (which are on poles nearby) and joining in with nearby celebrations. The oldest of the Hybrids, having been created when a Succubus stabbed the Paladin of Trinity, Nero Ardin, sixteen years ago without knowing the true nature of the dagger. He appears as a dark-haired, pale-skinned and plainly dressed Shalian man, making him much more unassuming in appearance compared to the two other Hybrids. Like with all of the Hybrids, those who meet his gaze feel like it almost pulls them in, with their pupils appearing like starry voids. Nehrahk has spent the past sixteen years secretly converting his own army of Fiends (and Fiend-blooded creatures) from the various Fiendish planes, using his influence over Fiends to try and turn them into a force for good. All of these Fiends have his mark (a series of smaller and smaller equilateral triangles within one another at different angles) somewhere obvious on their body (usually the forehead). He has been operating out of his own demi-plane attached to the Plane of Shadows and is known to a few in the Children of the Dark, but was otherwise unknown until now. Although obviously attempting to be a force for good Nehrahk has made it clear that his intention is to protect Aheka from Fiends - not to get involved in internal Ahekan affairs - so he is not to be counted on to fight Zera. He has displayed the ability to both make and 'unmake' matter on a variety of scales, from creating clothes to entire demi-planes and not just disintegrating objects/beings but, according to his own description, unravelling their very presence in reality (making it impossible to restore/revive them).Nehrahk: Unknown if he will appear. The newest of the Hybrids but has quickly become the most well known as he moved across Aheka during the recent troubles slaying swathes of Fiends with little effort while also holding off/repelling Fiendish Deities as well. He has auburn hair, tanned skin and golden eyes that resemble rolling, whirling liquid fire. Like with all of the Hybrids, those who meet his gaze feel like it almost pulls them in, with their pupils appearing like starry voids. He was created when Lekan Alyyryk of the Kashyyn, a Tyyrykan who had been helping the PCs to investigate the assassination and then Zera in general, elected to sacrifice himself in part because of a prior meeting with the Oracle having convinced him that doing so was for the benefit of Aheka as a whole, even if - by his own personal beliefs - it would not only destroy his soul but prevent the eventual reincarnation that his people believe in. Lekan came to the PCs attentions because his identical brother was used to try and assassinate the King - by Zera as it eventually turned out - however it emerged that it was due to Zera's mental manipulations. It was also discovered that the Blue Woman was in fact originally Lekan's sister - with the three of them being triplets - and is being controlled/manipulated by Zera. His brother and sister had both been trying to infiltrate Zera's operations before they were discovered and Zera twisted them to his own ends. Still being 'newborn', the full extent of Lekkar's powers are unknown, however he retains Lekan Alyyryk's psionic abilities (albeit, greatly amplified) as well as possessing an affinity for innate fire magic. In particular, he appears to use it to move around, either appearing in a blaze of fire from out of no-where or sometimes literally exploding from out of Fiends during the recent troubles. Just as Nehrahk has an affinity for manipulating Fiends and the Blue Woman has an affinity for Trolls, Lekkar's influence seems to revolve around Seers and, more broadly, humans to a degree as he has shown some sort of empathic sense towards humanoids as a whole - such as being able to tell that the Drow were being enslaved and slaughtered after looking at a single Drow.Lekkar Alyyryk: Unknown if he will appear. Coiya/the Sword in the Dark: With the babies/toddlers, along with Vulcar, Celes, Cypher and Future. Talking with Nallaul. Dancer, Keeper of the Blackbone: Speaking with the Children near Sublime and Adam/checking out the heads of the slain Gods. Breaker, Keeper of the Firstborn: Disappeared into another building with Strider. Mercy, Keeper of the Last-Breath: Speaking with Ruin on the other side of the central bonfire to Mrith and Brood. Wit, Keeper of the Oldblood: Talking with Tinker and Bane. Strider, Keeper of the True-Dawn: Disappeared into another building with Breaker Ruin, Keeper of the Wildsoul: Speaking with Mercy on the other side of the central bonfire to Mrith and Brood. Future, Keeper of the Young-Blades: With the babies/toddlers, along with Vulcar, Celes, Cypher and Coiya. Rising, Keeper of the Waking Dream: Speaking with L'arabiel and Mrith. L'arabiel: Speaking with Rising and Mrith. Name: Location. If there's anyone else from the People thread (or for the vets, that you've met before) that you're keeping an eye on/want to meet then let me know and I'll add them here if they're expected to attend and update when they arrive.

~MTWC

[Acathala]

Nallaul closed his eyes ever so briefly and opened them again. Persuasion was not his natural forte, but he had to try and persuade the King not to be short sighted. "With all due respect your majesty that would be a waste. Exile him from your lands if you really must, but at least recruit as an agent to work against Zera. Tel'shar is a highly capable agent with decades of experience. You need all the talented agents you can get and I assure you Tel'shar is amongst the best."

[Makenshi]

Vulcar sighs. "While I commend your loyalty the problem is exactly that. What use is an agent that I can't trust? Not to mention even if I was so inclined if it ever came to light that I was now employing him then people could well believe that I had a hand in his attempt to assassinate a guest of mine - something which is greatly frowned upon up here and which would undo a lot of the work I have done in trying to repair my nation's reputation."

"My apologies," Cypher interrupts between keeping an eye on her daughter, who is currently trying to chase her own shadow, "but perhaps we could be of assistance in this? From all I have heard of this 'Tel'shar', he would be of great use to the Faces in particular and to the Children more broadly with his skill sets. After all, he was a part of a plan that not only resulted in the death of Ashtarte herself but three of the Seven and the depowering of Deimos, that is quite the...ah...I believe the Freeborn term is 'résumé'?"

~MTWC

[Blue]

"Please, Lady Mirth, just Adam... I am just a humble soldier, lord and master over no one save myself."

She'd shake with mock disapproval, visibly amused and teasing.
"I am not drunk enough yet do be Lady Mirth. Mrith will do for now."
She then added, as if it was an afterthought. "I've never been rolled under the table, mind. A true lady knows when she's had enough liquor."

"Anyway, I am very happy that my selection pleases you, dear lady... I had to call in a few markers for it, so I am glad to see that it was not for naught."

"Naught is very much what'll be left of this bottle by the time we're done with it."
She had a lot of pressure building up despite her playful mood and she really felt for a drink just about now. Morgan arriving only served to remind her that things were moving forward and that things promised to get very dramatic very soon. It was a party, yes, and it was quite possible that it would be the last party for many of those celebrating here.

As they say, immortal or no, when it is your time, it is your time. I mean I got arm wrestle a demi-goddess... how that for a bucket list item, right? Cheers!"

"I'll agree that very few people will have experienced anything close or even within the same scope as to what we will have been exposed to in our lifetimes. However short they may turn out to be at this point. A form of greatness in and of itself. Cheers!"

After taking a good mouthful, she'd backtrack to his earlier topic;

"Another reason, I prefer my role as a soldier... while it is nowhere as grandiose as those with title and position, there is something to be said for a bit of anonymity... that and as a great general once said, a soldier has the "luxury" of looking his enemy in the eyes."

Mrith wondered at that, studying the expression carefully as if she evaluated its taste. Then winced slightly, still thoughtful.
"Could you explain this luxury of the soldier you mentioned? As a hunter, I know the hunter often feels something akin to a connection with his prey during its last moments of life... but I believe that to be an illusion. Some wishful thinking. The emotion they feel from the prey is likely but raw terror caged within itself, screaming blindly outward. When adversaries are the hunters and preys both, perhaps they seek themselves in this luxury? Hoping that this 'connection' gives a higher meaning to this brief relationship of violence when all that really happens is the clash of two wills desperate to live on?"

She sighed slighly and took another gulp.
"I do not like war, Adam. I really don't. They have a habit of making it difficult to determine what should be prey and what shouldn't. I would be a very poor soldier... I require the liberty to choose what I hunt. And I do not simply look them in the eyes; As with my other preys, I usually eat my fallen enemies, too. Does this surprise you?"
She'd smile knowingly.
"This coming war, however, at least has the decency to make things very clear. Quall should have no trouble choosing a position."

[Alphaeus]

Silverforge The man's response didn't surprise him, given the amount of magic around him. He'd built his career less off of disguising his body -- though that was certainly expedient for most relations -- and more off of disguising his motivations. He smiled and locked eyes with the man, as if Dice Know (Rel): 1d20+15 (9)+15 Total = 24 searching his soul. "Those who bear the light are always they that cast the darkest shadows. I would have presumed someone as talented as you could realize no fool would waste time on...'hiding' as you phrase it...unless there was due cause. Besides, history proves that few are ever what they seem, whether hidden or bold...which I am certain you know well." Not that he was actually that certain of anything about the man and woman, but he had learned that suggesting vaguely you knew something about a person often took them as much off guard as if you actually knew something about them. So the intonation was there, nonetheless. The woman...she, yet again, was striking him as odd. Out of place, really. But, of course, it was just as likely she was precisely where she wanted to be, meaning that she was suppressing any aura she might have. Strange enough. Realizing Brood would likely not be able to identify him, he casually extracted his carved silver bone and rolled it between his fingers, relaxing his stance a bit. This was, after all, a peaceful meeting -- despite the potential threats, there was no need to send signals of combative attitude.

[Makenshi]

Malhas doesn't look very impressed with Silverforge's response. "A very long-winded way to say nothing of substance." He glances towards Kala. "I'll leave you to mingle by yourself, Kala, all of a sudden I've come to desire a little solitude for the moment. I'll be by the fire if you need me." Without so much as a glance towards the Child Malhas moves away to sit by the central bonfire.

~MTWC

[Alphaeus]

Silverforge At the man's sudden departure, Silverforge resisted the urge to roll his eyes. When your own familiar is snide with you, chances are you could use a lesson in interpersonal relations. At this rate he was more impressed with Mortimer than Malhas. That said, the man's tense behavior and the remarks of his familiar were suspicious. Internally he sighed. He enjoyed his purpose and role with the Children, but sometimes the layers of suspicious that permanently swirled around him were irritating. People who just lived and fought and then went back to living had matters a bit easier, at least in his eyes. The woman obviously knew Kala. If Kala was meeting peaceably with The Mother, and this woman known personally to Kala, then by extension she could be presumed less of a threat. That said, he was looking for someone period...Many Faces had been clear that they were not necessarily an enemy. He addressed Brood mentally. "I'm not especially fond of Malhas, I'll say that. He seems a bit tense, or at least preoccupied with important matters. May or may not be of importance. The woman doesn't have any auras, and I find that odd considering she's apparently conversing with Kala and associated with a Godling. Not necessarily a bad thing, though. Also, in case you're wondering about me, then my ubiquitous little 'bauble' here should be assurance of who I am...as well as Malhas' comment about my layers of disguises."

[Acathala]

Nallaul turns to regard Cypher. "That is an acceptable compromise. I will suggest it to him when I am permitted next to see him." He pauses as he struggles whether or not to say anything further. Nallaul does decide to speak further. "Just treat him well. He is a good man but he has been used and abused by the Lolth bitches for so long, I am afraid he has forgotten the way back. I will never give up on him."
Nallaul turns back to the King. "How are things with Xufaer?"

[Xian]

Adam Originally Posted by Blue "Could you explain this luxury of the soldier you mentioned? As a hunter, I know the hunter often feels something akin to a connection with his prey during its last moments of life... but I believe that to be an illusion. Some wishful thinking. The emotion they feel from the prey is likely but raw terror caged within itself, screaming blindly outward. When adversaries are the hunters and preys both, perhaps they seek themselves in this luxury? Hoping that this 'connection' gives a higher meaning to this brief relationship of violence when all that really happens is the clash of two wills desperate to live on?" Adam raised his eyebrow at Mrith's comments and then smiled as he took a sip of the wine as well. It was good... perhaps that marker was well-spent after all. "Mrith, the luxury that I mentioned is nothing quite so esoteric and emotionally charged like that. What you must understand is that war itself in principle is merely an extension of politics by other means... violent means." Adam explained. "So the luxury is that the soldier, while they may fight the battles in the war, are spared the politics... both from within and without. They can look their enemy in the eyes because they face them in battle, not cloaked in the intrigue and intricacies." Originally Posted by Mrith "I do not like war, Adam. I really don't. They have a habit of making it difficult to determine what should be prey and what shouldn't. I would be a very poor soldier... I require the liberty to choose what I hunt. And I do not simply look them in the eyes; As with my other preys, I usually eat my fallen enemies, too. Does this surprise you?"She'd smile knowingly. "This coming war, however, at least has the decency to make things very clear. Quall should have no trouble choosing a position." "I do not like politics... and by extension I do not like war either. Politics obscures and muddles things that should be clear, so that one cannot look their enemy in the eye... and of the many things that war is, decency is not one of them. War can bring out the worst of our nature, but inversely battle can bring out our best. I don't think you would be a poor soldier. While most believe a soldier does not choose, they do. A soldier chooses the cause that they fights for, but what truly distinguishes a soldier... a true soldier... is they fights for something other than themselves. A true soldier elevates what they fights for above their own needs, their lives, and engages in battle on the behalf of others." Adam said encouragingly before laughing and toasting again and emptying his glass and pouring a refill for both he and Mirth. "As for you eating your "prey" or foes, I don't know why it should surprise me, you are a dragon after all. It is no odder, than say a human eating a boar he has killed. Now if you resort to cannibalism and start eating other emerald dragons, now then I will need to raise an eyebrow."

[Blue]

Mrith seemed to consider this as she pinched her lower lip, her glass-holding hand's wrist giving her arm support under her elbow. She mostly maintained the position throughout his explanation, her eyes wandering sometimes out of focus as she thought. When he finished, she took another good mouthful and a short pause before speaking again.
"I believe I understand, Adam. Although I would not be surprised if many, many soldiers would much rather choose not to fight at all. Especially those taken from their homes to be taken to battle for their lord and country, with the choice of desertion often presented with punishment. And they all fight for something other than themselves until it is time to kill or be killed."
She pointed at him with her now half empty glass.
"But the mercenary or the career soldier... or 'true soldier', however, I'll grant you, I can see revel in such a notion."
Her smile widened slightly.
"But I am a little saddened that you think so poorly of politics. I assure you that those who fight the political battles often do see their enemies in the eye. For a very long time. It was, often to my regret, part of my upbringing, and I found that the hardest task in politics can be to actually make things clearer; unravel the complications. When you are responsible for a great many number of people, you quickly realize that they often work at cross-purpose. They all want different things and can be messy about getting them. Those who manage these people have to get it all sorted out or everyone is in trouble. Preferably without having to send soldiers to die to fix those issues. And a great many arrangements are necessary to keep so many disagreeable people sufficiently content with the way things are. So you are correct in that it can make things complex... but imagine the alternative, with everyone doing as they wish. Chaos.

She laughed. "But some wars are quite simple. This one with Zera, for example. Or the one that is to come after it at some point. When the only real option is to unite and fight to survive or to be free, there isn't quite as much to think about."

"As for you eating your "prey" or foes, I don't know why it should surprise me, you are a dragon after all. It is no odder, than say a human eating a boar he has killed. Now if you resort to cannibalism and start eating other emerald dragons, now then I will need to raise an eyebrow."

Her smile thinned, and so did her eyes. She had expected that answer, and was now testing him. Perhaps even challenging him.
"I am glad that you are so readily absolving me of what you might imagine is quite a problem for many in Aheka. It does serve to remind people that I am indeed a dragon, oh yes, and I confess that it is a large part of why I bother with the... performance. I hope you'll forgive me if I may seem confrontational, I mean no offense - But consider again your analogy; what if the boar could speak and reason? Say things such as 'I am Guusha and I love the sound of the wind against the tall grass and the smell of the air when it rains' as a human could before a dragon came and breathed his or her life away?"