The Siege of Zuudaria (War)

[Padraig]

Soldiering had never been part of Padraig's plan. Even as a young boy, he'd never gazed upon a passing knight on his steed and dreamed of a life of glory and honor on the field. His dreams had never been fixed on the battlefield. They'd been focused on the stars, both literally and figuratively. He abhorred warfare. Not just the pointless nature of it all, but because the sort of innovation and progress he was interested in, never happened so long as men were tearing each other apart on the battlefield.

Never mind that he'd been drawn into it in spite of his druthers, he was far more comfortable in an observatory or lab where there was much more fact, theory and observation than chaos. The only thing that a battlefield and an alchemist's lab had in common, was the relative chance that the most careless of fools could easily get themselves blown to bits in the process. In fact he'd had that possibility in mind when he'd handed out his hand tossed explosives to those among the archers who could be trusted not to do just that.

Meanwhile, he had his archers to command, faced off against an advancing army. "Aim high! Let the foot soldiers deal with the fodder up front!" he told those who were under his watch. Up and over their heads. Aim for the middle, or the rear, where Ellasin would have placed her most experienced fighters, shielding them behind the more useless bodies up front. As for himself, he'd set up his tripod and fixed his bow to it. Magic wasn't something that Padraig cared much for, or even liked. But he had to admit that this tripod was handy, and Ellasin was his ultimate target. From his current perspective, knowing exactly where she was standing was largely guesswork.

On the other hand, with arrows that could now sail round corners or arc around a large army and back again...she and those closest to her might be watching the skies for incoming bolts. Not so much those coming in from either side. Because for all the magic and special effects flying around and above the battlefield, if Padraig was to be forced into warfare, the simplest and most straightforward approaches, could prove to be the most effective ones. By now, his impression of Ellasin was that she fancied morbid theater. She liked the big displays, the flash, the wizardry flying around. Those things dazzled and distracted, and risked making the most conventional of approaches, the most unexpected ones.

Padraig was counting on that, especially once he realized what Faith would do. And in the blink of an eye he was out of position, whisked through time and space and placed in another. Behind Ellasin, opposite Faith, which was exactly where he wanted to be. Judging by all of the things they'd seen, experienced and had learned by now, from Padraig's perspective, Ellasin's interest in Faith was obsession. He was counting on that. More so, because suddenly the thing that the necromancer wanted most, was standing right in front of her, having appeared from mid air. While he'd dropped in behind her.

He was vaguely aware of time having slowed down in most cases, but not all. Certainly not for him. And he'd use that boon to advantage. As soon as his feet touched solid ground, Padraig stretched a hand out into the sunlight and wrapped his hand round a razor sharp sword made of pure light and energy. His fingers curled round the grip even as he raced forward without uttering a sound, brought the thing around in a wide arc with one goal in mind. To slice Ellasin in half before she even knew what had hit her.

Theoretically, maybe realistically, he could be killed in the process by either Ellasin herself or one of her minions. But if he succeeded in killing her first, then Faith and their children were safe, and would live. His own life was a small price to pay. If he'd stopped to consider it, Padraig might have realized that Faith would prefer to take the woman alive. But it also wouldn't have stopped him. The only good necromancer, after all, was a dead one.

[Vivian Shiryu]

Vivian winced as the Knights started to fall, but they were doing their job well. The plan seemed to be working, but she did have to surpress a swell of pity for the peasants who tried to flee from the knights. Conscript armies were the tools of cowards and fools, she hated that that they had to fight against people who had likely been press ganged in serving their foe. But pity and mercy were dangerous things to have on a battlefield, and if they defeated Ellasin, they could let these poor people go home. If Ellasin won, it was unlikely that any of these peasants would survive anyway. She knew this, and so did her fellows, so they fought on, killing any of the levies who tried to fight them. It was a dark, bloody work, but if kept Rharne and its people safe, every Knight on the field would do it without hesitation.

When Vivian felt Faith's pull, she grabbed Raio's harness and sent a lightning bolt into the air to alert the Divisional commanders that they had operational command of their Divisions for the moment. As she was pulled into the teleport, she sheathed Shiryu and put her shield on her back. Her part of the plan didn't involve them just yet. When they arrived, Vivian dismounted Raio and the Zephyrus turned to tearing through any enemy forces that might try to get between them and Ellasin while Vivian drew her bow and took a single arrow from her quiver as she gathered lightning under her feet.

Taking the cork from the tip of the mental poison arrow, Vivian put the arrow to the string of her longbow as she leapt. Most of her uses of Rising Lightning were forward leaps, designed to let Vivian cover distance in a hurry. This was mostly vertical, designed to get her over and behind Ellasin, the knight twisting in the air so that she would still be facing Ellasin when she landed. If her positioning was correct, she was close behind Ellasin when she landed, drawing her bow as her feet touched the ground again. It would have taken time, perhaps too much time, for Vivian to raise her bow to aim at Ellasin's torso or head, but they weren't her targets and it only took her a trill to adjust her aim. Her bow as aimed down, at Ellasin's leg. It was rare for an enemy to deliberately target a leg, and most didn't think to guard against it, but Vivian's arrow was poisoned. All she needed to do was hit Ellasin with it, the site of impact was of no significance.

Vivian loosed the arrow as soon as she had her target in sights, but she didn't stop there. Dropping the bow, Vivian gathered lightning in her hand and threw it at Ellasin, her thrown lightning now stronger thanks to her upgrade from Ilaren. Then she drew Shiryu and crossed the distance between her and Ellasin. The sword was more in case she got interrupted, because her focus was instead on grabbing Ellasin. If she succeeded in grabbing the Necromancer, she'd use both Conduit and Touch of the Drink, giving the mage both a constant shock and getting her drunk. Granted, since Vivian herself was sober, the affects of Touch of the Drink were negligible, but every little bit helped when it came to making Ellasin unable to focus well enough to use her magic.

[Pig Boy]

Everything seemed to converge at once, when Ellasin reached the rear position of her forces. The arcanic chaos unfolding on the front, the wisps battling the mages, it was all part and parcel of the Necromantress' plan to cause as much havoc, pain, and death as possible. She would see more dead in their legions, and rebuild her own Coven with the might of her friends and enemies. They would all follow and serve her in the end.

Yet, then, in almost an instant perfectly coordinated, it all fell apart for the Lich.

Her revenant shade, the one protection she had against wisps, formed out of her back. Eight long-bladed spindly legs forming behind her, and ready to strike the wisps as they came. First the first, she saw it's a connection to the front lines and sought to sever it. But then, the bombardment began. Anti-spark alchemy and poison began making a ravage of her shadow limbs. She screamed hellish fury as her magic fled her, the Aelothar turned into little more than a pretty trinket. Her phylactery recoiling from the onslaught of disruption.

Faith appeared before her, then the rest of the companions. The Lich snarled her fury, taking her ornamental adamantine dagger and coming forward to engage faith, intent on ripping out her heart. Heedless of whatever danger would come from the healer, she grabbed her with her free hand, intent on plunging the dagger into her breastbone.

But that contact with Faith, was enough to inflict the pain of ten plague victims' deaths on her, and already disrupted by the power of the wisps on her mind, the ones that had evaded the spindly bladed legs that were destroyed in the bombardment, she was given a moment of pause. Enough for Varlum to make his motions, freezing her in place for five solid trills.

It was enough to get his actions off, and speed up Padraig, who'd already come forward with his light sabre. Yet at the same time, that Varlum touched Jyvran's Device to Ellasin, and in the next instant imparted his darkest memories and those that he'd witnessed of Rose, a great disturbance began shaking the Aelothar.

The bright stone, shining in the light of the sun, began to fracture. As it did, all of the wells around, including the prayer stones, burst with unnatural energies. They disrupted all divine powers then, including Padraig's light sabre, Varlum's time manipulations, and Vivian's own attempts to call upon Palenon as she rode fast for Ellasin. All but Faith's powers failed in the wake of the destruction of so many wells.

And then the waves poured out to the undead beyond, those bearing wells now fell dead, inert. Legions of the dead fell with a singular CLANK, and the rest of the coven forces swiftly were put to routing, getting mopped up by the wisps as they burned with the destruction of their own welled-instruments and servants.

Finally, Ellasin's Phylactery reacted to the destruction of the Aelothar, the Dark Star deep within it, trembling and recoiling. The gathered companions, who'd been knocked back, momentarily stunned by the violent upheaval, were helpless to react as the phylactery fractured, it's well destroyed, and breaking off in a blast of necromantic energy.

The Necromantress was freed from her once mortal shell, Ellasin, and rose above them all. The spark sputtered in the wake of the anti-magic poison. And almost threatened to snuff itself out, before something appeared. It landed on the field of the battle like a dark streak of lightning, in front of Ellasin. The woman, black of hair, yet bearing a fracture scar, was not an Immortal. Faith would've known her if she was. This was something beyond Immortal, perhaps preceding it. On her cheek, a singular fracture scar. Delana scowled at Faith then, mutter, "This is just the beginning, Mortal. I will take the Necromantress, now. I leave you with Ellasin."

So saying, she reached out with a blast of eldritch energy, crystalized the floating spark of the Necromantress. Within a few moments, the spark crystalized and fell into the palm of Delana's hand. With a smile at the trinket she'd acquired, she cast her glance all around. "Seek me beyond the barriers, if you want the Grand Child Spark. I take my leave."

And with another flash, she was gone.

Ellasin knelt on the ground, writhing in agony at all she'd endured. Oddly enough, there was a sense of relief about her, and she looked up at Faith, "Thank you..." And then she said no more, but fell into unconsciousness, her sleep troubled by the pain inflicted, the guilt endured, and the memories of Rose.

[Varlum]

Was it over?

Everything happened so fast, everyone making their move. Yet the device touching Ellasin was what pushed it to the edge, it seemed. Energy flew around, power felt intense yet Varlum's own felt weak. His spark nearly screamed with the anti-magic powder around - and a figure appeared. Ellasin dropped to her knees and above her was the Spark, the Dead Queen herself. On the floor beneath them, with much less menacing about her, was Ellasin. Perhaps still evil, perhaps not. Maybe the taste of power had been too much for her, maybe she wanted it back. Maybe it was some inbetween he could never understand.

But there she was. In what felt like no time at all, it was all over. Every battle, every life lost for this stupid war that Faith never even wanted - it was done. Yet there was something more inside Varlum that burned. Some kind of fiery anger that tore away at him with every bit of bloodthirst he had, churning deep inside of him. Because while the bodies around had dropped and the city was safe, and the soldiers left alive, Varlum remembered. Specifically, the memories he had shown Ellasin. Because how could he forget? How could he forget Faith on her knees, crying? Leaning onto his arm and thanking him just for being their with her, as if he would have it any other way? Leaving Auya behind with the promise of seeing her again only to be told she was gone, and he had nowhere to go back to after this. All because of Ellasin. All because of the Dead Queen. All because of the Immortals who should have known better.

"Thank you?..." he muttered with a growl as Ellasin dropped to the floor, hand still gripped around his axe. As he stood there, the Wardens from the battle had run over, those that had survived. Half of them dead as Varlum glanced when he felt a hand on his arm. One of the women in the group, a healer who had stayed back, looked to the Ithecal with near-amazement and Relief. Varlum's name wasn't an unfamiliar one in Rharne these days, but seeing what had happened blew her mind, despite the deaths she had also seen. "You did it!" she said, the other Wardens mostly sharing the optimism, trying to ignore the pain in their chest of their allies being dead. Half the Wardens in Varlum's command gone forever.

Varlum looked to the Wardens with a tear in his eye, not daring to hide his emotions. "Find the rest of the Wardens and bring them to the edge of the Lake Lovalus. We bury them where they belong, where they'll be peaceful. Once this mess is cleaned up I'll come help" he said with a firm snarl, his voice cracking somewhere in between. The woman on his arm glanced down and held it a little tighter. "We'll make it happen" she promised him, taking the others and walking as Varlum looked back to Ellasin as Faith began to restrain her. Then to Padraig, who he knew might share the same thoughts he did. Varlum wanted her dead, wanted to end this war in a way it could never come back. Sleeping or not, to kill her and be done with it all.

But he didn't.

Instead, the Ithecal put his axe on his back and turned back to Rharne, not wanting to let his anger show to anyone who it didn't have to. If anyone tried to follow him, he would give them the conversation they wanted. Otherwise, he made his way to his home in Rharne, finally back after what felt like Seasons of being gone. As he opened his door with a small pain in his heart, the Ithecal glanced to the floor, praying. Yet as he had been warned, nothing was there. No letter. With a small whimper from the giant, Varlum placed his axe on the floor and let himself kneel, sobs leaving his mouth before he gave a loud, distressed roar - the Ithecal slamming his hand into the floor with frustration. For a moment, anyone around heard the distressed cry, like that of an animal, any neighbours or visitors he had listening to the pain he had been holding back - followed by a quiet sobbing that would last as long as it took to let it all out.

[Faith Augustin]

The War of Death & Souls: The Siege of Zuudaria

Life,

Death &

In between

.... and then, it ended ....

Was it over?

Chaos exploded around them, the tactics which they had planned, the work, the effort. It had been so long ago, when this began. The death of Qit'ria, the slaughter of her friend who had died trying to defend them - trying to protect them from this woman. Caza, left without a mother, their house attacked by literally hundreds of undead. What had continued to confound her throughout this time, the seasons of fighting, of leading, of being a General had been the constant question of why. Why had Ellasin attacked her? Why had she done that? Faith had been, since the 10th of Cylus, asking herself that question and she had never managed to make it make sense. But that wasn't the point. She had needed to put that behind her, to stop questioning it. Why didn't matter because people were dying.

Famula's General. General to half a million people. Faith knew that she had come so far, made such a journey since Jamal Kash'eel had brought her to Andaris from Athart. There, she had met people, some of whom she thought were her friends but who, it turned out, really weren't. She had also met people who had seemed to be her friend and who were. Aeon. Nir'wei. Tristan. And, of course, she'd met her husband, Padraig. Kura, she'd met in Rharne when she was pregnant with Rose, and then... so many people. So many. And those people had stood with her during this.

And some of them had died.

Nir'wei, her brother in her heart, had died. More than that, she'd been unable to save him, and they'd left him behind to die. There had been betrayals and disappointments, but Faith had not been able to linger there. And now, in this moment, as everything fractured and bright light overwhelmed and exploded out, Faith experienced another moment of pure clarity. Time stood still, a woman - not an Immortal, but no mortal either - and fractured down her face. Who she was, Faith had no idea, but equally she didn't care in that moment. Later, she would research. The woman spoke and said that she took the Necromantress, but left Ellasin. Yet, then, in the next breath she said that they could find the Grand Child Spark beyond the barriers.

All hell broke loose and then, it was quiet.

Silence.

The eternal one-tenth of a trill where nothing made a noise, where no one spoke, and no movement occurred. Then Faith moved. Ellasin was uncoscious - and what in the name of the Beneath that thank you was about, she didn't know - but they needed to keep her that way. They had the chains which stopped all magic, she didn't even look as she spoke to Padraig. "The phylactory remnents, the item - the all-nexus - those parts too. Any and all wells." Faith made sure that Ellasin was completely not going anywhere. Once done, once completely secured with all the items and abilities they had, then to Ellasin would be taken to Zuudaria. She was still dangerous, and that was just as Sintra's champion.

Was it over?

Could it, actually, be over?

As she, finally, glanced up, Faith's eyes met the eyes of the wolf - it was enormous and yet, those eyes. "Nir'wei? Oh... " Faith was standing but in that moment, she fell to her knees with tears pouring down her face. "My brother?" She sobbed and moved, one hand reaching out to him. "Padraig?" Faith asked. She hadn't spoken in that tone, the quiet and unsure voice, better suited to a library than where she was. "I don't understand.... is it over?"

Could it be?

There were a hundred things to do, a million maybe, but Faith knelt there with one shaking hand held out towards the enormous wolf that was her friend and she looked - and felt - completely lost. Famula's General. "Please," she said, and she was speaking to her husband even though her eyes didn't leave her friend. Then, she asked Padraig something which she had never, not in all the time they'd known each other, asked him before. "Please tell me what to do." Because in that moment - although it wouldn't last for long - she had no idea. Of course, soon enough, she'd be back to bossy and decisive. But right now? Right now she just had no clue.

...and now, it begins...

[Vivian Shiryu]

As it turned out, they had brought far more than force to bear against Ellasin than was needed. Vivian hadn't been able to execute her own attack against the necromancer before everything started happening at once. The mass that rose out of Ellasin as they attacked was a shocking thing to behold, but it was the arrival of the new woman that really threw things for a loop. Vivian had caught her words, the inference that the Necromantress and Ellasin were two different beings, something that Ellasin's whispered gratitude towards Faith helped to support. But then, the woman and the Necromantress were gone, leaving behind only a vague goal to chase after.

After that, it was over. Vivian stared at the spot where the mystery woman had been for a moment, still shocked at what had happened. Then, finally, she shook herself and refocused at was still left to do. Faith was already moving to bind Ellasin, and Varlum to attend to the Wardens. Like them, Vivian had her own task to see to. Remounting Raio, she nudged the Zephyrus into a dash back towards the rest of the knights, sending another lightning bolt into the sky to signal that she was retaking command of the knights. Riding up to the commander of the Guardians, Vivian pulled Raio to a halt. "Ellasin's been defeated. As she was the enemy of Famula's army, she is their prisoner to deal with. We'll be dealing with the remainder of her army." she said, pausing as she looked out over the battle.

After a moment, she nodded. "Round up these peasants, but don't kill them if at all possible. Like as not, they were forced into this. Any of Ellasin's real followers, if you can easily take them into custody, do so. If they resist, kill them. Pass the word to the other division commanders, and have the Stewards collect our dead, so they can receive a proper funeral." she said, getting a nod from the commander of the Guardians. As he sent out his messengers to pass her orders to the other commanders and sent word to his own sub-commanders about the changes, Vivian wheeled Raio around and started riding back to where Ellasin had fallen.

She had expected to find people attempting to kill Faith in the confusion, but it appears that none of Ellasin's followers wanted to go anywhere near the place where their master had been defeated. Likely, they believed that Faith had been singularly responsible for Ellasin's defeat and weren't prepared to risk their own hides where Ellasin, the most powerful of their cult, had failed so spectacularly. When she got back to the group, she saw Faith kneeling on the ground next to a wolf that had come, rather apparently, from nowhere. When Faith asked for someone to tell her what to do, Vivian had a feeling she wasn't talking to her, but she answered anyway. "Go home and rest, Doctor. The knights will deal with what's left to do here. You and your husband deserve a proper rest. I can keep an eye on Ellasin and bring her to Zuudaria myself, if you want." she said, her tone calm.

[Padraig]

In spite of all the close quarters among allies, Padraig had reached into the light and drawn out the sword; swung it; all without a second thought. And if he'd given the prospect of slicing the troublesome necromancer in half, or not, he'd have ultimately done it anyway. Too bad that the fates conspired to keep him from it. He'd barely begun to sweep the blade through the air, when the fate's conspired to take it from him. And then to add insult to injury, he was blown back off his feet like the rest of them.

He was quick to his feet again. But, like the others, for the most part helpless to do anything more. Whatever the mechanics were of how things changed in that instant, and how Ellasin lay helpless on the ground while another more mysterious figure took her place, it certainly wasn't physics or science at work. Padraig would have been better equipped to understand and counter it. Ellasin, in the simplest of terms, perhaps an oversimplification, had been a puppet and little else more. He couldn't begin to identify the being that took her place. Though just as surely, threaten as she may, he wanted no part of that being.

The reference to the barrier before the being departed however, did catch Padraig's attention. Particularly because he intended to return to that place very soon. As would Faith by his side. But no matter what they discovered there together, he had no interest and no intention of looking her up. For now, his sentiment's were similar to the ones Varlum seemed to express, simply by walking away. Faith wanted to secure Ellasin in the aftermath. But as for Padraig, the woman's words of thanks that seemed to also imply a plea for forgiveness, fell on deaf ears. After all that she'd put them through, he'd rather have seen her dead.

He said nothing about it however, and did as she asked. He made quick work of it. But when Faith turned to him again and asked, there was only one answer he'd give her. "It's over," he said gently, and as for what now? "You've done more than your share of saving the world for a time. Vivian's right. For now, let someone else take it from here. We're going home."

[Nir'wei]

He didn't really know the entirety of what they planned to do, but it seemed in that final moment that they'd practically accomplished it. Surrounding Ellasin on all sides, utterly overwhelming her with a combined strength she could do nothing but fall before. She was outright lucky to not be cleaved in two, or ripped to shreds before their final assault... especially when he glimpsed a sword being swung for her neck, and he felt Sage's jaws clench in anticipation.

Had something been waiting for the perfect moment to strike, when Ellasin was at her weakest, to swoop in and take their prize?

The face of the person that appeared before them was unknown. Her species, unknown - he could feel shock rebounding through them all as Wells cracked and shattered under her mere presence. Could an Immortal do something like that? Could an Immortal freeze a Spark before their very eyes, and disappear again in a flash of black lightning? Black lightning? There were so many things that didn't make sense. What did she mean, Barriers? Grand-child Spark?

The questions cleared as someone spoke his name, and he looked down. Faith. She reached out, and he gently pushed his muzzle into her palm, letting a hot breath seep through her fingers. "Sister..." He wanted to hug her. He needed to hold her and never let go, yet in this cursed body he could only nuzzle into her hand like the dog he now was, aware how strange and unusual it must have looked. Aware how wrong it was in this place. Maybe he could just stay here for a while. Go home. Be normal. Enjoy his second chance at life. But he could feel the bubbling in the others. It felt like a tempest screaming in his head as the others tried to come to terms with what had just happened. Squeak's legs shook with such ferocity that he fell to his side and dissipated. Cold snarled at the dead bodies as if they could still rise at any moment and rip them all to shreds, his already-fragile mind frayed under the constant stressors of Emea. If he didn't leave, they were all going to fall apart, or attack someone. Or both.

"He's right. Go home. You've done... you've done so well. And now it's time to rest." He closed his eyes. "I can't be with you, but I'll be safe. With Karem. Until I'm ready to come home again." It was the hardest thing in the world to pull his head back from her hands. "Everything's going to be okay." One by one, Cold, Myrth, Squeak, Vabina and Sage all dissipated into their spirit forms once more. Some more reluctantly than others. "Grey, if you could."

As the wolf threw his head back and loosed a trembling howl, the portal he'd used re-opened behind him, giving a glimpse of the Spectral Forest beyond it. He should have felt happy at that moment. They'd accomplished exactly what they'd all set out to do - Ellasin and the threat she posed to them all was no more, and yet, looking to the others as they slowly separated and tried to figure out where to go from here, he realised that there were no winners in this. Only survivors. "Come on, Grey. Time to go home." With that, he stepped through the portal and it snapped shut behind him.

[Pig Boy]

Faith

Experience: 20

Knowledge:

Tactics x 5
Leadership x 5
Combat: Siege Weaponry: x 5

Renown: 25

Skill Usage: Appropriate to level

Loot/Losses: All prayer wells and wells in possession at the time of seige were lost.

Injuries/Conditions: Nope

Consequences: For your restraint in dealing with Ellasin, next favored ability of Ymiden's mark:

Dawn Sweeper:

Many magic effects are based upon a "once-per-trial" basis. The Blessed one can fold the time envelope of a spell to immediately cause it to reach the end of its duration. This is as if the rebirth of dawn, of a new trial, swept away the effects of one harmful domain magic spell on either himself or another willing target. This boon is nigh unstoppable at dawn. Otherwise, the Blessed one must have more points in Meditation or Discipline than the mage has in Meditation or Resistance (their choice). This does not grant the caster a "refund" of ether to reuse, nor any additional buffer against overstepping. The Blessed One can use this ability once per trial for each tier of the mark.

Padraig

Experience: 20

Knowledge:

Tactics x 5
Combat: Blades x 5
Combat: Siege Weaponry: x 5

Renown: 25

Skill Usage: Appropriate to level.

Loot/Losses: none

Injuries/Conditions: none

Consequences: Next adored ability in Celarion earned:

Flash The Adored is able to detonate any orb created with Guiding Light, and blind anyone who is actively looking at the orb. The blindness lasts for 10 trills. The Adored can only detonate one orb per break.

Nir'Wei

Experience: 20

Knowledge:

Tactics: x 5
Animal Training: x 5
Unarmed Combat: x 5

Renown: 25

Skill Usage: Appropriate to Level

Loot/Losses: none

Injuries/Conditions: none

Consequences: Next adored ability in Velduris:

Scent of the Alpha

Whether men believe it or not, many ascribe to similar hierarchies as wolves. An adored can smell a leader on the skin of a slaver or the armor of a knight and track that scent to whomever truly has the allegiance of those beneath him. Alternatively, the Adored can sense when one is a leader in their own right or an omega with no allegiances at all.

Varlum

Experience: 20

Knowledge:

Tactics: x 10
Leadership: x 5

Renown: 25

Skill Usage: Appropriate to level

Loot/Losses: Jyvran's device was used up.

Injuries/Conditions: none

Consequences: Next favored ability in Taithir:

Noble's Shield

As the shield of the helpless and weak, no Shield-Bearer should be without their own shield. Noble's Shield will generate a golden tower shield when used and will last until shattered or deactivated, ensuring no Shield-Bearer is without this defense. However, these shields are no substitute for a real shield, as they cannot take too many heavy blows before shattering. In exchange, however, these shields have a cooldown of only a single bit.

Vivian

Experience: 20

Knowledge:

Leadership: x 10
Tactics: x 5

Renown: 25

Skill Usage: Appropriate to level

Loot/Losses: Lost any wells on her at the time of the battle. Divine Diri's Divine Spirit well was not on her at the time and not affected.

Injuries/Conditions: none

Consequences: Next adored ability from Palenon:

Tolerance:

The character's indulgence of alcohol has strengthened their disgestive system and made them less prone to suffering any ill effects. The character no longer suffers any aftereffects from the over-drinking of beers and wines, and has a slight resistance to any imbibed poisons.

Comments: Wow, you guys witnessed first hand how frustrated I was at how effective you were, and how little chance I had to let Ellasin breath to do things that were cool! But this is the cumulative work of an entire year building and dumping on one npc, so I kinda had to let you have your advantages. So much frustration and drama led to this moment, and it was totally worth it. Thanks for letting me mod this event. I'll get to the remainder of the reviews soon. Thanks again and good job!

If you have any concerns about this review, please PM me about them.