The World Asunder

[Pichu2k7]

"Time to go!" The Fae called to him as she froze Zayn's feet to the ground as a group of guards approached them.

"Yeah just gimme a sec." as he looked at Zayn, only her feet were frozen, he decided to take the chance. He quickly snatched Zayn's lance with his hands and pulled his familiar out of her arm with his tail, after doing so he quickly darted away as fast as he could that she didn't have a chance to attack him.

"Thanks for keeping it warm for me." He mocked as he ran after the Fae as fast he possibly could after the Fae, eventually catching up to her.

"Where are we going?" He asked as he lost a bit of speed as his injuries began to affect his performance. He really wanted to keep giving Zayn a piece of his mind but leaving the park would be the best idea, he'd rather live and give Zayn hell another day when he was more experienced in combat. His hoodie now covered in still wet blood from where he was snatched earlier by that lance and a bloody patch on his jeans where his leg was bleeding although that leg injury was the least of his worries right now.

 

[GigaRidley]

"APF Headquarters," Ansa said through gritted teeth as she sprinted down the steps. Her leg was now throbbing very painfully.
"Luckily, the Kingdom Guard doesn't know where it is. I expect most of the rebels have scattered, but hopefully they're doing an all right job hiding themselves."
Ansa came upon the large gate that seperated Upper and Middle Avalon, now torn apart from the rebels as they made their way up into Haven Park.
"Halfway there, we need to get down to Lower Avalon."
Behind her, Ansa her the faint shouts of guards. They seemed to be helping Zayn, who was shouting a colorful variety of curse words, and were not currently pursuing them.
We might just make it out of this!

 

[Pichu2k7]

"T-The APF headquarters?" He nervously let out, he was working with an APF member all along? Cool!

"Anyway...lead the way, I'm new here and don't know where anything is. Not like I'm having a hard time fitting in or anything." He let out sarcastically as he remembered how he was treated when he first got here as he thought back to when-...

Aww ****! I didn't go back for Citri! Bah! She'll just need to look out for herself until everything calms down. I hope she's alright...

"Can we take a break when we get there? I hurt my leg earlier and it's killing me..." He let out as his pace slowed down a little bit again.

 

[Lennox]

“Ah fuсk they killed me! They fuсking killed me! I don’t fuсking believe it!”

“Calm down, Kai Fishwash,” said Harkaras. “You’re just gonna make the bleeding faster.”

“Okay… okay...” Kai slowed his breathing down some, but it was still heavy and irregular. “But they did kill me, didn’t they?”

Harkaras hesitated.

“Didn’t they?”

“Yeah. They killed you.”

“Fuсk. I really like living, Harkaras. I was gonna pull this off, you know. I was gonna get a hairсut, maybe stop cussing so muсh. They were gonna have to make it illegal to fuсking whistle Sargon’s Lament when I was done, and then we’d just keep on whistling. Shoulda just played War Against the Moon, maybe that woulda taught 'em something. And that girl Desdamine, I was totally gonna fuсk her. Like, in a nice long-term way maybe, I dunno. I finally had plans, Harkaras, I never done that before. I think I really wanted to help these people. And they fuсking killed me for it.”

“It’s alright Kai. Well, no, it ain’t alright. I won’t tell you that. But you did help these people. Might be you can help ‘em more like this than you could any other way.”

“Is that it then? That’s all I am? Or, all I was I guess? The monks always said everybody’s got a plan layed out for ‘em. I never bought into that ‘cause it ain’t for the good of me it’s for the good of everyone, and the world don’t look like it works that way, you know? Maybe they were right. Fine. That’s fine. Fuсk it.”

“Want a drink?”

“Nah, I don’t think I got it in me to swallow it.”

“Alright. I’m sorry Kai.”

“Me too. Eh, fuсk it no I ain’t.”

Nobody talked for a minute.

“You gonna make up some good last words for me?”

“They’ll remember ‘em for centuries.”

“Thanks friend. Job’s a good’n.”

Kai coughed up a little bit of blood, then he closed his eyes and quit breathing.

 

[Hoboturtle]

The California barely made it to a port in the far end outskirts of Miriel. Turns out that one of that splinter's blast took out one of the fuel tanks. They had to rely on the seithr engine in the back completly by the last strench of the flight. None of that matter at all now. They almost died, but they weren't dead. That holes in the ship would get patched up and they can refill the remaining tank. Probably no luck in replacing the missing one, at least not where she was now. Hilda could of swore that this town was the smallest port she has ever seen.

This normally wouldn't be bad as deep in nature the town was, because the tea here was good and the out doors was a prime view of natural selection if there ever was one, however this poor excuse for a settlement didn't have a lot of news outlets that traveled from and to it. Could probably take this whole place out and she could be back home with time to spare before they came after her. The point was that Hilda needed news because to be frank she didn't know where Fishwash was. While the news reports from Avalon gave a lot of information about Kai Fishwash, they didn't include anything about his family and associates. What she found out, she only knew because of the research she did base on rumors and other details.

This information she wouldn't even be able to check out because she didn't write anything down from the Lokasan network and the Miriel network was barely maintained let allow updated. She was surprise that they even had a internet system at all, provided how anti technology they were.

She remember a few names of towns and villages but didn't really remember what bits of info was associated with each of them nor did she now if the council was currently in session. Would "Samna" be in her home town or in the capital? She didn't know and it'll be a couple days for before she found out.

Hilda hissed as she laid down a small cup onto the table in front of her. Two men, both from Lokasen sitting down patiently beside her as oppose to with her. She would've abandon her guards and crew a long time a go to wander the land, but politically apperance demand that she have them stay near her. Besides having cannon fodder on your beck and call can be useful.

 

[Johaggis]

“Dr. Gale Elvek, of Einsamdorf, and Weidr Durgsson, of Erdestadt.“ announced a man as Gale and Weidr entered the room. It was shaped like a courtroom amphitheater, with the Directors surrounding the center, where she now stood. The tables of the higher level looked as though they had been carved from ice, and legend held that to be true. According to legend, upon the unification of the three cities, there had been a great dispute over which district the Frozen Court would reside in. The matter had been settled: whichever of the former cities could build the most beautiful room would host the Frozen Court. Himmelreich had won the contest when the famous architect Dierjen had found never-melting ice near the summit of Gotttürm, the eastern mountain. From it, he sculpted the room that they now stood in.

It was clear why the Kings of old had chosen this room. There were intricate carvings of the history of Erigan surrounding the room like a mural. The ice itself made the whole room feel unreal, though no trace of seithr was used in its making. The center floor itself had a design etched into it, showing the unification of the three cities. It was divided in the center to show the directions in which each city had been.

“Dr. Elvek, you may address the Court.”

The voice pulled Gale back into her situation. She turned toward the voice and saw Terienin Louhi Relkesdotter, the Supreme Director of Jurisprudence. She was a rather tall woman, with blonde hair that was slowly graying. She had sharp blue eyes and a nose that didn’t really fit her face. She always kept her hair up, and was known for never changing her expression. She always looked as though she was seeing beyond your physical body and straight into your soul. Perhaps that was why she was the highest judge in Erigan.

“Y-yes, of course. I take it that telegrams have already reached the Court’s ears concerning both the splinter attack and rebellion on Avalon.”

“They have indeed.” The man who answered was the Supreme Director of Foreign Affairs, Terien Sven Lemminkäinen. Sven not only held the most sway in all matters concerning Erigan’s relation to other countries, but was also rumored to have an extensive spy network in every other country. If it was a big event, chances were that Sven had already heard it. He was rather short for a man, but had soft features and was a generally quite charismatic person. “The reason that this Court session was called in the first place was to discuss such matters.”

“Was a verdict reached?” Gale inquired.

“Erigan will move to assist neither the rebellion, nor the Kingdom Guard of Avalon. They are not matters that truly concern Erigan, and it is not our place to interfere. The splinter attack is most puzzling, however, and we hoped you might shed some light on that, Dr. Elvek” he continued.

“R-right. So from the specimen I gathered, well, that is to say, Weidr gathered, a B-Class splinter, that is to say, a splinter of much larger than normal proportions and strength, which generally would manifest around southern Erigan, though not always in-“

“Dr. Elvek,” Louhi interrupted, “we do not require a full explanation of splinter classification. Please continue with what exactly transpired.”

“Ok. S-so there was splinter attack of unprecedented size on Avalon. The streets were flooded with splinters of classes D-B, and an enormous part of Lower Avalon was destroyed by the attack. As far as I could tell when we left is that there was a splinter, larger than I’d ever seen, probably 15 or more meters tall, rampaging around and the Kingdom Guard was ineffectively repelling the attack. A few citizens were fighting back, but mostly the place was simply overrun by the splinters.

What’s more interesting is the sample that Weidr retrieved. He slew a B-class splinter and I managed to examine it and take visual captures of it. It had the typical versaplasm core and muscle structure, but its seithr signature was completely wrong.”

“How so?” inquired another voice, this one belonging to her friend and superior, Doctor Ilmarinen Frederikson, Supreme Director of Sciences. He was a man of slightly fewer than sixty years, with somewhat shaggy white hair and short, well-kempt white beard. He stood just under two meters tall and had average musculature. He had a kind look to him, and had soft gray eyes. Gale felt as though Ilmarinen were a second father to her.

Gale removed the visual captures from her bag. “Dr. Fredrikson, if you inspect these visual captures, I’m sure you’ll agree, that the only place these splinters could have come from is the surface.”

With a look of discomfort on his face, Ilmarinen reached down and took the captures from Gale’s extended hand. After scanning them for a minute, Ilmarinen looked up and addressed his fellow Directors. “She’s right. There are no splinters in Aravad that bear this seithr signature. I recognize it from some of the old records from when we had closer interaction with the surface. However, we are too far from the surface for natural splinter incursions. This leaves us with but a few possibilities: Someone could be setting off a splinter attack using a kind of portal to the surface, however that would be possible. It could also be the case that splinters have mutated in an extremely unusual way, but that seems less likely. Finally it could be that someone has somehow altered the signatures of these splinters to look like the surface in order to mask their true origin.”

Ilmarinen stood before continuing. “I hereby recommend that the Court continue investigation of the attack.”

Going around the room, each member of the Court affirmed the motion.

“I also,” Ilmarinen continued, “Ask that the Court send an envoy to Miriel, telling them of the tidings.”

“And what precisely would be the purpose of such an envoy?” objected Sven.

“Twofold.” Ilmarinen answered. “They would warn the Mirieli of the splinters and their developments and lend them our knowledge, so that they can take necessary precautions for the better of all. However, my mission is not wholly altruistic. Our library contains vast knowledge, and we will certainly search the depths of it while the envoy travels to Miriel. However, the Mirieli also had records, albeit, not as precise nor clear as ours, concerning the surface and the time before The Final War of Magic. Our envoy would request access to these records, which may help us in our investigation as well as theirs. For these reasons I call for an envoy to embark on a journey to Miriel.” With that, Ilmarinen sat again.

A man sitting to the left of Ilmarinen suddenly stood. “This plan cannot succeed.” The man stood over two meters tall, well-muscled, and Gale guessed, around fifty years of age. He had extremely short brown hair, and his skin looked leathery. He was clean shaven and stood very properly. This was General Väinämöinen Tuonela, the Supreme Director of Armaments. Like Louhi, he wasn’t known for his sense of humor.

“It’s for the simple reason that the Mirieli still bear a grudge against Erigan, and will see slights where we see aid. The hatred between our countries runs deep, even if we in this Court are of a different mind. If they are to be our ally in this conflict, it is they that must come to us. Their leaders are as their people. No good will come of this venture.” The general took a look around the room, and sat.

A long silence followed Gale looked toward Sven, who was shifting in his seat. Evidently, she was not the only one to take note of this, as another addressed him.

“Terien Lemminkäinen, you seem uncomfortable with the general’s suggestion. Do speak on this, as you are the Director of Foreign Affairs.”

The last member of the Frozen Court, Terien Ahti Talrikson Supreme Director of Trade was known for being a diplomatic figure. Finding compromise where no one else could was what earned him his position in the Court. He had a way of talking that made you feel as though you were truly important for the situation or to him. And yet, because of the nature of his job, you couldn’t help but feel like you were being manipulated. At least, that was how Gale felt. He was a slender figure, and of average height. His face vaguely resembled a mouse’s, and he had medium-length brown hair, with brown eyes to match.

Sven stood. “There is, of course, a prejudice on both sides, as the General suggested. What may indeed appear as help to us may appear as a slight to them. However, that is a risk I think we should take. How is it that we can get over this grudge match without good will? Besides, if we were to take the General’s suggestion, then we will never be able to help them. Put yourself in their shoes. If you were facing a splinter attack, would you turn toward Erigan for help? I wouldn’t. It would forever make Miriel look like a slave to Erigan, dependent on it to survive. Nothing will foster a grudge better than an unequal relationship.” Lemminkäinen turned to face the General directly. “If we truly wish to put the past behind us, we must treat them as equals, and make them this deal.”

Ilmarinen stood. “If there are no further arguments to be made, let us see if we are of accord.”

Going around the room, everyone, including the General, assented to the motion.

“Excellent. I suggest we have Dr. Elvek act as our envoy in this endeavor. She has experience with splinters, as well as all of the relevant information. Haste is key in this, and Dr. Elvek has already been briefed, effectively.”

Another round of assenting followed.

“Dr. Elvek, do you accept this mission, acting as our envoy to the Mirieli?”

“Yes, I can do it, but-“

“Excellent. Weidr Durgsson, I request that you act as her bodyguard and assistant in this.”

Weidr came forward. “Any way that I can serve.” He bowed low. “However, I would ask that I be armed with non-lethal weapons, should the situation become unstable.”

“Of course. We will provide you with the necessary accommodations, including transportation. You shall depart from Platform F in the Eastern District in two hours’ time. If there are no further agenda, I shall bring this meeting to a close.”

Ilmarinen took his seat, and silence followed. After a minute, Ilmarinen stood again. “I hereby declare this meeting closed.”

As Gale and Weidr left the room through the enormous doors of ice, Gale lingered for a moment, hoping to catch Ilmarinen on his way out. However, he seemed to be caught up talking to Ahti, and Louhi spied them hanging back. Coming out of the room, she addressed them.

“You have two hours to prepare yourself for a mission of great importance. I think it unwise to squander that time.”

“Y-yes, o-of course,” answered Gale, breaking eye contact. She quickly set off toward her apartment. I guess it can wait, she thought to herself.

 

[GigaRidley]

Ansa hurried down through the second gate, arriving in Lower Avalon.

"It's just a little farther, this way!"

As she ran down the open street, she surveyed the destruction everywhere. Although no Splinters were in sight, very few buildings did not bear evidence of their earlier attack, and several of the ramshackle Lower Avalon buildings looked in danger of buckling under their own weight. As if we didn't have enough problems already...

"By the way," Ansa called back to the Kapshen, "Did you see the Masked Knight get out of Haven Park?"

 

[Neosquid]

Pumice looked at his laptop to see the time approaching 11:00 am. He planned to have Lower Avalon shot up if the mask was not brought to the Police Grounds by then. Actually, he wanted the massacre to take place regardless.

OOC: Not sure what time it is exactly, but remember the 11:00 thing, if anybody wishes to deliver the mask. The announcement was made at 10:20 am. I can edit the time the announcement was made if 40 minutes seems unreasonable, I suppose, assuming there's nothing preventing me from doing that. Let me know in the OOC thread if you think I should change it.

 

[Pichu2k7]

"Beats me, didn't notice him personally. Never really cared." Karigen replied.

"What is he to you anyway? Why would a so called "hero" work with a rebellion, it just seems all too ridiculous for me." Karigen asked, he had a personal distaste for hero's after he was assaulted by a bunch of comic book fanatics trying to band together and "Stop all that is evil!". He made sure they were made an example of for assuming that all Kapshen were evil, they weren't evil at all actually, they just followed an old belief.

 

[Hoboturtle]

Hearing the commotion, the flares of magic behind him. Lambert turned around and stopped. He didn't want to abandon the men who were still there. On the other hand, he couldn't allow the people down below to die. It was getting closer steadily to 11 and there was little room for either situation to get better. Damn if he did or damn if he didn't. Who ever he helped everything would go to hell. He closed his eyes as the sweat dropped down the side of his face off his chin. His fist felt swollen as he closed them. Was there nothing he could do?

His phone came to life, a small vibration. It was a good phone, something he normally wouldn't be able to afford, but came upon because of circumstance. What was truly important however was that this small sound broke him out of his stupor. He had an idea. One to kill two birds with one stone. Lambert readied himself before running back to the park and seeing exactly who he wanted to. Zayn was still there.

Smirking he knocked aside a royal guard before grabbing onto the half frozen Zayn. He had to use his head. If the guards could have hostages than he would have one too, "You're going to stop an order for me."

 

[GigaRidley]

"Are you talking about that broadcast about the mask?!"
Zayn struggled in the Masked Knight's grip with a mixture of frustration and fear.
"I already said, we didn't make that! And we can't seem to reverse it either, our communication with Lower Avalon is still busted!"

 

[Hoboturtle]

"I don't need you to stop the order, I just need you" he pulled on her arm, straining the parts of he which were still frozen. Looking down at her icy feet, Lambert took a second to lift his greaves and smash them down scattering the ice around. With one arm he lifted her off the ground.

 

[Neosquid]

"Not so fast!" yelled Citri, who, after a bit of searching, had followed the Masked Knight back to where she had started her search. She leaped towards him and landed on all fours.

"Citri suggests that you let Ms. Zayn down." she growled. "Or else...well, I'll get upset. You wouldn't wanna make a girl like me cry, would you? Citri doesn't like mean men like that. Oh, no, she really doesn't. Ah well, if you do decide to be mean, I'll enjoy using your cold, dead skin as a rag to wipe my tears onto." Grinning sadistically, she held her right hand up and began charging it with seithrjen, causing it to glow red while radiating sparks of the same color.

"What's it gonna be, you stupid hunk?"

 

[Lennox]

Leymon Crawcheck was still droning on, and Samna was about ready to fall asleep already. Everyone dreaded the councilman from the Temple of the Moon’s turns as president, and today was no exception. He was going on about some technicality or other that nobody cared about, but it seemed like he was at least about to sum up and call it to a vote. Of the twenty-two council members only ten had showed up.

“Gods and spirits Crawcheck, get on with it,” interjected Brernon Birdma, the councilman from Miristad. “Is anyone considering voting against Sir Hamlin repainting the Riverhold Bridge? No? Great, the motion passes."

Crawcheck loudly cleared his throat.

"—excuse me,” said Birdma, giving an exaggerated bow toward Crawcheck. “M'lord?"

"Yes. Right. Well. The, uh, the motion passes."

Crawcheck bobbed his fist awkwardly as though he were holding a gavel.

The chamber was a medium-sized vault-ceilinged wooden feasthall in Riverhold, it being Sir Hamlin Thenly's turn to host. The Thenlys, tracing their descent back to one of the seven sons of the Bastard King, were the last of the noble houses that actually held a hereditary council position. Most of the towns and temples now elected their representatives, and since Sir Hamlin was a bachelor and had turned eighty-five just two weeks earlier, it was expected that he would be the last of the Dukes of Riverhold.

"Now, the next order of business."

Crawcheck withdrew his carefully inked itinerary.

"Word is the beginnings of a revolution are stirring in Avalon, led by a Mr. Kai Fishwash."

"Anyone else wondering what—"

"The council recognizes Councilwoman Inhaver of Ward's End."

"—right, thanks Leymon. Anyone else wondering what the hell Kai Fishwash is doing stirring up political change in Avalon?"

"The council recognizes Councilman Roymin of the Temple at Westrun," said Crawcheck, pointing at a man who was awkwardly raising his hand.

"Who the hell is Councilman Roymin?" said Birdma under his breath.

"Fat Edmin," said Samna.

"Yes, um..."

"Oh right, Fat Edmin."

"Are we entirely certain this is the same Kai Fishwash?"

"It's him," said Samna. "They had a photo in the Messenger."

"How many Kai Fishwashes do you know?" added Melna Inhaver.

"I see," Fat Edmin continued, "and this... artifact they're talking about... it's an unrisen... weapon?"

"Sort of," said Samna, "I'm not entirely—"

"The council recognizes—"

"Do you actually have anything to say Crawcheck or are you just trying to slow things down?"

"That — this is no way to talk to your president, Councilwoman Fishwash."

"Right okay, yeah so when Fat Edmin was president last month we all just did whatever he wanted, right? Hell there's three of us left in the pot for next month, if it's me maybe I’ll just go for queen, yeah?"

“You could say you’re the closest in blood to the Bastard King of any of us, eh?” said Birdma.

Samna and the council all laughed at this comment except for Sir Hamlin, who was asleep, and the tall, angular faced man with a bit of a paunch who spoke next.

"So a weapon, or no?"

"The council recognizes Councilman Arly of Birdstone," Crawcheck said under his breath, ignored by the room.

"It's a ritual artifact, but seithr was very spiritually important to the unrisen. Abbot Chesk and I have been working through some of their invocation rituals lately and it's not like anything I've ever seen a volur or a familiar do. So I actually wasn't entirely sure what the mask was capable of."

"You mean before you gave it to your brother," said Arly disapprovingly

"The monks and I decided it would be best to keep it safe by having it off the island. I'd asked Kai to keep it hidden."

"Safe from whom?"

Just then the door to the council chamber burst open. The man who entered was a young page in the service of Sir Hamlin. The elderly Duke stirred to attention.

"Buh — what is it, boy?"

"A message sir, from Avalon."

"Can it not wait?"

"It's urgent delivery, sir."

The councilmen looked around at one another concernedly. Urgent delivery messages between islands were quick but expensive, and good news could usually afford to wait.

"It's for Miss Fishwash."

The page handed an envelope to Samna, postmarked from the Avalon branch of the Kingdom Guard.

She opened the envelope and began reading the message, addressed "to the documented next of kin of Kai Fishwash, Miss Samna Fishwash. We regret to inform you..."

Samna read for a few seconds, her face unmoving. She stood up and quickly left the room, letting the tall oak door swing shut behind her.

 

[Pichu2k7]

Karigen's mind was full of questions he wanted to ask, what was happening right now? Was there multiple branches of the Avalon guard? But there were a couple that were tugging his curiosity and he couldn't help but ask more questions.

"Who exactly is the "Masked Knight"? Is he some sort of friend of yours or just an acquaintance of sorts?" He asked, hoping it would help pass the time while they were heading to the APF Headquarters and maybe he'd learn something interesting along the way, like maybe he'd actually get his questions answered, that'd be a good start but it was fine if they weren't. He didn't want to come across as annoyance of some sort. There was always another time for his questions to be answered.