lostcarnival | ⇨ EDEN PT. 3

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⇨ EDEN PT. 3

Who: Everyone!
When: End of Day 88, on to Day 89
Where: Eden
What: The carnival breaks into two groups, as one entertains the Architect Samyaza at her festival, and the other assaults the Cathedral through a secret passageway with the intent of claiming the Silver Mirror and liberating those imprisoned.
Warnings: Ritual sacrifices.

IN GOD'S HANDS↴

Only those left in Eden and remaining undetected will be able to come to Samyaza's festival, which is an increasingly small group. It's also a dangerous proposition - there's no way to know what Samyaza has in store for her visitors, only that she apparently wants to interact with them before allowing the other Architects to act. It could work as an excellent distraction, drawing the eyes of the Architects towards the festival instead of towards the Cathedral while the attempt to claim the Mirror is taking place.

For those that arrive in Samyaza's gardens, they are beautiful and well prepared, and music of otherworldly perfection flows through them. Tables are arranged with amazing works of art as their centerpieces, while the trees themselves are made into dazzling displays of color with an effect that seems to turn their leaves into pure light. Samyaza will be presiding, a hare that looks like she's made of something ephemeral, like wind of pure colour. She invites you in kindly, saying that before she speaks, she will honour you with a song...

► THE SET UP: For the first hour or so, the festival will be nothing but celebration. There are other Honorables there, but not as many as usual - the main event are you and the other new arrivals. After the hour mark, Samyaza will perform her song. Until then, threads can be made focusing on the pre-song mingling and planning. Will you listen when she sings?

► THE TWIST: There will be more happening at the festival than Samyaza plans. While she is comfortable waiting to act, other Architects are less patient.

ON HOLY GROUND↴

With carnival members (and Ignatius) in enemy hands, there's no more time for hestitation. Based on the information given to her by various carnies, the Ringmaster will meet with the Furies and declare her intent to attack the Cathedral's underground during Samyaza's festival on the evening of Day 88. The Furies will agree, saying that those they have on the inside will use their influence to ensure there are as few Architects and Scholars are blocking their way as possible, but they must all still expect a fight.

Furies from the base in the barrens will be coming along with this raid group, using what information they have to speed transit through the underground tunnels. They only ask two things - that after the Mirror is collected, it be used to save the lives of Hasma and the other captured Furies, before being used to repair the mind of the Serpent herself.

► THE SET UP: The Ringmaster will lead the way into the secret ruins that Childermass and the other found - the main difference is that she will smash right through the cracked wall defending the depths of the Cathedral, clearing the path entirely with her now serpentine body. Her plan is this - to draw the attention of the Architects to the surface by taking on the appearance if the Serpent, while carnival members and assisting Furies search the tunnels below to find the Mirror and the captives.

► THE TWIST: The people captured by the Twelve and imprisoned in the garden (AKA characters on the TDM) will be found, but the carnival members won't be. At least, not in the same place as the other captives. A megathread will go up for the group that goes to capture the Mirror, but you are free to NPC and thread confrontations will Scholars that are protecting the underground prison and the chambers where the Twelve held their meetings. Please report any Scholars that are killed or seriously harmed to the mods. Lambert will be leading the part of the group heading towards the Mirror, while Sans will head the group searching the tunnels for captives.

Now is the time to let loose and use all your powers. It's probably best to keep your disguise to catch people off guard, but it is no longer necessary. New characters will be directed to post here once accepted.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Yugo chokes on his own scream at the sharp cold gripping onto some metaphysical part of him that he's not in the state of mind to identify.

"St-stop it..."

He wants out, he'll do anything to get out- which is the moment that something else calls to him, whispering gently in his ear before seizing at his heart.

Hinawa just... backs away from the growing darkness as much as she's able to, unable to do anything but watch as all of this unfolds. As Yugo, Yuusei, and Gongenzaka disappear from sight, a terrible feeling grips her.

"He's going to kill them...!"

"And he's calling for Lilith! We can't let him do this!!"

He can feel his strength waning, feel the shadows pulling at his darkest innards, but regardless, Rin lets out a raptorine shriek and dives from Yamantaka's horns, talons outstretched, aiming for the wild bear's eyes.

"LET! THEM!! GO!!!"

It takes less time than you would think.

As Rin dives and strikes at Bezaliel's face, blood spatters across the pillar. One by one, the shadow pillars holding up the three prisoners begin to crumble and fall, releasing those inside them - but they are changed. There are holes in their chests, as if carved out of black stone, leaving a hollow where their heart should be.

The only pillar remaining is that the one that Bezaliel staggers on, the three black shards spinning around him as dark light shoots into the sky. Darkness crowds the sky overhead, only to be cut through with a crack of blinding light, like a breaking mirror.

Lilith descends.

She has six wings, somewhere between those of an angel an demon, but all made of refracting shards that look like broken mirror or glass. Similarly radiant horns curl around her shining hair, while clothing of reflecting crystal covers her body.

Her hands are held out to her sides, statuesque, as she takes in her world for the first time in a millennium. She doesn't look pleased at what she sees.

"Bezaliel," she says. "What is this?" She already knows.

Bezaliel is scrambling through bramble with bloodied eyes, trying to indicate the fae among them despite his ostensible lack of sight.

"Divine Lilith," he says. "The fae have come to take what's yours!"

Well.

Shit.

Reira hopes- hopes very badly, that Lilith's attentions remain on the crowd near the pillars. As she edges toward the shadows from her hiding place, desperately ignoring the horrible sensation rising the nearer she gets. She can remember which direction it was, as dark as it had become. She can remember, and if she can get through...

If she can even reach the barrier she'll try to push through as hard as she can.

But Reira isn't prepared for the shadows of the barrier striking at her as they do, and her mind certainly isn't as prepared for it as those who went on ahead. Left to do nothing but back away, she forces herself to hide again between some piece of fallen art display, trembling and willing herself not to cry.

Staring from around the edge at the radiance that is Lilith.

Edited 2018-08-10 18:16 (UTC)

Well, at least he blinded a bear. With his talons covered in slick blood and his energy sapped by the shadows and by pulling on his fire so much without his Heart, Rin falls from the pillar and lands on the ground in a feathery heap.

He manages to lift his head and glare at the blinding light that is Lilith.

"Lilith... stole... the Mirror....! It doesn't... belong to her!"

Her, they, he, whatever. Rin doesn't care. And he doesn't stay super conscious much longer, either.

"Rin!!"

Tanyuu dashes forward when he falls, attempting to catch him or scoop him up onto her back if she can. She looks up at Lilith with wide eyes and fear clear in every inch of her, but she's reluctant to bolt away just yet. Instead she pulls herself up and stares down the nephilim resolutely.

Ginko stumbles back from the crumbling pillars, his eye wide as he looks from the sickening shadows to Lillith to the-- dead, they must be dead after that-- the captives.

He can barely bring himself to follow Tanyuu, but he does, half-reflexively checking Rin over to see if there's anything at all that he may be able to do.

Looking contemptuously at Rin as he falls, Lilith waves a hand at him as he makes his accusations, effortlessly striking him blind.

Yamantaka has been dispelled since Bezaliel first started bringing down more darkness and pulling shards and stuff out of people, the only trace of him now is probably some weird Gehenna flame smell lingering around Shima, only detectable by the spiritually sensitive. Shima himself is just gonna. sit his fluffy butt down. at this point. At least if he dies, it'll be in the presence of a hottie. (Hotties should find less terrifying ways to spend their time though.)

Edited 2018-08-10 19:14 (UTC)

Any thought of foolish heroics is instantly dispelled once Lilith appears on the scene: there's no way Eruka would ever have enough courage to face that. The only reason she doesn't scream is because terror practically dries up her throat.

Almost instinctively, she shifts into transparent jelly, her frog form turning into what looks like a puddle on the ground -- one that's oozing its way towards the nearest bit of water -- or at least where she last remembers seeing it. She doubts Samyaza's about to help them any now, so all she can do is try to beat a hasty retreat, trying to keep her soul's wavelength as unobtrusive as she can.

Sorry gang, you're on your own!

Edited 2018-08-10 19:46 (UTC)

It's hard not to be scared. If they couldn't beat one of her lackeys, how are they supposed to defeat Lilith herself? Steven shakily tries to get up, grabbing onto Amethyst's hand for support as they both struggle to stay upright.

His wounds are bleeding, but they are bleeding deep pink, like his gem. He hazily wipes off some of the blood feeling it wet on his fingers are already starting to grow hard and... sparkly? Like the gems he was bleeding in his dream.

Oh.

"Amethyst," he mumbles warily, looking at her and then up at Lilith as she descends. He doesn't know what to do. He super doesn't know what to-

But then Lilith waves her hand, and something seems to happen to Rin. It startles Steven enough that he raises his shield, bringing up the big floating disk above the two of them and anyone nearby. He stretches it as far as he can manage, but there are limits.

There's a sudden, sharp pain in his eyes -- then, everything is darkness. No, not darkness. Darkness is what he was in before.

This is nothingness.

But he doesn't really have time to even parse what's going on as he slips into blissful unconsciousness.

Ginko tenses at Lilith's motion, and that tension snaps into yet more worry when Rin goes limp. He swears under his breath, then, since he... doesn't have hands and his hooves have been all over the ground, he presses his forehead gently against the worst of his visible injuries and concentrates on his spell.

He doesn't know how much it will help, especially with how much of what's wrong seems to be iron-inflicted, but he might as well try and see if he can at least ease the injuries a little.

As soon as he's done what he can, he lifts his head and catches Tanyuu's gaze for a moment. Then he starts backing toward Steven and Amethyst, his eye locking on Lilith. He doesn't dare say anything.

"Rin!" Hinawa screams and runs to him. Lousy hooves... she can't even pick him up. She can't do anything!

Lilith raises her hand, her wings outstretched. Each shard forming her wings begin to seal together, becoming silvery and more clearly reflective. Her eyes glaze over with mirrors.

She looks at those cowering beneath her without pity, but with clarity. It's in that moment, that Steven's gems will begin to glow more brightly, the blue overwhelming the pink of even his blood shifting pure white.

She pauses, taking in the sight, before another wave of her hand sends shards of silver mirror streaking towards Steven and Amethyst, piercing the shield and shattering it.

"I see," Lilith said, her voice radiating power. In fact, she sees far more than these mortals ever could.

Oozing. Faster. That's all Eruka can really do at the moment, a small puddle of translucent ooze that slithers faster in the direction that the tadpole and its riders departed in.

That, and conceal her soul as much as she can, praying desperately that Lilith's in no state to mind something so inconsequential. Don'tseemedon'tseemedon'tseeme--

Reira sadly doesn't have the option of oozing and hiding her soul like Eruka is; the most she has is curling up and staying as still as she can. As quiet as she can.

Maybe if she tries to feel like what she's meant to feel 'becoming wind'- maybe that will help.

(It absolutely Won't, but she's going to at least focus on being as one with the surroundings as she can at this point)

The glowing catches Amethyst's attention, and she just about has enough time to go, "Uh," before Lilith just obliterates Steven's shield with her mirror shards.

She doesn't think about what she's doing, she just hurls herself in front of him.

Steven falls onto his butt with a little gasp, his wings fluttering. He only manages to get his head together enough to perceive the situation when Amethyst is already in front of him, and it even takes a second after that for it to sink in.

He makes a pained sound of worry and fear, reaching out to her - only to see that the shards have buried themselves in the ground all around them, instead of touching either gem. The fragments of mirror refract light in a circle around them, and he realizes what Amethyst almost did.

And he can feel something familiar but distinct in Lilith's power, something that resembles his own.

Steven stumbles to his feet again, throwing his arms around Amethyst waist and burying his face in her shoulder, his wings circling around to shelter the both of them. If Amethyst had been... he would have... he can't even think about it right now.

"Please don't hurt us," he calls out. "We can't fight you."

"Steven," mumbles Amethyst. She sounds kind of dazed, like she can't believe what just didn't happen either. That's all she has to say, though; she doesn't argue with him.

Tanyuu startles with the sudden onslaught of shards raining down, and the ease with which Steven's shield is shattered only proved how vastly out-classed they all are. As Steven pleads with Lilith Tanyuu edges back closer to Ginko and Hinawa once more.

The mirror shards surrounding Steven and Amethyst pull out of the ground, linking together and combining to form a series of larger triangles. Unfortunately, those triangles then glimmer and move to snap into three dimensional diamond prisms around each of them, lifting them off of the ground and to within easier viewing range.

As the same time, Lilith waves her hand, and other mirrored prisons start forming around the other surrendered carnival members, lifting them up as well. No matter where you are, if you are still in the area, it seems that she sees you, and is trapping you in a prism regardless.

"I accept your surrender," she says, to Steven and Amethyst specifically, as the ones currently floating closest to her. As she speaks, she neatly gathers the three shards of darkness collected from her sacrifices, holding them spinning over her left hand. "But I require something in return. I want to know... what you are."

She brings Steven's prism closer, and his gems and blood react again, just as the mirrors on Lilith's body do in turn.

Annnd now there's a little blob of jelly getting scooped up into a prism with a shrill squawk of pure terror and dismay.

"I'm nothing!" she squawks, somehow speaking despite the fact that she's sloshing around in the prism in a puddle that conforms to the shape of her current container.

"Mnh-!" Well this certainly sucks. Trying to blend with the surroundings very quickly stops happening once she's stuck in a prism. Briefly, there is a failed attempt to 'protect' herself- creating her moon shield, or at least trying.

But it is only briefly, and very quickly she's given up to simply swallow and curl in the air of her prism. 'What' they are? The question sits in her mind, but she finds herself hesitant to speak.

It feels as though the question wasn't directed at them so much as...the one that Lilith is focused on.

Yet she forces herself to speak anyway, raising her voice as loudly as she dares. "H-Human...Um, some of us I guess, um..." After all, not all of them are human, so... "Umn... C... Changelings," she manages. That's the word right? For someone with a bunch of Fae in them. "...'Changelings'."

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