⇨ EDEN PT. 3

[ringleaders]

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.

Comments

[chronosynthesis]

Syrlya looks between the Ringmaster's gaze and the currently stealthed mirror. She's the only one he would trust to actually mess with it, but somehow this doesn't seem like an intentional reaction on her part.

So he shuffles over to stand between her and the mirror to try and break her concentration of it. "Ringmaster?"

[lordofthering]

As Zangetsu's words sink in, her confusion flashes into shock, and then into anger. Suddenly, her eyes are glowing a fiery orange, and she's looking back towards the Silver Mirror with a surge of wild determination and a ferocious growl.

She extends her hand without ever touching the glass, and instantly, the illusion hiding it is shattered. At the same time, the silver begins to warble, as if turning into liquid metal.

All of this is a wild ride for Strange. The moment he enters the Mirror proper, he'll find himself dizzied by the interactions of the Mirror and the Ringmaster's magical energies. It's like two forces of similar, tremendous power clashing in the middle.

The silver spins like a metallic whirlpool, gradually becoming smaller.

[moonfang]

Finally. Can it be time to kick some ass now?

Also, hey! Travel sized Silver Mirror. Nice.

[lordofthering]

Finally, the Silver Mirror shifts, reassembles, and takes on a new form - as a shield with a perfectly reflective surface. It reflects light as easily as it had in its original form, though now it's much smaller and more appropriate for wielding.

The Ringmaster roars again, the shield floating a few inches from her palm. She directs it at the ceiling of the room, straight upward - and unleashes a blast of dazzling light and darkness that seems to consume a pillar of matter in a straight line above her. All at once, the dirt and stone and anything else getting in the way turns into shadow and vanishes, cleaving a tunnel that leads straight out the top of the cathedral.

She spreads her wings and rockets upward, bringing the Silver Mirror with her.

[chronosynthesis]

Syrlya stands stiffly still at the Ringmaster's initial outburst and the transformation of the mirror, honestly not wanting to make a wrong move to get caught between the two. He doesn't move a muscle until the pillar tears through the cathedral and he looks up to watch the Ringmaster start flying off.

"... All right! We're going." He makes an absent gesture to the others--hopefully those who can carry others take the hint, because he can't fly anymore.

[lordofthering]

The trees, apparently left behind, take this opportunity to fall over.

[periphrasing]

Peridot has been quietly seething and holding the mirror up this whole time. She wants to fight someone? She wants to fight someone real bad, but she knows that everyone who's present here is an ally, and being tempted into further argument would be an idiotic waste of time. So she's been keeping her mouth shut.

But now the Ringmaster is here, and things are really ramping up; the wyld fae's influence all but yanks the mirror out of Peridot's grasp, and she gladly relinquishes it. The expression on RM's face indicates a state of mind that the gem is not eager to fuck around with, so she lets go and backs off with her hands up in front of her like 'woah dude'.

And then the Ringmaster fucking blasts a gigantic hole in the ceiling and vaporizes everything between here and open air.

Peridot gawks, jaw slack with shock. It's not like this is out of the ordinary for her? But. damn.

There's a second or two before her senses catch up to her, the trees falling shocking her back into action. And then she's changing again in an instant, making the shift to something much bigger and more ferocious and winged. And with a horrible nasally war cry, she snatches Syrlya up in one paw and catbert up in the other, and launches into the air to follow her boss.

[whattaprick]

Everything happens all at once, it seems, with little chance to get a word in. Lambert looks up at the newly formed hole in the ceiling, at the trees on the ground, then Saraqael.

“This happens a lot,” he says, with forced cheer. “Get your people and get those trees, we’ll do the reeeeeest—” The last world trails off into a yowl as he’s forcibly grabbed by Peridot and launched airborne.

[kingsroads]

Having been dizzied by magic, subjected to conflicting magical power, and then having the area around him shape into something different, Strange firmly abandons all plans of 'tell other people what's up' and starts his new plan of 'try not to puke in the Mirror.'

He's still in there! Just having a real bad time right now.

[moonfang]

Well. That had to be in the top ten coolest things Zangetsu has seen while he's been in the Carnival. Hell. Maybe even top five! The way the light obliterates any matter in its way... it reminds him of something a zanpakutou could do, with Bankai, maybe. It was that level of power. He wonders what else the mirror could do, offensively.

He definitely wants to find out.

Zangetsu turns to the starry-pelted wolf and gives an almost sincere apologetic smile.

"Sorry about yer roof. And the trees. Thanks for bein' so cool about the mirror thing -- once we have Lilith taken care of, we'll see what we can do ta help you guys out, ne?"

Then he turns to the remainder of his companions and jerks a thumb up toward the neat hole in the roof.

"Anyone need a lift out?"

[anti_nonsense]

“What the hell was that!?” Rita cries, but as the Ringmaster flies up with the Mirror in tow, there’s no time to wait for an answer. Her gaze follows them first, then she looks to the fallen trees.

Rita lunges forward, grabbing two of the fruit and stuffing each in one of her large pockets. She then turns her attention to the Flame. “Damn it,” she hisses as she struggles to break a piece off of the silver tree, “I need these samples!”

[prazerbutterfly]

Well, that was something, from the moment she arrived to the moments he made he grand exit. He whistles softly at the giant hole now above them and looks towards the rest of them getting hyped up and following, or getting forcibly carried off. Poor Strange but then this was the consequences for not listening when one said not to touch the mirror.

He waves Zangetsu off when he asks about a lift, having his own ability and able to follow. Tyki's about to follow when he hears Rita's silent plea and he cannot help but indulge. Walking over he'll help her dislodge a branch with his Power to Choose in a clean slice of the branch if possible or by breaking it off as necessary, "Right, right. Now take it."

[anti_nonsense]

Rita grabs the branch, then gives Tyki a brief look. She can barely be heard muttering a, “Thanks,” before she spreads her wings and kicks off of the floor, following after the Ringmaster and the others.

[prazerbutterfly]

He grins, rather cheerily at her words simply because they were spoken, then will hang back inside Papyrus or anyone else needs assistance. If no one speaks up, Pap, furies, architect, or otherwise, he'll make his way after the others.

[spaghettimonster]

...Welp, there goes the ceiling.

And the Mirror, and the everyone. Papyrus watches as the rubble falls around them, the Ringmaster takes off, and people trickle up after her, then considers the radio.

"Hmm. I think... I'm going to update people. On what's happened. And is happening."

Give him a minute to settle his rattling bones, and he'll get right on that.

[spaghettimonster]

After a few seconds of steadying himself and refreshing himself on what all's gone down in the last several minutes, Papyrus holds the radio's talk button again.

"So...... Hi there, this is Papyrus, with an update... We heard the party went 'to hell and back', because Lilith crashed it!

...I don't know if that's crashing it. If she owns the place, doesn't she just sort of show up?

Anyway, she has control over mirrors, so maybe hide them if you have one. And she captured a bunch of people at the party and trapped them in mirrors? I guess? Not like Strange is trapped?

But! Good news! I called RM here, and she's got the The Mirror, and she exploded the ceiling and flew off. I think she's flying to go fight Lilith! So, look out for that! And for ceilings collapsing overhead!

...Over," and he releases the button.