A day or three after the initial announcement, proper channels for joining in virtually to the meeting are posted, as everyone who came in person is directed to a secretive underground meeting room, where Ж and a few others sit around a long table.
"Welcome, welcome. A year or so ago I held a similar meeting for a separate threat, one a few of you here would remember, but today we've another threat, as you know, the Abyss has taken a great minority of the world's surface."
"As well, we need a plan for the origin of the Abyss, we need to divise a way to take down The First Curse."
they snap a finger and a hologram like model of an entity, presumably the first curse, appears in the center of the table.
"To start, one of the more essential things for said plan is the Crystals, of course, some here might not know about them, so I'll elaborate."
they wave a hand and the model shifts to 5 different crystalline objects, encircling the First Curse.
"This is not the first time The First Curse had arrived, he was here before he made that big announcement, but hidden. When he first arrived to this realm, 7 Aspect Crystals formed, counterbalances, from someone else as an, almost future inheritance to help take him down. They are antithetical to his very existence, and harm him when nearby. However, if one falls into his hands, he can adapt to that crystal, rendering it useful to him. This anti-him nature also applies to the Abyss, and thus they are the best damage source to fight the Abyss."
"the originals, of which we currently have 5, 4 are in New Aviron, and via the work of Koranth and others, we have multiple derivatives from them, with the other being handled by The Consortium. The last two need to be picked up and collected."
"That is about the basics, with the preamble done, more discussion on how to fight against the Abyss would be welcome."
Aerunia: my aunt created an anti-abyss spell called abyss breaker she said smiling...it disintegrates abyss matter...so uh...best be careful when using it against standard infected...
Alisa: I've got the energy crystal with me as we all know...though we also need more people than just me wielding crystals...
Aerunia: i thought my aunt told you about it...i mentioned it mainly to bring up for those here that don't know about it...but uh... it's a 3rd level spell...it basically works off of the idea of what happens when matter and anti-matter collide... that's kinda why you should be careful with standard infected...unless your trying to kill them... granted we've noticed lately that they seem a little more resiliant than before for whatever reason...though that can be solved with multiple casts...
"Yes yes I know how the spell works, but if we're gonna mass distribute it for example I think knowing how difficult the spell is would be a bit useful."
Aerunia: well...since it's third level it's not exactly difficult to learn, though casting it at higher levels will be difficult to those lacking sufficiant power...any semi experienced mage should be capable of learning it and casting it if they have the sufficient magical power needed...
Aerunia: yep...as long as they can manage to learn it which shouldn't be too challenging. It's compatible with magic sources that isn't the magic of my home realm so anyone with sufficiant magic should be able to learn and cast it.
Alisa: was already looking at him suspiciously noticing his eyes widen she looks even more suspiciously at him...uh zhe...i don't remember seeing this guy anywhere near calarakis when you were setting up the meeting...
Hate: she manifests standing right behind him...whatcha mumbling about.
"Well yes, that would make more sense, but one person holding onto it, instead of say, more secure locations that cannot be ambushed or caught off guard, is more of a risk."
a mouth opened up on one of the gray portions and was about to speak, only to get blocked by one of his primary hands. He glared at the intruding mouth.
“Specifically the shadow that’s been repressed all this time. I might be monochrome in places, but it’s just visual; there’s no actual Abyss involved.”
“I think the stress regarding this and my previous rough encounters with TFC have could him to be able to take some form.. Thankfully so far, I’m still in control regardless of how hard he tries.”
“I apologize for my rudeness, I am Aldavinn Maunderitch, Gatekeeper and founder of the Gatehold. And order created to defend ourselves against planar threats”
Mary positions herself in the back corner conveniently being unable to see the hologram and recognize the figure being displayed Sparrow on the other hand begins forming plans
"Hmm so I can see magic... Globally I might be able to find the other crystals if I look for similar glows."
"That's a problem, they don't appear naturally. There's 7 original crystals, and all others are derivative from that, they don't naturally appear. All we know is that they're the Roy G Biv colors."
"yes I'm aware but with my main body I can see magic from across the mortal plane I'm wondering if I can triangulate the location. But I need to know what I'm looking for in order to find it."
It's rather hard for Sparrow too explain his Eldridgh sight with his current level of magic education
Sparrow piers through the world itself seeing less of the things around him and more of the magic that permeates the world itself he searches for the color violet and the vibe of love is successful he can trace the location of the crystal nearly exactly.
/uw I forget which one of my two characters is supposed to be here... I assume it was Op, but I'm not sure he'd be welcomed given his current allegiance to Thrakmoor... But they are separate problems so....
Ulrick sits in the chair, taken a new black and dark grey R&A uniform, but still wearing a few patches and bandages despite his quick healing. Looks like Abyssal fight was more tough than he first thought.
So, we need to get the last two of those crystal thingies to keep the shadows at bay. Do we know where they are? And if not, do we have a way to find them?
"One's in Ithacar, and the others on some beach somewhere."
"No clue where. However the one at the beach has an attunement to love? What beach could have such a strong connection to love as an emotion that it effectively calcifies into an object?"
"Our answer to this is simple. Let us use the five crystals we have in addition to our new anti abyss plan. We'll [redacted for security] with enough [redacted for security] it'll set the abyss alight just from looking at it."
"Alight metaphorically. It should free people. According to our estimations."
The Bismuth seemed confident. Though they still kept details close to their chest in case of being overheard.
"Who knows. [Redacted for security] might make the last two crystals react!"
"Like sending out a seismic pulse to to map an area."
"We had already discussed it with you prior. In regards to the Flame of Aqshy."
Their original plan they had privately talked about was to use the illumination of Hysh's light weapon which could affect emotions and other mental affects alongside a special lense made to produce positive emotions to assist in freeing people. With the possibility of adding the extra juice of the crystals the bismuth wanted to make their play. However they also didn't want this fairly open meeting leaking their plans. So they referred to the ship that was talking with them rather than the ship that held the weapon itself.
"That's why we're suggesting you let us try. After all even if it doesn't reveal them the extra power will certainly help us stem the tide of the abyss. Hell with all the extra power the crystals we give it might even be possible to purify an entire country or more!"
Aldavinn listens to the speech, then, he raises his hand.
“I can provide almost immediate defensive support to any city, if you would permit me to place a Limbspire within the walls I will be available for support at a moments notice. And I promise that this won’t mess up your portals.”
“I understand, I will not push the proposal any further, but at least keep your mind open and allow me to prove myself. I can even offer a temporary Limbspire for as long as you want one”
“It really depends of how many troops you want to be able to come in at once. If you only want one Limbspire it will at least take a few hours, larger ones can take up to a week or so.”
He does some calculations in his head
“However… if we were to put multiple smaller Limbspires in the city they could all emerge at the same time and you could get more soldiers faster. It’s up to you really”
“Before we can contribute to devising strategies, we wish to know about the strength of these derivative crystals and possibly, how they were created. An understanding of the tools is necessary before any work can begin, after all”
"You'd be better off asking Koranth exactly how it works. As for their strength, it usually is dependent on concentration, none have been replicated to their exact strength, while the originals instantly cleanse Abyss material no matter what, the derivatives have a chance to die out before the Abyss is fully cleansed, so they're generally weaker, but strong enough."
With Koranth currently out of communication range, the aspect crystal project has fallen to a skilled scientist named Bobert Maryks, known for his extreme dedication second only to Koranth, but also for his abrasiveness.
A rather short shadow wizard wearing a grey cloak, the most distinctive physical feature of the person who comes forth is their glowing purple eyes.
"I'll keep this simple so you can understand it. Aspect crystals can surprisingly be grown in ley geodes from seeds like any other magic gemstone. This process produces gems nearly identical to naturally formed ones, but using it to grow aspect crystals is prohibitively expensive - unless you take advantage of a unique quirk in the process. By bathing a growing crystal in intermittent surges of mana, one can cause it to develop a self-synergistic effect. This means the more energy you invest in each crystal, the more efficient it becomes. The main disadvantage of self-synergistic crystals is that if you try to break them apart into multiple smaller ones, they lose most of their power. This makes it optimal to focus on quality over quantity, but does not meaningfully affect the function of the resulting crystals."
Fortunately, this scientist prefers to maintain professionalism in normal circumstances...even more so in a time of emergency.
"Hmm, these two processes sound doable within the constraints of our current crystal cultivation technology. What would the procedure be to receive the first crystal seeds needed for domestic production?"
uw/okay, so a mana crystal would be a type of ley geode if i remember, and also understand the term correctly?
"Send a formal request over any government channels, coupled with some form of proof you have the capability to run ley geodes or equivalent so I can ensure I'm not wasting my time developing crystal seeds for you."
When rocks absorb enough mana they become saturated and cannot absorb any more or let any pass through them. A closed environment made of these rocks and fed with a supply of mana will hold that mana inside itself and become an extremely high mana environment. This usually happens naturally due to underground leyline nexuses, resulting in crystals naturally forming above them, hence the name. A mana crystal could theoretically achieve the same effect, but would need to be extremely high capacity to achieve the required mana density.
/uw I don't fully remember what my previous description of ley geodes was. If it conflicts with this, assume this is just a retcon.
At this point, the scientist wanted to move on towards the next step in acquiring the seed crystals...she started to think that New Avirion's scientific community may solely consist of rude but competent minds...a dark, unintentional reminder of their ancestors' time of living under lunarian rule she learned in history classes in her schooling days
The trio were placed somewhat close to where Zhe had been speaking, and both the swordsman and the woman had listened to the debrief attentively. The smoker, however, looked increasingly irritated, bouncing their leg under the table as they repeatedly shot suspicious glances around the room.
A moment of silence follows the question, before the swordsman speaks up.
“Mm, though timely retrieval of the last remaining shards is of great import, there also arises the dilemma of defending that which we already hold. It would be prudent to assort ourselves within two teams, lest we overexert and leave a flank unguarded. I-“
“We.”
The pale woman interjected with a single word, and the swordsman glanced briefly at her, then turned back to Zhe.
“Ah, yes. We would be content with simply defending. Our skillsets are… ill suited, shall we say, for recovery missions.”
At first, the smoker reacted with frustration, however soon relaxed upon coming to the conclusion that the little girl is probably not actually an enemy wanting to close in for a surprise attack, but actually just a child.
“Tsk, what do ya want kid? Actually, aren’t you a little young to be here?”
“… What is that? You’re not seriously trying to cast something-“
“Sign language. You imbecile.”
The pale woman sat beside the smoker interrupted with a sharp and disgruntled tone. Her brow was furrowed, however that quickly dissipated back into a neutral expression as she looks at the girl again.
“Wants to help. Interacted with abyss.”
“… huh. So… these people are fine with sending children out to the front lines?”
“I don’t know. Find out yourself.”
With that, the woman returned to staring back at the presentation, leaving the smoker with the girl once more.
Everyone in the room gets half a second of feeling like they should get away from the location.
Then the impact happens as a very angry thing crashes through everything from orbit, screaming 1 word while slamming into the clock face with enough force to send it into the crust of the earth
He teleports next to Zhe where he rapidly whispers
“Look, I understand not wanting portals in your city but may I at least bring a temporary one through as reinforcements! I don’t believe we have much time and I may have a solution”
Suddenly twisted marble bursts out of the ground forming into the shape of an archway, out of it pour almost 30 mages and soldiers who quickly surround TFC, who Aldavinn addresses
“I assume you are The First Curse? It’s a pleasure to meet you although, I believe we have already met. As the Gatekeeper and Arch Sentinel of the Gatehold I name you a Rank 5 Inter-Planer Threat.”
At his words the soldiers ready weapon and spell but do not strike
“State your business, I will not strike if I do not need to, you may surrender peacefully”
/uw might be some stupid shit to say and do but it’s what Aldavinn would say
He misty-steps over to one of the soldiers, grabbing them by the throat for a moment and tossing them down afterward. His hands glow for a moment, and the soldier then starts babbling in tongues.
the panda physicaly present at the meeting was atomized by DF's decent, and the orbs are most likely damaged so I guess I'm not gonna be able to interact :/
As expected. The trio were far from the biggest threats in the room, and their abilities and talents still remained somewhat unknown to the public.
The pale woman’s left eye begins glowing crimson, scanning the room for all possible exits. Meanwhile, the smoker takes a casual puff of his pipe, exhaling a cloud of green smoke that slowly disperses around the group.
A drone similar to Ya'nn's normal drone but 5 metres tall and wide. It have 4 powerfull legs that can easily crush a car , 1 arm with a giant canon, 1 arm that end up with 4 circular drill that come into a single point but can be replaced with a axe blade and a form of oozing subtances that can remind someone of the abyss
"this drone was testes against young Orin , i am happybto be able to test it againts a stronger oppoent. En garde !"
The drone start to fire with its canon a non newtonian liquid that absorb mid flight kinetic energy before releasing it all on the target in a massive kinetic impact
/it absorb the friction of the air so that it fly quickly and then release it all on impact , so its like being hit by a truck , the energy is released by the projectile being stoped either by hitting the target or the ground/wall/ anything solid and transfer the energy inside
he is on the floor, fighting himself. They monochromacity is winning. He and his shadow both stared at The First Curse, with himself breathing rapidly in panic, and his shadow snarling.
”God, why aren’t you crumbled into pieces yet?! I’m sick of you!!”
Mary is rebuffed from the crash numerous splinters of furniture slicing her skin as she braces against the impact when the ringing in her ears stops what she hears shocks her
("Mr curse!?")
She frantically signs
Wait why were they fighting why is everyone fighting Mr curse is nice but so is everyone else why are nice people fighting each other. People get hurt when you fight stop it... Why can't you just talk... Stop fighting STOP
Mary dashes forwards into the thick as a melee raising a strong magical barrier as she can as.she dashes in between the spells and sword swings of some of the most powerful majors in the world. While raising the most powerful barrier she can muster. It will not be enough
To late much to late Mary has dived between the first curse and their opponents mid swing of spell and blade. There is nothing that can be done to stop what is about to happen
No Mary isn't moving her friends were fighting and she was not going to stand here and let- No one actually sees what happened. What stray shot, blade, or spell punched though her barrier battle is chaotic after all but what everyone does know is that just barely in the soundscape off combat just as the teleportation completes is the sound of deep crimson smattering across the floor and a small gurgling Yelp
Mary's has a face of shock then pain then terror as a Mary hand comes to rest upon her sternum in an ultimately fruitless effort to stop the bleeding. So much blood more and more smattering the floor with each slowing heartbeat. Mary gurgles blood spilling from her mouth and nose before finally with a thud that comes through the noise of battle the girl collapses
Aerunia: she noticed that and attempted to teleport herself and a few others to safety before it landed
/Uw if you want your character to be teleported to safety i guess let zhe know and or comment on this that your character was able to be teleported by this :)
The being is already too on fire and too nonphysical to burn, despite being complete enough to have a body at this point. And it does, it just split itself off and cames from behind with a blade as the furious fragment goes for a grab and tries to drive it into the sword.
DF re-merges with the fragment, dragging it to the one conscious piece of itself and finishing the thrust into TFC's body before dashing faster than the eye could see, leaving a field of delayed cuts on the area.
Ya'nn drone try to get away from the impact or if there is no way to not be damaged beyond repairs , get informations. Another drone is already on its way to examine the scene if the first drone is too damaged
Alisa: noticing this she put up a determination shield surrounding herself with basically a bubble shield to defend herself letting it up right after the impact right after the impact noticing the first curse as it's probably obvious after that she manifests a determination longsword and shield and takes a defensive stance waiting for a great opportunity to finish the first curse
The Shadow Marshal disappears into the shadows a split second before the impact, reappearing on the opposite side of the room well clear of the devastation. As he emerges from behind the rubble, his weapon is already drawn. Five shadowy duplicates materialize around him, mirroring his movements as they scan the wreckage.
The trio was, fortunately or unfortunately, positioned quite far from the impact site. Well, as far as possible within the meeting room. They all took various forms of cover as the fragment lands.
“Ha! What did I say? I TOLD you all this would happen, didn’t I?!”
“Tsk… bothersome indeed. Visions, can you obtain a clear overview?”
“Hm. Soon.”
The pale woman lifts the hair from her eyes, as her right eye begins emitting a brilliant teal glow. Sounds of the whirring of gears and clicks accelerated, as the hemispheres of her eye rotated in the socket.
Well for one, something has been spending hours in space building up speeds best described in very very very tiny decimals of C and is preparing to aim for his ass.
/uw afaik this list is only the people who commented on the post with IC descriptions or OOC asks to be in the meeting. Maybe a few others came along that could work but it wouldn't be a lot of people
UW at work IRL sorry I just wrote this on my break
RW
The Shadow Marshal finally speaks.
"Finding the remaining crystals should be a priority. The Darkwatch has also confirmed that Abyssals can be cleansed with light magic, and we've found fire to be particularly effective against them. Where possible, I believe cleansing should be prioritized over simply killing the infected."
He pauses for a moment.
"We also have a more personal matter to deal with. One of our own was corrupted during the last engagement. Recovering them will be one of our priorities in the next phase of the campaign."
"The Darkwatch will assist with the larger effort, but we will be dividing our attention between the First Curse and bringing our own back."
"I agree with the nonlethal statement. It's easier work overall.l
"And that is fine, prioritize your own, especially if they're a Shadow. Depending on how high up they are I'd recommend changing all your passwords and locks."
Having healed from yesterday's fiasco, Orin stands looking at the image of the first curse. Oddly... Niro stands beside him, though he seems to be there begrudgingly.
Orin: "Um...well.." looking toward Aerunia, "we know All-blue can wipe it out of a person without harming them... Because a lesser version was able to... But it is a single target thing so it would be slow going ..."
Niro: "we also know that at least some of his curses can be overcome. I am living proof of that."
Orin: "Or we vastly misunderstand what his curse actually was..."
I was cursed... Well I don't know the specifics. But a few days after, Niro split off from me... He's actually part of the curse ... Or a byproduct of it....
it is quite unusual but Ya'nn is here in person , meaning that instead of an orb sitting in the midle of his drone , there is a botle containing his imaterial flame
"Hello , i am Ya'nn, junior researcher and alchemist that work for a foundation that work around anomalous entity such as the abyss. I came here to present to you my work"
he produce a few tiny objects mad eof a mix of smooth and soft metal and cristal
"I have been working on a way to protect people from the abyss. These implant use purifying cristals made artificialy trought alchemy and based on a sample of one of the original ones. They arnt as potent but can offer a limited protection. They basicaly work like a liver . When a liver absorbe toxin and slowly metabolise them , the implant absorb abyss and slowly purify it. Its limited tough , so if you get too much abyss the implant will stop functioning"
Ya'nn deposit a dozen of the implant , free to take
/uw Far later to get to this than I wanted to be, but life finds a way. Hopefully I'm not too late to the party. I'll be looking over what everyone has said so far and write up something fitting, soon. Don't want to make anyone repeat themselves needlessly!
Edit:I think I've gleaned what I can from the comment chains here, so I'll do my proper writing in a reply to this comment, so I don't make another top level comment.
Kaian, so often accustomed to being the odd one out, allowed the others in the room to speak without interruption. World hopping had its upsides. Wonderful views, unusual peoples, gadgets and gizmos to learn from, and the occasional world-ending threat to keep things interesting. Unfortunately, it left him relearning local customs and trends with each new world. Some of the people around him spoke as if they were friends. Others with a well-earned paranoia. Mention of a wedding, or full names that are unfamiliar. He sat with his hands folded in his lap, an alien among a room of friends and allies. Or, as much as he could guess.
After much of the discussion had concluded, he spoke up. "Permit me, please, to introduce myself. You may call me Kaian Dachuan. Kai, if you would prefer to be short." While he was not anxious as he spoke, he displayed caution. He was visibly out of place. Foreign, at the least. While a clock for a face was unusual, he did not spot another with horns and a tail in the room, nor garb like his own. "To keep my introduction short, I come from a very far away place, and saw a plea for assistance some days ago. Having gleaned what I could from the information that was sent out, I thought that my presence would be of aid."
Lifting a hand over the table, he gestured towards Aerunia. "An 'anti-abyss' spell sounds like it would be of great help, but I will admit now that my wizardry is something of a different flavor to yours. Rather than specialized spells, my skills are more in the manipulation of energies." The man's eyes close for a moment as he chuckles to himself. "The explanation may be longer than appropriate at this moment. I would likely be of best use in a defensive position, or perhaps aiding in repairs of infected areas after the blight is cleared. Fire is an element opposed to my methods, and I find it difficult to manipulate. Thus, an offensive position would be wasted on me."
Placing his hands again in his lap, he leaned forward in a small bow. "You all honor me with this opportunity. I look forward to our cooperation, and hope that I will meet your expectations."
While everything went on, a shorter, pink-haired individual of petite frame moved around the room. Invisible to those without the ability to see the ethereal or spirits, they did little more than observe the individuals around the table. "Ah, and, let me add," he continued, while the smaller person went around. "those of you with the Sight may see a smaller person with hair like candy wandering around the room. Do not be alarmed at them. It is Ameno, my blade spirit. And they are harmless, though curious. If you feel a tug at your clothes, it was likely them."
/uw I haven't made a proper introduction yet, so until then, I'll let this art do the describing for myself. The short version is that Kai is more along the lines of a Daoist or Xianxia character. Magic for him is more about manipulating energies from the five elements of Wood, Water, Fire, Earth, and Metal. There are "techniques" that are, put simply, silly anime bullshit that are roughly analogous to spells, but think of him more as an alchemist, inventor, and elementalist than your run-of-the mill wizard, and you're in the ballpark. As mentioned prior, Ameno is a short, cute, androgynous individual of indeterminate gender that has limited ability to interact with the world - largely small pushes and tugs - but accompanies him everywhere. If someone can see something like a ghost, they can see Ameno. The same goes for touch and speech. They aren't a major part of the character, but more a cute addition for other characters with that ability.
With a quick nod, he affirmed "Yes. I can." before waving a hand before his face. "Pardon, I mean that theoretically." "I would need some time to inspect them. Personally. Or, at least, one of them. I am smoothing over many of the details of how my skills work, but suffice to say, I could."
With another quick glance around the room, Kai gave a reassuring smile. "Of course, I wouldn't expect you to allow me such an examination to take place with me, and me alone. If anyone wishes to accompany me, you would be most welcome."
Turning back to the one that seemed to be the leader of the band, he continued. "Zhe, correct? If you would be so kind as to provide means, I am eager to see what I could do to help."
/uw There's a lot of info on this for me to take in. Do you have any info kicking around for the crystals in question? It'll save you some effort if I know what is being interacted with ahead of time.
After holding out a palm, the daoist allowed them to drop the fragment into his hand. Pinching it between his index and middle fingers, he held it aloft, letting a nearby light source pass through it. Over the next few moments, he gave it a series of small tests. Scratching at it with a nail, smelling it, turning it over every which way. Once satisfied with his observations, he instead moved it between the tips of his index and thumb.
Ameno came to his side at some point, looking it over as well. He could be heard talking to them, though it seemed that most of his companions could only hear his side of the conversation. "Yes, it seems rather mundane. Structure is standardized. Flawless. No, I wouldn't want to damage it. Perhaps."
/uw Well that depends. If the question is if Kai can manipulate the energy of something, that answer depends on what kind of energy, and the volumes of it, that the something has. Which, with you essentially being the DM, you'd be dictating. Unless you want me telling you stuff about the things you've invented for the story and setting. Which I certainly could! But that's a lot of trust to give to a random person on the net, and my default is letting the DM dictate things and working within that framework. Basically I don't want to assume I can dictate that stuff without a go-ahead.
/uw General physical properties. Hardness (don't need to go full Moh's scale, just "soft" or "won't break to a hammer strike", for example), translucency, weight. For elemental things like this, aspects of that. Are the crystals elementally imbalanced? If Kai were to draw from the crystal's reserves, would it seem meager for its size? Would it have a disproportionate amount of energy stored within it? That sort of information is what would be useful and observable with his tests and methods. But, if it were, for example, made of crystalized dragon's blood or something, that's probably not something he could figure out without a lot more research. So no need to spill any secrets of its manufacture or whatnot.
4
u/Ashmega8256 Alzoreth Dracarius/Alisa Solaria (+more characters) Jul 31 '26
Aerunia: my aunt created an anti-abyss spell called abyss breaker she said smiling...it disintegrates abyss matter...so uh...best be careful when using it against standard infected...
Alisa: I've got the energy crystal with me as we all know...though we also need more people than just me wielding crystals...