Alvadas Returning (Open)

[Eridanus]

Day 35, Spring of 512 AV
Late Morning
Edge of City Boundary

The city was in chaos as a result of the devastation wrought by the djed storm. Unlike other cities, the madness did not stop there. At the edge of the city there existed a 'Divine Barrier', an invisible wall that prevents the anarchy that was the core of Alvadas' existence from spreading outwards. A wall that kept the illusions well within the city.

The wall was broken.

As a result, the essence of the illusions mixed with the remnant wild djed in the environment that had not dissipated yet, spreading outwards and infecting the various flora and fauna in the Unforgiving. Sentient beings were not spared, though those with the capacity to utilize the djed within their bodies gained a basic resistance to this forced mutation as a result of their stronger aura - but only if they were not using that djed at the time of infection.

The lucky ones died right away, their bodies too weak to handle the twisted mutations brought about by the djed-augmented illusory essence. The less lucky ones remained resistant, but were killed or eaten by those infected by the aftermath of the storm. The unluckiest ones succumbed to the mutations.

These mutations were the bulk of a sudden invading army into Alvadas.

It was a losing battle, for there were simply not enough warriors to protect the city. The army boasted djed-augmented animals, various sentient beings unlucky enough to be within the radioactive proximity of the city when the Divine Barrier broke, and even plants that somehow gained a primal, animalistic consciousness.

As a result the Azure Triad, through the Womiyu, had opened up various positions for any aspiring mercenary. This was the one operation to stop all this nonsense. The fastest way to solve this problem was not utter eradication of the invading army. Instead, it was to stop this process that created the abominations in the first place, to secure the city's position as a fortress, and to eliminate all resistance within.

Today was the first step. Eridanus was one of the residents who applied, one who was concerned enough to protect his city, and making a little coin while risking his life did not seem like a bad deal either. His job was two-fold. Firstly, as a public mercenary to protect the builders and repairmen while they repaired the physical walls of the city. Secondly, secretly as a Department of Illusion Surveyor to aid and protect various DOI agents within the repair force whose actual job was to repair the invisible Divine Barrier.

The vantha tapped his back to ensure that his dual blades were strapped securely to his back. As he approached the edge of the city, he noted that it was mostly empty, which was really unlike Alvadas. What stood here was long destroyed by the Djed Storm, and what little that remained erased by the ensuing battle between the city's defenders and the army of mutated abominations.

It seemed quiet for now, almost unnaturally so. Luckily, he was not the only one approaching, and it seemed that others of his ilk were gathering too. The construction work had not begun, but it would be good to begin preparations before the inevitable wave of monsters came.

[Indyrio]

One of the lucky few perhaps, Indyrio’s exposure to the disruptions the djed had wrought on the puzzling cityscape had been restrained to public gossip, of which he remained skeptically uncommitted. A few shattered bricks strewn in red fragments across a street seemed hardly unordinary for a city which perplexed him at every turn, though that was not to say he denied its plausibility. Perhaps it was just a way of protecting his inexperience from peril because Ionu saw something in him, or the more likely event, he was just lucky. Better to be lucky than smart, a mantra his uncle recited each time they‘d survived another day on the road. Indyrio was after all, still a new face to this city of wonder. Still plenty of time, he mused with a bittersweet knot growing in his throat, to get oneself into trouble. Alone down a gently curving street flanked by the lifeless windows of apartments, their edifices covered in what looked to be a sugar-sweet texture that tempted small children, Indyrio remained true to the path. Knowing that he would eventually arrive at the destination the city intended had taken some getting used to since his arrival, but it never left him longing for need of anything. In that respect, it was somewhat comforting to know that a city was alive in some regard. And it seemed to be on his side, for now. With violet eyes momentarily diverted from the steady rhythm of his feet pushing forward one after the other against chalked white flagstones, Indyrio noticed a break in the monotony of residences and found himself staring loftily at a crumbled wall. All the gossip he’d been subject to before quickly held the weight of a ton, and the breath he found himself holding in his chest was slowly exhaled as a low and portentous whistle. Indyrio had signed himself up unknowingly for a fight he was vastly unaware of at the moment, the weapons he adorned suddenly feeling heavier upon the hips that carried them. Looking to his right, a Vantha of all things in this world stood in calm poise with fingertips touching softly against the instruments of death sheathed at his back. There were others approaching as well, though none that he could see claimed the same kinship. Momentarily considering whether to ask the stranger what the gathering was meant for, a memory he had pushed to the wayside days ago slowly crept its way up to the forefront - and very suddenly a paralyzing chill gripped him. It had been the talk of the tavern a few nights ago, a group of drunken thugs bragging about the day he stood so diffidently in now on who would rise with the most kills amongst them. He had merely passed it over as fool’s talk then, hardly worth his trouble in responding with even a smile. But now that all the pieces were fitting together, Indyrio steadily began to wonder if he should turn himself away. Coward's talk

[Martin Oreneus]

Martin had heard about the destruction of the wall, he didn't care much about anyone else's well being, but if the things which would soon spill into the city weren't stopped, he wouldn't have time to find the men who raped his mother. So he decided to join the cause to fight. Now he had his iron staff in his hand as he stood with the others in front of the wall. He surveyed who was here, "No one of importance to me." he thought. Then he looked at the wall again, it was strange to think that the wall which had been strong ever since he was a boy, now was broken, and not only that, but know horrors that he had never faced could now roam freely. Thinking about that almost made Martin want to turn and run, to just give up the foolish quest which he now was part of. But hearing himself think that gave him a feeling of self-disgust, "Are you going to be a coward?!" he thought to himself angrily. That was not the way he was, he never quit, never! Martin knew that this was an obstacle, and like every other obstacle he ever faced, he would overcome it. This would show everyone that he would become greater then they ever thought possible. The ones who stared at him judgmentally when his father was killed after his rampage, the ones who looked at him as if he was nothing as he lived on the streets. They would all see, wherever they are, and whoever they were, they would see. Running would only make the people who stood here now, look at him the same way as the others, and that was not going to happen, ever again! He clenched his staff and stood fast, he would see this through to the end, and when everything was said and done, it would be him who stood. With a deep breath, anger boiling with in him, ready to throw all of it at the abominations, he said to himself with a rather lunatic-like smile on: "Come, I dare you!"

[Eridanus]

A young woman jogged in, coming from outside the city. Her face was dirty with grime and sweat, and her entire body heaved as she panted from her sprint.

"Report!" An officious looking man commanded. He had a buzz-cut hair style, and was dressed in an intimidating set of full plate mail. His helmet was held at his left side with his arm, and a large two-handed sword was strapped on the back of his plate mail. This was the Womiyu lieutenant that was in charge of this operation, and it was also he who recruited all the mercenaries to help boost their fighting strength.

"About fifteen to twenty chimes away, at the speed that they're approaching. I estimate their numbers to be around fifty, and they're a combination of mutated woodland creatures. Nothing too major for now, no bears or tigers. I spotted quite a few Dire Rabbits and Moles, and the occasional huge Deer or Snake. All land creatures, no flying."

"Excellent. Rotation!" The officer replied, and the scout snapped into a salute, heading back into the the depths of the city.

"You heard her," Jorng Stravik of the Womiyu boomed to everyone in the clearing with his deep bass voice. "Take the time to prepare. Building crews, immediately begin your work. The rest of you are to protect them by any means necessary."

With that, he turned to his advisor by his side and began a discussion in low voices.

Pre-Wave 1Take a post to prepare yourselves. The first wave will come in the next round of posting.

Eridanus noticed two more mercenaries enter the place, though from the looks of things they did not seem quite comfortable here. Shrugging, he headed out where he found a few wizards already constructing a shield.

Multiple shielder weaving. It was the preliminary line of defence that would slow down and prevent the invasion force, though ultimately the shield would be breached. Already, the archers amongst them were beginning to stake out good spots from the taller rubble and to gain height from half-destroyed buildings.

Extracting his djed, he helped to layer and shape the shield at his portion of the potential battlefield, using random trees and debris as hinges to hang his shield from. That was another problem with shielding, in that they require places to be connected to. As most things were already destroyed in this place, the openness prevented the shield from being comprehensive.

The building crews were already at work, but they had to lay their defences much further ahead, outside of the city so that the builders could work safely.

Wiping sweat from his forehead, he continued to feed djed into the strange array of shields that hung from any debris left around. It would not completely block the way, but there were enough shields scattered about randomly to impede the monsters' movement. He helped to weave the instructions to absorb djed, while the more experienced shielders amongst them added the more important tasking of biological rejection of their mutated foes.