Endgame Log: The City

[hadrielmods]

Who: The characters within Hadriel
What: The event log for the Null attack
Where: All over the city (and possibly outside)
When: June 15th
Warnings: None

The battle has been going on for awhile now, but this is when things really begin to kick into overdrive. The Null's primary target is the Door, but their secondary targets are all the god temples - particularly Hope's. It's time to fight, because if you don't, everything is going to end here and now.

Whether you're defending the Door, defending a temple, or finding some other way to fight or offer support to the fighters, you'd better be ready to go all out. The Null certainly are. Their forces seem almost infinite, especially with the way they can drag the remains of Null bodies from the field and repair and reanimate them. But then, that's true for you, too, as Hope flickers around each battlefield throughout the city resurrecting people nearly the moment they fall.

All the gods are fighting at your side. Some will fall, sending currents of emotion through the warriors on both sides, while others will fight on. It may seem like this battle will last forever, but there is an end - when the Null all begin to crumple, the life going out of them, signaling that the killswitch has been activated.

Then it's just you, and the living injured, and the city in ruins. But you've won, no matter what the cost!

► This log covers June 15th
► Please tag headers of threads with content warnings where they apply
► All deaths will be resurrected near-instantly, though after awhile things may begin going wrong...

Comments

Carlisle Longinmouth | Fear's Temple, Underground Passage [open]

[tongueamok]

Carlisle Longinmouth does not serve the gods. Aside from bargaining for his plants, he has long resisted in dealing with them in any way, refusing to vote in their polls or take part in their machinations in any way. He considers them false deities, wardens of this prison city, parasites who feed upon their captives as one would livestock. He does not serve the city, either -- though he has made connections within Hadriel, friends he could not afford otherwise, it is not his home. He has never felt compelled to answer the call to action for the betterment of the city the way he would Bear Den. This place is only worth the people he has met, and even some of those have vanished over the years, leaving holes in his heart. He prefers to stay out of danger, and insists they do the same if given the chance. They are fools to risk their lives for this war between the false gods and the constructs.

But when the Null ships arrived in the skies above Hadriel days before, Carlisle knew he could ignore their invasion no longer. He had once been a prisoner aboard a starship years ago, just before he was brought to Hadriel; he had seen the constructs in their first invasion, healed those who needed it all while being ignored himself. He'd assumed they'd taken no interest in him at the time because he did not put up a fight, refusing to choose a side. He was not their main objective, and threatening as they may have been to him on the principle of being constructs, they did not evoke outright terror in him. Their ships, on the other hand, did. When he laid his eyes upon them, all he could see was the Tranquility returning, hungering for him.

And then, as Carlisle realized the Null were doing their damnedest to reach Fear's temple, to storm upon the place he knew Kate and so many others were trying to secure, he was forced out of his indecision. They are down there now, beyond the underground passage and defending the Door, and though he knows as well as anyone that it may be their only way home, he has done little to protect it himself thus far. He has reveled in his cowardice, shielded by his partner, but he cannot continue to ignore the guilt welling in his middle. If these constructs take the Door, they may have no way to leave Hadriel, no way for Glacius to return to his people. They may be even less willing to bargain with the captives of the city, slaying his friends without question once they have reached their objective. If he chooses inaction in their time of need, what good is he? What value does he have in this existence?

Through his time in Hadriel, Carlisle hs found renewed purpose in the people he has come to care about. He refuses to let them down, to be the failure he has long believed himself to be, and so he sets out for Fear's temple, his satchel at his shoulder and his partner at his side. Though his hands shake with apprehension as he dips his brush in ink and begins to paint on the floor, he works swiftly and diligently. The glyph he draws around the entrance to the underground passage is similar to the one around his garden, but rather than shielding the area from the elements, its conjured walls are solid enough to block anyone and anything that would seek to cross through them. The same spell once protected him and Pratt from a demon; he now hopes it will shield his friends from an equally terrible threat as he pours his energy into the glyph, the glowing, translucent walls forming a dome over both him and the entrance to the passage.

The main problem is that the glyph will only hold for as long as he channels into it, and he knows that despite his metaphysical bond with Glacius and the abundance of energy it provides, he cannot hold it forever. As for how long he is willing to risk his life to maintain his barrier, he hasn't yet answered that. He's hoping he might not have to.


[PM me or hit me up at grimmhooke if you want anything specific! Otherwise, feel free to hit him up as he's setting up the barrier, when the barrier is already going and the Null are breaking in, or whatever. He can't maintain it forever, and is only going to buy the main Door Defenders so much time, so he is game for all the help he can get. o7]

lup l open

[restinglichface]

i. door defense - a dreamer with the fever to be great;

[It's the end of the world - again - and Lup's pretty fucking done with it.

The first time the Null came crashing into the city, the elf had spent most of the fight dancing around the battlefield with flame at her fingertips, dodging their attacks with a laugh, brushing off the very real danger in front of her and telling anyone who would listen it was all just fine.

- Until her brother ended up on the wrong side of a Null's jagged arm, the twisted metal pierced right through his front, impaling him completely. Nothing about that fight had felt just fine after that.

So this time around, Lup's carefree spirit isn't quite so obvious, her brows pinched in single-minded determination, ears perked up and her attention set to everywhere all at once. The woman's already made the promise that no one was going to go down this time around and she meant it wholeheartedly. She's going to do her damn best to keep the people she loves from getting taken out this time.

During most of the fight, she can be found near the Door, defending it with what magic of hers actually works against the Null, not even hesitating before throwing herself in front of an attacking automaton for someone nearby. This is the last chance they have to make this right and go home.]

ii. everywhere else - a finder with the fever for the fame;

[When things seem momentarily taken care of on team Door Defense, Lup's popping in all over the city to make sure her friends are safe in their own tasks. Thanks to her powers, it doesn't take much effort at all to open a portal and step out somewhere else, like Hope's Temple or deep in the jungle proper, just to see if her magical expertise might be needed elsewhere for the moment.

It doesn't matter what you're doing - preparing a trap for the Null, taking a much needed break, or already in mid-combat - there's the sound of a portal ripping open nearby and then a familiar blonde head popping out of it.]

This a bad time?

iii. wildcard;

[ooc: have an idea for a prompt or want me to start one closed to you? Just let me know! I'm happy to plot anything out, hmu over here meyggy]

Elena Fisher | Rage's Temple -> Hope's Temple

[storyseeker]

rage;

[Elena doesn't want to be here. None of them do, of course, but she'd rather be with her husband, her best friends—but while none of them are soldiers, they all understand something of duty, at least to each other, and ensuring that as many of them survive as possible is one way to achieve that. They can't all concentrate ni one face.

Guns strapped to her sides and fire in her hands, she gives a crooked nervous smile to whoever is here making a stand with her.]

Ready to light them up?

[And they do.]

hope;

[That was unpleasant.

Elena stumbles toward Hope's temple, head a little fuzzy after...how long has it been since they started fighting? A while, judging by the exhaustion she feels and the state of her clothes. Dirt, tears, and blood, all her own. She remembers...falling, at some point, and when she'd looked up again the temple had been damaged. It's a little unnerving to wonder how long she'd blacked out. It's a lot unnerving to think about why she'd been knocked out.

It's quiet now, and she's still alive. That should be good, right? As quickly as she can (which isn't as quick as it normally would be—she's still winded, and injured), she hurries to Hope's temple, her heart in her throat.]

Rey | Door Defense.

[circumitus]

[OOC: Prompts will be replied to this top level in their own comments. If you need to contact me for anything, hit me up on Discord, Plurk, or PM! I've also got a plotting comment here.]

taako | door defense | ota

[pocketspa]

i. [early; hours 1-10] when I watch the world burn / all I think about is you

[And here they are again. The apocalypse. Taako's getting pretty fucking tired of this, by this point.

Most people live through the end of the world maybe once, but Taako's lived through it over a hundred times, and this one's no different. It's an endurance test to the nines, a push that never stops, a grind that doesn't end. When the Null came in first he didn't think this was really any kind of ending; he's faced so much, what was a few fucking robots?

That changed pretty quickly when they ran him through and then murdered his boyfriend. So sure, maybe he's got a horse in this race, even if he'd be loathe to admit it.

The name of the game here, though, is to limit exposure, keep them on their toes, and count his slots damn carefully. When too many of them come forward, he'll bust something big with a burning wall of fire, wrapping it around and rerouting to others who can pick them off. If you look like you're in a bad spot, you might even find yourself shielded or a single attack blocked. But the most fun is probably when you may see a broken Null suddenly shudder to life on the ground, standing as Taako hollers from not far off.]

Hey! Don't hit that one! I've got it! This is gonna be some fantasy rock em sock em robots shit!

[Just because he's serious about this doesn't mean he isn't... well, exactly who he is here.]

ii. [later; hours 13-24] we'll stay offline so no one gets hurt / hiding from the real world

[Alright, fuck, this is terrible. Taako has to pull back and take breaks every once in a while, trying to regain his spell slots as much as possible through meditation and pure force of will. It's very rare he's seen with any kind of wear and tear, but the amount of concentration it takes to do magic, resist the Door's everything, and not freak out under the pressure of his own brain is too much for him to think about much else. So at some point, he can be found tucked just outside the Coliseum, only as far as he needs to be, tucked into a corner with his palms pressing into his eyes as he mutters under his breath.]

Fuck, fuck these stupid robots, how long does this shit have to go, just, it's fine, it's fine, it's fine...

[He does not seem very fine.]

iii. [wildcard] we'll be the proud remainers / here 'til the morning breaks us

[Wanna plot something else or a specific prompt?? Hit me up via PM or cancerously!]

closed; cw: death

[dedikated]

( Exhaustion can affect anyone. All it takes is one push too far, one day too many without enough sleep or food.

All it can take is a seemingly endless battle, wave after wave of Null adapting and forcing itself towards the Door, and the lingering, draining madness that emanates off the bouncing sphere in an attempt to defend itself and them. One second where the shadows lingering at the edges of Kate’s vision and the constant taste of blood (ohgodthetasteofblood metallic and warm and invading her throat until she has to force air into her lungs with a grimace) distracts her for just long enough that she doesn’t see the second Null step in too close, doesn’t notice the flash of the laser until it burns through flesh and muscle. )

— Shit.

( It’s such a dull reaction to the pain, so breathless and quiet among the echoing clash of Null versus the people of Hadriel, where spells curve and curl out in their limited space, lighting up the tunnel until — for just a moment — Kate feels twenty again, watching Faith light the Underground up while it collapses around them and Marc’s by her side, groaning with the effort of pushing the earth away long enough that all of them can escape the shuddering, rolling masses of the monsters beneath the city.

But this time the only thing collapsing is her as her knees buckle and each part of her body — her hands letting go of the makeshift weapon they’ve clutched for the last few hours, her head turning towards the place where the Null cut through her — works in slow motion, as though the pain (an oddly distant thing, given the fact a laser sliced through her, obscured by so many layers of fog and memories) has physical weight it attaches to her limbs.

Is she breathing? There’s a burning in her chest, fighting against an erratically stuttering heart, which suggests she is, but she’s not sure how it’s passing her constricting throat. There’s the muted sound of her body hitting the floor, a gentle thud which should sound louder, given the way it rattles in her shins, and the thought:

Sucks to die now.

Yes. Yes it does. )

hope's temple: running the gauntlet [closed to john sheppard]

[nonscriptum]

[ As soon as the Null rolled the cannons out, Nate knew they were screwed.

It isn't the first time he's had heavy ordinance aimed in his direction, and with the number of people they actually have at their disposal, he's aware that they're better off than most temples. It isn't out of love, or fondness, or even loyalty that Nate decided to protect Hope's tidy complex in the first place: it's that he's the only one of these assholes that can bring them back when or if they die, and that's a resource they'll probably need.

It's a rash decision, probably, to think that he of all people can hack something. That he of all people has the ability to get into a machine and figure out how it works. It's not his forte, no, and never will be, but Nate didn't spend all that goddamn time learning the Null language to not use it when it comes to something like this. If not now, when?

They're still behind the protective barrier for the time being. It won't last long. ]

Hey.

[ Aside, away from the dispersing group of people shifting positions, Nate goes to the only person he knows who might be able to handle the absolutely batshit plan he has. ]

I've got an idea, and I need your help.