A City Falls: Start

[voidtreckermods]

Preparation

Just after light on the seventh day of the month of Bassoon everyone’s SCA glows with the colour of the void before showing a message. A briefing for the mission to come.

Anyone who goes to investigate the dressing carriage will find all the cupboards and drawers open. They may need to battle through spider webs but soon will find an array of clothes. Trousers, skirts, dresses, shirts, robes, cloaks. Everything they will need and plenty of choice. All the clothes have accents of team colours in more muted hues than the normal bold hoodies they wear.

A few hours later there is an announcement over the speakers. "Arrival to Planet #25768 imminent. Prepare for exit from Void. Drop order: Purple, Orange, Red, Blue. All passengers are to wear their Safety Control Apparatus and are reminded that emergency evacuation protocol is three short taps."

The train shudders and jerks. It is time.

Purple

"Purple Team to doors. Drop in two minutes. Purple team to doors."

The train flies down through the air before coming to a stop between two rocky outcrops. The doors hiss open, it’s a bit of a jump down to the ground and anyone who looks back will find the train hard to see. Not invisible but definitely cloaked, shifting to blend in with the rock.

They can hear the sound of many footsteps and the high sound of young voices. It is easy to hear where they need to be.

As they move down the rocky slope they will see the main pass. A large group of children are walking. Spirits are high even if it is clear they are on their guard. Older teens are wearing weapons, swords, the odd axe, a few daggers. Nothing expertly crafted but they all wear them with ease. Slightly younger children carry the very young, toddlers and those too young to walk and keep pace.

There’s a sound from in front of the group. From around the corner a girl, about thirteen years old, runs towards them. Her braids bounce against her shoulders, her eyes are wide with fear and she waves her hands at the others. “Run! Run!”

A shadow looms behind her, a winged wolf, gaining speed towards her. Sat on the wolf is a spear wielding goblin.

From all around them a growling of many more wolves, in the hills, close and ready to pounce.

Orange

Once Purple Team are gone the train flies again. "Orange Team to doors. Drop in two minutes. Orange Team to doors."

The train seems to be still concealed as it hovers at the city walls. There’s a bit of a jump onto the walls but at least they are near one of the staircases down into the city.

Also luckily no one seems to have seen them appearing out of no where though that has more to do with the general chaos rather than anything else!

There is a lot of chaos! People evacuating, animals everywhere, people looking lost and bewildered. Get herding or helping and encourage people up that cliff path!

Red

The train flies onward. "Red team to doors. Drop in two minutes. Red team to doors."

The train makes a slightly bumpy landing on a rocky slope. Scrambling up the slope red team will see a group of fighters, perhaps eighty in total. There are some supplies to the side, not yet allotted. Some horses and weapons. All the fighters are currently focused on a tall woman who is on horseback, facing them from the front.

“… Say those that stand here, as few as we may be were the ones who end the goblin menace on our lands for good. For our children and our families. We fight!”

The end of what was clearly a rousing speech, the fighters cheer. They begin to move over the slope, towards the goblin camp below. If you are joining this battle the time is now!

Blue

The train flies low, skimming over the lake. "Blue Team to doors. Drop in one minute. Blue Team to doors."

Jumping down off the train they will land in the shallows of the lake. It’s not deep enough to go over their boots and now too far to wade to shore. The shore is rocky, loose rocks and pools of water to avoid. The tower stands before them. Three goblins, riding wolves perch on the walls high above them. The sky above crackles with lightning that is not at all natural.

The doorway to the tower is open, there are a lot of stairs to get up. The howls of the wolves fill the air as the wizards fight them off above. Time to climb!

Comments

[faithfulson]

[ Preparation ]
Luke was riffling through the clothes they were offered to wear, but his mind was elsewhere, lingering on the dream he had a few nights before. Something was going to happen, he knew it, he felt it, and it was linked with this mission they were about to embark on. He could still hear the screams of children in his mind, and...

“Run! Run!” It’s all she has time for before a wolf, a winged wolf, rushes her from behind, a small, pale figure with white hair, red eyes and cruel fangs cuts her down.

He fought against the urge to shudder, squeezing his eyes shut, before focusing on what he was doing. Somehow, even through his distraction, he managed to pull together something resembling an outfit. He was still holding the last part of it: a black cape with deep purple trim. It got a small smile out of Luke, and he remembered the first time he had worn a cape, and how many people had called him "Mini Vader" for it to the point he had hated it. He had since gotten over it, of course -- he could appreciate the dramatic flair of a good cape.

He was just going to... casually forget that purple was historically a color reserved for royalty as he slipped it over his shoulders.

[ Purple ]
The moment he's called to drop, training kicks in.

Luke was first to launch out of the train, tucking and rolling to absorb the impact of landing, and then taking off as soon as he was back on his feet, following the sound of children he could just barely hear over the train.

He had to hurry. He had to get there first.

The Force was humming loudly in his head, reminding him of the little girl, reminding of how she died again and again. He called out to it, grabbing a rock that might have been too heavy for him to lift normally, but he was too preoccupied with getting there to give it much thought. He heard her shout, "Run! Run!" and he flung the rock without looking, but he didn't need to see where he was aiming. The Force had seered such a perfect image of what was about to happen in his head that he hit the attacking wolf before it and it's rider got anywhere near to ripping the little girl apart.

Luke rushed the rest of the way to the girl, wrapping her in his arms and pulling her back behind the line of armed kids, just as he heard the other wolves and goblins rising from the hills.

Purple

[dredefulchilde]

Hey, capes are handy. Joscelin is head to toe in mourning colors, all blacks and grays and muted purples. His cloak certainly adds dramatic emphasis to the whole affair, even if it's worn by someone barely four feet tall.

He's fast on Luke's heels when he spots Mr. Science Fiction lob a huge rock at the approaching horde (using...what? magic? the power of his mind?) and rushes a little girl out of harm's way. Good. At least he's handy in a fight. The boy grips his stolen knife all that tighter and rushes towards the morass of goblins and flying wolf things. As he passes--far faster than he should be capable of--it becomes evident that he's far more than a mere child. His face has become something twisted and demonic, all long fangs and red eyes. He sinks his knife into the chest of a goblin and then reaches up and rips its throat out with his teeth.

He disappears under a pile of goblins after that, only to reemerge a short while later, covered in blood that is not his own, shorn of his handy cloak and knife. "I could use one of those flying boulders of yours right about now, Skywalker!" he calls over to Luke.

[faithfulson]

Luke didn't even give the fact that Joss was doing something that was not at all what a young boy should be doing. There were plenty of non-human and human-like creatures in his galaxy; suddenly seeing someone that was human-like bear fangs was hardly something to write home about.

He made sure the little girl was okay, before turning his focus back to Joss, an absent part of him wondering what kind of person just dives into a group of enemies without stars new how many pounds of durasteel to back them up. He shook his head, but instead of going for a boulder (had it really be a boulder?), he reached his hand out for a dropped sword, the blade flinging itself to his hand just in time for him to decapitate the nearest goblin.

It wasn't neat though, not like it would be if he had used his lightsaber, safely tucked away in a pocket, and he flinched as he was hit with blood spray as the creature's body dropped.

[dredefulchilde]

The essentially immortal kind of person. That's who, Luke.

Joss guts a flying wolf with a stolen sword before throwing its rider bodily back into the fray. Augh. (And he thought it smelled bad on the outside.) He turns his head in time to see Luke perform another violent magic trick.

"So are you a witch as well as a science fiction star fighter, Skywalker? Nice magic."

[faithfulson]

"I guess some people could think of it like magic," Luke replied, before letting his conscious mind drift into the Force. He felt, more than saw, a wolf coming toward him, and a quick swipe of his purloined sword made short work of the creatures wings, sending it crashing unceremoniously into a goblin.

"Stay focused; we'll talk powers later."

[dredefulchilde]

Some time later--Joscelin isn't certain how long, given the chaos of battle--the onslaught slows. Joss is recovering from the crossbow bolts he'd taken and still feels quite weak and ill, though his body no longer shows any signs of the devastating injuries. There isn't a mark on him.

Blinking back the spots that occasionally dance across his vision, he makes his way over to Skywalker.

"May we talk powers now?" He smiles, showing off his fangs. "You smell human enough, but I've not seen that kind of magic before."

[faithfulson]

Luke was in much better shape, largely because he hadn't thrown himself into the bloody fray. His concern is obvious when he looks down at Joscelin, but he doesn't say as much. He had a feeling that his concern wouldn't be much appreciated.

"I guess to some it's seen as magic," he answered softly, so as not to alarm any of the native younglings. "I haven't seen enough 'magic' to determine if the Force is different or not."

[voidtreckernpcs]

Nina had thought she was going to die. Until that moment this had been a slightly scary adventure. Like every wet season going to the caves, they were never in any danger there. The older ones protected the younger ones and they camped out until one of the adults came to collect them.

This was the first year she was deemed old enough to be a scout. Searching ahead, reporting back. A step between a little kid and one of the teens who protected them.

Then she had seen them. Goblins, wolves. More than she had ever seen in her life and she was running, shouting. But she wasn't fast enough. Everyone knew you couldn't outrun a wolf. Fear boiled over and she opened her mouth to scream but then it was over.

A huge rock squashed the goblin and she was grabbed. Not by one of the kids but a man. A stranger. She stared at her rescuer with big eyes and barely whispered out a thank you before the wolves attacked.

[faithfulson]

Luke didn't have time to assure her everything would be okay; he could sense the danger long before the first wolf lunged to attack. He didn't have time to even set her down, so he held her tight against him, murmuring for her to hold onto him before he raised a hand.

Trying to mass influence the minds of animals was a little beyond him, not to mention on a mass scale like this, and he wasn't sure if he could attempt to grab and throw a rock again. So he did the only thing he could think to do: gather the Force around him and the huddled kids and push outward as hard as he could.

[voidtreckernpcs]

She did as she was told, clinging on tight as he pushed out at the wolves with magic. He wasn't one of the wizards, not one of the six yet magic is the only explanation for the way he sends the wolves flying backwards.

There are others, she sees them now. Other adults, and a couple of other kids who have swooped in to fight the goblins. Where have they come from?

The wolves recovered quickly but so had the other children, the older ones sprang into action now they weren't taken by surprise.

"I can stand, sir. If you need both hands to fight."

[faithfulson]

Luke nodded at that, retreating a little farther from the front line and kneeling down so she could drop to the ground.

"Stay safe, okay," he encouraged her softly. "I promise this will be over soon."

[voidtreckernpcs]

"I will." She found a smile, "Thank you."

She retreated to nearer the other children, instantly bending down to pick up one of the smaller children and soothe them. She watched the battle with wide eyes, tracking her saviour, She had no idea where they had come from but she knew they owed them.

/slinks in here so very late [preparation]

[stealsyourheart]

"You ok there roomie?" Kaito's also found himself a bit of a cape - a bit too showy, but the showman in him can't resist.

"Looking sharp!"

[faithfulson]

Luke let out a faint noise at the familiar voice, looking up and offering Kaito a faint smile.

"Thanks," he replied sheepishly. "You too."

[stealsyourheart]

He grins back and swishes his cape.

"I love capes. Great for my magic shows." He confides. "All the swooshing is great for someone doing sleight of hand."

[faithfulson]

"Ah... let me guess, to distract the viewer?" he asked.

[stealsyourheart]

"Yep." He swishes again. "That, and don't you think they just look cool?"