The Will to Fight: Ongoing: Orange

[voidtreckermods]

The Towertop

Hopefully by the ninth day those exploring the towers will have found their way up and through the final puzzle in the tower of their choosing.

Once they enter the top-most floor they will for a moment see a domed chamber of smooth, solid stone. There are four arched frames carved on the wall where windows would be, except they are each filled with stone with a raised metalwork sigil. Sat slumped opposite each 'window' is a robed person, still and silent.

All of this only for a moment before they find themselves somewhere else. Somewhere they long to be. It might be their home, it might be a beautiful forest, a meadow, or the seaside. It might be the streets of a familiar city. Wherever it is is different for whoever is seeing it, deeply personal to them. The sigils are here too, perhaps carved on a building or a tree or even hanging suspended in the air. The spaces are devoid of people, except for the four monks, each bound with shadowy chains.

For those able to sense spiritual energy: it is clear that the sigils are very low on energy, close to their power flickering out entirely. Spiritual or magical energy sent into these sigils will make them glow and eventually hum with power.

For those who try to affect the chains: it seems the chains can be attacked, though doing so appears to bring pain to the monks bound inside. They will need to work quickly and efficiently to break them and do as little harm to the monks as possible.

However, why would they want to? This is a peaceful place they have ended up, a place they know and love. Surely it's best just to sit and rest. Any Voidtreckers who are immune to mind-influencing effects will not see the illusion or feel the compulsion. The compulsion is easier to shake than the illusion, they just need to keep focussed on the task at hand or have a non-affected friend close to hand to shake them out of it. However for those that do succumb to it, they will find shadowy chains begin to take hold of them, making the urge to give in harder to fight off.

The Will to Fight: Ongoing: Blue

[voidtreckermods]

So Far

It's been a hard few days of cajoling the citizens of the Shining City into and through the catacombs. Many still talk about returning to the comforts of the city, scoffing at the idea of danger. But slowly, as they get further away from the city, more and more of them break out of the illusion. Though some remain lost in the illusion still, the majority are clear-minded by Kazoo 9.

Their mission changes from hurrying stubborn people along to comforting them as the truth dawns on them. The atmosphere becomes more desperate, more angry. More driven.

A plan is offered by the citizens: there is a cavern marked on their maps that opens up to the surface. It can be used as a base whilst any that feel able can go out to join the fight against the demons.

New Allies

Not long after breaking camp on the ninth day of the month of Kazoo they reach the cavern. However, it is clear straight away that something is wrong. The cavern is dark with no exits to be seen, and the Voidtreckers will quickly learn they are not alone. There's a small camp in the cavern, all humans, and after a tense moment they will welcome the citizens and their escorts.

Their story is simple: they were outside the city fighting when they got overwhelmed; they took shelter in the cavern but a gate opened nearby on the surface and caused a cave in. None of the scouts they had sent through the tunnels to the city have returned. Their food is running out and they were on the verge of heading to the city regardless of what they might find there when the Voidtreckers arrived.

Breaking Free

The cave-in is a large one, several metres thick at its weakest and blocking the exit to the outside completely. Those trapped here have made some progress but it's going to take a lot of hands, and potentially some magical help, to clear the blockages.

If they can clear it though, it will mean those who can fight, both citizen and Voidtrecker can begin to head back towards the city to fight, without having to re-enter the range of the illusionary Shining City.

The cavern makes a good staging point, and a secure place for those who cannot fight. Even with the blockage clear it is easy to defend, and holds the same sanctified protections as the tunnels themselves.

The Will to Fight: Ongoing: Red and Purple

[voidtreckermods]

Dawn Attack

It's been a busy few days of fighting demons, attacking keystones and fighting both on the demon and human planes. On the morning of day nine of the month of Kazoo a gate opens close to the base camp that the two teams have made.

It seems the demons have decided to focus on this unexpected threat, because it is a sizable force, with a number of the large demons. They march towards the camp with single-minded focus, the opportunity to stop these unwanted defenders taking precedence over their desire to destroy the city.

The advantage to the landscape being as ruined as it is, is that there isn't much to stop the lookouts from seeing this force headed towards them. A gate opening is not subtle. There should be enough time to make sure the defenders are ready.

Scouting Ahead

Once that skirmish is won those on the Red team will find their SCA's beeping, with an exclamation point far out to the east.

A group of demons is congregating at the location indicated. Investigate why, defeat the demons and close any gates nearby.

It will take a while to get there and there is plenty to do on the way for those that follow the exclamation point. Roaming packs of demons, gates to be closed. Exhausting work, especially for those going in and out of the demon gates.

Protecting the City

Once it is clear that these defenders are not going to be easy to wipe out, the attacks on the city itself get more frequent. The demons have changed tactics: rather than sending in large groups they open many small portals, sending small strike teams to harry and target individuals.

Some of the attacks are clearly meant as traps: they open the gates in or very close to the city, to lure the Voidtreckers in to where they will be affected by the spell. Ranged attacks may be useful here.