EVENT ★ POKAREKARE ANA

[futurologists]

NALANNI Now as weak as any mortal, Nalanni only needs one person to dispatch her. Though Jason has been selected for the sad deed, it would be smart not to let him go it alone. Once Nalanni ceases to be, the ground quakes and roils. The planet's rock and earth can feel the loss of its mother, and with Ryba still living, the power imbalance throws the world into turmoil. Monsters stream forth from the cave Nalanni had been held on the risen Dakal island. But unlike before, when Pomarr blew through the side of Nalalona and left lava creatures in her wake, these monsters are made of stone. And they are gigantic. Ranging from five to nine meters (roughly 16-30 feet), the stone golems are slow-moving but powerful, capable of crushing anything in their path with their feet or powerful fists. The golems cannot be spoken to or reasoned with; all they feel is the loss of their mother and the vacuum of power she has left behind. Their mindless anger makes them easily distracted, so teamwork is the best way to keep them at bay. Roughly formed of rock and hardened mud, they are weak to water. Luckily, halfway through the day, a light rain begins to fall. The golems will continue to come forth from the earth until Ryba is defeated. Upon her death, they will simply collapse into inert piles of stone. RYBA THE DEVOURING ONE Pomarr stays true to her word and draws the sea goddess to the shore of the deserted island that once housed the Dakal. Without comment, Pomarr turns and steps into an ALASTAIR rift, leaving your team to its business. Ryba is impossibly large, a mass of twisting, searching tentacles with no discernible body. She is especially weak to electrical attacks, but can otherwise be defeated by simply wearing her down with brute force. Now that you've got your collective powers back, it should be a piece of cake. Right? ATTACKS: TENTACLES. Ryba's initial attack is waving her massive, numerous tentacles around to try and keep combatants at bay. Despite their size, they are surprisingly quick -- capable of snapping at anyone who dares get too close, whiplike, or simply crushing those who stay still for too long. Her tentacles are seemingly endless, impossible to count, and move about in a nearly hypnotic way. THE STORM. After enough damage has been dealt, Ryba will grow more desperate and begin to use her connections to the sea itself. Though the battle is near the shore, sudden winds whip at the recruits, pulling them away from the shallows. Drowning becomes a real danger: the waves are high and fast, and intensely swirling waterspouts crisscross with intent to sweep recruits up, scrambling them. SHARKNADO. Ryba's last-ditch effort calls upon the creatures of the sea as well as the wind and waves. She creates a swirling vortex with her massive body in the center in attempts to shield herself from attacks. But that's not all -- spinning around her at high speeds with the vortex are sharks. A lot of sharks. And they are all angry. If characters attempt to speak with Ryba through the battle, she will respond in a calm, dark voice throughout: she has nothing to say to the invaders who would dare take her from the peace of her trench, except that they must destroy her or she will kill them all herself, before the world crumbles to nothing. Once Ryba is defeated, her massive body will simply cease moving. Goddess or not, it seems her form is as physical as any other creature of the sea. ISLANDERS During the day-long battle, characters who choose not to fight are advised to stay behind with the Nalawi to keep them safe. Though the battle rages far to the west, on the once-sunken island of the Dakal, the storms may travel to the westernmost edges of the Nalawi islands. Recruits may attempt to temporarily evacuate the westernmost Nalawi, though there may be considerable resistance. After the battle, the Nalawi can instantly tell that their goddess is gone for good. Where there was once confusion and desperation in the face of Nalanni's disappearance, there is now only sorrow and directionlessness. All recruits are invited to return to Komo, the first island at the start of the mission, for a somber memorial for Nalanni: the Nalawi don't blame the recruits for what has happened, and only expect them to join in their grief. For the rest of the time on Nalawi, characters may spend their time as they wish. The locals will need help learning how to cope without their Gifts and how to live without the goddess on whom they had come to rely. They will need help learning all sorts of trades, from fishing to pottery to plumbing, so characters who have knowledge in the mundane will have their time to shine. But the Timeline is always in need of tending, so recruits can't stay here forever. Say your goodbyes, because soon a rift will open and you'll be headed back to Oska. OOC INFO Mods will not be NPCing the Ryba encounter, so you are free to NPC her attacks yourself. Please remember that defeating her is a group effort; no one person will have the "killing blow." The battle against Ryba will take one full day. After she is defeated, recruits will have 13 days to say goodbye to the Nalawi before departing for Oska. If characters wish to temporarily stay behind in Nalawi, see here for details.

Comments

[ex_adept136]

[He paused again, a short distance away. With Nalanni gone, his senses were back in full, and he could gauge the distance of the golem well enough by the sound of its advancing steps. The sand did little to insulate against something of such great size, and the terrain continued to shudder with every step the stone creature took.

Despite its size, it was quite slow. That would probably be to his advantage.

For now, it allowed him the time to turn and face her again]

I'm not sure if I could keep your familiar safe.

[That was his concern, because he didn't know what Isengrim could withstand. When dealing with something that massive, he was sure that it could strike hard if it did land a blow. Could Sieglinde's familiar recover from something like that, if it came to it?]

[grunehexe]

[As the golem took more slow, determined steps towards their encampment, Sieglinde shakily grabbed hold of her familiar, clutching his collar not just because she was trying to get the beast to heed her, but because the tremors in the sand threatened to send her to a knee or toppling onto her rear.]

Isengrim is far faster and stronger than I!

[It certainly did look it, corded muscle hidden slightly by thick fur, most of its head merely ivory skull, some sort of pinprick of light deep in the dark eye sockets serving as eyes, teeth and claws sharp and exposed. Teeth and claws would do little against stone... But she doubted at this point she could keep him from the fight even if she wanted to, already feeling him strain against the collar she was holding. Switched hands to the fur just at the line of its skull, tugging insistently for attention.]

Just distract it- Do not let it hit you-

[But if she had any other instructions for the creature it wasn't going to hear them, because the next tremor sent it wresting from her grip and shooting towards the approaching golem like a horse out the gate, howling in a way that called goose pimples to her flesh, shooting Haise a somewhat shocked expression. It was her own familiar, but... She'd never heard him make a sound like that.]

... Be careful.

[Wait, had she said that before...]

[ex_adept136]

[It seemed that regardless of any debate they may have had, Sieglinde's familiar had made a decision. When it tore away from her and bolted toward the golem, there wasn't much point in debating any further. He bit his lip as he watched its form dart in the direction he was bound to go, unable to fend off the thought that perhaps it was going to get injured, and unsure what such a creature would need in terms of medical aid.

But he supposed he'd have to look out for it as best he could, while dealing with the golem. He'd supported his squad in that manner before, when they were still learning how to fight as a team. The difference was that he'd known their capabilities back then.

He turned his attention back to Sieglinde, grey eyes distant for a brief moment. It really was a strange feeling, having someone worried about his well-being like this. So different from being told to tackle a powerful enemy alone, because it was dangerous. Because that's what he was there for. Having someone concerned for him was both touching and frightening, in some regards]

Please don't worry on my account.

[Haise said it, though he doubted the words would dispel the look on her face. He started to turn to engage the golem at last, but he paused, tugged an opalescent, egg-shaped stone from his pocket, and offered it to her. It was the gift Nalanni had given him, a stone that filled one's whole body with warmth just by holding it]

Could you hold onto this for me? I wouldn't want it to get damaged.

[grunehexe]

[Isengrim was fast. The canine tore over the sand, jaws open, and began to dance about the golem's legs- so perhaps he had listened, moving to trip the thing up rather than futile attempts at claws and teeth against stone and mud.

Worry was almost second nature to Sieglinde- not just to her, perhaps it was simply something that came with all healers. The expression wouldn't be changing any time soon... but she did look at Haise properly when he spoke, holding out her hand to accept the stone, marveling briefly at the warmth.]

- of course.

[Swallowed a bit, locking her knees to try and and stay upright, fingers curling around the stone with a nod before she tapped her sternum.]

... they have a sort of... concentrated core, right here.

[Something potentially useful to aim for, if the magical sight she'd been honing under Rin's teaching was any good.]

[ex_adept136]

[Knowing a weak point was often essential, and Haise could imagine that this would make a big difference where the enemy was so enormous. In the case of ghouls, their kakuhou were vital to locate, though that often had more to do with the CCG's tendency to harvest them rather than taking advantage of a weak spot.

Against a towering monster wrought of stone, any weakness could prove vital information]

Thank you, Sieglnde. I'll put that information to good use.

[First, he'd have to ground the thing. After that it would be an easy enough matter to target a weak spot, as it would become far more accessible]

We'll see you soon, then.

[And with that said, he turned to start off after Isengrim. He couldn't leave Sieglinde's familiar to do all the work]