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

[lionheart]

[If it was possible to turn warmer even under the sun, he did. Magnus's hand was a heavy weight on his, but this time it wasn't a touch he had to pull away from. (He pretended he didn't have to remind himself he didn't need to jerk away.)]

Me too. All I've done is waste arrows. [His hand is still there. Far too long to be a simple touch between friends. It was. Okay. He was the same person, he just wasn't... Hiding.

As much. Working on it. He was working on it.]

Me? Um. I don't know -- I don't think so. I'm okay. [Already he was getting tongue-tied, his eyes drifting back down to their hands, his thoughts reminding him over and over that this was real, that Magnus wanted to sit with him and talk and hold his hand. It want something he was dreaming up.

Being stuck here, with ALASTAIR, maybe it wasn't a surprise everything felt a little unreal.] Um. Maybe -- maybe one thing? I don't need it, but I -- if you don't mind.

[He forgot to ask if Magnus did, in fact, mind. He leaned in and let his eyes slip closed, offering the part of his lips for a kiss. He meant to offer. He misjudged the distance, his heart hammering, and pressed his mouth to Magnus's.]

[warlocks]

[Like always, Alec's inability to find his words was endearing. Magnus's smile grew fonder, and he was patient, not interrupting as he let Alec's tongue untangle itself.

Except it never did. Instead, Alec gave up and leaned in and then he was kissing him. Magnus parted his lips for him, startled but falling into it easily as always. He closed his eyes. (He was also counting the number of times Alec kissed him.)

When he pulled back, his gaze was soft. His fingers curled gently around Alec's hand. Was it selfish to enjoy being here when Alec was with him? He knew Alec had people important to him, people he wanted to be with, but Magnus -- Magnus truthfully did not, at least not in the way that mortals would miss someone. Catarina would always be there. So would Raphael or Tessa or many of his warlocks. Time spent with or apart from friends when you were all immortal registered differently.]

I definitely don't mind that.

[lionheart]

[Even the waters appeared to quiet when they kissed; or, more likely, the sound was overcome by the roaring in his head, the rapid, desperate beat of his heart against his temples, the same thing that happened whenever he was near Magnus, let alone kissing him. He was still so hesitant, afraid that at some moment he might reach for Magnus and be unwanted, especially when he was so damn new at this, like he might say the wrong thing and screw it all up.

But he hadn't yet. When they parted, it still looked like he was right. Magnus was smiling, holding onto him. It was the first time Alec realized he thought this might really work. There might be something here, between the two of them. It didn't matter what Magnus had a reputation for; his parents had mentioned some things, but no one had thought to bring up how gentle he could sometimes be, or how dangerous, or how quickly he could flip between both in times of danger.

Or even something as stupid as how he'd make ice cream out of magic just to see someone smile. (How was it Lydia had understood him better than anyone?)] Oh. That -- [He cleared his throat, but he couldn't get rid of his smile.] Good.

[Because I like doing it.] Do you need anything, either? Something I can do?

[warlocks]

[If there was anything better than a kiss, it was Alec smiling afterwards. He reached up to tuck back a lock of Alec's hair, damp from the humidity and sweat but still an adorable mess piled on his head. He hoped Alec never did learn what a comb was. He much preferred it like this.]

Well... [He leaned in, as if conspiring.] You could do that again.

[He didn't wait for a yes, tugging Alec in for another kiss, not quite as long this time but still more than enough to send his veins buzzing. If there was a battle raging somewhere on the other coast, he wasn't paying attention anymore. It might as well be happening on another planet.]

But in all seriousness, I could use your help once we're home to test some portals. To be honest, the chances of it working are low. [He chewed his lip, a brief flicker of annoyance crossing his face.] I've met people I imagine to be more powerful than I am and they're still trapped here. And opening portals between dimensions isn't exactly child's play on the best day. But I want to try.

[lionheart]

[That was -- that was a really good answer. Magnus didn't give him much choice, but he wasn't complaining about that. His eyes fluttered shut, trying, if not outright demanding, to get his heart to settle.

It wasn't working. And for a moment, he didn't have to think about dying gods or the inevitable next mission.

Unlike Magnus, he couldn't recover very well once it ended. He blinked sleepily, licking his lips.] Huh? [Words came back. Portals. Yes.] I'll help. Of course. [He had no idea how he could even help, but if Magnus thought he could, who was he to turn him down?] We have to try. I -- we need to get back.