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

[conqueress]

[ Dany is silent, watching in awe--but inwardly, she feels a tinge of fear. She will never be certain whether Drogo's wound festered from a befouled poultice, or whether the maegi had merely given him directions she knew he would disobey, but in the end, the result had been the same. She'd lost her sun-and-stars that night in the tent, just as she'd lost Rhaego the instant Ser Jorah had carried her writhing past the threshold.

But Sieglinde does not make blood offers to shadows. She does not ululate shrilly, nor does she dance. Her words are the offering, some deep measure of respect. And in her prayer, some goddess answers. Slowly, the pain fades: The weeping fluid crusts over, and dark pink skin grows around it, sealing it until she no longer feels the sting of air or sand.

When it is done, Dany holds her hands halfway to her face, turning them over in wonder. ]

You have my thanks. [ She offers a smile, enough to gentle her face. ] For returning my hands to me, for your truths. For your kindness. Unless ... [ she pauses, ] The price you paid for the spell--were your words the end of it?

[grunehexe]

[As the spell faded, Sieglinde sat back on her haunches in a pile of her voluminous skirts, taking a moment to blink away the aftermath of the magic, which drew from her own internal source of the stuff, transferred from her hands into the body of another.

But Daenerys smiled- and she was healed. Even if it had not been a life threatening wound... She had erased it. Done something good.]

The price is nothing you need concern yourself with.

[She says if to reassure, with an echoed slight turn up in the corners of her mouth, but as it hangs in the air Sieglinde realizes that it might sound dark in its vaguensss, hurrying to clarify.]

Whaf I mean to say is- the price is paid by me, not my patients. And it is not so heavy a thing... Merely my vitality. It returns to me after a rest, so you need not worry.

[If she healed many in a short time, she would perhaps at worst faint... Thankfully she had never pushed herself that far- though more than once she'd been forced to sleep for almost an entire day to recover.

But when what you did could literally pull people from the brink of death... What was your own energy?]

[conqueress]

[ It is not for myself that I worry, Dany wishes to protest, but Sieglinde answers the query for her. ]

A temporary blow to your constitution, but a blow all the same.

[ She sighs, sitting back in the cot she will soon abandon. The tent is swarming with people, and so long as more golems are roaming beyond the reach of the camp, Dany cannot afford to be idle. Gently, she raises the girl's hands and presses a kiss in thanks atop each one, heedless of any residue from poultices or otherwise that might linger in traces. ]

I'll not keep you from your work, but what you've done for me shall not be forgotten, [ she tells her, sweetly. ] Should you want for my protection in the future, you need only say the word.

[ She'll fly to the little witch, if she can. ]

[grunehexe]

[Sieglinde thought for a moment to chime in, to say yes, but only temporary, truly- In the end, though, she simply nodded. If the older woman was kind enough to feel such concern, she ought to accept it, and let that be that.

The kisses she was not expecting, and she stared somewhat wide-eyed at such a chivalrous display, almost blushing despite herself. Her protests died before they became word, and she simply accepted it, afraid to say anything to try and dissuade her. After all... It was quite gallant.

And as much as she hated to admit it... With her feet the way they were, she couldn't run away from things that presented a danger to her. She either had to face it... Or hope someone would come to her aid.]

I hope such a time will never come... But you have my thanks.

[Tried to send Daenerys off with a smile, even though outside of the tent was where danger still awaited.]

May your dragon carry you to victory.