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daybreakacademy2019-06-21 09:45 pm
thewatchers) wrote in daybreakacademy2019-06-21 09:45 pm
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HERALD OF NIGHT - XELVAK, MAGUS OF LIFE BEYOND DEATH
HERALD OF NIGHT - XELVAK, MAGUS OF LIFE BEYOND DEATH
Log Comm | Network Comm | OOC Comm | Navigation
Just before finals, a campus-wide meeting is called in the main hall. The High Seeress addresses the student body directly.
“As many of you blessed with Sight are no doubt aware, a presence of great evil is upon us. I have read the stars and signs, and they all point to impending doom. Soon, we shall face our greatest trial to date. And this is but the first.
We have confirmed the emergence of a Herald. The first, to be precise, and the first being that has the capability to bring about Nightfall. This is why we exist. For centuries, Daybreak has prepared, and now the time is upon us. With the blessed radiance, the flames you have nurtured throughout your time here shall bring forth a raging inferno, a cleansing flame that shall scour the Earth and purify it of this fell night.
The operation will begin on the 2nd of July. We have identified the first Herald as the ancient Lich Xelvak. Our records speak of him as a man obsessed with conquering life and death. He calls himself “The Magus of Life Beyond Death”, and we have every reason to believe he has achieved his goals to some measure of satisfaction. The Radiance will be critical in bringing him down.
Beginning on the 27th following prom, we will begin deploying all volunteers to the basecamp being assembled by UN forces near Perth, Australia. Information from the indigenous peoples living within the Gibson Desert, as well as our own Sight, have lead us to identifying the location we believe Xelvak will emerge. Evacuation of the locals is already underway, we are moving them to a lakeside encampment near Perth. Our hope is that they will be able to return once the operation and cleanup have concluded.”
The High Seeress’s tone makes clear that she doesn’t expect this will be the case.
“Although they are skeptical, the UN Supernatural Division has committed the largest joint forces yet to this operation.”
At those words she hesitates for a moment before squaring herself and continuing.
“Most of the soldiers in these forces will not live through the day. And if we fail, humanity itself will not long exceed them. The UN forces have invited us as ‘advisors’ and ‘observers’, and so it shall be our duty to pay witness to the last moments of the brave men and women who will be forced to lay down their lives for an operation against our advisement.
But that is but one of our duties. Our true duty is to destroy the Herald, and it is this task that we are well-equipped. I say truly that no student or faculty is required to take part in this operation. We teach you in hopes that you will bring us salvation, but we understand, acknowledge and respect that not all students will take up the sword. To face battle is a grave decision only to be made by those who are truly willing.
The operation will be split into three parts. Daybreak will hold a presence within the UN’s main control room and will support combat operations. The second will be the bulk of our forces, you will need to use your radiance to break through Xelvak’s magic and crush his twisted undead shell. Finally, a third group will be stationed in the Outlands and will sneak into the Deathspire, Xelvak’s tower and the place he houses his Phylactery. The Phylactery must be destroyed, lest he return.
This will be a dangerous operation. Our vision is closed to the results, and the future, our future, is uncertain. But even still, I have faith. We will make it through this night. We will live. We will fight on. Thank you.”
[From this point on, students may sign up for the operation by speaking to faculty. All students who take part will be subject to a full physical and psychological evaluation (you may post about it if you wish but it will otherwise be conducted off-screen) to ensure they are ready to join the fight. Faculty will simply need to volunteer and sign up.
This is the first official sign-up for the Herald plot. It is open to all players and characters.
Student/Grad Student Characters:
Please sign up for one of the three mission types with your character(s), Control Room, Infiltration, and Combat.
Faculty Characters:
You may either sign up for a single mission, or, if desired, make yourself available for multiple missions, in which case your character will be assigned based on numbers to balance the teams.
Initial sign-ups will close on the 25th, after which we will divide the mission into smaller groups based on the total sign-ups and assign Faculty to each group. From here, players may sign up for specific groups if they wish. The second sign-up round will close on the 29th, and all the characters who haven’t selected a group will be randomized based on their chosen mission.
NOTE FOR COMBAT: Characters are allowed to call in NPC contacts to assist them in the fight, as long as it makes sense and they are in small amounts. If you are unsure of suitability, please direct inquiries to this toplevel.
To sign up, fill out the below form and reply to the appropriate Mission Sign-Up thread.]
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You can do this... You can do this...
[She tries to cheer herself on quietly, but she's not exactly the best at it.]
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His ears picked up Desco trying to psyche herself up, and he quickly turned to face the young daemon, and then approach.]
Don't tell me you're already second-guessing yourself, lass. Just a couple of weeks ago you were positively brimming with enthusiasm.
[His tone isn't exactly critical, but he's wanting to remind her of what she came here for.]
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N-no! Of course not! Desco's STILL gonna beat the crap out of those daemons!
[...]
It's just...
[She deflates a little.]
...her progress is slower than she thought it would be. Do you have any advice for Desco, Prof. Valzy?
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Naturally, you will!
As for advice... sometimes progress is going to be slower than you'd like. These humans didn't build Rome in a day, and a daemon can't become an Overlord or a Final Boss overnight. Practice, training, and genuine effort are the most surefire ways. ...But that much you already know, I'm sure.
[His look grew more thoughtful, and he gave a nod before flicking his cape to the side.]
Do you have time for an additional training session or two between studies? We'll see if we can't find a good route to accelerate your growth before this big battle.
And there might be one more way...
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Desco has time! And if not, she can make time!
[Her determination is in full effect, but it kicks into overdrive after he mentions that last bit.]
What? What is it?! Tell Desco!
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[...Yes. He's serious. He's always serious.]
That will assuredly help you along with your... "powering up and level-grinding," that we can set you up with.
[That was the proper term, right? That's what the kids have been saying around video games lately.]
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[It definitely is the right terminology. Still, forgive her for not seeing that coming. She knows Valvatorez loves sardines, but this level of belief in their nutritional benefits sure is...something.]
So... Sardines are one of those "super foods" people keep talking about on TV?
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[And there's a dramatic flip to the side of his cape.]
It's how I maintain my strength after I stopped drinking human blood. And you're still growing. Imagine the good they could do for you, considering you're still a growing Boss.
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Well... Okay! Desco will try them. Should she buy them from a store or catch them fresh?
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[And boy, is he excited and enthusiastic about it.]
I do plenty of work here at the academy to raise and farm them as a food source. If you have a hard time finding what you need, do not be afraid to ask. I'd be happy to help provide you with some of the surplus.
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[Because of course he'd be raising them. Of course.
Either way, all this talking about sardines distracted her enough to forget something important.]
Ah! Wait! You mentioned something about additional training sessions. We should talk about that!
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[It'd almost slipped his mind entirely. Whoopsie.]
Anyway, the Mythril Cage offers quite a few services to budding warriors of all stripes, be the heroes or... future Final Bosses such as yourself. I can spend some time developing a combat course or two for you that should prove a challenge. If you don't mind a little danger, that is.
[The Cage was a safe environment, but no exercise was without risk. But he already knew the girl's answer.]
After a few runs, I might alter the course to better counter your strategies, and force you to conceive new ones. Thinking on your feet and being able to adapt to a wide variety of party compositions is vital to a Final Boss, and the experience should help power you up regardless.
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A little danger? Desco doesn't even mind a medium-sized amount of danger!
[What exactly that means is anyone's guess, but she at least says it confidently, so props for...that, I guess.
The prospect of a course built specifically for her is just about the best news she could have asked for. Slowly ideas start popping into her head about what kinds of challenges await her. Valvatorez is a daemon, after all, so it's got to be something really tough that'll help her out a lot.]
You are not wrong! A final boss is not just strong, but smart and cunning, too! They can take on a whole group of people and STILL stack the odds in their own favor! Still! To say those words with such confidence... Prof. Valzy, are you a final boss?!
[She's heard rumors that he was a pretty big deal back in the day. How much of a big deal is unfortunately lost on her.]
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Not exactly a Final Boss, but... it was a long time ago. Over 400 years now, actually. I once held the rank of "Tyrant" among daemonkind, back when I still drank human blood.
I believe that the kids these days would say that would have made me a Bonus Boss. ...Raid Boss? Not sure, the lexicon keeps changing all the time.
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