GRIMM TIDINGS

[thewatchers]

GRIMM TIDINGS

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On the morning of the 27th, the campus is put on high alert. Students and staff alike wake to announcements calling willing volunteers to report to the Anvil of Hadur to be geared appropriately or to have their equipment checked, or else warned to stay within the dorms or other secured buildings on campus to avoid being caught in the fighting.

Those who are sensitive to such things can feel an unsettling presence begin to enroach; monsters that feel little except malice and an urge for destruction, hungering for life.

The Grimm are almost here.


A. DIRECT COMBAT
Students and staff eager to get into the fray are assigned the task of splintering the Grimm forces into more manageable chunks as they approach the Academy and swarm onto its grounds, assisted by Daybreak’s on-campus forces and other allies brought in for the fight. The goal, if any, is twofold - first, to divide and conquer, forcing large groups of Grimm apart into wards where they can be more easily whittled down and neutralized, and second, to keep them as far from the classrooms and dormitories as possible.

B. TOWER DEFENSE
To aid in the defense of the Academy, those who are less able to greet the enemy directly have been granted temporary and supervised access to some of Daybreak’s ranged defense systems. They’re a mix of more traditional magic and advanced technology; runic sniper rifles and enchanted grenade launchers sit side by side with staves and wands made for the purpose of long-range casting and activation of wards.

For the more daring, the gargoyles that commonly sit docile on the Academy’s rooftops are being summoned to service as mobile cannon platforms - magically-reinforced stone creatures able to leap or fly high above the battlefield to target groups of Grimm with arcane cannon blasts and to engage targets in the air. They vary in size - some can only bear a single rider safely, while others can support entire groups. All prioritize the safety of their riders above their own structural integrity.

C. TITAN-KILLING
Among the mass of shadowy forces, one in particular stands out. Towering above the rest of the small army, the Leviathan will initially stand and watch the battle going on, ignoring any attacks - but once it catches sight of its four targets, it refuses to be diverted from its course. Able to move faster and more fluidly across large distances than its bulk would suggest, the Leviathan’s major advantage is in brute strength and size, and its fearsome ability to breathe torrents of electric fire.

However, it’s little more than an exceptionally oversized beast, in the end, and unlike a normal animal, it harbors very little in the way of survival instincts. Though it won’t sit and take any attempts to kill it, it has a tendency to ignore anything that’s not its mission, and therein lies a weakness that can be exploited.

D AFTERMATH
The army of Grimm has been successfully repelled or recalled, likely looking quite a bit worse for wear than when they first arrived. Now is the time for wound care, clean up, and a well-earned rest after such hard work.

E WILDCARD
For anything else, on or off the battlefield, that doesn’t fit in with any of the above prompts.

code bases by tricklet

Comments

[fireindreams]

[Grimm returns the bow with one of his own and a wide smile.]

It is a pleasure to meet to meet you as well Aloisia. And yes, I am. I assume you are speaking of Ekkehardt, correct?

[There could only really be one person but Ekkehardt does not often speak of his family. That was his choice - Grimm didn't speak much of his own family either, for other reasons - so Grimm does not mind not knowing House Gehring that well.

Still, it is always nice to meet a part of a dear friend's family.]

[ironspear]

That's right! I heard he got himself into a little trouble, so I came up here to help while he's recovering.

[ She gestures without looking behind her. A smaller Grimm pushing itself up disintegrates in an explosion in the distance. ]

I don't have his skills as a healer, but I figured I could lessen the work on the infirmary if I was more proactive on the battlefield, you know?

[fireindreams]

[Grimm's eyes immediately light up in delight at the display of power - he always has found joy and admiration in seeing others display what they are capable of - but it is short-lived for once at Aloisia's mention of the "trouble" Ekkehardt was in.]

It certainly appears you have an done an excellent job of that. [A pause.] I apologize if it seems I am digging into matters best left alone, but will Ekkehardt be well after this? I have heard...quite a number of things happened.

[To say the least. But it is coming from a place of worry - one does not generally take the news that a dear friend blew himself up well, no matter the reason why he chose to do so.]

[ironspear]

[ She waves a hand. She's clearly not bothered by him asking. ]

It's mostly the time that's inconvenient for him. He used up all his magic doing something like that, so he needs to pull himself back together and regenerate.

But he'll be just fine. A little sore for a day or two, but nothing more than that. The reconstitution spell is really good - and it helps that there isn't much to reconstitute anyway.

[ If it was a full flesh and blood body, sure, that would be more complicated. But just bones is somewhat easier. ]

[fireindreams]

[Grimm nods along at Aloisia's explanation. It does make sense that such an explosion of magic would take time to come back from.

But-]

...may I ask what you mean there is not much to reconstruct?

[Ekkehardt was human, was he not? He has known humans who could regenerate but it took quite a bit of time because of what had to be remade. But for it to be stated there isn't much to reconstruct...]

[ironspear]

Oh, it's a little bit of a secret. He doesn't talk about it, but I think he trusts you enough that he'd be fine with you knowing!

He's dead. Just bones underneath - the rest is a glamour. He takes it very seriously.

[ So...human, technically yes. ]

[fireindreams]

[Out of all the things she could have said, that was the last thing he expected. It throws Grimm off and it shows in the fact that the vampire does not respond immediately.]

He's...how...no, when did it happen?

[It would be a lie to say he changed his mind suddenly asking how to when. But that part is Ekkehardt's business and Ekkehardt's choice to tell Grimm. So 'when'. It could not have not been old age, so...?]

[ironspear]

Sixteen - no, more like seventeen years ago now. It's been a while.

[ Her voice is sympathetic, gentle. Ekkehardt is comparatively young for a lich, and his path has taken him in a very different direction. He doesn't particularly struggle with his own situation any more, but it's always a shock for people who knew him before. ]

It wouldn't be right for me to say more. You'd have to ask him about it when he comes back, for anything else.

[fireindreams]

[Seventeen years ago. Perhaps it was due to Grimm's own age but it feels cruel that it was cut short, even if Ekkehardt still lived on. People die but it still stings regardless.]

I understand. Thank you for telling me this much.

[He bows a little more somberly. It's something to think about later on, once this mess has been cleaned up.]

But perhaps before that we should make certain there is something for him to come back to. He worries quite a bit and this is certainly worrisome.

[Grimm has a lot of questions for whoever attacked the school. Among other, admittedly petty things.]