saturations | Week 6 cyoa: hei, jiuqing, vin, and kashuu

GUIDE US, O' MIGHTY FURY.
ONLY JUSTICE, ONLY VENGEANCE.

[ First... You hear a voice. To many of you, it's familiar, but you can't seem to put your finger on it. It narrates a line with a voice devoid of emotion, disconnected.

"For a millennia, they have been at war..."

When you and another open your eyes, these greet you: the scent of gunpowder and the wild shrieks that knife through the cold, white pall. Snow, mist, a tundra that obscures beyond. The screams are very, what some of you may call, human... Raw and filled with terror and rage. As you turn here and there, you will see flames coming from the sky, torching the camp that welcomes your wake. There are burning tents, cannons overturned, and a large frozen crystal at the center. The few living people here, ironclad in chainmail, have long and pointed ears. There are some that are not, more similar to "human" in every right. Still, the matter is that there are few alive. Wielding their weapons, survivors try to defend their fewer injured.

Lower on the soft blanket of snow, you see a myriad of corpses, some blackened to the brink of ashes, others more fortunate with only half of their body scorched. Those not burned by the seven hells have their bodies torn and soaked in blood, painting the beautiful white expanse with a deep crimson.

And yet something else catches you eye in the chaos. Most noticeable are the insignia on their shields, scattered or held, and the emblem embroidered on the singed banner overhead.

For some of you who may have received memories from Estinien or Aymeric, of their homeland in the cold, these insignias may be familiar. Not that you and another are afforded extra time to digest this all. The camp is being attacked, if we want to remember the fire raining down? Above in the heavens, you will see a horde of dragons. Around on ground-floor, you will see dragons. Dragons, dragons, dragons. The dragons make quick work of one, two...

You must do something, whether to save who's left or to save yourselves. ]

YET EVER DO OUR ACHING SOULS POINT HEAVENSWARD.
EVER RINGS OUT OUR SONG.

[ First... You hear a voice. To many of you, it's familiar, but you can't seem to put your finger on it. It narrates a line with a voice devoid of emotion, disconnected.

"Even when one sought peace, they would stir conflict... Man's wont is ever violence."

When you and another wake, you find yourself in the middle of a tundra. A flurry of snow opposes you, pushing you back, but it is tolerable—for those who are used to the cold. As you look around, you find nothing... It is simply a blurry white expanse with monsters, slopes, and cliffs within your immediate peripheral, but much must be journeyed. However, when you look to your right, you see a frosted surface unlike the snow that slowly embraces your ankles.

It's a river, frozen.

In the distance, you hear the sound of footsteps. What shall be done? ]

Edited 2022-03-28 22:36 (UTC)

CHILDREN OF THE LAND, ANSWER THIS.
TELL ME WHY BREAK TRUST, WHY TURN THE PAST TO DUST.

[ Su Jiuqing has chosen to go to Dravania to talk to the dragons with Ysayle! With Ysayle's followers, they travel through Coerthas until they reach the gates. It's... Stark how different Dravania is to Coerthas. It's plentiful of mossy green, rather humid as well because it seems to be near a volcano? The fauna here are colorful, too, instead of the pale swatches of grey to steel blue of Coerthas. Anyway, there are many trees hovering above them, seemingly ancient in age, and they continue on until they reach three towers that spiral to the heavens.

"This is Anyx Trine," Ysayle says.

Already, Jiuqing will see dragons flying about in the skies near this tower, then also perched on peaks and stone sills. This is where Ysayle raises a hand, dismissing her followers to wait outside. This pilgrimage is one she wants to take on her own, for their cause, and Jiuqing is allowed because she has her own purpose. Into the tower, they're met by...

Little dragonets. They swarm the two of them, flying circles around.

"Children of man? Here? Why?" ]

SEAS OF BLOOD ARE A SONG
AND DEATH AN AFTERTHOUGHT.

[ Kashuu and Vin decided to go to Ishgard! As they walk through, they're met with the black chocobo stables nearby with people tending to them and steps ahead. What they will see is the city, though not in full, for this is only one layer of Ishgard, Foundation. It is lightly slowly, not as cold, either. Still, it's a bit chilly, but people walk around in their fur coats and long dresses with leisure. It's almost hard to notice that this is a time of war, but the knights that stand ever still with their shields propped on the ground tell otherwise.

Vin, with her map, will know where to go! But it depends on where they want to go first. Based on what I remember them talking about, these are the locations of their interest:

The Congregation of Our Knights Most Heavenly
The Jewel Crozier (markets)
Aetheryte

Markets and Aetheryte can be expedited, just roll for me to see if they get Everything they would want in markets. ]

Edited 2022-03-29 19:46 (UTC)

G̷͔͎͊̀U̸͈͘I̴̱̒D̶͚̣̈́E̶̪͊ ̶̫̀U̸̧͐S̶̳̊ ̷͕̘̐T̶͎̃͋Ò̷̫͍̐ ̸̙̿V̷̲̐͜I̷̜̮̐C̴̘̮͝T̶͕̑̃Ö̷̹́͠R̸͖̮̈̉Ỹ̵͔̌!̵̝̍ S̵̩͗̈À̷̗͕̓H̵̥͂͊L̴͈͋ ̵͙̾̌D̴̝͓̓̓J̵̼̀͌͜A̵͇͚̾̏H̷͓͂S̶̘͒͊ ̸̱̜͝Å̷̖̓F̸͚͓͊͗A̵͈̽Ḧ̵͉ ̸̰̈́̾A̸̹͕͋N̷̤̤͒!̷̢̎͛
V̴̙͓̔E̵̬̿̂͘Ň̷̬͍̻͐̔G̴̗̣̥̱̤̊͐̂͗̽E̷̡͠A̶̺͇̭͒̀̐N̶̞̥͕͆̽C̶̞̉͒͊Ẽ̷̻̪̖̮̄̄ ̴̲̤̺̤͐̒͑̋̌͜W̶̛͖̘̻͇͖̏̂̀Î̴̺̣͗L̷̪̯͈͑̄̄͘͝L̶̜̗̠̫̰͛̀ ̶̧̡̣̏̈͜͝͠B̷̫̓̈́E̶̻̎ ̸̺̺̝̗͕́͂̈̎O̸̧̳͈͖̜̓̆̀̚Ủ̴̦͉̩̯͌͗R̶͇̹̬̩͋S̷̲͐̈́̐.̴̥͇͉̊̂

[ When anyone approaches the city-state, they are met with billows of smoke... And when they peer in or enter through any of the points, there are dragons digging their claws into people. They snatch them up with their talons, taking them for rides before dropping them. They would breathe flames into this once haven. However, there are knights who defend their people as best as they can with bow, shield, sword, and lance.

The plaza where everyday people take a stroll is no more. Only corpses upon corpses, dragon and man, can be found. There is also something odd about the sight... At the moment, it's hard to discern. It must be the missing great wyrm? No. When you look back up to the sky, you see Hraesvelgr battle his own brother. He made a promise to Jiuqing and her friend, after all.

... There is only ruin and chaos here. Where do you even begin? ]

[ This illusion ends and you find yourself in a black void, now with your mind back in place. This is an abyss of nothing but yourself, and you start to wonder if you're truly here... You don't feel any pain despite how you retain all of your wounds and injuries, but what is there to validate your existence? Is this death? But then you hear the same familiar voice from the beginning.

"Why must you struggle? Have you not suffered enough...?"

Even if you can't see with your lack of eyes, your mind's eye follows the voice and perceives the black bird. It is the same black bird that accompanied you on your journey. The voice has a hint of remorse, edging apologetic. ]

For you, I would have granted the gentlest end... If only you asked.

[ You all may respond to this comment individually. ]

[ After their tests of wills, an archway rises from where the black bird—your despair—once was. Each archway shines your respective color, sparkling marvelously in the darkness. You have walked this end, the war between dragon and man. Your head may not have been held high the whole journey, but you held onto hope and that hope guides you back.

Well come and well met, my brave little spark.
How long you've wandered, burned bright as a star...

A song reaches your ears as you approach the passage, bittersweet but warm.

Vin, Su Jiuqing, and Kashuu will find one of these gumballs in their pocket upon return:

✨ JIUQING : White Iridescent Gumball - User envelops an area with a veil of succor (it is like a small and pretty dome). It is an area of effect that heals all targets in the bubble over time. Minor heal potency.

✨ VIN: Red-Glowing Black Gumball - User BECOMES a dragon (fire-aligned, but black flames) for 10 minutes, but needs to roll for control. The lower the number, the less control they have over destructive and violent dragon tendencies.

✨ KASHUU : Red Pom Gumball - When user focuses on a target, the target turns into a moogle (their clothes are also miniaturized to fit) for one day. While a moogle, the target is extremely annoying and will bother people to do whatever ridiculous tasks/requests that come to their mind. This can be cured by someone finishing one (1) of their tasks/requests.

✨ KASHUU : Starry Sky Gumball - Summons a tarot card! The balance card, when put into play like YGO (you must do the motion), increases the effect of your next gumball.

They will know what their gumball does! When reporting the gumball use, please link this comment to your report for mod reference.

As an aftereffect,

✨ Kashuu and Vin will suffer some memory loss! You may choose an event in this cyoa for them to forget temporarily only for the trauma to jumpscare them later or they can choose to forget your choice of cr. Whenever someone tries to walk them through this memloss or ask them about it, they will feel deep loneliness and/or hopelessness until they regain it. Play this out how you wish!

✨ For Su Jiuqing, her dragon trial memories will remain locked when she returns to the Prism, but it and all of the emotional damage will slowly come back to her. Play this out however you wish! It can be piece by piece, or batch by batch, and they can surface at any moment.

Mods gave a general timeline that maybe the latest to remember everything being next Monday-Tuesday.

You are all deposited in looks at smudged writing on hand the volcano. ]

Edited 2022-04-01 02:15 (UTC)

❆ COERTHAS WESTERN HIGHLANDS (KASHUU AND VIN)

❆ C̸̡̥͑O̴͖̙̓̄͝Ę̴̼̱̈́̓̆R̸̨͚̃̓͜T̶̰̥̀H̴̨̡̘́͑͒Ã̸̝̦S̷̳̭͐̋