songerein | { battle against the story eater }

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{ battle against the story eater }

BATTLE AGAINST THE STORY EATER

The Story Eater has arrived.

More details on everything can be found here. We will request any thread submissions for certain prompts during AC and TDM threads will count. For more information, refer to the Game Notes.

Players who made boss submissions, if you are creating a prompt in your toplevel or wish to create a designated prompt for your boss, please comment here which will be used as a directory.

I. ON THE MOON

Those on the moon will at first feel overwhelmed, possibly even forced to the ground by the sheer enormous force of the nightmare energy that continues to pour out where the Story Eater had once stood. It feels as if they had extremely underestimated its power, and those of a weak mind will already feel the effects of the nightmare latching onto their worst fears. However, a cold air brushes over them and the ground beneath warms as it pulses white. In an instant, the oppressive feeling disappears, clarity returning to them.

It's too early to fall now, little dreamers, a sultry voice whispers in their ears with a laugh as another sighs, the softer voice like a melody. Quick, before the blessing loses its effect. The rest is up to you.

A. Tapir Calvary. The tapirs may have been hanging back for a while, but they will pop in, all eager to feast upon the nightmares that appear. Of course… Like anything, too much is dangerous for them as well. While they are able to withstand the seemingly endless amount of nightmare energy as if they are just swimming through flooded waters, after eating too much they start to wobble and complain of their stomachs hurting. This in turn makes them irritable, and instead of stopping to eat, they start eating more. Stop them before they eat themselves sick. Those that start to exude a dark mist and start turning black need to be quickly taken off the moon or sent into a dream. If they are not… They will disappear to somewhere unknown.

B. Slenderman and Cupid. There are two particularly strong foes that will be working with the Story Eater. "Slenderman" will be just like it was when it first appeared by the castle, feasting on nightmare energy and using shadows to its advantage. It will be a tough foe to kill, but explosive wisps and pure dreamotion light will be effective against it. Cupid will be insane and will try to inflict hatred upon any struck by his arrows. He is more unstable and will be more susceptible to those who try to purify it with love and kindness. (Cupid will most likely move to attack the town so he is available for On the Ground prompts.)

C. Wisped Away. With the amount of monsters and damage caused by the Story Eater directly and its creations, deaths are inevitable. Normally for those who have fully integrated into the world, like the fae and the dragons, this would have been permanent. However, perhaps due to the unusual nature of the Story Eater, they will be "graced" the same fate like the dreamers that inhabit Reverein. Their physical body may disappear, but their "soul" turns into condensed dreamotion energy and takes the form of a wisp. (Characters can and will be turned into wisps if they die so these can also apply to them.)

🛑 Because of the high likelihood of the original body suffering a traumatic event, the wisp will be extremely vulnerable and has a high risk of turning into a noctaere. They will flash red and black and the deeper the color, the closer they are to changing. Find and help purify them via dreamotion.
🚦 Escort vulnerable wisps to the portal so they can be taken to a safehouse and calm down.
💣 Some wisps will not feel negative emotions and instead will want to continue to fight. Although they are still vulnerable, because their dreamotion energy is so condensed they have the ability to explode without any harm to themselves to either inflict damage on the creatures OR to help purify those afflicted with pure dreamotion energy. These wisps will be gold in color.

II. ON THE GROUND

As soon as the Story Eater appeared, those of strong magical prowess had attempted to erect a barrier to protect the town and its surroundings from the brunt of the fallout, but it could not keep up forever, especially as those who try to keep it in place begin to quickly fall as their own nightmares take over. Thus while it's still safer than what's going on on the moon, the same afflictions can still be felt and experienced.

A. Support the Barriers. There are two different barriers currently protecting Reverein and the surrounding areas. Not only must they be defended from attacks, they also need help to stay up.

🧱 The sand walls erected earlier will stand tall and withstand most physical attacks, but eventually they will begin to crumble and create gaps. They must be quickly patched up and defended as the Story Eater's minions, creations, and those turned into noctaere start to push through.
🔮 The magic barrier is fueled with dreamotion and serves to help keep the effects of the nightmare energy lowered so that most of the people inside can withstand it. However, as those who are trying to keep it up fall, replacements are needed. To help, the moles from before bring up crystals that anyone can help channel and use to help as a power source to empower the barrier.

B. Aid Relief. Those who have been injured and brought back from the moon or from around town will be ushered into designated locations set up for healing. Be it physical or mental, they will be treated and protected by those who remain on defense. However, as the battle goes on and more people are afflicted, supplies and personnel will wear out, so additional aid will be needed. This may even require venturing out to get much needed herbs or supplies unless someone can dreamotion them up.

III. SPECIAL MONSTERS & BOSSES

The Story Eater is using its powers to take on the forms of an individual's worst nightmare or enemy. This could be anything. Below is the full list of special bosses and mob monsters that were submitted by players and can be encountered both on the moon and on the ground. Refer to the original links for more information. Players are still free to create and use anything that is not on the list, especially f their character's worst nightmare is something else. IMPORTANT! While any of these are capable of killing, those marked with the red flag (🚩) indicate that these are more likely to perform kills or destroy the individual to turn them into wisps.

A. Monster Mobs. Typical monster/mob creatures that while numerous are the weakest and easier to defeat. Physical attacks will be enough, but dreamotion or using Aspect abilities will inflict more damage.

🍆 Sinner Demons. They take on any form based on the type of sin they committed. Could take on the form based on the person they face.
😱 Devils. Takes on forms based on the fears of people.
🚨 Garlean K-9 Soldiers and hunting dogs. These soldiers aren't here to help and will be targeting anyone they come across.
👻 Cursed Spirits. Spiritual beings manifested from cursed energy as a result of the negative emotions that flow out of humans. They cause harm to humans and seek humans out to harm them.
💨 Redead. Emits a scream that immobilizes temporarily, moves towards target and jumps on back to deal damage.
🐍 Nagas. Breathe and spew toxic miasma and prolonged exposure to it can cause weaker beings to transform into nagas themselves. Archnaga's venom is corrosive in both liquid and gas forms. Can also swallow large objects. 🚩
🕶 Shadows. Shadow-like blobs and tables and headless dancers and things. Fairly weak.
💎 Zeugles. Aggressive genetically enhanced animals; must destroy the core inside to completely destroy them.
🤺 Sword Retrograde Army. Sword tsukumogami summoned for a cause to change history. Generally stronger than normal humans with some spiritual powers.
👹 Demons. Can hide their horns and wings to appear more human, otherwise their true form is more monstrous. They range from committing harmless silly pranks to more violent and murderous. 🚩
🎭 Four Masks. Drains one's sanity until they go berserk with potential to summon Atman (boss).
🔊 Noise. Affect people with weaker willpower and play on their negative emotions or nightmares.
📰 Xeroms. Monsters capable of attacking, infesting and draining emotions dry leaving the victim an empty husk.

B. Solo Bosses. Some nightmares manifest into one singular entity with greater powers and considered a higher leveled "boss." They do not appear as often or in number as the monster mobs and some may be controlled by players.

🍬 Gumball Waterson. Cartoon character turned creepy due to nightmare energy, but still on the sillier side. Body parts morphing or separating from him, getting into weird places, driving invisible cars, surviving crazy falls; basically whatever might be funny at that moment.
👂 Parrah & Nayo. Twin puppets that are not physically strong, but they're very annoying and are the "like to break people by talking" type of antagonist.
🙍‍♂️ Takaya Sakaki. Charismatic but otherwise a weaker enemy capable of standard Persona based magical and physical attacks and capable of summoning nightmare based Personas.
🐀 Rasputin. Can summon minions, destroy things, conceal nightmares within illusions.
🔥 Firelord Ozai. Can bend/generate fire and lightning, strong physical abilities.
🦋 Valentino. A charismatic moth demon capable of controlling smoke and has pheromones that can attract those to him.
🧝‍♀️ Gaea. Goddess of the Earth. Stronger when tethered to Earth. Powers include geokinesis, chlorokinesis (control of plants), creation of sentient life forms, atmokinesis (weather), control of animals, transformation.
🌱 Omega Flowey. Can grow vines, venus flytraps, plant stems that shoot, lots of plant based attacks.
🍐 Sephiroth. Sword fighting proficiency, shapeshifting, ability to cause hallucinations, telekinesis of medium sized objects, minor manipulation abilities, materia magic. Potential lethal backstabs. (Prompts available within FFVII toplevels). 🚩
⚡ Raiden Shogun. Scary lady with lightning based attacks, illusions, large-range attacks.
🤖 Shouki no Kami. Divine Automaton that uses lightning based attacks.
💃 Stella. Vile woman who thrives off mentally and physically tormenting.
👑 Paimon . Stolas' father, a powerful demon capable of shapeshifting, teleportation, grimoire manipulation, projection.
🧣 Ardyn Izunia. Has thirteen weapons at his disposal; can cast powerful magic such as striking down lightning, summoning blizzards, fiery explosions; has the power to heal; and is resilient to physical pain.
⏳ Kronos. God-like strength, specializes in sword combat, tough to take down. Has several types of kinesis magic.
💀 Nyx. Only has one main ability: cast death. However it's a slow windup so can be beaten beforehand. 🚩
😾 Wakaba Isshiki. Large sphynx with a woman's head. Heavy wind, almighty, and physical attacks. There can be riddles that are pertinent to those who engage it.
👮‍♀️ Makima. A woman who looks normal but is actually a Devil of immense strength, enhanced smell, domination, and can force manipulation that can damage weak targets by simply staring at them.
🖤 Atman. A very creepy giant mask that will disappear but then reappear after being defeated.
🤸‍♂️ Vholran. Fights with a waterblade. Acrobatic swordsman, mastery over water-elemental astral energy and can cast high power artes.
🎨 Creed Graphite. A Will Artist (spellcaster) capable of casting spells and summoning and controlling Xeroms.
🎼 Ganon. Hate and hunger for power in physical form. Can corrupt anything with darkness, will only be able to corrupt non-PCs unless players want to do something with that.
🌋 Calamity Ganon. Capable of creating Malice (poison substance that can cause other monsters or bosses to go aggro) and raising other monsters from the dead. Can be destroyed by any type of sealing dreamotion magic.
💔 Xehanorts (multiple). Control darkness and use darkness as a weapon; controlling people to his will by turning them into versions of himself, otherwise known as getting "norted" where victim gains yellow eyes and is controlled to his whims and the darkness in their heart/they will follow their darker side. Darkness meteorites can also be a thing.
➕ Emperor Demitrius (final boss form). Basically heal himself back up to full mid-fight so it will take a few rounds to defeat him.

C. Megabosses. Extremely powerful entities that may not even be defeated by conventional means and instead have powers that affect everyone instead. High chance of death. 🚩🚩🚩

🤖 Diaspora. Half the size of Dragon Island and up in the sky, it can disassemble dreamotion energy and knock someone out into wisp form without dying with a beam of blue goop. Has high regeneration, but will be vulnerable to prolonged attacks.
🐲 Dragons (Voids). Faces of dragons that coalesce in from the sky when they decide to attack with high concentrations of nightmare energy. Zhaitan will be capable of turning those who turned into wisps into noctaere in the form of Void Risen. Mordremoth will just descend and smash into small areas to inflict damage. Kralkatorrik will fire a giant beam of crystal fire breath that will encase anyone and anything in its path into purple crystal, and they must be freed before they turn into noctaere.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ The sight above them is terrifying. And if it weren't for the figure he were embodying, or for his Character Development, Trahearne would have noped right back to Reverein.

But he's not backing down now.

Once Eustace moves, he gets to his feet and briefly rolls his shoulders. ]

We'll try another way up. [ He nods, turns to face another series of floating rocks. ] Let's go!

[Eustace looks up the path of floating rocks before he stops Trahearne.]

Wait. Get on my back.

[ Trahearne pauses mid-step and glances over his shoulder at Wolfstace. He hesitates, just for the briefest moments. He isn't sure why, in that fraction of a second, he holds back. But it's just long enough for the swirling nightmare above, beside Diaspora, to manifest as Kralkatorrik's crystal-ridden grin.

When the anger flares in him, it's enough to spur him into action. He whirls on his heel and hops onto Eustace's back--Trahearne, being sylvari, is a lot lighter than someone made of flesh and bone and muscle of the same size. He shouldn't be a hindrance to Eustace's movement at all. ]

Go!

[Is this leaf even really on him, feels like a breeze could blow him away—

The moment Trahearne gives the word, Eustace immediately bounds upward, his hind legs giving a powerful kick up as he leaps and runs up the floating rocks. Of course, the entities above them wouldn't let them ascend them so easily, and he can already feel the tingle of strange energy forming above and around him before there's that unnatural crack of purple lightning that tries to strike him as he ascends, barely avoiding and beating each one.]

[ Trahearne may be light, but at least he's strong enough to hold on!

His fingers dig into Eustace's fur and he keeps himself low, so Eustace can run as fast as he likes. Or leap, rather. He sees--feels the purple lightning as Eustace dodges it, and there's a slight pang of fear whenever it comes close to them. ]

Kralkatorrik's Brand can irrevocably corrupt the living, and instantly kill sylvari. [ He says this, his voice not as loud as it usually would be, because he knows Eustace can probably hear him anyway. ] Its effects might be different in this circumstance, but I'd rather not find out.

[ That is to say: don't get hit. ]

...How fitting it's with Diaspora then.

[A low growl in response as Eustace continues the climb.]

The large entity near it is from my world, and the blue liquid it sprays is capable of disassembling someone on a molecular level. Here it seems to destroy all noctaere and turn everyone else into wisps.

If we could have them turn on each other it would be better than trying to deal with both at once.

[ Eustace might hear how Trahearne grunts, grits his teeth when he hears that. While he doesn't quite understand what "molecular" might mean, it doesn't sound very good. Disassembling people--on any level is bad news. Especially when they're that big. ]

And how do you suggest we do that? [ It isn't testy, or disgruntled statement--despite the tension in his voice, he asks this genuinely. His gaze darts up at the creatures, his own mind whirring with ideas. They genuinely do take up the whole sky... ] They are much bigger than the both of us.

Edited 2023-06-15 13:49 (UTC)

[It's a sound question so he wouldn't have minded if Trahearned was disgruntled.]

Since your dragon seems focused on us—

[He again jumps off the floating rock to another, just following the pathway as he continues to avoid the lightning. Fortunately or unfortunately, the automagod is less focused on them and is preparing for another arm swipe somewhere else.

Which gives Eustace an insane idea that he's about to say with utmost seriousness.]

—we'll jump on Diaspora.

[ Trahearne's focus is still skyward, as best it can be amidst all the jumping around. But when Eustace's suggestion comes to him, he looks back and forth between Diaspora and Kralkatorrik, before his eyes eventually settle on the mess of fur in front of him, bewildered. ]

You genuinely believe we can make it all the way up there?

[ He has never seen Kralkatorrik for himself, but he has heard it is big. That Diaspora seems just as big, if not bigger, seems to suggest they are quite far up... ]

No.

But Diaspora will lower itself to swing its arm down. That'll be our chance.

All right.

[ He has no reason not to trust Eustace, so... He lowers himself into his fur again, dropping his attention from Kralkatorrik to his friend. ]

I don't think my attacks will reach the dragon from here, so I will leave this part to you.

[Even Eustace knows his idea is a wildly reckless one, one that he can only imagine one of the other Society members to come up with. But this is the best strategy he can think of now.]

Think you can create more platforms or a road I can keep running on?

[ The request is a bit of a surprise, and Trahearne thinks, as well as he can under the circumstances. That's not--usually a part of his repertoire, but-- ]

I will try.

[ He's not under emotional distress, which he feels he had pulled this off successfully before under such circumstances, but he has a much better command of dreamotion than he did in the past. He leans over, one hand tightly gripping the fur on Eustace's scruff, to drag his hands along the stone ground as they run.

Thick vines burst from the far end of the platform they're on, twisting up from the ground to reach another bit of rock, farther up in the air and normally unreachable. He won't be able to maintain it once he loses contact with the ground, so Eustace better go fast. ]

Good enough.

[There's a light tone in his voice as he watches the vines race up into the air to the next platform, but it's an encouraging one.]

Now hang on.

[And with that warning, there will be the sound of lightning crackling behind them as Eustace gathers himself and puts that burst of speed, racing up the vine bridge even as it starts to fall behind them. With his long legs he's able to half run, half bound upwards, jumping the last few feet to land on the higher platform.

From their new vantage point, they can see they just need to hit one more floating rock and Eustace will be close enough to jump onto Diaspora, both it and Kralkatorrik's forms now much larger as they get closer.]

[ The moment Eustace shoots forward, Trahearne lowers himself, digging his fingers into his fur, and he removes his hand from the ground the moment they reach the edge of the platform. He's a little worried about them making the next rock, but his worry was unnecessary.

Once they reach the top, Trahearne lifts his head a bit again to see where Eustace intends to go. So he'll do it again--this rock is a lot smaller than the last one, but the energy is still there. The moment his fingertips touch the ground, vines burst from the other side towards the next rock. It won't quite reach all the way by the time they leave the platform... Eustace better make that jump! ]

[Eustace continues to thunder over the vines and leaping when he needs to to land on the rocks. And for that final one... It's a longer jump, one that he even questions if he'll make. For a brief moment after he leaps off the lip of that vine bridge, they soar through the air, the ground now hundreds of feet beneath them. If they fall, ~~fall damage kills them~~ it would be almost certain death, if not sustaining critical injuries.

Closer and closer the rock nears, and it looks like they might make it. But the rock seems to move, just enough where Eustace's front paws land but his hind legs slip and he falls back as he tries to keep his upper half on the rock.]

Shit—!

[ Trahearne remains low, plastered to Eustace's back so that he does not slow him down, but that doesn't seem to be enough.

He feels the backwards slip, and a surge of fear and panic rip through him. The brief moment of lightness as they teeter at the edge sends red-hot flashes through the back of his eyelids; the phantom smell of burning rubber fills his nostrils. He knows how this feels, what comes next, the pain that will ensue and the torture that will haunt him for days and days and days and days to come--

No. No. Concentrate.

They still teeter, the freefall not yet claiming either of them. Trahearne gives a cry, colored by desperation, as he whips his hand upwards towards the rock. Vines surge from his hand, dotted with thorns; they slide and dig into the ground, nothing else to hold onto. But hopefully, it is enough traction to help Eustace onto his feet. ]

[It is, and it spares Eustace the need to try and use his own dreamotion somehow. With the vines, he's able to get one foothold, and that's all he needs to heave himself up and over the edge of the platform, forcing them to momentarily collapse.

With a heavy breath he looks back at Trahearne.]

Sorry and thanks. You all right?

[ When they finally reach solid ground and Eustace collapses, Trahearne's hold falters and he rolls onto the ground. He lays sprawled on his back for a moment, staring blankly up at the sky, frozen.

He has to keep telling himself that he is okay, they are not falling, he is not falling, he is not going to fall, and a fall does not mean a fate worse than death--

When he feels the panic loosen its grip on his throat, he takes a gasping breath. It's fine. It's okay. He's fine.

He rolls over onto his side, propping himself up with an arm, and nods. Though his eyes seem a bit dazed still. ]

I'm-- I'll be fine. [ He shifts to get back up onto his feet. ] We should keep moving.

[ Nightmare sure as hell isn't going to wait for him to ride out his panic attack. ]

[Despite his words, Eustace can sense the tension from the Sylvari so he can only stare at him heavily—which might have a bit more pressure given his wolf form right now.

He also wants to clearly say something, but his head turns when he hears the sound of both the dragon and the automagod preparing their attacks. It was now or never.]

...Hang on tight. I'll be aiming for the arm over there.

[He moves over closer to Trahearne as he speaks. It's a distance, but it's beneath them now, making it an easier jump...of sorts.]

[ Trahearne meets the look neutrally. He knows. They have a job to do. Luckily, they have something else to concentrate on in the meanwhile--

The sound of both superbeings draws his attention up as well, shaking off a bit of the anxiety that lingers. With only a little nod, not really caring if Eustace sees him or not, he meets him halfway and leaps onto his back, digging his fingers into his fur again.

He breathes. ]

It's now or never. Let's do this.

[Eustace only waits for Trahearne to climb on and tighten his hold before Eustace steps around towards the edge of the platform. With their destination just within their sights, he growls lowly, strength gathering in his back legs before he lurches forward with all the strength he can muster. Over the lip they go and down down down towards the extended robotic arm of Diaspora, wind whistling past them. Fortunately, there's plenty of room for them so their landing won't be as treacherous as the last, but it is a bit rougher.

However, Eustace won't linger long. Diaspora doesn't seem to care that they are on it, but Kralkatorrik had been watching and charging up that crystal brand breath of his and has turned to face them. Just as they wanted. Eustace has to wait at just the right moment so he doesn't run down yet, so if Trahearne wants to do anything, this is his chance.]

[ When they land, and the impact shudders through both of them, Trahearne feels, for a second, like he might fall off. But he grips tight, hands, arms, legs, even squeezing his eyes shut. The panic still has him reeling slightly, and he just doesn't want to fall.

The strange prick of nightmare, coupled with echoes of what he has once experienced within the Brand many, many years ago, snap him out of his worries. His eyes burst open, and he tentatively lets go of Eustace's fur. Necromancy and dreamotion swirl at his fingertips, and he lets it dangle towards the ground. There's a slight shift on the arm before three sand pillars burst up from seemingly nowhere, accompanied by a bright white glow that surrounds the both of them. Barrier, for just in case. He doesn't know if it'll hold in the face of the nightmare-Brand, but he'll take any protection they can get. ]

[It's a little surprising to see the sand pillars, but it's welcome as those branded nightmares do suddenly descend, along with some of the drones that appear from Disapora. Seeing this, Eustace starts that run down the arm. The only upside is that the arm is wide and long, making for a straightforward track as he continues the descent.

In the distance, they can hear both entities roaring, with Kralkatorrik the loudest as it opens its giant maw to release a giant purple blast towards them.]

Hang on!

[Eustace jumps off then right into the vast sky... But a thin ramp of ice appears, creating a giant slide that Eustace will use to slide down, the ice shattering right behind him. And above, Disapora lets out an angry roar as its arm falls, severed by the blast, and it turns to face Kralkatorrik instead.]

[ The temptation to look up and watch the spectacle is real. Despite the situation, despite knowing that these entities are destructive and could very well rip Songerein apart if not controled, Trahearne can't help but throw a glance upward, marveling at how massive they both are...

But his thoughts and awe are cut short when Eustace shouts his command, so he does as he's told and lowers himself again. The momentum is fast, much like falling, but he knows it is not the same. He sees the ice slide, but any thoughts he might have about Eustace's magic are quickly drawn away again when he hears the deafening rumble of Diaspora's roar. He turns his head just in time to watch as the arm falls, branded at the sever point.

He can't help but murmur, ]

...How terrifying.

[ It's really hard to describe. Also sorry, he's not paying attention. ]

{ battle against the story eater }

roll a d6 lae

I GOT 3

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🎀