Event 13
Firefall
12 Feb - 11 Mar, 2017
Introduction
The Year of Beginnings, when the direction of the next four years is said to be set... and it begins with anger. Koben is infuriated with Estraude for the murder of their crown prince and Reluir for marching on Iadlain. Estraude is incensed at Koben's public execution of the culprit, their missing former Consul, without their say. Reluir is enraged that Koben not only stood against the queendom's ambitions but has taken their runaway crown princess. But it is none of these fresh fires that bursts in the Month of Mirrors. It is Miras's, where hysterical Koben sympathisers burned churches - some actually Estran and some mistaken for Estran - and killed many innocents in the wake of the Starfall revelations.
The new King of Miras, Silvan Lucilius, has vowed to end Koben's trampling of the Kingdom. He has avidly rebuilt the Mirian military - starved under his pacifistic father's rule - to its former glory. And after the blood-soaked reclamation of the North Continent, he is determined not to stop there.
The first to see it are the fishermen of Song-Lu, out at dawn to bring in their Silver Tide haul. Dark shadows dotting the sky. They have seen this before - when the Flight Regiment descended upon Song-Lu two years ago. But something is different this time. They are high in the sky and clearly headed over the city, to Koben's capital, and there are many larger shadows than before among the pegasi - Miras will strike Koben at its heart this day, and they will do it with terrible dragons long ago banished from the military for their danger to all. This fight will not be clean, as last time. It will be carnage, destruction, pandemonium... revenge and reclamation of Miras's glory.
Miras attacks Koben and Song-Lu with a bristling military under King Silvan's rule, and a newly revived dragon army based on a powerful old dragon-taming kingdom. This time there will be no mercy - defend, or die!
Event Details
Firefall
Ever since Silvan began his reign, his mission has been the re-establishment of Miras's military might. Spurred on by his successes in the North and the intensifying sense of villainy and depravity that Kingdomers feel regarding Koben, he has decided to quash it with the help of dangerous dragons that were the rise and fall of a previous civilisation. None are close to domesticated, and many barely tamed if at all. The majority of the Miras military is mobilised - the Flight Regiment and Miras Army descend upon their target via flying mounts and military skyships. The Armada both attacks and supports out at sea as carriers. The date of the attack is the 27th Mirrors at dawn.
Their priority and chief target is Koben's capital. This is where they unleash most of their destruction. Per district:
Lower Koben, where most low- to middle-class Kobeners live, is where they release the Adabrene poison* they've been developing - rained down on the city from their skyships and delivered to anyone elf-like by the poisoned arrow tips and blades of the military. Most troops are stationed here, to meet inevitable reinforcements from nearby army bases and noble domains. The residents have only guerrilla warfare in the narrow streets at their disposal until their armies come.
Middle Koben, where the city centre, the palace and the well-off are located, is where they release their Cinden Dragons, creatures of fire and brimstone, as well as an elite force of their military. Their goal is to take or destroy the Imperial Palace, and anything else they can. The Imperial Guard must show their mettle here, to protect their royal family, their nobles... and for some, facilities that house imperial secrets...
Upper Koben, where the jail, the hydrodam and many factories are located, is where they release their Noculus - a gargantuan creature aggravated, flight-crippled and released simply to rampage wildly. Many buildings here - the important ones in particular - are protected with shields, but those shields will inevitably buckle under the monster's enraged barrage. The air force base is in the mountains nearby however; as they mobilise to take on the Mirian air battalion they will surely see... but how much they can help remains to be seen.
Song-Lu looks at first to be spared, but soon it becomes clear that they have received no such mercy. As the air battalion soars overhead, magical firebombs and a rain of Adabrene fall over the city in a wave. And as it passes, the Armada appears on their seaward horizon. Miras is leaving nothing to chance - if Song-Lu is attacked its warnings to Koben may be hampered, and if it falls their return will be safe... not to mention they will have a new door to Empire territory. Song-Lu scrambles - it is the end of the Silver Tide festivities, and nobody was expecting something like this now. The streets are turned out with flimsy stalls and defenseless revelers. The last attack and defense is still fresh in their memories... but this time, the attacking forces have come in full and are intent on destruction - casualties included. Only time will tell if they can repeat their success.
* Adabrene poison is a glowing, amber-coloured poison designed to kill dark elves. It burns through their flesh and boils in the body. Half dark elves are scalded and sickened, but not outright killed. Dark-wood mixes suffer the same as dark elves. It is a liquid and made from the Adabrene fern.
Story
Activities
Event Outcomes
The event outcome will be determined by the actions of your characters in the art entry. Each entry will contribute to the success or failure of the attacks/defenses. (There may be a mini-game or similar later; if so, it will be announced later.)
Event Participation
Event Art
Draw, write or in any way depict your character's involvement in the main event to affect the outcomes! Art or literature entries will receive a bonus 30 EXP. Only main characters are eligible for the bonus EXP and the outcome.
Event Participation
Prompt Art
For characters who cannot be directly involved in the event, you can use this event as a prompt (e.g. reacting to the news from another city). Prompt submissions will get a bonus 10 EXP for the submission but will not count towards the event outcome.
Event Participation
Action Statement
If you don't have time to make an art piece, you can get 5 EXP by simply stating what your character is doing for the event via a post in the #event-board Discord channel. This applies to main characters only and there must be direct involvement with the events to get this. Side characters' involvement can be described to contribute to the event canon however no points will be given. If you go on to enter an art submission later, the EXP received for this will be replaced by the art submission points.
Special Role
Emily Kupferstein
Poison's Piper
In the midst of the chaos, Emilie begins a lifesaving discovery - that Kralspitzer parts can combat Adabrene poison - when she notices that drops of Adabrene are attracted to her bracelet of scales. Indeed all parts of the Kralspitzer are steeped in dark 'essence', which draws Adabrene to it - even moreso than dark elves. Poultices of Kralspitzer scales or bones (crushed, moistened and wrapped in cloth) can draw it out of a wound. Drops of Kralspitzer blood, very carefully applied, can bind and neuter the poison. But all these discoveries must come in the mayhem of battle, starting from Emilie. If she can work with healers to make use of her realisation and spread the word, many lives can be saved.
Note: If other characters want to use this info they don't necessarily have to have heard from Emilie directly (word travels by many people) but she would canonically be the original source.
Special Role
Alexander Lauschten
Feller of the Sky
A Cinden dragon's sudden rebellion against its rider and a Mirian skyship flying low nearby to drop poison are just the opportunity Alek needs to pull off an act of reckless heroism. No Mirian thought someone would capture a Cinden rider, take the protective armour and try to commandeer the belligerent dragon themselves - at least with any success. No-one on that skyship thought that what appeared to be a Cinden rider would aggravate it into rampaging right towards them. But luck is fickle, and it is on Alek's side this battle. This battle, he brings the sky down in a mass of burning wood and sails.
Conclusion
The first day was complete chaos. It was no coincidence that Miras chose the Silver Tide festivities as their battle date - Song-Lu was caught unprepared to say the least, as a dawn wave of Adabrene poison rained from the sky and the Armada closed in. By mid-morning, the skyships reached their true destination where they would truly pull out all the stops - Koben - and pull out the stops they did. Their main targets were Middle Koben, where the palace and greatest glory would be, and Lower Koben, where the heaviest death toll would be. Their secret weapons came out immediately - the Adabrene and the fiery Cinden dragons. Smoke and flames rose from the city as the population fought for their lives. When Miras retreated to rest that night, both sides exhausted, their mood was triumphant.
On the second day at sunrise, Miras released their third secret weapon - the Noculus - in Upper Koben. It had been difficult to subdue and transport else it would have been set loose on the first day. The beast's bone-shaking cry signaled the start of fresh fighting. Again Miras attacked with the same ferocity, and again Kobeners and Song-Luans defended with the same desperation. Little did anyone suspect that the mages and scientists of the Emperor's secret project - holed up at their facility by the hydrodam - had access to an unknown power. It was a desperate move, and it took almost the entire day to succeed, but as evening came a hulking shape rose from the dam - a created titan of water and magic. The Noculus, also made of water magic, was torn and consumed by it. The Cinden dragons, creatures of fire, suffered by its lashes as it travelled down the river through Koben. It was only a couple of hours that it held form, but it was enough to send Miras back to reconsider what this new... thing was and how to defeat it.
Then came a lull. Song-Lu was not about to fall thanks to its persevering citizens, the Imperial Navy would have had time by now to reach the port, and Koben had a mysterious power at their disposal. Over the next few days the Armada left to join and reinforce the sea fortress Miras had set up in the sea north of Koben city. Song-Lu could rejoice - it was safe, again. Koben could not, with Miras ominously building its sea base nearby, but at least they had the time to regroup and tend to their wounds as the clock ticked.
Sure enough, three days later the assaults began again on Koben, backed by all of Miras's forces. But try as they might, they could not conquer the city. By the third day of renewed attacks, the Mirian efforts had dwindled to suprise skirmishes. The pieces had fallen for this battle - Koben stood firm, battered but with much less lasting damaged than Miras had forseen. Still, they had their by now impressive sea fortress and their military might. Perhaps they couldn't take it one swoop, but they could harangue and wear down over time. Koben stands, and Miras waits.