FQ Retribution Dawning Announcement

[Flames of Hyperion]

With just about a week to go until the deadline, it’s good to see that the battle for the future of Raiaera is heating up in many ways. As a slight amendment to the original plan, the forum will close to new threads on January 5th, but existing threads, including both MQs and standard quests, will remain open for completion for two to three weeks afterwards in order to give players the chance to bring closure to their storylines.

Simultaneously, I would like to announce the final MQ for Retribution Dawning, entitled ‘Fall of Darkness’. As many have probably deduced, this will detail the attempt made by a few brave warriors to assassinate Xem’zund as he recuperates from the Battle of the River Escaldor (”http://althanas.com/world/showthread.php?t=19884”) and the besieging of his stronghold at Narenhad by the forces of Alerar.

Participation in this MQ will be determined by sign-ups, to be held here. To be eligible for participation, you must have either contributed in some form to the current chapter (Retribution Dawning), or have completed at least one fully judged thread in the previous Raiaeran FQ chapters. The format will be as follows: the Forgotten One Xem’zund will not be controlled by any one player, but by each participant in turn as they seek to defeat the Dark Lord. Remember that not only does Xem’zund have powers on par with the Thaynes themselves, but also that he is also on his home ground, and has already suffered too many setbacks to wish for another. Power gaming of player characters will not be accepted on any level, for any reason.

I will be responsible for keeping the thread moving, posting on a regular basis of at least once a week. Each other participant will be asked to post in the meantime; should they fail to do so, their character will be deemed to have frozen in fear when faced with the Dark Lord, and will have no impact on the battle for the duration. The thread will continue until either Xem’zund or his challengers are defeated, extending into the final chapter of the FQ if necessary.

I look forward to your participation in this epic battle; please direct any questions to this very thread.


***

Challengers to Xem’zund:

Ingwe Helyanwe (Flames of Hyperion)
Cydnar Yrene
Godhand Striker
Caden Law
Lilian Sesthal (Ataraxis)
Drusilia Liadon (Mage Hunter)

[Duffy]

Would those NPCs and parties involved in 'Of Shadows & Dust' be permitted to join Cydnar in his attempt as the Hummel are drawn into the story against their will?

[Flames of Hyperion]

In order to simplify what I expect to be a fairly complicated battle, I would like to restrict involvement to player characters only. I hope you can understand.

Also, I failed to mention in the opening post that I would like to bend the strict liquid time rules in place for the FQ for this one quest only, due to its fixed position in time at the very end of the events of Retribution Dawning. Thus, even if you are already involved in an incomplete quest currently taking place in the chapter (and feel that it may be unlikely to be completed by January 5th), please feel free to sign up anyways.

[Duffy]

In which case, I'd like Cydnar to try his hand at forging fate, for the glory of Yrene!

[Godhand]

I'll join.

[Ataraxis]

I PMed you about it, but I'll make it official. I'm in!

[Duffy]

I am retarded, and thus may have missed this; but when do you aim to start Flames? It's deader than a McFly concert at the minute!

[Mage Hunter]

I've been working a long time for this, I think I should get a shot. ;)

[Flames of Hyperion]

Ataraxis, Mage Hunter, welcome aboard ^^.

Duffy - I'm going to have to beg for another couple of days of indulgence. It should be up before the weekend is over.

[Duffy]

Hey, no skin off my nose mate, I'm just curious is all :D
It's not like Cydnar is going to do owt, we all know a certain deity based hand will do it :p

[Flames of Hyperion]

And we're up (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?t=20244)!

[Lavinian Ambition]

Aww goddamnit, I was hoping Dru would get finished leveling up before that happened...

[Slayer of the Rot]

Shit. I was busy. Can I still get in on this?

[Flames of Hyperion]

Entries will be accepted until I post again next weekend, to give people a chance to write their character into the gathering. After the group transitions to Xem'zund's crypt, however, the thread will be closed to newcomers, so beware!

[Duffy]

Ugh, this will be so awesome, but the wait between posts will be, in the immortal words of a certain Scottish police force...

MURDARRRRR!

[Caden Law]

As an aside: I'm assuming we've got limited autobunnying just to acknowledge each others' actions, both implicit and otherwise? IE Bob McBobbledob's post ends with Bob charges zeh enemeh!, no direct attacks or defenses or whatevers made, and then Frank Wigglywank's post includes Frank saw Bob hacking the bad guys to little bloody giblets.

Yes? No? Maybe? Cow?

[Flames of Hyperion]

Unless any loud and explicit objections are made, I would like to say yes. The way the thread narrative is set up, it would flow much better if the bunnying restriction was relaxed a little.

Thanks for bringing it up for clarification ^^.

[Duffy]

I left it open (assuming you meant me) because I'm a little confused as to what the ghouls are or how people just got past them -

so, yeah, Cydnar is bending over and ready for bunnraping :D

I'll post more coherently and with thought and pwnsomeness once I've dealt with the judging back log and finishing the finer details of the MQ.

[Godhand]

Guys, I'm burned out. I just can't for the fucking life of me gather the energy to write one of my A-Game knee-trembling, spine-tingling classics. Are you guys okay with me phoning it in or do you want me to write myself out of the thread?

[Caden Law]

Just take a breather. If you don't post, it's under the assumption that you're basically being paralyzed with fear by Xem'zund's presence. Since you're petering out after he tried hitting everyone with a psychic steel chair off a 30 foot ladder through two tables covered in thumb tacks, it can be safely assumed that Godhand's just being subjected to the most brutally horrifying mental imagery imaginable.

Presumably, you could break free whenever and play Cavalry of Rage in our general direction down the road.

[Flames of Hyperion]

What Caden said. In fact, I was just about to start drafting my post under that very assumption.

We await your return in our hour of need ^^.

[Ataraxis]

Two questions: is Xem'Zûnd going to continue attacking or will he sit back and watch smugly as his minions attempt to batter everyone into oblivion? Am I also correct in assuming each character gets the chance to take down one and that we have creative leeway in terms of their individual powers outside of their given descriptions?

[Duffy]

Why did you drop CRYSTALLINE beings in front of a character who can analyse and potentially control them telekinetically?

Wait..

Why am I complaining :D

*Skitter leaps away.*

Ugh, really not writing very well at the minute as Semester 2 started and I'm freaking out until I get my assignment results for Semester 1 back (which could be another 4-5 weeks) and I'm writing up the Mission Board for the MQ so please bare with me - I will edit if requested and sort it out before submitting.

[Flames of Hyperion]

They're not crystalline; the blades of their weapons are made from obsidian ^^;

For clarification, the current situation is as follows: Xem'zund, protected by six bodyguard constructs and a handful of ghouls, against five adventurers. I think it would be very out of character for him to stand back and let his minions do his work, especially after going to all the trouble of creating such an elaborate trap. He's out to decimate those who might prove his undoing, and he won't hold back in doing so... the whole point of his bodyguards, after all, is to ensure that his spellcasting is not interrupted.

Numbers-wise, it doesn't quite work out as one-on-one, but do feel free to exercise creative license to flesh out the bodyguard constructs outside of what I've described ^^. For what it's worth, I've based them *very* loosely on the MagnaGuards from the Star Wars universe.

[Flames of Hyperion]

Eek. Apologies for not posting yesterday; things got so exhausting that it just slipped my mind ><

Building up to the end-game now!

[Ataraxis]

Nice.

Though, how are we fighting this thing?

[Flames of Hyperion]

If anybody would still like to post an outro, please let me know here.

Else I'll finish everything off with one last paragraph and then submit ^^.

Thank you, one and all, for everything!

[Caden Law]

Throwing in one last post tonight. Then it's all good.

EDIT: Nix that. D: Better without the final post I had in mind.

[Flames of Hyperion]

Final post made, and submitted for judgement!

Thanks once again to everybody who participated ^^.

[Ataraxis]

Huzzah, the dude is dead! Thanks for GMing this, Flames.

[Duffy]

It has been an interesting experience, that's for sure.

Apologies for score lowering :p

[Caden Law]

Worth every single one of the inconsistencies from one player to the next and back again. If only for someone throwing an armbar onto an eldritch abomination.

"Did you just tap out Cthulu?" oughtta be a meme in and of itself.

[Godhand]

This was fun, guys. Sorry for not posting more.