Player Plot: Sulevin Blade Quest

[serannas]

WHO: Ellana Ashara, Galadriel, Merrill, Korrin Ataash, James Kirk, Samouel Gareth
WHAT: Tracking down the Sulevin Blade
WHEN: January 13th/Wintermarch 13th
WHERE: the Dales
NOTES: OOC Post

[ OOC: The plot starts with the first phase below in the comments section. Everybody tag into that one. There doesn't need to be a tag order; just hop in whenever. If we go maybe two full days with no tags, I'll try to hustle things along unless I was the last tagger, of course. When we reach a point that looks good to start the next phase, I'll post it as a new comment and close the previous thread. I'm pretty sure you can go ahead a track the whole entry without a paid account, and this way it'll be less confusing if we stick to one section at a time.

At certain points, I'll leave an ooc note asking for you to roll a d20 or to make some sort of choice so I can tailor the thread to your character. If anything's confusing or you have any questions, don't hesitate to contact me via PM or a private plurk to lavellan. :D ]

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{ PHASE FOUR } Dark twisted fantasy turned to reality

[serannas]

Bree is a bandit. She doesn't mess with any of this creepy Fade shit. She's heard of rifts in the Fade opening up and demons pouring out, but her band of thieves always steered clear of them. But it's kind of hard to avoid when you're backed up in an elven ruin by a group of mostly mage explorers on your turf and no idea where the back door is. A Revenant is completely outside of her realm of experience, plus her injuries are catching up to her. So this is how she goes out: cut down by a fucking corpse in armor. It'd make a good story, if anyone else on her team was still alive to tell it. In the end, she dies alone before anyone can reach her. At least it's quick. The pain from the fire was becoming too much.

The shades, meanwhile, glide along the ground towards the explorers still in the other room. They're especially drawn to the two Rifters in the group and raise their arms to strike.

[chainlightning]

Ellana has the second piece of the sword, the bandit is dead, and there are demons. Two out of three isn't bad. Unfortunately, her position is closer to the demons than everyone save Ellana and the now-dead Bree. Fortunately for Merrill, the shades are heading for the Rifters. Sam has been protecting Jim and Galadriel can hold her own, which means Merrill turns her eyes to the Revenant.

Great. A Revenant.

"I think I see why the Dalish don't ever come in here!"

Roots begin to emerge from the old floor, twisting and twining and reaching for the Revenant to try and hold it in place.

[el_tybs]

He had not been expecting Bree to be to spry after all that, so it takes him by surprise that she actually made it to the doors - he hadn't noticed those doors. Course so far anyone throwing open doors unexpectedly never went well. "Wait-" Before he could even finish the doors are shoved open and next thing he knows the bandit is being cut down.

By a Revenant.

"Well shit," he mutters quietly remembering the last time he's gone up against one of those. It had not been a fun fight, and... wait- "Is it me or does every other elven ruin have one of those?" Even as he asks Sam is already grabbing at Kirk to get him back to his feet, sword raised to take the incoming strike of the Shade.

[universal_charm]

Kirk can't decide if he's glad his vision has finally cleared up or horrified. He decides for glad, because the creature is coming at them, that monster that had no right existing and whose presence tore at his brain's grasp of reality. The Fade had nearly driven them all mad when they were stuck there and just a fragment of it was enough to begin forming cracks he had thought fixed.

"It's like me and animals with teeth," Kirk grunted, raising his arm as he gripped Sam with the other, grunting as a green flare shot from his shard and at the Revenant.

[gatheringstorm]

"Fuckfuckfuck--" Korrin really hates revenants, okay. She doesn't shy away from a fight, but these things are brutal and she knows even a brief lapse of judgment can end up with someone dead. As quickly as she can, Korrin's renewing her barrier for anyone nearby, then sets a fiery glyph to detonate beneath it, triggering an explosion.

[serannas]

Ellana doesn't bother answering the others when they start discussing the Revenant and preparing themselves for battle. Instead she tucks the crossguard into her satchel and takes her staff from her back, trying to decide the best course of action.

With three of them striking out at the Revenant at once, Ellana focuses on the shades that are pouring in. She sends down Chain Lightning to shock them into being still for a moment, and hopefully that helps Sam in his defense of Jim. Though Jim hardly needs it, if the glowing green light from his hand is any indication.

The Revenant lets out a guttural cry as the roots grab at its legs and it shoves Bree's body aside as it swings its sword to break the hold. The power of the Fade from Jim's hand and Korrin's fire glyph cause addition problems, and with a few desperate swings, it's free of Merrill's Keeper magic. With a few long strides, it gets out of the fire (though the corpse is still aflame) to follow behind the shades. It's still being damaged by Jim's hand, but there's still fight left in the creature. By the time it enters the room, the shades are released from Ellana's electricity spell and renew the attack: six against six with a Revenant for backup.

[laurenande]

Galadriel has never encountered this creature in Thedas and, frankly, she is less than impressed. The shades she knows well but this Revenant--it is little more than a pale imitation of a dread creature. She is certain any actual resemblance is purely accidental, as most familiar things in Thedas are, but it still galls her--she has dealt with real wraiths before and this shall be done no differently.

She doesn't wait for the creatures to regather themselves, once they have entered the room Galadriel charges forward. The shades between her and the Revenant is rent in two with a wide arc from her glaive and she is passed it before it hits the ground. The Revenant, standing tall with its sword and shield only barely manages to block her blow as she brings her weapon to bare against it.

This is not the Fade, where her power came so easily, but she still summons some of it into her hand as the creature draws back its blade. Its weapon crashes against the shield Korrin cast upon her and, without giving ground, Galadriel punches the Revenant with her ring hand.

[chainlightning]

More roots and vine erupt from the ground wherever it's weakest; Merrill is trying to make a veritable thicket to trip up the demons and hold them in place. They want the Rifters more than they want her, which gives her some time to get it really growing -- but she won't abandon any of them, either. Reaching out, she calls forth her own lightning, Tempest crackling and arcing down from above.

[gatheringstorm]

Wasting no time, Korrin casts a Disruption Field over the Revenant and whatever shades manage to be within its range, hoping to weaken them and slow them down. When every moment counts, it seems only right to tip the scales in their favor, of course. Then she charges, spirit blade swinging at the nearest one while mindful of Merrill's lightning.

[el_tybs]

Seeing as everyone else was on the offensive and one of his hands as busy supporting Kirk, Sam decides to keep up with the support - right after sending a barrage at a Shade trying to get too close. Dragging Kirk back a bit, he then raises his sword and holds it in the direction of the party, chanting softly under his breath.

There's a burst of energy that illuminates the room with the rest of the spells, his eyes glowing slightly with the aid of Fortitude, as he casts a Healing Aura over the party. With the demons occupied he then casts a large healing spell over the group, its effects more pronounced with the aura aiding in the healing process.

[serannas]

The shades don't stand a chance amidst the onslaught of magic and the force of Galadriel's blow. All these spells combined have them screeching in pain and letting out howls as they die, bodies sinking down into the floor and back to the Fade. The Revenant is completely thrown off guard when punched, and its sword has bounced off the magical barrier as well. It stumbles, but before it can recover, its movements are slowed down by the disruption field. Lightning crackles down through the bubble, striking it as from below, tree roots rise to hold it completely immobile.

This creature, who is a dark, twisted version of what was once a warrior, is now reduced to a frozen statue, with not even a creak coming from its armor. Smoke rises as the lightning spell ends, and until the disruption field dissipates and Merrill releases her roots from their grasp, it's hard to tell if the Revenant is alive or dead.

Ellana moves forward after Galadriel and her eyes widen as she looks past the door into the next room.

"It's a rift! Hurry! You two have to close it before more come through." She turns to look back and see how Jim is doing after the fight, since she can see Galadriel isn't hurt, and the rift will probably require both of them to close it.

[universal_charm]

A rift. Of course there was a damn rift, and here he was with a shard and no clue how to close it up. Sure he had learned how to make the damn thing fire a blast, but anything more than that was beyond him. Even so, there wasn't much choice was there? It was either close the rift or... well, he didn't know what, but it probably wasn't good.

Looking to Galadriel, he nodded and took steps closer to the rift, holding out his shard hand, hoping something would click. Did these things have autopilot? He damn well hoped so because all he really had was a hope and a prayer unless someone could give him instructions. At least he was able to breathe now. Or maybe that was the adrenaline.

[laurenande]

The Revenant is frozen in place and ripe for slaughter but, primed as she is to slay it, Galadriel lacks the time. The rift beyond is brilliant green and pulls at the mark in her hand and, if the sidelong glance Kirk has given her means anything, her assistance will most certainly be required. Fortunately, for the both of them, Galadriel was well-versed in giving instruction for this particular task.

"Korrin, the wraith is yours!" Galadriel calls as she moves away from the Revenant and toward the rift. The Vashoth mage is nothing if not powerful enough to rend these creatures into pieces, she will trust the action done and focus all her attention on this task.

"Use the power of the mark, reach through it and draw it in on itself; fold the veil and it shall close!" Galadriel calls to Kirk as she throws her own hand in the air and, with a snapping crack of green power, takes hold of the edge of the rift. The light that joins their hands to the tear in the veil snaps tight and grows brighter as she forces her will into it.

"Pull with me and it will collapse!"

[gatheringstorm]

As Galadriel and Kirk focus on the rift, Korrin eyes the Revenant and blurs forward, spirit blade swinging. Whether or not the Revenant is truly dead this time, she'll waste no time in finding out and plunging that glowing blade deep into the unholy creature. This is for all the times encountering its kind in the past nearly killed her or killed her companions.

[serannas]

In a way, the shard does have a kind of autopilot, and all Kirk needs to do is get near enough for it to react. Once it does, a green tendril of light from the rift snaps onto the shard, and Galadriel's as well. The two find the rift wanting to resist their attempts to close it -- as no Rifter's shard alone is as powerful as the Herald's was -- but in this tug of war the rift eventually loses. It takes a good deal of concentration, but Galadriel's technique is spot on and the rift is forced close with a final slamming sound in the air and a faint green haze that dissipates with the smell of ozone.

The Revenant puts up no fight against Korrin, who easily drains out what little reanimated life was left in it before the disruption field expires and it slumps forward, old corpse legs breaking as its weight is working against the strength of the tree roots that holds it upright.

"Is everyone all right?"

After asking, Ellana takes a deep breath and looks around at the scene, expecting something else to come popping up out of the ground or walls next. But really, this last one wasn't the elves' fault! Rifts appear everywhere, right? So for a long moment she just stands there waiting, before something does happen. Luckily it isn't a bad thing. She feels that pull in the back of her mind again, wanting her to go into the next room.

"Does anyone else feel that?" she asks, moving forward towards the place where the rift hovered above. Underneath that spot is a raised platform with a statue of an owl, and underneath the owl are candles, gold coins, and other offerings for Falon'Din or Andruil, she assumes. There's also a style of box that is becoming increasingly familiar to the elves in their party.