No matter how great a king may be, no matter how powerful the wizard, all are bound by the same rules. A single being is limited in influence.
While great knights and kings and evil existed, while they were beings of legend and inspiration, it was not them that filled every page and chapter. It was not the Great King that showed mercy to the Great Knights, it was not the Great King's reckoning, it was his warriors, his knights, that changed each and every moment. A vessel is nothing without its memories, and a king is nothing without his army.
And it was that simple reality was Merlin's limitation. Alone, he was strong enough to defeat the Great King. Alone, he would have won. He had expected pawns where awakened knights stood on the board, unable to grasp at the most important, most human emotion because he was not one.
It was at that moment that he faltered, took one, two steps backwards, and experienced regret. Like sifting through thick sludge, blinded, trapped, overwhelmed, he moved between the knights looking for a way out until he realized there was none.
Except, of course, that which he could make himself. With the dregs of his power, Merlin gestured and two ornate doors formed before him. The smell of forest and sea filling the area as they opened and he fled through.
The doors were closing and a choice was to be made, another threshold to be crossed. At every turn, the fates asked of the knights and what was once knights, Are you sure? Do you understand what you give?
Posted: Fri May 29, 2015 6:06 pm
The air was thick with a sort of wildness, with something that made the heart pound and breath catch. It felt sacred, pure, and dangerous. A great stone fortress stood at the base of the island's mountain, surrounded by the groves of trees. But this was not where they were led.
Rather it was a simple stone cave, it's entrance low and narrow, and what should be a rushed chase against their weakened prey was instead a slow walk through darkness. That feeling of power increased the further they went until abruptly, the journey opened to a large cavern full of pure blue crystals that lit up the area and the solitary figure in black standing at its center.
Merlin didn't bother turning from where he stood, instead hunched and gasping as his bloody hands gripped and slid over crystal, a smoky black taint spreading wherever he touched. With a ragged little laugh, he greeted them without looking up, "You're too late and too early both. I will never die. We never die!"
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Posted: Fri May 29, 2015 6:07 pm
This is true.
A woman in white, her movements fluid, walked forward.
It'd been a trap of course. They'd known the wizard would come here, the place of power Merlin so recklessly shared with his puppet, the assurance of the King's ignorance and malleability overriding caution. He hadn't expected the man to find a way to enter alone. He couldn't have dreamed that she, always so distant and neutral, would aid the humans against her own kind.
A word was spoken, too immense for the knights to comprehend, and the walls lit up with thousands upon thousands of runes. Up and up and surrounding them like a sea of ethereal stars, they pulled at the humans, their memories, their lives and emotions, everything, and with every passing moment they shone more and more brightly.
There was nothing left in the wizard to fight, and the understanding of what was being done to him wrenched at his features. Blood and spit flecked snarling teeth as he tried to fight the power that begun to circle and strobe around him. Crystals began to shatter and break and a thousand shadows screamed with Merlin's voice, growing louder and louder until blood poured from the ears of all those present.
And then, abruptly, it stopped and something fell to the floor with a clatter. A staff, and unlike the great and holy weapons of the knights, it was simple. Plan wood and humble, unremarkable.
Posted: Fri May 29, 2015 6:18 pm
Yet the revenge was not complete.
Immediately around the staff the cavern began to decay, a black maw surging forward, hungrily swallowing trees and cavern, fortress and rock and pathway until there was only void, and even then it wasn't enough as it reached out in thousands of tendrils to take the last pieces of all that would deny its legacy.
A single strike of the Great King's sword cut down the first tendrils, and then the next, sweeping through them in large white arcs until black serpents rained from the sky and dissolved into horrific faces and warped screams. The darkness continued to surge forward then, until even the Great King was overwhelmed and a terrible voice crackled from within the staff-
- I will never die. -
- claws made of shadow and pure malice reached out from the weapon and seized the Great King and like a small toy, snapped him in half.
And just like a toy, the body was discarded, as the claws split into thousands of smaller claws, shaped into spears now, made of pure shadows. They seared the earth, hundreds and thousands of sharp blades, each of them horrific and malformed, trapped, ugly, desperate. They continued to reach out and out and out and then in a terrible roar curl and twist and dissolve-
- And then they were gone, and there was just a staff. The containment was complete.
She, the lady, stepped forward first, closing the Great King's eyes. Around him, around her, water began to pool, white, glowing with life of its own. Crystals solidified from the water, purifying everything it touched, mending what revenge had broken, until everything was whole again, until everything around them was pure again, the sky was an unbroken blue, and the fields and hills gentle.
For this was also her kingdom.
The waters ebbed, and formed a small pool around her. Behind her was a flawless white castle, as white as her dress and hair.
It was then that they felt a second voice, and this one came from the sword itself. It did not speak in words, but in requests. There was one last request it wished to complete.
Gingerly, she abided, placing the sacred weapon next to the body of the Great King. Immediately, the sword pulsed, runes appearing on its surface. Blue crystals began to form around the sword, bit by bit until they constructed what had been the cave around the staff, around the sword itself, and then closed away, like a cocoon. The Great King too was gone.
For those knights loyal to the sword only, they would hear that second voice ring out, clear and powerful, speaking with intention and not words. It asked for protection while it slept, and in return to protect. It asked to ensure this calamity would never happen again. For those knights who remained with the sword, it would in turn provide for them a sanctuary. They were chosen. They would stay.
"It is time now." the lady spoke to those remaining. The doors Merlin had summoned were gone, and now there was only a gate, a very familiar gate. It remained closed. "This is the other side, this is our world, but you do not belong here."
The gates swung open and revealed Camelot, the crumbling remains of the castle. "Go back to your world," she whispered, and then to those corrupted once by darkness, they saw not Camelot but a place that belonged to shadows, a world of pure night.
The gate beckoned. All could not resist. They stepped forward, and the gate closed behind them.
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Posted: Fri May 29, 2015 6:22 pm
CONCLUSION: KNIGHT'S STORY
You are not dead.
You do not even hear the gates close behind you as you return to Camelot. As you look up, your eyes sting with sharp pain. It is bright, surprisingly bright. Instead of darkness, there is only an endless blue sky. Around you, in the ruins, survivors begin to pick themselves up, stand up, look around confused. Around you, sprigs of grass begin to rapidly grow through the broken castle ramparts, twigs and vines branch into the walls, and turn everything into green. Your weapon, the weapon you bonded with, no longer calls to you. You reach for it, and your hands touch only cold stone, a tablet of sorts. It is sleeping.
You look at the castle now, and it seems like a distant dream. You are home.
Everything seems almost peaceful, and as you turn around to look back at Camelot, you see only ruins slowly sinking into what appears to be a beautiful white lake. You can't help but slowly walk your way towards the lake.
As you gaze at its reflection, you see everyone. You see everyone, those who had fallen, family and friends. You see those who were taken by the darkness, as they once were, before their corruption, you see Great Knights, and a Great King, and faces you once forgot of memories that finally unsealed themselves. Some of them talk amongst each other, others notice you, waving, smiling at you.
You are not alone.
OOC
THE LAKE IS A GATEWAY:
- The lake connects the world beyond the gate where the knights stayed to the gate of the creatures of darkness, to Camelot. At the lake, you can continue to stay and speak to all. This is not the epilogue, this is another story, another book, that will span into books and books to come.
This is your story, and it begins.
gaia_star You may now FREELY in this subforum. PRP with whomever you wish (any other PC player). Just create a PRP with them where you talk to them through the lake. If a player is a creature of Halloween (Merlin corrupted), you see them in split forms, their weapon beside them, and then their original form next to them. You can hear both their voices. If it is a deceased person from the past, you speak to their MEMORIES (by making solos/drabble posts).
gaia_star Feel free to also post a concluding post in this thread/ their reactions/ the lake. If you wish to communicate with past dead NPCS (ie: characters that were part of your character's past that are not shop npcs such as your knight's relatives), you can use this thread to speak to them in the lake.
gaia_star When you are ready to wrap up, go ahead and read the post below!
Posted: Fri May 29, 2015 6:24 pm
CONCLUSION: WEAPON'S STORY
Where are you?
What are you?
Who are you?
It is dark, and you simply float in nothingness. You hear roaring in the distance, and belatedly you see a gate closing behind you. It seems further away, distant. You are drifting further, further, until there is nothing but silence carrying you away.
Emptiness.
And then, from the ether, shapes begin to form. They pull from shadows into distinct shapes. A series of small, whimsical cottages. A fountain. Spindly, long trees. Gates and gardens and clouds and hills. In the distance, an oddly cut moon is created.
It is dark, but it doesn't feel terrible. It feels like home. You are both knight and creature but you are also someone else now. Both. Neither. Of shadow now. The memories remain.
You walk, and grass forms around you, a setting reminiscent of what you once had both as creature and human shapes around you. Creatures begin to mill past you, filling the landscape, until all around you is a world and no longer just emptiness. This is not the human world, it is not nearly as bleak or empty. This is your world. This is the world of shadows.
You look at where the gate had been, and it seems like a distant dream.
And lastly, as every piece of the world around you fills to something that is your home, a lake slowly pools around you, white and clear. As you gaze at its reflection, you see everything. You see everyone, those who had fallen, family and friends. You see those who were former knights, and those you once served prior to being imprisoned by Merlin. Your memories as a knight and weapon prior unseal themselves. Some of the figures in the lake reflection talk amongst themselves, others notice you, waving, smiling at you.
You are not alone.
OOC
THE LAKE IS A GATEWAY:
- The lake connects the world beyond the gate where the knights stayed to the gate of the creatures of darkness, to Camelot. At the lake, you can continue to stay and speak to all. This is not the epilogue, this is another story, another book, that will span into books and books to come.
This is your story, and it begins.
gaia_star You may now FREELY in this subforum. PRP with whomever you wish (any other PC player). Just create a PRP with them where you talk to them through the lake. If a player is a creature of Halloween (Merlin corrupted), you see them in split forms, their weapon beside them, and then their original form next to them. You can hear both their voices. If it is a deceased person from the past, you speak to their MEMORIES (by making solos/drabble posts).
gaia_star Feel free to also post a concluding post in this thread/ their reactions/ the lake. If you wish to communicate with past dead NPCS (ie: characters that were part of your character's past that are not shop npcs such as your knight's relatives), you can use this thread to speak to them in the lake.
gaia_star When you are ready to wrap up, go ahead and read the post below!
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Posted: Fri May 29, 2015 6:30 pm
You find yourself in a while room. In the middle of a room is just a sword, resting on a table. It is a beautiful white, and carved on the blade are gold runes. Despite your best intentions trying to move or touch it, it will not move.
The room begins to fill with your true memories, the memories from your present time. The white slowly bleeds into memories of encounters recently, of your character's real name, of who they actually are, of what they were doing presently. The memories they held as a knight seem to shrink further and further until your character realizes they were never that knight at all.
On the table, next to the sword is a book. Most of the pages are empty, except for a few. Opening the book, you read those first few pages. They write your knight's story. Your knight name however, peels away from the book, revealing their true name underneath. Everything finally clicks: that this is not your story, not this part. This part has already been written. You flip the book over, and turn to the last page.
A war is coming.
OOC
THE END?:
- From this point onwards your character is aware that THEY ARE NOT A KNIGHT. This part now happens in IC CURRENT TIME. This part should be done outside of the meta in the main forums
- It seems like the "sword" borrowed your character's name and appearance temporarily and threw them on top of a memory of a knight. As a result, your character thought they were the knight fighting. However, as they wake up, they realize they were all just experiencing a knight from the past. The TRUE name of the knight, their TRUE appearance, is archived in the book (feel free to make up as you please).
gaia_crown[ THE BOOK ROOM ]
- Occasionally, when you dream, instead of having normal dreams, even for those restless and unable to sleep, your mind seems to wander off and you end up in a white room. There is only a single book right now on the room, on top of a table. Only a few pages of that book are filled, from your character's adventures seeing into a knight's memories. They may come here any time to take solace, this is where your character will write their true knight's story solo if they wish.
- Feel free to make an additional post in your actual character's journal (the one that is active all year long) and add THE BOOK ROOM. Occasionally, you will be able to obtain items to put in the book room, and of course, new pages for your current book. These items will affect your character in the future, from special abilities, to learning more about the past to allowing them to make a decision for future events. A war is coming.
- More information on the book room will be posted next week, on how to collect additional pages for it.
gaia_crown[ TRUE KNIGHT'S STORY ]
For an additional +2 rp points you may write a solo in the Halloween thread if you are student/horsemen and Deus thread if you are a Hunter your character reading that knight's actual name and story. The events of what that knight did are the same, but the name + appearance is different. In addition, your character retains those memories of what that knight did/ what they experienced.
Posted: Fri May 29, 2015 6:37 pm
FINALE END AND THANK YOU!
EVENT CONCLUSION:
Make sure you read everything ABOVE and the OOC first before you move to this point. As a small clarification, you can PRP freely with each other as long as your character is in the same zone/area, but if you want to PRP cross faction, you must communicate through the lake. One last thing to note is all memories are unlocked for both weapon and hunter (where applicable) for this event for the knights/former knights when you are EVENT prping
gaia_star THE ARENA IS NOW CLOSED. Please do NOT create any NEW battles. You can finish old ones AND redeem in prizes until the end of the month. The raffle closes TOMORROW at 6:00 PM PST.
RP REWARDS:
Please tally up the rewards accordingly. Make sure you read these rules before you apply rp points:
gaia_crown[ You can only obtain MAX of 28 RP points FROM THIS EVENT TOTAL. That INCLUDES rp points gained from ADDITIONAL events such as the arena/ battling arena monsters/ prizes from nomination/ etc etc. This is PER person ]
gaia_star If you posted in [ CHAPTER ONE ] in ANY of the chapter one threads (check here for a list of links) and posted over 600 words in chapter one they can collect +2 RP points.
gaia_star If you posted in [ CHAPTER TWO ] in ANY of the chapter two threads (check here for a list of links) and posted over 600 words in chapter one they can collect +2 RP points.
gaia_star If you posted in [ CHAPTER THREE ] in ANY of the chapter three threads (check here for a list of links) and posted over 600 words in chapter one they can collect +2 RP points.
gaia_star If you posted in [ CHAPTER FOUR ] in ANY of the chapter four threads (check here for a list of links) and posted over 600 words in chapter one they can collect +2 RP points.
gaia_star If you posted in [ CHAPTER FIVE ] in ANY of the chapter five threads (check here for a list of links) and posted over 600 words in chapter one they can collect +2 RP points.
gaia_star If you posted in [ CASTLE SANCTUARY ] in ANY of the Sanctuary threads INCLUDING questing and posted over 600 words in chapter one they can collect +2 RP points.
gaia_star If you posted a Chapter Journal you may collect 1 rp point
HUNTER DESCENDANT LINE:
As you probably have realized, knights that have awakened weapons that STAYED in Avalon are the first "Hunters". Because of this, you are now allowed to have a Hunter OR quest for a Hunter that is descended from one of your event Hunters. A few notes:
- You will have to make a new name + slightly modify the appearance of your old knight from this event. The reason why they look like existing characters is because "the sword" pretty much pulled a Mary Sue and inserted your character's memories on TOP of an existing knight's from the past. You can just slightly change their name + slightly change their appearance. You can allow other characters to be descended from your knight. This isn't a must! Keep in mind that most Hunters (99%) are actually descended from branching lines of the Great King + Great Knights!
- Once again the requirement to be eligible for this is your knight from this event must have had 100 or MORE sacred points.
THE BOOK ROOM:
gaia_starAs mentioned in the book room, your character can now write book room solos, of dreaming and suddenly coming to a room with just a book in it. In this book room, very, very occasionally, an additional book may show up. Each time, the book is always different. These additional books are alternate universe. When you open one and read it, you experience what your character might have done in an alternate timeline.
- Example: an alternate timeline where your character was a weapon instead of a student etc etc you can be as creative as you want.
It only has to be a short drabble but you're free to write as many as you like in different alternate timeline formats as long as they are in the book room! This should be written in solo form in the main threads.
THANK YOU:
It has been a while since we have marathoned such a long event, thank you all for participating, through weeks of terrible trudging, horrible grief, and a lot of extremely wonderful memories. After all, memories are what holds power.
Throughout the course of the next few weeks, additional content related to this event will be sprinkled through the shop for all factions. In addition, we will be handing out prizes and newbie nomination prizes tomorrow, so make sure you get those nominations in (PM WE ARE HALLOWEEN) and post for prizes ASAP. Once again, it has been an absolute honour and blessing to write for all of you, and in turn consistently evolve and change with love and feedback. As always, there is so much more to tell, we hope you'll always be along for the story. See you very soon.
Caoin knelt in shock, trembling in shock at all that had happened. Merlin had fallen, yet still existed. The Great King was now dead, but was laid to rest peacefully. Lady Woe was gone.. her bow, her friend. She wasn't alone though, even with the castle gone not all was lost. She had her family, her friends and a chance to say her apologies.
Rising to her feet she walked into the water kneeling there and closing her eyes. "Lancelot.. Gawain.. I failed you both when you needed me." She could feel the tears prickling her eyes as she folded her hands. "I attacked you Lancelot.. I helped kill you. How can I ask you to forgive me for such actions?" She shook her head, long pale hair spilling down to cover her face, drifting in the water around her. "How can I ever make amends?"
She then spoke to Gawain. "I tried to make things right... after failing to protect you, I tried to keep following what I had been trained for. I healed others, I protected those I could. Yet, I then attacked Lancelot, one of our own. I am not sure why I had not been punished for it."
She could only shake her head weakly as she though of her own actions. Was her duty now to carry on with all the memories to haunt her? Or was she to join the past in the lake, to end her time there protecting? Maybe the best thing would be to build a home here, near this lake and ensure that it became a place of solace for those who needed peace.
"I will stay near.. I thank you both for all you taught me, for your guidance and inspiration. I will make amends somehow."
There would be more to come, she was sure, but now she at least had a path.
