Endgame: Final Log

[lifeaftr_mods]

ENDGAME: FINAL LOG

Who: Everyone!
What: Endgame begins
When: May 31st and onward
Where: Everywhere!
Warnings: Please mark if anything comes up!

Clouds are Making Way For Me
You've had a good ten days or so to prepare. Knowing what's coming, you'll probably understand full well what's happening by the time the first few cracks start to show in the islands surrounding Ensō. One by one, you'll start to see them come apart. Monsun splits down the middle and begins to sink into the sea in a rush of steam as the snow and lava hit the temperate ocean waves. Nastrandir's cratered remains send the waves frothing as they descend into the murky depths. Umui's flower-streaked landscape and generations of ruined history begins to fragment and split apart.

Each of the islands is crumbling. And on the horizon, you'll begin to see it: a shimmering nothingness creeping ever closer. The distance starts to seem shrunken. The sky melts into a blinding white the further up it goes. The clouds melt into nothing. Little by little, the scope of LifeAftr is shrinking. The sun begins to dim and stutter as the phoenix that keeps warmth and heat in this world starts to have less and less sky to circle. The floating islands, high above Ensō's cloud cover, start to crumble and crash to the mainland with meteoric force.

That's when the Historian surges further onto Ensō's shores with a low, subterranean rumble. They say nothing, nothing at all. There is no warning save for their slow creep onto the shore before, from the seething waters around them, all manner of things start to emerge: Carnivorous monkeys, shadowy creatures from the ocean floor, representations of your worst self, war automatons, fire-breathing dragons, giants of greenish quartz, Overgrown fungal zombies, and even your bog-standard fusterclucks and noinos will come pouring onto the island to attack. If it's ever been in LifeAftr, it has every possibility of showing up and requiring that you defend yourself. Remember that most nerfs have been lifted at this point, so you'll have your full capacity to raise hell as needed.

Do you all know your jobs?

Whether you're braving the ocean waters to locate the Historian's altar, attacking the altar itself, defending the island and the Storyteller's temple from invaders, telling stories to keep yourselves safe, or trying to ferry survivors and supplies into the temple, you're going to have your work cut out for you.

While we're not sure we'll be able to thread out an entire NPC boss battle, we're happy to allow characters to sign up for any important roles for the duration of this struggle - and to allow you to top-level and thread those battles however you wish.

We hope you're ready for the fight.

Feel Your Heart and It's Glowing
We're hoping to have the results of Endgame up sometime mid-June! This will include the fate of the NPCs, the fate of PCs who might be hoping to move on from this world, and the fate of the new world itself - as well as whatever you'd all like to name it. It will also honor all player characters and acknowledge their participation in preserving this new world.

If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to contact us here!

Truly, thank you for playing. We've loved modding this game for you, and you've been a wonderful playerbase. We hope the ending that comes to pass is satisfactory!

LOGS ● OOC ● STORIES ● MAIN NAVIGATION

( CODED BY BOOTYCALL )

Comments

[forwearemany]

A) (The battlefield is large, and they are far from it. But a sniper rifle such as the Widow has a range of miles and miles, and a machine such as Legion has the accuracy to use it.

The cliff they have chosen is precarious, difficult to access, but it gives them a wide view of the battlefield.

They see an ally in trouble. They aim, adjusting for predicted enemy movements and environmental factors.

They fire, and somewhere, the head of a noino explodes.)

Enemy down.

(But there are always more enemies.)

B) Multiple dragons southwest. Recommend assistance!

(The voice message is sudden, the sender obvious. Do you listen? Do you respond?)

C) (Over the stones there's a sudden, screeching burst of chatter. Communication ceases.

Legion is, apparently, in some kind of trouble.

Help them?)

B or C (your choice really)

[suspecteverything]

A little more information might be helpful, you know.

[Sarcasm in the face of danger? Hell yes. That's just the way he is.]

B

[forwearemany]

(They don't reply for a moment: they had to stop to shoot something or other, but then:)

Multiple "Ahidalga" class dragons are converging on the monkey compound, which is southwest of your current location. Recommend assisting in combat against them.

C

[lightlessfuture]

[ Where Legion is, the Knight isn't far away. They're siblings, after all. They should stick together.

They leap and bound towards Legion's location as fast as their legs can carry them, momentarily reveling in their newfound freedom of movement, finally unburdened by the strange weariness that had slowed them down ever since they arrived here. The only announcement of their arrival is a whirling slash of their sword as they bring it down, biting deep into whatever's attacking Legion at the moment.

There's no time for fear or hesitation. This is the end. ]

[forwearemany]

(Brave bug friend.

Legion hadn't noticed when the Murk began scaling the cliffs behind them; too focused on the battlefield. By the time Knight got there, it was wrapped around them, and their struggles to remove it had become weak, ineffectual. Even their sounds of distress had become quiet.

The Knight was just in time.

Their blow was true: the Murk went limp, slipping off of Legion and onto the ground.)

A

[shatteredlenses]

Much appreciated, Legion!

[Ignis had been able to tell something large was heading toward him, but with all the other noise from the chaos going on, he could not pin down the exact direction of its approach. He takes a moment to make sure his backpack with its medical supplies is still secure and then makes ready to move to a different location.]

Did you see if it injured anyone before heading my way?

[forwearemany]

Affirmative.

(There's a bit of chatter.)

Negative. Enemies are currently most concentrated approximately two miles west of your location: it is likely assistance will be needed there.

(They don't think anyone is in dire need of healing yet, but it'll probably happen soon enough.)

kiri | ota

[mockiri]

( a. shepherding birbs )

[Being for the most part small and weak, Kiri isn't much help during the crisis, but she's doing her best wherever she can. She's running errands for those too busy doing other work, delivering small supplies or messages, even something as simple as holding a bandage to a wound while someone ties it in place- wherever an extra pair of hands would be a benefit.

She's understandably frightened and not sure what exactly is going on, but she's trying her best, so please let her assist with whatever you're doing! She's here to make your life just a little bit easier. Just try not to be weirded out when she approaches and speaks politely in Aziraphale's accented and most unfitting voice coming from her beak,]

May I help you.


( b. tell a little story )

[Kiri's also spending some time at the Storyteller's place:

1) She's telling a story of her own... through drawings! Very basic drawings admittedly, but you might get the gist of it, via a sprawling set of chalk images on the ground- a group of people fighting off large fish men with pointy teeth, a pair of alligators, and a huge troll. And of course in the background there's a little bird girl, cheering them on.

2) If someone else is telling a story, she's chiming in to back them up, delivering a surprisingly robust collection of noises and sound effects, occasionally even snippets of perfectly-mimicked music for dramatic effect. Despite the seriousness of the situation, she's having fun with it, doing her best to enhance whatever tale is being shared.]


( c. wildcard )

[Need a quiet moment? Come say farewell to a little bird girl? Meet a new friend at the eleventh hour? Kiri can be found here and there, mostly in safe areas, for some final conversations.]

I think this will fit under A so lets just put it there instead of wildcarding! :-D

[shatteredlenses]

I was actually about to ask you the same.

[Ignis gives her a smile. He doesn't recognize this particular voice, but he wouldn't be surprised if it was one of the islanders he has yet to meet or, perhaps, never got to meet.]

I hear you've been helping with supplies. Would you like a lift to your next drop off point?

[Has she gotten to see him warp yet? Ignis doesn't think so, but in any event with his powers fully back, it's a completely different thing than before.]

:Db

[mockiri]

[Her immediate response is a cheerful chirp, of course, and she offers up a sheet of paper with the required location jotted down- not far, but far enough that it might take her little legs a while to get there. A lift would be useful, even if she doesn't see what manner of ride he means. There's no cart around...]

b2

[onegreeneye]

[Ginko certainly appreciates those additions, and it may show even before he’s done telling his story; every so often, his ears will swivel toward Kiri, and there’s something of a smile working its way onto the muzzle this form has left him with.

When he does finish relaying his latest story, he adjusts how he’s lying on the floor and nods over at Kiri before resting his chin on his paws.] That's some impressive range you've got. Thanks for the help.

[mockiri]

[She'd been frightened of the large creature, originally, but the mostly-familiar voice and his storytelling had given her the courage to step up and help to contribute. She beams at the compliment, nodding her head. She can't say much, but she sure can copy what's around her. Sound effects are useful. In Crowley's voice:]

You could say I'm a mimic.

a

[reflash]

[Yukio turns, a little startled by the voice, and then... looks down at the little bird-child.]

Of course. [He says, with a smile.] That is, if it wouldn't interrupt anything else you're doing.

[mockiri]

[What she's doing... is helping! So no, not at all. She shakes her head.]

What are you going to do?

[scourgingstars]

[a; outside storyteller's temple;]

[Ardyn was, by all appearances, having perhaps the best time he'd ever had in a long while. He'd nearly forgotten what full strength really felt like, and he had to admit it was great. Still, it wouldn't be right to use his full power on anything but the Historian; holding off a horde like this wouldn't prove impossible for him without it. Tricky, sure, but what was life without a little challenge?]

[If one drew close enough, then one might catch a snippet of a story or two in between the slightly manic laughter and bursts of magic.]

...and so the aftermath of the whole incident- [said while framing several oncoming overgrown undead with both hands] -is why chocobo breeding has required a license for decades. [A flourished snap of his fingers, and the ground beneath the Overgrown burst into a brief and tall tornado of pure dark magic causing them to wither and die.] And no one dares even think the words 'golden feathers', lest the calamity be repeated.

[At another point a charging Fustercluck caught his eye, Ardyn pausing midsentence in whatever story he'd chosen to recount next. Another careful framing of its motion and leading his shot, then with a snap of his fingers the ground began to freeze over and hold the rolling catastrophe in place.]

Where was I? Ah, yes, the expedition to Costlemark. When none of the archaeologists came back to the surface in one piece, it was deemed a horrific failure. [He paused as if considering either his wording or the frigid fustercluck, and to the latter he simply snapped his fingers and pointed, calling down a sudden crack of lightning to strike it. Maybe, uh. Maybe look out if you were standing too close to it (but why would you be!!!)] I understand that's why the field isn't one studied anymore. Shame, but no unpaid university student wants to lose an arm over their thesis paper. Good heavens, I hope that killed it. I can't actually tell.

[One would be forgiven for thinking he was having fun. Mostly because he was.]

[b; further out;]

[When the temple had the most defenders, Ardyn dared to venture a little further out with a twofold intent; one, to see if he couldn't stop the worst of things before they reached the temples unfortunately mortal defenders. Two, to be ready to strike back the minute the Historian was vulnerable.]

[So if not running his mouth outside the temple, he'd be where the threats were at their worst and there was no reason to hold anything else back. Finding his path blocked by a few dragons, he simply held his arms out in clear invitation. A burst of light manifested in a dozen phantom weapons revolving rapidly around him before settling into a different shape, Ardyn smirking as his own scarlet greatsword settled into his hands in physical form from thin air.]

Such adorable creatures.

[c; wildcard;]

[anything else you want, he's the token evil teammate and just really happy he finally gets to kill shit.]

B

[suspecteverything]

Adorable is not the word I would use. Sadistic little fire-breathing assholes is more appropriate.

[Is he talking about the dragons or himself? It's kind of hard to say...]

[a; outside storyteller's temple;]

[shatteredlenses]

Can those bloody things actually die?

[In all the time since the first one was unfortunately found, Ignis hasn't heard of one being killed, but he definitely won't argue with the first time being now. He tightens his grip on his daggers, tilting his head back over his shoulder from where he's been making sure nothing creeps up on Ardyn while he takes on their grisly enemy.]

Maybe you should hit it again just to make sure.

[Sometimes overkill is a good thing.]

[yallstupid]

i. Retaliate: Temple Grounds

[They prepped for this. They knew what was coming. The shackles are set aside and they're allowed to let loose for the final battle. Thank god, because boy is Guzma ready to crack a few skulls one way or another. He never really took the scope of how he's grown, and how his Pokemon have grown in such a limited time. Now that they can really go hard, he's ready to use them to the very best of their abilities. Scizor is power and speed rolled into one, Golisopod is brute force and a sturdy defense. Not only that, but he can be ranged or close combat with the moves Guzma's put on him. And he can heal up a bit. It's going to be a rough ride, but he's got a lot to lose.

Part of the defense team, Guzma's guarding mainly the temple and it grounds. It's the best for him, really, even if he stays in one spot. With his back to the people inside, he can easily become a sword and shield. Too many good people are inside there, offering up their stories for the sake of a new world. One worth fighting for. Failure isn't an option now, when so much is at stake. He's armed, hilariously enough, with a bat he, uh....borrowed from Ren when she put on that fun baseball game (no, he wasn't joking about not giving it back, who do you think he is?), and while it's nothing super special, he's got a good swinging arm.

And some fucking decent aim. A delinquent true and through, and now he has a bat. What a picturesque scene.

A dragon lands before him, shrieking in his face with fangs and clawed wings bared, and he barely flinches as a blur of silver flickers past him and two curved claws rip off a good chunk of the huge lizard's lower jaw. Damn...Guzma nearly forgot how fast Golisopod could be, when using its signature move. These "no hold barred" battles really make him love and appreciate how great his partners are all over again., and the manic grin that spreads on his face curls with excitement.]

What a First Impression, cousin! Too bad mine was way flashier, ahahaha!! [The dragon roars, but this time is half gargles with the blood spilling from its injured maw, rearing back again as Golisopod bellows in response. Want some more? Come and get it.] Ice Beam - aim for the wings to keep it grounded. Let's deal with this lone wolf before its buddies show up, yeah?

---

ii. Assist: Beach

[Defending the temple isn't the only thing Guzma is doing, either. As more people converge on the battle scene, either to help or to hinder, he's going to regroup with those that are here to help. Golisopod is a fairly large Pokemon, and he can swim extremely well. One, maybe even two people could ride him as he ferried them across the raging waves, and that's exactly what he's doing. As allies begin to race forward to join in their endeavor, Guzma's there to give them support. Even Scizor is zipping smaller people through the air to the shores from their own respective island, as well as weapons, armors, anything that could help. Sea and sky...it's a good combo.]

Yo, y'all doing good, homies?! [The respective cries from each Pokemon show that they're fine. Raring to go. Their endurance has certainly increased, and it shows. Guzma grins, snickering quietly to himself. Why was he even worried?] A'ight, fam, next up is looking for anyone what's injured. Treat 'em real nice, yeah?

Golisopod, you help them fish folk in the water - any smell'a blood might attract something nasty, so get right to 'em, yeah? But be careful...you know why. Scizor! Spot for anyone from the air and trees. Lemme know what you find and lead me to 'em!

---

iii. Metronome: Wildcard!

[Nothing here tickle your fancy? Let me know and we can plot something out!! Or make your own tag and I'll respond!]

Ginko | OTA | storytelling + defense wildcard; story cw's for eye trauma, death, and illness

[onegreeneye]

As the state of the island has shifted, Ginko has been pushed for the first time in a while into a larger, significantly fuzzier form. The “fog form” is nothing new to him, but… last time he was like this, he had four limbs, and the missing arm is making balancing a little harder. He guesses he just won’t be at his most mobile for a while.

For the most part, he settles his big, furry body down in the temple, and he talks. Ginko can’t expect to be particularly helpful in combat, anyway. But he’s not bad at telling stories, and if those from his own world can be of help? He’s got plenty.

Some of what he says may be familiar to other islanders, especially those who know him well - but there’s always more, always other stories from other jobs and encounters. Anyone else in the temple, whether they’re staying put like him or just stopping in, might catch one or a few, or at least the first sentence of any number of stories:

“In my world, the river of stars in the night sky is mirrored by one of golden light, deep underground. Most people can’t see this river of light at all, but those who can must be careful of which river they watch - for that golden, subterranean glow can poison the eyes until you can’t see the light of the sun or stars anymore.”

“Once, there was an inkstone maker who sought to destroy her greatest piece - for everyone who used it had died soon after.”

“When winter comes to an end, the mountains once covered in frost must wake again - and, if that mountain has too little life left to revive itself, it must find a way to regain it, or simply let its life fade.”

“Years ago, there was a young sailor who saw white birds that nobody else could. When he whistled out at sea, the flock would swoop and fall back along with his tone, and he ensured the speedy travel of the ship he worked on by discreetly controlling these winds. However, he didn’t know the true nature of the power he held.”

His voice is just as quiet and relaxed as those who know him may expect - but there’s a gently poetic tone to his voice, in the rhythm with which he describes these stories, unlike his usual, casual mode of speech. This is different, after all, from an everyday conversation - both in its importance under the current circumstances, and the importance of the subject matter to himself.

(( OOC: For storytelling, please use the bolded keywords to indicate either in the subject line or body text which starter you want your character to listen to (or if they’ve just heard all of them); I’ll probably be posting the remainder of each story in pieces so people have the opportunity to ask questions/respond, but let me know if you just want it all in one piece if your character would wait til the end!

Also I’m not gonna outright make those one-taker-only, but I do encourage people to spread out replies so that the same story isn’t getting threaded too many times.

Alternately if you do want to do something with defending the temple/island (or want more info on those content warnings so you know if you can tag), hit me up over PM, on the game discord, or at omixgirl10 ! ))

[reflash]

[Yukio stands and shoots, drags energy arrows from thin air on a string made of magic, pulls and aims and releases.

He falls back, eventually. Just for a moment, just enough to take a breath and check on everyone inside the temple. Ginko is there (that form is unfamiliar, but everything else is exactly like it should be) and Yukio waits quietly nearby as the man talks about mountains and spring.]

Erika Fisher | OTA

[bitch4bitch]

A - Enso; night of the full moon

The impulsive state the full moon puts Erika into doesn’t leave her particularly fit for seeking out that altar - but she figures a bear-sized werewolf that still has an intellect closer to a human’s than a dog’s should be perfectly fit to fight off some monsters.

For example: No impulse control necessary to throw herself on a pack of Grimlings.

Her jaws snap shut on one of the doglike beasts, and she hurls it through its slavering packmates and into a tree, just before charging into the group herself with an almost joyful snarl. With the damage she’s doing, between bone-crushing jaws and heavy paws falling on the monsters, it probably won’t be long before the less mangled Grimlings’ hunger turns on their fallen packmates - but, for the moment, they’re still focused on snapping and leaping at the werewolf in their midst.

At least, if anyone is looking to help out another islander, the fight is likely to be pretty easy to find.

B - Exploration

Once she can be sure she’ll have her wits about her (as much as she ever does), and once she’s made a stop to borrow one of those fish charm things from the Jormun to make the whole ocean exploration thing more feasible, Erika wastes little time in joining the search for that altar. Once again, she’d feel a little better about this if she was… slightly more heavily-armed, but like. Guns don’t work underwater. Knives only, she guesses.

Regardless of what horrible shit may or may not still be lurking down here, there’s the key point of actually finding and moving a whole-ass altar. She hums under her breath as she swims, speaking up (or maybe just thinking out loud) to whoever might happen to be around. “Hope the Water’s up to just… ripping that thing outta the ground. It’s got to be secured in place somehow, right?”

(( OOC: If you wanna thread something out outside of these prompts, hit me up over PM, on the game discord, or at omixgirl10! ))

b

[yourattention]

Why's Connor here? Connor's here because the Jormun grabbed him and put a charm around his neck and he tends to just not ask questions when they want him to do things.

"Probably. We haven't found it yet, though, so there's no telling."

Mostly he's been trying to dart through the openings the Jormun leave him in the seemingly endless streams on monsters trying to make their way to the shore. Can he fight? If needed. That's not why they gave him the amulet, though. He's smaller than the Jormun and they trust him more than they probably should. Connor's been searching for the altar, and the Jormun have been trying to keep the worst of the monsters away from him.

[Locked to Jules] - Once the Alter Surfaces

[shatteredlenses]

[When news that the alter has been successfully brought to the surface spreads, Ignis finds himself with little time to celebrate that one large task is done. He is a good distance from where the surfacing happened, which means he has a lot of unkind creatures to fight his way though before he is able to help with its destruction. Fortunately, he does have one last ace up his sleeve.

As soon as he defeats the noino he'd been battling, Ignis reaches into his pocket to pull out the glasses that allow him to see again. He's been saving this last charge for the final battle and it looks like that is just about to begin. Time to put those limited hours of sight to good use. If he's lucky, he may even be able to warp past some of the enemies he runs into. It will save time and that is something in short supply,

Of course, even with time short, he wouldn't be Ignis if he didn't stop to help those in need, especially those who he calls friend. That is why he doesn't even hesitate to literally drop from the sky to help Jules against the dragon he is fighting.]

Need a hand? I've got a couple to spare.

[If only bad jokes could kill dragons. That one would definitely be a goner then.]

[suspecteverything]

[Jules doesn't show any sign of surprise when Ignis literally drops in on him. He doesn't even take his eyes off the dragon.]

Well gee, I didn't know you'd suddenly acquired a skill in prosthetics. Unless you just chopped different species' hands off and decided to carry them around with you.

[Jules dodges a swipe of the dragon's claw and promptly slams the point of his sword through what he hopes is thinner skin between the creatures toes. Then he finally turns and flashes a fanged smile at Ignis.]

I'm betting it's the second option.

ota

[reflash]

i. the best defense...
[Is a sniper, bow in hand with an endless supply of arrows, firing glowing bolts of energy at the waves of attackers. Yukio is terrifyingly accurate, thousands of hours of practice behind each shot as he aims and fires at vital areas.

There's no hesitation, no matter what the opponent looks like. And it's not easy, this isn't ideal for his current weapons, but he's doing what he can.]

ii. behind the scenes
[Yukio's medical kit is getting a lot of use today, as he moves from person to person bandaging injuries, casting healing spells, making sure no one dies. It's constant work, but it's important.

Are you all right?

iii. time to go
[There are things to bring over, people to track down, and final logistics to work through. Non-combatants are his first priority, and anyone too injured to continue.]

[[ooc: or you know, just wildcard.]]