briefing ♔ watch the fires rise under my skin | scorching my soul

[wynn]

♬ Dark Doo Wop - MS MR

WHO || Wynn, Failboat [Closed]
WHAT || Talisman Mission Briefing
WHERE || Knights HQ, the briefing room
WHEN || Feb 6th, shortly before 5pm [back dated]
HOW || Actionspam. Single thread, don't worry about maintaining tagging order.

Andres has been quite the distraction from the looming problem of what's to be done about Dimitris' compatriots in the cult of the Church of the Lord's Humanity. Having learned during the retaking of the Isle that the Church leader, Draken Crombe, has been impersonating NOVA Records mogul Chad Becksworth for years in order to gain access to the company's resources, keeping tabs on his movements has become even more pressing.

His next scheduled appearance? At the upcoming 2015 Grammy's. And considering that the Church was behind the disaster in New York last year, where hundreds of Shadowkind were brainwashed into committing suicide in the Hudson River, it's only logical that Wynn intends to send his own forces to attempt to avert any other large scale catastrophes.

But that's not all. There have been some further twists in the story, and it may be time for them all to come to light. To that end, Wynn has asked many of those involved with the mission to gather, whether they'll be sent to the awards show with the team or not.

He's asked Myrilandel and Violet to come before the others.* 

*Everyone will be plurk alerted when it's time for the larger meeting.  Please stand by for now.

Comments

[nothingsodivine]

[Des sticks his tongue in his cheek and considers this.]

Remember back when all this began. Everyone was gunnin' for the Eternal Jade. Turns out it was Eterna Jade they were after.

[he looks at Lazarus.] Is it like that?

1/-

[heartvoid]

It is, in that rumors have allowed the true purpose of the relic you seek to become twisted over time.

It is different in that this was done on purpose. I began the rumors myself, to disguise its real nature from those who would otherwise desire to find it.

2/3

[shootfirst]

Well, shit. [ that's kat's eloquent contribution, yw ]

[heartvoid]

Some sixty years past, in Faerun, the long rivalry between Sehanine, the Lady of Dreams, and Malaak'a, Lord of Nightmares, reached a point of escalation. Malaak'a had grown to stand in opposition to Lolth and the other drow gods who supported her matriarchal regime, but knew that he did not have the power to overthrow - or even directly challenge her.

He chose another plan instead. He set on his sights on finding a world of his own to conquer, one which the others god would have limited influence on. One that was almost entirely self contained, as it were.

If a god could find a way to break through that barrier, to exist entirely within the parameters of that dimension, he would be the only one - the most powerful deity to exist there.

He would stand unopposed, to rule however he desired.

And Malaak'a knew, even then, which goddess held the key to doing just that.

[bigbad]

[Spike's generally been too focused on whatever problem was directly in front of him to put too much thought into the talisman itself. But it's still surprising. Especially since he's not sure how much of this Wynn already knew, and how much of it was part of the revelations he mentioned.

Sure doesn't sound promising that whatever the talisman really is, the evil drow god wants it. He frowns, leaning forward a little in his seat.]

Guessing that'd be our girl, Sehanine.

[65]

[finnick is like this gif only without the happiness. it is a somber shock. and also a wtf shock. why were we out chasing geese all this time?]

[heartvoid]

[ lazarus nods once, gripping the back of a chair with a gloved hand. ] You would guess correctly. Sehanine is also goddess of the Veil, and as such, is the only deity blessed with a full knowledge of how to travel from one dimension to the other.

Malaak'a decided to steal this knowledge for himself. He knew that these secrets were kept in a tome within her temple, but the goddess would be cognizant of anything happening on her personal plane. In order to create an opening for himself to break into the temple, he tricked the Lady of Dreams into taking mortal form, and enlisted the assistance of his son to cast a spell that would entrap her temporarily in that body, cut off from the majority of her powers. Malaak'a was free to take what he desired, and one step closer to his goal.

What he did not expect was for his son to use his position to his... advantage. He was powerful in his own right, and some have claimed that he is at heart more twisted, cruel, and perverse than even his dark ancestor. He certainly inherited his father's ideals, and his single minded assurance of his own superiority, particularly over women. Malaak'a intended for him merely to detain the goddess, for the spell did not render her spirit vulnerable enough to destroy.

His son, however... [ his fingers tighten further against the chair and he looks down, even as wynn's expression hardens. ] Had other ideas.

[doubletake]

[She shifts uncomfortably in her chair for a moment, though any other signs of discomfort are absent.]

...Who's his son?

[heartvoid]

His born name was Kel'in'hrae. But Violet believes that he goes by another name here.

[graveflowers]

[ having heard this story twice already does not make it easier to listen to and vi cradles her belly protectively, even as a sneer darkens her features. ]

Keijen.

[slay]

[ The flicker of fury on Buffy's face, for as unrestrained and violent as it is, lasts only a short moment. She smothers the flames of her rage, stifling them for a later day.

This, perhaps, was news that shouldn't have preceded a trip to see Blade, as there is now every chance that she will castrate Keijen "actual trash bag" Blade.

When she speaks, her voice is all tight, deliberate control. Very level. ]

What did he do to her?

[nothingsodivine]

[oh, was THIS what you were expecting des to get mad about?

Because he abruptly stands up and slams his palms on the table.] That motherfff-

[mercifully, he cuts himself off, because in this context perhaps not the correct insult to use. So he's just gonna stand there. Impotently. Nostrils flaring.]

[bigbad]

This mean he's fair game for tearing out his rib cage if we get half a chance? Cause at this point he's really asking for it.

[heartvoid]

Ideally. However, Kel'in'hrae is also dangerously intelligent. His arrogance about his power is not misplaced. What's more, he knows how to surround himself with those who are just as powerful, and any attempt to destroy him as such will inevitably come with great costs. [ he turns to buffy, to finish explaining the rest of the story, however ] I am certain that you can imagine what he might have done in that position, and you'll forgive me for not wishing to speak aloud the blasphemies that befell my goddess.

The unexpected result, however, was that Sehanine fell with child, and decided, even in the midst of her divine rage upon returning to her immortal form, to keep it. To give birth to the child, and call it her own, and to keep the truth from her about who her monstrous father was.

That child, as you may have surmised, was Eterna Jade.

[nothingsodivine]

[INCOHERENT NOISES OF MURDEROUS RAGE.]

[bigbad]

Bloody hell, we have to get Dumage out of there. [It comes out in a rush that almost surprises Spike. Dumage is a big girl. She can make her own choices. And if Keijen's touched her Spike's going to cut the bastard's hand off. He swallows, looking up, around the room until he meets Myri's eyes.] And Nadia.

[slay]

[ Dread, horror, and disgust all well up in kind. For a moment, Buffy is sure she's going to throw up, bile sour in the back of her throat. Green eyes go out of focus as she reflects, pieces falling into place. The photographs from Vittorio's safe deposit box. Her hand covers her mouth, elbow propped on the table as she tries to swallow it all down.

Keijen Blade raped his own daughter, and everyone who knew was too busy believing her complicit in it to stop what was happening, to help her. It's like a punch in the gut, the air knocked out of her. Her sharp inhale shakes like a repressed sob, and she pulls her hand down her face, looking across the table to her best friend and uttering simply, ] Des.

[ And in that concerned syllable, she weaves a wealth of horrified understanding. It comes all at once, a wave: what Rafael will do when he finds out, what Des is no doubt considering in this precise moment, and what Buffy is surprised to find herself resolving to do about it. It doesn't just confirm that he's had the same snap realization that she did: it's simultaneously searching to find out if they should share with the others (or if it's, as it in all likelihood is, none of their business), or with Rafael himself when they find him. ]

[graveflowers]

[ having been burdened by this awful story for nearly six months, vi doesn't react as everyone else. she doesn't really even pay attention to it, her attention, from the beginning of the reveal of what happened to the moon goddess has been on kat (and to a lesser extent, elena).

it can't be easy to listen to for anyone, but it has to be that much worse for kat and her eyes drift to fred as if begging him to make sure she's okay because vi doesn't want to call her out in the middle of the briefing.

she should probably care about how the news hits faith and anastacia, too, but elena and kat are her babies. ]

1/-

[shootfirst]

[ kat does look disgusted and horrified, but fred's got a hand squeezing her shoulder and it seems to be enough to keep her from snapping anything out, beyond: ] And you're saying we can't just go murder him?

2/-

[wynn]

We'll certainly find a way to deal with Blade personally, in time. But there's more to Lazarus' tale, and we've had enough experiences with facing down Blade to know that we are not prepared to take him head on, just as he says.

Everyone has a weakness. It's our goal to discover his.

3/3

[heartvoid]

As Wynnefalshond says. There's more to the story.

Malaak'a escaped with the tome, and the knowledge he desired, but Sehanine knew what he had done, and was outraged by what had been done to her. She would not let it stand, would not let him bring his evil plan to fruition.

To that end, she gathered thirteen of the most powerful arcane spellcasters in the whole of Faerun, with the goal of enacting an extremely powerful, dangerous ritual: one that would seal Malaak'a away, onto his own plane, cutting him off from being able to make his way here, and allowing Sehanine to protect this world from his influence.

[65]

[ELENA AND KAT AREN'T THE ONLY ONE AT THIS TABLE WITH A HISTORY OF PROBLEMATIC CONSENT ISSUES but because finnick has shared this with literally one person and wouldn't talk about it anyway, he stares down at the table with a pale, distant expression while everyone else is hashing all that shit out.

when lazarus gets to his next chunk of exposition, he tries to poke back in by asking what seems like where this is going to him (wis 15)] Were you ...?

[nothingsodivine]

[Buffy saying his name is about the only thing that calms Des down and he only manages to hold her gaze for a second before he turns away, kneading his fingers into his palm as he tries to work some of wrath out of his system.

There's still more to the story, after all. And even the irrational and utterly foolhardy Desmond Descant seems to realize that the fight against Blade won't be won using pure rage and a little hope.]

[attollores]

[Alainn is listening intently to Lazarus's tale, eyes glued to the elf as he speaks, so stunned by what she is hearing that she's rendered speechless. For one of the Goddesses that she had worshipped for longer than she could remember to be brought so low by the likes of Malaka and Keijen twists her stomach. Not knowing what to even think about all of this, let alone add to the commentary, has her staying quiet as everything unfolds, arms wrapped around her stomach as if holding herself in place.]

[witchwoman]

[As someone who knows Finnick's tragic backstory quite intimately, Myri squeezes the hand he slipped into hers and even reaches over with her free hand to hold on with both. She's not going to say anything to draw attention to it, but she wants him to know she's there.]