london ♔ when the gusts came around to blow me down

[wynn]

  iron sky - paolo nutini

WHO || Everyone and their dog.
WHAT || In the aftermath of the attack, the Knights attempt to recover
WHERE || Knights HQ, etc.
WHEN || Dec. 1st-8th, 2015
HOW || Actionspam

As darkness falls all around the castle, the remaining Knights straggle out of their broken castle to survey the damage and count the dead – of which there are three: Rose Hathaway, Kali, and Killian Jones.

What began like any other day for most quickly descended into a nightmare, after Wynn and most of the Section Heads were lured out to downtown London to face a threat of dual dragons, who turned out to be only clockwork creations of deposed Andres dictator Dimitris Sarandis, robotic menaces that were nothing but a distraction from the real threat. Having rallied support from some of the Knights' other enemies, Dimitris sent an army of chipped creatures, Shadowkind, robots, and a giant tank to destroy the Knighthood's headquarters, dropping part of the roof down onto the training room and med center in the initial explosive blast. Sarandis' alliance with a mysterious hacker named One (who turned out to have been the man who invented technomagic in the first place along with Zero) not only downed the Knights' communications, but also their defensive and surveillance systems (with some help from a mentally dominated Eleven). Whatever preparations Zero had made for an attack by One were undermined by the sudden but inevitable betrayal of the humanized robot GlaDOS, who introduced a learning virus into the system before taking off, likely having made some kind of deal with One to restore her robotic form.

The Knights rallied under the remaining sect leaders – Lis'sa and Koraith – to make a plan to fight back and try to take down Dimitris, who sent a taunting message out across the Drakenet, announcing his intentions to leave the castle as a smoking crater littered with corpses. Fearing that the attack might also be meant to target Myri and Vi's children, a group moved them to the Round Table Room, perhaps the most secure location in the building. The attack was a smokescreen of sorts, something Vi realized, taking Elena, Des, and Faith O'Keefe with her to the library in hopes of saving the elven mage, Lazarus, whose blood the villains required to unleash the nightmare god Malaak'a upon the world. The library, however, was already in shambles, thanks to a fire-slinging red half-dragon who had confronted some Knights there (and led Kate Beckett to discover something strange about herself...). Des remained in the hallway to confront a demon, in the same place where Skye had nearly died to an ifrit pyrokineticist named Serafina, one of Dimitris' chipped experiments. Sawyer Kelly and Alex Karamazov butted heads when it came down to sparing the enslaved ifrit, but in the end, Alex made the decision by putting a bullet in her head when Mars wouldn't act – much to Sawyer's horror. Things went to hell pretty quickly when the villainous Mind Master drove into the library on a motorcycle and proceeded to almost slaughter Vi, Elena, Faith, and Gar, making vicious comments to the former about going to see her deceased husband again. When Elena grabbed the Mind Master, she abruptly vanished, and Elena's whereabouts remain unknown. The Mind Master proceeded to make her way into Lazarus' secret chambers beneath the library, slitting his throat and collecting the magic that coursed through his veins in lieu of blood, the lasting effect of his having survived the ritual that sealed Malaak'a away in the first place.

Meanwhile, downtown, while Carol Danvers and Clark Kent played superhero around the city, Sam and Buffy ran into the archangels Raphael and Zerachiel, who were assisting the wounded of London, and Buffy cut a deal with Raphael after he cautioned her that some sort of big demon was also involved in the attack. In exchange for allowing Hell's forces further freedom of movement (the necessary cost to maintain the balance of the universe), Raphael transported Buffy right into the middle of the fray. The demon already gone, the angel advised her to go and protect the children – which turned out to be necessary indeed, as Sarandis had sent chipped, invisible raptors after the babies. Will Graham nearly died in the attack, but no children – or dogs – fell prey to the beasts.

Outside, a number of Knights armed to the teeth with grenades, rocket launchers, and flame throwers took on a towering seventy-foot tall Colossus that was ripping the castle apart. However, when Steve Rogers cut its head off with an expertly thrown shield toss, the monstrosity fell into the front of the castle with all of its three hundred tons, (and on fire, courtesy of Baal) and many barely escaped with their lives. Wolverine was the only person trapped in the ensuing rubble, but Nathan Young and Amy Pond dug him free as his body healed up the massive wounds suffered.

A strike team was sent out to take on Dimitris in his tank, and Spike and Dean drove Archer's car straight into the oversized military vehicle as a distraction, while Cora Hale, Rose, and Kali disabled the tank and its weapons and broke their way inside. What they found, however, was merely a projection of Dimitris taunting them, as Cora's werewolf senses alerted her immediately to the fact that no one was actually inside but them. Too late, the girls tried to escape – as the tank exploded in a volley of shrapnel and gout of flame, that also caught Christos La Krail and Grant Ward off guard, who had just arrived at the gate so that Ward might meet with Wynn for his official Knighthood interview. As everyone scrabbled to save the injured, a bag of grenades that Kali had dropped caused a secondary explosion, that took Rose and Kali's lives. Dean and Spike proceeded to look insane when the archangel Michael showed up to collect the souls of the dead, and they were the only two who could see him, but Cap stood his ground anyway with them. Dean angrily refused to give up on Rose's life, despite the fact that the death of her bondmate Lissa less than twenty four hours prior had left her connection to life weakened already. Michael cautioned him against doing 'something stupid', as Dean stalked off with her body.

Meanwhile, after realizing Zero's role in all this and helping return him to his senses so that he and Skye could restore communications and defenses, Lila Zacharov-Gray took off with Alex to the upper floor to find Amara. They discovered the homo magi using her powerful magic to keep the ceiling from collapsing into the entire castle, and while she entreated them to evacuate, Lila refused to leave her, prompting Amara to use her most powerful spell to repair the structural damage that was threatening to capsize the castle, at the cost of alerting her father to her exact location.

Just when it seemed like all might be well, Emma Swan, cursed by Poseidon to turn into a flesh-eating kelpie if she wasn't in water by sundown, came across the body of Lazarus and found her monstrous hunger awakened. Dissatisfied with the bloodless corpse, she decided to make a meal of Killian Jones, magically teleporting him into the pond behind the Knighthood, where in spite of Faye and Alex's best efforts, Killian was drowned. Luckily, however, they prevented Emma from eating her true love.

The other Knights fought bravely against basilisks, clockwork mages, and giant scorpions, while trying to assist the wounded, rescue the trapped, and do everything they could to protect the Knights' assets from falling into Dimitris' hands. With the smoke cleared, their home – thanks to Amara – remains standing, but the damage to it is substantial and won't be repaired overnight, even with magic at their disposal. More lasting will be the emotional scars of watching the only home some of them even remember ever having broken around them, their illusion of safety shattered, and their peace violated – not to mention the looming possibility of the Nightmare God being freed.

[ You are now free to make top posts for your characters in the wake of the attack. These top posts may include multiple sections (with different instructions for whether you want them to be open to multiple threads for that scene or closed to a single thread with multiple participants), that deal with anything directly after the events of the event post, and in the week following. I recommend using letters or numbers to indicate each section, so that those responding can put what they are doing in the subject line, to help others quickly know where to go to jump into any single threads.

There will be a thread about Wynn's return and a subsequent Drakenet post addressing IC-ly where people will live. Those with rooms in the Dragon's Tongue, Dragon's Hide, Dragon's Hoard, and Dragon's Fire wing will find their rooms almost entirely undamaged and still livable, but there is a percentage chance that anyone in the Dragon's Light or squire rooms will have their room destroyed. Please ask me for each of your characters this applies to and I will let you know the extent of the damage. Your characters are free to try searching the rubble for their personal effects – just include it in their top post with a search check please, and I'll let you know how much of their stuff is recoverable. Rebuilding efforts will commence within the week, so if your character has any way of contributing to putting the castle back together, that's also top post fodder. There is limited space in the Knights' downtown London office for some Knights to stay, while others may have their own apartments, etc. Other options may open up eventually. If your character is no longer living in the castle, please use your top post to establish this! I will put up top posts for each potential resurrection attempt, as rezzes take multiple days IC-ly to even be attempted.

Destroyed/heavily damaged sections of the castle: front hall/lobby (the Colossus is still there)/stairs, but there are currently ladders to access the second floor; the Dragon's Light wing/office/small library/bathrooms; the chapel; the med center; the training room; the armory; the bowling alley; the piano room; billiards room; parlor; the Dragon's claws bedrooms; parts of the dining hall; the library is intact but heavily damaged, many of the books destroyed by fire. After the first couple days, additional doors have been added to the castle at the far west end of the horizontal squire bedrooms hall, and beside the Dragon's hoard wing to enter the building, and a door has been installed at the southwest corner of the dining hall to allow people to cut through it to circumvent the Colossus still taking up the lobby and blocking access to the main hall. ]

Comments

[delicere]

Yes! [Brightening, in part because he actually understood her.]

No, of course not. [A soft flutter of laughter spills over.] But a... robot, may not care where it steps.

[The injured Badger is now close enough for Ava to heal it and yet, at first she spends the time getting it accustomed to her touch and scent. Lightly running her fingers up the bridge of its nose and over the back of its head.]

Are people not animals who walk on two legs instead of four? [In other words, yes.] It is a divine magic that has been gifted to me...

[The words are meant for Alec but her focus is very much on the badger, Ava finally allowing her fingers to still as she murmurs the words to her spell under her breath. He would see the badgers grizzled leg heal before his eyes, the creature able to put weight on it before she can even withdraw her hand.]

I wouldn't think the number of legs should alter who I share it with, do you?

[monticora]

[ She's probably got a point. It's not like robots are tiptoeing through the tulips watching underfoot for animals and such. He gets it. But he's not sure why she's taking it onto her. Like it's not like Wynn was handing out go save the animals jobs. She just took the initiative and jumped out here on her own. It's confusing.

He watches with a curious expression as she proceeds to heal that thing. He's not scared of her or anything, but he does still find magic weird. It's better when it's not fireballs being hurled at you by your PMSing Knight. Like Ava is so much cooler than you, Malina. ]

Um. I dunno. They're animals. That's why they're called animals. They're called people because--they're not animals? [ Why are you being philosophical? This is so weird. ] You got the good end of the stick. My Knight got the shitty rude end of it.

[ He raises a brow at her. ]

I dunno. I'm not really human. Not completely anyways. I'm probably more animal than human.

[delicere]

[Pulling back slowly, Ava rests on her haunches, little care for the debris of the woods that is at present, dirtying the ends of her gown.]

They feel pain. They hunger. They care for one another as you can see before you... [One of the larger Badgers now looking over the smaller one, thoroughly inspecting it to see what the blonde woman had done to it.] They may not communicate the way you or I do but they are most certainly, rather like people I think.

[His words surprise her, like she hasn't become totally accustomed to the harsh language of this world, eyes wide as she looks to Alec, head canting as she at least considers the meaning behind his words.]

Perhaps your Knight merely has a difficult in expressing themselves? I have found that some people do not excel in social situations? [God forbid she ever consider that either Alec was an ass and got what he deserved or that Malina might really be a bitch.

Finally she rises, stepping away from the grouping of badgers, brushing off her hands on her dress as she does so.] Well then... [Her smile turning almost playful.] Perhaps that makes you doubly deserving of my aid, should you ever need it.

[monticora]

Yeah, but they're animals. The difference is in the way they walk. They're not civilized? Or something.

[ Alec's spent far too long hearing people shout that Transgenics aren't human. They're not people. They don't have souls. They're genetic creations. Monsters. Animals. Anything and everything, but a human being. He can't quite wrap his head around the idea that animals are equal to humans.

He lets out a sharp laugh when she comments on Malina having issues expressing her feelings. ] She's just fine with other people. With me she turns into a giant asshole. Can't take a joke. Honestly, I think it's just cause she hasn't gotten laid. [ He shrugs casually. ] I'm thinking I can pay for a roll in the hay for her and get her to pull the stick out of her ass.

[ He's probably ruining Ava's precious little ears right now.

He does crack a little smile though when she insists on coming to his aid if he should need it. ]

Sure. I can always use a good healer on speed dial. What's your name?

[delicere]

[Rather than be frustrated by his lack of understanding or even upset by it, Avaleen merely offers Alec a smile, tinged with sadness though it is. As if to suggest she feels sorry for him for not seeing the world the way that she dd, like he was being robbed of something very important as a result.

While she does her best not to react to his rant about Malina, her discomfort at his use of colorful language and the harsh manner in which he speaks about the Knight he is squired to, is written across her face. The blonde's hands clasped together as she shifts her weight from one foot to another.]

I am... most certain that if a... [Grimacing.] If an injury such as the one you're describing has occurred that... the clerics would be more than equipped to handle the matter and it would be of no charge to you. We would not even require hay.

[Still recovering from that literal mental image.]

Avaleen... Though, you may call me Ava if you wish.

[monticora]

[ Alec notes the discomfort, but he's got no idea that it's about his language. Most people he meets curse just as bad. Or say things just as bad. He doesn't realize that maybe these words and descriptions are what's making Ava uncomfortable. He just sort of chalks it up to something else. There are a hundred things that could make her that uncomfortable.

His face sort of just lights up when he realizes that Ava thinks Malina has an actual stick up her ass. Wow. She's a weird lady. But he can't pass up this opportunity. It's probably awful of him, but the idea of the rumor spreading that Malina has a stick up her ass is just too great to pass up. Alec nods. ]

They tried to remove it. No luck. It's jammed up there pretty tight. [ It's so hard not to laugh. ] She very well could require a roll in the hay, Ava. You should ask her about it. She likes talking about it.

[delicere]

[While Ava may in fact be naive in many things, she is not without common sense (Wis 23), looking all but aghast at what Alec is suggesting to her now.]

I am quite certain that I should do no such thing. A persons, ailments are their own private business and it would not be right for me to bring it up without her choosing to share it with me first.

[She's not entirely sure what he's playing at here but she at least suspects that he might be messing with her. (Sense Motive 24).]