knightsoflegend | chapter five ♔ it'll be a day like this one when the sky falls down

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chapter five ♔ it'll be a day like this one when the sky falls down

the blues - switchfoot

WHO || The Knights
WHAT || Failboat returns from the disaster in LA as the Knighthood goes on lockdown
WHERE || The castle, London
WHEN || Directly after this, Fall 2017
HOW || Actionspam

Hasmed's announcement does not brook any rebuttal: all Knights are recalled to the Castle, where they must remain until the Section Heads and Jack Chessing have spoken about the events in Los Angeles that have left the Knighthood without their usual leader.

The entire Los Angeles area is now covered with a dark miasma that has interfered with any signals that might be sent out from phones, etc., leaving the whole world wondering what exactly is happening down there. Final images showed horrendous monsters, a panic of citizens, looting and violence from humans and Shadowkind alike.

Hasmed has warned of extra magical wards on the castle, and anyone arriving will immediately take notice of one very prominent one: above the entire roof of the excessively large building hovers a black and red sigil in the air, a pentagram in a circle surrounded by runes or words in an unknown language, stretching for miles.

[ This is the social log for post-LA lockdown. Failboat must complete the top log before being allowed to tag outside of it. ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Plus it's not like he wanted to. [Ever the Wynn-Stan tbh.] The invite made it clear they were expected there or Raf would die.

I'm sure he had... very good reasons. [ dovan nods, obviously unable to believe otherwise. lan is grumbling beside him but he elbows him ] Wynn isn't the type to work alongside evil! [ did lis'sa just side-eye integra over there? maybe ]

To be entirely objective, we can't be certain Vi survived. Anymore than we can be sure Wynn did.

You left without knowing? You abandoned both of them? [ shock levels rising ]

I relayed the order to retreat. But that's getting ahead of ourselves. Crombe and the Mind Master joined us, along with a sorceress of unknown identity. As the concert unfolded, it became increasingly apparent that Crombe did not understand the nature of the seal, which he still believed to be some talisman which would grant him and his church power when Blade was allowed to activate it. Attempts to reason with him went ... poorly.

You think we had a choice? You don't think every single one of us wonders if there's something else we could have done for Vi, for Wynn?

[ Buffy's voice cracks. She is 100% done with people ascribing moral judgment to their decisions when these ppl weren't even there. When they're busy playing political maneuvers while Wynn's body isn't even cold (if he is dead, which she's pretty sure he is). She did not just lose Wynn and Vi and Des and Elena all at once to come back to this bullshit. ]

Keijen Blade summoned his father to this plane to kill him. Best guess, he took Dad's place. The kind of power he had ... That wasn't anything of this world.

I've no doubt that Jack did not order a withdraw lightly. What piques my interest in this matter is what circumstances Wynn had gotten himself into that led to it being a necessity.

Not to mention how a half breed divine could even kill a full blooded god.

I'm not certain myself of the latter, other than he used a dagger to do it - the same dagger with which he enacted the ritual that broke the nightmare God's seal to begin with. The same ritual that led him to rain lava upon the crowd, killing our agents below, and to kill Nadia, his own granddaughter. Fighting broke out in the box, and Wynn seemed... singularly fixed on facing off with the god. After Malaak'a was summoned, and Blade killed him, Wynn took his true form and engaged him in single combat.

Edited 2017-09-30 21:19 (UTC)

No, that's not true.

[Spike leans forward, a sudden intensity in his eyes.]

He didn't face off with Blade immediately. I would've. I thought that's what he was intending. But he went to save the people in the audience. As many as we could. Wasn't until there was no one left we could pull out that he engaged the god.

[He slouches back in his chair again, pointing at the different section heads.]

Wynn's priorities were to help people, not kick divine ass. You'd all best remember that.

Of course they were. This is Wynn we're talking about.

The same Wynn who keeps a collection of artwork in his private hall, depicting a silver dragon engaging in combat with what appears to be a drow god? [ js ] I find it difficult to imagine this was a coincidence. If Wynn's only concern were with civilian casualties, why did he wait so long to intercede? You claim fighting didn't break out until after the civilians were already being killed. Instead you tried to reason with Crombe, rather than strong arm him into stopping this before it began?

And what was Crombe going to do? Ask Keijen nicely?!

[She might look outraged if she weren't in such a state of disbelief. Rose's gaze moves around the room, lingering on those who have been so quick to turn on Wynn in his absence.]

You weren't there. [Her voice even, almost calm despite the tension that strains each word.] None of you, were there. So why don't you save your judgemental bullshit for when we're not around, cause I'll be damned if I'm going to sit here and let any one of you throw Wynn under a bus when he's not even here to defend himself.

This isn't about judging your actions, despite whatever Sir Integra feels the need to contribute. [ :| ] We're here to try to understand our circumstances. Keep that in mind.

Personally, I don't blame you for waiting. You might have only made the situation worse otherwise. [ as you do. it's in your group name. ]

I just don't understand how you could have... left him there. He would never abandon any of us! Not for a minute. I'm sorry, Jack, but as a Dragon's Claw... [ he shakes his head, sounding sorrowful ]

I'm quite interested to hear what happened to the Mind Master. [ hasmed's words are quiet, almost insidiously so, a weight to the words ] Wynn had spoken before his departure of the potential extent of her abilities.

How she might even take control of members of your own team. How we might have no way of knowing who was under her command.

[finnick is just taking the shitshow in, holding in his own disillusionment with wynn and everything the knights stand for like a vaguely rational person until hasmed brings up the mind master. y'know. his bff. jk he really wishes people would stop bringing her up. like. please. no. don't remind him of the disaster his entire life is now because of her.]

Are you saying we're all under suspicion now?

[he asks as probably the person here who deserves the most suspicion -- all the more reason for the call-out.]

To put it flatly?

Yes. [ lis'sa doesn't look pleased about it, but she doesn't look ready to sugarcoat it either ] Two of your number have already proven to be traitors. Previously, another two were replaced by a doppelganger for an extended time. Wynn had already expressed to us privately fears that the Mind Master may have infiltrated members of your team, fears which apparently stemmed from some of your number, and you have all been exposed to her repeatedly. [ she looks pointedly at you finnick ] Some have already been assaulted by her and rewired, to a degree.

You've been on this case in excess of five years, and Blade still completed his objective. Some are concerned that even Wynn himself might have been compromised to some degree, if not simply by his own preoccupation with the Prophecy that seems to have foreshadowed all of this. [ she casts a side-glance at the others, even though she doesn't seem to agree on that point ] We need information, and we need you all to show us that you can and should remain on this mission, and that you aren't, in fact, a further risk to the Knighthood and to our chances to take down whatever Blade has become.

Shows of emotion and anger aren't going to get you very far right now. You'd do well to bring some cold, hard facts of your success to the table. We'll be holding a vote today, so that plans can proceed to move against Blade.

[finnick doesn't care about the pointed stare because he is in fact very aware of his status as a liability. and yet ... he managed to stay on task and do exactly what he was supposed to be doing the whole time. amazing.

but he isn't rushing to speak because while he may not know 100% of what happened while he was trying to duct tape his mind back together, he knows this team painfully well. and maybe, just maybe, they've outlived their usefulness on this mission. if they were ever truly useful to begin with.

he gives a slight, motionless glance towards dumage, trying to gauge what's going on in her head -- if they're on the same wavelength, as they often are.]

[ she glances back at him, and in an instant, he knows... that she is.

in fact, she'll even speak up. ] Oh, don't all look so bloody surprised. Every time I came back to this team, something new had been bollocksed up.

Personally, I think it's time someone else took a crack at all this.

That's not your decision to make.

[ Buffy looks around. ]

That's not for any of you to decide. Without Wynn here, Jack is the one who gets to decide how this mission proceeds. The fact of the matter is, you need us. We know what we're dealing with; without us, you won't stand a chance. So I think if anyone should be asking the questions here, we should be the ones asking what it is you think you can do to help us.

[ jack, however, doesn't look so convinced that buffy's on the right track ] I understand your concerns. They are not without their validity. But Buffy is right that this group possesses an invaluable understanding of who and what we are dealing with.

That cannot be overlooked.

None of us are trying to run over the chain of command, Buffy. We all respect Jack, and if things weren't what they were, we'd be more than willing to let things run the way they were meant to.

But all of this... treachery, all of this mind control. [ he shakes his head, miserable ] We can't risk all that power in the hands of any one man. Even the very best one of all of us.

Now, now, nothing's been decided yet. Either way. [ he looks over at dovan ] Sir Summers, none of us are attempting to run any of you and your assistance off. Even in a worst case scenario. But things have not been working ... as they have been. It seems necessary for us to re-examine the situation.

[ hasmed is not so moved ] Wynn named each of us Section Heads because he recognized that our judgment was clearest, and that our powers were invaluable to the Knighthood. We have more to offer, Sir Summers than any of you, and years of experience and mission successes to prove it. And if Sir Chessing attempts to control this Knighthood without our support, he will find it very difficult indeed.

[ tia looks like that comment makes her really want to say something to hasmed, but she shakes her head and continues ] Let's keep this on track. What else should we know? Did anyone else engage in combat with Blade after he killed his father?

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