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

[eldritchweaver]

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. ]

Comments

Helen | after Solace's announcement

[daredtobelieve]

{open}

[Helen is distracted, lost in thought for hours following the announcement, even more so after she speaks to Rose. Also worthy of note, there's a large bruise splashed over her cheekbone and her bottom lip is split.

The Hoard wing is the most likely place to find her, but she's no stranger to the Light wing either. She's not a cleric, but she is still a doctor and equipped to lend a hand. She's doing her best to keep busy and avoid thinking about something that she knows she has to do. And perhaps, sometime around dinner, she steps away to have a strong drink or two, working up some courage.]

{closed to Solace}

[It's well into the evening when Helen makes her way to Solace's office. She doesn't feel good about this. There's no telling what will come of it, but she is doing her best to live a more honest life. That starts here and now. With a deep breath in and out to calm her nerves, she raises her hand and knocks on the door.]

[bredinthebone]

[Malina has set herself up in the bar ever since Gus went to deal with Felicity's resurrection. She's trying not to feel the weight of it herself - she remembers Felicity from when she was just a kid, and in a way she knows that for Gus this is just flashes of Lucy all over again.

So she's drinking, at least until she can get a handle on herself.

She glances over when she sees Helen, and raises an eyebrow.]

Getting in a nightcap before the end of the world?

[daredtobelieve]

[She gets herself set up with a glass of whiskey. She can nurse it for some time or throw it back if she feels like being bold.]

Something that like. I think a more apt description is summoning up my courage. [She turns to hold up her glass towards Malina, the injury to the side of her face now more visible.] Cheers.

[bredinthebone]

[Her eyebrows go up a bit at that, before she tips her head to the side.]

Something wrong?

[daredtobelieve]

Quite a bit, and most of it appears to be my own fault. But I'm hoping to amends in some capacity.

[bredinthebone]

[Her brow furrows again.]

Is this about France?

[daredtobelieve]

Yes and no. They are connected, in a sense. I've made quite a few selfish choices as of late, and it has cost me a great deal.

[bredinthebone]

[She sighs a bit before turning to look at her.]

Maybe if you didn't bottle them up so much it wouldn't come down in a giant fire of shit.

[She places her drink down on the bar. She's trying not to be judgy, but she's also not the kind of friend who holds back.]

A little selfishness isn't a bad thing every now and again. It keeps us human. But you seem to forget that you exist for years or decades at a time, and really, that's honorable. But it's not sustainable. Doing little things for you in small doses means you don't wind up running off with the wrong guy at the wrong time for the wrong reasons.

[daredtobelieve]

If I'm being honest, time starts to get fuzzy after awhile. When you know there are so many years behind you and so many more to come, it's hard to focus on the present. All my time here is something of a blur. And then she arrived. My daughter- back from the dead. And it was like everything stopped and stood still.

It isn't her fault, of course. But I've been asking myself how I could ruin things with her so quickly, and I think it's all connected, in a sense. After she died, I think I forgot how to live as a whole person.

[bredinthebone]

Of course you would. You lost a kid.

[She hasn't been down that road herself, but she's seen the effect it has on other people.]

But right now, it's just a matter of if you're willing to make it right.

[daredtobelieve]

I've told her that I will. Showing it isn't quite as easy. But I'm hoping to start after I finish this. [She holds up her glass. It's not hard to see that she's nervous about whatever she plans to do.]

[bredinthebone]

Then good luck.

[Malina reaches over and gives her shoulder a small squeeze and slight smile.]

And let me know if I can help, okay?

[daredtobelieve]

Being here is plenty, I assure you. [She takes another moment, before letting out a slow breath.]

The traitors we've been warned about. Those aligned with Hell. I know them. And I knew some part of what was happening before it all came out.

[sirsolace]

[ the voice inside sounds gruffer than usual, likely from being tired and frustrated ] Come in.

[daredtobelieve]

[Helen can't help but feel bad for adding more to his plate during all of this, but she'd rather come clean now than have the information used against her later.

And she hopes that maybe this will be a step in repairing her relationship with Ashley.

She opens the door and steps inside, closing the door behind her. Turning to face him, the bruise on her cheek is looking pretty nasty at this point.]

Sir Solace. [She nods a greeting of respect.] I was hoping that I might have a word.

[sirsolace]

[ well he definitely notices when he looks up from his desk. he moves to stand, one hand on the desktop ] Of course. What has happened?

[daredtobelieve]

Please... sit. [She moves to the nearest chair and has a seat herself. There's really no reason to stall any longer.]

Given recent developments, I thought it best to come forward. The news of Mr. Descant's connections to Hell were no surprise to me. He and I were friends, and as we grew closer, he and his spouse confided in me who they truly were. I should have said something sooner, but my judgement was clouded. Not by anything sinister, mind you- at least, not that I'm aware of. I simply struggled to believe the worst of someone I had come to care about.

[sirsolace]

[ he obeys her request, settling back in across from her. he watches her carefully, his brow furrowing as he weighs her words. ] How much do you know about the Nine Hells, Sir Magnus?

[daredtobelieve]

Truthfully, not much. My understanding is that there are similarities in the lore from my world, but I would by no means consider myself an expert.

[sirsolace]

[ solace walks over to a bookshelf against one wall, loaded with ancient looking tomes. he seems to know exactly what he's searching for, pulling down a book with a dark red, worn cover, and bringing it over to his desk. the cover has no title, merely the image of an evil looking sauron eye. he turns the pages carefully, flipping to this one ] Baator, also known as the Nine Hells. It is here that most souls go after their death, unless they earn a place in one of the heavenly realms, through acts of good or devotion to a particular deity. Or, of course, should they lose their soul to a particular demon lord of the Abyss, who claims them after they die.

Each level of Hell that you see here is distinct, in climate, as well as the tortures visited upon those souls who end up there. Each is ruled by an archdevil, the most powerful of which command the deepest levels: Maladomini, Cania, and Nessus itself. The most diabolical torments belong to the masters of these three layers.

Two of whom our former allies now serve as consorts to.

[daredtobelieve]

[Helen looks over the page he turns to, taking in his explanation quietly.]

And one of whom I considered a friend for some time. [She's deliberate in using the past tense, as if she's trying to convince herself as well that their friendship is over. It has to be for the sake of her family.] What can you tell me about them? These archdevils. What powers do they wield?

[sirsolace]

Considerable ones, even on their own. When combined with those of their many dark followers, there is a very good reason that they have gone unchallenged for thousands of years. [ he opens to another page, where this image is painted. ] Mephistopheles - Lord of the Eighth - is a patron of fire and magic and a master of hellfire - the unholy essence of the Nine Hells, a foul, destructive energy. He is one of the most powerful spellcasters to exist in any realm.

[daredtobelieve]

But they each have different abilities? Do I have that right? [She makes a gesture to the book] May I? [She'll just read for herself, if he'll let her.]

[sirsolace]

[ he hands it over ] They do, although there are many that they share as well.

[ the book, in fact, lists a lot of things that mephistopheles can supposedly do/traits he possesses:

superhuman physical traits, immortality, regeneration (high-low, reforms in Hell if killed outside), teleportation, enhanced senses, telepathy, energy projection, reality warping, magic, elemental manipulation, hellfire manipulation, necromancy, telekinesis, flight, mind manipulation, time manipulation, spatial manipulation (creating portals and such), soul manipulation, divination, summoning, banishment, healing, resurrection, death magic, transmutation, inflicting curses and disease, illusions, magic dispelling, immunity to fire and poison, highly resistant to cold, acid and magic, can understand and speak all languages, can create an aspect of himself, can grant powers.

it also lists the researcher's best approximation of the scale of his power.

Destructive Capacity: At least continent level+ (above most hell lords, can fight equally with demigods), likely Planet level at his best and on his plane
Range: At least continental (his power is felt across Cania), likely Planetary. Universal with teleportation, can also hop between dimensions
Speed: At least Massively Hypersonic+
Durability: At least continent level+, likely Planet level
Lifting Strength: Superhuman to an unknown extent ]

[daredtobelieve]

[She looks it over carefully, clearly interested in taking it all in.]

And is this one of the beings that our former associates have attached themselves to? [She's realizing that she knows very little about... all of this, basically. Knowledge is power and all that.]