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Events post #242: An interlude for Chaos
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<pre>10/8/2018 at 3:52
Everyone
An interlude for Chaos
During the previous week's events at the seal of Chaos, the Azdi-a of the Indorani, Vyxsis Qizzeke, posed a question to the Gods Severn and Damariel: "Was Jox a threat to Chaos?"
Severn answered, claiming the Court would bring their wrath down upon Sapience should they find out about the seal of Chaos. Damariel agreed, counseling that such an action would not be wise. The Manipulator's patience quickly wore thin as Vyxsis sought clarification that she shouldn't inform the Court of Chaos and its Emperor, Golgotha. He seized Vyxsis by the neck, informing her in no uncertain terms that He would personally destroy the Indorani should they inform the Lord of Chaos.
Members of the Indorani gathered later to discuss their discontent at Severn's treatment of their leader, some even urging her to inform the Emperor. Vyxsis disappeared to her haven, sitting in pensive silence as she considered her move.
On the 16th of Arios, 476 MA, the Emperor of Chaos Jy'Barrak Golgotha descended upon the Prime Material Plane. The events that followed led to a fierce battle between Emperor and the Gods, and Golgotha eventually fled back to Chaos amidst claims that the entire Court would descend upon Sapience at a later date. Afterwards, Severn declared the Indorani guild traitors to Sapience and brought down the wrath of Shadow, dismantling the guild.
The events, as recorded by the monks of the Grand Aetolian Library, proceeded as follows:
Reality gives a tremble, and a distorted emanation pervades through the leylines. Several dark points manifest in the skies above Sapience, and then a gruesome, mawlike tear opens, sundering the sky. Beyond it lies the Chaos Plane, the infinite Pits beyond fain to madden those who stare overlong.
Two gauntlet-shod hands tear the rift wider, making way for a tremendous form: Jy'Barrak Golgotha, Emperor of Chaos claws through, doom burning in his fiendish eyes. The Emperor is immediately flanked by Arctar and Dameron, moving as one with their sworn liege. The sound of heavy, rapid drumming reverberates across the heavens as the whole of the Court of Chaos step into Prime, forming behind the Emperor in glittering rank and file.
The drumming rises to a cacophonous crescendo, peaking at a rhythmic, bone-rattling intensity that rattles. It goes on and on until finally the Emperor raises a single hand - and just as soon as it's done, the drums come to an immediate stop. The Court of Chaos depart in single file, each bowing before the imperious form of Golgotha - only Arctar, Dameron and the Emperor remain, commanding the silence that follows.
The very skies shudder queasily as Jy'Barrak Golgotha, Emperor of Chaos bellows, "WORMS OF SAPIENCE, KNOW THAT YOU HAVE BROUGHT DOOM UPON YOUR OWN HEADS. YOU ARE FOOLS TO THINK YOU COULD HIDE YOUR TREACHERY FROM ME, AND YOUR LAND SHALL PAY THE CONSEQUENCES. NOW CHAOS ITSELF DESCENDS UPON YOUR FIELDS, YOUR BASTIONS, AND YOUR HOLDINGS, DELIVERED PERSONALLY BY MY HAND - THE FULL MIGHT OF MY COURT IS NOT NEEDED TO MATCH YOUR PITEOUS FORCE. YOUR CITIES SHALL CRUMBLE! YOUR HUSBANDS SHALL BE SLAUGHTERED! YOUR CHILDREN SHALL BE FED TO MY HOUNDS! AND CHAOS SHALL CONSUME YOU ALL."
Each word from the Lord of Chaos sets reality rumbling, and the Emperor is cloaked by sheer, palpable rage. The stench of ozone fills your nose as the sky itself begins to explode, traces of blue consumed in hellish fire. Below, fires begin to spontaneously appear in forests but even still the Emperor's words continue to roll forth. Rivers rise and surge, and the oceans roil beneath his terrible fury.
Datlotl the Conclavist shouts, "GLORIOUS!"
Reality quivers while the Emperor takes another breath. "BRING ME THE GREATEST OF FALSE VARIAN'S GET - BRING ME THE TWO MAGGOTS KNOWN AS SEVERN AND DAMARIEL! THEY SHALL KNOW TERROR, THEY SHALL KNOW FEAR, AND THEY SHALL KNOW WHAT IT MEANS TO KEEP SECRETS FROM THE LOOOOOORD OF ALL CHAAAAAOOOOS!" he booms aloud. Somewhere in the Vashnars, a prominent mountain peak splits right down the middle, as though to punctuate his pronouncement.
As Jy'Barrak Golgotha awaits a response, Arctar brings forth a black helm and secures it upon his Emperor's head. Now fully armoured, the enraged Emperor beckons Dameron forward - he crosses as Arctar steps back, head bowed; Dameron kneels at his father the Emperor's side and offers up a massive greatsword. Seizing it in but a single terrible hand, the Emperor brandishes it aloft. His two attendants step back, bow, and return to the Plane of Chaos.
Datlotl the Conclavist shouts, "The Glory of Chaos, here before our eyes. Blessed, fellow mortals!"
The morning sun darkens as Severn makes His presence known. With the Blade of Artifice held in His only hand, He streaks across the skies to meet the Chaos Emperor.
"AH!" cries Jy'Barrak Golgotha. "HELLO, USURPER OF SHADOW! I HAVE LONG ITCHED TO MAKE YOUR SKULL MY DRINKING VESSEL!"
Brilliant against the sky, Damariel departs His coastal temple, the calls of rukhs following the Divine into the sky. Light suffuses His blade of dawn and armaments.
"A MATCHING SET OF TWO! FOR ME AND MY FAVORITE WIFE OF THE MINUTE!" the Emperor cackles aloud.
The hollow voice of Severn, the Manipulator echoes through the air, "Emperor, this need not happen now. Let Us parley."
"THE ONLY PARLEY WILL BE THE PARLEY BETWEEN MY SANDALLED FOOT AND YOUR FLAYED SKULL, ARTIFICER," retorts Golgotha.
Severn offers only a begrudging nod. He did not expect any different answer.
The hollow voice of Severn, the Manipulator echoes through the air, "Brother, leave this to Me. You must conserve Your strength for the real threat to come."
"OH, LOOK. LOVE. WE HAVE NO NEED OF LOVE WHERE I COME FROM."
Another flash of light signals the Unbound's discontent, though He remains at the ready, dual blades in hand.
The seas roar and clash against the land as Slyphe, the Maelstrom, makes Its presence known, soaring across the skies astride a rainstorm steed and clad in misted armor of war. "To You alone, Brother Shadow? I would not miss such a fight.
Flames spark through the atmosphere, the heat of the summoned inferno gathering into the form of Ethne, the Rekindled, axe and shield in hand. "Nor would I, You have My support, Brothers."
The ground rumbles as Ivoln, the Earthen Lord wakes from His slumber and rises from the earth. He reaches forth to grasp an enormous half-spider, half-woman monstrosity - none other than Iosyne, the Malevolent. "GO FORTH, SISTER!" He bellows as He grips the spider-like woman in both His bulky hands, twisting His torso in a hurried spin that sends the Malevolent Goddess flinging through the air at impossible speeds toward the Chaos Emperor.
"IN ANY CASE," the Emperor bellows, "I WON'T WAIT WHILE YOU GET THE OTHER... TWO OF YOU? THREE OF YOU? YOU SAPIENT GODS ARE DROPPING LIKE FLIES LATELY, AREN'T YOU? LET'S KEEP THAT GOING!"
Golgotha lunges, his greatsword scything through the air. His attention is fixed upon Severn, the Manipulator - Chaos crackles about him as his power gathers, and he swings, a crimson lightning wracking at the tortured air.
Severn meets the blow with grit teeth, snout puling back in a vicious snarl. A resounding 'clang' sends shockwaves through the land as the Blade of Artifice and the Emperor's greatsword clash.
A nightmarish whirlwind of flying arachnid legs, the Malevolent Goddess latches onto Golgotha's helmet, skittering rapidly across as She bares countless rows of fangs, scratching and biting at everything in reach.
"OFF WITH YOU!" screeches the Emperor, flailing madly with one hand even as he attempts to hold off the God of Artifice with the other. "SINCE WHEN DO YOU WORK TOGETHER?!"
Its footfalls thunderclaps, Slyphe's rainstorm steed charges the Emperor, the God of Water unleashing a vicious lance of pressurized water as He advances.
The Rekindled Goddess arcs Her arm skyward, flames wreathing around the massive greataxe cocked in Her grip. Taking aim, She hurls it, full force, at the Emperor of Chaos.
Severn quickly gains distance from the Emperor of Chaos under the distraction of His siblings, choosing to operate at a distance more suited to the God. Shadowy tendrils escape from every inch of the Manipulator's body as He pulls back, lashing around the Emperor to restrict his movements.
"ACH! PTECK!" sputters Golgotha.
Water and fire meet - not only as the Goddess' flaming axe meets with the Maelstrom's torrential assault, but as Golgotha's fire rises, a mirage-like array of chaos. He soon reappears, the Goddess Iosyne in hand - and hurls Her forcefully toward the ground, much as She was hurled upon him to begin with.
"BEGONE."
Iosyne is sent spinning in the other direction now, away from Golgotha. Shortly before impacting the ground, the Goddess abruptly morphs, taking on Her centipede form as She transitions from falling to burrowing, disappearing beneath the earth.
The very earth groans as Ivoln's sonorous voice rumbles across the land, "MEDIOCRE, SISTER!"
"CORRECT."
The Unbound impatiently watches the battle, pacing across the sky over the barrow. "Finish it!" He calls out to His Kin. "We do not have the time!"
Sea-green essence floods the sky, streaming towards the Maelstrom from all directions - with that, the Goddess clenches a fist, shifting Her rainstorm steed into a snowstorm - the temperature drops and spears of ice fling themselves at Golgotha from every direction.
A Nightmarish roar emerges from the sky, and the Goddess Omei lunges toward Golgotha's turned back. "DIEEEEEE!" She screeches-
-the Emperor grabs the flailing Nightmare out of the sky, holds Her steady, and punches Her to earth with a force that rattles the whole of the plane. All that can be seen in the wake of the Chaos Lord's blow are a few raccoons, tumbling head over heel toward the ground. Golgotha soon after blunts the spears of ice with a swing of his sword, glaring as he sights a new target among the Siblings.
With the force of a swarm descending across the land, Vyxsis buzzes, "Indorani, display your fealty - direct your life essence to the Emperor!"
The ground rumbles as tendrils of essence snake up, wrapping around the mortal assistance.
Even more tendrils erupt forth from the Lord of Shadows as He attempts to tighten His hold on the Emperor's movements. Though Golgotha initially struggles with the added restraints, the raw strength of the Lord of Chaos slowly overcomes the bindings.
"I'M DONE PLAYING GAMES, YOU THRICE-HATTED COZENER!" bellows the Emperor.
The Emperor, with a twist of his immense frame and another swing of his sword, stirs the air to such fury and threads it through with such raw Chaos that the Gods about him fall away like battered leaves. He charges, footfalls splitting the air like thunder, bearing down upon the Manipulator and heedless of the other Gods.
Severn raises His blade to meet the charging Emperor, squaring up with grim determination. Heedless of the God's weapon, Golgotha barges shoulder-first into Him with concussive force that throws Severn away. Dust rises in the distance, a muffled crash resounding as Severn lands into a mountain.
"A NEW DISTANCE RECORD!"
The Maelstrom is battered away from the battle for mere moments, steadying Herself above Duiran. With a raised hand, She calls upon the rivers, the lakes, and the clouds, drawing water to herself which is quickly formed into a gargantuan, barbed trident of ice, one which is promptly hurled full-strength at Golgotha.
Jy'Barrak Golgotha turns to deflect the waters of Sapience; but they are too much even for his Chaotic might. Back, he flies, back and windmilling, until he abruptly stops in midair - struggling to move with a roar that wakes the earth. His eyes glow - and moments later, lances of fire spit from them, scorching the sky and searing downward toward Sapience.
A glimmer of thread is the only warning before Golgotha crashes into a web of titanic proportions. As the Emperor is caught in its grasp, the web lights up, glowing with Divine power.
The Malevolent Goddess makes Her return, erupting out of the ground. Iosyne shifts back into Her spider form as She alights on Her web, carefully stalking towards Her entangled prey.
"OH, THE SPIDER!" cackles Golgotha as he struggles. "YOU WERE PRETTIER BEFORE YOUR SISTER BROKE YOUR HEART!"
"MY EMPEROR," cries out Dameron, the prince of Chaos as he descends towards his father, "You are outnumbered, let me prove my strength as your son and join you in battle!"
"ANY CHANCE YOU COULD CUT ME FREE, YOU BEAUTIFUL MONSTER?" the Emperor cries. "LEAVE THIS WRETCHED FAMILY. MARRY ME! BE MY SEVEN-HUNDRED AND EIGHTY-FIRST WIFE! I CAN PROVIDE FOR YOU!" He turns, distracted by Dameron. "BOY, CAN'T YOU SEE I'M PREOCCUPIED? I HAVE THEM ON THE ROPES!" He yanks, hard, at his weblike bindings. "NOW STOP BEING AN IDIOT AND LOOSE ME FROM THIS ARACHNID ENTANGLEMENT!"
Like a caged beast, the Unbound continues to pace across the sky, His light following him like a second sun. His unrest and conflict between His Kin and duty is palpable, grip loose and ready upon His blades.
"Cut," Iosyne agrees, Her voice vibrating - almost like a purr. The Goddess advances - still warily - ignoring Dameron.
"Of course, father." Dameron brings out his dagger, moving in quickly to free the Emperor. But as he approaches, the prince's form quickly sheds as the Lord of Artifice reveals His guise. Without wasting a second, He plunges the dagger between the cracks in Golgotha's armour and drives it in deep.
Voice reverberating like the howl of a maelstrom, Slyphe bellows, "NOW, Siblings! Strike to fell the beast!"
Severn twists and drives the dagger in deeper, the Emperor's blood gushing out to taint the land below.
Ethne reappears in the sky above Golgotha. Keeping Her gaze fixed on the Chaos Lord, the light around Her shivers. Overhead, the sun dims as the Goddess of Fire focuses, bending its will to the palm of Her hand. She looses the bolt of flame into Golgotha, causing his blood to sizzle and tearing the wound deeper.
The Earthen Lord springs into action once more, planting a foot into the ground before launching His colossal form skyward. He puts all His weight into a stony fist, reeling back and thrusting it forward as He aims a devastating punch toward Golgotha's head.
Seeing Her opening, Iosyne surges forward, all hesitation gone. The Goddess latches onto Golgotha's neck, Her offensively, impossibly wide smile visible for an instant before countless rows of jagged fangs sink into the Emperor's neck.
"AAAARGH!" screeches Emperor Golgotha, enduring nothing less than an utter beating beneath the Gods of Sapience. He flails, to no avail, for several moments - until his eyes come alight once again, and the beams of fury that fly from them strike fast and true. The web burns and falls around him, and he claws free, leaping skyward and cutting the last of the web from him. Gods topple around him as though they were scrubland before an unstoppable borders - blind with rage, he turns and demands: "A FAIR DUEL!" His voice resounds: "NO FOX'S TRICKS!" He thunders, as he vanishes into the air: "IT WILL BE YOUR FINAL DESTINATION, COWARDLY GET OF A COWARDLY FATHER!" He leans back out, just for a moment: "SPIDER! BE MY BRIDE, OR DIE ALONGSIDE THE REST! YOU HAVE UNTIL I RETURN WITH MY COURT TO RECONSIDER, BECAUSE AFTER THAT, I WILL WIPE THIS PLANE CLEAAAAAAAAAAAN!"
The rift to Chaos closes up as the Emperor retreats through it.
Severn strides across the skies, joining Damariel where He waits upon the edge of the battlefield. The Manipulator offers His Brother the dagger, bathed red with Golgotha's blood.
The hollow voice of Severn, the Manipulator echoes through the air, "You know what to do with this, Brother. I have unfinished business to attend to."
The Unbound grips the dagger with a grim nod, and turns down towards the barrow. "It will be done." He states.
The tang of iron and something indecipherable but sickening rises in the air, the seal of Chaos crackling as it is fed the Emperor's blood.
The Manipulator watches His Brother depart and then darts across the sky, His Divine frame looming across Bloodloch.
The hollow voice of Severn, the Manipulator echoes through the air, "Hear Me, traitors - you have chosen pride and ego over the safety of the realm. Not only have you placed all My Siblings in Immortal danger, but so too have you threatened My Father's creation. So be it, Indorani! Let Shadow blot you out as Light once did! Sapience has no further need of you."
The God of Shadow lifts His sole arm, a contemptuous sneer painted across His Minotaur's face. His fingers pierce the fabric of Prime like needles, finding purchase in reality with a strained and sickening squelch. The God tears open a rift to Czjetija, and blackness fills the sky, roiling Shadow briefly revealing itself. He seizes hold of an indescribable black mass, roiling and pulsing with Shadow's primeval fury. Out comes the dread hand, the mass within twisting and fighting in the God's hand - ancient, withered - and then He turns His fingers and drops it. Down it falls. Down, down like a blighted raindrop, carving through the rock of Bloodloch like a Luminary's enflamed mace through butter; it tears off a side of the mountain, carves downward, and stops only when a surge of lava scores the skies. This plume, Shadow-tainted, is barely brighter than an ember, rising and falling from the impact in eerie silence before fuller quiescence reigns.
Abominations of Shadow surge forward from the depths of the Shadow Plane, some ridden by vague-faced Shadowbound. Dread warcries shriek forth from the depths of the rift, and no sooner are they heard than Severn has snapped the portal shut once more. The severed tip of a Shadowy lance tumbles from the sky and falls to ground amidst the lava-filled crater which now lies far below.
Damariel mot Lanosaryon, the Unbound's voice rings out across the land like the falling of hammers, "Severn! Do not let Your fury risk Us all! You imbalance this Plane with your recklessness!"
The hollow voice of Severn, the Manipulator echoes through the air, "It is done, save your strength for the Leviathan. We have other battles to fight, and another traitor to find."
A tension dims and flickers the light of the heavens, but the Unbound falls to silence. The lingering note of unfinished business is clear.
Penned by my hand on Closday, the 17th of Arios, in the year 476 MA.</pre>
Everyone
An interlude for Chaos
During the previous week's events at the seal of Chaos, the Azdi-a of the Indorani, Vyxsis Qizzeke, posed a question to the Gods Severn and Damariel: "Was Jox a threat to Chaos?"
Severn answered, claiming the Court would bring their wrath down upon Sapience should they find out about the seal of Chaos. Damariel agreed, counseling that such an action would not be wise. The Manipulator's patience quickly wore thin as Vyxsis sought clarification that she shouldn't inform the Court of Chaos and its Emperor, Golgotha. He seized Vyxsis by the neck, informing her in no uncertain terms that He would personally destroy the Indorani should they inform the Lord of Chaos.
Members of the Indorani gathered later to discuss their discontent at Severn's treatment of their leader, some even urging her to inform the Emperor. Vyxsis disappeared to her haven, sitting in pensive silence as she considered her move.
On the 16th of Arios, 476 MA, the Emperor of Chaos Jy'Barrak Golgotha descended upon the Prime Material Plane. The events that followed led to a fierce battle between Emperor and the Gods, and Golgotha eventually fled back to Chaos amidst claims that the entire Court would descend upon Sapience at a later date. Afterwards, Severn declared the Indorani guild traitors to Sapience and brought down the wrath of Shadow, dismantling the guild.
The events, as recorded by the monks of the Grand Aetolian Library, proceeded as follows:
Reality gives a tremble, and a distorted emanation pervades through the leylines. Several dark points manifest in the skies above Sapience, and then a gruesome, mawlike tear opens, sundering the sky. Beyond it lies the Chaos Plane, the infinite Pits beyond fain to madden those who stare overlong.
Two gauntlet-shod hands tear the rift wider, making way for a tremendous form: Jy'Barrak Golgotha, Emperor of Chaos claws through, doom burning in his fiendish eyes. The Emperor is immediately flanked by Arctar and Dameron, moving as one with their sworn liege. The sound of heavy, rapid drumming reverberates across the heavens as the whole of the Court of Chaos step into Prime, forming behind the Emperor in glittering rank and file.
The drumming rises to a cacophonous crescendo, peaking at a rhythmic, bone-rattling intensity that rattles. It goes on and on until finally the Emperor raises a single hand - and just as soon as it's done, the drums come to an immediate stop. The Court of Chaos depart in single file, each bowing before the imperious form of Golgotha - only Arctar, Dameron and the Emperor remain, commanding the silence that follows.
The very skies shudder queasily as Jy'Barrak Golgotha, Emperor of Chaos bellows, "WORMS OF SAPIENCE, KNOW THAT YOU HAVE BROUGHT DOOM UPON YOUR OWN HEADS. YOU ARE FOOLS TO THINK YOU COULD HIDE YOUR TREACHERY FROM ME, AND YOUR LAND SHALL PAY THE CONSEQUENCES. NOW CHAOS ITSELF DESCENDS UPON YOUR FIELDS, YOUR BASTIONS, AND YOUR HOLDINGS, DELIVERED PERSONALLY BY MY HAND - THE FULL MIGHT OF MY COURT IS NOT NEEDED TO MATCH YOUR PITEOUS FORCE. YOUR CITIES SHALL CRUMBLE! YOUR HUSBANDS SHALL BE SLAUGHTERED! YOUR CHILDREN SHALL BE FED TO MY HOUNDS! AND CHAOS SHALL CONSUME YOU ALL."
Each word from the Lord of Chaos sets reality rumbling, and the Emperor is cloaked by sheer, palpable rage. The stench of ozone fills your nose as the sky itself begins to explode, traces of blue consumed in hellish fire. Below, fires begin to spontaneously appear in forests but even still the Emperor's words continue to roll forth. Rivers rise and surge, and the oceans roil beneath his terrible fury.
Datlotl the Conclavist shouts, "GLORIOUS!"
Reality quivers while the Emperor takes another breath. "BRING ME THE GREATEST OF FALSE VARIAN'S GET - BRING ME THE TWO MAGGOTS KNOWN AS SEVERN AND DAMARIEL! THEY SHALL KNOW TERROR, THEY SHALL KNOW FEAR, AND THEY SHALL KNOW WHAT IT MEANS TO KEEP SECRETS FROM THE LOOOOOORD OF ALL CHAAAAAOOOOS!" he booms aloud. Somewhere in the Vashnars, a prominent mountain peak splits right down the middle, as though to punctuate his pronouncement.
As Jy'Barrak Golgotha awaits a response, Arctar brings forth a black helm and secures it upon his Emperor's head. Now fully armoured, the enraged Emperor beckons Dameron forward - he crosses as Arctar steps back, head bowed; Dameron kneels at his father the Emperor's side and offers up a massive greatsword. Seizing it in but a single terrible hand, the Emperor brandishes it aloft. His two attendants step back, bow, and return to the Plane of Chaos.
Datlotl the Conclavist shouts, "The Glory of Chaos, here before our eyes. Blessed, fellow mortals!"
The morning sun darkens as Severn makes His presence known. With the Blade of Artifice held in His only hand, He streaks across the skies to meet the Chaos Emperor.
"AH!" cries Jy'Barrak Golgotha. "HELLO, USURPER OF SHADOW! I HAVE LONG ITCHED TO MAKE YOUR SKULL MY DRINKING VESSEL!"
Brilliant against the sky, Damariel departs His coastal temple, the calls of rukhs following the Divine into the sky. Light suffuses His blade of dawn and armaments.
"A MATCHING SET OF TWO! FOR ME AND MY FAVORITE WIFE OF THE MINUTE!" the Emperor cackles aloud.
The hollow voice of Severn, the Manipulator echoes through the air, "Emperor, this need not happen now. Let Us parley."
"THE ONLY PARLEY WILL BE THE PARLEY BETWEEN MY SANDALLED FOOT AND YOUR FLAYED SKULL, ARTIFICER," retorts Golgotha.
Severn offers only a begrudging nod. He did not expect any different answer.
The hollow voice of Severn, the Manipulator echoes through the air, "Brother, leave this to Me. You must conserve Your strength for the real threat to come."
"OH, LOOK. LOVE. WE HAVE NO NEED OF LOVE WHERE I COME FROM."
Another flash of light signals the Unbound's discontent, though He remains at the ready, dual blades in hand.
The seas roar and clash against the land as Slyphe, the Maelstrom, makes Its presence known, soaring across the skies astride a rainstorm steed and clad in misted armor of war. "To You alone, Brother Shadow? I would not miss such a fight.
Flames spark through the atmosphere, the heat of the summoned inferno gathering into the form of Ethne, the Rekindled, axe and shield in hand. "Nor would I, You have My support, Brothers."
The ground rumbles as Ivoln, the Earthen Lord wakes from His slumber and rises from the earth. He reaches forth to grasp an enormous half-spider, half-woman monstrosity - none other than Iosyne, the Malevolent. "GO FORTH, SISTER!" He bellows as He grips the spider-like woman in both His bulky hands, twisting His torso in a hurried spin that sends the Malevolent Goddess flinging through the air at impossible speeds toward the Chaos Emperor.
"IN ANY CASE," the Emperor bellows, "I WON'T WAIT WHILE YOU GET THE OTHER... TWO OF YOU? THREE OF YOU? YOU SAPIENT GODS ARE DROPPING LIKE FLIES LATELY, AREN'T YOU? LET'S KEEP THAT GOING!"
Golgotha lunges, his greatsword scything through the air. His attention is fixed upon Severn, the Manipulator - Chaos crackles about him as his power gathers, and he swings, a crimson lightning wracking at the tortured air.
Severn meets the blow with grit teeth, snout puling back in a vicious snarl. A resounding 'clang' sends shockwaves through the land as the Blade of Artifice and the Emperor's greatsword clash.
A nightmarish whirlwind of flying arachnid legs, the Malevolent Goddess latches onto Golgotha's helmet, skittering rapidly across as She bares countless rows of fangs, scratching and biting at everything in reach.
"OFF WITH YOU!" screeches the Emperor, flailing madly with one hand even as he attempts to hold off the God of Artifice with the other. "SINCE WHEN DO YOU WORK TOGETHER?!"
Its footfalls thunderclaps, Slyphe's rainstorm steed charges the Emperor, the God of Water unleashing a vicious lance of pressurized water as He advances.
The Rekindled Goddess arcs Her arm skyward, flames wreathing around the massive greataxe cocked in Her grip. Taking aim, She hurls it, full force, at the Emperor of Chaos.
Severn quickly gains distance from the Emperor of Chaos under the distraction of His siblings, choosing to operate at a distance more suited to the God. Shadowy tendrils escape from every inch of the Manipulator's body as He pulls back, lashing around the Emperor to restrict his movements.
"ACH! PTECK!" sputters Golgotha.
Water and fire meet - not only as the Goddess' flaming axe meets with the Maelstrom's torrential assault, but as Golgotha's fire rises, a mirage-like array of chaos. He soon reappears, the Goddess Iosyne in hand - and hurls Her forcefully toward the ground, much as She was hurled upon him to begin with.
"BEGONE."
Iosyne is sent spinning in the other direction now, away from Golgotha. Shortly before impacting the ground, the Goddess abruptly morphs, taking on Her centipede form as She transitions from falling to burrowing, disappearing beneath the earth.
The very earth groans as Ivoln's sonorous voice rumbles across the land, "MEDIOCRE, SISTER!"
"CORRECT."
The Unbound impatiently watches the battle, pacing across the sky over the barrow. "Finish it!" He calls out to His Kin. "We do not have the time!"
Sea-green essence floods the sky, streaming towards the Maelstrom from all directions - with that, the Goddess clenches a fist, shifting Her rainstorm steed into a snowstorm - the temperature drops and spears of ice fling themselves at Golgotha from every direction.
A Nightmarish roar emerges from the sky, and the Goddess Omei lunges toward Golgotha's turned back. "DIEEEEEE!" She screeches-
-the Emperor grabs the flailing Nightmare out of the sky, holds Her steady, and punches Her to earth with a force that rattles the whole of the plane. All that can be seen in the wake of the Chaos Lord's blow are a few raccoons, tumbling head over heel toward the ground. Golgotha soon after blunts the spears of ice with a swing of his sword, glaring as he sights a new target among the Siblings.
With the force of a swarm descending across the land, Vyxsis buzzes, "Indorani, display your fealty - direct your life essence to the Emperor!"
The ground rumbles as tendrils of essence snake up, wrapping around the mortal assistance.
Even more tendrils erupt forth from the Lord of Shadows as He attempts to tighten His hold on the Emperor's movements. Though Golgotha initially struggles with the added restraints, the raw strength of the Lord of Chaos slowly overcomes the bindings.
"I'M DONE PLAYING GAMES, YOU THRICE-HATTED COZENER!" bellows the Emperor.
The Emperor, with a twist of his immense frame and another swing of his sword, stirs the air to such fury and threads it through with such raw Chaos that the Gods about him fall away like battered leaves. He charges, footfalls splitting the air like thunder, bearing down upon the Manipulator and heedless of the other Gods.
Severn raises His blade to meet the charging Emperor, squaring up with grim determination. Heedless of the God's weapon, Golgotha barges shoulder-first into Him with concussive force that throws Severn away. Dust rises in the distance, a muffled crash resounding as Severn lands into a mountain.
"A NEW DISTANCE RECORD!"
The Maelstrom is battered away from the battle for mere moments, steadying Herself above Duiran. With a raised hand, She calls upon the rivers, the lakes, and the clouds, drawing water to herself which is quickly formed into a gargantuan, barbed trident of ice, one which is promptly hurled full-strength at Golgotha.
Jy'Barrak Golgotha turns to deflect the waters of Sapience; but they are too much even for his Chaotic might. Back, he flies, back and windmilling, until he abruptly stops in midair - struggling to move with a roar that wakes the earth. His eyes glow - and moments later, lances of fire spit from them, scorching the sky and searing downward toward Sapience.
A glimmer of thread is the only warning before Golgotha crashes into a web of titanic proportions. As the Emperor is caught in its grasp, the web lights up, glowing with Divine power.
The Malevolent Goddess makes Her return, erupting out of the ground. Iosyne shifts back into Her spider form as She alights on Her web, carefully stalking towards Her entangled prey.
"OH, THE SPIDER!" cackles Golgotha as he struggles. "YOU WERE PRETTIER BEFORE YOUR SISTER BROKE YOUR HEART!"
"MY EMPEROR," cries out Dameron, the prince of Chaos as he descends towards his father, "You are outnumbered, let me prove my strength as your son and join you in battle!"
"ANY CHANCE YOU COULD CUT ME FREE, YOU BEAUTIFUL MONSTER?" the Emperor cries. "LEAVE THIS WRETCHED FAMILY. MARRY ME! BE MY SEVEN-HUNDRED AND EIGHTY-FIRST WIFE! I CAN PROVIDE FOR YOU!" He turns, distracted by Dameron. "BOY, CAN'T YOU SEE I'M PREOCCUPIED? I HAVE THEM ON THE ROPES!" He yanks, hard, at his weblike bindings. "NOW STOP BEING AN IDIOT AND LOOSE ME FROM THIS ARACHNID ENTANGLEMENT!"
Like a caged beast, the Unbound continues to pace across the sky, His light following him like a second sun. His unrest and conflict between His Kin and duty is palpable, grip loose and ready upon His blades.
"Cut," Iosyne agrees, Her voice vibrating - almost like a purr. The Goddess advances - still warily - ignoring Dameron.
"Of course, father." Dameron brings out his dagger, moving in quickly to free the Emperor. But as he approaches, the prince's form quickly sheds as the Lord of Artifice reveals His guise. Without wasting a second, He plunges the dagger between the cracks in Golgotha's armour and drives it in deep.
Voice reverberating like the howl of a maelstrom, Slyphe bellows, "NOW, Siblings! Strike to fell the beast!"
Severn twists and drives the dagger in deeper, the Emperor's blood gushing out to taint the land below.
Ethne reappears in the sky above Golgotha. Keeping Her gaze fixed on the Chaos Lord, the light around Her shivers. Overhead, the sun dims as the Goddess of Fire focuses, bending its will to the palm of Her hand. She looses the bolt of flame into Golgotha, causing his blood to sizzle and tearing the wound deeper.
The Earthen Lord springs into action once more, planting a foot into the ground before launching His colossal form skyward. He puts all His weight into a stony fist, reeling back and thrusting it forward as He aims a devastating punch toward Golgotha's head.
Seeing Her opening, Iosyne surges forward, all hesitation gone. The Goddess latches onto Golgotha's neck, Her offensively, impossibly wide smile visible for an instant before countless rows of jagged fangs sink into the Emperor's neck.
"AAAARGH!" screeches Emperor Golgotha, enduring nothing less than an utter beating beneath the Gods of Sapience. He flails, to no avail, for several moments - until his eyes come alight once again, and the beams of fury that fly from them strike fast and true. The web burns and falls around him, and he claws free, leaping skyward and cutting the last of the web from him. Gods topple around him as though they were scrubland before an unstoppable borders - blind with rage, he turns and demands: "A FAIR DUEL!" His voice resounds: "NO FOX'S TRICKS!" He thunders, as he vanishes into the air: "IT WILL BE YOUR FINAL DESTINATION, COWARDLY GET OF A COWARDLY FATHER!" He leans back out, just for a moment: "SPIDER! BE MY BRIDE, OR DIE ALONGSIDE THE REST! YOU HAVE UNTIL I RETURN WITH MY COURT TO RECONSIDER, BECAUSE AFTER THAT, I WILL WIPE THIS PLANE CLEAAAAAAAAAAAN!"
The rift to Chaos closes up as the Emperor retreats through it.
Severn strides across the skies, joining Damariel where He waits upon the edge of the battlefield. The Manipulator offers His Brother the dagger, bathed red with Golgotha's blood.
The hollow voice of Severn, the Manipulator echoes through the air, "You know what to do with this, Brother. I have unfinished business to attend to."
The Unbound grips the dagger with a grim nod, and turns down towards the barrow. "It will be done." He states.
The tang of iron and something indecipherable but sickening rises in the air, the seal of Chaos crackling as it is fed the Emperor's blood.
The Manipulator watches His Brother depart and then darts across the sky, His Divine frame looming across Bloodloch.
The hollow voice of Severn, the Manipulator echoes through the air, "Hear Me, traitors - you have chosen pride and ego over the safety of the realm. Not only have you placed all My Siblings in Immortal danger, but so too have you threatened My Father's creation. So be it, Indorani! Let Shadow blot you out as Light once did! Sapience has no further need of you."
The God of Shadow lifts His sole arm, a contemptuous sneer painted across His Minotaur's face. His fingers pierce the fabric of Prime like needles, finding purchase in reality with a strained and sickening squelch. The God tears open a rift to Czjetija, and blackness fills the sky, roiling Shadow briefly revealing itself. He seizes hold of an indescribable black mass, roiling and pulsing with Shadow's primeval fury. Out comes the dread hand, the mass within twisting and fighting in the God's hand - ancient, withered - and then He turns His fingers and drops it. Down it falls. Down, down like a blighted raindrop, carving through the rock of Bloodloch like a Luminary's enflamed mace through butter; it tears off a side of the mountain, carves downward, and stops only when a surge of lava scores the skies. This plume, Shadow-tainted, is barely brighter than an ember, rising and falling from the impact in eerie silence before fuller quiescence reigns.
Abominations of Shadow surge forward from the depths of the Shadow Plane, some ridden by vague-faced Shadowbound. Dread warcries shriek forth from the depths of the rift, and no sooner are they heard than Severn has snapped the portal shut once more. The severed tip of a Shadowy lance tumbles from the sky and falls to ground amidst the lava-filled crater which now lies far below.
Damariel mot Lanosaryon, the Unbound's voice rings out across the land like the falling of hammers, "Severn! Do not let Your fury risk Us all! You imbalance this Plane with your recklessness!"
The hollow voice of Severn, the Manipulator echoes through the air, "It is done, save your strength for the Leviathan. We have other battles to fight, and another traitor to find."
A tension dims and flickers the light of the heavens, but the Unbound falls to silence. The lingering note of unfinished business is clear.
Penned by my hand on Closday, the 17th of Arios, in the year 476 MA.</pre>
5
Comments
Lets be real, it was more like this..
the only thing that could've been better is if they'd fully embraced the pokemon-ism and sent the indorani + our GH flying off into the sky. something something Team Chaos Blasting Off Agaaaaaain!!
edit: pls get that i'm making fun of myself here pls get that i'm making fun of myself here oh jeeze pls get that i'm making fun of myself here
I just wanted to leave a message here for Indorani players: Please don't quit the game over this.
I'm not sure how any/some/most of you are feeling, but having lost more than one Org I know that it can be a gutting experience. Regardless of whether you're a person who's invested time and energy into getting a Guild to a good place, or thoroughly enjoy the atmosphere and Guild experience and the people in it, people get attached to their Guild and losing it can be hard.
If you're thinking about calling it quits with Aetolia after this, remember that things like this are amazing character catalysts. Losing your guild doesn't have to be the end of your character's journey. Instead of thinking of this as an end remember that these can be awesome opportunities for character growth! Think about things from your characters perspective and where all this will lead them. I can't speak for any other character apart from my own, but clearly different characters will have different opinions and feelings on what's taken place. Some may support what happened, and be angry with the Gods. Others may feel betrayed by those they feel lead them to this point, or have become fed up and disgusted with that sort of lifestyle.
These different feelings all have different opportunities for the future! Someone who disagrees with the decisions and actions might become determined to prove themselves to the rest of the world. Someone disgusted might leave to join Enorian, having seen the dark side up close. And some even might begin practicing Indorani rituals in private, or with a select group of friends.
And these are only a few possible ideas. I can tell you that the loss of her guilds, the Atabahi (I know I go on about this a lot, sorry!) in particular, shaped Kelliara in a completely different direction than what I expected. I sincerely doubt she'd be anything like what she is without that loss. You just have to be open to exploring new and unexpected things.
There's been a lot of fallout from this, and there's probably going to be more still. Just remember, losing a guild can be a fantastic prompt to explore new character directions, and interact with groups of players and characters you might not have otherwise come into contact with.
Just 10c on the subject from someone who's been there a few times.
Cute-Kelli by @Sessizlik.
Hi.
the indorani really are gone!
https://ada-young.appspot.com/pastebin/NJ-_21LM
lolwut? Who does that.
there are a couple issues i wanted to highlight with the logged discussion. i requested a meeting via ISSUE because there'd been no communication whatsoever since our deletion, and i said in my ISSUE that i thought it would be good to have some portion of the guild in attendance because it's not just for me. raz calls me up. he was blunt, as promised, but it seems like there's not really been any attempt to or intention of understanding where a whole group of players were coming from. i was trying to explain our reasoning and why this group of players - not just me, and not all people who agree with everything i say and do - is feeling really hurt by the way it's going down. i was met with resistance and ultimately told to get my head out of my ass.
yeah, i'm willful. i can be abrasive. when i'm pissed off, i can yell with the best of them. however, i'm also a customer, and i was seeking some glimmer of hope on behalf of a group of customers. we don't all need to dance around things, but telling someone to get their head out of their ass is more than blunt. in light of razmael's refusal to then explain why i was told to get my head out of my ass - you know, so maybe i could actually comply - it simply became harsh and aggressive. i know full well that i'm guilty of it at times, but it's not an appropriate way to communicate. it's really a pretty bad move from a consumer-based business. furthermore, telling me to stop making the conversation about myself when he was the one who actually made me the subject of conversation with this utterance is a clear form of gaslighting. it's pretty clumsy, too, since you can see from the conversation log that the only references i made to myself prior to that point were painstaking attempts to establish that i wasn't only talking about myself, i didn't do something on my own, etc.
now, he referenced Tiur trying to "get through" to me, so let me explain. after the initial instance of this event, Tiur contacted me to informally make me aware of some sort of concern about the way i was interacting in events. i was told that i was frustrating and distracting to event runners. something about making group scenes all about myself? i'll admit that i still don't really understand - i tried to get clarification, but the only concrete examples i was given appeared to be things multiple people were doing. that is to say, i wasn't a total aberration, and therefore it didn't seem right to say that i was simply chugging along in my own direction regardless of the wider group. we kinda came to a stalemate, at which point i briefly logged off very upset and confused. the conversation moved to messages - a medium i (apparently wrongly) thought was at least semi-private, particularly when messaging the producer - but the lack of response coupled with learning from a celani that the general attitude toward me in the pools is that i'm "difficult" and discovering that said celani was then also watching my command history in order to surveil my messages once again made me a bit upset. i'll admit here that i had a strong, inappropriate reaction to an NPC action around this time. vague, non-concrete accusations mixed with having private messages intercepted by someone other than the intended recipient had me a bit paranoid, and i handled it very badly by lashing out at the NPC and whoever was behind it via tells. this is the one concrete personal screw-up i've been able to think of relating to this event, and it happened after Tiur initially contacted me, so it couldn't have been what he was talking about. it's also, to the best of my remembrance, the one and only time i've gone after an npc like that. but i digress - my conversation with Tiur moved to email on the 3rd. he emailed me first, not answering all my various questions and concerns, and i replied with more requests for clarification, pointing out what i viewed as inaccuracies. i didn't get another response until the 7th, and in the intervening time, i'd objected to being written out of the official account of the initial event because, in light of the ongoing conversation, it felt like a strange, unexplained punishment. Tiur's reply on the forums, by the way, doesn't actually answer my question about it - he simply floated three possible reasons, not all of which are mutually compatible. when i did finally get a response, it was a two-line response after Severn manhandled Vyxsis basically saying "well, you had it coming." Vyxsis asked for clarification, even specifically saying it was for her own benefit, because i genuinely wasn't sure i understood what Severn and Damariel wanted. i'd asked several different questions regarding the Chaos Lords (all mostly after the bulk of the crowd was gone) thinking that maybe they could be helpful. the answers, while one could potentially infer that the Gods didn't want the Chaos Lords to know about the seal, were not direct. even the above post does it at the very beginning:
Severn answered, claiming the Court would bring their wrath down upon Sapience should they find out about the seal of Chaos. Damariel agreed, counseling that such an action would not be wise. The Manipulator's patience quickly wore thin as Vyxsis sought clarification that she shouldn't inform the Court of Chaos and its Emperor, Golgotha. He seized Vyxsis by the neck, informing her in no uncertain terms that He would personally destroy the Indorani should they inform the Lord of Chaos.
pardon me for saying so, but "the Court would bring their wrath down upon Sapience should they find out about the seal of Chaos" isn't an answer to the question "Was Jos a threat to Chaos?" that's a fact. before that point, however, as Vyxsis was asking a different question, Severn told her something like "I know your mind, mortal" and prohibited her from doing the thing he knew she was thinking. i didn't even know what i was thinking at that point - i was asking questions to try and figure out how we might be helpful, which i thought would be clear since i had gone out of my way to not speak too much and be nothing but cooperative the entire time. there was clearly an assumption made about what i was thinking of doing (which was only at the point of "maybe the Indorani connection to the Court can be helpful somehow") that informed the Gods' responses. that then asking for clarification was seen by admin - and it was seen this way by admin, since Tiur confirmed it in his two-line dismissal - as "a God not getting listened to, or being treated like a God" speaks volumes to me.
none of this even gets to why the indorani - yes, the indorani, not just me - did what we felt boxed into a corner to do. i've explained that to a lot of people, and i'm tired of doing it. my point is that throughout this event, my personal experience has been like this:
Aet: "You're doing it wrong."
Me: "Doing what wrong? How do you want it done?"
Aet: "Ugh, you're just not getting it!"
Me: "... um, ok, how's this?"
Aet: "Sorry, we had to delete your guild."
Me: "??????"
Aet: "Get your head out of your ass."
regardless of whether i made all the right choices, regardless of whether the indorani collectively made all the right choices, there's been an absolutely mind-boggling lack of transparency, empathy, and plain-ol' communication. the administration have been callous to the players of the indorani guild, and to me personally, and it seems to be informing the way people (completely ICly! i don't mean to say people are playing their characters wrong since they only know what they've been given!) are reacting super, suuuper harshly to even newer indorani. that's why i posted this log here - because people are being hurt, and admin clearly don't give a fuck if someone raising (pretty valid, imo) concerns is just told to get her head out of her ass.
but hey, we're dumb for wanting a shiny! as we said on the twitter like 5 years ago: oh, for sure man
deleted.
edited to clarify: not everyone in the guild had the same level of involvement. those that were awake for the... altercation with severn voiced a desire to speak to golgotha. at least two said they'd do it if i didn't. so, yes, i made a decision that was based on what i viewed as a sizable consensus, but that doesn't mean we voted about it over the course of RL days or really had the same level of knowledge about the situation, etc. blanket actions, while easy and in some ways understandable given then massive divine slapdown, aren't fair to the people who don't have the same level of complicity. i'd far rather be the singular hated one if it meant all the others in the indorani didn't have to deal with what they're dealing with.
What the Indorani did and the repercussions of their actions definitely made for a good story. If there was any way for a guild to end, that was an epic way to do it.
That being said...
What was done by the Indorani comes with a few problems on several levels, both IC and OOC.
On an IC level, the way the current event is going, it's an 'everyone bands together to fight a greater, potentially world-ending threat' type of scenario. Calling down Golgotha completely undermined that by weakening the gods who already stand a slim chance of beating Jox when the last seal breaks. Essentially, an entire org stabbed the entire game world in the back by putting the gods at risk. Congratulations, you're the bad guy. How do you expect anyone ICly to want to depend on your org when they've pretty much flipped off the rest of the world?
On an OOC level, an entire org deciding to do what pretty much looks like turning on everyone else is, uh...kind of a problem? There's an implication that the org isn't playing the same game as everyone else. Each org has a role to fill, a line to toe, and when you're the leader of an org, you can do as you like while still filling that role, but you need to have the awareness that you don't have carte blanche to do whatever you want. It becomes your responsibility to steer things where they ought to be, and you need to be aware of that. Yes, you're still playing your character, but as an org leader, you have to balance that in addition to the OOC recognition that you're going to have to make concessions and do things you/your character may not like because it helps the org fit into its role better, or better gels with the larger narrative going on.
The way it looks to me is that the Indorani latched onto the Chaos hook and pursued it hard despite being dropped hints that doing so wasn't likely to lead to anything good. Jox is the focus. Bringing in the Chaos Lords is probably a bad idea - why split everyone's attention? There were probably other hooks offered, but the guild kept yanking on that one. Probably the fact that no one except one person, judging by the honors lines, thought that calling in the Chaos Lords was a bad idea was one of the things that led to the guild's dissolution.
Edit: Starting conflict is one thing, but the Golgotha incident was more of a derail than anything. As I pointed out earlier in my post, the current scenario is: there's a rangerous entity sealed away, everyone needs to band together and help the gods in order to stand a chance of defeating it. Of the, what, six or seven seals, ONE is a Chaos seal, a detail that might be tangential at best. I say tangential because all the other seals had gods associated with them too, but huge deals weren't made out of them. And yet a big deal was made out of the Chaos seal.
i mean, speaking of unfair: today, Chakrasul told Vyx that she should've messaged her about this particular issue, but like - i knew Kyna was gone and trying not to log on, and it's not been my experience that Gods whose playerlani are absent will get back to you about anything at all, let alone in a reasonable time frame. of course, i only knew this oocly, so there wasn't really anything Vyx could say in reply. that seems kinda... oocly mean.
edited to clarify: my point about the interaction with chak is that a lot of stuff has felt to me and others like we weren't given a chance, or worse - like the deck was stacked. e.g. how do you answer, ICly, a question that you know, OOCly, is bogus?
Thanks
Iakei
it's true that not every other seal got its own separate reveal event, but the others... kinda were a big deal, weren't they? people from relevant orgs were called upon to reinforce them, etc., and it was big & scary that we couldn't stop them breaking even with the Divine. so, when we got to the chaos seal, i and other indo-types were all like - oh boy, it's our turn to do a help! that's why i was asking questions, why any of us were fussing about it initially. like, yeah, we ended up doing The Bad, but i def didn't have my mind anywhere near being disruptive initially. i don't think any of us did, at first.
i think it's important to note, too, regarding what i was saying about us feeling like the deck was kinda stacked: there was a narrative choice made by staff that could've neatly made this all go away. the chaos lords fueling the seal? rather than being kidnapped or w/e it is that led golgotha to piss himself with rage, they could've been rogues handed over for defying him. there's precedent - in fact, as i understand, the whole basis of the indorani's relationship with the chaos lords comes from chak helping golgotha take the throne and deal with rogues. no one made quite as big a deal about any other seal, but no other seal challenged an organization to ignore part of its foundational identity. we were uniquely burdened.
As org leaders there is usually a thread shared to keep the guild on track and before this event was underway, there was a lot of unprofessionalism from the admin in regards to Indorani. I won't go into details, so don't ask. Know that it colored the entire event in a negative light from the start.
It was the staff's idea to destroy the guild. Yes, we did what we did, but they decided to have Severn act that way, to have Golgotha react that way, to have this situation even possible. Think about this a moment, they set up a story thread that would certainly lead an active guild to be DELETED.
It could have been written differently and no one would have known. We don't know the script, the outcome, or the changes made on the fly. I'm not saying 'After the fact', I'm saying the situation never should have been possible, to begin with. We were already at a disadvantage from the start. After the sudden threat by Severn, Golgotha could of easily just scoffed it off, 'Traitor Entities', or 'Yes, Severn owes me a boon!' or a hundred other directions that could have been equally as engaging and fulfilling without exiling real people.
Real person here, with real emotions and flaws.
At some point, it was more profitable to take a group of players down a path that would see them lose their organization, their investments of time, and earn them the hatred of everyone in the game and make it virtually unplayable. It was decided that this series of events, that has already lost us players, was acceptable to potentially lose the playerbase of every member of the guild.
Whoever planned this event took us down this road and I am willing to say this was not something add-libbed in roleplay. How could it have been? The seals were decided before this, hopefully, and we take our cues from the people playing the Gods/admin. We were backed into a corner long before the choice was given to us because they knew what would happen based on our history of various orgreqs, conversations, and sixteen+ years of lore. They knew because of who Vyxsis and I are and what we were doing with the guild.
The community responded OOC by laughing at us and sneering, filling people in on their interpretation of the situation OOC without a bit of evidence. Just assumed we were doing what we did to be contrary and got what we deserved. Couldn't be further from the truth. Before this began, my biggest worry was getting people interested in the new progression plan. I probably deserve the hate, but I wasn't the only one hurt by this and I was hurt.