Public Ashes of Horror | Agents of Chaos + Open

[Paragon of Virtue]

For months now, the Agents of Chaos had been working tirelessly to recuperate from the losses they had suffered at the hands of the Brynadul during their stint on Kesh. While few were willing to mention it out loud, it had sucked some of the motivation out, leaving the leaders of the Agents with the need to rebuild it. And oh, they would. Nearly all of them were already set out to do just that, constructing plans while sending their people on a variety of missions to gather their resources and recruit more to the cause. So far, it was working. So focused they were on gathering and growing their forces, that they had not even had the time to imagine something like the current disaster could ever strike.

It was a bright spring morning when it happened. People making their way back from the graveyard shifts, or just waking up. Coffee was being brewed, fresh bread was being put up for sale. And slowly, bit by bit, the screaming started.

Mothers, fathers, parents. The panic gripped them as they walked into their children's rooms and found their beds empty. Whether it was higher ups, peasants, or even refugees, whether they slept in their own spheres or in the camps, or even in the dockyard - the children were gone. Not a few, not many, but all of them.

Investigations opened immediately. Every minute gone was a minute wasted, and yet suddenly there were not enough minutes in a single day. Or two. Many of the Agents were assigned with trying to keep the peace, while others made the attempt to collect evidence. And at last, on the third day, all those who could possibly leave on a mission, were called to the Tower.

Aiofe stared from behind the podium as people began to file into the Tower. She recognized many of the faces, and couldn't help but be worried at the fact that some of them had shown up. The Agents of Chaos included more people than anyone had dared imagine they would, but not all of them were combatants. However, there was nothing like missing children to bring out the need for violence in many people, some of them not even parents at all.

Her datapad held the speech she was supposed to be giving once the place was sufficiently packed. She didn't like it one bit. It had happened before, Aiofe remembered. It hadn't been all the children at the time, but 'only' a lot of them. She also remembered being so proud when the Knights Obsidian had gone on a mission to retrieve them. And so heart broken when that mission had failed.

And this… There were whiffs of the same people being it, though she wasn't entirely sure. Some things though would make sense. The intelligence of the Blackguard had made sure that there had been no disappearances in other parts of the galaxy, not something like this. That meant that Agents of Chaos had been specifically targeted. Few things could turn the reputation around of a place like showing it that all its children could so easily be hurt.

This time, they could not let the kidnappers win.

"Thank you all for coming," Aoife spoke into the microphone once enough people had gathered, "By now you all know what has come to pass. The children of the Scintilla are missing - each and every one of them. As far as we know, this has not happened in other places, and while it is true that children have been going missing for a few years now, all around the galaxy, we have no records of anything of this scope. Not here, not in other places.

A few of us have dealt in the past with the cult that was responsible for these kidnaps in other parts of the galaxy. The little bit of evidence we have uncovered has not proven that it is them again, but the methods are nearly identical, and with the help of some of the Sith Sorcerers, we have managed to find an angle.

And this is where things get a little bit weird. We believe that the children have been taken to another dimension. There is no other way that we have uncovered that would let them hide so many children without leaving a trail behind. And we have taken the blood from regular check up blood work of all the children who went to get checked in the days prior to their disappearance, and have found a way to get to them.

Discordia has decreed that only volunteers go on this mission. So whether you are a Wild Hunter, a Blackguard, a Coin, a Speaker, a Silencer, or want to help out - we welcome you. We need you."

Aiofe sighed, and everyone who had gathered there would be able to hear or feel their commdevices giving gentle beeps, signaling that the information had been sent. It was a strict opt-in mission, but people still had to sign up. A single swipe of the thumb by those interested, and they would know their numbers. She didn't look forward to it, already knowing that many would indeed sign up, but not all would make it home. The mission was practically a suicide mission. And that was, of course, assuming they could even manage to kick the children back to the right dimension.

Quietly, she waited. People would have questions, as they often did. And she would do her best to answer them. And afterwards… Once they had enough people gathered, the mission would begin. They would walk the road of Blood, the Road of Tears, or the Road of Roses. And there were not enough gods in the 'verse that could ensure they all came back.

TL;DR

• All the children on the Scintilla have gone missing. Each and every one of them. For clarity, child refers to anyone below the age of 15, or its species' equivalent.
• AoC is going on a mission to retrieve them.
• If you have any questions, feel free to ask Aiofe - answers will be given in her next post, and then we will set off.
• The thread is focused on AoC people, but if you're not AoC and want to join, you are more than welcome.

Spoiler: Agents of Chaos Tag List

TK-1104
A'Runda
A'Sura Den
Al'Taylor Quarnz
Alyva Terrix
Anesia Jy'Vun
Angelo Cavataio
Anse Baenshaol
Aoife Ironborne
Arro Peradun
Ashla Vella
Aster Jen'allé
Bacu Topol
BB-4001X
BB-610
Bedrovelse Hevn
Brie Jaxx
Romund Sro
Bryn Celli Ddu
Celestine deWinter
Custani Valcho
@Darren Shaw
Darth Libertas
Kainan Wolfe
Deviant Val
Dexter Zytros
Dyre Redwave
Eli-Mae Forrest
Erden Tarkhan deWinter
Eryn
EW-031
Finette Frai
Gna Grimwasp
Hanna
Herah
Ingrid L'lerim
I Irina Esta Klaus
Mellifluous Magenta
Jai'galaar Gred
Jaranamo Sal
@Jeremiah McFarlone
Jin
Judas of Vahl
@Kainan Wolfe
Kamyrin Gyvolis
Karlie Lynn Destat
Karma Jayne
Katerina Vaden
Keshar'atar
Kyrinov
L8R
Larentia
Lash
Lieutenant Walsh
Leeroy
Madalena Antares
Maximus Kreel
Middenface McNulty
Moe
Muad Dib
Myrium Okar
Nashiro Tsuia
Neyana
Nighthaunter
Nix Scamandros
Nyree Justice
Octavius Bellator
Orron Typho
Petra Cavataio
Pom Stych Tivé
PrincessNatalie
Qaheesh the Scorned
RadioWhisper
Razelle Breuner
Be'iqaronn
R Reyn Australis
Ruby Sky
Salem Norongachi
Sasmay Cull
Scherezade deWinter
scifipoinsettia
Sentiri
Seraph Sin
Sir Orionus
Sussh
Tae-Rai
Tanno Rand
The Third
Tek Kkak
Tempest Yore
Thalliesin Bard
The Bridesmaid
The Maverick
Tobias Dib
Vale Vynar
@Valrayne
Vant Dehringer
Vaulkhar
Verdun Veroza
Wegli Jinrang
Will Westender
William the Bloody
Wonderworker
Xenro
Y Yeetus Deletus
Zachariel Steelblood
Zaldros Sabolte
Zel Nar
Zenva Vrotoa
Ziggard Blackstar

Our lovely header for this thread was made by the amazingly talented Faegard ♥​

 

[Scherezade deWinter]

Wearing: Armatura | The Forgemaster's Ring | Ring of Stasis | The Sofitor
Wielding: 7 Nozhi Blades | 1 Whimsy Knife | 1 Whimsy Witch Knife | 2 Nastirci Combat Knives | Clarion | Copero's Wail | Fire and Smoke | Combat Gauntlets | Tessen | 2 TOTT-001 Arc Light Blaster | 2 Dissuader KD-30 Pistols with Glitter Bullets | The Parasite
Tags: Open

Scherezade sat in the back of the space used for the gathering, hands folded across her chest. Her face, usually full of bubbly smiles or borderline psychotic expressions, was a rock now. Frozen, unhappy, and deep in thought.

It had been her idea to use the blood of those they could. It was her Blood Magic that had managed to unlock the place of those children. And she still didn't like it one bit. Whoever they were dealing with, it was beyond obvious that it was someone or something incredibly powerful. You didn't just make millions of children disappear overnight without it.

And there had been other clues as well. Some of the beds, when they'd gotten to them on time, had been wet, as though someone had poured a bucket of water in them before taking the children. For a terrifying moment, someone had theorized that the children had turned into the water, but that was quickly dismissed.

The main question that had been running through her mind throughout all of this was why? There were so many ways to hurt the Agents of Chaos; their elaborate quill was far from bullet proof, and all it took was a small amount of imagination. So why hit it from the childrens angle? What was to gain by that? Especially when word would get out - if it hadn't already - it would only serve to bring contempt, hatred, and danger, to those who had done it.

And really now, it wasn't the children she cared about. Not directly. There were less than five kids in the whole galaxy that Scherezade personally cared for and it wasn't a big deal if others died, got murdered, or ended up as slaves. But the audacity of hitting them hard like that, and how…

She wanted her hands on that information.

Grabbing her comdevice, Scherezade swiped her thumb hard. She was going on this mission. And she was going to come back from it as well.

 

[The Bridesmaid]

Morgan silently fiddled with a small metallic disc as she listened to Aiofe adress the crowd. She was standing a little bit apart from the rest of the crowd that had shown up that day, as she didn't really know any of them. She hadn't exactly been very active recently, even going as far as purposefully avoiding the more social happenings on Scintilla. But this, this was different. Normally Morgan wasn't the best at empathising with people, but now the feelings of panic and fear were so strong in some people that it had even started to make her feel anxious.

She raised an eyebrow at the mention of another dimension, as she wasn't entirely sure what that meant. Not that it matter much, the tone of the message told her more than enough. It wasn't going to be a very pleasant ride.

She looked down at the commdevice in her hand and held her thumb over it as she considered her options. "Yeesh. Doing something that's not only the good thing to do, but also doing it without any kind of personal gain? What the hell, Morg. You might have actually gone insane", she mumbled to herself.

She took another look at the crowd and noticed Scherezade deWinter as she contemplated the choice. "It's dangerous, depressing, spooky... Those dimension thingies could be fun though", she reasoned. "Ah what the hell, I don't wanna awkwardly walk away anyway. That'd be kinda weird.

She gently swiped her tumb, signalling that she'd be joining the rest.

 

[Sasmay Cull]

WIELDING: 4 Whimsy Knives, 1 Nastirci Combat Knife, 2 HG-88 ‘Big Iron’ Hand Cannons, 1 R12 LMG
WEARING: Phase I Haywire Armor on top of UL-13 Corporis Skin Suit

Sasmay was not exactly thrilled by the idea of kids. Never had been given her history of being a slave child and fighting for the enjoyment of a slave owning captain. That didn't mean she wanted other kids to suffer. Never mind a large number of them being stolen from their beds mysteriously. This across dimensions talk made her a bit nervous, but she wasn't going to back away from helping after seeing how many parent's were here.

It would be distressing for anyone to suddenly have a part of your family ripped away. A small frown appearing as Sasmay thought about it that way. Did everyone feel that way? Or just these people? She pushed the thought out of her head before it had time to take root and signaled her own comm line to join the mission.

The guilt of not helping when she very well could have would have ate her alive, besides, there was a promise of violence in there somewhere with having to find the perpetrators eventually. Meaning someone had to answer for not only how, but why, and then pay the price of messing with the Scintilla.

 

[Jorah zos Darnus]

Meanwhile, at the Legion of Doom...

[ lost lolcat theme ]​

The Cathar was holding a toddler and the five year olds were currently running and screaming.

There were any number of questions. So many, in fact, that the kitten was having a hard time determining what the most logical starting point for an analysis of the present predicament would be. Where were they? How did any of them get here? Was this some kind of material Force vision? Or was this real?

Ideally, the cat would have liked both adequate space and materials in which to jot down thoughts and develop those ideas into a more coherent or organized theory. Except, they were all clustered into some kind of cellar or basement, so there was hardly adequate space for stretching out. And, secondly, none of them had any datapads or even scrap pieces of loub paper on which to try and gather observations.

No one had anything, actually. All of the younglings were in just their sleeping clothes -- some in footy pajamas, some in t-shirts, and a few just in their underwear.

They were all from Scintilla. They'd determined that much. Micah had recognized a few and then the conversation from among themselves all turned up the same account. They'd each gone to bed and then woken up here.

Where ever here was.

A single window that was high up from the floor seemed to offer a glimpse into a wintery mix that didn't match anything on Scintilla. Though, it remained improbable that means to magically teleport all the children away existed, it seemed the best theory for what had happened to them. Added to which, the Cathar found that the Force seemed to work differently here. His attempts to summon his familiar, for example, went unanswered.

There were less than a handful of them that were even Force Sensitive, and only two others that were even aware that they were. They both said the same. The Force was different here, somehow.

Curiouser and curiouser.

At least, for now, there didn't seem any real threat. Today, as with yesterday, buckets arrived that contained some kind of gruel or pottage. There was no reason to believe it poisoned -- someone had obviously gone to lengths to bring them here. Killing them would have been far easier by less involved means.

So why were they here? And how had they achieved this feat?

"Wait, where's Kelso?"

Blinking, the Cathar's catseye gaze wandered over the room as the children all talked among themselves. There had definitely been a boy named Kelso with them yesterday.

And he wasn't here now.

...but what did it mean?

 

[5U-K5]

5U-K5 stood at the back of the gathering leaning against the wall next to Schrezade. He listened to Aoife as she spoke about the missing children and where they were. Another dimension? Something in his old memory banks rose to his conscious thoughts. He had researched other dimensions a long time ago, but had realised the amount of power needed to literally rip a whole in the universe was beyond him. And this person was saying not only had someone got this ability but used it to kidnap all the children in one night, presumably at once. Now that was power.

He imagined many people would sign up for this, even knowing the risks. He was missing significant sections of his memory and it irritated him to no end that he was past was taken from him, he imagined this feeling was amplified by many magnitudes for the organics. Its one thing to lose your past, but far worse to lose your future. And thats what children were to organics, their future.

When the signal came to his commlink for the signatures it was instantly signed and sent back. He didn't get a choice to sign it, it seems some protocol auto signed it. This was new, but investigating it would have to come later as the mission would be beginning soon it seemed. The droid began threading the thin straps of leather through the pins of the grenades strapped around him.

As his systems began their pre-battle checks 5U-K5 reached into one of the pockets of his bandoleer and pulled out two chocolate chip cookies, offering one to Scherezade deWinter , "Blood sugar boost?"

 

[Jai'galaar Gred]

Gear: 2x Trayc'kal, Armor

Jai and Ina had been dealing with keeping Daric from tearing Scintilla apart to find Nex. Like all the other kids he'd gone missing, and the highly aggressive Mando was more then willing to point fingers. Heck, Ina had to downright sedate him to keep him from knocking a Silencer out. Jai understood it though. They both did. Nex was the only blood family Daric had left, but it made it too risky to let him help at all in this fight. So Jai was here while Ina kept their friend calm. He was shocked when the speech was given though.

Another dimension? When did this become an old holo-film? If it was a chance to get everyone back though, he'd believe anything. When then Mando got the message, he was quick to accept the mission. He was going to help these kids, and get Nex back.

Scherezade deWinter 5U-K5 Sasmay Cull The Bridesmaid

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Nex grunted, trying to come up with a way to reach the roof. There wasn't any, but he'd keep trying. At least until he gave up again and just flopped down on the floor. The Mandalorian teen grunted before crossing his arms, only to be attacked by five year olds.

"Ah! I'm not a jungle gym!" He was almost certain they were out to get him or something, and it didn't help that he was on edge. Time under Imperial rule did that to ya, and his lack of armor and weapons wasn't helping his composure. This just seemed like one of those horror stories he'd heard of Sith Empire "re-education." But.... Only kids were here? He had to thing. Gah! Then he head the Cathar, Micah ask where someone was. Wait.....

"I... I don't see him. Osik!"

Micah

 

[Xandyr]

It was an itch at the back of his skull. It always started that way. He carried his anger like a treasured possession, never letting it roam far. The idea that Sith sorcerers had been helping made it worse. Everywhere he went those cultists - jedi or sith - seemed to be involved.

His ship, the Slow Tide, dropped out of hyperspace. Xandyr slipped his bare feet from the console and sat upright.

"Another dimension," he mused softly. It was hard to direct his anger when there was a wall of confusion between him and those who deserved it. It could be dangerous when it had nowhere to go. It was bewildering to imagine the power behind anyone responsible for making so many souls vanish.

He had been a child when half the galaxy had vanished into the netherworld before and those events still haunted him. There had been so much relief as it came to an end, only to swing into despair as the sith and jedi returned immediately to their holy crusades.

As his ship picked up a slave command to take it down to landing pads he went to fetch his disruptor rifle. It wasn't so different from the amban models that had once been popular with mandalorians, but it had six chambers for cartridges instead of one. He didn't care what had taken the children. A disruptor killed things.

 

[Paragon of Virtue]

Scherezade deWinter | The Bridesmaid | Sasmay Cull | 5U-K5 | Jai'galaar Gred | Xandyr

Aoife watched silently as one by one, people began to swipe their thumbs. The lists of those who were signing up was growing by the moment, against her initial expectations. Usually the thought of going to other dimensions had people stop and turn around instead of the opposite.

But would it be enough? Would this group manage to go there, get the children, and get back again? Would the children even still be alive when they got to them? The numbers crunched were monstrous. There were so many things that could go wrong. And she could speak of none of them in that moment.

She sent a nod to those who had been sitting to the side, concealed from the rest of the audience in the chamber. Within moments, her microphone was moved aside, and she was gently nudged as well to make place.

Twelve people, clad in robes that hid their bodies and heads. Those who were Force Sensitive would easily be able to feel the darkside that emanated from them, and Aiofe hoped that no one would think they were here to damage them. Sith Magic had its uses. Such as in this instance.

The twelve robed people stood in a circle on the stage and began to chant. For the first few minutes, nothing happened. And then something began to glow, first with black and darkness, and then taking on a blue hue. It was over fifteen minutes later that a portal had opened up on the stage.

"They will continue here. As long as they do, this portal will remain open. Once it closes, we may never be able to open it again," Afiofe spoke into the microphone. Their people had to know what they were walking into.

One of the robes figures coughed. Aiofe said nothing to that. She knew that the longer they held the portal open, the more the lives of the SIth Sorcerers would be drained. Estimates of how many would still need to be standing to keep the portal active ranged anywhere between one and five, though all twelve were needed to start it up.

And there were no exact times they could give those who would soon embark either. Time sometimes passed differently between dimensions. And even here, it could be anywhere from hours to days. Whatever it was, she only hoped it would be enough.

"Those of you who use the Force may experience it works differently there. And the same goes to the technology you carry with you."

There were no more words to give. All that remained, was for those who had signed up to pass through the portal. And may the Force help them all.

Micah | Jai'galaar Gred

"Those who have the potential to use the Force, ride. Those who do not, get ridden."

The voice boomed off the very walls of the castle, echoing down the giant chamber spaces and into the very floors. From the small window, it could be seen that the sun was shining, as the snow and skies were both bright. But inside, it was dark and gloomy.

Twenty children had disappeared from the hall Micah and Jai'galaar Gred 's Nex were. The chamber had gone pitch black, and not even those who belonged to species that had night vision could see what was happening. But they all heard the screams.

Today, they would all scream.

The lights went out again. This time, all was silence. And when the lights returned, five children had been returned.

But they no longer looked entirely like themselves.

Their faces were mostly there, though some had fur beginning to grow on it, and the others had scales. THeir limbs, still the same in number as they had been the day before, were longer now, and moved awkwardly. And they knew it had happened, aware of it with every breath they took, the expressions on their faces more terrified than any had seen or felt before.

 

[Scherezade deWinter]

Wearing: Armatura | The Forgemaster's Ring | Ring of Stasis | The Sofitor
Wielding: 7 Nozhi Blades | 1 Whimsy Knife | 1 Whimsy Witch Knife | 2 Nastirci Combat Knives | Clarion | Copero's Wail | Fire and Smoke | Combat Gauntlets | Tessen | 2 TOTT-001 Arc Light Blaster | 2 Dissuader KD-30 Pistols with Glitter Bullets | The Parasite
Tags: The Bridesmaid Sasmay Cull 5U-K5 Jai'galaar Gred Xandyr Micah

She could taste the darkside in her mouth. Scherezade blinked in surprise as the robed figures got on stage, but what happened after that didn't surprise her. She'd moved through portals before and it was more or less what she imagined it being like without losing consciousness first. Huzzah for being conscious while going to another direction for the first time, she supposed.

With a sigh, she rose from her chair. "No thanks," she answered 5U-K5 as he offered the cookie. There were a few bags of cheese cubes on her belt, but she wasn't really in the mood to eat anything right then and there.

Her gaze moved from her friends to the stage, where the portal was still open. She heard another cough, but paid it no mind. They could cough as much as they wanted as long as they kept the portal open.

"Guess it's time to go," she said to no one in particular, and moved forward without glancing back, her eyes glued to the portal. No one else had walked through yet. She was about to be the first.

And just as quickly, she was through.

Scherezade blinked and looked around. The sky was a very bright shade of blue, and it was snowing. The temperature was freezing, and she cursed herself for not thinking to bring a coat. The air felt strange to her, as though she wasn't breathing air in the way she was used to, but she couldn't exactly point at what was different there.

The place she had landed on was a road. A wide road, made mostly of gravel. To the side was a small table, on which were dozens of candles, none of them lit.

Candles? Why? And who put them there?

Deciding against touching anything for the moment, Scherezade turned around and waited to see who would be coming next.

 

[5U-K5]

Tag: Scherezade deWinter

5U-K5 shook his head slightly as he followed Scherezade up to the portal, sith sorcery always seemed to hit him as 'wrong'. He believed the organic expression was 'He could feel it in his bones', however he could neither feel nor did he have bones. The droid waited a few seconds before stepping through the portal behind the woman, he was immediately met by a surge of power hitting his circuits and wires,

When reaching the other side, instead of stepping out gracefully as he had intended, his systems overloaded and shut down causing him to fall flat on his faceplate. After a few seconds he rebooted and climbed back to his feet, half stumbling away from the portal entrance. As his systems did their start up check they found corrupted files and blank spots all through his memory, automatically triggering his PMSR. He turned to look at the woman in front of him, her face was recognised but her name was missing for an instant, then it was reconstructed. Sparkles. She was marked a VIP and friendly, best not shoot her yet.

The droid looked around to survey the snowey area they had landed in, the only notable object was the candle covered table. The other thing that told him where he was was the constant flux of mini power surges his system was getting. He was sophisticated enough that the surges posed no real threat to his systems, but smaller items such as blasters or light sabers would likely be unstable. He swung his blaster forward, pulled its power pack out and tossed it into the snow. He reached into his side bag and pulled out another power pack out. It looked old, battered, worn by time and use. The droid rotated it in his hand a couple of time before inserting it inter the rifle which immediately began to hum loudly, the familiar sound of an overload.

5U-K5 raised the rifle and shot into the distance, the bolt it fired crackled like grease in a frying pan but the humming from the rifle stopped and was momentarily replaced with a hissing as it seemed to have overheated and was cooling. He lowered his rifle again and looked back to the woman, "You should avoid using those sabers in here if you can, Sparkles. And use the blasters sparingly, power from our dimension is unstable here."

 

[Sasmay Cull]

WIELDING: 4 Whimsy Knives, 1 Nastirci Combat Knife, 2 HG-88 ‘Big Iron’ Hand Cannons, 1 R12 LMG
WEARING: Phase I Haywire Armor on top of UL-13 Corporis Skin Suit
TAG: Scherezade deWinter 5U-K5

Sasmay followed behind the pair, dealing with her own feelings on people opening portals in the scintilla, taking a deep breath before walking into the waiting mode of transportation. It felt strange indeed, but it passed all too quickly before bumping into Scherezade deWinter upon exiting the other side. It had been only her hands bumping her, but if she hadn't closed her eyes so tightly and maybe not left her helmet on, she might have avoided the incident.

Opening her eyes, she stared in disbelief at their surroundings, a chill running down her back as she looked around. Whether it was the cold, or the fact that she had taken all of a half dozen steps and now was in an unknown place. Her eyes moved to the droid that had passed through with them, watching it for a moment. The droid shot a bolt into the distance, and it seemed to fizzle. But the attention was drawn to the barrel as it hiss whined as if it had been fired on full auto for a full minute. The heavy weapon woman frowned at the thought of her LMG being rendered useless here.

 

[The Bridesmaid]

Wielding: Curiousity
Tags: Scherezade deWinter | 5U-K5 | Sasmay Cull

"Fancy", Morgan muttered as the portal appeared right in front of them. "Who needs ships when you've got a bunch of hooded creeps who can do this?" She patiently watched the others walk through the portal, but soon followed them, wondering what this unknown wonder could bring her.

Shivers ran down her spine as she walked through the portal. When she was through and the skies above her looked strangely unfamiliar, she shook her head violently. "Nope. Don't like. Don't like at all."

She shivered more as she started to look around, trying to get an idea of where she was. It was freezing, and to Morgan's surprise, the rain here was white and quite cold as well. The others didn't seem to be surprised by this though, so perhaps it was normal for a place like this.

While the others looked around and thought about their guns, Morgan wandered around a bit, catching snowflakes with her hand, only to have them disappear a couple of seconds later. "So cool", she whispered as she turned around, determined to show the rest what she had found. When she did though, the sight of the mean-looking robot and the two heavily armed women changed her mind. They probably had more important things to focus on, like the missing kids. Right. The strange rain would have to wait.

 

[Jai'galaar Gred]

Jai looked at the portal, surprised by the fact that this was even possible. He then heard Morgan mention "Hooded creeps" and just glared under his helmet. He knew it wasn't directed at him, but he did were a hooded cloak, so it was at least a little funny. He sighed a little before following Scherezade, Morgan, and 5U into the portal. He would soon find himself face first in a snowbank, grunting as he slowly got up. He pulled his cloak off for a moment, wiping the snow over before replacing it. He then realized he had no HUD. Wait....? Where was his HUD. Jai tapped a few buttons on his helmet. Dang it! The entire thing was dead. He looked at the faceplanted droid, and walked over slowly.

"Well.... I have no HUD system. Force any good, Schere?" He pulled out his Trayc'kal, looking at them before flicking them into blaster mode. He looked, ready to test until he heard a shot, and watched a knarled bolt go flying. He looked, hearing 5U.

"I'm a Gred. Don't need the blasters anyway." He then saw the candles, looking a bit worried. "So.... Random candles. Not creepy at all."

Scherezade deWinter 5U-K5 The Bridesmaid

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Dex jumped a bit at the voice, and couldn't hid his worry when he thought about what the voice said.

"Um.... Get.... I'm not For.... Oh osik...." The lights going out also caught him off guard. He couldn't see at all. Nothing! It was crazy. And then it was over. He looked, seeing that some of the kids were back, but the way they looked..... He quickly started checking them, looking at all the changes. He looked back a Micah, creeped out.

"I.... is this alchemy?"

Micah

 

[Kai and Gerda]

Gear: Lite-brite Cortosis Weave Armor | De Lifte Survival Rifle | Light Spear | (1) Thermal detonator
NPC Companion: Theo Vathek (armed with a blaster rifle)

***​

“Hurry up, we’re running late,” Alyosha called over his shoulder as he raced into the lift.

Theo scrambled after him, narrowly slipping through the closing doors. With a grunt, he let the butt of his rifle rest on the floor as the lift began to rise.

“Saving a bunch of kids, huh? Now that’s a cause I can get behind. Hell, it’s a cause everybody can get behind.”

Alyosha was tugging on his gloves, flexing his fingers. Lost in thought, he was only partially listening to his friend.

“Never thought you’d be working for the Agents of Chaos, though,” Theo went on. “On the other hand, ehhhh, I can kind of see it. You got a problem with authority, assassin training, a mean streak…”

The lift doors opened, revealing a large audience chamber. At the center of the stage was a bright blue light emanating from a portal, which people were walking through.

“What the feth is that chit?” Theo exclaimed.

Alyosha, impatient to learn what was going on without having to ask some stranger, reached out with the Force and discerned the information from a cursory glance at someone’s unprotected thoughts. “The portal leads to another dimension, where the missing children are supposedly being kept,” he explained for Theo’s benefit.

“Oh—huh.” Theo shrugged. “You sure this is a good idea?”

“You’re welcome to stay behind,” Alyosha replied, already approaching the stage.

“I never said I wasn’t going!” Theo declared, falling into step beside him. “All I’m sayin’ is that it looks like we’re gonna have to get medieval up in here. Check out those dudes in robes, man—they already got it down, we gotta get down with it too.”

They were now next in line to go through the portal. Theo glanced back at Alyosha, flashing a grin, and then with a whooping yell he leaped through. Alyosha preferred a more subtle approach, slipping soundlessly between the dimensions.

They emerged in a snow-covered landscape, near a mysterious candle-bearing table. Two heavily armed women, a young man, and a droid were already there, examining their weapons. Another woman had ventured away from the group, apparently fascinated by the falling snow.

Given the slap-dash spur-of-the-moment manner in which they had decided to join this rescue mission, Alyosha hadn’t had a chance to swipe right, nor did he know any of the people present. He was fully aware that he and Theo might be considered unwelcome guests, if not objects of suspicion and distrust. Clearing his throat, he started to approach them—only for Theo to once again take the initiative.

“Hello, hello, hello… my name is Theo, and this is Alyosha.” He nodded to his friend, then went back to eyeing the ladies of the group, practically ignoring the man and the droid. “We are here to blast some baddies and save some lost boys and girls. Do any of you know which way to Neverland?”

Scherezade deWinter Sasmay Cull Jai'galaar Gred 5U-K5 The Bridesmaid

 

[Xandyr]

Xandyr slowed as he paced towards the portal. There was no getting around how nervous it made him feel. He didn't have faith in anyone else and he managed even less for cults that used the Force. No matter whose side they were on he now had to trust that these robed figures would keep the doors open.

He stepped forwards. A moment of darkness and he found himself on a gravel path. He stumbled slightly to the side, a side in gravity catching him out. The temperature came next. Xandyr tightened his jacket around his neck, but that barely kept the kept from biting into him.

"Well, I did need blasters," Xandyr reflected. "So...Great."

Hopefully his disruptor rifle wasn't going to explode on the first use. After that he had a few detonators and would be down to punching things to death. Against a force that had stolen a few million children in the night his fists were definitely not up to the task.

 

[Verdun Veroza]

Location: A frozen forest?
Objective: Save the kids?
Tags: The Bridesmaid l Sasmay Cull l 5U-K5 l Jai'galaar Gred l
Xandyr l Micah l Alyosha Drutin
​

Verdun had been listing to the whole set of speeches which had made his skin crawl at the idea of this kind of travel. Where it would lead to he wasn't sure but he was sure it wasn't gonna be good as he carefully followed the others through. He took no weapons as he still hadn't really gotten his hands on any yet not that he needed them regardless right at the moment. One minute he was looking out at the hallway passing through the blue glowing portal, the next well.

He was standing in the snow near a gravel road which everyone else seemed to have landed on. There was also a table with candles, they weren't lit they were just kind of sitting there. Verdun wasn't sure what to think of this all as his boots crunched through the snow. This place shouldn't exist and yet it did somehow. It was here and so real yet they had to use a form of the force to open up this place, meaning it wasn't of this galaxy. Verdun took careful stock of everyone nodding to jai, it had been a while since he had danced with the man and another woman Madalena Antares he did wonder why she wasn't here but he was sure there were reasons.

Then something in him clicked as he remembered seeing something similar to this when he was doing his first mental conditioning. He remembered the man before him a colonel who was telling him these words

Listen only to the sound of my voice.
Let your mind relax.
Let your thoughts drift.
Let the bad memories fade.
Let peace be upon you.
Surrender yourself to your dreams.
Let them wash over you like the gentle waves of the bluest ocean.
Let them envelop you.
Comfort you.
Imagine somewhere calm.
Imagine somewhere safe.
Imagine yourself in a frozen forest.
You're standing in a clearing.
Trees around you so tall, they touch the sky.
Pure white snowflakes fall all around.
You can feel them melt on your skin.
You are not cold.
It cannot overcome the warmth of your beating heart.
Can you hear it?
You only have to listen.
You hear it slowing?
You are slowing it.
You are in control.
Calm.
At peace. ​

"At Peace" Verdun repeated as he felt the words flowing through him giving him peace of mind that even in this world, his mind was his own. No one would break him not even a strange snow filled plane of existence where the kids had been dragged to. He was ready to find them and ready to end the thing that had dragged them to this place.

 

[Scherezade deWinter]

Wearing: Armatura | The Forgemaster's Ring | Ring of Stasis | The Sofitor
Wielding: 7 Nozhi Blades | 1 Whimsy Knife | 1 Whimsy Witch Knife | 2 Nastirci Combat Knives | Clarion | Copero's Wail | Fire and Smoke | Combat Gauntlets | Tessen | 2 TOTT-001 Arc Light Blaster | 2 Dissuader KD-30 Pistols with Glitter Bullets | The Parasite
Tags: The Bridesmaid Sasmay Cull 5U-K5 Jai'galaar Gred Xandyr Micah Xandyr Verdun Veroza

The first one that came out of the portal was Fivu. Scherezade just looked at him as he began to move in strange ways, finishing off with his rifles. The warning about her lightsabers were then given, and with her eyebrows raised, Scherezade removed both Fire and Smoke from her belt, clicking the button to ignite them.

Nothing happened.

"What the…" she stopped herself from cursing just before she let a very bad word out, pressing the ignite buttons again. Nothing. Eyebrows still raised, she put them back on her belt and removed one of her Dissuader pistols, aiming it into the distance, and… Nothing. It didn't even click when she pulled the trigger. The next stuff that came out of her mouth weren't PG13 by any stretch of imagination, covering enough languages to not only make a sailor blush, but also its head spin, and she walked to the portal, throwing all of her hot weapons right back in, without any regard about whether or not it'd hit someone on the other side on the head.

It was time for her knives to shine again.

Looking to Sasmay, she could see that her combatant friend was experiencing exactly the same issues. Morgan seemed to be impressed by the new terrain, Jai returned their attention to the mass of candles that were next to them for no reason that Scherezade could think about at all.

It was then that she looked to the newcomers - Alyosha Drutin and the one he introduced as Theo. Scherezade didn't know them, and their faces didn't seem familiar to her. It didn't mean anything; with the growth of both the Agents of Chaos and the population of the Scintilla, people she didn't know were popping up more and more. Normally, under normal circumstances, this was a wonderful thing. On a mission like this, where the combatants had to trust each other…

"What can you do?" she asked the both of them, jumping straight to business. "What can any of us do?" she asked, turning to the rest who were gathered there. Ranged weapons were obviously not working for most if not all of. But the Force…

Joined by Xandyr and Verdun Veroza, Scherezade nodded to the former. She understood all too well. With a sigh, she removed two of her Nozhi Blades and handed them to him. "Anyone else needs blades?" she asked. She was covered in them from head to toe, and she didn't mind sharing. Force knew that-

Force.

Removing one of the knives from her thighs, Scherezade tossed it in the air and tried to grab it through Telekinesis. The knife spun a ew times before falling towards the snow, where she managed to stop it only inches above the ground.

"Forcies, check your control," she ordered as she physically bent down to pick it up. Her own control.. Was weak now. Fudge, she hated this place. The only thing left to check was if witch spells worked, but considering that they had zero witches on their team, and as far as she knew zero people with witch training, perhaps checking that specific angle wasn't for now.

Scherezade sighed and looked to the distance. They had candles near them, and they did't know why. To the distance, she could see a thick forest, probably a few hours of walking away to the direction she randomly decided to title North-Easy. But to its relative North-West, there was… A mountain? A far away castle or something? She wasn't sure.

"If there's anything here, there's a good chance that they know we've arrived," she spoke as she walked to the candles, grabbing one.

As soon as her hand touched it, the wick ignited, casting a warm glow that more importantly - felt warm and took some of the cold bite away. Curiouser and curiouser.

When Scherezade, with candle in hand, took a step towards Sasmay Cull and 5U-K5 , the last thing the rest of the part would hear was her scream as she suddenly disappeared into thin air.

When her scream ended, Scherezade was not standing anywhere near the others. Instead, planting her foot on the ground had happened exactly between the forest and what she now could see was a proper fort. Instead of hours, each of them now looked like it was less than a mile away from her. And she couldn't see the rest of the team.

"The krak…" she whispered, letting her candle go. Its flame turned off the moment it stopped touching her fingers.

OOC

• The candles are babylon candles. If you touch them, they will light up, and then your next step (while still holding them) will take you miles forward.
• It's fine if some of your weapons work!
• It's fine if you have full, partial, or no more force control (in case you're a forcie).
• It's a big place. If you wanna detach from the group to another part, feel free to let your imagination run wild!

 

[Xandyr]

Despite the circumstances, Xandyr was greatly amused by the colourful cussing that escaped Scherezade deWinter 's lips as she tossed her weapons back through the portal.

She passed him a short blade formed of a cerise crystal. He tested its weight with a quick swipe.

"Oh good," he muttered, "a knife. I guess it will be useful it we need to sneak..." Xandyr paused and looked down at the glittering, bright pink blade, "...up on someone." The sass was strong with him today.

When she screamed and vanished from sight he cast his sharp gaze around. Catching movement ahead he unslung his disruptor rifle and peered down the sights.

"She's over there," he declared. Deciding that being in another dimension with a knife as his only reliable weapon was about as dangerous as life could get, he also picked up a candle and took a step.

"Ah!" he barked as he appeared behind Scherezade. "Right...still here..."

 

[Asteria deWinter]

It was a kingdom of Winter, but a castle of ice...​

The self-proclaimed Queen of Ice stood on the very top of her castle made out of ice, ice blue gaze staring down upon the upcoming army. They had come for the children, failing to understand a very simple truth - they would fail.

Her name was Asteria. She had arrived into this world in the coolest of nights this realm had ever seen. Silence accompanied as her lungs exhaled a visible cold air. Everything about the blonde was chilling, from the pale gaze to the ice-cold flesh. "Come," the Queen of Ice whispered, the cold air escaping her lungs as her fingers outstretched. The demons of the realm, they whispered, in fear of the one that could petrify them forever, turn them into eternal statues of ice. She took pleasure in their fear, her heart turning into ice centuries ago as the fire had faded from her heart. Did she have fire in it ever though? Asteria did not remember any longer, there were stories, whispers inside the back of her mind of a time when there was one of fire, another of earth... perhaps somewhere, somehow, she had stood human but now, there was only one present in the kingdom of Winter. Only the ice had remained, ever consuming, ever unforgiving. The Queen of Ice reigned as the Winter ruled. Whatever traces of humanity remained, they were loyal, they worshipped the secret of the Winter. Together, they were undefeatable.

The children now belonged to them and soon, they would have them all forever, the Queen of Ice knew this army was no match for the Winter or Ice. She could the army approach though, she could feel one of power coming further ahead of others, a small light in the darkness spreading before it had extinguished.

Army was coming, they knew. The Winter and Ice were ready for them coming, they had foreseen it in the dancing cold, seen their eagerness to save the children. How brave, the Queen considered before the cold spread around her, the rising mist enveloping her before she'd faded away into the darkness. "Come," Asteria had whispered, as she'd vanished, daring the little ones to tempt their faiths in their brave acts.

...they would all be doomed.​