nexus_crossings | Bringing in Spring with a worthy revel

[With the changing of seasons, many Nexus visitors are very happy to see the snow melt away and life returning to their beloved home. Spring is here!

It appears overnight: a large pantheon in the center of the Nexus forum, and once can only guess how such a great building was erected without anyone noticing. Atop the Patheon are two golden thrones, adorned with gemstones of great value. No one seems to be sitting there, but they seem to hold a great deal of importance to the cloaked humans who guard the Pantheon entrance.

The land in front of the Pantheon is paved with smooth, old stones in the shape of a large circle. Lush flowers and grass grown along the outskirts of the cropping, full of beautiful and exotic plants. Truly the host of this revel wants even nature to bend before their whim.

On the left and right sides of the sides of the circle are two long marble tables, where different food and drink await those who enter. Freshly cooked meat. Ripe fruits and unsullied wine. Whatever your heart desires, be it simple or sweet, you will be hard pressed to not find it on one of the tables. Near the tables is also a large group of tents, adorned with many plush chairs and sofas for those who like to relax while indulging.

The center of the circle has a large bonfire pit, carved of fine stone, lit with a brilliant (almost unearthly) red fire. Comforting to those seeking warmth or invigorating to the souls of the weary: it carries an important symbol for the revel: let your soul burn as hot as the flames inside. Which, to the satyr, it means that everyone present should be partying and indulging with one another. There seems to be plenty of space for dancing and socializing alike, whatever your preference may be.

The entrance into this festivity is monitored by a group of half-human, half-goat satyr. They don’t seem to be picky about who gets let in, assuming you’re not here to ruin the fun, but it would be wise to check it with them first. This is a masquerade-style party, so all of the guests need masks.

But there can’t be anything possible wrong with such a wonderful party, right? Perhaps things are not all as they seem….]

((Here's your OOC guide guide to this event. Post when you can as you like, no worries. Have fun!))

((The second half of the event is live link here Please read the OOC thread so you know the details!))

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Good to know, honestly. He's not sure what she means by 'special' but he can take a guess. Superpowers, elite training, blah blah. Jake nods briefly, keeping his head on a swivel, watching for dangers. "Nah. Usually here solo."

Speaking of dangers, there's a masked human who's standing nearby, watching a group of humans battle against each other. Even with a mask on, he's gleefully holding a staff in the air with a banner on it. Something seems magical about this weapon, because when he holds it upward, the violence around him seems to escalate.

"Beautiful. The masked circle will be revived once again in no time. Lord Nyarlathotep will be pleased by our work."

It looks like stopping him might quell the nearby violence, but trying to run away is also another option...

"Oh for fuck's sake!"

Hazel dodges a meat skewer being hurled through the air and thins her lips enough for them to turn a sickly white at the man waving around some kind of insanity sigil like he's a knight at the round table of crackpots.

The mention of the elder god makes her damn near bare her teeth like an animal. Hazel has no time nor patience for gods. Especially not ones of madness. She gives Jake a look and jerks her head toward the masked man. Tightens her grip on her knives.

Get her an opening big guy.

Edited 2018-06-01 00:28 (UTC)

Jake's ears twitch as the words register, and he may not have any idea what the hell this cultist dude is babbling about but that's the same tongue-tripping name that got thrown down before this place went to hell, and he sounds happy as a pig in shit about it.

Oh yeah. He doesn't have to make a far leap to figure out what that look was, and he totally agrees. This dude is going down, one way or another.

The Na'vi's ears lay flat against his head and he hisses loudly, catlike, a challenge like a gauntlet being thrown. Bare moments later, he starts forward, roughly shoving through the crowd that separates them from the cultist, carving a path with as much obvious noise as he can manage, trying to draw as many eyes as possible. Look at the big angry blue guy and pay no attention to the little stabby human!

At least, that's the plan, such as it is.

Jake is, without doubt, someone who can't be ignored. The cultist is cackling loudly, unaware of what's happening until the crowd starts to scatter. Some people are knocked down, but most are scrambling away while Jake rushes forward.

"What? Stop your assault, demon!" The cultist doesn't even notice Hazel, raising his staff to try and stop Jake's attack. Thankfully, no one else seems to be getting involved in this battle beyond the masked man.

The towering nine foot tall Na'Vi has a reach that can't be taken lightly. Even his smaller knives were nearly the length of Hazel's entire arm from shoulder socket down to fingertip. It means when he gets his rage on he's a force to be reckoned with. But it also makes him a bigger target, so Hazel is moving quickly.

Darting around overturned tables and skirting around until she's gotten behind the cultist. It's not like she's a master of stealth or anything (though having the air itself on your side definitely doesn't hurt usually), but Jake is making one hell of a distraction.

Hazel doesn't waste time on speaking or announcing herself. Her first strike is at the cultist's outstretched arm to try and make him drop the staff. Her second lunge is toward the back of his neck.

Once, Jake would have cut a bloody path through the riot with hardly a second thought, focused on terminating the perceived cause of the chaos at all costs. Not these days. Maybe these people are brainwashed, maybe they're not under their own control, but whatever the case, he's got other options. Maybe a little less lethal, until they can find out what the fuck is happening.

He grabs one person by their shirt collar and tosses them bodily into several others, and the path opens up for him as more flee from a fight they likely wouldn't win, giving him the freedom he needs to move towards the cultist, drawn up to his full nine-foot height. "Cut this shit out!" he counters, baring sharp fangs, bone knife held at the ready. Buying his stabby little buddy enough time to maneuver and make her strike.

It's good that Jake is tossing aside those who have little control over their actions, since some of these people really are innocent victims. The cultist raises his staff upon seeing Jake's knife, chanting something under his breath, a strange cold air has started to surround his body.

Ice is forming at his feet, but suddenly, Hazel's knife disarms him and the spell stops being cast. Her second attack hits him in the neck, cutting into flesh and causing him to scream out in pain. Blood starts to drip from both wounds and the man crumbles to the ground.

Hazel's quick to kick out with her foot and sent the staff skittering into the fire before anyone else can pick the damned thing up and wreak even more havoc with it. She felt the magic that came off of it and doesn't trust even herself to lay her hands upon it even to carry it to the fire properly.

It's only when she sees the staff alight that Hazel turns back and looks up at Jake. Is he okay? A glance spared for the people around them, her posture still stiff and defensive.

"They're using magic, but not any kind I've ever encountered before. It is not Natural in any way." Hazel gives Jake a frustrated shake of her head. She doesn't know what kind of power their enemy is wielding, only that it is not of Nature's design.

She's got the staff covered, so Jake lunges forward to close the remaining distance and make absolutely sure that this dude is on his way out. He's been in too many conflicts to just assume a threat is gone without solid confirmation.

A part of him regrets not trying to keep the cultist alive, but honestly, he didn't really seem the type to rat out his demon god or whatever the fuck this Imhotep thing is, even if they had the time for an interrogation.

Na'vi are pretty tough, and if Jake's got any injuries, he hasn't noticed either. He looks up from the cultist at the sound of her voice, and even though he's pretty damn clueless about magic in general, she sounds like she knows what she's talking about. "There's gotta be some way to stop it," he says, frowning deeply. "He said something about a masked circle. That mean anything to you?"

"It's a cult. I heard one of them talking about escaping their former homeworld to come here." One of the festival attendees stands up after being briefly knocked over by Jake, holding one of the masks in his hand. It seems like the attack was enough to loosen the mask and free him from the chaotic control. There's blood underneath his fingernails, showing he was part of the mind control.

"Maybe...maybe if you can help the others get their masks off, they'll spot acting so crazy? It seems to work for me."

Bringing in Spring with a worthy revel

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