MARCH TDM + SETTING UPDATES

[beleos]

BEARING FRUIT (NEW CHARACTERS ONLY)

It starts out as a pleasant dream. You’re in your favorite place, with your favorite people. It’s a moment of idyllic comfort.

And then, it goes wrong.

The sky turns dark above, and as you look up, you see the black expanse of space spotted with faraway pinprick lights of stars. Yet, they’re not stars. You’re certain. They’re watching you. A billion eyes all looking down, and they spill forth as if sky itself was a dam holding back those dark waters. You reach back to the people you’re with, but they’re frozen in place. Their eyes are black, reflecting only the expanse of dark eyes.

So you run, even though you know you won’t escape it. You glance back and see it not overtaking, but consuming. The landscape around you is being devoured, and you can see it cracking apart. The world itself is breaking, and it cracks under your feet. You fall, and the billion eyes chase after you until the darkness swallows you whole. There’s agony as if you’re being ripped apart, and then—

You cannot see. You cannot feel. You simply are. Yet even so, impossibly, a woman’s voice speaks gently.

I’m sorry it couldn’t be saved. But, come, it’s time to wake.

You wake with a start, cradled by soft, velvety plants, and sticky with a sap that smells faintly of honey and iron. You can see the veins of the leaves that hold you, lit warmly and gently by what looks like a crystal embedded above you. Yet, it’s odd, because that crystal calls to you. When you reach out to touch it, it’s warm. Familiar. Important. You don’t know why, but you know you must hold onto this, because now it feels wrong for it to be suspended in these leaves. So, you pull it out.

The light starts to fade, but only in time to see as the leaves cradling you immediately start to soften and crumble, and with it comes a torrent of dirt. Soft, loamy soil starts to fill the space around you in the dark as you’re buried. Or, rather, you already were. You reach out through the dirt desperately, and your hands finds a root, so you pull while you clutch that precious crystal so close that it almost feels like it sinks into you (in your panic, you don’t notice that it does). You reach out again, and this time, your hand hits open air and plenty of sturdy roots around to grab.

From a seed you’re born, and like a sprout, you make your way out of the ground.

And once you’ve clawed your way out of the soft earth and the roots, nearby, you see the soil shift. Another hand comes up to grasp desperately for something, anything, just as you had been.

TWO CITIES, ALIKE IN DIGNITY

With the new Shard-Bearers present or en route, it is Kathova and Cetina that approach the established ones, requesting that they form mentorships with the new souls to assist them with the integration process. To this end, they have both provided a centralized zone in both Highstorm and Springstar for a small, casual meet-and-greet to be held before the new Shard-Bearers are unleashed upon Kenos as a whole.

Additionally, as Springstar and Highstorm are holding their events on different days, it is possible for the knowledge-hungry to participate in both informational sessions -- the tones and opinions held by both cities are doubtless to differ, and some Shard-Bearers who have chosen to harmonize with either faction may even find their way to the opposing faction's session as well.

SPRINGSTAR, αιώνιος ήλιος

In Springstar, the seat of the Tribune becomes available for such a forum. While a section of the building itself has been reserved for the meeting between fresh faces and experienced Shard-Bearers alike, the hustle and bustle of Heliopolis continues around them -- acolytes still gather their robes and tomes, hurrying from their quarters to lessons. A score of young militants march in step across the yard to the training grounds.

Tables draped in white-and-gold-trimmed fabrics fare filled with fare typical to Springstar's warmer climate -- fruits and wines, savory smoked meats and roasted vegetables, a series of meze platters and souvlaki skewers have been lain out to encourage forum participants to snack as they speak. The atmosphere is light, ambient with informality and friendliness, though topics will inevitably stray towards philosophic, Springstar's meeting grounds are decorated with handsome chaise lounges and slouching klismos chairs in small, intimate groupings.

However, those who have attended the forum in the past or simply have a sharp eye may notice: food doesn’t flow as freely in a feast-like setting as before. It’s more subdued in presentation and portion because as you may hear, the Blight (see below) is an affliction that’s been affecting the food stores of Springstar and Highstorm both. The Meri are nervous about this and blame it on the Zenites since they had won the Oracle on the Scorching Isles (January's event) and with it, punished the Meridian, even if unintentionally. As such, those who are notable Zenites or who wear their allegiance openly may not be treated as kindly. The military also seems to be more present at the forum. These two things are related, as it turns out, because only a few days after the new Shard-Bearers arrive, an invasion will begin.

HIGHSTORM, луны-близнецы

Eternally in opposition, Highstorm provides the Manor's courtyard as the setting for their informational meeting. Formality is of utmost importance here, with attending Zenith loyalists and residents dressed in beautiful, albeit austere attire -- they are, after all, standing before Lady Yima's home. A buffet-style luncheon is spread alongside one of the largest reflecting pools, wherein you may gaze and find your memories revealed in retrospect upon the water's surface.

There are few places to be seated in the Manor's courtyard, resulting in a milling of bodies as they flow and ebb between smaller gatherings, clustering in small-to-large groups with small platters and shimmering flutes of drink held in their hands.

The mood of Highstorm is subdued as always, but still seems to be pleasant and joyous thanks to claiming the Oracle in the Scorching Isles. The Blight may be affecting the city and causing plants and the like to die, but there’s admittedly not much of it to be seen with Highstorm’s harsh winters. Maybe they’re not hit as badly as Springstar, or maybe they just haven’t noticed yet. Only time will tell. But regardless, notable Meri or those that wear their allegiance more openly will be treated politely, but perhaps with a little condescension. Highstorm is one step closer to winning than Springstar, after all.

para bellum (the occupation of alenroux)

A few days after new Shard-Bearers arrive, the word spreads quickly as the campaign begins: Meridian is invading Alenroux.

To those who have Harmonized with Meridian, they’ll be contacted by Cyrus through Communion 48 hours before the invasion begins. As he explains, Springstar is a city that depends on Alenroux far more than Highstorm (because of its much larger population), and with Alenroux currently under Zenite control, it’s imperative that they make sure that Zenith isn’t able to cut off access and cause a famine for Springstar. Zenith won’t be denied access to Alenroux or its bounty either, he makes that clear. This is just a matter of being proactive in their defense to protect their people. For the Meridian, their goals in supporting this effort are clear:

• Create secure outposts. Well-built, defensible outposts are needed, so anyone who can assist with building efforts, and quickly are appreciated.
• Defend the outposts and the Meri soldiers at large. Alenroux is still dangerous because of the monsters, and soldiers will be staying overnight. Fighting off monsters is something that will also eventually make Alenroux inhabitable.
• Prevent Zenith interference. Highstorm surely won’t be happy about this, so make sure that the soldiers and the outposts are protected from Zenites just as much as from the monsters that roam the lands.

And indeed, the invasion and occupation does come as a surprise to Highstorm. While they had noted the increased training of Springstar’s military, it was assumed to be in preparation for the intensified tensions of losing the first Oracle, not something as bold as an open act of war like this.

It takes some time for Yima to learn more about the events herself, but Zenith will also be contacted through Communion. With the air of a disappointed mother, she’ll explain that Meridian’s choice is regrettable since she thought they would be better than this. Yima explains that there’s no need to turn Alenroux into an open warzone and cut off both cities from their breadbasket. Instead, she lays out the following direction to gently break Meridian’s spirit first before turning to open hostilities:

• Collect information. Where are the outposts, how many soldiers are assigned to them, and what are their general movements. Scouting and spying will be valuable. Learning more about the Meri Shard-Bearers’ capabilities while they’re fighting creatures rather than Zenites is also useful.
• Create dissent. The people that work and visit Alenroux regularly have mixed feelings about the occupation unless they’re Meridian loyalists. Making the campaign unpopular with the people can push Meridian back without needing to raise a finger.
• Sabotage. But don’t get caught doing it, at least for now. Whether breaking defenses or leading more powerful monsters to the encampments, it’s best to break morale before needing to fight back openly.

If you’re unharmonized when all of this begins, then you’ll be finding out about it with the general populace. However, it’s a good opportunity to learn what a faction is about in a more hands-on way. Though you may not be privy to their private, factional discussions, both sides will still welcome the help of those still yet to decide.

SETTING UPDATES

In both locations, information passes between all in a forum, spread and disseminated among the masses - it's a good opportunity for city residents, faction loyalists and interested new parties to share and share alike. Once the meet-and-greet has concluded, twin missives from both faction leads are read out -- invitations for all present to explore the cities to their heart's content, and warnings about stumbling ill-prepared ( or at all ) into the Below, or worse yet, the Beyond. As Shard-Bearers new and old take in their cities, they'll all see it change throughout the month...

OOC, these are all updates to the setting at large that players both new and old are free to interact with as little or as much as they wish! Feel free to use them as prompts on this post, in your characters on-going lives and arcs, or just let them go "that's none of my business" and ignore it. The world of Kenos is shaped by our playerbase, and these are some of the wider reaching effects of various player plots and actions.

THE BLIGHT

During the events of the Scorching Isles, Shard-Bearers encountered an affliction upon the island and unintentionally brought it back to Highstorm and Springstar with them. Known simply as “the Blight,” this condition steals time from the things it infects. It most frequently infects inanimate objects and will cause them to rot or degrade rapidly (such as a piece of metal rusting within hours) but is able to infect living things as well. Most notably, the Blight is infecting plants and animals in the two cities. Plants both decorative and necessary will wither and die, and small animals grow sick and die seemingly of old age. This has been seen in small amounts throughout the past month OOC but is greatly increased in frequency in March and beyond.

FURTHER DETAILS

• Within the NPC populace, there’s a low-grade fear of the Blight intensifying and being able to infect larger animals/the people. There’s no evidence of this yet, but Shard-Bearers that were on the Scorching Isles will know this is possible.
• Some characters will be aware that the rare, blue flowers that grow in the barren portions of World’s End (February’s event location) seem to reduce the effects of the detrimental effects of the Oracle and the Blight. Because of some drops of characters that knew this information, you can assume that characters are able to learn this information if they’re interested enough to dig into it.
• Dr. Julia Melnik of Springstar is openly researching cures for the Blight and will recruit anyone interested to be research assistants to test formulations of cures on afflicted plants/creatures. You can handwave these interactions and use them for prompt(s), if you’d like!
• Finally, if curing the Blight is something your character would specifically be interested in, please note it in your Character Survey so that the Loremasters will be able to help you pursue this organically.

THE OCCUPATION OF ALENROUX

As mentioned above, Meridian has launched a surprise invasion and occupation of Alenroux. Because Meridian was able to successfully keep their efforts a secret throughout the months (!) they’ve been planning this, Zenith will not be able to repel their advances… Immediately, at least. After roughly a week OOC from this log’s posting, the Meridian outposts in Alenroux will be stable and will change the island in the following ways:

FURTHER DETAILS

• Outposts have been established in well-chosen, defensible locations throughout the island of Alenroux. They’re clustered more heavily closer to the Cornerstone and are non-existent in the more dangerous Northern portion of the island where little farming is done anyways.
• Meridian soldiers will be always staying in the camps and outposts. For now, they’re a more supervisory force that are protecting the farmlands of Alenroux. During the day cycle, the military will respond with hostility to anyone that threatens the farms. If your character would antagonize or outright fight Meridian military, please contact a Loremaster, since this will have repercussions! Otherwise, the soldiers will assist workers and visitors to Alenroux in a professional manner.
• During the night cycle, the military will defend their outposts from monsters and make occasional offensive excursions to reduce the threat of monsters. The secondary goal of the Meridian military is also to make Alenroux a place that people can live, though this is a longer term effort.
• Meridian Shard-Bearers will be strongly encouraged to assist with the effort. “Assist” is purposefully defined broadly so that characters can help in whatever way suits them. Scouting, building, monster killing, or just morale improving are all valid ways that will gain favor with their faction and may lead to further opportunity. For now, abstaining will not have consequences, but may in the future.
• Zenith Shard-Bearers will be treated with suspicion in Alenroux and are not allowed to approach any of the Meridian outposts, or at least not without triggering a fight. The military will not outright attack Zenites (unless provoked) and essentially encouraged to move along. However, they may wish to gather information about the outposts and Meridian forces to attempt to push back against the occupation.
• Unharmonized Shard-Bearers are not treated with hostility, but similar to Zeniths will not be allowed to enter any of the encampments.
• If your character has an interest in continuing or stopping the occupation, please note it in your Character Survey so that Loremasters will be able to help you pursue this organically.

If Zenith would like to repel these advances, this is a response that will be purely in player hands (but will be assisted by Zenite NPCs, of course!). If they want to reclaim Alenroux, they can, or they can simply let Meridian continue. It’s up to you! This is something that Zenite players should discuss both IC and OOC, and if this plot develops further, Loremasters will help facilitate the ongoing conflict as a part of our changing game environment.

SMALLER CHANGES

HIGHSTORM: GREENWOOD YARDS

Considering the affliction that threatens the well-being of flora and small fauna alike, the greenhouses are far more discerning with those who are permitted inside its gates, afraid of the contagion affecting the precious, invaluable greenery of long-dead worlds. After the occupation of Alenroux, Meridian will be outright turned away, and while Zenith possesses no formal military or police, the greenskeepers appear to be prepared to defend their property with physical force should it come to that. Unharmonized are still allowed inside. The rest of the Yard beyond the greenhouses are still open to all factions.

And though it may seem an odd place for such a gathering, the indoor bathhouse at the far end of the Yards appears to be gaining popularity for mysterious reasons; if asked, none of the locals will explain the abrupt uptick in visitation. But should you investigate yourself, the reason why becomes apparent through experience: the tea served by the attendants here has changed properties. Should you be a Zenite, you will be served a cup that decreases your body's natural need for food and drink for 24 hours - an effort to test a concoction to relieve the need to deplete resources and lessen the city's reliance on Alenroux. Should you be a Meridian, the tea you're served will increase your appetite a considerable degree even if you normally do not require sustenance, and you will find yourself unfulfilled even if you are unwise and eat yourself to the point of illness; this lasts for 24 hours. The Unharmonized will find the tea might make them vaguely woozy, and either cause mild increase or decrease in appetite.

KOWLOON: DRAUMAHOL (cw: drugs)

Those that frequent Kowloon may have heard about the sudden disappearance of the former owner and operator of the drug den Draumahol, though it was only really noted because of the business being closed for a few days. Practically unheard of, since the desperate of Highstorm and Springstar come to Draumahol for their various fixes that are a little more taboo on the surface. But, never fear. After a brief closure, Draumahol reopens.

While it may not be obvious early in the month, it'll be increasingly so that Draumahol is under new management. Those that frequent the business enough will be able to figure out that the new owner is Silco (or, if you personally know him, it's fairly obvious). If you would like to plot anything regarding Draumahol, we encourage reaching out to Silco's player, Jill!

SPRINGSTAR: THE CHURCH

After the loss of the first Oracle, the Church of Heliopolis has been busy tending to its flock as the numbers coming to seek comfort swell. The gatherings aren't formal "services" so much as they're chances for people to come together and inspire each other with their homes and dreams of home. One formal process that does stick out though is that with each "service" one member will tap into the world shown in their sunbeam and open their minds to Communion. Anyone that wishes to can also experience this member's home, see their friends, loved ones, and the sights. It's a intimate bonding activity, but seems to be very cathartic for those that partake.

Additionally, those that come by the Church frequently enough to be known faces at the "services" may also be approached by priests and priestesses and invited to join in smaller ceremonies. Always taking place during Springstar's dawn or dusk, these ceremonies have a markedly different vibe and are lead by Hieropoios Natalia herself. Attending these ceremonies is an exclusive honor that will reduce attendees' Discord and has a subtly addictive quality that will encourage them to return. Hm!

OOC NOTES

Welcome to Kenos! As a reminder, all new players need an invite to apply to the game, which are now open.

This log is Game Canon. Any characters who are not apped to the game will disappear. If Cyrus or Yima are asked, they’ll explain that this sometimes happens since not every soul has a strong tether to Kenos and sometimes return to the Timestream. They may return to Kenos one day, but for now, weren’t able to make the full journey.

As a note primarily for current players, closed toplevels/prompts are not allowed in this log. If you would like to interact with the setting changes in a way that isn't open to all characters (new and old), we ask that you instead make a log in kenoslogs.

As a general reminder, any new characters that choose Zenith will receive a bonus 2 AC token reward, which is a purely OOC incentive. Our factions are a bit imbalanced at the moment, so we'd appreciate more Zenites!

FOR NEW PLAYERS:

When characters emerge from their cocoon/the ground, they may be wearing their normal clothes or nude. Up to you!

At some point in the days after leaving the Tree of Life, new Shard-Bearers will have a dream, even if they're usually not capable of sleeping. All new players should read this post since this details how they'll learn about both factions and their goals and should help them make a decision about which Faction they'd be drawn to.

As a reminder, your character has a Shard somewhere on their body that encompasses their soul, so keep note of where you're sticking it on their person for reference! Additionally, they have a tattoo of their Aspect somewhere on their body. Please be mindful this Aspect will be assigned to you upon approval and whatever you choose for the TDM may be temporary (for new characters)!

For the Highstorm and Springstar prompts, both cities will be fully open and accessible to all characters once they are freed from their rather harrowing ordeal at the Tree of Life. For prompt ideas and any general information about the cities and what you can find there, please see the Navigation page and check out the locations!

New characters will not have access to any canon abilities on the TDM until they Harmonize, AKA make a choice of which faction they choose to support. For some characters, this may be an easy decision, but it make take others time. We just ask you keep this in mind!

CODING

Comments

[muchalucha]

[ She lowers her hand quickly, though, still laughing. The cute reaction quickly gets a little bit of an edge to it, though it’s not outright vicious. Just a little bit more serious since, well…! If she’s right, she might get to have a good fight. One where she doesn’t have to worry so much about things like breaking backs and crushed heads and having to revive people after they’re not so good at staying alive! ]

Well, when you ask so nicely, I have to, right?

[ She makes a happy, affirmative little noise as she quickly spins to give him a kick that’ll send him back into the arena. Or even if it doesn’t hit, it’ll force him back, which is more the point! She leaps after him regardless with an intensity that Set is probably only used to seeing in himself. Even other creatures he’s met here in Kenos wonder who aren’t so immediately and enthusiastically intense as this. And, also, you know, ignoring the rules set out in the coliseum as the announcer quickly stumbles to try and figure out how to deal with this. ]

Let’s have fun, colibrito!!

[redsoil]

[ That he is surprised by her is an understatement.

Not by her sudden burst of strength, nor the skilled motion of her assault — no, he is surprised by her enthusiasm. Even in the Coliseum, the fighters do not approach combat with the raw delight that he does; they are cagey and practical, theatrical for the crowd but never so naked in their delight. Most of Meridian disavows his violence, Zenith comprehends it and judges him for his allegiance; this woman, she throws herself into its embrace as readily as he does, her expression blindingly bright — oh.

He bounces off the Coliseum floor, ricocheting from ground once he shifts his mind. There's no time to be in awe of her ( of the warmth that burns in his chest, hungry and yearning — ), when he must right himself. After bouncing from the dirt, he contorts to get his feet over his head, righting himself soon afterwards by digging his claws into the sandy ground. When he lifts his head, the wide-eyed awe that had slid over his face when she had kicked him is replaced with teeth bared in a vibrant smile of his own, his eyes aglow from within. Hair smoldering at the ends, sparking against the sand.

( Here we go again! shouts the announcer, whom now sounds like they might be having a terrible flashback to the day Set arrived. Who is this mysterious individual he's challenged, and how much carnage will they cause? A lot. Sorry buddy. ) ]

Haah. [ On the exhale, he broadens his smile until all of his cutting teeth are on display to her; a siren's call for violence, for the freedom of it, even if that freedom is found within walls where such things are accepted. Were he given to the baseness of a beast, he might be salivating in his obvious excitement. An edged mantra falls from his mouth, a litany in a foreign language that is obviously half a greeting, half a battle cry: ] — hy n.k ꜣw-ḥr!

[ Waiting but a beat, in the hopes that she leaps down to meet him at the same moment he lunges forth, he aims to meet her in the air. To seize her ankle and snap her down like a whip into the ground below. Anyone else caught by such a move might become heavily injured, but he already feels the innate call — she can handle it. ( He can handle it. ) ]

also important: everyone in the coliseum does see titty

[muchalucha]

[ As Set is sent back into a tumble, she does take the slightest moment before jumping in. She’s the one that attacked first to just send them back into the arena where it’s fair fighting (or something like that), so she’s fair in not pursuing him immediately. She takes a moment to stretch as she extends her arms high with a pleased little noise and a tip upwards onto her toes, but it’s the quickest of technically unnecessary warmups.

He smiles, all teeth, and it might as well be a welcome. It’s a challenge accepted, so she smiles back with a similar vicious delight. None of her teeth are human in the slightest, all shark-like and impossible, but it’s a grin they both recognize. They’re both the sort of god that finds little to be more fun than a fight where you can give it your all.

Yet, even with such a vicious smile, her laugh is bright and clear as she leaps into the arena after his reply. Set surges forward to meet her, and since she can’t alter her trajectory without moves that feel a little like cheating while they’ve just met, she instead tucks her knees in. Set will still be able to grab her and whip her back into the ground, but not before she hits him with at least one knee. She hits with just as much force as he gives, maybe more with the momentum of gravity on her side.

Even so, she gets tossed and hits the ground hard. Pain shoots up her back that’s hard and brutal, but there’s nothing better. She scrambles up to try and beat him to probably needing to do the same, but it also gives an important piece of information for Set: even with such a brutal hit, she’s definitely not as injured as she should be. She’s barely even bleeding. And as soon as she has one foot solidly on the ground it buckles as she uses strength alone to shoot forward to Set. Whether she chases him or gets a chance to rapidly exchange blows, she’s happy! ]

I heard you’re Set, so!

[ In fact, it only seems fair, so she does at least give an introduction! Just, you know, while trying to beat the absolute shit out of him. This is a new and beautiful friendship!! ]

I’m Quetzalcoatl! Seems only fair, right?

the coliseum goes: YIPPEE!

[redsoil]

[ Taking her in the air is a gamble, and one that does not pay off entirely in his favor. All the better, he thinks, that she knows how to make an entrance — it speaks to her skill, as her attitude speaks to her pleasure. There were few in Kenos who could reasonably keep up with him, and none who took abject joy in throwing themselves face-first into violence. Certainly, they accepted the need for war and bloodshed, but it would never be their first choice. Upon the current page of Kenos's collective history, it was diplomacy first. It would not be forever.

There is freedom, he finds, in violence for violence's sake. Her knee finds purchase against his opposite shoulder, diving rough and sharp into the sharp jut of his collarbone even as he snags at her ankle to deliver her to the earth below. Unlike her, he is diminished. A demigod with but a small measure of connection to his divinity once more, and it means that his collarbone does not snap — but it does give, a nauseating blast of pain that rips up the side of his throat and into his temple.

Touching down on the ground is not at all graceful for him, landing flat-footed and strong-thighed, but needing the moment to recover his breath. Briefly, he touches his fingers to the center of the bone, probing cautiously to determine how damaged he is and how he will have to compensate. ] Quetzalcoatl.

[ Her name is delightfully foreign, something he's never heard before ( much like any of the names of the other Shard-bearers ) and is immediately interested in. The ground below her feet crunches with the force of her lunge, and he's immediately interested in meeting her before she reaches the apex of her gap-closer. His collar will just have to survive their momentum, as he weaves his own fists into her space and works to evade her blows in turn.

With her, he doesn't feel the need to keep his feet planted on the ground, and reaches hard for the sand littering the floor of the Coliseum, seizing at it as he might the desert itself. Just to give them a little something fun to toy with: him, the momentum of a quickstep sideways, and her, a little burst of speed to push her off balance. ]

— did you just arrive? [ Even if they are in the middle of beating one another up, he asks. Curious and breathless with anticipation. Win or lose, he doesn't care. Just make it a spectacle for him, Quetzalcoatl, make it fantastic ] You must have! I have not seen you around, although — I have been a little busy as of late. Silly duties, you know?

[muchalucha]

[ Oh, this is fun! He’s able to meet her blows deftly, even as she hops and flips around with the sort of speed and accuracy that’s of the sort that only absurd beings like themselves can manage. She laughs with open delight as he’s able to deflect a particularly tricky one, and it gives a satisfying clang as his arm bounces off her metal gauntlet. The cheers in the crowd start to grow as they quickly get into the spectacle of it. It’s the same for the announcers, who quickly narrate the blows with the excitement that comes from their fast pace.

The sand moves underneath her feet, and she makes a surprised sound before she is indeed thrown off balance, but with a kick at the ground below, it’s a move that sends her back and out of Set’s immediate reach though her shoes have to dig into the ground strongly to stop her momentum. ]

Only yesterday, sí! [ Because of course it was less than twenty-four hours after arriving that she had picked Meridian and ended up in the Coliseum… Who would expect anything else really. ] So, don’t bother with duty until we get to know each other, oka~y?

[ There’s an almost sing-song quality to her voice as she responds and stands again to run at him and more deftly dodge the sand to close the quarters again and rush in. But if he tries to make a wall or wave of sand, she’s absolutely going to run right up it so that she can use that to come down on him from above. This may also involve an absurd lucha grapple, but. If not, she'll feint and then slide once she's close enough to take out his legs! ]

[redsoil]

[ It becomes apparent, rather quickly to him, that she has far more than just an edge over him. Quetzalcoatl may be hemmed in by Kenos itself, but she has fuller contact with divinity; in time, she'll outpace him, wear him down, and strike a hearty blow that will leave him unable to retaliate. At least, in that regard, he can provide her ( and the audience ) with an entertaining enough fête that his impending loss will only serve to bolster their hunger for him. A villain defeated is fun, especially in sunny Springstar. ]

I do love a woman who wastes no time!

[ Nephthys was like that. A goddess of peace, but playful and bright, bold and more than happy to taunt and tease; the flash of Quetzalcoatl's golden hair reminds him of his wife, only in the sense that they are both blondes with bright personalities. Nothing more than that, as far as he's aware... HMM.

Tactically, he thinks that in retaliation to her movement - the strong-legged sprint that rapidly eats the distance between the two of them - he ought to prepare not to hinder her, but to prepare for the moment where she connects. It feels - natural, to fall into a pattern of push-and-pull with her. Where she lunges, he dances in and out of her range; where he feints, she slips beyond the falsity and strikes true. For her, he makes that wall. A sudden, broad bastion to stand in her way - just wide enough for her to find the best purchase atop it.

If she notices, he'll be pleased. The battle is as much a contest of joy, as it is a real, brutal knock-down, drag-out brawl. Though he makes the wall, the moment she is airborne, he drags the base of it free and tugs it tight around his own body. A thin shield meant to spare him from shattering under her, as she descends upon him like a bright meteor, into that lucha move she so badly wants! He'll weather it, in the hopes of being able to drag her against him. ]

[muchalucha]

[ The dance that they partake in is nothing short of a delight. It brings up memories that are fuzzy in the way that previous summonings tend to be, but she can still remember dancing with multiple Servants in this way in Uruk, if only faintly. Granted, they were taking it fully seriously and Quetzalcoatl wasn’t, so much… But the point to her is just a fun expression of physicality. It’s all the better in this arena where it’s a true show. The crowd cheers for (titty) her, jeers at Set, and it brings her nothing short of joy to get to partake in a match that’s much closer to the lucha that she loves. She’ll have to get a mask to really get into this later!

But it means it’s all the more appreciated when he seems to understand what’s fun about this. She catches how the wall is suited for her and grins with warmth that still shows her shark-like teeth but leaps off it powerfully. If this really were lucha, this would be her rope, but this is much more interesting! She feels the sand slip away under her feet as he pulls it close to make a shield, and she just shouts a merry— ]

¡Bueno!

[ —Before she dexterously flips in the air on her way down. The shield might indeed protect Set from the brunt of the blow, but if it doesn’t hold, Set is the luckiest man in Kenos as he’ll be caught between her thighs to get thrown back to the coliseum floor. ]

[redsoil]

[ What can I say? Blondes with wild personalities might be an actual weakness for him.

When he had first begun to work ( for ) within the Coliseum, it was as a figure of sinister intentions. His first 'manager' had attempted to set up a storyline to go with the inevitable bloodshed, to pit him against people with empathetic backgrounds and capitalize upon his sheer power and less-than-stellar personality; she had been sacked, soon after, because the Coliseum itself — the regulars, the benefactors, the fans! — preferred organic developments. This was not mere spectacle, organized by external officiants, it was bloodsport and violence — no better represented than the god of war who inhabited the arena.

He won, more than he lost, by virtue of being a Shard-bearer. Yet, when other Shard-bearers were introduced to the pleasures of combat, the fights became infectious — the skill and ferocity on display magnetizing. For him to select someone out of the crowd is well-within his bag of tricks, the actions he performs so naturally that make him a fan-favorite ( 'You see, I just love that you never know what he's going to do next!' / 'This is what the Coliseum is about, you know? He wins, he loses, but it's always visceral, it's so cool.' / 'I stopped going for a while, I just wasn't thrilled by the grind, yanno'? Like, it's kinda' neat to know someone's just here to hurt people and not feel bad about it. Not to mention he's a real hottie!' ) — and for him, it is because he enjoys it.

He enjoys fighting, and he enjoys not having to think.

There is no need to think when she punches through the wall of sand he's dragged around himself, revealing him below. His forearms held at an angle to absorb impact, dark claws unsheathing against her thighs to slow her at the moment they connect — eyes burning red, his pupils thinned into mere slits as he smiles, all gritted teeth and savage delight as she fucking flattens him into the dirt. Ow. She is warm, burning-bright-incandescent with her divinity, while his flutters and gutters like a wick trying valiantly to stay alight in a brisk wind. ]

Well, [ he utters, rasping from somewhere between her strong thighs, ] I cannot say this is not a pleasing position, despite the pain.

[ Even battered as he is, strength flagging after a day of combat and a few clashes with this goddess, he folds himself in half at the waist, throwing his legs up behind her in order to attempt to lock his knees around her neck from behind and drag her backwards into a triangle choke. Defiant, as ever, until the last. ]