Bunny

Emerald couldn't help but roll her eyes a little. She was naive in a great many ways but she wasn't stupid. Either the new arrival had an ace up his sleeve and some stupid bar patrons were about to get dusted or he thought he had an ace up his sleeve, one that would fall short and he'd be another stain on the bar room floor. Either way she wasn't here to fight and despite her lack of interest in it she claimed her drink and slinked away to the other side of the room.

Claiming a seat with a view of most of the bar she settled again, stretching her wings behind her as she waited to see if anyone would move away with her or if she'd be watching the 'show' on her own.

I tweaked them a bit, I moved the Storm Summoner (too many of them was painful) to be a boss and with my own additions of minions without the debuffing ability of dark and an extra damage without debuff lieutenant. All in all it balanced to being challenging without any team wipes

No need to apologise hun, just feel free to read up on what happened as the Nighthunters would have been briefed through Wrath (Planetary) and the arc is still published if you want a better idea of what happened

Oh, also, thanks to Liz for the critter files on the Court's talk page, they made a great base and I went and created some vamps of my own to add to the horde!

I noticed!

And I have the writeup of the mini arc I did up, it's just something to pull The foundry in a bit more (although I had been hoping at least one Nighthunter would have come along too for it!)

- The Arc
- Gallery of the Arc

I may type up something for the IC thread later if I can get my brain to work a lil more!

Despite her dark mood Emerald gave a genuine smile as she listened to Wraps talk, she wanted to object so much to him but she had to concede that he was mostly talking sense.

"They could descend, but I can take care of myself, I'm a big girl" She replied, a hint of her old mischief creeping back into her tone before the weight of why she was sat drinking hit her again despite her best attempts to fight it off.

"I'm just taking the time to realise what it is to have even a drop of humanity to you. You have to take the ups with the downs, I'm just not good with the downs" She explained "or if you want a less deep explaination.. someone I knew died, which sucks."

Emerald gave a simple nod as she registered the man's name before claiming her own drink, a dark green cocktail, much more alcohol than mixer.

"As you heard, I'm Emerald, but just Em to most" She introduced herself plainly as she rolled her glass thoughtfully between her hands, he mood darker than ever after Parasite Knight's approach.

"So.." She started awkwardly, unsure of what to say to Wraps, what did you say in bizarre situations like this one?

As the strange man leant closer Emerald had to hold her breath, how he'd managed to end up with such a strong stench around him was beyond her but in her short life she'd endured worse than a rank odor. She opened her mouth to reply as he shifted away a little, a shake of her head indicating that she was about to decline his quite surprising offer.

That was until the nearby man who had greeted her seemed to finally register. Her eyes took him in and for just a moment her eyebrows knitted and she looked almost pained. Quickly she tore her eyes away, refocusing on the bizarre man opposite her and giving a small nod and a weak attempt at a smile.

"Alright" She agreed before pausing again at the Parasite's approach.

"No.. no he's not.. it's fine.."

She paused, keeping her eyes away from Parasite "Thank you" She added perhaps a little too quickly and bluntly.

A tiny sigh escaped Emerald's lips as another man chose the seat opposite her.

"Fine" She replied bluntly, despite her obvious dour mood. Often one to relish attention she found herself wishing she'd chosen somewhere more private to dwell on her personal issues.

Swiftly the faelike woman drained the last of her drink with a small wrinkle of her nose, she had been spoilt by batter drinks in recent months. With a slightly louder than intended slam she placed the empty glass on the table in front of her and looked again to the stranger sat near her.

Slowly she raised a quizzical eyebrow towards him, a silent challenge for him to get it over and done with. She was almost certain he'd try some line heard countless times before.

Glad you approve hun, I do like that Open Season has had a knockon effect on the Council itself

I'm sure others can continue with other things as Friday is resolved, in fact I am currently working on writing up The Foundry getting involved and what has happened to Sasha. it just may take a while as it involves screenshots, an arc writeup and other handbooky goodness!

Sat on her own the statuesque blackskinned woman known as Emerald Esoterica sipped another drink. The lazy yet erratic movements of her butterfly-like wings betraying her gradual intoxication. Usually the dancer at The Succubi Club would be in high spirits, the centre of a great deal of attention and loving every second. Today however she'd rebuffed anyone who had approached her, her head hung low and her deep green hair curtaining most of her face, a depressed slump from a woman who usually held herself tall.

A gentle ringing escaped one of the pockets of her tight pair of jeans but she was so downcast that it took the young woman a brief moment to realise it was her phone making the noise. With a sad apologetic smile to those nearby she picked up quickly.

"Hey.."

"..no Sylph, I won't be performing tonight.."

"..Maybe."

"I don't think she will be. I haven't seen Kimi in a while"

Slowly her eyes shifted to the list of bounties and she gave a tiny smile.

"'Game and Blade still aren't claimed so my guess is that's what she's up to"

Despite her depressed state she managed a chuckle at her friend and employer's response. "Yeah, I think so too. She likes tiger stripes... but maybe that thing with that old bouncer of yours, Hailey? Has her distracted.."

"..yeah, but her cousin's in The Corp, right?"

She paused in her conversation to drink deeply from her glass. "But I have to go.. yeah.. it's really important" She insisted poorly, her lie obvious but it appeared her boss accepted it nonetheless "Mmmhmm, I'll see you later Sylph, hug Marcus for me!"

Quickly she hung up, uncaring who had overheard her, instead she returned to her drink, looking at it with a disappointed gaze, it was far too empty already.

Somewhere in China, Friday 25th June

From the shadows a small woman waited, garbed in a simple dark red silken robe. The clock chimed midnight and still she held still dark eyes closely observing the ritual at hand. A delicate hand slipped into the folds of her garnment, retrieving a small gem, the colour of blood. Hushed words left her lips but were cut short as a mysterious group clad in white burst into the room. Slinking back further into the cloak of darkness she observed through narrowed eyes, taking in as much as she could of the battle before her.

As the leader of the assault too his blade of light skillfully to the neck of the former Council member, Tai-Wei, severing his head from his body the young woman turned to leave. A light breeze caught her hair, brushing it away from her slender neck and the dark 'X' tattooed there as she slipped silently from the chamber.

She had done all she needed to here.

Somewhere in China, Friday 25th June

“Wo Shin, Jing Ru, Bai Lian?” A scarred man of Arabic descent repeated with disdain before spitting on the ground to remove the bitter taste from his mouth. Swiftly he moved his white scarf to obscure the lower half of his face once more, making him almost indistinguishable from those stood around him. Twenty in number and all decked from head to toe in the white flowing garb associated with their order. They were tasked with maintaining the balance of the world of magic and the Council had by far overstepped their place. In particular Tai-Wei had neatly painted a target on his own head.

“My heart is as pure as the white lotus blossom” Another member of the order murmured, translating the distasteful words as she loaded a clip of alchemical ammunition into her silvered guns. “He’s not only outside his place, he’s cracked. He..”

But her words were cut short as the leader of the assault held up a hand causing a hush to fall over the group as they ceased their preparations. No more words were needed, the time had come. In the distance the sound of a clock chiming midnight could be faintly heard, the ritual was reaching its end.

Surging forward the group worked with practiced precision, each wielding their weapon of choice and the light of a pure determination in their heart. They were outside good and evil, beyond law and chaos, they were the epicentre of all things and they would not allow the scales to become unbalanced.

Scattering wide, the members of The Counterbalance dispersed amongst the ritualists, catching many of the lesser vampires off guard. With the flashing of steel and precise shots from guns and bows many of the undead crumpled in the initial assault.

“Protect the orb!” Tai-Wei commanded in a snarl, wrapping his arms possessively around the mystic foci, holding it close like a protective parent to their young child.

“Ishraqush-shams!” Yelled one of the more petite of the assaulting force as she pointed towards the center of the room. Her young face obscured by a veil rather than the scarf most of her order split into a grin as the moon above slowly brightened, glowing more warmly as it took on the qualities of the sun itself. Her moment of triumph was short-lived however as she let her guard down.

Hissing angrily many of the ritualists turned on the small form, fangs and clawed hands tearing through the flowing fabric of her clothing and into her dark flesh.

Pained screams filled the air as the bloody battle continued, both sides hitting hard and the casualties numerous. Blood seeped over the polished floor, glistening with a macabre beauty in the light of the brightened moon.

“Fools!” Tai-Wei hissed with a dark glee “You have simply provided more fuel for my ritual!”

“Your ritual is tied to you, monster. If we end you the magic will fade” A reply came, clear and determined as through the carnage a single woman strode. Her white garb splattered with blood she leveled her silvered gun, aimed firmly between the vampire’s eyes.

“You really think you can end me, youngling?” The vampire sneered maliciously as he extended one hand, his other possessively wrapped around the orb. “Writhe!” he commanded evilly, the gunwoman’s veins rupturing and her blood bursting through disgusting rips in her skin.

A scream like no other escaped the woman, a sound born of otherworldly pain, pain no mortal should ever have to endure “I.. can’t.. end you..” she admitted in a sob, her dying gaze looking past the vampire to the space just behind him.

“But I can” A male voice declared certainly as he thrust forward, his weapon, a scimitar made of light as brilliant as the sun, easily pushed into the cold dead flesh of the Council member. “Rest now Tai-Wei, but do not take more souls with you”

The vampire’s blood ran cold and for the first time in a great many years he felt his mortality once more. “..thank you..” was all he could whimper before his world went dark, his body crumpling to the ground.

The mystic orb left his grasp and rolled along the ground, shimmering and fading from view, Tai-Wei's final act. A contingency in the form of a spiteful spell, taking the fracturing summoning orb directly to one of the Council, Elizabeth Báthory.

Kings Row, Friday 25th June

Moving with unearthly speed Sasha Bayne, renowned hunter of those who chose to slay her kind leapt from rooftop to rooftop. The light of the moon and the sickly green glow of nearby rituals cast by the Circle of Thorns illuminated her athletic form before she darted onwards again, out of sight as she travelled through Kings Row. Her trip to Paragon was risky but she had contracts to fulfil and once Sasha gave her word she kept it. Idly she wondered if that was an old habit from before she was turned, but as quickly as the thought arrived it vanished, lost in a haze, like much of her time before her vampiricism.

Crouching on the edge of a fire escape a pleased smile curled her lips as she spotted her prey. He moved quickly and with purpose, he may have been difficult to spot were it not for the holy sheen to the sword he wielded so expertly. Even from a great distance above his weapon made her skin crawl. A sword like that in a hand so skilled, there was little wonder she had been asked to deal with the young hero.

Unslinging her bow she notched the arrow she had been given, it had a thicker shaft than she was used to and lotus blossoms were carved along its length yet she didn’t allow the slight inconvenience hamper her. Exhaling slowly she waited patiently, she had one shot, it had to be perfect.

Below a coweled man made his move, rushing swiftly into a group of mages.

“Let the girl go!” He demanded, his voice courageous and true as he ran without fear into a ritual circle. Planting his feet near the poor teenage girl who found herself victim of an arcane rite she had no chance of understanding the hero struck down the first mage with ease. His sword flashed more brightly with each tainted soul it made contact with, soon rivalling the moon itself with its brilliance.

‘Blinded by his own holiness’ Sasha silently noted with a fanged grin as in his determination to help the struggling girl he made a simple mistake, leaving himself open for just a split second. But that second was all it took.

A scream filled the night air as the poor girl, now freed from the enchantment turned to thank her saviour only to find him slumped and gasping for air. The arrow gently shook, positioned perfectly in the centre of the hero’s back and many miles away an ancient vampire smiled.

It was time to end it all.

Events in China are prewritten plotty goodness so I'd appreciate it if they were left alone. They do relate to Open Season but are hidden far away, I'm just writing things up as a glimpse into things in the background.

I also have permission of Bathory for the use of the Council of X.

More to come with that

EDIT: More added, Sasha escapes as she was captured ingame last night by The Foundry. Feel free to have anyone find the poor dead hero however, be it to get his body home or to steal his head to claim a bounty. I made him a generic huntery type so people are free to expand on who he is themselves.

Somewhere in China, Friday 25th June

“Wo Shin, Jing Ru, Bai Lian”

The light sound of a hundred melodic voices echoed across a domed ceiling. At the apex of the dome hung a broad circular window open to the view of a clear night sky, the stars and the moon above provided an eerie light to the ritual taking place below. The milky light washed over the white marble pillars and the pale oriental robes of the ritualists below. From time to time the gentle light would glisten from the pointed fangs of one of the many below.

“Wo Shin, Jing Ru, Bai Lian”

The scent of lotus hung on the air as a single man circled a large orb that floated in the air in the centre of the chamber. The man stood proud, his robes the same as the many around him yet subtle stitching in silvered threads added a slight opulence to his garb denied to the others. His voice chanted the loudest, for he alone wanted this more than any other presence. He had grown old, jaded, tired... so very tired.

“Wo Shin, Jing Ru, Bai Lian”

Tai-Wei, ancient warrior of China and one of the Council of X, chanted proudly. He had sought the approval of his peers for this and had been denied. He had almost given up hope, that was until his more devious nature took hold. It had taken a year of careful preparation and planning, but in the light of his long life the passing of a single year had been a mere eye blink, a single drop in the ocean.

“Wo Shin, Jing Ru, Bai Lian”

It had been so simple, a choice word here and there and the rest of the ancient council were jumping at shadows. They hissed at one another, trying to find one amongst their number to blame for the increase in vampire hunters and whilst the others bickered the oriental man chose to bind his time, gathering resources and researching the arcanas as the council’s gaze was turned elsewhere.

‘Open Season’, the mere term brought a spark of happiness to his usually cold dead heart. Not only were the Council obsessed with ensuring it went well they were also helping finance the final ingredient for his ritual. The world would crumble at his hands, the suffering would end for everyone. All he needed was a few more pure souls.

His gnarled fingers reached out and caressed the orb, the focus of the ritual, sacred egg that would summon forth the blood god. The light within the orb swirled, a silvery white mist veined with a deep crimson. Fragments of the souls of the hunters captured and killed, delightfully interspersed with the blood the driven, shed to fight what they saw as the darkness. The vampire could almost taste the sweet tang of purity and of sacrifice on his tongue. Usually such a thing would repulse him, but for this it was perfect.

“Wo Shin, Jing Ru, Bai Lian”

He chanted gladly as the moon rose, soon it would be midnight and the last sacrifice would be provided. Pacing the chamber the old man smiled, it may have been the middle of the night, but soon he would usher in a new dawn.

I had this problem. I restarted my computer and got the patch fine after restart.

(This solution hasn't worked for my husband though)

Fixed the typo on the poster, I was so fussy over positioning of things proofreading went out the window - oops!

Looking forward to this and I'm glad there's interest!

Yep, barring the possibilty of outside interference the ship should be arriving back in IP freeing the characters for ingame rp

Freddie shook his head a little "Crate next t'this one's bound fer The Foundry in Talos, we're under instruction to drop yeh off in I.P." He explained casually before smiling and looking to the crate on the other side, a small marking on it declaring it to be from 'Corpmunitions'.

"Can't tell ya who paid yer way though. If folks don't want to mark their crates they don't have to, as long as we know where they're going"

Freddie gave a grin at the question.

"Yeh've a sharp mind" He told the girl with a nod. "Yeh are on our list'f 'cargo' fer this trip. Were expectin' a less grand entrance but the important thing's that yeh are safe now"

Moving around a particularily large crate addressed to The Foundry's base in Talos he lead the group to a makeshift but comfortable and secure area of the ship. The area was decorated with a ragtag assortment of bolted down surfaces to make sturdy seating and a few beds. A few of the surfaces were covered with blankets and a scattering of cushions.

"It's not the Ritz but should serve yeh for the rest'f the trip"

One of the crew members gave a casual nod as he observed the ragtag bunch of heroes and their relatives.

"Yeh'd be those Night'unters then. Follow me, we've got ya a spot where yeh can rest. We'll be in Independence Port before yeh know it"

So, an overview:

* Bozeman plans to bail
* Operators of the ship try to lock down the door to stop the NHers falling out prematurely
* The doors aren't locked in time and the NHers mistakenly think that the bane spider is telling them they should bail too.
* The NHers take off into the sky and spot a freighter below.
* They land on the freighter and the freighter staff act like they're expecting the heroes and their families and lead the group to a safe place to stay between the crates

Bpzeman had no idea where it was going, and assumes its probably headed for Paragon. He was accidentally caught up in the teleport with the NHers.

So, he bails out as he knows he's not meant to be there and jetpacks away. The plan was to lock down the door to stop the NHers falling out too, but the safety could just not hit in time, they jump and to their suprise land on a freighter.. it will take some editting but a lot less than retconning it all out..