The following Gembounds are
Exposed and officially
infected with Mother:
@James,
@Carja,
@Bone,
@Azrael,
@Svartis,
@Catalyst,
@Rainstorm,
@Effluvium,
@Kalama,
@Morpho,
@Orthoclase-Alpha,
@Nemesis,
@Sora,
@Khavur
@Tahi-shei, who critically failed avoiding spores, is critically
Exposed and can no longer roll to resist.
The following Gembounds were successful in
avoiding spores:
@Lyra,
@Dread,
@Cryogen,
@Madhukar,
@Sergei,
@Wyvern,
@Comet,
@Hargrave,
@Aristotle
Esther takes wing, flying into the group, honing in on those that might resist, those that they could help. Clinging to the rock was
@Ruby-beta, calling out, strong. Yes, strong. Esther dives toward Ruby-beta and, in just their presence alone, the faint wisps of spores fizzle and fade from Ruby-beta's airways.
Gembounds who are Exposed, and who are accepting of their place with Mother, will feel their rolling anxiety and fear wash away, blanketed by a warm and comforting feeling of safety and re-assurance. Small snippets of thoughts and feelings from other Exposed will touch their minds, and they can feel comfort together; safety in numbers, they may feel the urge to band together.
Gembounds who are Exposed, and who are rebellious of their place with Mother, will feel pain and nausea, but may be susceptible to the feeling of comfort and safety they will experience through the shared thoughts of the other Exposed.
Both groups will feel the urge to press into Ursa, fleeting images of twin mountains dancing across their mind's eye, and a voice, warm and gentle, welcoming and kind:
"Harbingers, my newest family, I am eager to meet you. Come and find me, deep below the mountains, in the tunnels carved from ice. Do not fear the Watchers, do not fear the Drones; you are all Connected, and you will be Safe. Come home, come home, come home..."
Azigh recoiled, joining the dragons in pushing the spores back into the depths of Tunnel B, but his tiredness soon overcame him and he faltered, kneeling on his legs and resting against the cold wall. A quick glance around him suggest many had inhaled the spores, and he wondered if he should blame himself: he did not know the threat, he did not know... but he called them here. If he had not done that, if he had been strong enough to defeat it on his own—
"I am sorry," echoed his voice, gold blood seeping through the many little scratches on his body. He slumped, resting completely against the frozen stone. It seemed as if he were falling asleep, his hands clasped to his face and his wings folding against him. Maybe if he just rested for a little while....
His hesitation to approach proved worthwhile: indeed, the cold had been suspicious, and the puff of spores released from the golem caused his stomach to knot. Had Azigh known? He had halted the golem where he could, and for that Astraea was eternally grateful. What would have happened if it had reached the Spire? When the spores had cleared, he half-galloped into the fray, weaving through those escaping and those fallen victim to the infection's influence.
Vargas was among them, and some of his followers as well. Astraea did not wait, did not call out his approach or sound a warning; it was important that Vargas not be
tainted, that the Creator's influence be the strongest. He half-skidded across the icy ground, his body bumping into Vargas's tough hide, and with the momentum he urged the spores
out!
ROLL
12 |
Astraea attempts to Cast Spell — Fungal Wake ( CLEANSE )
Successful! |
His magic answered, and the spores were pushed violently from Vargas and into the icy ground below, where they quickly were eaten by the latent magic pushing in from Polaris. Astraea ducked and turned, quickly, in case Vargas struck out with a giant clawed hand by instinct, reflex. Who else? Red eyes picked across the crowd before closing, a deep inhale, exhale—searching. Who were his? Who were his children, his descendants, his fungi apprentices? Two. Eyes opened. He could immediately spot Tahi-shei, but something was off. As if there had been too much exposure, too much risk—no.
Astraea moved quickly, looking through the gathered gems, before he found the other and halted: James, also infected, but less so than Tahi-shei. Quickly. Move quickly. The winged horse was racing toward a wolf, so Astraea picked up his pace to race after him.
"Resist it!" he called to James, weaving through debris. A quick glance to the wolf—she was alright, a bubble around her nose; smart—before he skidded again, pressing his shoulder against James. It was less intense than his attempt on Vargas, but it still worked.
ROLL
8 |
Astraea attempts to Cast Spell — Fungal Wake ( CLEANSE )
Barely Successful! |
"We must help the others!" he pleaded to James, his hooves stomping on the last of the spores that struggled to cling to the surface below. But if they did not want to be helped, if they surged past and escaped to Ursa...
"Push the spores out—you know how! Try!"
His ears folded back. How could this happen? They had blocked the glacier from everything, sealed it within its wintry confines. What released it? How!? His teeth ground together, a snarl lifting his lips.
They had trapped it there for so long, and still He was able to grow the node!? To survive here in the nest!?
Astraea looked out upon the others, stepping forward. This utter destruction, the devastation, it wasn't really His way and yet—had He grown desperate? Bored? Red eyes flicked to Azigh, who had fainted in the tunnel's entrance. Hopefully he had been strong enough to resist the spores himself, but Astraea's focus was the Gembounds first. To lose this many to Order...
"RESIST!" he bellowed, raising his nose and stomping a foot.
"RESIST, AND COME TO ME. I can help you! We can help you!" A quick, encouraging glance to James as if to say:
we can do this.
Among the others was Tahi-shei, perhaps the most infected of them all; and most unfortunate, Astraea thought. The cat that had called out to him was some distance, but they had called his name—did they know each other, then?
"If you can bring Tahi-shei here, I can attempt to help him!" Astraea called to Madhukar, but the spores had dug deep into the sika deer's lungs, grasping and clawing their way inside, whispering, comforting, relaxing... Tahi would be pulled heavily toward the mountains, but if they could help him, they would.
Exposed Gembound are now free to try a Resist roll as
Other.
Barely Successful and up can approach Astraea or James for Fungal Wake casts.
((Please GM tag me or tag James, depending on who you approach, and we will reply to attempt rolls! Myself and James are free to post as many times as needed this round.))
Failures will be urged to approach Ursa's entrance, where they can attempt a second resist before entering Ursa (and exiting this thread). Those rolls will look like this:
-> First resist is a Failure, and Gembound approaches Ursa.
You post again.
-> Second resist Succeeds: Gembound can turn back for cleansing.
--OR --
-> Second resist fails: Gembound enters Ursa, and exits the raid.
Otherwise, please
only post once. 