1158/Holy Blight

Holy Blight
Date of Scene:	17 December 2014
Location:	The Cavern of Death
Synopsis:	Princess Paladin and three Confederate volunteers go looking for some deadbeats to recruit!
Cast of Characters:	399, 524, 589, 643

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Princess Paladin (589) has posed:
The Cavern of Death is not a place most living people would seek to venture to without dire need or foul intentions. It is a putrid place, easily detectable by scent long before it comes into sight. The emanations of Deathly power in various forms is likewise something that tends to be picked up by individuals and instruments capable of such. It is a nexus of decay, as well as a home to those who linger after their mortal life has come to an end. It is even said that deep within the Cavern, there are Things that are dead and yet were never born at all. Things that have always been dead, and always will be.

Things that have no part in any natural cycle, and simply exist as manifestations of dust and rot for eternity.

The interest of the Confederate party assembled to look into the Cavern of Death is NOT to delve THAT deeply, thankfully. The presence of Confederate Elites, petitioned for by Princess Paladin, the magical girl 'ally' of Miko Fujimoto and both Confederate Elites themselves, is to attempt to recruit some of the more intelligent undead here to the Confederate cause. It is one thing to have an Elite skilled in necromancy join the Confederacy, even if such an individual brings their own army of the undead. It is quite another to have a massive location in the Multiverse's 'Sector 0' potentially serve as a replenishable source of troops.

Intelligent undead, native to the Multiverse itself, could become a new mainstay of the Confederate armed forces. Soldiers who do not die even when killed. Mages who can discover secret knowledge that would shatter the living. Workers who can toil endlessly without complaint or need to rest - often simply because that is what they do now, and they are content to serve as labor instead of languishing in their own moldering skins.

It is an idea that came to Miko quite unexpectedly a couple weeks ago. A dream she had. The Sacred Scepter she wields as Princess Paladin was there, and her dream pixie, White Rose, spoke on its behalf. And they told her that the dead could be made to serve, and they could be made to fight, and they could be made to be enemies - but it took someone special to make it their holy duty to ally with, and possibly befriend, such beings.

Miko wants to become stronger. Being proactive about seeking that strength may well require that she do more than simply lash out in anger and vent her frustrations through violence.

The pink-wardrobed, pink-haired, pink-eyed woman that is Princess Paladin stands outside the Cavern of Death. Either the others have already arrived or will be soon. The stench is awful, but hopefully those susceptible to such odors heeded the warning to dress appropriately for a bio-hazardous environment. The last thing they need is to get scratched by some ancient weapon that's impaling a corpse, get infected, and die. She radiates holy energy, in contrast to the power that flows from the Cavern of Death. But death is not necessarily unholy. And while she is highly noticeable here, she is somewhat counting on that. It means that the team will hopefully not have to go far to run into this place's denizens - and the potential for recruitment.

Helena Celba (643) has posed:
    Helena, recruited to the cause, is perfect for this mission. She is very knowldgeable about the undead, a master of negitive energy, and of particular strong will and body. Her skin, white as a sheet, is contrasted tonight by a black leather outfit that clings too tightly to her. Her hair is wrapped in a headdress that fits over her head easily enough, and her eyes, red dots peer into the cave. The smell does not bother her...she has experienced worse scents in her life. It is not PLEASENT, she rather smell OTHER THINGS, but she has built up quite a tolerance.

    Something about this place even has Helena on edge...this isn't just a place where the undead gather, or form...something else is here. Something that...she feels, is off. She pushes the thoughts asside, perhaps she will not need to FORCE her will around.

Taro (399) has posed:
    That someone who calls herself a paladin has organized a trip to the realm of the undead is Irony the First. That someone who calls himself a bishop has agreed to come along is probably Irony the Second. Though since he by his own admission has no control over the undead, this will hopefully not be the kind of Irony that will cause them undue trouble.
    Taro arrives at the appointed time. Since he doesn't have to overly worry about small things like bacterial and fungal infections, all he's brought along with him is a half-mask respirator, currently looped by its straps around his neck. "Your highness. Everyone," he greets pleasantly. A glance is cast in the direction of the cavern. "Do we a have specific individual or group in mind for this, or is this us casting a wide net to see what we catch?"

General Zod (524) has posed:
    By contrast, Lieutenant Zod is here as muscle should things go wrong. He has the full armored space-suit on, though his helmet is not on to filter the reek of death and decay. He simply listens and surveys the surroundings for instructions and possible sources of trouble.
    He does make a lone comment though. "I don't think we should overstay our welcome here."

Princess Paladin (589) has posed:
Paladin turns to look at Taro at his inquiry, her pink-eyed gaze having been focused on the wavering darkness ahead. She is not necessarily magically attuned - she has not taken the time to develop all of her powers. But even she can feel a sort of icy throb, like a dead, dessicated heart beating long after it has stopped having blood to pump, and instead is now simply expelling cold, dry air. It sends pinpricks up and down her spine and all over where she has exposed skin.

That is put from her mind for now, as she nods to Helena, Taro, and Zod. She has fought alongside one of Zod's allies once before, but other than that, most of those here are new to her outside of the radio. "For the moment, the general purpose of this particular expedition is the latter, possibly leading into the former. While I do not expect any of us here NOT to defend ourselves if attacked, generally speaking we should avoid antagonizing the local populace - so to speak - when we can." She focuses on Zod and says, "In part, that may indeed mean simply having to pull out if we are not making progress, or incurring too much of a violent response. Our mere presence may be seen as antagonistic. Mine in particular, given my holy powers. I am unaware if Bishop Taro also qualifies." He looks towards Taro inquisitively, to see if he has anything to add.

"I appreciate all of you coming either way, and we should strive for a successful conclusion, for the Confederacy."

Helena Celba (643) has posed:
    Helena shrugs, "This is why I am here." She says, reguarding the antagonisticness of the undead, "To be fair, just being /alive/ might be cause to anger them. The dead do not always think in terms of logic, or normal sanity.."

    She steps forward, willing to lead, if necissary. She does not fear the dark...even if it puts her off. There is /something/ here...

    "If anything, your holy power might add as more of a deturrent, than antagonistic." She says.

    "I suggest, being confident."

Taro (399) has posed:
    Taro raises his left hand in a negating gesture. "While I am a fully ordained minister, the CyberGoddess' domain is over all things electronic and mechanical. This I would say generallly falls outside her purview."
    This is followed by a nod. "We will see what we will see, then..."

General Zod (524) has posed:
    Zod hmms. "We are deep enough that my enhanced vision does not work as well as it does above ground." And the smell is extremely distracting too. He should also be careful as there isn't any powerful source of sunlight to keep his reserves up. He hovers just above the ground, small bits of dust and rocks rattling and moving under him as the telekinetic field carries him forward cautiously deeper in.

Princess Paladin (589) has posed:
The magical girl nods in agreement with Helena's assessment. "That is partially what I was hoping, yes. But, as you said, the dead may not react with full reason or sanity. I have not had a great deal of experience with them personally, so you will likely be serving as our team's expert on them." As they begin moving forward, rocks and debris, and a long, gradual slope downards, covered completely in bones ahead of them, Paladin looks in Taro's direction. "I believe I have heard of those who employ 'necrotech' or scientifically-based mechanisms of undeath. I know not if any of them would dwell here, but you may yet have use for your brand of divine influence." Paladin takes note of Zod's comment, and considers how that will become an issue. Obviously the darkness, but is there anything else she is overlooking?

"Could you normally perceive spectral beings if they exist on the electro-magnetic spectrum on a range outside of human sight?" Not all undead are corporeal. Some are ghosts, or wraiths, or made out of shadows. While she may not be familiar with the undead, one of the things Miko is good at is study. And the Confederacy certainly has quite the library on the subject of the undead.

She avoids crushing a skull under her foot, walking around it. Not disturbing remains may not be viable the further in they go. Already, the amount of bodies - human, animal, and otherwise - is rather startling. They are piled up in mounds - recent corpses too, not just skeletons.

Helena Celba (643) has posed:
    "Luckily, I can see such beings." Helena says, nevermind that her vision is still limited to normal sights...even if she can cast a few spells to extend her dark vision range. Zod might have the advantage in range though, should it come to that.

    Helena continues to walk, unafraid of the place. Like she /belongs/ there...like she is the master of this place. Confidence gets noticed.

Taro (399) has posed:
    As they continue forward, Taro pulls his mask over his nose and mouth, adjusting the straps till he has a snug fit. Then, since science and chemistry are part of his purview, he takes a chemstick from one of the pouches in his belt, cracks it between his fingers, and holds it up a bit to add a bit of light for them all.
     He responds to both Helena's recommendation of being confident and Princess' statement about necrotech with a thoughtful "Mm." Following their leader's example, he likewise picks his path carefully, though the heaps of decaying corpses seems to not bother him much at all. While he holds no particular reverence for the remains - the Church of SHODAN reclaims and reuses that which is no longer needed by the living - he realizes that the natives may feel differently. Not to mention that said remains may still be occupied...

General Zod (524) has posed:
    "Somewhat likely, since I can see up through hard x-rays and ultraviolet. We haven't tested lower frequencies like infrared yet." Zod replies. "If they do emit those kinds of frequencies, they'll look like a light source to me." Zod seems slightly distracted, especially since he's mentally filtering through various ranges of the EM spectrum to get a good idea of what the surroundings hold.
    "There is a lot to take in, which is why my people have difficulty in an oxygen-rich atmosphere." He notes. If he gets a headache he can always turn on his helmet to 'rest his eyes' for awhile.
    "Is there anything specific we're looking for?" The man is floating along, the better to leave the remains undisturbed. Less subtlely, the better to surprise any opponents that rely on ground vibrations to track prey. Especially here in the dark.

Princess Paladin (589) has posed:
Part of Paladin's magic forces her to carry out a specific goal, by any means necessary, to its conclusion. She is mystically gifted with seeming grace, maturity, and wisdom - even if she does not have anything to back it up with. Her very words are convincing to the ear and heart. It's not mind control or anything, but it is a supernatural ability similar to suggestion magic. She was somewhat hoping that may work in convincing the dead to ally with the Confederacy, but with Helena here, she may simply hold back and let the necromancer do the talking. "That is good to know. I will leave such to you and General Zod then, Miss Celba. Unfortunately, my abilities are better suited to destroying the dead and the living than to detecting them - though if any of you suffer injury, please let me know quickly. I possess restorative magics powerful enough to even repair inanimate objects and the surrounding terrain. It is probably I can purge you of most mundane infections or wounds."

Except in the case of Taro. "With some exceptions," she acknowledges. She is not of the impression that Taro holds magic in very high regard, though she is not aware of the exact reasons WHY. The glow stick aids in warding of the darkness. However, as they advance, those with the ability may hear sounds of movement. And not just the swarms of flies, or the writhing maggots, or the carrion beetles that are everywhere. More like larger creatures.

And at least some of them seem to becoming this way.

Paladin's senses are not as keen as some here, so she merely responds to Zod's inquiry. "Dead things that wish to speak, more or less. Ones that demonstrate intelligence, and a willingness to converse."

Helena Celba (643) has posed:
    Helena smiles at Princess Paladin, but she says nothing else...there was little need to say more.

    She steps forward, towards the approaching undead. Perhaps they are here to talk...perhaps they are here to feed...perhaps.

    "Hello, I am Helena Celba..." She says, greeting, and taking a short bow. She does not bow deeply...just deep enough to show respect, but not enough to show complacency. "My allies and I, who I will let introduce themselves, wish to speak to you about the possibilities of mutual cooperation!"

Taro (399) has posed:
    "Best that you not use your magic on me, your highness," Taro replies quietly, though the warning applies to Helena as well, if so needed. "The art and I do not get on well, and you will end up causing more harm than good. Still, the thought is appreciated."
    He falls silent then, as the sound of...something...approaching is detected. Or perhaps several somethings. Caverns do cause echos, and they can play tricks even on sharp ears. The chemlight is still held aloft, while his other hand comes to rest gently at his side. That it also places it near one of his weapons is merely serendipity.
    Perhaps not entirely silent. "Do you see anything?" he asks of Zod in a murmur.

General Zod (524) has posed:
    Zod stops and listens intently. There's feet scraping along the cavern floor. He thinks and listens. "I hear something. Maybe creatures with four legs, it's hard to tell in here. Could be a giant insect or spider." He says quietly, landing amist all the grisly remains on the cavern floor and keeping an eye out.
    "I'm not sure if they're intelligent, mindless, or being directed by somebody." He's covering his bases here.

Princess Paladin (589) has posed:
The magical girl acknowledges Taro's warning with a nod of her head. That is important to know. Not merely a matter of preference, but one of incompatibility. Princess Paladin comes to a stop when it becomes evident they are not alone. She displays no fear, because her magic allows her to appear confident and in-control no matter what. But the girl inside of her is quite nervous indeed. She allows Helena to take the fore as apparently something is detected in the distance.

The necromancer's greeting falls into the emptiness and darkness, with only the buzzing of insects to answer - at least at first. Zod's information proves to be quite important indeed as suddenly, over the mounds of skeletons, pales shapes begin to flas into view and then disappear behind the piles of corpses that still possess some tissue to them.

They are fast, and they are moving to surround the quartet, it appears. Paladin remarks as such to the others, quietly. "We are being surrounded. They are acting as predators. We may wish to prepare for conflict." Though Zod, Helena, and Taro may already be aware of that fact.

When the creatures emerge, finally, it happens quickly. At first, one of the undead purposely exposes itself, coming out from behind a veritable pillar of the dead, including humans, elves, orcs, minotaur, klingons, and who-knows-what-else. It is incapable of growling, but seems to give the impression it is doing so anyway. It is a skeletal hound of some kind - a larger breed of canine even than a large dog.

And as it tries to take the group's attention, three others come charging up at them - one from each side, and one from behind.

Paladin's Scepter appears in her hand instantly as she turns to face the one in the rear.

Helena Celba (643) has posed:
    Helena smiles...oh now, isn't this something!

    Intelligent...no, this is intelligence. Undead of this type do not use such tactics...UNLESS they are either intelligent, or guided by a higher will. Interesting...interesting! She focuses, closing her eyes even as they close and smiles to herself.

    She moves, quickly, drawing a blade and cutting herself. The blood hits the ground, creating a symbol in the earth. She places a foot in the center...

    "STOP!" She commands, her voice booming, to the people around her...it is simply a shout. To the undead... well, it is a iron command. Helena's mastery of Necromancy is nothing to laugh at, she forces her will onto the surrounding undead, aiming a simple command to stop their attack.

    If this works, then perhaps diplomacy will work!

Taro (399) has posed:
    Since these appear to not be technologically undead, Taro will opt not for his holy symbol but for his beam saber, thank you. There's a faint click as he unclips it from his belt, but Helena's request over the radio keeps him from activating it just yet. Still, he's already whipping around to meet the skeletal hound closest to him, his light bobbing along with him as he assumes a defensive stance. If the necromancer should fail, well, they have the more mundane method of stopping them.

General Zod (524) has posed:
    Zod holds, coiled in a ready posture should Helena's gambit not work.

Princess Paladin (589) has posed:
The skeletal hounds come to a stop, by force of magic and Helena's will, but they do not appear to be either capable of speech or inclined towards it. They struggle a bit, trying to move their bones, even when they are unable to stray from their current positions. If they are intelligent, outwards indications are not something it appears they can go off of.

Perhaps more scrutiny is required, either to determine if they truly are or if they are being controlled somehow - and by whom (or what). Princess Paladind does her part to simple guard the rear. Taro has one side, General Zod has the other, and Helena has the front, where the first hound was approaching from.

As the group attempts to discern what the true nature of these undead might be, there is the sound of something larger than the current threat approaching, though with a gait that suggests it is of similar construction. The heavy impacts of a running quadruped approach, and then a skeletal hound even bigger than the others leaps up on top of one of the piles of corpses. Unlike the others, there is a warping of the air within and around it, not unlike fire, but of a distinctly more ghastly pallor. Pinpoints of dim light hover in the empty sockets of its elongated, canine skull. And when it mimics 'breathing', a rush of whispers and whimperings emerge from its sharp-toothed maw.

Bits of that ghostly 'flame' slowly spread from its body towards the presently magically held hounds, through the air. Almost as though along invisible strings. Perhaps an attempt to strengthen them or take control back!

"Miss Celba, what action should we take? They are being controlled, it seems, but if the larger one is not open to diplomacy, empowering these others might put us in a position of conflict. Do we strike now, and risk angering it, or just hope that its attack upon us will not be repeated?" Paladin asks of their resident expert. No doubt, Taro and Zod would be willing to fight if they must. Paladin certainly is. Any means necessary in the pursuit of her holy quests, after all. But is that the right choice? "Anyone else with insight is, of course, welcome to speak their mind. Preferably before the flames reach the hounds."

Helena Celba (643) has posed:
    Helena grins...the larger one appears!

    It was one of the possibilities...and Helena smiles as she shifts...being confident pays off, for now. The larger one invests power in the smaller ones...but Helena does something strange.

    "Hello! We are here to attempt to open diplomacy with you...but if you rather TEST us..." she says, inclining her head to the others.

    Helena also decides to spite the larger undead. She sacrifices the undead in her control, drawing upon their animating magics and drawing it into herself, fueling her own magics. What she can not whooly control, can easily become her fuel.

    "Now, we can do this the easy way...or the hard way! However...I can promise you, working with me is much more fun than you think." She smiles, angelically at the greater undead.

Taro (399) has posed:
    Taro has no insights to provide, and so a muffled negative-sounding grunt is his only answer. Well, that and a snap-hiss of energy and a flare of argent light that dwarfs that of the chemlight as he activates his beam sabre.
    His gaze remain fixed on the smaller skeletal hound, however. From what he knows of Zod and Paladin, they are certainly capable of beating some sense into the 'pack leader' if needed. Thus, the android holds himself in reserve, should Helena lose control, or if all this is going to attract the attention of something far nastier.

General Zod (524) has posed:
    Zod just acts after it becomes pretty apparent what the threat is. There's a rush of air as the man leaps into action and goes crashing through one of the lesser undead like some kind of wrecking ball, his hands snatching up the parts of the wrecked and unanimated (thanks to Helena) skeleton and hurling them at the greater bone hound's shoulders and front legs. As a distraction tactic.
    Zod's real goal is to grab ahold of the thing's jaws and hold them shut with his prodigious strength. After all, the point of this little sortie is to capture and recruit, not outright destroy.

Princess Paladin (589) has posed:
The larger skeletal hound opens its mouth to give its approximation of a roar, in response to Helena, as its minions are deanimated - one of them even smashed by Zod on the way to it - but its roar is disturbing simply because of how incongruous it is with the gesture being made. A chorus of half-heard voices, and the sounds of dozens of canines whimpering and whining in the pain of their death throes. Zod's throwing of bones seems to be ineffective, as the creature leaps from its mount to meet the kryptonian in the air. Its strength is beyond its mere skeletal frame, but not so much as Zod's. Even so, however, he may find trying to hold its jaws closed to be more difficult than anticipated. Being in close proximity to it is even supernaturally cold to the flesh. That may have something to do with those pale, sickly-hued 'flames' that flow through and around it.

The other hounds have collapsed when their power was taken from them, and Zod seems to be holding the one behind it for now, though he may be wrestling with it in mid-air right now if he does not land with the thing.

Princess Paladin aims her scepter as holy power surges through the artifact, and then unleashes an attack that is meant to blind the creautre - but only after yelling, "Shield your vision!" to her allies. A dazzling wave of holy light is released. Against the living, it may be blinding. Against the undead, it may simply be 'painful' in whatever sense they are able to experience pain.

The result, however, is unexpected.

The skeletal frame cracks when exposed to the holy magic, shatters, and then a torrent of spectral energy tears forth directly at Taro.

The hound itself was just a vessel for the spirits of dead wolves seeking to continue doing what they did in life. To hunt, to kill, and to eat. Now those hound spirits are without a shell.

And there is something that, to their flawed and limited perceptions, appears to be a hollow host vessel to inhabit.

"TARO!" Paladin calls out in warning.

Helena Celba (643) has posed:
    Helena looks up as the thing breaks free...

    Oh interesting! It IS preditory...but it was...a aggrogate of souls! No wonder she couldn't quite see it! Hiding in the bones...Helena grins, because she DID drain the forces of several monsters...

    It soars towards Taro, and Helena draws blood again, drawing a sigal around Taro's feet before she expends the stolen energy...

    The cage forms around Taro, but..

    it's not really a cage! It is a NET! The net expands, aiming to try and wrap around the souls of the fallen wolves...aiming to tie them in the soul binding!

    "OBEY ME!" she demands, using the spell to fuel her will.

Taro (399) has posed:
    Taro cannot 'see' the spectral energy exactly, but between Paladin's cry and his sensors' alert of an energy spike are enough to realize he's about to be in the crosshairs of something...
    He begins to react, and it looks like he was about to do -something-. However, Helena reacts even faster, and hopefully her arts are a better countermeasure than what he could have done.

General Zod (524) has posed:
Zod rushes to Taro's aid, seeing the spectral energy rush towards the mechanoid, tackling the Bishop of SHODAN out of the way.

Princess Paladin (589) has posed:
Helena successfully hijacks the ghosts and contains them. They do not necessarily seem to be willing to obey, but they also do not seem to have much of a will. They are tormented spirits of animals, and have about as much intelligence as one might expect from wolves - predatory cunning, some degree of basic cause-and-effect reasoning (within limits), but not true sapience to speak of. But they are now Helena's, and Taro is spared their attempt to possess him (which he could have avoided anyway, because he has the means to do so).

Zod flies down and makes sure Taro is kept from any accidental contact with Helena's magic, given the Bishop's stated incompatibility, and the powdery remains of the greater hound's bones, crushed by a combination of holy magic and Zod's grip, are left to fall to the cold stone floor and crumble.

Paladin shakes her head and says, "This may not have been precisely what we came here for, but Helena has obtain a resource we did not have when we arrived. I suggest we retreat for now rather than pressing forward. Giving the dead time to settle back down may be a better option for now."

Helena Celba (643) has posed:
    "Sounds about right..." Helena says, with a grin. She brings the ghost dogs along...well animals. She will reach an accord with this aggrogate of animal souls, and turn them into GOOD shock troops.

Taro (399) has posed:
    While perhaps a bit more solid than Zod may have expected, Taro is certainly compact and easily covered by the man as he's tackled to the ground. "Thank you," he grunts.
    Once it's safe to get up again, he'll do so, brushing hair and whatever filth he picked up from the ground out of his face. "I would agree with that assessment..."

General Zod (524) has posed:
General Zod hrms. "I'll cover our exit then. With fire if necessary." He floats along behind the other three as they make their exit.