Wrath of the Sun King
Memory’s Ruin
The king’s patience runs thin and he leads an attack on the sacred city of Memory. As word spreads of its destruction, so does unrest…
Memory’s Ruin
As word of the situation in Memory spreads, many are drawn to shelter within the sacred city or take up residence in the Général’s camp.
Some arrive in Memory out of a selfless desire to help; for the nobles Centaurus, Osiris, and Amalthea, King Tigerlilly’s actions are a step too far for them to support, and the travelers Moorhen, Opal, Omen, the Moonlilly family (Auspice, Meridian and Peyton), Haunting, and Crevasse refuse to turn a blind eye to the actions of the King. But not all have come of their own choice; driven there to escape the persecution of the Scions, or to avoid the wrath of the soldiers for violating the laws of the Tyr Kingdom, Cepheus, Helios, Eridanus, Pulsar, Mynydd, Shell, and Altair all find their way into Memory’s gates. In an attempt to mediate the situation without earning the King’s ire, the Perigee sends an envoy, Prometheus, accompanied by his younger brother Psychopomp, to speak of peace between the Général’s camp and Memory. Only time will tell if their attempts to avoid violence will succeed. From faraway Cyr, the seraphim Harbinger and Qin come to the city chasing a voidseer’s dream, determined to alter the threads of fate. A Society of War soldier, Havoc, finds his vacation to Theavia has more in store for him than he initially bargained for when he arrives in Général Schist’s camp and attempts to mediate. And Tempest, fleeing Cyr to avoid punishment for a crime he did not commit, stumbles into the situation wholly by accident. The Scion Talc Sunchaser feared that if they rile up the soldiers encamped outside the city too much, they could risk the destruction of Memory in a pointless battle. In an attempt to ease tensions, she tasks a number of volunteers with delivering a message and some supplies on her behalf to the Général, in hopes that it will make Schist more open to a peaceful solution. Harbinger and Qin, Tadmor - one of the King’s own soldiers, though doubting their loyalties now - Ganymede - one of the refugees who initially fled with ‘Guile’/Jasper - Havoc, Cepheus, and Psychopomp all agree to help carry Talc’s message of goodwill. Although Général Schist was wary of the new arrivals in his camp, he eventually decided to make use of them as best he could, and requested that they travel to the city under the guise of seeking refuge to spy for him. The better he knows the situation there, the easier it will be to resolve things without causing too much destruction. Havoc and Perseus travel briefly to Memory on his orders, spending time among the refugees and learning of their recent troubles. Vesa, a Merosian harvest mage, and Tadmor both agree to help the Général, though neither have any intention of following through with their promises. Within the Memory, Scion Skoll makes a similar request of newcomers; as they’re unknown to the soldiers camped to the north, they could slip into their ranks and get a good look at their numbers and weapons. Skoll knows that they’re outmatched, but any information could be helpful in defending the city and those taking refuge there, and helping her plan for the future. Tadmor, Mockingbird, and Descry all agree to spy for Skoll. Tadmor slips into the Général’s camp, using their previous reputation as a loyal soldier to avoid drawing much attention to themself. Mockingbird uses their small size to slip between tents unnoticed, gathering information and ‘misplacing’ various soldier’s effects within the Général’s own tent to cause some trouble, before returning to Memory. Lastly, Descry moves to the camp to offer to work for the Général, all the while creating a collection of memory stones containing key bits of information about the soldiers. Those who have arrived in Memory take a moment to pause and breathe. They are safe, for now, though their enemies wait beyond the gates. Eventually, the spies that Général Schist and Scion Skoll sent out return to report their findings. Within Memory, Descry delivers the information they collected in memory stones, and Mockingbird has a meeting with Skoll in a secluded part of the gardens. In Général Schist's camp, Havoc and Psychopomp - reluctantly - part with some of the information they have gathered during their visits to the city. A group of refugees led by Shine and Jasper plot a largely harmless trick to play on the soldiers camped in the surrounding hills; Shine has found some fireworks, meant for a coming holiday, stashed in one of Memory’s storehouses, and they plan to light them off over the soldiers’ heads. With the help of numerous volunteers, they are able to ensure that Schist’s men get little sleep that night. But all is not right within the city. Over the past few nights, there have been dark shadows passing overhead at odd hours - some of Schist’s soldiers, scoping out the city when they think no one will be awake to see them. But Skoll isn’t the only one who’s noticed their spying, and searches for recruits to give their unwelcome guests a good scare. Harbinger and Qin use their abilities as Seraphim to terrify a group of drunk soldiers; Emmer, Meridian, Crevasse and Vega get into small airborne skirmishes; and Elysian uses her power of necromancy in secret to give the soldiers a scare that they will not forget. Together, they ensure that, at the very least, Schist’s soldiers will not be so incautious in their snooping again. Those taking refuge within Memory have been coping in different ways with the stress of being trapped within its walls… but many have turned to point fingers at Jasper and blamed her for recent tragedies. The young Shade isn’t quite sure what to think of things herself, anymore. Especially not with Scion Talc occasionally coming to speak with her alone, trying to persuade her to turn herself in to save the city. She thought she was helping those around her by getting them out of the Deep Provinces, but things have spiraled so far out of control, and she can’t help but wonder if this really is all her fault. After speaking with a number of others who have refuged in Memory, Jaspers’ confidence in her choices was restored - although she would never have wished for any of this to happen: perhaps, as some say, King Tigerlilly’s wrath was inevitable. If it hadn’t been her, someone would have triggered it. Or, at least, she hopes so. One of Schist’s soldiers, Perseus, was once a miner before they became part of King Tigerlilly’s army - they know that things feel inescapable down there, in the dark and the cold - but to them, path these refugees have taken isn’t the solution. Trying the King’s patience like this will just get them all killed. With the backup of another soldier named ‘Ahinahina and a mercenary named Arwin, they’re able to slip away to meet with a few of the refugees willing to hear them out, and successfully convince a number of them to abandon Memory. One of their meetings is interrupted by Ganymede, who shames Perseus for turning their back on their fellow dragons of the Deep Provinces. Their confidence in their actions is momentarily shaken, but ultimately Perseus is reassured that they did everything they could by the successes they had. Asp Daybreak was once a soldier in King Tigerlilly’s army, and after recognizing some of the soldiers working under Général Schist, believes he may be able to sway them to help should things go poorly. With the backup of a number of volunteers, Asp made a few quiet meetings with former comrades to try to convince them to see his side. Although he saw some small successes, his actions drew the attention of the Général himself, and his third outing turned into an ambush that claimed the life of an ally and left him with a bleeding wing injury. He and the others managed to flee back to the safety of Memory, evading the attempt to capture them, but Asp makes no further attempts to contact the soldiers. Reinforcements from Dragon’s Eye City have arrived in Schist’s Camp, bearing the blood-red war banner of the King - Tigerlilly Tyr himself has arrived in the foothills surrounding the city. Scion Skoll knows that their time is running out, and gathers volunteers to make final preparations for the attack that she knows is inevitable. They do not have the numbers or weapons to win, but maybe they can buy enough time for some of the others to escape, if a viable evacuation route can be found. Opalus, Beetle and Mockingbird prepare for the assault on Memory, while Emmer takes a moment alone to pray to Hyleg within the city gardens. Scion Talc attempts to make preparations of her own, and aims to arrange a meeting between herself and the newly arrived King Tigerlilly to try to discuss a way to resolve things without risking Memory’s ruin. Although it burns her heart to offer such, she would be willing to arrange the peaceful handover of Jasper if it means the survival of the rest of the city. When word spreads of what she intends, a public argument breaks out between her and Ganymede, halted only when one of the visiting seraphim, Harbinger, stepped in to remind them that they were - or at least should be - on the same side. Though Talc did make one visit to King Tigerlilly, she failed to give any impression that the city is unified in its desire to surrender, and was lucky to leave his presence unharmed. With the arrival of King Tigerlilly and reinforcements from Dragon’s Eye, the balance of power in the camp shifts in Chevalière Auriga Starstrike’s favour and away from General Schist’s control, who may have preferred not to utterly decimate the city unless they had no other option. The Chevalière organizes a military parade in the King’s honour to show those holding out in Memory just how doomed they are. It doesn’t go as she’d planned. One of her own soldiers, Tadmor, who had been spying for Memory for weeks, turns on her and attacks, and violence breaks out. Tadmor is only saved by the swift intervention of friends from Memory, leaving them badly injured, the Chevalière a bit clawed up, and a number of soldiers dead from the fighting. They flee to Memory, leaving the Chevalière enraged and humiliated before the king. A few hours after that debacle, the Chevalière calls upon one of the Moon Children in the city, Sovereign, to tend to her wounds. Little does she know, however, that Sovereign is a fraud, and has none of the healing gifts of a true Moon Child. After making an excuse about why he cannot heal her immediately, the Perigee priest decides to flee the camp to avoid the possibility of being found out. After Talc’s failed attempt to reason with the King, the Scion sets herself to one task that she can succeed at: safeguarding the Tyr Kingdom’s dead. With the help of a number of volunteers - Helios, Pulsar, Osiris, and Psychopomp - she is able to move a large number of urns into the safety of the caves surrounding the city, and other secure places where they might remain safe if the worst should come to pass. Before their flight to the Memory, Jasper and the refugees travelling with her first took shelter in a temple to Hyleg in the Sunlit City. After they were discovered by soldiers serving the King, it was the Scions - Shine’s own mother amongst them - who delayed them while Shine guided the refugees through hidden passages out of the city and to Memory. Before she left, she heard the sounds of fighting and knows that her mother must have died that night. She recognizes some of the soldiers in the camp that had recently arrived as the very same dragons who razed her temple to the ground and killed her mother and fellow Scions. With the aid of a dragon named Meridian, Shine is able to hunt down and kill one of the dragons responsible for her mother’s death, although feels little better having done it. The young shade hatchling that accompanied the Deep Provinces refugees to Memory, Moonstone, vanished as tensions in the city reached their peak. Asp and Jasper, distressed at her disappearance, search through the city for hours and find no sign of her. The only place that they hadn’t yet looked was the Northern Caverns. They gathered a number of volunteers to help look for the hatchling in the winding, unmapped caverns, eventually finding her safe and sound - near a previously unknown passage exiting deep in the mountains, to where the city and camp are far from sight and one can see the waters of Lake Four-Shore shining in the distance. The young shade may have accidentally found their path to safety. After she is returned to Asp’s waiting arms, the searchers set about spreading the news and making preparations for evacuation. Harbinger tells everyone she can find about the discovery; Havoc prepares an evacuation plan with Talc and the most vulnerable of the refugees; while Descry hollows out a stone nook within the caves where a defender could hide and fight, should they have to flee under pursuit.
Skoll, upon hearing of the escape tunnel, organizes a group of former miners to widen and mark passages through the dark… as well as carve out sections of stone so that the fleeing refugees can collapse them behind them as they go and cut off any pursuit. She does not plan to make use of it herself, however. Countless dragons pouring out into the countryside will no doubt attract attention: if they are to make full use of the tunnel and allow as many people as people to survive, someone must step forth as a diversion… as a sacrifice.
Although Talc begs her wife to reconsider her plan, Skoll is adamant about leading the city’s final defence when the time comes. She swore to protect the refugees when they arrived in Memory, and, well… she’s always wanted to take a swing at Tigerlilly. The pair spend their last few days together quietly despite the harsh words exchanged previously. The discovery could not have come at a better time. After only a few short days have passed, King Tigerlilly’s patience runs out; after the failure of Auriga’s parade and the deaths of multiple soldiers, the outlaws camped in Memory have made it clear that they are unworthy of any mercy. He gathers his soldiers and leads an attack on the city as the sun rises. The Scions hastily put into action their evacuation plan; Talc and Shine direct the refugees to the northern caverns, while Skoll and her small group of volunteers - all made aware that this will likely end in their death - head to meet the soldiers in battle to buy their friends time to escape. Talc sits by the entrance to the caverns with Shine long past when the last dragon has filed into the dark, waiting until Shine pulls her away, finally sealing the path behind them with a great rumble of falling stone. The battle that follows is bloody and drawn out. Although the soldiers outnumber them and have better equipment, Skoll and her volunteers are determined to hold them off as long as they can. They are slowly, gradually, pushed back from Memory’s Gates and towards the northern half of the city. The defenders make their final stand in the Radiant Sanctum, where Tigerlilly himself charges in with Auriga and Schist at his side - only for Skoll to pounce on him, bowling the King over whilst her allies occupy his companions. Billowing black smoke fans out around them as the two dragons struggle. Skoll managed to seize the King by his horns, sharp teeth digging into the halo-like shape and dragging him forwards. He screams in rage, but even his claws sinking into Skoll’s stomach do little to ease her grip on him. It is only when the horn snaps and he falls backwards that he is freed, and takes a moment to catch his breath from the exertion. Whatever Skoll might have done next is interrupted when Auriga, having killed the others she was fighting, leaps between the Shade and her King and blasts her in the eyes with a burst of sunfire. Skoll staggers, clawing at her eyes, and orange-gold flames begin to catch on the rug at their feet. Auriga paid the flames no mind and rushed toward her to finish the job. Skoll was killed defending the city, and by the time the battle within the city of Memory is over - its defenders all struck down or captured - the fire has gotten out of control. Tigerlilly makes little effort to save the Radiant Sanctum, and steps out of the smoking temple, his broken horn like a shattered crown around his head. It is then, as the adrenaline starts to fade and he examines the prisoners and bodies left from their battle, that Tigerlilly notices that there are far too few in the city. Where was ‘Guile’, who they had come all this way to apprehend? The other Scions and refugees? The fool who had deserted his own army? Tigerlilly ordered the prisoners they interrogated, and after an hour passed, finally hears about the path through the northern caverns - now collapsed - and how those who had defended Memory had done so to buy them time to escape. Enraged at being tricked, Tigerlilly commands his soldiers to find where they have gone. Far away, the dragons who had sheltered within Memory make their way through the tunnels, following the lead of those who had previously travelled through the caverns. After hours of slow passage through the dark, they emerge out into the quiet mountains, and the group disperses in every direction. Most head towards Meros or the waters of Lake Four-Shore. Jasper, Asp and Moonstone head towards the town of Fairhill; Asp has family there, and he hopes that they might be safe there for the next few days, while they plan what to do next. Although Asp is tired of running for their lives and wishes to continue north to Meros, Jasper convinces him that after what they inadvertently caused at Memory, they’ve got a responsibility now to work against the King and try to fight for a better future. As word of her defiance of the King spreads across the kingdom, even more dragons are emboldened by her actions and take up the mantle of ‘Guile’. Talc and Shine stuck together after fleeing Memory. The older Scion is despondent for days even before confirmation of Skoll’s death and news of Memory’s destruction reaches her. However, given time, she resolves to not allow Skoll’s sacrifice to be in vain and dedicates herself to working against King Tigerlilly. …as King Tigerlilly’s army scours the hillsides in search of ‘Guile’ and her accomplices, word of the desecration of the city of Memory spreads across the kingdom, to the shock and horror of its citizens. Although Tigerlilly claims that the insurgents who camped within its walls forced his hand, his justifications do little to ease the growing tensions in his lands. Unrest grips the Tyr Kingdom in the days that follow. Even for those who had accepted the King’s attacks on the Scions, the destruction of Memory is a step too far and becomes a rallying cry for sundrakes across social classes. Tigerlilly is forced to end his search early as a riot breaks out in the Sunlit City, turning his military forces onto his own citizens to prevent harm from coming to the Queen-Consort and Crown Prince. With the King’s attention focused on managing turmoil in the Sunlit Province, the Shardbearers each take a moment to assess their loyalties. To the shock of the entire kingdom, the typically reluctant to act Shardbearer of the Midnight Province, Vesta Saturn, is the first to take a stand. As a former Scion and a devout follower of Hyleg, the King’s recent actions have horrified her, and she declares that she will no longer recognize Tigerlilly as her King. The citizens of the Midnight Province under her command seize key checkpoints between themselves and the surface, preparing to defend their borders against Tigerlilly’s retribution. Shardbearer Fern Psyche of the Deepwoods Province follows suit shortly after Vesta’s declaration, deeply offended by Tigerlilly’s interference in her territory and the destruction of one of her cities; her demand that the King step down in favour of his young son falls on deaf ears and loyalists to the King and the Shardbearer clash at the divide between their territories. Although the Shardbearers of Whitecliff and Brightsand Provinces take no formal stand, many of their citizens take sides against or for the King’s rule. Mokara insists that it is Tigerlilly’s responsibility to deal with rebellion and that their duty lies with protecting the Kingdom’s coasts from pirates, while Eris says nothing at all, simply watching the fallout of Memory’s destruction with hawkish eyes. Only Shardbearer Tropic of the Big Fang Province and Shardbearer Lacaille of the Dusk Province remain loyal to King Tigerlilly, and the latter with some reluctance. The common people of the Tyr Kingdom are likewise horrified by their King’s actions, and a number of new factions emerge seeking to depose the King - and, for some - remove the noble class entirely. Despite their Shardbearers’ stances of neutrality, a number of farmers and labourers in Brightsand and Whitecliff Province organize to fight against the King, making efforts to stop shipments of food further into the city and to hinder those attempting to enforce his laws. In the Deep Provinces, a group of former miners and smiths rise up against him, taking up the name “Sunchasers” for themselves in honour of the late Scion Skoll who died protecting the refugees in Memory. They do what they can to sabotage Shardbearer Lacaille’s efforts to support the King, and form a tenuous alliance with Shardbearer Vesta despite their deep mistrust of the aristocracy. Leaving the Sunlit City unnoticed in the growing chaos, the stormherald Society member, Fluke, sees the opportunity to be someone that she’s always wanted open up before her very eyes. She pledges her Sundrake Societies and their technology to the rebels, in the hopes that whatever group comes out on top will remember them after they take power. Although the Scions of the Sun were decimated by the recent actions of Tigerlilly and the destruction of the city of Memory, they have become a symbol of resistance against his tyranny and many - proper training or otherwise - have taken up the name of Scion in rebellion. Scion Talc, a survivor of Memory, supports these new Scions and does what she can to aid them in undermining the King’s authority. Though bloodied, they are more driven than ever to work against King Tigerlilly, and the Scions remain a political force in the Kingdom. It isn’t long before word of recent events in the Tyr Kingdom reaches the ears of its neighbours. Sir Sol Tres Lunae, a former Chevalier of the King and commander of the Southern League’s air forces, is shocked to hear what Tigerlilly has done. Although they were previously reluctant to act against him, Sol decides that they can ignore his misdeeds no longer, and returns to his birthplace with a heavy heart to join those who have rallied against his rule. Sol is not the only arrival from the Land of Rivers; a dragon claiming herself to be “Queen Carinae Halcyon”, a daughter of the late Astya Halcyon that was allegedly smuggled out of the Kingdom and saved from execution, arrives in the Tyr Kingdom seeking vengeance against the King and to take her place as ruler of the sundrakes. While many are doubtful of Carinae’s claims, some who secretly harboured sympathies for the massacred family flock to her side to aid her claims to power. Tigerlilly reacts to recent events with yet more fury, leaving the Sunlit City to lead his armies himself to put down the Shardbearers and upstart peasants that think to usurp him. The throne of the Tyr Kingdom is his by right of the blood he shed fighting for it, and he is more than prepared to bleed more to keep it. He sends Chevalière Auriga to guard the Queen-Consort and Crown Prince from any would-be assassins, and Général Schist and Perseus to fight against the rebelling Midnight Province. As the Tyr Kingdom falls into disorder, no one within or outside of its borders can say for certain what the coming months will bring, or if King Tigerlilly will keep his crown. Participants
The following characters took part officially in the WotSK event. Please @ an admin if you believe anyone is missing!
Prizes
Lore Updates
Aftermath of Memory’s Ruin
Want to get one last entry in? Draw, RP or write about your character’s reaction to the outcome of WotSK and their return home (or wherever their travels will take them next) - it won’t sway the ending any further, but your work will be eligible for the Event Entry EXP and bits bonus.
You may only do one “Aftermath” entry per character that could’ve participated in the events of WotSK. These can be completed at your own pace, but please mark it as “Aftermath for Wrath of the Sun King” in your EXP trackers and when redeeming for bits.
Curious about the future of the Tyr Kingdom? You’ll be able to influence the outcome of the current period of unrest in Story Mode through quests and mini-quests, as well as in future events!
What’s Next
The next RoS event is currently slotted for winter 2022. The admin team has a few different ideas on the go for that, so we can’t say too much about what to expect just yet.
In the meantime, however, we’re going to be opening up admin applications on August 12th, and our third annual spooky challenges event will be running from September 1rst to October 31rst this year. Comments are closed.
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