Battle over Nemoros

[Flamme Noire]

Flamme:

18:12:51 Flamme_Noire stood silently upon the well fortified bridge of the newly manufactured dirigible of the Empire, the Dreadnought Lawrence. High above them -upon the ship's gargantuan deck- fully armored knights scrambled to their appropriate posts, brandishing all manner of weaponry ranging betwixt the standard, imperial issue crossbow and the more striking, ornate halberds for which the Jester King's armed forces were infamous. ”Ready to engage, my liege. Per your orders, we will fire when the target is in view,” offered the rear-admiral of the nascent skyship, his commanding voice well representative of a war-seasoned man reaching middle age. The admiral's retreat was swift thereafter, leaving Noire in solitude once more. ”Cannons, due to deploy. On your marks!” rang out another, infinitely more chilling call, this time from the high deck. <c>
18:13:42 [Flamme_Noire] King Flamme Noire looked out a reinforced, gold-tinted window of garish design, his calculating gaze showering down upon the unforgiving, alien landscape of Nemoros. ”What recourse have you now, monster, but to fight in vain to continue your meaningless existence?” the Jester cooed softly, ushering forth whispered words not meant for foreign ears. In this moment of relative privacy, the Fool prepared himself for what was to come. <e>

Vivi:

18:36:06 -Vivi- was not subtle, or at least not as subtle as it could have been in its arrival. No, but that wasn’t entirely its fault. A distortion among the trees, a small clearing with a glimmer of smooth black rippled, glinting in the light. Around it the life – twisted things barely recognizable for what they once had been; crows now large enough to take a human in their clutches; wolves big enough to be ridden like a horse; beasts terrifying to any sane man took flight from this, likewise in a widening ripple effect that blackened the landscape below momentarily as the beasts fled. This was like the first crack of thunder before the skies opened, for seconds later the ripple burst forth towards the heavens, a spire of black-red mist rose like a column into the sky, brilliant flashes of white energy flashing briefly out of it from at its head; further likening its similarities to a coming storm. It rose and rose, the spire reaching the level of the airships before seeming to hit an invisible barrier, spreading <C>
18:36:22 [-Vivi-] outwards along the plane rapidly, quite possibly very quickly providing an illusion that they were sailing on a sea of this mist through the sky. This was followed quickly by a strange screeching sound that emanated from its epicenter. Both harmless, but haunting. What was not harmless however was the part of this spire that did not stop at their level, and was now falling towards the deck of the dreadnaught at a rapid pace, its hands engulfed in brilliant and horrible balls of white beauty, tendrils of the energy ripping at the air around it. It was unlikely Noire had brought any new soldiers with him, but if he had, it was not out of the realm of possibility that some of them could be virtually paralyzed by the pressure the thing put off as it closed the distance. It was not supposed to be; its very life was blasphemy, and yet here it was. The god of war, as it called itself, appearing to be no more than a human sized suit of plain plate mail – and bearing embalms of Noire’s empire. In fact, if it<C>
18:36:38 [-Vivi-] weren’t for the blazing white eyes staring from behind it and the horrible presence it alluded, it could have passed for one of Noire’s soldiers. Strange, likely to most, but Noire would probably understand; it was mocking him, now of all times. Now, when Noire was practically on his doorstep.

Flamme:

19:18:35 [Flamme_Noire] Vivi's horrific onslaught was potent, though by no means implacable. The Naregyle racial contingent upon the Fool's ship - an elite cabal numbering roughly thirty, highly capable arcanists - had been pegged by Flamme's western imperial expedition for their rich knowledge of defensive measures and remotely understood wards. In unison, the furry, diminutive beings -swathed in layers of crimson and gold robes- marched forward, across the breadth of the Dreadnought's deck, magic staves held concertedly erect in what was a highly choreographed maneuver. With a reverberant crackle, the Jester's arcane servants summoned forth a transparent barrier of substantial power, effectively creating a buffer between the airship's forward path -and, for that matter, its wake- and the relentless fury of Vivi's own magic. <c>
19:19:28 [Flamme_Noire] Far below the ongoing ruckus of the deck, on the Imperial High Bridge, several other members of the black-eyed Naregyle race -now situated equidistantly about a low marble table- toiled over a vastly different task: to formulate a veritable, natural 'radar' by advantaging their racial abilities of metaphysical sight. The great, marble canvas - garnished at the edges with railings cast of a golden metal - played host for a marvelously detailed map of Nemoros, upon which the aforementioned , 'radar' magic was made manifest in the form of dynamic peals of blue light. ”Show me their positions,” commanded a black-armored officer, his cryptic voice well muffled by the ornate, stifling helm which crowned his head. Those beings in the Chaos Lord's service; the crows, were immediately tagged, their movements outside the immediate influence of the Jester's magnificent Dreadnought efficiently followed by the bright, concentrated glow of corresponding blue light. <c>
19:19:55 [Flamme_Noire] Due to Vivi's mischief, visibility was poor, though at least the Fool's army had a fighting chance with the aid of this creatively applied magic. <e>

Vivi:

19:33:57 -Vivi- ‘s ‘servants’ were coming back around the time the creature learned its attacks were quite effectively blocked; but what would that mean for his falling figure both rage and confusion. The unfortunate birds who had become first startled by the chaos lord and now his unwilling conscripts, their every instinct screaming to flee and their helpless bodies instead complying some hive-mind they could by no means comprehend, turned and began to head towards the ship. There were hundreds at least, their density as they approached the ship (And likely more than one slamming into the barrier) likely making large swaths of them easy targets. The creature itself almost comically smashed into the barrier, and unceremonious sound of denting metal accompanying this, followed by a focusing of its eyes on the staff wielding beasts below would have likely struck most onlookers as amusing at the very least, if not for the fact that all of the onlookers were in immediate danger due to these events. Another screech, from <c>
19:35:55 [-Vivi-] this close a distance a deafening sound; like so many dying breaths, screams of agony, and inarticulate rage. The not-an-imperial soldier brought one hand back and brought it down into the barrier of nothing, holy energy crackling off it each and every time, however a strange thing was happening, the energy seemed to be laced slowly with more and more red and black tendrils, as the creature itself was slowly changing as well, blood was beginning to seep from the joints in its armor, its eyes turning from a blazing white to a furious raging red. This wasn’t right. They were sitting there in a bubble; shameless cowards terrified to stand and fight. There were many things deserving of death, but this ranked among the highest of offenses.

>>>>>>

I'll be posting my response sometime soon.  If your character has legitimate business in the scope of the Noire vs. Vivi war and has a means of making a pragmatic entry, please feel free to post.

[Flamme Noire]

King Noire initially looked on, with due amusement, as the Chaos Lord's minions proceeded to level their weighty assault upon the unseen, magical barrier that still encapsulated the Lawrence. Many of these minions; these 'ravens' -as they might be easily referred to- slammed into said barrier and were promptly consumed, with naught but lagging crackles of jagged, red static -spilling outward from the points of impact- to spell their pitiful demise.  At ease with the present scenario, the Harlequin Emperor mulled his next move in relative calm, an uncanny gaze twitching about before ultimately finding purchase with the tendril-spewing mass of untamed energy that was Vivi.  Flamme, unconcerned with whether or not the Chaos Lord had already laid eyes upon him, audibly turned upon an armored heel and took a collected leave of the mammoth, stylized window pane.  The Emperor likely relished in his subsequent, solitary procession through the interior chambers of the war-prepped dirigible, an indelible smirk spread -ever comfortably- across his painted, black lips.  Noire inclined his head to the appropriate persons as he passed, perhaps showering them with a smidgeon of the undue arrogance that seemed to consistently pervade his psyche.  Continuing onward as a great, white cape billowed softly in his wake, the Jester neared the apex of his journey - and 'happened' upon one of the finest airmen ever to be found in service of the Empire.  With a final, stark nod given in lieu of a full stop, Flamme Noire effectively delegated control of the airship -to the Rear-Admiral- in mental words unspoken yet terrifically loud, regardless.  With but a few steps more and a whispered 'snap,' the Jester had become an apparently simple playing card, submitting himself utterly to its ostensibly cramped bounds.  This card -a woefully uninteresting three of clubs- housed arguably one of the most powerful connoisseurs of Black Magic to have ever graced the Nexxus and its dotted realms.  Outside the ship it promptly flew, traveling in the gargantuan dreadnaught's wake and opposite the Lord Vivi's direction.  This was far from a retreat, however; indeed, within precious little time, the former High Inquisitor General of the Sinister Accords would meet his match in the garish clown. 

[Vivi]

The Chaos Lord only knew anger at the moment; Noire, if the creature even registered him, was ignored. It wanted those pathetic beings creating this shield, them and only them at the moment. From its back erupted twelve tendrils of white brilliant energy as the war-beast roared again. They quickly wove themselves into thick, gleaming and barbed chains tipped with long white spines with a loud crackle as eruptions of black-red mist rose from the ocean of it around them, threatening to swallow the dreadnaught in a wave of it. Of course, even if this happened, the worse they’d experience was a momentary unsettling feeling of displacement before the wave subsided and once again sky greeted them; the mist was more or less harmless. The creature was a different story however, the chain-tendrils slammed into the shield, forming a circle around Vivi, red sparks erupting from their tips as they began to rotate. The principle (which the creature itself did not understand, it only knew this sometimes worked) was relatively simple; many shields were flowing domes of energy, energy that was used against opposing forces. If one disrupted enough of a flow to an area, via attacks continuously around it, and applied force to it, via the continuing pounding with the creature’s fists, sometimes you got through. Of course, there were many different types of magical shields and this was, in all reality, not evn an educated guess, but a sort of simple pattern recognition; there was an invisible barrier, past ones have sometimes been defeating using this…

[Flamme Noire]

The Imperial Archmagister Flamme Noire travelled purposefully forth, at present locked away within the magical confines of a mere playing card.  So whimsically the card did dance about the megalithic Airship that yet trudged in the direction of the Chaos Lord - albeit at reduced speed. 

Meanwhile, there was no want for activity aboard the Lawrence;  crew members scrambled this way and that, doing their utmost to anticipate which areas of the mammoth dirigible would fall most susceptable to the Lord Vivi's blind rage - and consequently sustain the most damage.  As for those astute, diminuitive mages in service to the Imperator, they performed much as they had been with little variation;  a veritable wall of small beings had forumulated to defy the bestial former servant of the Sinister Accords.  The shield held up remarkably well in the wake of Vivi's unnerving, white-energy tendrils, repelling each with a crackle of electrified, crimson brilliance.  The Naregyle mages, in the interim, did naught but offer the ocassional chant in their collective tongue, holding fast their erected longstaves while their cloaks -shielded from the high winds through their own efforts- kissed gently at their ornately cloth-armored boots.  Indeed, the enveloping black-red mist - courtesy of the Chaos Lord - was shaping up to be the least of the Empire's worries.

As for the human contingent, they pressed their expertise in the ship's operating mechanics, expeditiously surveying the Lawrence's impressive arsenal. The gold-plated, Nefarium-cast grand cannons began to roll out shortly thereafter, protruding from dynamic side shafts built into the hull.  "Scale back defenses!" shouted a helmed officer, who was clad in black armor trimmed with gleaming gold, his voice resonating eerily thick while he idled stiffly upon the high deck.  In quick succession the cusps rolled away from the cannon heads, freeing them to unleash a fiery rain of crafted metal upon the enemy - the Discordian Lord.  Within seconds, the shield had been deactivated - and the mages left vulnerable to assault from presumably all sides.  As the mages endeavored to fix about themselves more personal, less effective metaphysical shielding, the cannons began firing at will;  there was no need to waste time with an order.  Still, the officer barked, 'enlightening' the cannoneers with a crisp utterance of "Focus fire on the beast!"  As if they hadn't been already.

And so continued the battle for Nemoros....

[Vivi]

The Chaos Lord roared once more as scores of the same large infested birds emerged from the black-red mist below and circled above the shield, a few occasionally slamming into the invisible barrier. There was something else lurking among the fluid of the mist around the airship. Long, black exoskeleton covered serpents seemed to weave in and out of it around the ship. They were large, but few in number. It seemed the beasts above would rely on numbers, and those larger things around the ship would be the bigger threats. This was, of course, relatively speaking; the biggest threat fell towards the deck of the ship as the barrier fell, slamming into it and focusing entirely on the mages that had prevented his entrance to start with. These creatures had the fortune of being utterly ignored by the birds that began to dive towards the decks. What were once birds that came up to perhaps a man’s knee were at least doubled in size, fearsome and quick…but incredibly fragile as avian creatures tended to be. They went for anything they got near. At the same time serpentine creatures with flat, wide eyeless heads leapt from the mist at the deck, attempting to slam their heads into the ship to cause damage to the dreadnaught itself.

As for the war-beast, it slammed into the deck and was immediately assaulted as it began its charge forward – a cannon ball tore through its right side and then ripped it apart at the hip, leaving the upper half, or what remained of it, to falter and fall to the deck face-down, skidding t a halt. At this point in most other battles the war-beast might have played possum for a few moments; but it doubted Noire’s soldiers were stupid enough or low strung enough to even try coming near what remained of the creature.

What instead happened next was bizarre and likely more than a little unsettling to those the beast faced – it simply stood back up, legless and yet the twisted metal of its body was held upright in the air above the deck, the mist from around the ship spiraling in towards the creature with a roaring rush of air. The next few moments were a blur of motion, the creature’s eyes flared to a brilliant white as the influx of air and energy intensified, actually causing several of the birds caught in the maelstrom blowing towards the beast to slam into the reforming armor. Those unfortunate to collide with the beast erupted into brilliant flashes and were quickly left as naught but dust in the wind as its inhuman voice practically exploded from it. ”Rah!” it was an inarticulate cry of rage, a single bark that perfectly encapsulated the fury with which the creature was lurching forwards.

Its arm formed again from the mist, several of the serpents attempted to gain purchase on the cannons and rip them from the ship. Its right leg thudding began unevenly against the deck as the left struggled to catch up in its formation, the crows swarmed a cannoneer. And then it was done, there stood The Armor once again; seemingly unscathed and invincible.
It raced forwards as tendrils of white energy rippled down its arm and into an open outstretched palm. From this palm erupted a brilliant white beam that threatened to vaporize the poor mages in its way, and probably start a few fires on the ship itself. Their shields could possibly prevent this, but unless they got out of its wake entirely it was unlikely they’d escape harm totally. And it wasn’t done, the creature hadn’t even slowed in its bee-line for the beings that had held it off for too long. It attempted to grab one with its hand and simply crush it, more white energy erupting from it and likewise threatening to burn the being to nothing, or, at worse, simply throw it from the ship before trying to get a hold of another, opting to grip it with both hands and pull in a twisting motion as the faceplate of the armor began to split into a jagged metal mouth.