The mood in Delteria is ecstatic. People from all over Y’vera have come in droves to partake in the festival of the century. Even Ashen are partaking in the celebration. Ivory stands behind the counter in her shop, the
Sacred Mind, in Upper
Bethany, listening intently to the chatter going on inside. She was always open during festivals, selling mixtures, herbs, and sometimes even drinks. A seedy looking Naga had wondered in along with a human she recognized from Veracity. She immediately started putting together
Alex Stravier’s usual order while listening in on their conversation.
“When
Vulcure crashed down 100 years ago, the city was unprepared. It had just been the focal point for a rebellion, an uprising, and two rapid changes in leadership as Cynthia was killed and Coyote and his cult were driven off. Most people alive at the time were grateful for the ordeal; Cynthia was a tyrannical ruler. Being the first one on Y’vera made her think she had power over everyone else. Apart from some residual god-like power, she was no more fit to rule than any of us. But enough of that.
“Bethany is the focal point to the festivities. Vulcure landed here when he fell, so it's only natural we expect the next Nebula to land close by. Speaking of, you know the of performance at the Midway Church? I've heard it's breathtaking, with all the mages from the Arcane Heights showing off their magic. You should check it out if you haven't. Vulcure himself will be attending the next showing. Oh, and there’ll be plenty of rich folk there.” Alex winks at Tarkus. He had assumed he was the roguish type while drinking with him at the Drunken Lady on Barion Square. He picked up his order, which was bundled nicely on the counter, and left a small bag of gold in its place. Ivory was taking care of another customer and gave him a nod as he waved and walked out with Tarkus.
“You can come visit me Veracity’s guild hall sometime. The place is a wonder of architecture up in Barion Square. I'll give you a tour. That is, if this next Nebula doesn't come crashing down on the place.” They went their separate ways, Tarkus towards Lower Bethany and Alex towards Barion.
Inside Sacred Mind, Ivory was wrapping up a discussion with a curious Fae, Sapphira. “...so I use this mix to enhance the flux channeling abilities of blood. There’s ones that blocks it t-” Their conversation was cut short by the bells of Midway, signaling that only two hours remained until midnight. “Are you going?” Ivory asked, referring to the performance that the rest of the shoppers were leaving to go see. After a short conversation, the two were walking down to Lower Bethany.
At the
Church of Midway, Vulcure is standing at the door greeting everyone as they arrive. Next to him are
two golems, outfitted in full armor, decorative enough that their crystal cores are still visible. They were designs of Vulcure’s own making. Ever since he showed up on Y’vera, humans have experienced a technical renaissance. He brought with him knowledge of harnessing flux through crystals, which the Fae have adopted wholeheartedly (especially in their Port City Tarver), and a special form of magic that captures disembodied souls in crystals. It was as if Vulcure’s arrival was intentional, coming at a time when they needed the technology to recover from war.
Vulcure greeted each character, shaking their hands with his large stoney ones. From a distance Vulcure looked to be a very large human, but upon closer inspection you can see he is made of the very same stone that Delteria is crafted from. Somehow, you can tell life courses through him.
Inside, the performance is just beginning. Musicians changed from their festive jingle to a dramatic song. Several Fae fly out onto the stage, circling each other and leaving trails of sparkling light in their wake. Sapphira could fully appreciate the skill it took in flying so deftly while channeling the flux to create the magical trails. Fae naturally have more precise control over flux due to their size, but the trick still requires bouncing flux off their wings to help in flight while creating the vortex that makes the scintillating effect.
Out came several human magii. Humans have an affinity for magic, but only because their blood flow pattern is so perfect for channeling it. By carefully manipulating their airflow and heart rate, they can cast specific spells. Everyone's spells were slightly different from each other's as a result of biological differences as well as technique. The wizards all carefully conjured up fireballs to throw at each other while another came stomping across the stage in a Werewolf costume, pretending to be Coyote. A tyrannical woman, representing Cynthia, was struck down by the wolf, but soon after two wizards created ethereal swords and shields and charged shoulder to shoulder towards the wolf, striking him down in a magical explosion of color all over the entire cathedral. The crowd went wild with applause. As the magical dust cleared, Cynthia’s soul rose up into the sky and the injured werewolf hobbled away. The two brothers stood tall amidst more Fae gliding around them.
Then, in the large window behind them, a star sparkled bright, and began streaking across the sky. As the mages began casting another spell, everyone in the room got silent in anticipation of the re-enactment of the fall of Vulcure. Even the normally loud (but abnormally huge) Ogres in the back quitted down. The light behind the window got brighter and brighter before it finally broke through the metal framed glass in a fiery ball of destruction. It continued its rampage through the large gold plated symbol of The Archaeon before finally crashing into the stage where the two mages stood.
Most of the crowd is cheering on the performance, but in a moment clarity Sapphira, Ivory, and Tarkus realize this wasn't part of the play. An actual Nebula had fallen a couple hours early of midnight, choosing this cathedral to land in. Vulcure is sprinting across the Cathedral with his golems close behind. He runs up to the pile of metals, which is slowly taking shape….
