Twilight of the Goddess (Tygara)

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Tegaea Alcori"], [member="Abaigeal E'ron"], [member="Elincia Alanis"]

"Me, me, me. Has it ever crossed your mind that you suck at being a goddess? That maybe your people deserved better? I saved an entire race from devastation, what have you done? You are nothing but a petulant child who cannot see past her own petty desires."


Oh, dear, Siobhan was enjoying this way too much. What an ego trip. "I will conquer you with fire and blood. A new queen is ascending. And I shall uplift the Xioquo and raise them to greatness. Your name will be forgotten. For I am the Phoenix."


Sickly green and yellow light emanated from Siobhan's hands as she intensified her draining onslaught. Strain was all too evident across her features. Her eyes were twin obsidian orbs, here and there cracks had appeared in her skin and she was covered in sweat. Her heart thumped so loudly inside her chest that it felt like it might burst. Her breathing was getting out of control and her head was giving her hell. But at the same time she was filled with power. The time had come to end this. Even if it meant she had to completely overtax herself.


Her black heart was consumed by a desire to see Mystra break before her. She wanted crush the woman beneath her heel, grind her into dust and force her to look upon the destruction of all her works and despair. The palms of her hands seemed to glow as she used her arms as a conduit for the tremendous power she was calling upon. At this stage Siobhan was feeling so drained and hungry, but her determination, will and the support of her allies kept her going.


Pride swelled up inside her when she felt Tempest and Aba stand strong against the storm, channelling the power of the Dark and Light respectively. Tempest's word of defiance and declaration of loyalty to her warmed the Force Mistress' heart.


She hungered for Mystra's putrid essence...and her hunger would not be denied. Thus the darkside tendrils viciously gripped and clawd at the Xioquo demigoddess as Siobhan sought to gourge herself upon the woman's power and life force. The entire room was lit up by brilliant streaks of bright light as she drew upon the pure power of the Dark Side and sought to suck Mystra dry.

 

[Coci Heavenshield]

It was almost impossible to see with all the radiant light in the room, whether it be from the essence of the darkside or the light, so Abaigeal used the force in order to ‘see’ sending out her force to touch everything and everyone in the room to know exactly the location of her friends and enemy.

Kaida called on her power to alter the environment, dropping the temperature in the room so low it caused ice form on everything and Abaigeal’s skin felt cold but that did not matter at this point, they all have a job to do and so she focused on that rather than the cold. Mystra would feel the effect of it though, ice forming around her body but Kaida would have to keep it up in order for it to form a distraction for Sio. So would Abaigeal, one blast of the light side of the force not enough to cause damage but sustaining it would. Although this would drain her energy, she would do so until she fell to the ground exhausted if that is what it took to assist her mother.

The words from the evil witch of a woman, did little to effect Abaigeal, Jedi are so different from Jedi past and maybe this is a good thing or bad, only time would tell, but for now they all had one goal in their purpose regardless of alignment and that was to kill pure evil. Siobhan is her mother, but Abaigeal is lucky in the sense she has two and Iella was very much an angel of the light. Mystra would soon discover her mistaken in thinking the relationship between Sio and herself, was effected by alignment. Nothing in this galaxy is black and white, surely Mystra was not oblivious to this?

The answer to Mystra did not come in words, but a reinforced push of the lightside from Abaigeal, funnelling the stream of light from her core through her out stretched palms in the form of a spiralling blue light, hitting the centre of the Mystra.

The evil ‘goddess’ weakens with each application from all of them, and the build-up of pure power from Sio could be felt around them all. This only made Abaigeal more determine to fight on and use every resource she had to aid in the victory.

Abaigeal’s hand began to shudder, the lightside ripping from her body began to become incredibly powerful, and she would no longer hold back the raw energy which she released with her mouth dropping open to let out a roar of defiance.

​

[member="Tegaea Alcori"] | [member="Elincia Alanis"] | [member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]​

 

[Elincia Alanis]

The headache hit again, yet another attempt by the Mystra to do... things? She didn't understand a thing that the whisper said yet again. Yet it seemed to have some effect on her head as suddenly she had this feeling to hit her more. She was indeed a rebel, just because a ugly creature wanted her to do things she wouldn't do them so her mind was working the opposite. "Look, whatever you are saying I am not interested. Kark, lady, you are a Goddess stop acting like an annoying salesperson." She talked to herself, maybe the Goddess heard it too. It was her defense mechanism about things that she didn't understand, and it usually worked on her. But... the things that she said must've had an effect on others as one of them attack the ice lady. Never would've guessed before, she actually felt fear for the ice lady's safety, but seeing that she's fine and kicking, this foreign feeling passed quickly and she returned back to the scene. The next speech of her would be a bit unexpected from her, but it was still her style.

"I heard that the next one that betrays the Angelii is going to have a whole vacation with the ice lady. I don't recommend it." She made sure everyone heard her. It was kind of a joke and kind of serious, as Elincia always acted. But she knew people got the message. "I think the Goddess here need to "chill out" a bit." Her attacks got extreme, as the ice spears were now in such speed that was difficult to follow with the eyes going directly towards the Goddess, piercing her body as it touched her... skin or whatever was keeping her alive. And the others were helping as well, from everywhere elemental attacks struck the woman one by one, she was getting weaker, she could feel the headache going as the whole group struck her with whatever they got in their store. Now that was an epic scene!

[member="Kaida Taldir"] [member="Tempest"] [member="Abaigeal E'ron"]

 

[Tegaea Alcori]

[member="Elincia Alanis"] [member="Abaigeal E'ron"] [member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]

It was quite unfair, Mystra probably thought, that her great day of conquest would be interrupted by not just one powerful adversary, but a half dozen, with more supporting.

Even a being as strong as Mystra, born of the Dark Side and infused with the Force, could only endure so much.

Power flowed from Mystra’s hands, meeting the onrush of energy from Siobhan, Tempest, Abaigeal, the Angelii and more. Slowly but surely the power turned in the favour of the Alliance and Mystra’s web of power was pushed back until at last it touched her.

With a blinding flash all the elemental, dark and light Force energy contacted Mystra, and what remained of her essence collapsed. In its place a blasting shockwave rippled outwards, toppling pillars, raising the dust and shaking the floor.

Every one of the Alliance Force Users were knocked to the ground. For some the blast of energy was too much and they fell dead, but most managed to stumble upright to see that where their enemy had been now there was just rubble, dust…and a powerful feeling of the Dark Side remaining where the Dark Goddess had perished.

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Abaigeal E'ron"], [member="Tegaea Alcori"], [member="Elincia Alanis"]


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qzQahpxucKk

​

The Queen was dead. Long live the Queen.


Thus the killing blow finally struck. The epic collision of power caused a blinding flash of light that seemed to engulf the entire hall. So bright was the light that to stare into it was like looking into a white-hot reactor. Mystra's body was ripped apart and exploded in a cloud of crimson enegies. In her death throes, the malevolent witch unleashed a massive shockwave. Pillars topped to the ground and part of the roof caved in above them. The entire hall shook and epic clouds of dust billowed up into the air.


The last of Siobhan's energies were devoted to keeping the shockwave back, but then her power faltered and she was thrust to the ground. Pain embraced her body like an old friend and she was not in a state to resist its hug as all her exertions finally caught up with her. She breathed heavily, sucking in air greedily as she struggled to regain her equilibrium.


When she finally managed to stand, her legs felt like jellie. "Aba, Tempest, are you alright?" she exclaimed, concern evident in her tone. Her gaze fell upon where Mystra had stood, but there was no sign of their defeated opponent. But there was naught but rubble, dust and a powerful concentration of the Dark Side. Its corrupted power permeated the entire hall. The air around them had been suffused with its energies.


All the deaths that had taken place over the past three days had led to this single, pivotal moment, creating an area so tainted that it had become a Dark Side nexus. It had been baptised in the blood of the dead Angelii that seeped out of their bodies onto the stone floor. The concentration of dark power called to Siobhan like a siren. The entire hall was electric with power and she found its pull almost intoxicating. Rasping, disembodied voices brushed against her mind like a cold wind, carrying with them the memories of centuries of torment. Perhaps they were also an echo of Mystra, the only thing that remained of her after her essence had been consumed.


This is what you created.
We serve no master but our own ambition.
We are truly cut from the same cloth, you and I.
As moral as a hurricane, empty but for the force of our own gale.
Savour your victory while it lasts.
For one day your kingdom will be ashes.


A new order had arisen. Mystra's throne was now hers. She activated her comm, trying to get a connection to her wife's command post outside of the Underealm. "Tegs, it's Siobhan. Mystra is dead. The battle's over. We've got wounded here."

 

[Kaida Taldir]

[member="Tegaea Alcori"], [member="Abaigeal E'ron"], [member="Elincia Alanis"]


It was over at last. Mystra was slain. Only rubble, dust and a powerful feeling of darkness remained. The Jedi would have called it a nexus of the Dark Side, but the Eldorai did not have a dualistic conception of the Force.


Nonetheless, Vaena Askari was not blind to the concentration of dark power in this accursed hall. Truly, this had to be an echo of the malevolent witch they'd slain. A strong feeling of wrongness assaulted her senses. The whispers were like parasites trying to bore into her mind.


"The witch is slain. Glory to the Goddess. Sisters, see to our wounded," she ordered, giving Elincia a nod of acknowledgement. The girl was undisciplined and needed to embrace the True Faith, but she had performed well. Seeing that Kaida was down she quickly headed over to her. "Lady Seraph, are you alright?"


"Just peachey," Kaida said caustically. This actually raised Vaena's spirits a bit. As long as the Seraph could make bitchy comments, she was not doing too badly. "Get a casualty list and call in the healers. We're taking our dead. I don't want any of our sisters rotting in this cursed place."


Vaena nodded curtly. "Yes, Seraph. This place reeks of evil."

 

[Elincia Alanis]

The fight was over. Mystra was slain. Of course, not without a last attack. Her own being exploded, filling the air with a feeling of dread and suffering and she, with the effect of that explosion fell to the ground. Her chest ached as she fell because it wasn't the best of the landings, yet she was alive and well! "This isn't the definition of chilling out, Mys- whatever was your name." She said with a sarcastic voice and sighed, then pushed herself from the ground to sit. This place wasn't the best to be lying down. Then she looked at Host Leader Askari, and smiled with Elincia style as she saw that nod of acknowledgement. Finally, someone noticed her skills, and it was the beautiful fire lady, who she was a fan of. Then the reality hit. They just killed a Goddess! She started to laugh, as she took a breathe of fresh air which was filled with dread and suffering, yet she didn't care about that fact. "Sooooooooo, we just killed a Goddess, can you believe it?!" She said, in her voice there was a childish tone of proudness and excitement.

The same healer who she spilled some water, which was totally the healer's fault because she hurt her!, came to her aid again. The two shared some looks, but then started to laugh. The happiness that the victory gave was bigger than some childish fight. "Well, I believe it wouldn't hurt more than the Goddess, huh?" She winked, and healer replied. " 'Water' you talking about? It will hurt like hell." Yep, she didn't forget about the water and even responded Elincia style. Great! "Good one." She laughed. Even though she was Elincia, she would very much enjoy a pun. And soon, she realized the healer wasn't lying. It hurt like hell.

[member="Kaida Taldir"] [member="Tempest"] [member="Abaigeal E'ron"]

 

[Qual'Zyanya]

[member="Tegaea Alcori"]


The death of as powerful a being as Mystra caused ripples in the Force. The psychic scream she let loose upon being disintegrated shook all of Tlalixque. Her death was the grand finale of three days of slaughter, bloodshed and tragedy. Ere the third day was over, the Xioquo would rue the moment they believed raising her from her slumber would be the panacea for their troubles.


Every Force-user in the Underealm felt her passing and the tremendous explosion of power that accompanied it. Zyanya stood upon the threshold, both literally and figuratively. Night had fallen upon the land and the darkness outside matched the one within the Underealm's vast caverns and tunnels.


In the far distance, she could see the sky people's warships traverse across the seas, along with the wrecks of the Xioquo's ironclads. Once her people's fleet had been the bane of all of Tygara. They had struck without warning and spread terror wherever they went. But their fortunes had changed. They had been so wrong and believed they could defeat the foreign devils using the same tactics as against the Qadiri infidels and had paid for this folly.


Never again. All these deaths would be avenged. Then she felt the Queen perish. Zyanya winced slightly. It was like a wild, dying beast was screaming and thrashing for one last time before finally passing away. "It is done. Myrou is dead," she said quietly. Good riddance.


In her heart of hearts, she could not quite believe it. She had not thought the Queen was a deity, but even she had been awed by her terrible power. But now she had fallen as well. In her final moment, she had been as mortal as everyone else.


"There are no deities. Only people with great power who forge their own destinies and exact their will upon the world, trampling upon anyone who opposes them." In that regard, there was no difference between Kerrigan and Myrou. Both were the same. Two megalomaniacal women obsessed with being worshipped.


"This is the funeral pyre of the old empire...and a new beginning," the Sky Woman spoke philosophically, turning to face Zyanya. A powerful aura surrounded her, projecting command without effort. "Are you ready to begin your new life?"


The answer was obvious and the words left Zyanya's tongue without needing any thought. "Yes," she said coldly. "I will serve you, but I shall be a vassal, not a slave. Nor shall I call you Mistress. I will learn from you so that one day the Xioquo may return to greatness and I shall avenge the wrongs inflicted upon us. As long as I breathe, I shall not relent. Or bend a knee to false deities."


Sumiko's lips curled into a smile, but it was not a pleasant or a warm one. Instead it was cruel, malicious and sent chills down Zyanya's spine. The Sky Woman's eyes were wells of nothingness, but the Xioquo did not avert her gaze. "Good. Then come with me. I have such wonderful things to show you...acolyte."

 

[Darth Libertas]

[member="Tegaea Alcori"]


"Choose someone as a successor and you will inevitably be succeeded.
Choose someone hungrier and you will be devoured.
Choose someone quicker and you won't dodge the blade at your back.
Choose someone with your patience and you won't block the blade at your throat.
Choose someone more devious and you'll hold the blade that kills you.
Choose someone more clever and you'll never you know your end.
Despite these cautions, an apprentice is essential. A Master without an apprentice is a Master of nothing."


The voice of Souldrinker cackled with amusement. The unpleasant laughter resonated in Sumiko's mind. "Hahaha. Quoting the Lord Darth Sidious, are we? I thought you were so terribly insistent on not being Sith, girl."


Sumiko made the mental equivalent of a shrug. "For all that I reject their self-defeating philosophy and have no patience for the modern Sith, I know I can draw lessons from the ancients. There's a lot you can learn from Sidious."


"Well, I'm sure you know what you're doing and aren't deceived by their pretty ears, oh great mistress. Taking on Illyria, then the deluded drow girl. You are nurturing two vipers in your bosom. I'd suggest not turning your back to her or Illyria too many times."


"Oh, I have no illusions about their devotion. I don't seek a loving sisterhood of shiny and happy darksiders. Both are bound to me out of practicality. I'd be disappointed if either makes a move too soon due to a foolish sense of pride," Sumiko responded coolly. "Zyanya will be tempered in my forge. I will strip her delusions from her mind and mould her." Perhaps Illyria would loathe the girl, perhaps she would combine with her. Either way, Sumiko would make use of them.


"To what end, girl?"


"Why, power, control, revenge..." For without power, one dies. She looked one last time at the Firemane battleships in the distance, then guided her new Xioquo minions away. They would not depart the planet...not yet. The elves would have to get used to the idea of space travel first, but they would vanish for the time being. There was much to be done. Thus the small group disappeared into the night. Let Kerrigan enjoy the spoils of victory. Perhaps one day they'd clash.


"That would be delightful, wouldn't it? We both know she will stop at nothing to destroy anyone who threatens her power. For without power, one dies." The sword's malicious laughter was her constant companion.

 

[Tegaea Alcori]

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"] [member="Nima Tann"] [member="Abaigeal E'ron"]

Tegaea, for once, had not needed any space magic. Outside the Underealm she had suddenly shivered despite her heavy clothes. A great wind had blown out of the dark tunnel and voices on the edge of hearing had wailed and finally faded.

She picked up the commlink eagerly though. “Siobhan, thank the Goddess. That’s great news! I’ll send medics in immediately heading to your beacon. Are you…you okay?” she asked timidly.
Thanking any deity was not something she did, considering she was pretty much agnostic, but the relief in her had made it burst out.

Meanwhile, in the chamber the fallen stones had mostly blocked the exit from the chamber, but even so few dared try. The feeling of the Dark Side was thick in the room. It hung in roiling fogs close to where Mystra had been destroyed, a permanent reminder of the battle fought there.

When Alliance troops pushed into the city though there was now no resistance at all. Their Goddess had fallen and there was now no fight in any of the Xioquo in the city. Those few who could not stomach submission had slipped away into the tunnels, seeking deeper caves and chambers from where they could carry on, but for all intents and purposes the battle was over.

It would now be for the Alliance to win the peace.

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Tegaea Alcori"], [member="Elincia Alanis"]


War is cruelty. There is no use trying to reform it. The crueler it is, the sooner it will be over. War is hell. It was over at last. The Queen had made her last stand and lost. Her armies were crushed, her people broken. It had been neither kind nor gentle, but war was not a game you won by simply strolling in and converting evildoers. The Xioquo had been bled white, now it was time to win the peace.


"Yeah, I'm fine, love. Little sore...but I'll manage. Tell Galina I'm ok," she responded. The battle was over, but she was still on the battlefield with her troops, many of whom were injured and needed medical care. Hence the lack of lovey-doveyness in her words.


She surveyed the carnage the battle had caused. The feeling of the Dark Side was strong in the thoroughly ruined chamber. It seemed to clog the air. A thick fog engulfed the area where Mystra had made her last stand. Anyone who visited this room would have a permant reminder of the battle that had been fought here.


If they got close enough, their mind might be touched by visions, echoes of the past. "Instruct Aeda to secure the city. I'm passing tactical command to her. And make Ardashir understand I want him to keep his troops on a leash. Looting will not be tolerated. Apparently we created a darkside nexus. The Fire Order will secure it," she looked towards Tempest. After all, it was vital to ensure that such a power source did not fall into the wrong hands. Naturally the right ones were Siobhan's. Her eyes swept across her companions. "Well done, everyone. It's over. You've earned yourself awards."


Siobhan felt no exultation, only a feeling of relief that the battle was over. The troops had fought bravely and would be rewarded, the dead would be honoured and remembered. She would have lots of letters to write to their kin.


Medics soon arrived on the spot after engineers used det charges to blow away the fallen stones that blocked the exit. The battle was over for the girls. Meanwhile, Alliance troops were securing Tlalixque. There was no fight left in the Xioquo in the city. Here and there, the invaders were greeted as liberators and towering statues of Mystra and Xioquo matriarchs were toppled.


However, in many cases the natives' response was that of resignation. An entire civilisation had been shattered, the casualties were staggering. There was a complete breakdown of order when Xioquo commoners and slaves looted the mansions of the rich and privileged, taking revenge and seizing spoils. Lynching was not uncommon and so highborn were soon being left for dead in the streets. Order would have to be restored, with force if needed. That was obviously quite similar to how the Sith or Empire would have handled things, but it was the only way.

 

[Tegaea Alcori]

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"] [member="Abaigeal E'ron"] [member="Elincia Alanis"]

At last it was over. The ancient Xioquo fortress had fallen, their warriors overthrown and their people humbled. Soon enough there would come a more difficult time for the Alliance; to consolidate what had been won.

For now though the paths were cleared, troops moved in with food to feed the population, and the bodies were brought out. These losses had not been light, over a hundred Angelii killed or crippled, several hundred other Eldorai or Firemane troops and several thousand Qadiri. However, once and for all the Xioquo power had been broken and their nation lay in ruins.

As the intrepid heroes ventured into the light of day a new dawn was breaking, literally and figuratively. Victory had been achieved, and the planet of Tygara made safe for all.

-FIN-