Witches Reign

[Balamb Garden surged forward through the black predawn hours, racing across the Great Plain of Esthar. 22 years ago, mobile Gardens had no access to the continent, but in the course of the decades and the increased goodwill between Balamb and Esthar, a large portion of the rocky cliffs had been demolished and graded, making an access ramp for the academies.]

[The night was completely black. The moon was new, and thus not out, and clouds covered the sky from horizon to horizon. In the distance, though, a sickly white-yellow light illuminated the low-hanging cloud cover.]

[The Time Compression distortion above Tears Point lanced into the sky past the clouds, a mighty finger of warped light that stood literal miles high. At its base, Tears Point faded in and out of view like a mirage.]

[The Ragnarok and the Chaotix docked with Balamb as the academy shuddered to a halt just outside of the projected worst-case scenario blast. Already loaded with supplies and ready for transport, the two airships held motionless just long enough for the combatants to board before lifting off, as the first rays of dawn ran across their hulls.

[Visible to the south, on the opposite side, three other airships raced to Tears Point: two literal sailing ships with propellers in place of sails, and one mighty large enough to engulf the other two a dozen times over. They landed in formation, and the army of Sol Invictus -- not just foot soldiers, but mighty vehicles and weapons of war -- emerged from its depths to form lines.]

[Not intentionally, but simply as a matter of the ebb and flow of the tides of war, Balamb Garden and Sol Invictus struck at the same time.]

[At first it was to no avail: the machinery of Tears Point, meant to repel the Lunatic Pandora, had been resurrected and repurposed; the mighty field they formed served as a mighty wall, repelling all efforts to breach it. But as Lunatic Pandora had ultimately overwhelmed it, so too did the field seem vulnerable to the massed might of its foes. From the SeeDs, blows, spells, and an abundance of rockets smashed into the field, weakening it with each impact, while on the other side Sol Invictus unleashed an astonishing fusillade of technological and magical might of their own. The generators whined and hummed in furious protests, their engines straining to counteract the onslaught. A couple of ranks in, the first machine to fail popped in brilliant flare of light, electricity arcing across its neighbors and smoldering metal shotgunning outwards.]

[As if signaled, a wave of monsters -- almost literally, the way they surged outwards between the protective devices -- passed through the one-way field effortlessly, smashing into the assembled lines. Though numerous, they were comparatively week; the might of Sol Invictus, and the training and discipline of the SeeDs and cadets, met their attack and repelled it with minimal loss. The monsters, however, seemed endless. Time Compression continued to surge and write, depositing wave after wave of foes to harry and harass those who opposed the Time Compression Mage's ultimate goal, and though those monsters could not dispatch his enemies, they accomplished their purpose nonetheless.]

[The great Time Compression Distortion abruptly shuddered, then without warning, disgorged a massive shape all at once, more like that great form had always been there than as if it had in some sense emerged from the distortion. Three miles tall, one and half wide; a gargantuan metal structure than shone as if with veins of light, almost obscuring the symbol of Esthar on its side.]

[Lunatic Pandora.]

[At once, the field machines short-circuit in a pyrotechnical display that would have been awe-inspiring if not for the appearance of the Lunatic Pandora itself. The sudden shift of tidal forces was gut-wrenching, enough to drive weaker people to their knees from vertigo and nausea. In the sky above, the new moon burned a brilliant red, a long finger stretching from its surface towards the earth.]

[The field is down, but the monsters continue to surge forwards. Somewhere inside, the Time Compression Mage harnesses the massive tidal forces generated by the Crystal Pillar for his own ends. An army with a common goal fights on the opposite side of the pillar, but is the enemy of your enemy your friend?]

[The Lunar cry has begun.]

[OOC: Post to the threads below, or start your own if you have a scene you wish to do. There is no tagging order; respond as you see fit. Mod tags may come at any time. You may also NPC monsters or encounters yourselves if you desire. If you are specifically requesting a mod tag, please put some indication in the subject line of your comment. The OOC planning post is here!]

[This video is uploaded to the BBS under ID#GUEST -- which is likely the first time anyone has seen this new feature in the system. The person it features is a man, handsome in a vaguely bland sort of way, who could be anywhere from eighteen to forty. He wears simple brown robes, his hands folded into the opposite sleeves, and thought he smile, there is no mistaking the seriousness of his tone.]

Good morning, residents of Balamb Garden. I have heard of you, and I expect in turn that many of you have heard of me. I am the Time Compression Mage.

I am certain you will doubt this claim, but it is true. On my own world, I am a scholar of chronomancy and spatial alterations; here, my studies and my natural talent have given me an ability to manipulate the distortion of time and space we know as Time Compression.

[He lifts his hands, sliding them out of the sleeves to reveal long, fine fingers unadorned by jewelry. He speaks a few words that have no meaning in any language, makes a few passes with his hands, and then holds them half a foot apart in a cupping gesture. A ball of wrongness grows between them; those who observed the source of the jam flood might recognize this strange distortion.]

I have come to Balamb Garden to offer all of you who, like me, are displaced from their worlds... a way home.

Over Tears Point, which is the nexus of interactions for the forces that bind the world and the moon, sits a great distortion of compressed time. In slightly over one week, the forces will reach a temporal peak due to the combination of the moon's location and the approaching solstice. At that time, I will be able to manipulate the distortion. Those who are present at Tears Point will have the process that brought them here reversed.

You will go home.

[He lowers his hands, and the ball of distortion disappears as if it never was.]

I have directly requested the formal and official aid of Garden, but I hope those of you who are at liberty will aid me no matter what. I cannot promise any other person will be able to do what I can do. This may be our only hope to go home.

I have been graciously offered lodging here for the time being, so I make myself available to you. I know you must doubt my claims, or me; I invite you to put me to the test.

[The so-called Time Compression Mage inclines his head solemnly, and here the video ends.]

[Beneath the video, a transcript of his speech follows, along with a note that the video was posted on behalf of the Time Compression Mage, who does not have further access to the Garden intranet. Students and staff may discuss amongst themselves in response to this post, but the Mage will not see or reply.]

[As for the Time Compression Mage himself: true to his word, he has set himself up in an unused office for the time being, and is spending that time in study and research. Books sit on his desk and drawings and charts take up much of the walls. Nevertheless, he has made himself available to anyone who wishes to approach him.]