PCs: Hope

Run by: Shadowed Fortune (3xp)

Synopsis: Hope continues being harassed by members of the Courts of Fire- especially a giant tiger-god naming himself Deceptive Monsterous Spirit.

It's full night in the Silent Peaks, and the small camp fire Hope made for dinner has long banked down to dark, warm coals. The night is warm and pleasant, the last night on Descending Wood, and no moon is visible- the stars provide scant light, through even the scrubby foilage of the local trees.

To the north, there's a light- bright orange and yellow. A gust of wind brings the smell of smoke, and the faint, distant sounds of people yelling. A fire in the woods- and it has apparently spread to a nearby village.

As Hope approaches, she encounters several villagers running from the fires- but it's not hard to tell why. The forest is ablaze, the trees forming walls of flame that like hungrily for the dry wood of the trees. Thick, black smoke rolls heavily through the air, sending many falling to their knees. Not all do, however- one young girl is on her knees, weeping brokenly in the center of the village. It seems certain that smoke and heat will be the end of her soon, unless she moves.

And, in the distance, Hope catches sight of a familiar woman, dressed in bright, golden armor. She smiles and waves once, several hundred yards away in a woods that breaths with a heat like a forge.

Considering the goddess in in her sights, as she rushes towards the girl, Hope might as well try to kill two birds with one stone. Or in this case, save the girl and

kill the goddess. She wants to have her cake and eat it too. So, her entire body flares at full totemic form, her body surrounded by a bright golden radiance while prayer strips float about her.

She wrinkles her nose and plucks out a few arrows from her quiver, letting them flow with a golden light before releasing them towards the goddess. Hopefully it's three times the pain. Then she rushes towards the little girl.

She doesnt even look back to see if the arrows hit. She quickly runs towards the village and the little girl. In the distance, the arrows strike their mark, dissipating the goddess in a burst of essence. Oh yes, Hope has just added another reason why the Calendar spirits want her dead. She just destroyed yet another.

The goddess falls, her startled shriek being swallowed by the roar of the flames.

As Hope approaches the village, the girl shakes her head, waving weakly for you to leave. She's terribly pale, and shaking.

"Lawgiver..."

The voice is as rich and sweet as rich butter, and emerging from one of the village's houses comes a huge tiger- it's shoulder easily taller than most men. It was clearly crouched and squeezed into the house.

"Resplendent Sun," the same voice says, as another huge tiger emerges from another house. "Solar Thunder. Pillar of Heaven." Two more Tigers stalk forth from the shadow, Their strips shift constantly, and the fur glows slightly, giving the impression of banked coals. "Golden Bull. Hammer of Heaven." Another two tigers.

One final one, this one from behind you. "Blasphmous." A total of six tigers, all around you. All looking hungry, and angry.

"Know now, that the Deceptive Monster Spirit will not taunt you. He will not trick you into running into fires. He will hunt you, and he will chew the bones of those you love before spitting out your gristle, for the insults you have done to the Courts of Seasons."

"No. That is not what will happen. I am Hope. These people have been decimated enough and in your quest to hunt me dow you would hurt innocent people, let alone using the guise of a young girl. None of you will approach. I have destroyed your archer, I can easily do the same to all of you.."

With that said, she reaches back for more arrows, her eyes widening as she looks towards the various tiger spirits, not sounding afraid at all, but she is being pressed. Press too much and the Lawgiver will rage..again. And that wouldnt be good for anyone.

"You would rather kill me, and have these lands destroyed by Walker in Darkness, who seeks at this very moment to purge this land and all the kingdoms around it into the shadows? You would do that to creation, which you all are suppose to serve?!?!?" she cries out with a righteous boom of her voice.

The tiger's chuckle, then begin to circle around Hope. No matter how fast she turns, it seems another is always crossing behind her, where she can't see- or defend. "Zenith, I would rather take vengence for my fallen fellow gods," one of the tigers says.

"And teach humility, so that you may reincarnate into greater wisdom."

The young woman can always defend and see. It's one of those special things about her. A wry grin curls onto her lips as she snickers a little, an almost predatory grin curling onto her lips as she just looks towards the tigers.

"I think that would be another. I have killed a series of minions from allthe courts, and I believe I just added one of your expert archers to that list. Shall I add half a dozen tiger spirits as well?"

"Enough talk!" The roar comes from behind you, and the tigers seem to leap at once.

Okay. That hurt. A lot. The first tiger is easily swept aside, sidestepping with her natural dexterity. The second tiger gets lucky, and the young Solar cries out in pain as she gets swiped on the arm, causing a bit of bleeding from it's claws. Not wanting to get hurt, she has to play conservatively and melds with the shadows, becoming impossible to hit for the rest of the tigers.

When she finally reappears, having dashed as far away as she can to put some space between them. Her body glows with the radiance of the Sun himself and a wry grin curls onto her lips. "Ha! That is all you can do?" she asks, filled with her own hubris before pulling out three more arrows. The arrows glow with a golden light before she lets them go at the tiger that coordinated the attack..woosh!

The tigers chuckle, the one that drew blood pausing to lick his talons. "Lucky? We are not lucky, little Zenith... We are the Monsterous Deceiptive Spirit, and we are /legion/."

This is consideribly less intimidating when three arrows strike three tigers, causing them to vanish in a cloud of rust colored motes. The remaining three tigers glance between one another, and then pounce again- but strike nothing but air, as Hope manages to easily avoid their ill coordinated follow up attack.

The Tigers don't seem terribly off put by their failure to find flesh with the last barrage. They circle, and then pounce again, claws sharp, jaws terrible.

And then there's three more tigers. She sidesteps the first two swipes with relative ease, before blending into the shadows once more at the attack of the other three tigers. Hope continues bleeding from her arm, which could perhaps spur them on, who knows? She shakes her head a little while pulling out another three arrows and chews on her bottom lip.

"We are Legion. My ass, you are Legion." she says full of pride and perhaps overconfidence. And with that, the arrows fly again towards each of the tigers.

The remaining tigers vanish in a burst of ruset motes, their laughter dying away, in the crackle of the fire as the village is consumed.  Hope walks away, back to her camp, to nurse her clawed arm.