{ HORSEMEN END } The Purge is over/ THE TOUR (p.4!)

[Zoobey]

You wake up.

The world has changed and Medea has fulfilled her promise. She stands in front of you now, at the base of the tower. The tower still remains, from base to tip, though the top is crumbling, just slightly, just barely visible above the clouds, above the desert.

Medea is waiting. She stands proud, yet no longer frenzied with the power of Destruction. There is no shame, she has completed her task, her arms, legs, charred, peeling. There is no shame, she has freed the horsemen from eternal purgatory. Now, they would never be forgotten.

Behind her are grey shapes. They look like fallen horsemen. They rise like ranks behind her, unwavering. They are the forsaken, the taboo horsemen that died yet could not truly die. They too, are given a second chance, a rebirth.

Medea speaks. "The age of isolation, the age of neglect is over. There are those with power who lead who would change who we are to adapt to something we are not. Now you will have a true leader and we will become once again what our name represents. Do not fear your power, do not fear mine. We are the Four Clans and we are the true descendants of the Old Gods. That is the difference between us and them. Our lineage, our heritage, our right was created from the very beginning, when Fear was known as worship. Their power, their legacy lives in us and only us."

"There was much strife between the old clans and this too shall be resolved. Do not resent what has happened, for I see your resentment, and I see your shame. There is no shame, but do not forget your ancestry and your legacy. You cannot escape it. We, as horsemen, all have the greatest potential in our paths, each of us, if we so chose to, could become the gods that were worshipped by so many civilizations prior. No clan is stronger, or weaker than the other, we are unified, and we are singular, our goal is our birthright. Each of us contain the potential to move forward, contain the potential to remind humans of our Fear and why we were once the strongest, why once for one thousand years ruled both worlds, and left in the world so much of our Legacy."

"I am your leader but I speak for all. Let us work together to a mutual goal, in the same steps as our old clan. Conquest , to take what is ours and advent the coming, Famine, the spread of decay amongst our enemies, War, the spread of the fire and finally Death, the reunion between the enemy and our blades. We are four and we are one. From our battles we ill rise as the Four clans, no longer lost. We will rise as the heir to the gods, as the only true heirs."

To those words, Medea stretches out one her hands. She is still powerful. She is still dangerous. She is still a formidable ally. "Join me and you will have rank, and you will have true power. Work hard and be rewarded. Your rank, your achievements, will be remembered. Betray me and you betray your clan, and your very purpose. I am your Queen and I am your spoken word. We do not fear Halloween or Hunters. We are horsemen, older than both, the creator of both. This is our new power and this is how we will be remembered."

Behind her, the grey shapes shift. Medea continues, spreading her hand towards them. "I am not foolish enough to think I am immortal, I too will one day fall, but our clans will always remain for those who follow in our footsteps. Your fallen brothers an sisters will have a home again, and will be complete. Join me, and reunite. Join us and beyond us is the world you have craved ever since your separation."

OOC

THE CHOICE:

BACKGROUND CONTEXT:
- "Old gods" are a term that all horsemen are most likely aware of. They refer to the creatures of Fear that dominated the world prior to the creation of Halloween. In history the greatest of those Fear creatures were known as "Gods", and were given many names (re: Hades, Pluto). There were also lesser gods and beings that resided during their reign, the Humans fully aware of their existence. Over time the Old Gods' power was scattered as Humans fought and forgot them, and the remaining few either faded to obscurity or in rare occasions, adapted (re: Hades/Pluto --> Ancient of Death, Chronos --> Ancient of Time). Their spawn, their creations, their legacies dwindled, until they rallied together again and formed what is known as the horsemen.

- All horsemen MUST make a choice. Join Medea, or leave her. If you have a horsemen from this point onwards, and you did not visibly choose to leave, you will have "joined" the rewriting of the Lost Clans into the Four Clans. Simply rp doing so, and feel free to write/convince/ etc other horsemen to do so as well. The next tag will begin on Tues at 11:59 PM PST as Medea shows you the restructured "tower" for those who stayed.
- All those who stay with Medea are considered part of the "Four Clans". This will be a multi part RP so please stay tuned for the grand tour! A lot of the horsemen lore and information will be rewritten from this point onwards to suit the new Four Clans, including tasks from Medea, and a new system of reaping Fear, greatly repurposing the horsemen.
- Lastly, if you are uncertain if your horsemen wishes to join the Four Clans, the second form of persuasion is that many of the shadows that have gathered behind her resemble those of your fallen clansmen, the ones that fell from the original Four Clans. Your horsemen may recognize some of them, perhaps some are even family. There is a very strong incentive of reunion as well.

- For those who chose to leave, you please join the students HERE. At this point you will be branded as "stray" horsemen, and your power will be stripped to Y1 student stats. There is a small consequence for choosing the losing side as the horsemen begin to restructure themselves.
- All stray horsemen may do as they please in Amityville and Deus. They are not allied to anyone, though they can make alliances etc. They will receive sanctity as Citizens of Halloweentown as well and take up a small business there as well as be able to take classes. They are however, forbidden from killing Humans as they are under Halloween's laws now. Stray horsemen cannot weaponize, without power or direction.
- Strays may rejoin the clans if they so wish as plot element in the future, so your choice is not solidified. In addition, a horsemen that joined the clans now can become a stray in the future, for whatever indefinite period of time they wish. Stays, when joining events in the future will look at the "STUDENT" prompt, the same as any citizens who join prompts in the future.

 

[chiickadee]

Ying nearly killed herself on the spot. It would have been faster, more efficient. Everything she believed in. Everything she had fought so hard to protect. It was all washed away in a single move of Medea's hand. Her mind replayed death's destruction over and over with a crack, crack-

-crack.

She would not listen to Medea's sermon, promising glory and honor in the name of destruction. That was not honorable. There was no glory in the slaughter of innocence.

Ying was innocence.

Crack.

She said nothing, merely began walking back towards her lair. Once there, she gathered up her things, left a small note for Jing, and covered herself in a hastily stitched together cloak. Everyone was out helping Medea, so a single Conquest horseman didn't go unnoticed.

The clock had run out. Her time here was up.

bloodlust dante

My dearest brother Jing,
I cannot write much, and I apologize for such messy, crude writing. I know you would be ashamed to see how far my calligraphy skills have fallen.
Medea rules the clans now. Her path is not one I wish to walk down.
I do not expect you to come with me. In fact, I beg that you stay with the Lost- the Four Clans. You will be safe and well-fed. I wish that you stay safe, and well-fed above all else.
Please come visit me in Halloween? I do not know where it is I will take residence, but it is not that far away and I am not dying. I will need your company.
I love you very much, my brother, my Jing. Always.

There was no signature, as the letter needed none.

Crack.  

[kuropeco]

He stood there, arms at his sides, no longer the false Golden King of Edric, but instead Mengyao Miao, Elder Horseman of Conquest; a fact that he knew and yet still had some difficulty trying to figure out after all that had happened. It felt like a terribly confusing dream inside of his head, one that was mingled with several different events all at once; and until he had a moment to decipher just what everything meant, he was under the very strong impression that his head would continue to ache in the fashion that it did now.

Medea stood in front of them, the tower spindling upwards behind her; and Mengyao looked at her with a mixture of confusion, disgust, and curiosity, in spite of himself. He still did not trust the priestess, not in the worshipful way that many did; but in this case, her methods had worked.

The Ancient that had opposed her - opposed them - was gone, and in return Medea had given them back a fraction of what they had been owed. There was a place to return to now, a place that was not on some reservation like they were kept creatures, like they were pets of Halloween. Here and now they would be able to do as they pleased, work towards rebuilding what they had lost.

There was really no choice except the obvious one to be picked.

He supposed it was inevitable, really, as Mengyao stood in front of Medea, his braided hair falling over one shoulder. She had proved herself to be chaotic, yes, and self-serving, certainly, but when it came down to everything, her purpose and goal had been synonymous with his own.

Maybe now - maybe finally they could begin to move forward.

And Mengyao fully intended to move forward with Medea.

He glanced around for those he knew; Lifen, at least, was safe at home, and so it was Lan that he looked for (he needed to talk with her about something in particular) - and also, a little grudgingly, a certain clingy Famine Horseman who had a tendency to appear whenever Mengyao least expected it.

istoleyurvamps

just letting you know he's here

astraei

just letting you know he's here

 

[Pixie Nyxie]

Aeron landed softly with the rest of the horseman gathered (so far Meng....and it was awkward to talk to the conquestian), so Aeron did what Aeron always did best.

He crossed his arms over his chest and waited for Lan to come find him.

They also needed to talk....ABOUT THINGS.

SEDUCING THINGS.

Maybe after he told her that he decided that following Medea further would be the best option for all ponies involved.

Belatedly, he was looking around for the war pair (Shikeen) as well. The two would be more then elated at this new state of their clans.

iStoleYurVamps

Kuroopu

Ol-j-Man

Seussi

 

[Blade Kuroda]

Tseng was there. Oddly silent. He was torn still, very uncertain of.. everything. Everything Medea said was all very promising but he wasn't sure if this was the right path. Was this the path of a hero? A part of him shouted with vigor that yes, of course it was.

The other...

Well. The other had doubts.  

[its me debz]

Lurks did not agree with everything she had to say-- Famine was first and best, but she was an outsider and her misunderstanding was to be expected. Even for someone as childish and capricious as he, Lurks could understand the sacrifice she'd made so that they, as a whole, could move forward.

He remembered death, and that his parents were gone, and for a long time. But there they were, lingering, a familiar pair of faces.

Scurrying to Waits' side, Lurks sought out his brother's skeletal hand, childish and needy, clutching it if Waits would allow it.

"Do you see them?" he whispered, eyes round as saucers, "do we go with her? I do not want to be weak. I very much liked being strong and so many..."

chirigami

big bro hapl

 

[Midnightglow18]

Eye looked at Medea and the others, she was still worried, did this mean Medea would wish to rule over all Halloween?? Even if it did, if she did leave the clan and try to make a life for herself in town, wouldn't she just end up a victim like everyone else not part of the clan? She saw faces in the shadows, and that called to her. Her parents and two best friends, but were they even real? So much was uncertain in all the mess and Eye was still uncertain what to do..  

[Carhop Cavalier]

Uttam was stuck in shock and paralyzed with horror. He saw faces he didn't want to see - mother, father, sisters and brothers, and his nephews. Oh Gods, his poor nephews. Medea preached power, belonging, and made it well known that if they were not with her, they were her enemy.

Uttam hated her, and the thought of innocent slaughter, but he couldn't say no. He wasn't brave, he had no real resolve - fighting Shaheen and Shikoba only happened because of stress compounded with a will to fight for his friends.

His friends who he'd attempted to hurt, because of the b***h woman. The all powerful b***h. He grudgingly stepped over the imagined boundary towards Medea, eyes cast down low and hood of the shawl pulled over his face. He didn't want recognition - he didn't want to be seen.

What would Sal do, he wondered? How would Hel react to all this? He fidgeted as he looked up to see his nephew's gaunt and pained face. This wasn't right - but neither was the other option.  

[Grey Dragon]

Cymbeline, no longer a raging skeletal horse with cicadas for skin, moved to stand beside Medea, but there was an almost disapproving look in her Insanity-filled eyes.

"Your dark methods leave much to be desired, Destruction," Cymbeline said directly to the Priestess. She appeared to have no fear of speaking back, but the Heir could be said to have no fear of anything. She had accepted her own death and revival as a matter of course and remained unchanged, unscarred by the process. The mad grin returned, Insanity tempered by her twisted intelligence. "There is much you would discard. Even the spoken word will be lost to the world if the teeth are gnashing and biting the tongue off~"

Although the words themselves could be considered a choice in themselves, Cymbeline's sing-song tone was light, almost comfortable and mildly cautionary. And when she grinned, there was still that dark look in her eyes. Free reign to crush whatever she wanted, it was a thrilling prospect, but at the same time, she had been named Protector by this very creature of Destruction in front of her. The voice of "Protector" was now amongst the hundreds, it spoke as loudly as the rest.

Destruction was delightful, she would be the first to agree, but it had fallen upon the horsemen as heavily as their enemies. It had been mindless. And Cymbeline would continue to be wary of such indiscriminate twisting of the flesh and mind that had once seized those of her clan...

She would lend herself to Medea. If she were no longer Clan, no longer a Heir or a Protector, she would have no influence for change. She would see her clan, her fierce, warring, healing horsemen, whole again.

Zoobey

 

[mare]

There was nothing to be said, only a decision to make. He wasn't a leader, he had no desire to rally his people further for if they could not make the decision on their own, they would waver, he was sure, on the path ahead, and battle left no room for hesitation, he would not sacrifice himself for those who couldn't make up their minds.

He knew his choice immediately, without hesitation or doubt. Too long had they sat idle, waiting for someone to save them, to give them direction. They had a direction now, a driving force, and he was determined to follow it. Slowly the soldier threaded his way through the gathered horsemen, not pushing but slinking past with purpose until he stood before Medea.

And then, he knelt.

"Priestess," he spoke, "You have my faith, and my scythe. The Garrison stands behind you."

Zoobey

Lilwolfpard

LividPeas

OnionGrump

just quoting you to let you know gou doesnt have a choice! >D

 

[Lilwolfpard]

A decision needed to be made, options to be weighed. Medea gave the gathering an option to leave, to not stand with her. To join the other side.

As far as he was concerned, there was no other choice, because his decision was already made.

Moving his way through the masses as best he could he found himself arriving to stand before Medea around the same time as Yuri. Mimicking him, he knelt before their once and always priestess. "Yes." He said, agreeing with Yuri who had already spoken for the Garrison. Elric normally allowed the white haired ashen soldier to speak for him always, he only added to it to show his loyalty to the Four Clans, and Medea.  

[chirigami]

A decision needed to be made, and Waits found it troublesome when neither side seemed to have a swaying factor. Medea's methods and ideology weren't everything that he desired, even though he had to kind of appreciate her efforts as extreme as they were; they weren't something he could see himself putting forth ever. But going against her power - could he see it as betrayal when he never was loyal? - would mean losing his own and leaving behind his clan. He was still apart of it even if he never had made 'friends.'

The alchemist did not shy away from the hand that reached for his, allowed Lurks' to grip his. He did not squeeze back but at least leaned a little close to his brother. (He would never push him away).

"I do." He replied in a hush tone, his half lidded eyes upon the figures behind the Priestess ascended - noticing their Heir as well approaching the mare. "I do not know," he continued, "but I share the same sentiments even if neither option seems favorable."

astrazilla

 

[its me debz]

"It is the best choice," he said, "for right now."

The lingering afterthought of: We can change our mind later. We choose who we obey. We will be strong, but on our terms.

Looking up at waits, Lurks nodded once, then twice, his decision becoming more resolute with each passing second.

"For now," he said, skittering to join Medea. "For now."

chirigami

 

[baby_gwing]

Yves felt a wave of relief wash over him the moment he woke up to Medea addressing them all at the base of the tower. For a moment there he had almost followed through with the notion that all of them had been had by the priestess. Anyways, it was good to know in the end that all their efforts hadn't been for naught.

He needed no further prompting when Medea called for the Horsemen to join her after speaking briefly about the past and then about the days to come. He hadn't gone through all the tasks and battling to get so far only to back out now. Taking a step towards Medea to indicate his inclination, he turned to look around to see if any of his brethren and a certain Death Guardian would follow likewise.

Pixie Krysta Ordreg