Aid Returned

[bravenewmods]

The dust hardly settled on the destruction wrought in the streets of Union before the emergency signal hummed to life, a familiar voice beginning to cut through the static.

“...you hear me? This is General Ironborn. We detected an interference with the warp band’s signal. We’re sending a team there to investigate.”

Then another, her voice commanding over the noise.

“Matriarch Frea. Our scouts noticed a disturbance during one of their routine missions in your area. I’m sending a group of Valkyries to investigate.”

Quickly, more voices began flooding the signal, each one nearly running off into each other.

“This is Clement, from Sanctuary. Our oracles noticed a disturbing aura around your city. We’re sending anyone and everyone we can to help.”

“Captain Ingrid from Glacier, reporting. We noticed unusual activity in your direction and are on our way to grant aid. We have a debt to repay the people of Union, after all.”

Soon, voices from all over began to cascade over one another, giving orders, requesting further assistance to the city, inquiring about Union’s safety and sending words of goodwill. It became nearly impossible to discern one voice over the other, and their words ran into one another. But one thing was certain: In their time of need, Union had help on the way.

Frea’s Valkyries were the first to make it into the city, followed quickly thereafter by Ingrid’s troops. The Steel Battalion, led by Ironborn himself, strode through the gates by midday, and by evening aid from those individuals and settlements impacted by Union’s steadfast goodwill flooded the gates. Food, medical supplies, and, most importantly, a much-needed morale boost. Many stayed outside of the city’s gates, both out of necessity, as well as an added assurance that the city would not see another attack; they would watch the back of the city that had done the same for them.

Over the next few weeks, Union will see a surge of aid coming from all directions of the known world, as the city does its best to rebuild. Faces old and new will come together to help ensure that the people of Union will be well taken care of, their homes rebuilt and their lives hopefully put back on track. This was their way, after all, and Union always was the city to lead by example.


[[OOC: This post acts as the final post for the event. Players are encouraged to thread out parts of the rebuilding process, as well as interact with a few familiar faces that they might find within their city.]]

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NPC Catch-All

[bravenewmods]

[ A number of outside assistance will be flooding into the city. Characters find a familiar face here. ]

[sleepingvalkyrie]

Of the five Valkyrie that had arrived in Union with her, two had died in the fighting overnight, slain not by the dragon but in combat against unknown assailants. A third had been hit by falling masonry when one of the residential towers fell, unable to protect herself after using her abilities to knock civillians aside. Though exhausted and her own broken left arm was bound up in splints and bandages, Gwendolyn had stayed the night by her side until Kreela breathed no more.

She had no way of knowing if Ruta and Skuldi had made it past the border. So when word came through that allies were coming, that Citadel was sending more of their own to Union, Gwendolyn ignored the doctors' very sound advice and left the medical tents. There would be time after to seek out Sanae and Mami, to plan funeral services for her wing-sisters..

Muninn napped on her uninjured shoulder, pleased and puffy feathered with his own participation in fighting the God, while Myris chittered disapprovingly at her heels. She knew how tired the silver-haired girl still was. But Gwendolyn was determined to be present near the gate once other Valkyries arrived.

[bnw_mari_npcs]

The Valkyries are arriving, all right, but they aren't alone. Dismounting from her unusual Pokémon, a young woman in her mid-twenties dressed in furs takes a look around the inside of the gate and whistles. The Pokémon just grunts, however, shifting beneath the multitude of packs it's carrying.

"Shivering Sawsbuck, it's warm here!" the woman exclaims before noticing she has company. Her expression brightens when she sees Gwendolyn. "You're from Citadel, right? That's a nice job." She nods at Gwendolyn's arm. "Where're they keeping the wounded?"

[sleepingvalkyrie]

That is a lot of packs. And a very unusual pokémon! He certainly catches more than a few eyes, including Gwendolyn's, though she does make a beeline for her kinsmen first. But once one is addressed, it's rude to ignore the comment of someone in the company of her fellow Valkyrie.

"Yes, I am.. I'm told that their winter only gets a little heavier. It's nothing like the border near the frozen wastes, though." Incredibly mild, by comparison. There's a pause, and silver head tilts. "Or like Glacier, I'd wager."

"You're a healer?" And there's a downward glance at the bindings on her arm. Muninn cheeps at her encouragingly. "There are several. The main hospital is that way," a point towards the central district. "There are also several camps set next to secured areas, such as Ninetails Vale."

[bnw_mari_npcs]

The woman nods along, digging in the pack she happens to also be wearing slung over one shoulder, and heads not in the direction where Gwendolyn had pointed but towards what looks to her like one of those secured areas. "You move fast," she asserts. "Good. Has everybody who's hurt been rounded up? Nobody trapped that you know of?"

Behind her, her Pokémon lets out a sigh that's just shy of a bellow. He's very good at handling "trapped."

[sleepingvalkyrie]

"I do not know anyone trapped, personally," she'd been here less than a week before the arrival of the Ever Grande group after all. The woman starts moving briskly, and after a hesitation and backwards glance to her fellow Valkyrie, Gwendolyn opts to follow instead. In the very least, she knows a few short cuts, and the barracks she and-- she was staying in might have room for the strange large pokémon as well.

"But the Swords and the Rangers have been working around the clock to find those injured, or caught in the collapsed buildings. Or dead." So many dead. What sort of funeral service would Union have for so many lost ones? "I've been told to rest, but it is difficult when there is still aid needed."

After a moment's hesitation, Muninn detaches from her shoulder, and flutters over to the dinosaurmon, chirping in friendly if youthful query. Did you travel far? Did you see the dragon? He fought a dragon, you know!

[bnw_mari_npcs]

Although the woman doesn't acknowledge it as such, she lets Gwendolyn take the lead, her Pokémon plodding gamely along behind her. Said Pokémon doesn't really seem to mind Muninn tagging along, but at the mention of dragons, he looks sad and makes some rumbling noises like rocks scraping against each other. He knows dragons. A dragon took his home.

The woman kicks a rock out of the road. "Don't forget to value yourself," she points out. "They treat us like dirt, so the least we can do is look after ourselves for our friends and families, right?"

She laughs, scratching the back of her head. "Though what do I know? Glacier's just..."

She pauses, her own expression mimicking her Pokémon's for a moment, but then she's smiling again. "It's a tough place. But it's gonna be a great one again. And Union will be too!"

[sleepingvalkyrie]

There's a light swoop, before the fluffy bundle of cloud and feathers perches on one of the bigger pokemon's horns, nuzzling against its forehead in a consoling fashion. You can share this home, it promises, unaware how big a promise that is. It's a little broken right now, but we will fix it.

(Well, people will fix it. Muninn is still too much a baby to do much in the way of constructive work, but his tiny heart is in the right place.)

There's a hint of surprise at the woman's comment, before Gwendolyn offers a cautious smile. "You're quite right. We do not need to give them that satisfaction." They may have fallen in with corrupted gods, but the Gale's Blessing had carried her through. She would live, to spite them further, and avenger her Valkyrie sisters..

"Glacier lives because its people live. And you still offer aid here while your own city's recovery continues. That strength is one to be respected, friend." Though the next pause earns a thoughtful one of her own, before she motions for the woman to follow down the right-hand path; one of the collapsed store fronts meant the left road was still impassable for the moment. "...Did they do as they did here? Show up all smiles and pledges of friendship, before betraying guest rights?"

[bnw_mari_npcs]

"What rights?" Growing more animated, the healer punches one of her hands with the other, then grips her fist. "That dragon just showed up torching everything! Frostbite I can handle, and rubble, but fire...."

She shakes her head. "We weren't worthy. Like that's their call. Freezing Furfrous, that makes me mad."

Her Pokémon seems placated, on the other hand, by this promise of a home. Trainer was right. They have come to help some Good People.

Several days after the battle...

[lunchleader]

[Right's supposed to be resting in one of the medical tents setup near the Divine Theater, due to recovering from frostbite and a surprising case (for him) of mild malnutrition. Being trapped under several meters of snow for a couple of weeks will do that to a guy. But after learning all that has happened - both the attack and the aid response - he really couldn't stay still for very long.

Thus, he'll be sneaking out of the Medical tent one afternoon, fingers and small wings still bandaged as he tries to make his way over to anyone that might need an extra hand.]

[bnw_void_npcs]

Shouldn't you be resting?

[Says the Seeker who's been in the medical tent a lot himself with large bandages over his left eye]

[lunchleader]

Wha--

[He jumps a little upon hearing that familiar voice. He turns around to see--oh! It's that Seeker guy from that expedition several months ago. Right quickly flashes him a big smile.]

Nah, I'm okay! It's only a little bit of frostbite.

[bnw_void_npcs]

Uh huh. Sure.

[Celito VERY CLEARLY believes you Right. It's right there. On his face.]

[lunchleader]

Really!

[Right waves his (bandaged) hands in reassurance.]

I'm not as bad as some people have been. I mean, I can still help with stuff.

[bnw_void_npcs]

Don't the people who were fighting get to take a break?

[lunchleader]

[That made Right wince in guilt.]

Uhhh...a-about that...I...wasn't around when it happened?

[untalented]

[Waver Velvet was exhausted. Although he hadn't faced the Dragon directly, he had barely slept or eaten much of anything in the fallout that followed. There were too many people in need of assistance, and not many people with any degree of healing capabilities or who were as talented at Teleport as he was. By the end of the day he had depleted his personal resources...

But there was always work to be done.

Flitting between tents delivering bandages and medical supplies, the skinny Mageling moved without rest. Anxiety and nervousness fueled his movements, but he did his best to manage his curt temper and his shaking hands-- for the sake of the people of Union....the very people who had helped him, and were now depending on support from any possible source.]

[bnw_sheepy_npcs]

[ Moving about almost as much as Waver was the shifter nurse, who flitted between the various medical tents set up around the residential and entertainment districts. There were many who had been impacted by the attacks, but, more than that, those who insisted on going above and beyond during the recovery process. It was easy to injure one's self when they refused to rest.

So when she saw the young mage make his way into another medical tent that she was assisting in, she stood up from what she was doing, putting her hands on her hips.

At just a little over four feet, it was hard to be intimidating, but she would try. ]

Haven't you taken a break yet? You're going to hurt yourself!

[untalented]

[Impressive. He actually had a foot on this young woman, and somehow she still managed to pull off the Stern Mother(tm) role and....incidentally, set the skinny young man on the defensive. Her words made sense-- but there wasn't really time to worry about himself. His friends had been hurt....the Grandparent figures whom he had been staying with for the last several months were hurt...and Union...]

Does it matter? I didn't get hurt, and I can still think-- that's lucky, compared to lots of people here.

[Waver grumbled out his protest, knowing the futility of it even as the words tumbled from his lips. With his mind racing as it was, there was no way he was going to be able to sleep that night.]

[bnw_sheepy_npcs]

I'll act like I didn't hear that.

[ Protest all you like, little mageling, but Farah will be walking over, her sternness much more intense the closer she gets. ]

Whether or not you hurt yourself in combat doesn't matter to me. What matters to me is that you might hurt yourself now. These people are relying on us--relying on us for help, and relying on us to take care of not only them, but ourselves as well. What good is it to us if the help becomes incapacitated as well?

[ Mama Blissey is mad. ]

[untalented]

But--but-- !

[...but what? Waver had no idea-- such an unambiguously maternal influence had been sorely lacking in his life in recent years, and so much had happened that Waver was almost certain his own mother wouldn't recognize him if they were to meet that day.

How was he to get out of this one? How???]

[bnw_sheepy_npcs]

[ Spoilers: You can't.

The shifter nurse points to an empty bed meaningfully. ]

At least let me check you out before I let you continue helping us.

[untalented]

I swear to you-- I'm fine! There's more important things we need to be worrying about here.

[But even his complaints were punctuated with him fighting off a yawn and rubbing his eyes in agitation. He wasn't going to just go sleep like this, not when his Host Grandparents were among those who were injured and he couldn't properly keep them safe!]

[vistapoint]

[Geo can be bad at taking a break sometimes. Between everything that's happened, Geo just wants to keep his mind off all of it, which means keeping busy.

Luckily, however, Maia, Saiph, and Taygeta are good at making Geo take beaks. So right now, he's (reluctantly) seated outside one of the many medical tents with the Espurr and Purrloin sprawled across his lap and his bag (luckily with no supplies that need to be immediately delivered) off at the side, guarded by his Spearow.]

oscillating oshawott, we're sorry for the delay!

[bnw_mari_npcs]

Coming thr---

[ And that would be somebody trying to come out of the tent. Right behind Geo. At a pretty fast clip.

Look out...behind? Above? All of these options? ]

Whoa-----