EVENT LOG: WITH A WHIMPER - THRYMHEIM

[asgardmods]

Who: Everyone going to Thrymheim following Thor's announcement.
What: Bringing the battle to a much weakened Thiazi's front door.
When: Days 540-543 (November 14-21)
Where: To and from Thrymheim.
Rating: PG-13. Anything higher than that should be taken to a private log, please.

DAY 540 (Nov 14-15)

Day 540 starts with a bracelet alert right before sunrise. It is a message from Thor telling all that who plan to travel to Thrymheim to take down Thiazi to meet him outside the Gate of Frost. As caravans are packed for travel, Thor tells the Travelers what they've learned from Tyr: as a result of holding his magic inside of her for so long, Thiazi is rotting from the inside out; she is going to be weak now that she is unable to rely on the strength of that same magic to mitigate the damages it caused.

While he speaks, some of the city guard raises a cry of alarm: it seems as if troops are marching toward the city, but it quickly becomes apparent that for once this isn't an attack. Forces from Alfheim - elves and Tree-people both - have arrived and are prepared to march with Asgard in this push back against Thiazi, claiming they haven't forgotten the fact that the Travelers' intervention when they were being driven out their homes by Surt's forces.

They warn that they encountered a Frost Giant scouting toward the area of Asgard, and while they disposed of him with all due diligence, to be on the lookout: there may be antagonistic forces on the way here, too. When the caravan takes off, several of Alfheim's soldiers and the Bronze dragon remain behind and on guard, just in case.

Once it finally gets started, the trip is rocky as the terrain grows less forgiving and the weather turns steadily colder. They break for camp late at night, and Thor can be found pacing around the fires, alternating between strategy talk and lamenting about having forgotten to bring an adequate nightcap. Weapons are handed out then to those lacking them then (including the medics and support teams, just in case). Following this, Thor draws the Strike Team and the rest of the Travelers directly involved in bringing Thiazi down to his fire in order give their special orders directly. Meanwhile, the Red and Blue Dragons keep to the skies overnight, watching out for an ambush that never comes.

Note: Those interested in having their characters participate in Thiazi's takedown, please read and sign up here. There is no character cap, but if you plan to thread or handwave involvement, please make sure to sign up! Anyone is welcome to sign up no matter what group they are "officially" part of, being affiliated with the Strike Team in any capacity is NOT required. Your character will still need to help fight the battle against the frost giants at large, but they'll simply have an additional task given to them directly related toward helping bring the Ice Queen down.

DAY 541 (Nov 16-17)

After a meager few hours' rest, the caravan sets out again to finish the journey to Thrymheim. They arrive just before sundown and halt at the foot of a jagged mountain near the city to split into groups and to prepare themselves for the impending fight. Thiazi is mad and much weaker than before, but that doesn't mean she and her army will be pushovers.

The city is filled with jagged fixtures of black ice, manifestations of the corrupted magic that is all the Ice Queen has left. Just as when it blocked the Gate of Fog in Asgard, touching it causes horrible, damaging frostbite that can't be healed by magical means. Thiazi's Palace of Ice seems to be the epicenter of these festering magical wounds, as the once beautiful structure is now blighted and scarred over with them.

The fighting against Thiazi's frost giant army begins the moment that the Travelers set foot over the threshold into the city, and Thiazi does her best to remain surrounded by as many of her forces as she possibly can. Their weapons are forged of the corrupted black magic (as that's all Thiazi has left to her) so any injuries will fester and rot immediately -- and like the burns, they are incapable of being cured by magic. The Ice Giants themselves are half-mad with confusion, fear, and shaken faith in their once untouchable Queen, but they still have the home field advantage.

It will be late into the night when the teams who have volunteered to take Thiazi down directly finally manage to begin execution of their plan: as the Frost Giant forces dwindle, they must poison her, trap her, and ultimately make use of the godkilling weapon Samantha and others have spent so long researching and creating.

DAY 542 (Nov 18-19)

A shockwave like the result of a distant supernova hits the city when Thiazi dies shortly after midnight. The ice - and much of the city itself - crumbles and begins to collapse, raining dangerous daggers of ice down onto anyone nearby. Breathing may become a little difficult, too, as the black ice begins to melt and then evaporate in great clouds of gas that may just irritate or outright burn the lungs of whoever breathes it in, depending on how big of a breath they take.

Thor bellows an order to evacuate the city immediately and to regroup in safety away from the destruction. With nothing left to lose, some of the remaining Frost Giants rally and use the chaos in a last, desperate bid to do harm to the Travelers. The majority of the rest, however, will simply turn tail and attempt to flee back into the city.

The night will be noticeably colder when Thor announces that they'll be setting up camp two or three miles outside of Thrymheim to rest and tend to the wounded. The dragons are again be on patrol in the skies, but the god will also ask that people take turns keeping watch throughout the night, just in case any escaped Frost Giants try to seek a sneaky revenge in the night.

Day 543 (Nov 20-21)

It's a long, bumpy journey that takes all of the day and most of the night, and the weather starts cold only to remain that way. A few miles before the caravan arrives back at the Gate of Frost, the sky grows overcast. Half a mile from Asgard, the bare ground gives way to a patchy layer of black snow that only grows thicker as they head into the city. When they make it through the Gate of Fog and begin to unload, Thor congratulates them all again on a battle well won. He suggests a strong drink and a prompt bedtime before he heads back to the castle to confer with the rest of the gods: the remainder of the war still has to be won, after all, but there's no denying that this step is a huge one.

[ OOC NOTES: This is the mingle log for the With a Whimper event! Thor and Thiazi will be available for interaction in specifically marked threads, but if you want them somewhere else, let me know and I will do my best! Please put [OPEN/CLOSED] along with the time/location of your character in the title of your comment. Let us know if you have any questions! The ASGARD portion of this event log can be found HERE. ]

Comments

[needsnoheadsman]

[He looks up, his hand pausing. There's something familiar about the other man, but he can't quite place it.]

Aye. [He gives a faint smile.] I'm not about to go into battle with a dull blade. [Not that it was that dull even before he started sharpening it, but he needs something to distract himself from what might happen, in the upcoming battle.]

[realmenknitplushies]

Yeah. The thing'd only do you more damage than it would them, right?

[Sitting down against the wall, now; at least being a blunt weapon user has that advantage, he thinks.]

[needsnoheadsman]

That, or get me killed. [He starts sharpening his sword once more, running the whetstone down the length for a few moments before he stops, then looks up at the other man.] Have we met before? I remember seeing you around, but I don't remember speaking with you.

[He hasn't actually made the connection between the younger Kanji he'd met and the older version now sitting down with him just yet.]

[realmenknitplushies]

Tch, yeah. [On the question, though-] Ah. Yeah, we've talked. I wouldn't expect ya to recognise me, though. [He scratches his head, trying to work out the best way to bring the circumstances up. Even after this time, it's still ... weird to think about.]

[needsnoheadsman]

May I have your name then? Perhaps that would help. [That, and Grey Wind giving Kanji a brief, curious sniff before going back to nap, as though he recognizes the scent and just wanted to check.]

[realmenknitplushies]

Eh. [Okay, no problem, for all he know the guy might still think it's just a name in common -] It's Kanji. I'm with the militia.