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‘Must you leave?’ As he signed the last of Zubaidah’s papers, Battutah held her forearm with the warmth of a parent, ‘You know how much it pains me, uncle.’ Seeing the anguished look in her eyes, however, Battutah instead took Zubaidah into a full-on embrace, ‘Know that I am always with you.’ ‘With the help of Bararaq, it will seem like I was never gone.’ ‘So you have finished your preparations for the Bayt?’ ‘I have recruited all the scholars, merchants and craftsmen necessary.’ ‘And what of the Hashashin?’ ‘Darius and Salleh have allowed me leave, and promise to forestall Gawhur in my absence. After all, if my mission succeeds, the Hashashin will have greater leverage in the West.’
‘You think that your chances of success are high?’ ‘If anyone can revive Octavius, it would be my contacts in Magnostadt.’ ‘I still cannot believe that master Octavius was defeated…’ He looked wistfully towards Bararaq’s belly, where Octavius lay frozen in ice, ‘As you know, your father trained with him in Remano’s military academy. He could never win against master Octavius, no matter how hard he tried. And yet, he was bested by some Tartaran terrorist?’ Sighing for a moment, his gaze joined by Zubaidah’s own, Batrtuttah would wrap her in one last hug before allowing her to walk towards Bararaq’s gangway, ‘I pray for your success, and that it may bring some hope back to the West.’ ‘And I pray for your continued health, uncle.’ ‘May we see each other soon!’
‘Are you certain about this?’ As soon as Battutah had left, Yahya would suddenly appear at Zubaidah’s side like a shadow, ‘I trust you alone with this mission.’ ‘If you really think that, then I can’t let you down, can I?’ ‘And you never have.’ Flicking him a key, Zubaidah would begin to walk away from Yahya, ‘I will call you from Bararaq when we are ready. Until then, you must wait with the Lost Table. Is that understood?’ ‘Crystal clear, milady.’ ‘Then we will be in contact soon.’
‘You think that your chances of success are high?’ ‘If anyone can revive Octavius, it would be my contacts in Magnostadt.’ ‘I still cannot believe that master Octavius was defeated…’ He looked wistfully towards Bararaq’s belly, where Octavius lay frozen in ice, ‘As you know, your father trained with him in Remano’s military academy. He could never win against master Octavius, no matter how hard he tried. And yet, he was bested by some Tartaran terrorist?’ Sighing for a moment, his gaze joined by Zubaidah’s own, Batrtuttah would wrap her in one last hug before allowing her to walk towards Bararaq’s gangway, ‘I pray for your success, and that it may bring some hope back to the West.’ ‘And I pray for your continued health, uncle.’ ‘May we see each other soon!’
‘Are you certain about this?’ As soon as Battutah had left, Yahya would suddenly appear at Zubaidah’s side like a shadow, ‘I trust you alone with this mission.’ ‘If you really think that, then I can’t let you down, can I?’ ‘And you never have.’ Flicking him a key, Zubaidah would begin to walk away from Yahya, ‘I will call you from Bararaq when we are ready. Until then, you must wait with the Lost Table. Is that understood?’ ‘Crystal clear, milady.’ ‘Then we will be in contact soon.’
‘Once we have arrived in Magnostadt.’
mag: 390/390 | word: 1521 | stam: 390/390
VEL OF PIXEL PERFECT
- Bararaq, the Divine Storm:
- Appearance:
Name: Bararaq
Tier: A Tier
Damage Required to Defeat: A Tier
Description: A golem settlement 100m long and 250m tall created from the Crucible artefact, Bararaq houses Zubaidah’s personal headquarters. Curious and intelligent, she travels across the continents in search of new Torran ruins, hoping to help Amnet and Zubaidah find more knowledge about Alma Torran. Camel-like in appearance, with crystals running along her body as if blue veins, Bararaq carries two communities within its humps, one called Isra and another called Miraj:
Isra is a commercial trading-centre for the Ash Company, where the so-called Israfi workers produce goods for sale at the next trade-post, given free room and board in exchange for their services. It also hosts various experimental workshops, where fabrics and techniques from the lands which Bararaq has visited are sampled and turned into new clothes.
Miraj is the business centre for Zubaidah herself, containing a vast library of resources about Alma Torran, from artefacts to written records. At its heart is Bararaq’s core, which allows Zubaidah to communicate with anyone who ‘tunes into’ their Intelligence magic frequency, such as clients and colleagues, and enables her to keep in contact with the Ash Company head-quarters in Tisifun and Parsif.
There is more living space within Bararaq’s main body as well, where workers may reside, also functioning as a temporary home for refugees from Kou, the Plains and the Peninsula, before finding them safe places to live in Parthevia or elsewhere. This area, known as the Bayt, is filled with merchants and travellers wearing the latest fashion produced in Isra, and refugees who leave here are known to set up shops wherever they settle down with techniques learnt from them.
Core:- Core Spell:
- Tier: A Tier
Type: Supplementary
Range: Extreme
Cool Down: 4 turns
Cost: 40 magoi | 20 magoi
Description:- Upon pouring magoi into the Crucible core, Bararaq opens a communication channel via Intelligence magic. This communication channel can transmit auditory and visual information over vast distances, much like a Journey Book, and allocates both a ‘transmitter’ and a ‘receiver’. A transmitter must be within fifty metres of the Crucible core upon activation, while a receiver can be anyone who has touched the Crucible core or been previously allocated as a transmitter. Upon allocation of a transmitter and receiver, this spell creates a live feed of auditory and visual information of the transmitter’s immediate surroundings for the receiver and vice versa with the receiver’s surroundings for the transmitter. Anyone within ten metres of the transmitter and receiver can also have their auditory and visual information communicated. This channel lasts for four posts, and sustains either extend the post duration or add another receiver able to access the channel.
Weapons:- Ishtar’s Gate:
- Ishtar’s Gate [A Tier] - A line of sluice-gates along Bararaq’s hump, filled with snow, sand and debris funnelled from all around Bararaq’s body. Particles gathered within these sluice-gates are then packed into pump-action cannons and released into the surrounding environment as area-of-effect attacks which affect anyone in a twenty-metre radius of Bararaq. It works as an Assassin weapon, meaning that it can be filled with trick ammunition, such as special particles.
- Apkallu Spine:
- Apkallu Spine [A Tier] - A weak railgun created out of a modified ballista, altered by the Four Winds, which converts vibrations from the Shock Absorber trait into power with the same methods as the Motor Function trait when this weapon is fired. It can reach 200 metres away, but reloads very slowly. It can also be used as a normal ballista and only reach 50 metres away, allowing it to fire a lot quicker.
Traits:- Storm Circle:
- Trait Name: Storm Circle
Trait Tier: B Tier
Trait Requirement: Ishtar’s Gate, Apkallu Spine, Hashashin Skills, Reiman and Parthevian Engineering
Trait Description: Thanks to modifications by Reiman and Parthevian engineers, Bararaq can disguise herself within an artificial storm via Ishtar’s Gate.
Trait Effect: When she enters a thread, Bararaq releases gathered particles from Ishtar’s Gate into the surrounding environment, stirred up via the Shock Absorber trait, creating a smokescreen which circles her in a twenty-metre radius at B Tier speeds. This smokescreen will make her appear as some localised weather phenomena, such as a sandstorm or snowstorm. Bararaq can reinforce this appearance with ‘lightning’ from the Apkallu Spine and Motor Function trait or ‘thunder’ from the Shock Absorber trait. If somehow lifted, the smokescreen will replenish itself after two posts.
- Shock Absorber:
- Trait Name: Shock Absorber
Trait Tier: B Tier
Trait Requirement: Golem Core, Ishtar’s Gate
Trait Description: Using a combined application of the Crucible core and Ishtar’s Gate, amplified via Magic Miracles, Bararaq can channel excess vibrations into her hooves, allowing her to create additional effects during travel or combat.
Trait Effect: Bararaq can choose to activate one of two effects when brought into a thread:
Thunder: She may improvise a protective layer around herself out of debris under her hooves, moulded via shockwaves, which defends her legs and belly with B Tier item durability before breaking. It will reform after three posts.
Lightning: She may slam the terrain below her hooves with amplified force, producing tremors and throwing up loose debris, pushing anyone within a fifty metre radius backwards ten metres with B Tier strength. It will recur every three posts.
- Radio Noise:
- Trait Name: Radio Noise
Trait Tier: C Tier
Trait Requirement: Golem Core, Hashashin Skills
Trait Description: Using a passive application of the Crucible core, amplified via Magic Miracles, Bararaq transmits waves of Sound magic which influences people to either forget or dismiss her presence via subliminal messaging and alteration of Bararaq’s noise into weather-like sounds.
Trait Effect: Bararaq amends and distorts auditory information from her surroundings, convincing people outside the bounds of the Storm Circle trait into thinking that there is nothing within the storm. Bararaq will instead sound and appear as some normal weather phenomena in their eyes, be it sandstorm, thunderstorm or similar. This does not affect anyone within Bararaq herself - or anyone registered on the Crucible core.
- Motor Function:
- Trait Name: Motor Function
Trait Tier: C Tier
Trait Requirement: Golem Core, Shock Absorber Trait, Reiman and Parthevian Engineering
Trait Description: Thanks to modifications by Reiman and Parthevian engineers, and help from Magical Miracles, the crystal-like minerals which form Bararaq can harness the vibrations from the Shock Absorbers into more useful energy.
Trait Effect: Bararaq has access to a partial transformation, using the piezoelectricity from the crystal-like minerals to fuel it. It also allows her to register abilities related to noise- and electricity-based damage.
- True-Born Nomad:
- Trait Name: True-Born Nomad
Trait Tier: D Tier
Trait Requirement: Reiman and Parthevian Engineering
Trait Description: Thanks to modifications by Reiman and Parthevian engineers, Bararaq has been given alterations which allow her to travel across land and sea with equal ease.
Trait Effect: Bararaq can travel across land and sea without issue, no matter the terrain, allowing her to traverse mountains or even the ocean, albeit limited to D Tier speed.
- Living City:
- Trait Name: Living City
Trait Tier: D Tier
Trait Requirement: Golem Core, Reiman and Parthevian Engineering
Trait Description: Thanks to modifications by Reiman and Parthevian engineers, and help from Magical Miracles, Bararaq has been created as a fully-functional settlement for use by Zubaidah and her retinue.
Trait Effect: Bararaq has a size exceeding any other Crucible golem due to its specialisation as a golem settlement, allowing it to measure as long as 100m and 250m in height.
