In the office of his mansion in DFederal, Darth Bane crumples Hanakamakiri's third rejection letter in his fist with a frustrated sigh. He tosses it into the fireplace, allowing the paper to crumple and burn before leaving. If she would not take his offer to learn, he would make her suffer for her weakness when the time came. But first, business had to be handled.
After a brief moment to collect himself, he storms down the stairs into his basement, where a large, brightly lit chamber met him. He takes a moment to create a masking presence over it, before pulling out his communicator and whispering "You may enter."
And from the shadows emerge several figures. One, a bald man in a clean suit, immediately approaches a seat and takes his place, while the older woman with silver hair and dark purple robes took his side. "I can tell when you're upset, Bane," Flemeth taunts, nails rapping on the table. "Oh how the mighty make a show when they don't get their way."
Doctor Doom brushes his cape aside as he takes a seat as well, unreadable beneath his metal mask. "What is the meaning of this, Sith? You waste Doom's time when I have things I need to accomplish." The final member rolls his eyes beneath his porcelain mask, taking his seat as well. "You know that you don't have to speak in the third person constantly, correct?"
As Bane sits in his own chair, he looks over to the missing chair once held by Farouk. "We're gathered today because we must consider a new member. With Farouk's overambition, we are left without someone within the city's leadership just as the Council has begun to explore the neighboring planes."
Luthor speaks up, a sneer on his face, "Consider that first aspect being taken care of. I have contacts throughout the city joining the various groups and endearing themselves to users."
Bane nods, turning to the others. "Then we need to begin the next phase of our plans. Flemeth, I understand that you've learned of a candidate who may be able to assist us?"
She nods, pulling out a small, handheld mirror from her cloak. "Yes, I've been amused by a group that has encountered planar travel before. Far too curious for their own good, but entertaining little creatures. That being said, I believe I can acquire someone they know with similar experience, and who would be more aligned with our interests."
"I believe that is all, then. Until we meet again."
Raishan[]
| “ | You act as though the laws of the anthill affect the foot that crushes it. You speak words of importance, but I've seen laws and people come and go, change, die, turn to dust, and rise again. People kill neighbor, families die from the inside and out. They say I'm diseased but look upon you, you insignificant creatures. You do more to your people than I've done in an entire lifetime.
— Raishan
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” |
An ancient green dragon from the Rifenmist Peninsule, Raishan was cursed by a druid of Melora as revenge for killing the goddess' followers in one of her sacred temples. This curse manifested as a sickness that slowly overtook her entire body, with her spending half a century attempting to find a cure. She was eventually sought by the dragon Thordak, who offered a cure in exchange for her assistance in conquering Tal'Dorei. She reluctantly agreed, forming the Chroma Conclave and recruiting another three chromatic dragons for their plans.
Raishan then infiltrated the Fire Ashari, gaining their trust for four years and learning how to free a captured Thordak from the Fire Plane. She eventually released Thordak at the Winter's Crest, with the pair killing most of the Ashari in the escape. The Chroma Conclave then conquered Emon, killing Sovereign Uriel Tal'Dorei. Raishan eventually deduced that Thordak had no intention of giving her the cure, and she betrayed the Conclave by assisting the adventuring party Vox Machina in overthrowing the Conclave. Before she could resurrect and torture Thordak's soul to learn his cure, she was ambushed by Vox Machina and their allies in her lair. After killing half the party, Raishan was ultimately slain after the ashari Keyleth magically removed her mind, reducing Raishan to a savage beast, before Kerrek killed her with his hammer.
Powers & Abilities:
- Draconic Physicality: Despite her deceived physical state, Raishan is nevertheless a powerful, ancient green dragon. Her exterior is covered in hard, metallic green scales, sturdy enough that weapons forged by gods such as the dagger Whisper and the bow Fenthras couldn't pierce it directly. She has the ability to spew a powerful breath of poisonous gas, breathe underwater, and fly 27 miles an hour.
- Shapeshifter: Raishan has learned how to shapeshift at will, taking a variety of forms throughout her lifetime. These forms, combined with her intellect and cunning, have allowed her to trick people like Vox Machina and Lady Kima into believing she was their close ally Seeker Assum. She is capable of casting spells in her forms, and only anti-magic fields such as the Ziggurat seemed capable of ending her shapeshifting without her consent.
- Master Wizard: Raishan is an exceptionally powerful mage, with her spells often capable of affecting even her fellow dragons. The capabilities of her magic include altering the physical properties of living beings, modifying memory, creating minor illusions, shooting acid, turning invisible, summoning meteors from thin air, disintegrating people, dispelling and cancelling magic, and controlling the elements. A full list of her spells can be found here.
- Expert Strategist: Having lived for over 800 years, Raishan's most dangerous asset remains her cunning. She expertly manipulated both Thordak and Vox Machina, two groups who openly hated her and mistrusted her, into doing her bidding. She made a habit of infiltrating groups such as the Fire Ashari and the cult of Melora, to destroy them from within on a whim. It was her planning that allowed for the Chroma Conclave to wipe out Tal'Dorei's leadership, despite all its members being carefully observed by Draconia and its magical arsenal. Her sole weakness is the arrogance of her intelligence, with her underestimating of mortal stubbornness being the cause of her disease and ultimately her death.
Flemeth[]
| “ | We stand upon the precipice of change. The world fears the inevitable plummet into the abyss. Watch for that moment... and when it comes, do not hesitate to leap. It is only when you fall that you learn whether you can fly.
— Flemeth
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” |
A witch living within the Korcari Wilds, Flemeth is an ancient mage and being who first came to prominence during the Towers Age. Flemeth was the lover of a poor bard, who agreed to be wed to a noble in exchange for money. The noble then killed her lover rather than pay him, and in her grief she prayed for the means to revenge. Her answer came in the elven goddess Mythal, who offered her power in exchange for becoming her vessel on the mortal world.
By the Dragon Age, Flemeth had raised a daughter, Morrigan, in the Korcari Wilds. Sensing the upcoming Blight and the coming events, Flemeth sent her daughter to aid a Warden to help stop the Blight and ensure the world's survival. She also rescues Hawke from certain death during the Darkspawn's invasion of Lothering, as well as providing guidance to The Inquisitor in their quest to stop Corypheus. She then meets her old companion Fen'Harel, who turns her into stone as they lament what the world has become and what must be done.
Powers & Abilities:
- Shapeshifter: Flemeth is a powerful shapeshifter, although her shapes are limited to beasts and not humanoids or darkspawn. Her most powerful form is a large, purple High Dragon. In this form she can breathe fire, incredibly durable physically and mentally, and possesses a high resistance to magical spells. She is also immune to being charmed, confused, frightened, stunned, or knocked prone due to her physical size and magical power. Those that shapeshift do not seem to be capable of casting spells while transformed, Flemeth included.
- Master Wizard: Flemeth is a powerful being, as the host of the goddess Mythral. She taught Morrigan, herself an incredibly powerful mage, much of what she knows. This manifests as manipulating the Fade to fit her demands, and mages beneath her have shown the capabilities of manipulating the elements, hexing opponents, forcing others to feel fear, draining vitality from the living and dead alike, and unleashing close range telekinetic blasts from their mind. One of Flemeth's most notable magical abilities is her ability to resurrect herself, escaping death multiple times via summoning ceremonies conducted by others (although whether this was actually needed or just Flemeth testing Hawke is unknown).
- Skilled Strategist: Given her age, Flemeth has learned much about the nature of people and magic over her long lifespan. She avoided the countless mortal foes that have hunted her for centuries, from the Alamarri tribes to the Chantry's Templar forces. She was able to anticipate Morrigan's "betrayal" of her months in advance, and had multiple contingencies prepared for her survival. She also had an uncanny ability of determining who would be important to history, aiding Maric, Warden, Hawke, and the Inquisitor when things seemed the direst to protect their place in destiny.
X-Factors[]
X-Factor - Raishan / Flemeth
Experience - 70 / 75
Raishan has lived for over 800 years, during which she regularly infiltrated groups of powerful magicians and the like without detection. She also encountered occasional adventurer parties that attempted to slay her throughout her lifetime, easily killing most of them except for Vox Machina at her life's end. With that in mind, there are very few creatures equal to her in power, thus meaning much of her experience is against those far beneath her. Flemeth's life is slightly shorter, roughly 600 years, but the magic in her world is both more powerful and appears more frequently. Flemeth has been hiding for the majority of her life, dealing with the Chantry and the Alamarri, plus fighting occasional heroes like The Warden, resulting in a more active lifespan even if the disparity between her and her opponents is similarly large.
Intelligence - 95 / 90
Given her green dragon nature, Raishan is both naturally intelligent and incredibly well-studied. She's spent much of her lifetime studying the ancient magic of Exandria, to the point she was capable of casting spells when most dragons are unable to. Her conniving nature also means much of her time not studying was spent deceiving and infiltrating intelligent organizations purely for her own amusement, before toppling from within. Flemeth's bonding with Mythal and her long lifespan means she has accumulated large amounts of magical knowledge over time, and she's an adept thinker and long-term planner. That being said, she's also a much more passive character, preferring to step in only when the greater fate of the world and destiny itself calls on it, and she lacks the "formal" training of Circle mages (although she probably knows more than they do).
Training - 65 / 35
Raishan is clearly well-studied, developing her own magical powers and pouring over ancient texts to acquire her knowledge. While there's no real need to "train" when she's such an unrivalled being, her centuries of study and experimentation have made her capable even by the standards of a dragon. Flemeth has likely had some magical training, given she was able to contact Mythal while she was mortal, but there is no indication she's been in a formal school or program, nor does she study the world for scholastic purposes. She either knows everything she needs to know, or learns it on her own without the restrictions of official organizations.
Discipline - 80 / 90
Raishan has a penchant for long-term planning and trickery, making her less outright arrogant than her fellow ancient dragons. She's careful and methodical when facing those that have something she needs, like Thordak and Vox Machina. That being said, she's still a dragon - she's a fundamentally arrogant creature. Those she doesn't need are prey to be hunted and tormented, and she is arrogant enough to taunt Vox Machina despite their repeated success in slaying her fellow Conclave members. Flemeth's greatest mental aspect is her patience and intuition, sewing seeds throughout her time to ensure that destiny can play its course. She even allows the Warden to attempt to kill her, having already entrusted Hawke with her resurrection and seeking to watch Morrigan grow without her guidance. This manifests itself as an uncanny ability to guide, save, and influence others how she wishes, predicting how people will act long before they even think of doing so.
Notes[]
- Full votes require well-written edges OR a detailed explanation of at least ten sentences.
- Half-votes are the previously mentioned requirements sans the "well-written".
- Votes with little to no reason, bias, or irrelevant information will not count at all.
- All votes must contain proper grammar and spelling.
- All votes must clearly express a winner/tie to ensure proper tallying of votes.
- These requirements are abstract; I reserve the right to count or discount votes depending on their individual merit.
- My rebuttal policy is as follows; the initial rebuttal will reduce a vote to half, and a particularly outstanding rebuttal will reduce it to nothing. The first counter-argument, if adequate, will raise the vote back to full value. Going forward from there, all rebuttals and counter-arguments will only affect a vote if I believe it does so adequately.
- Voting ends 03/01/2022.
Battle[]
As she swats another annoying fly from her face, Raishan grimaces as she wipes the fly's guts and the sweat from her dwarven shape's brow. Unconsciously flexing her hand, the phantom feeling of her claws provoking even more yearning for her true draconic brilliance, she takes a glance up at the thick canopy of the Emerald Graves in reassurance. "Yes, better to slink carefully and intelligently than to soar blindly." She muttered to herself, finding her minor annoyances rewarded as the tree line begins to separate.
The disguised dragon walks into a clearing, the bright sun nonetheless piercing through the apparent coverage of branches and leaves and reflecting from the clear pool of water onto a solid stone wall, no larger than a human barn. Despite the serene locale, the hairs on the back of her neck stand up, and she scans her surroundings. The source of her discontent manifests immediately, the rapping of Flemeth's metal glove against a stone bench across the pond disrupting the sounds of nature.
"Good morning, Raishan," Flemeth says, a teasing smile on her lips as she continues to look into the pool rather than her guest. For her part, Raishan crosses her arms, allowing her green eyes to flare ant scales to re-emerge over her skin. The dwarven features quickly melt away, as Raishan takes the form of a young human woman, horrific scars and pustules manifesting on her face before it is replaced by pale skin and vibrant green hair.
"If you know my name, Witch of the Wilds, you know what I seek, and what I will do to acquire it."
Flemeth laughs, with Raishan's frown shifting into a snarl, as she calmly stands. "I knew that your curse had worsened since last we met, but I didn't expect it to take your senses as well as your health. I will do no such thing, least not while you demand it like a child." Her laughter turns into a cackle as Raishan steps forward, palm facing upwards as a small green line appears in her hand. "I warn you once, Flemeth, before I decide to take the truth from your corpse."
Despite the threat, Flemeth finally stands up, a glint of amusement in her eye as she rises. "And so quick to resort to threats? You must be in a rush, then..." She muses, looking directly into Raishan's eyes. "Or perhaps you are scared? Yes, I think that's the case."
The tense stand-off ends abruptly as Raishan silently pushes her palm forward, the green line growing and flying towards Flemeth as an arrow dripping in acid. Flemeth merely raises her own palm to face it, a spell shield manifesting to block the arrow in its tracks. "I'm insulted, dragon, that you would trivialize me." The Deceiver merely opens her mouth and hisses, a haze of necrotic blight spewing out and obscuring Flemeth. The shield shatters as it washes over Flemeth, who temporarily stumbles as the vitality drains from her body. "Consider it one last attempt at civility," Raishan yells as she seemingly vanishes.
Tensing, Flemeth brings her finger to her forehead, before a blast of telekinetic energy sweeps around her. She turns as she feels the magic hit her adversary, only to face the oozing boils and smiling rows of draconic teeth of Raishan's open mouth. Flemeth raises her arms and brings her hand together, a flurry of snow and ice blasting into Raishan's mouth, to no avail as the cone of cold is wiped away and melted by the dragon's poisonous breath. Reducing her opponent to a fit of coughs and seeing blotches of burnt skin already forming, Raishan continues her assault as she attempts to devour Flemeth.
The Witch of the Wild finishes twirling her hands just as Raishan's jaw clamps over her torso. As the teeth pierce her skin and poison leaks into the wounds, Flemeth finishes her incantation, transforming into a swarm of flies. The insects pass between Raishan's teeth as Flemeth flies into Raishan's face, stinging and biting the dragon. "MORTAL INSECT!" She yells, shaking her head to disperse the flies. Flemeth floats past the dragon's eyes and gather on her back, before Flemeth briefly returns to her human shape. She grabs one of Raishan's spines, draining the life from her, before beginning to mutter another incantation under her breath.
"If you wanted to fly, you should've asked!" Raishan says, jumping into the air and taking off into the sky. Effortlessly breaking past the scant branches and leaves of this clearing's canopy, she ascends into the air. She smirked to herself as she felt Flemeth leave her back, and Raishan spins to see her foe fall to the ground. Her cocky smile quickly gives way as Flemeth slams into her in her high dragon form, slashing a claw alongside Raishan's belly. The two dragons yell as they separate, flying apart as they survey each other.
"How dare you take our form!" Raishan yells over the howling winds and beating wings, using her front claws to form a sigil in the air. Flemeth only roars in response, flying towards Raishan as she spews a blast of fire at the green dragon. The Deceiver finishes her spell, yelling "Imitation!" as a spray of rainbow energy blasts from the sigil before transforming into a wall of lightning, which Flemeth flies into without faltering. Piercing through the remaining smoke of the two elements colliding, Flemeth soars forward, sinking her teeth into Raishan's left haunch.
She roars in pain, but grabs Flemeth with her front claws and grapples her, spewing more poison onto Flemeth's back as she flies the pair upwards. The Witch flaps her wings in Raishan's face, forcing the two to separate again, with Flemeth quickly disengaging to prepare for another attack. As she gathers her bearings, Flemeth collides into a wall of invisible force. She easily flies higher to go above it, but it buys enough time for Raishan to finish her spell.
A small, black portal appearing above Flemeth. Before she can fly away further, dozens of 40-foot meteors descend from the portal, several slamming into Flemeth as the meteor swarm assails her and the forest below. Roaring and spewing fire the whole time, Flemeth begins to fall, plummeting and spinning into the earth below.
Before she lands, Raishan flies above her, grabbing Flemeth's neck in her front claw. "You are nothing, mortal. An annoyance, a trifle, a curiosity. This, is real power." she taunts, before causing icy crystals to form around Flemeth's neck above and beneath her claw. With a final roar and snarl, Raishan slashes, with her other claw, decapitating Flemeth as she shatters the Witch's neck.
Taking a moment to collect herself, Raishan flies back to the ground, transforming back into her human shape. The smell of burning trees and the sound of screaming animals fill the air, yet Raishan merely looks at the corpse of Flemeth. She picks up Flemeth's head, smiling at her victory, before snapping her fingers to teleport away. A large magical sigil forms on the ground beneath her feet, and in a flash of blue and green magical energy Raishan and Flemeth's head disappear.
WINNER: RAISHAN
Expert's Opinion[]
While Raishan's arrogance and Flemeth's equal if not superior talent for plotting were important factors, they weren't enough for Flemeth to triumph here. Raishan's draconic form proved too powerful, both in sheer strength and size and in its versatility, with her poison breath and ability to cast spells as a dragon giving her far more options for dealing overwhelming damage. While it's unlikely Flemeth could ever truly die, the Witch of the Wilds at least falls in battle decisively and viciously at the hands of the Diseased Deceiver, Raishan.
To see the original battle, weapons, and votes, click here.
DFederal Epilogue[]
As Cfp takes the first bite of his breakfast burrito, the doors to his office open. He lets out a frustrated groan, quickly snapping his fingers to remove Archer and Leliana's eyeballs, before turning the gross display of messy food and the greasy splotches invisible. He quickly turns his bathrobe into his trademark maroon long sleeve shirt, and returns the sense of vision to his briefly blinded and stumbling employees. "I'll take it that it's been done, then?"
Leliana nods, relatively unfazed at her employer's casual cruelty, as Archer gathers his bearings. She could smell the stench of Hawkeye's Hot Sauce and toast from here, but she kept quiet as she talked. "Raishan has been accepted into the Cabal. Combine her serving on its council and my own insertion into Lex's spy network, and we've at least got some eyes on Darth Bane and his ambitions."
Archer crosses his arms, a stern look on his face. "I still do not believe this is the right course of action. How do we know Raishan isn't playing us?"
Cfp shrugged, wiping invisible grease off on an invisible napkin. "We don't, but she knows what happens if I find out she does. I'll turn her into her dragon form permanently, clip her wings, give back whatever weird disease she came in with, toss her into the zoo with the rest of the warriors too big to fit in an apartment, and feed the key to one of the Godzillas."
The Servant nods, seemingly satisfied, so Cfp continues. "Still, that's why I'm assigning you two to this. Leliana, you're her main point of contact. When she's got something, she tells you. Don't bother lying to her, though, she's surprisingly clever about that sort of thing. Archer, you tail her and keep an eye on her. Use whatever you want, just don't get within...sixty feet of her? She can see anything in that range. Shouldn't be hard for you. I want progress reports every other week," he starts, feeling a subtle pain on his face from his mask, "and send those to Carol too. You two can coordinate how you want to do this."
The two nod and leave. Cfp takes a few brief moments, before conjuring the burrito back onto his desk. Just as he takes a bite, Leo molds out from his DVD case, face passive. "Shit, doesn't anyone know how to fucking knock?" Cfp says, setting the burrito down again. "Not for you," Leo says, walking over to Cfp's desk and taking a seat. "It's been done, then?"
"Yeah, those two should hit it off pretty easily. Now all we need to do is let the others know that Saber's last possible romance option has a match, and then we vote to suspend policy keep her and Sundowner together." Leo nods in approval, with Cfp raising an eyebrow. "I'd say I should get a reward or something, right?"
"No, you wanted to fuck with Appel just as much as I did." A slight smile appears on Cfp's face, confirming Leo's suspicions. "Besides, I believe you have to attend to your new duties at this moment." The older user says, casually swiping the burrito from Cfp's desk. "Ali! Come on in!" Leo says with a smirk, disappearing once again into Cfp's shelf.
Cfp sulks as he disintegrates the wrappers of his breakfast. "This is the part of the job I hate."