Scenario:Shiva - Beginning of the End

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Beginning of the End

The people on an island in the Tripla Archipelago are suffering from a sudden surge in monster attacks and rising cases of an incurable illness. The crew is saved from the monster hordes by Shiva, who claims that an ancient scourge wrought by Taraka, dead king of Rakshasas, is once again rearing its ugly head. If left unchecked, it could spell doom for the whole sky.



Monster Horde: ...!
Monster: ...
Vyrn: Darn it! They're everywhere! It's like someone turned on a monster faucet!
Tripla Archipelago lies toward the outer edges of the Phantagrande Skydom. A town on one of the islands is under attack from a torrent of monsters.
(Captain) and company are rescuing as many straggling townspeople as they can find.
Watchman: Come on, get into the shelter! Hurry!
(Captain) grabs Lyria and Vyrn by their hands. They make a run for the safety of the shelter and stumble through the doorway.
Vyrn: Phew... Finally a chance to catch my breath.
Watchman: You guys did good out there. The evacuation was a success thanks to your efforts.
Watchman: Unfortunately, we're still in a heap of trouble. Sure as hell can't go back out there—not with those things stalking the streets—and it's looking pretty grim in here too.
The watchman glances over to a makeshift infirmary comprised of canopied cots set up in the corner of the shelter.
All cots are occupied, bearing victims who writhe in pain from ominous black splotches spreading across their skin.
Lyria: What's wrong with them?
Watchman: They're sick. We call it the infernal plague, a disease endemic to this island.
Watchman: Once the black splotches spread over the entire body, say goodbye. It's incurable and has been around forever on the island.
Watchman: On top of that, now we're getting monsters we've never seen before.
Watchman: And if that wasn't enough, cases of plague infections suddenly spiked at the same time people started reporting sightings of strange black fog.
Watchman: So between the monsters and the plague, our resources are dwindling. We're low on beds and medicine. If this keeps up, all I see is a one-way ticket to doom.
While listening to the list of bad news, the crew members glance nervously at the iron door that seems to be shut sufficiently tight.
Even so, grotesque growls and snarls persist on the other side, and at times the door judders from the mass of bodies jostling against it.
Old Lady: O great Mahadeva... Please bestow us your salvation...
The woeful plea of an evacuee reaches their ears.
Vyrn: Who's Mahadeva?
Watchman: A nobody. The old-timers believe in some savior guy called Mahadeva, but it's just a fairy tale.
Old Lady: Bite your tongue, fool! It is not a fairy tale! How dare you scorn our island's history and deny the truth!
Vyrn: Whoa, whoa, whoa! Calm down, lady!
The old woman charges—or rather totters—toward the man. Trying to defuse the situation, the crew members jump in to hold her back.
Lyria: Um, um... Say, what kind of person is Mahadeva?
Lyria: I'd sure love to learn more. Would you mind telling me about him?
Hearing Lyria's request, the old woman's red-hot temper cools as quickly as it had boiled. She nods emphatically at the girl's interest.
Old Lady: Why, of course, young one. Never hurts to add more prayers to Mahadeva's fire. His divine aura grows stronger that way, you know.
Licking her parched, smiling lips, the old lady begins to sing Mahadeva's praises.
Old Lady: It is a tale as old as time. A tale that took place before the War right here on this very island.
Old Lady: Taraka, king of the Rakshasas, summoned asuras from the realm below, filling our land with death and despair.
Old Lady: As death drank from the sky, a bolt of lightning cleaved the blackened heavens, and from it descended an avatar of destruction and rebirth.
Old Lady: The people offered him their prayers, which he used to craft a divine bow. The avatar nocked a mighty arrow and sent the Rakshasa king and his asura ilk back to the void.
Old Lady: That is the origin of Tripla Archipelago—just one of the achievements of Mahadeva, the savior who brings destruction and rebirth.
Lyria: W-wow... He sounds like an incredible person!
Lyria: That kind of sounds like someone I know actually. Whenever we're in danger, and we need help, he always comes to our rescue.
Lyria: I'm sure Mahadeva hears your prayers and is coming to save you too!
The watchman scoffs at what he perceives to be Lyria's naivete and shakes his head.
Watchman: Prayers shmayers. If that's all it took, why are we still in this hell?
Watchman: But things have only gotten worse. Why? Because this so-called savior isn't real. What a load of crap.
Vyrn: Hey! You didn't have to go that far!
Watchman: What would you know, outsider! We've been praying from the very beginning for someone—anyone—to wake us from this nightmare!
Watchman: Fine! Let's say he is real. Where is he, huh? When the hell is Mahadeva gonna swoop in and save us from our misery!
The man's voice cracks as the dam holding back his emotions finally collapses.
His anguished cry squeezes the hearts of everyone in the room, and the oppressive mood grows even heavier.
Vyrn: Wh-what was that!
Watchman: Tch! They're making another push to bash down the door!
Watchman: Anyone who can still swing a weapon, rally on me! We'll take down as many monsters around the shelter as we can!
Vyrn: That's us, (Captain)!
Weary remaining fighters assemble and share a determined nod. Then they spill out of the rear entrance of the shelter.
Monster: ...
Lyria: There's like hundreds of them! Where did they all come from!
Ranks upon ranks of monsters charge at the outnumbered defenders.
Monster Horde: ...!
Young Man: Aaaah! I don't wanna die!
A terrified shriek stings their ears from the left flank.
(Captain) catches sight of a bloodied man on his back, surrounded by a circle of teeth and claws.
Vyrn: Shoot, shoot, shoot! We gotta save 'im!
But (Captain) has already charged at the creatures, crashing their dinner party.
  1. Run!


Choose: Run!

Young Man: Y-yeah! Thanks!
The man struggles to his feet and limps away as fast as his injury will allow.
Meanwhile (Captain) tries to hold back any potential pursuers with wild, sweeping sword swipes.
Lyria: Look out behind you!
Monster: ...!
Vyrn: Geez!
The monster that got the jump on (Captain) suddenly bursts into flames and is burned to ash.
Lyria: This aura... It has to be Shiva!
Shiva: Are you all right, my adherents?
  1. We are now, thanks to you.


Choose: We are now, thanks to you.

Shiva: Your thanks are unwarranted. It is my duty to ensure the safety of my adherents.
Shiva: Though now is not the time for relief. The scourge befalling this land is tightening its grip.
Shiva: It must be swiftly dealt with, lest this disaster devour the entirety of the Sky Realm.
Vyrn: I-is it that bad? The heck's goin' on with this island?
Shiva: Hm... Have you heard of the term asura?
Vyrn: Asura? That does ring a bell...
Lyria: Oh, wait! The old lady just told us a story about them!
Lyria: She said there once was a king... Uh, and he summoned asuras from the realm below or something?
Shiva: I see. Then I need not go into detail at this time.
Shiva: The very same scourge Taraka once unleashed upon this land again rears its unsightly head.
Shiva: If allowed to spread, all the sky's inhabitants shall face extinction, paving the way for chaos to govern the world.
Shiva looks up at the gloomy sky, his expression unreadable.
But judging from his tone of voice, the crew gather that this is a crisis beyond their darkest imaginations, and that terrifies them.

Beginning of the End: Scene 2

The scourge that Shiva had previously swept from Tripla many years ago arose from Taraka's eternal hatred, which fuels the monsters that are attacking the island. These monsters are, in essence, Otherworldly beings. A primal beast infected with black fog suddenly attacks (Captain), but Shiva purifies the fog, freeing the primal, who turns out to be Shiva's former disciple, Parashurama. They scoop up the unconscious disciple and run for shelter.



Vyrn: Everyone will... die? Just what are these asura things?
Shiva claims that the crisis the island is facing threatens to kill everyone in the Sky Realm and replace peace with chaos.
Vyrn had simply asked what was on everyone's mind.
Shiva: Asura is the ancient name for these creatures.
Shiva: They are chaos incarnate, running rampant in the nether reaches. They symbolize death and despair. In recent times, I believe the children of man call them Otherworldly beings.
Vyrn: No way! So all the monsters flooding the town are from the Otherworld?
Shiva: The beings that overrun this land are strictly different but can be treated in the same vein.
Shiva: Half a month prior I heard the pleas of salvation from the children of man and descended upon this island.
Shiva: I felt the presence of powerful asuras emanating from within the island and sought to eliminate them.
Shiva: However, they devoured mortal life at an alarming rate, thus spreading their corrupting tendrils faster than I could cleanse the land.
Shiva: This is where we now stand.
Lyria: So you were already here before us.
Shiva: Indeed. What's more, there was a time in the past at which I purified this land of a previous scourge.
This revelation causes the crew members to have a minor epiphany.
Lyria: Wait a minute! Does that mean the Mahadeva person the islanders were talking about... is you?
Shiva: Oh? How reminiscent. I did not know that name lives on, but in this land it evidently does.
Shiva: However, the severity of this scourge far exceeds the one I halted centuries before.
Lyria: R-really? How so?
Shiva: Taraka's pernicious enmity transcends beyond his death to fuel this scourge.
Shiva: The dead pass on a deep-seated grudge unto the living, who shudder beneath the repressive emotions. Thus the curse persists through the land to this day.
Shiva: So long as the roots of evil are firmly anchored, the curse will flourish time and again, regardless of the scores of asuras eradicated.
Shiva: The true enemy is one we cannot see. The essence of corruption must be rent from the air, the earth, and from life itself.
Vyrn: Hold it! Are you saying not only is the island doomed, but the people are too?
Shiva falls silent for a moment. Then he looks at Vyrn as if having remembered something.
Shiva: In the days of the previous scourge, I possessed a bow forged to pierce the hordes of the asura.
Shiva: For the purposes of purging evil, that bow contained the core of the primal that protected this land and is interwoven with the prayers of the people.
Shiva: With said bow in hand, this crisis could be rectified.
Vyrn: Nice! Well, just bust it out and get your shoot on!
Shiva: Unfortunately, the bow is—
Before Shiva can finish, they hear the sound of a building collapsing.
Shouts from scared townsfolk immediately follow, prompting the crew to run toward the disturbance.
???: Hnn...
Vyrn: Wh-who's that!
The crew members come to a dead stop in front of a demolished house. Standing atop the pile of rubble is a shadowy figure who glares down at them.
Lyria: That person is a primal beast! It's in a lot of pain... Like it's trying to hold onto its sanity...
Shiva: Hmm... Since a morsel of its former self yet remains, I shall extend my charity.
Shiva: My adherent, a seed of corruption gnaws away at that primal's body. If the seed is shattered, my flames may offer purification.
Noticing the fires spreading over Shiva, the figure utters a warning.
???: Ngh... Stay... back...
Vyrn: Huh? What'd it say?
???: Gah! Yaaagh!
Shiva: Brace yourselves!
Releasing a ghastly shriek of fury, the primal launches an attack at (Captain).
(Captain)'s sword immediately blocks the bull rush, but the impact is so powerful that it sends the captain flying backward.
???: Graaah!
(Captain) manages to stay upright, but the assailant is already pouncing toward the captain.
???: Guh!
Shiva: You shall not reap the soul of my adherent.
???: Ngggh!
Bound by Shiva's apocalyptic fire, the assailant struggles but can do no more than hiss and snap.
A sinister glow appears in the middle of the assailant's chest, and without hesitation, (Captain) stabs the light.
???: Gaaah!
Upon piercing the light, a black fog billows around the assailant, who howls in anger.
Shiva: My purifying flames shall not extinguish until they have burned through every strand of corruption.
Shiva: Should the defilement have seeped into your soul, then naught but ash shall remain of you.
This forewarning makes even Vyrn and (Captain) gulp.
The standoff seems to go on for an eternity until Shiva's flames gradually diminish.
Shiva: Hmph, your form remains. Salvation arrived in time.
???: Ugh... I...
???: Mahadeva? Is that you?
Shiva: ...!
Parashurama?
What appears to be a man steps out from the dying light of Shiva's flames. He takes one look at Shiva before crumpling to the ground.
Lyria: Oh my gosh! Are you okay!
Lyria and the others hurry to the man, who lays unconscious and unmoving.
Vyrn: Hey, Shiva. You know this guy?
Shiva: Yes. I took him in as a disciple. He was one of my most pious adherents.
Shiva: However...
Shiva is about to go on but changes his mind and shakes his head.
Shiva: For the time being, we must bring this man to safety.
Shiva: Further asura attacks may occur at any moment. I would like to see him awaken before that happens.
The crew members agree, and they carry the mysterious man to a nearby shack.
Parashurama, as Shiva had called him, has yet to regain consciousness.
Despite the tumultuous situation, (Captain) calmly asks Shiva about the mysterious stranger.
Shiva: Hm... So you wish to know more about this person.
Shiva: His name is Parashurama. He was born in the Tripla Archipelago, thus making him a skydweller.
Vyrn: Wait, he's a skydweller? But Lyria called him a primal beast...
Lyria: Uh-huh. I definitely felt primal energy coming from him.
Shiva: I have no explanation for that. However, the Parashurama I knew was undoubtedly a child of man.
Shiva: Shortly after Parashurama's birth, his father—the king—personally notified me of the news.
Parashurama's homeland owes its existence to Shiva for sweeping the asura off the island.
Because of that, the royal family worshipped Shiva for many, many years. They would always deliver news of a royal newborn to the primal.
Shiva: Like father, like son, Parashurama became a devout adherent from the moment he entered this world.
Shiva: I also looked favorably upon the boy, but I did not expect him to ask to be my disciple.
At the time, Taraka had once again invaded the various nations of Tripla with an army of asura.
Parashurama's homeland wasn't spared from the onslaught either, and many lives perished at the hands of grotesque creatures who had been gathering in numbers over the years.
Shiva: Blessed with exemplary martial prowess from a young age, he possessed a desire to protect his country and subjects.
Shiva: I felt obligated to grant the entreaty of such a steadfast adherent. Thus I welcomed him as my disciple.
Shiva: When the time came to confront Taraka, Parashurama single-handedly eviscerated Taraka's asura guard.
Shiva: To commend his deed, I anointed him as Tripla's guardian and bestowed the bow to him as proof of virtue.
Shiva: Yes, the weapon forged to destroy asura—Vijaya, Annihilator of Evil.
Shiva knits his brow as he looks at the sleeping Parashurama.
Shiva: Yet here he is without Vijaya on his person, as far as I can tell.
Shiva: Where is the bow now? Furthermore, is this man truly the one I knew as Parashurama?
Shiva: My questions shall go unanswered until he opens his eyes. All we can do is wait for him to recuperate.
The sudden appearance of this mysterious man, who may or may not be Shiva's disciple, has certainly complicated things.
(Captain) and company watch over the sleeping man, wondering what questions to ask when he awakens.

Beginning of the End: Scene 3

Parashurama explains that after the murder of his parents and people, he succumbed to blind rage. Having lost sight of his vow to protect, Vijaya, the bow Shiva entrusted to him to fight the Otherworldly beings, shattered. With nothing powerful enough to stem the scourge, it seeped across the island in the form of an illness. Stricken with regret, Parashurama became a primal beast to protect skydwellers. Instead of punishing his disciple, Shiva persuades him to help purify the scourge once and for all.



Parashurama: Unh... Where am I?
Parashurama rubs his eyes. This is the moment the crew has been waiting for.
Lyria: Hooray! You're awake.
Vyrn: Heyo, mister! Feelin' all right? Can ya move your arms and legs?
Parashurama: Who are you? What was I...
Parashurama looks around wildly in confusion.
When his eyes lock onto a certain god, he freezes.
Parashurama: I am not worthy! You have my deepest, sincerest apologies!
Springing up off of his back, Parashurama flips over onto his hands and knees, and immediately grovels before Shiva.
Vyrn: Whoa! What got into you!
Lyria: O-oh my! He dented the floor with his head!
With his forehead glued to the ground, Parashurama ignores the crew's comments and rattles off his guilt.
Parashurama: You entrusted me with protecting this island, yet I have allowed it to fall into wretched decay. I do not deserve to look you in the eyes!
Parashurama: O my teacher! Divine Mahadeva! Bring unto me my deserved punishment!
Shiva: Hm... Do not be rash. Raise your head, Parashurama.
Shiva: Suitable judgment can only be meted once all has been disclosed.
Parashurama: What do you mean "all"?
Parashurama slowly looks up until he can see Shiva's face.
Shiva: All means all. What occurred on the island in the wake of my departure? Speak the truth as you know it; that is all I ask.
Shiva: Your words shall shape my verdict.
Parashurama: ...
Parashurama sits back in silence, trying to determine where to start.
Parashurama: After you left, and the land was liberated from the asura menace, peace reigned for a number of years.
Parashurama: But following Taraka's death, King Kartavirya of Haihaya plotted to conquer the world.
Parashurama: Armed with knowledge of the asura and having inherited Taraka's hatred, he opened the gate to the asura's realm.
Shiva: Kartavirya... He was a young king of the kingdom bordering yours.
Shiva: Even among the worst of individuals, he was especially arrogant and avaricious.
Shiva: He behaved with obedience during the war waged against Taraka. It appears that was merely for show.
Parashurama: I swore an oath with you to protect the land, and protect I did by slaughtering the asura that followed Kartavirya.
Parashurama: In retaliation, he took the lives of Mother, Father, and our people.
Shiva: ...
Parashurama: So overcome with rage and fury was I, that I released Vijaya's power.
Parashurama: The arrows of retribution I loosed upon the asura could no longer purify but instead multiplied the corrupting curse, otherwise known as revenge.
Parashurama: Dead conniving kings and destroyed gateways to the underworld meant nothing, for the rancor of those renegade regals and the curse of the asura weren't cleansed.
Parashurama: Thus the curse lived on in the form of the infernal plague, tainting the islanders with death and despair.
Parashurama: The curse drains the life of its victims, using it to further fuel animosity.
Parashurama: Over time, the strengthened grudge of the dead kings generates new asuras, thus perpetuating another cycle of invasions.
Parashurama: I attempted so many times to purify the land but to no avail. Unable to accomplish anything, I was overwhelmed by the black fog of the asura. This is all my fault.
Shiva: ...
Shiva: You breached your oath in return for power. Then Vijaya is...
Parashurama: I'm afraid so. As I was no longer deemed worthy by the bow, it... shattered and disappeared.
Shiva: As I thought. Then we must concede the possibility that the scourge cannot be stopped.
Vyrn: H-hold on a second! Are you sayin' our only way of savin' the island is gone forever?
Shiva: Take heart, little red dragon. Vijaya was but one option available to us.
Shiva tries to keep Vyrn from panicking before readdressing Parashurama.
Shiva: You who broke the oath and lost Vijaya: For what reason did you renounce your humanity? For what cause was your lust for power?
Parashurama: I once thought I could atone by sacrificing my life. So I tried.
Parashurama: Then I met someone who made me realize that there is no redemption to be found in death. Rather it is found in salvation.
Parashurama: Therefore I petitioned for their help and received an immortal body.
Parashurama: I pledged to protect all skydwellers until my form decays.
Shiva: Hm...
Parashurama: But now that we have reunited, it is only right that I face your judgment.
Parashurama: I betrayed your expectations and dragged your name through the mud. Those are my crimes.
Shiva: ...
Parashurama hangs his head in submission, already yielding to his guilt. With no emotion, Shiva announces his verdict.
Shiva: I shall not dole out punishment.
Parashurama: What? I don't understand!
Shiva: No manner of penalty I decree shall afford the atonement you desire.
Shiva: The torment of living outweighs the finality of death. You understood the consequences of abandoning mortality.
Shiva: To live eternally with a guilty conscience and the pain it brings, you were already aware of the outcome.
Parashurama: ...
Seeing that Parashurama has nothing to say, Shiva continues.
Shiva: However, should you still seek to repay your debts, then wield your power against the returning tides of evil.
Shiva: You alone can save countless lives without Vijaya.
For a while, Parashurama remains silent. Finally he looks at Shiva, but this time his eyes are unwavering.
Parashurama: It is as you say.
Parashurama: I pledge to you, Mahadeva, the remainder of my existence, which I will use to protect the world.
Shiva: Acknowledged.
Shiva nods, contented. Moving on to other matters, he attempts to sense the presences outside the shack.
Shiva: A harsh truth has not changed. Without Vijaya, halting the asura invasion shall prove next to impossible.
Vyrn: Then what else can we do? They keep comin' back no matter how many we knock down.
Parashurama: The asura that wander in the open are merely fodder. The orchestrator pulling all the strings is surely keeping out of sight.
Parashurama: Destroy the source, and that will curb new asuras from emerging. Now if only we had a lead to follow...
Suddenly Parashurama turns to the crew with a baffled look.
Parashurama: By the way, who are you people?
Vyrn: Huh? It took you this long to notice us?
Lyria: Well, he had just regained consciousness, and there wasn't really time for chitchat, so...
After trying to cover for Parashurama's inattentiveness, Lyria clears her throat.
Lyria: Hi, Parashurama! I'm Lyria!
Vyrn: And I'm Vyrn! Lyria, (Captain), and me are hitting the skies as skyfarers!
Lyria: Yep! And we're also Shiva's adherents!
Parashurama: Adherents? The one you call (Captain) seems mortal enough, but what about you two?
Vyrn: Huh?
Parashurama: I see a small red dragon and girl with blue hair. Neither of you are skydwellers, I take it?
Parashurama: If I find out you're actually villains out to harm Mahadeva...
The man stares daggers at Lyria and Vyrn, who are taken aback by the accusation.
This prompts a rebuke from Shiva.
Shiva: These three are my devoted adherents. Skydweller or otherwise matters not, for I have deemed them worthy of my protection.
Parashurama: Ah, f-forgive me! I have made a grievous error toward your chosen ones!
Parashurama: In light of my ignorance, I request that you punish me, Mahadeva!
Shiva: A slip of the tongue is no cause for discipline.
Parashurama: Sniff, your compassion is as vast as the sky itself! Truly you are a paragon of benevolence to overlook the multitude of sins I have committed!
The crew members watch with muted amazement as Parashurama spirals into self-criticism.
Vyrn: There's devotion, and then there's this guy...
Lyria: Yeah, he really reveres Shiva from the bottom of his heart.
Whether in response to the ribbing or not, Parashurama settles down and changes his tune.
Parashurama: I'm ashamed for losing my composure. Let's take this from the top.
Parashurama: Anyone who sees the light of Mahadeva is an honored friend of mine.
Parashurama: May we blaze the same path together! To friendship!
Before the captain can even react, Parashurama has wrapped his hand around (Captain)'s in a hearty handshake.
The unorthodox salutation lightens the tension, and they all have a much needed laugh.
Sadly the fun doesn't last long.
Parashurama: Mahadeva! Can you feel it?
Shiva: It would appear the asura are lured to the remaining vitality that still inhabits this town.
Shiva: Steel your hearts, my adherents. This is the island's last stand. Do not become one with the earth.
Shiva: Asura's black curse must not contaminate the blue skies. It is our duty to repulse the flux of evil.
Everyone nods in unison. They know full well what it will mean for the world if they fail.