The Battle with Icarus

((NOT WINKS))

This posting has been sanctioned by Lord Aleister Tartaros of Drega'Mire.

People of Travance, several of us were able to sit down with Dr. Heimdall, otherwise known as the Father, to discuss plans for the battle with his imperfect creation, the monstrous homunculus known as Icarus. I make this posting now to disseminate those details to all, so that proper preparations can be made. Please be aware, that this battle has the potential to be extremely lethal to a great many of us, and so proper strategy and cooperation will be absolutely essential. If others have details that I do not state in this treatise, please do not hesitate to append them at the bottom.

WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT ICARUS
Like other homunculi, Icarus will most likely be quite susceptible to poisonous compounds, as they disrupt a homunculi's natural regeneration. In addition, we have learned from Dr. Heimdall that due to the fact of Icarus' conglomerated bodymass, electricity will also have a highly critical effect on it, possibly disrupting the biological connections between the primary body and those countless other beings that it has consumed. Weapons made from meteoric lightning, as well as those metaphysical abilities that simulate electrical power, will hence be incredibly useful.
As is already known and has been previously stated, Icarus has consumed many other creatures and added their powers and abilities to its own. It would be impossible to catalog every ability that it now possesses, but there are a select few that will warrant mention. First, owing entirely to its incredible size, Icarus will strike anything in its path with overwhelming force and strength, so that even the most stalwart warrior defending himself may be completely crushed underfoot. Second, one of the creatures it has absorbed is indeed a Beholder, and so it will have ranged combat capability, including the power to completely disintegrate whatever it looks upon. Third, it has also absorbed a Phoenix, granting it powerful wings that increase its speed and may give it increased healing potential, but hopefully it is unable to lift its ponderous mass into actual flight. Finally it is also able to shed creatures that it has previously absorbed, while keeping them wholly under its control

THE TRAP
As stated elsewhere, Dr. Heimdall will be luring Icarus here using a trail of his most flawed, mindless creations. He is estimating that Icarus will arrive in Travance Proper on Friday the 2nd of June, three weeks from the time of this posting. He will then trap it in an abandoned field using a perimeter of living lightning, which was gathered previously. Icarus' main driving emotion is hunger, and so since it will not be able to leave the field, it will shed previously consumed creatures, henceforth known as Spawn, to sneak through small gaps in the perimeter and bring back more things for it to consume. These Spawn could be anything from homunculi to undead to demons, and everything in between. Dr. Heimdall states that one can tell if something is a Spawn by the presence of a certain symbol, a lower-case Omega, somewhere on the body. Until Icarus is fully engaged in battle, we will have to guard ourselves and those around us from being taken by these Spawn. Due to still being biologically connected to Icarus even though they are separated, the Spawn will still be highly susceptible to electrical attack.

THE PREPARATION
Dr. Heimdall has developed plans for special cannons that should cause catastrophic damage to Icarus. Unfortunately, the materials needed to build these cannons and their ammunition are very rare and highly unstable, and will most likely break down within a day of being crafted. As such, we will need to begin gathering these materials no earlier than Saturday morning, the 3rd of June. I do not yet know what all of the materials are, but some of them may be incredibly difficult to gather. As one example, we will need to send a group to the bottom of the Rift to recover a container of some Gnomish material, however the container may be damaged and will need to be repaired by blacksmiths before it can be transported. Once all of the materials have been gathered, the cannons will have to be constructed. Due to the nature of the various materials and energies involved, this construction will have to be a collaborative effort including all sorts of crafters, including metaphysical ritualists. All of this will be on a strict timetable, and will need to be completed before feast is served, so that the cannons can then be moved into position for the battle.

THE BATTLE
Dr. Heimdall's plans call for a three-pronged assault on Icarus within the confines of the living lightning perimeter. One group will be crowd control, since as soon as Icarus feels threatened it will begin to shed Spawn at an accelerated rate. Every Spawn that we destroy will be one less that Icarus can reabsorb to regain strength. Please remember that electrical attacks will be the most effective against all Spawn, while poisonous compounds will only be effective against specifically homunculus Spawn. The second group will run interference with Icarus itself. Baring in mind the abilities outlined above, Icarus will need to be engaged with extreme hit-and-run tactics, keeping the main body distracted so that its full destructive force cannot be brought to bear on any one individual, or on the third group, that being the cannon crews.

THE CANNON CREWS
This portion of the battle is worthy of its own section due to the high level of organization it will require. The cannons that we will build earlier in the day are specially designed to deliver anti-homunculus ordinance using hollow ammunition filled with a special alchemical compound that deals catastrophic damage to homunculi. Some of you may be familiar with this particular compound, and may even have used it in special arquebus ammunition. Dr. Heimdall estimates that we should find enough material to build only FIVE of these cannons, one large one and four smaller ones, and a very limited number of cannonballs. So as we fire each cannon, we will require runners to retrieve the cannonballs so that they can be refilled and loaded back into the cannons to be fired again. The refilling process can be done only by those trained as blacksmiths and alchemists, and will need to be done both quickly and carefully. My suggestion would be to fire the cannons one at a time in sequence, so as to keep Icarus off balance with the impacts. I have spoken to both Captain Jackdaw and Captain Albatross to enlist their help in organizing the cannon crews, since anyone with experience on board ships would be ideal in making the cannons as efficient as possible.

OUR SUPPORT
Dr. Heimdall will of course be attending the battle along with what he terms his Perfect creations. They will unfortunately not be able to engage directly with Icarus, out of concern that it will attempt to consume them. Instead, the Father will be unlocking special abilities held within his creations that are specially designed to bolster and support those around them in various ways. He did not reveal to me just what each of those abilities might be, but gave me the example that anyone who stands within close proximity to Dr. Heimdall himself will find their crafting potential greatly revitalized. Each Perfects' ability should be appropriate to the way they were initially designed, however the Father admitted that those abilities may have changed based on their interactions with members of Travance and the things they may have been taught.

OTHER GROUPS
As you may have seen, Lord Tartaros is now organizing two other groups to assist in this battle in specific ways. If you are interested in helping man the weaponry onboard the K.A.S. Tarrasque for an aerial bombardment, or if you are an accomplished user of metaphysical energies willing to assist with the Beholder and Phoenix, please contact Lord Tartaros directly.

THE HOPEFUL OUTCOME
As the Spawn are destroyed and Icarus is weakened by the cannons, its size and mass will gradually diminish. As it loses the things that it has consumed, it will also lose access to the abilities granted to it by those creatures. As such it will most likely attempt to keep hold of the most powerful consumed creatures until the very end. On the other hand, as it gets closer to its original form it will also regain coherence, and thus be better able to adjust its own strategy and reactions the longer the fight goes. Once Icarus has been reduced to its original form, Dr. Heimdall states it will still be too powerful to fully destroy and will need to be incapacitated so that it can be contained and permanently removed from Travance.

Once again, if anyone has specific details not outlined in this plan, feel free to append them at the bottom of this posting. Only by absolute cooperation will we overcome this incredible threat to our existence.

With respects,
William Sterling

Mr. Sterling, my crew is eager and ready. I look forward to meeting with you again and talking more about the strategy for this fight.

I am available to help with anything you may need.

William Sterling,

I am happee too asist with the cordinayshun uv healers and dokturs for this task. I feel that wil hav a big impakt on how this batul gos.

~Ergos

I have been organizing groups to protect our guests, the Dr, The perfects, and the True homunculi from Icarus' spawn, as it was unleashed in a lab that still possessed numerous homunculi slayers before it was ruined, it is probable that at least some of those specific homunculi were absorbed and made a part of Icarus, and thus are a danger to our allies. That's why I posted what I did earlier. For those who wish to form part of the retinue of protectors for our friends, please contact me here or by private missive.

The Blood Spirits will be there to assist as needed.

Cmd. B. Drexel

Rereading this you are missing a few things:
The Hydra was also consumed and will need to be felt with...

This is an adaptive creature. The old will not work as it has before. We need to alter the compounds.

More later.

Birgitta

I can second Gabriels assurance.

-O. Nesterin

As regards the compound, Icarus only adapts when it consumes something with new qualities. Unless it has consumed a homunculus that developed a resistance to the compound, something I'm sure Dr. Heimdall would have gloated over instead of insisting on the compound's use, then the formula should be fine as it stands.

With respects,
William Sterling

Gabriel,

Not our hydra, the hydra prior to being released from the lab as the tentacles were already in place.

William,

I'm not sure I'd simply trust he's telling any of us everything nor would I be so certain he's 100% aware of everything his faulty creations consumed.

However, I will stop writing now.

Clearly you've got this well to hand since before I could return my words have been shouted down.

If you need us you know where to find us.


Birgitta

And thank whatever deity you worship for that. Compared to a true Hydra, a kraken is little more than an annoyance.

I do not know if I will be in the proper to be able to assist in person in this battle, but please, be wary and careful. A creature that can absorb other beings is dangerous enough, but if this Icarus has truly absorbed a Phoenix and has access to all of its powers, this will be a foe the likes of which Travance has not faced since the Dark Rider. Be safe, and if I am not fighting on the field with you, know that I am with you in spirit.

What is a beholder?

-Midori Suarez
Daughter of Mercy