Cari Town

= Related =
=Introduction=
Cari Town is a canon roleplay within the Ascension Academy universe set in the titular Cari Town, previously known as Camp Cari. The RP focuses on the residents of the town, shining a spotlight on the Army of Darkness actors behind much of the series' missions. Cari Town's launch date was Saturday, April 17th, and it will be occurring once a week on Saturday during the Year Break between Year Two and Three.
Cari Town is streamed at 9:30 PM CST every Saturday and runs for four hours, ending at 1:30 AM CST.
=Welcome to Cari Town=
Cari Town, previously 'Camp Cari' or 'Fort Cari', is a town nestled in the forests of Noria, a large island south of Esperia and west of Ascension Academy. The town initially started as a small forward camp used in the Camp Cari Crypt Mission near the end of the first year. As a property of the Academy however, and in response to rising tensions between the Academy and the Cross-Allied Forces, Headmaster Akiyama decided it would be wise to foster the location into a settlement wholly beholden to the Academy, and not the CAF. This proved futile however when he was arrested and brought to Ancestra to be put on trial at the end of Year 2, placing the Academy and the Town more firmly in the hands of the Cross Instruction Institute and the CAF as a whole.
==The Region ==
Cari Town is nestled within the forests of Noria, but only a short walk north of the ocean which allows for fairly easy travel to and from the Academy. The region is covered in a thick canopy a hundred feet in the air suspended by enormous trees with vast and thick roots. This gives the region an almost overcast look even during the day, with brilliant patches of sunlight shining through the gaps to illuminate some areas. The Dryad's influence on the region is clearly felt in this regard, giving the forest a calming and almost dream like appearance.
The town itself is comfortably sheltered in these woods in the clearing where the Academy's Forward Camp once sat. Tall stone walls integrated into the rocky erratics and rolling hills surround the town and protect it from the beasts without. Past the tree line in the south east the forest breaks into open clearings dotted in farmland and pastures.
To the south, where the forest is thicker and shrouded in fog, the Crypt pokes out of the hillside. A stone archway with a heavy door leading down into a long hall with several side passages. Deeper still, though sealed up now, the crypt is intersected by caves and deeper older passages exist once filled with undead but now empty thanks to the efforts of the Cadets in Year 1.
Further north the Forstruth Mining Company's copper, tin, and coal mines poke out from rocky hillsides, cramped into small valleys near the waterfall and lake. These sites rarely see much activity, but even further north past them is the Dryad's Grove. The grove is secluded by tall hills and taller trees, leaving only one entrance, through a crevice at the front masked by brush and thick grass. Inside the Grove is a small pond, and above the pond on a chunk of earth floating in the air is the Dryad's Tree. The Dryad can reform infinitely from this tree, so long as it still stands. To the left is a gentle slope up to the Dryad's home, provided by the people of Cari. To the right, another sloped hill that winds around to the back of the Grove were old ruins and an alter stand.
==The Businesses==
The Cadets sold many properties to people looking to move into the region during their earlier visit to the Fort. Most of those were residential, but many were businesses located along the town square. These include an alchemist, a blacksmith, and a tavern. A tanner and mason also moved into the region some time before this, aiding with establishing the town alongside the Dryad who made sure the roots of the enormous trees did not grow under the foundations and ruin the work.
*Adventurer's Guild - Owned by Oliver Holtby. Contracts various Adventurers. The local branch of the Adventurer's Guild, handles local contracts and quests within the Noria region.
*Apothecary - Owned by Robin. Employs Malgwyn. Sells potions and other alchemical goods.
* Hospital - Operated by Samuel Fir. Employs Joyce, Uivellon, Maria, and Julie. Treats the sick and injured of the town.
* Forstruth Mining Company - Owned by Lnik. Employs Narali, Briggs Earthcarver and Allan Grey. Has claim to the copper, tin, and coal mines in the region.
* Tannery - Owned by Leon Strauss. Collects hide and treats it into leather and leather goods.
* Cat Cafe - Owned by Prim Roza. Employs Kitty and Lynn. Serves sandwiches, drinks, and other treats, as well as housing a large number of cats.
* Tavern - Owned by Lance Forgram. Employs Claude Jean Von.
* Bookstore - Owned by Thula Pendrake. Employs Jeremiah Wordsworth. Sells and lends out books.
* Smithy - Owned by Belinda Deorwyn. Forges various things from metal such as tools, weapons, and armor.
*Walshe Lumber - Owned by the Walshe Family. The family has lumber rights to much of the forest edge nearer to the farms.
=Cari Town Characters=
===Council Members===
HoldB.png|link=Oliver Holtby|Oliver Holtby ImagineMod
Mercywalshe.png|link=Mercedes Walshe|Mercedes Walshe NobodyQueen
RangerSavage April 24 2021-AllanCC.png|link=Allan Grey|Allan Grey pg_ross
StealthRG_April_17th_2021-Samuel.png|link=Samuel Fir|Samuel Fir Zankio
RedFaceSig.png|link=Sigurd Holt|Sigurd Holt Jakk9891
===Townies===
Leon2.png|link=Leon Seymour Strauss|Leon Seymour Strauss Shinnryuu 
William1.png|link=William Artigas|William Artigas Conflee
RoacheVR June 12th 2021-Belinda.png|link=Belinda Deorwyn|Belinda Deorwyn Nevakari
StealthRG April 17th 2021-Robin.png|link=Robin|Robin Kiaske
Banditelf.png|link=Vol'lis Adala|Vol'lis Adala TheEmoHealer
RoacheVR April 17th 2021-Rol.png|link=Rol Wurton|Rol Wurton Kevrex97
RoacheVR June 12th 2021-HappyPrimm.png|link=Prim Roza|Prim Roza SugarcoatedWitch
RoacheVR April 24th 2021-Elisabeth.png|link=Elisabeth Walshe|Elisabeth Walshe OliviaKaori
Ricksalazar1.png|link=Rick Salazar|Rick Salazar 1leggedroflcopter
RoacheVR April 17th 2021-Gilliam.png|link=Gilliam Hughberthew|Gilliam Hughberthew Gargoyle
Claude1.png|link=Claude Jean Von|Claude Jean Von Spellboy
Briggs1.png|link=Briggs Earthcarver|Briggs Earthcarver DontMindMee
ThulaPendrake.png|link=Thula Pendrake|Thula Pendrake maryamrosevr
ThatGargoyle-GMAKAreeda.png|link=Jeremiah Wordsworth|Jeremiah Wordsworth Kareeda
Ara Tulip.png|link=Ara Tulip|Ara Tulip RibbonHeartVR
CT-Javier 2.png|link=Javier|Javier Jennings ZM0BIE
CariMissing.png|link=Winifred Durham|Winifred Durham KTKrysi
HeckThomas.png|link=Heck Thomas|Heck Thomas Zoreee
CariMissing.png|link=Julie Anne|Julie Anne StarThief210
Thistle OC.png|link=Thistle|Thistle Statickiller
Gargoyle_Oct_28th_2021-Lorraine.jpg|link=Lorraine|Lorraine Goodfallow CorrinVR
CariMissing.png|link=Namira|Namira (Kusachi)
MariaMedic.png|link=Maria De Leon|Maria De Leon Shortcake_Liz
CariMissing.png|link=Sylmorn Delnys|Sylmorn Delnys (Shimonzu)
CariMissing.png|link=Arabelle|Arabelle (ToAnxiousToTalk)
IzzyAAProf.png|link=Izanami (AA)|Izanami Mimika
===Adventurers===
RoacheVR April 17th 2021-Lance.png|link=Lance Forgram|Lance Forgram LordDepresso
Priam2p.png|link=Priam Lucidum|Priam Lucidum MerlinVibes
RoacheVR_April_17th_2021-Malgwyn.png|link=Malgwyn|Malgwyn Corowna
UivellonPfp.png|link=Uivellon Seirel Mellilthor|Uivellon Seirel Mellilthor Miss Universe
ImagineMod_July_10th_2021-Kelvin.png|link=Kelvin|Kelvin Blacknightte
StealthRG_Jan_13th_2022-YukiArmor.jpg|link=Yuki Mori|Yuki Mori Stealthrg
CariMissing.png|link=Giaus Layton|Giaus Layton (Howlcifer)
Uzu_Nov_4th_2021-Chanel.jpg|link=Chanelle Crudella|Chanelle Crudella UzuriMia
ViviCariTown.png|link=Vivi|Virion "Vivi" Lithegon Oraclelotl
CariMissing.png|link=Kyoko|Kyoko TheGremlin_Yiyi 
===Guards===
Blake At The Bar.png|link=Guard Blake|Blake PsiRenn
RoacheVR_June_12th_2021-Marcus.png|link=Marcus Storm|Marcus Storm Kurohgane
GuardRaymondProf.png|link=Guard Raymond|Raymond (Vicse)
GuardBarry.png|link=Guard Barry|Barry Red
MysteryGuard.png|link=Guard Tim|Tim (Tim the Enchanter)
MysteryGuard.png|link=Guard James|James (Reaver Parable)
MarleyPFP.jpg|link=Marley Yamata|Marley Yamata HDMG
Samantha.png|link=Samantha William Stallard|Samantha William Stallard (Dicidius)
===Former===
MysteryGuard.png|link=Guard Verricks|Verricks (Kurohgane) Deceased
CariMissing.png|link=Madeline Landor|Madeline Landor Ariyana Reassigned
Emiguild.png|link=Emi Lodema|Emi Lodema MerreSmalls Retired
CariMissing.png|link=Erik Erickson|Erik Erickson Spellboy Retired
EvonneVittoria.jpeg|link=Evonne Vittoria|Evonne Vittoria TheGremlin_Yiyi Retired
Kareeda April 17th 2020-Sorenna.png|link=Sorenna|Sorenna BandAid91 Retired
IngridPort.png|link=Ingrid Rose|Ingrid Rose s0_d4 Retired
Kareeda May 8th 2021-Kitty.png|link=Kitty|Kitty Nanoade Retired
GuardCaleb.png|link=Guard Caleb|Caleb Oraclelotl Retired
GuardEven.png|link=Evin Sinclair|Evin Sinclair He Gone Retired
CariMissing.png|link=Joyce|Joyce Miss Kanako Retired
CariMissing.png|link=Tanya|Tanya Kiaske Retired
ImagineMod_July_10th_2021-Sorin2.png|link=Sorin Vasvarian|Sorin Vasvarian ArabNinja Retired
RoacheVR April 17th 2021-Valentine.png|link=Vale Valentine|Vale Valentine _V__ Retired
LynnPFP.png|link=Lynn|Lynn Sn0wBreeze Retired
Kareeda_May_1st_2021-MayorOutfit.png|link=Aima Yinnow|Aima Yinnow RoacheVR Retired
=History=
==Year One==
Camp Cari was the location of the first combat mission undertaken by the students of Ascension Academy. The camp sits in a forest near Noria, on an island south west of the Academy, above a large crypt guarded by the spirit Imera Lux, and there is a dryad grove nearby. The students were deployed to the Camp initially to recover four Keystone fragments to prevent them from falling into dangerous hands. This mission was only partially successful as one of the Keystones was exchanged for Chipz' life, another for Ryder's, and a third was drained to resurrect a Dryad. The camp was renamed to Camp Cari in honor of Cari Cuddlefish, the only casualty during the mission.
==Year Two==
The students later revisited the camp, which had been redubbed 'Fort Cari' in their second year at the Academy. Since their first mission the site has been built up greatly, with stone walls, gatehouses and towers, many houses, a farm, medical building, and a tavern. The Dryad now resides within the town sporadically while he works to cleanse his Grove. In the center of the town there is a fountain and a stone statue of Cari in a mermaid form, with water pouring from her hands. A touching, if bittersweet, tribute to the fallen cadet. 
While there the students were tasked with selling the plots of land in the city, as well as some simple combat missions- clearing out a bear and troll cave, patrolling, etc, all the while being harrassed by Blights. However Ignis Squad came across a destroyed caravan later in the night, and after returning for a chest they saw a Darkness Soldier. Victor and Chipz left the others in the Fort and scouted the area, following its tracks to the Grove, so the professors went to face the Soldiers, going to where the one had come from- the Crypt. Inside they were outnumbered, facing down six of the monsters, but they managed to slowly defeat them. Once the threat had been dealt with the students were escorted to the Dryad's Grove to pay respects to their fallen companion.
The students once again were called to Fort Cari a few weeks later after reports came in that supply caravans were being ambushed on the roads, and the town was in dire need of aid. The students escorted a cart of supplies into the town and were immediately assigned to take posts on the walls and move out on excursions to secure the surrounding area. While patrolling Vanguard encountered a strange green orb of energy that worked like a portal, allowing more Blight to spill into the area. They managed to close the portal and aided the Skeletal Adventurer Steve in his fight against a couple undead. Crystal Thorn suffered moderate injury on their mission as well, at the same time the South Wall was assaulted by waves of Undead from the Crypt with crossbows, forcing Ignis to hold until Gallant Squad could be gathered to clear the Crypt- Gallant's first mission since being formed. 
This Crypt Run proved to be catastrophic in the long run- while Gallant was able to clear the Undead in a very organized manor, only suffering mild injuries besides Rex, they discovered the remaining two Keystone Shards from the Year 1 Camp Cari Mission that had been converted and attuned to some Dark Energy. Albrecht was forced to shatter both, but not before Joseph touched one and was knocked unconscious by the massive mana flow into his body. The destruction of both crystals brought Albrecht to his knees and after a brief struggle, the professor fell unconscious. Both Joseph and Albrecht were tainted by dark mana, the extent for both is unknown however.
On the second day, matters escalated to a breaking point rapidly. Crystal Thorn and Ignis were sent out on a joint mission to escort followers of the Faith of Ymra to a plot of land they had purchased. While out the encountered undead Ghouls, as well as a Necromental. On returning to the Fort, the injured were deposited and the able bodied of the two squads were again sent to do a lap of the Fort and make sure it was secure. While out they were ambushed by a Darkness Soldier. The Squads were immediately thrown into disarray as the injuries quickly stacked up- none of the students were capable of even inflicting minor damage to the Soldiers. Chipz rallied everyone uphill towards the Dryad's Grove and escorted the injured inside- leaving Shizu to hide behind the altar. Rin and Esmae however got lost at the entrance somehow. The rest of the squad was directed to lead the Soldier back to the Fort by Chipz so they could get help- and perfectly on time too given the other squads and Teachers had just mobilized to find them. While the Teachers engaged the Soldiers, Chipz lead the other students to the Grove where they mounted a defense against the undead, keeping the wounded safe until they could be escorted back to the Fort safely. Ardent Veil was able to give the Dryad a potion that cleared his mind, allowing him to finally reattune himself with the forest and cleanse it of the Dark Influence. The final day at the Fort was a recovery period with no combat, thanks to the Dryad.
The students returned one final time in Year 2, seeking the Root of the Problem with their delusional cadets and the rampant Blight in the area. It was discovered through a handful of seemingly charmed Cadets that the Blight was being spread by the Church of Ymra, but why was yet to be seen. After arriving in the town, they learned that many of the Townsfolk were influenced by Ymra similarly to their own Cadets. Several of the Townsfolk were wary of the situation and aware something was amiss and had been keeping a distant eye on their afflicted. The Cadets then scouted the region and evicted the Church from their lands near by. Following this, Fort Cari was laid siege to by an army of Blight, including colossal Blights called Sap Golems. These Golems battered down the gates, causing series structural damage and injuring many cadets in the battle. Thankfully however they were defeated and the fort stood strong. The Cadets left that night to deal with the Gulthias Tree which they correctly surmised was within the Church's 'Holy Lands'. After a brutal battle against the Ymra Tree and it's forces, as well as two more Darkness Soldiers, the Cadets returned to Fort Cari to treat their casualties and recuperate.
Following the collapse of the Ymra Cult, due to the loss of Ymra's control over all of his followers, the nearby city of Noria- capital of the region- collapsed into disarray as the entire population of the city had been under Ymra's control. As the government and society collapsed, many fled to the near by village of Cari which accelerated it's growth exponentially and set the rapidly growing town up to become the new capital of the region- certainly beneficial for the Academy's goal but at what cost?
==Renovations==
The region was in chaos following the collapse of Noria and the sudden massive influx in refugees from the desolate city. People displaced from around the world began pouring into the fledgling Cari Town desperate for sanctuary. Sanctuary that the town was incapable of providing as it currently was. A city council was hastily formed and they set to work resolving the issue. Firstly, the refugees were promptly employed as a temporary batch of lumberjacks and carpenters under the Walshe family, where they were tasked with deforesting a small area around a nearby lake to begin construction of temporary wooden housing. Secondly the Dryad, alongside dwarven architects from Noria and Belevor, were hired to rapidly renovate the dwellings inside the city walls. 
The streets were narrowed, the square expanded, and the city was divided into baileys that serves as districts. Stone houses were erected in days, with foundations reinforced with Mold Earth magic cast by the Dryad. The Dwarves were contracted to create a sewage system under the city, utilizing dwarven purification crystals to cleanse the waste, ensuring the city was sanitary and supplied with running water. The CAF appointed Administrator was reassigned in the middle of the process with the new Mayor, Aima Yinnow, taking her place.
Please check the Cari Town Summer page for a fuller episodic summary of the events that transpired in Cari Town over the Year Two to Year Three Summer Break!
==Summer of Strife==
Less than a month after the second school year for Ascension Academy ended, the Town of Cari- freshly renovated with the aid of the Dryad- reopened it's gates for citizens. The town very promptly began experiencing issues. A man in armor entered the city during the market hour and entered the sewers, corrupting the Purification Crystals in the Dwarven Water Purification Machinery bellow the city. This corruption caused the toilets to back up, but more importantly corrupted several dozen sewer rats which flooded to the surface to attack people. These rats were covered in glowing red veins of energy, and when they perished they released a cloud of dark miasma. People who were bitten or scratched by these rats, or inhaled the miasma, were infected with Black Spots.
Over the next weeks efforts to cure these spots were constant, but often were derailed by incidents involving a group of 'bandits' known as the Nightwalkers. This group was lead by a man named Zane, and was composed primarily of slaves that he had freed from the Inquisition. Unbeknownst to the town and the CAF, the Nightwalkers had a moderately sizable presence in the woods of central Noria, keeping mostly to themselves and living off the land and the merchants caravans that passed through. But they soon began giving the town trouble. After attempting to rob the Adventurers, and causing trouble in the region, a few of them were captured. However after being prodded with a spear by Lady Walshe and eventually breaking free, the rest of the bandits returned in force to siege the town. They scaled the walls with siege ladders, broke into the Keep, rescuing Zane and capturing Elisabeth Walshe. Cadets Mason, Lnik, and Narali followed them back to their camp with some Adventurers, where they found Elisabeth being burned and tortured. Seeing this, they stormed the camp and slaughtered half of the Nightwalkers, with Narali snapping Zane's neck, and they returned to town with Elisabeth. The other handful of surviving Nightwalkers fled soon after when one who had played dead to avoid being cuffed snuck around the tents to free the others.
The town was given little time to dwell on this however, as a Cross-Allied Forces Intelligence Officer names Finn was sent into the region to stabilize the town and investigate the potential signs of Darkness activity in the region. His heavy handed approach to problems lead to more rifts forming in the town, but also caused the Mayor to expand the Council by adding a small handful of new members including adding Lnik as Academy Representative per the stipulations of the Charter of the Province of Cari. With this, Lnik worked on organizing a proper legal system based on the local laws of Noria and his own code of justice, and presented it to the Mayor. Lady Elisabeth was tried for her torture of the bandit captives weeks prior and found guilty, losing her seat on the council and being confined to inside the walls.
Soon after this, matters began devolving once more. Large Rat Constructs were found in the Sewers, leading to the discovery of another cistern deeper within that was filled with hulking Rat Golems. The cadets and adventurers managed to defeat them, though were battered in the process. They discovered a ring of Dark Runes on the trees around the pond where the overflow from the sewers drains, and returned to town to report this. They returned with Finn to unweave the Runes, being sworn to secrecy on threat of death by the CAF. In this process, Mason reached his mana limit and pushed past it to break the final seal, Mana Burning himself and temporarily losing a chunk of his mana pool for the next few months.
They later returned to inspect the area and found it swarming with Rat Constructs and with a Dark Order member present remaking a Rune. They assembled several guards and attacked, killing the Rat Constructs and injuring the Dark Order cultist. They followed him to a large camp where many more Rat Constructs were assembled, the half-stitched together corpses in the back indicated this was where they were being created. They fought through the Constructs, but the cultist escaped once more using magic. In the camp however, they recovered a Darkness Runestone. After trying to blast it with holy magic, which seemed to hurt Narali, so Lnik and the rest returned to the town where Finn was informed of what occurred. 
Finn took the Rune and began studying it diligently, trying to unlock it's secrets. As he drew closer however, the Dark Order made one final play to seize the Runestone again. They sent a man in with an exploding runestone on his necklace, holding his family captive. His task was to recover the Rune no matter the costs, or his family would die. He grabbed Guard Barry and held them at knife point, demanding the rune. He grew increasingly more panicked as they continued to refuse, until Mason tried to disarm him. At that moment, the Rune was detonated and the explosion heavily injured Mason. Despite all of this however, the Darkness Runestone was still secure and later in the night Finn finally unraveled the corruptions within it. The stone was converted to a specific healing stone, able to absorb the corruption in those afflicted with Black Spots.
Following this, the rest of the summer was fairly calm. Excavation began in the crypts, goblins occasionally tried to attack outside the walls, but the threats were smaller and more local... for now.
== Return to Darkness ==
The next few months were quiet for the town- as quiet as they can be at least. Goblin sightings were sporadic but not very troublesome. Work on the Museum began, with Crypt excavations temporarily halted. Food stores recovered slightly. All was at peace. Until this peace was very suddenly and violently shattered.
The Nightwalkers had returned, and they made their presence known with volleys of arrows. After peppering the walls for half an hour, the Nightwalkers sent forwards a lieutenant to negotiate with the town. This lieutenant told them that the Nightwalkers would accept nothing less than surrender, stating that their leader wanted to let the Mayor continue to 'run' the town while he called the shots from the shadows. They wanted a place to live, and they chose Cari Town. He also revealed that the leader was still Zane, despite reports of his death at the hands of Narali. He eventually slipped that Zane has ben different since he came back. In the end, they refused this deal and escorted the Nightwalker out of the town. 
Nearing the end of the day, sounds were heard deep in the forests to the East. Thunderous footsteps and the sounds of trees cracking and falling. This was enough to send the bandits scattering, but the Town did not see this. All they saw was what came later. A giant construct of bone and stoney flesh, wielding a massive sword. A Darkness Soldier. This prompted panic and rapid action by the Mayor, and a letter was slipped out the walls past the Nightwalkers with the help of a GMA graduate- Jeremiah. He ran the letter to the docks, and set sail for Esperia and then to Ascension Academy for assistance.
The next day, Zane marched up to the gates with canons and hostages. Volleys of arrows flew over the walls, before a ceasefire was called for negotiations. Zane repeated his offer, saying that if the Mayor did not accept, he would start killing hostages. A counteroffer was proposed by William, which lead to Zane executing one of the hostages. After this the Mayor agreed to let them inside the walls. The citizens were huddled in the Keep, and were sent upstairs to hide as Zane approached. While the town was upstairs, Zane spoke to the Council. Of threats coming, powers in play, and the Darkness. Though the townsfolk lacked context to understand what the Darkness was, a vague idea and a name was leaked to them all in this event.
Escape attempts continued over the next few nights, with only a small handful managing to escape into the wilderness. Days passed, before finally Ascension Academy arrived. The Cadets were sent out on scouting missions, to survey the situation and report back. Ignis and Ardent Veil located several smaller checkpoints on the roads as well as two larger forts, one medium sized one outside Ymradale and one larger one on the hills in the South. They also discovered that the Sewers seemed to be mostly unguarded and were a viable route to sneak into the town. The Diplomats were sent out to speak with Zane, during which they got a better idea of the man's mental state and the risk he posed to the citizens inside. Signs were also found by the scouts of something large moving through the woods.
The next day groups were sent looping around the Slums to secure a forward position. While doing so they encountered dark Shades attacking several of the Nightwalkers. They slew the Shades, and captured the Nightwalkers- an easy feat given they were weakened and injured and barely argued with this. Following this, the diplomacy team entered the city once more with the majority of the Academy, while a secondary force moved around the outskirts of the city and entered the Sewers to begin sneaking townsfolk out.
These plans ultimately became secondary however. During their negotiations with Zane, after handing over a fake copy of the Darkness Rune Stone, Zane rambled for a while about matters before declaring that this was a nice stone, but it was not his. And while he could have them killed, he would let something else handle that for him. As he said this, the sky darkened. The animals of the forest went still. A thick red fog rolled into the region, shrouding the town in a curtain of mist. And the monsters came.
Waves of Rat Constructs and Shades attacked the walls, with the Adventurers, Guards, Cadets and Bandits alike battling to hold them at bay. During this fighting, several of the bandits turned on Zane and attacked him alongside two professors. But his supernatural abilities gained since his first death made him a slippery target. He would vanish and reappear behind them, attacking from every direction. Striking the defenders from behind with his sword and flintlock pistol while they faced down the Dark Order at the gates. Several times the gates were breached, but they were shoved back in place and barricades in the hopes that the town could outlast the onslaught. Waves of the Dark Order's army were repelled, as arrows rained down on the defenders. Fight after fight, until finally they came.
A Darkness Soldier emerged from the fog at the South Gate, smashing them open and forcing its way inside. Defenders were thrown back like twigs as it crashed through and began its ruthless assault. And it was far from the only thing they had to concern themselves with, as many Rat Constructs and Shades followed the Soldier, flowing through the breach that it had made. Shields shattered, armor crumpled, and blood flowed. But eventually, the combined force of multiple Professors and dozens of Cadets finally felled the Darkness Soldier. As it entered its death throes the defenders all felt a presence pressing heavily against them. The Soldier began lashing out, seemingly driven by a new thirst to kill, and destroy. Even as it's body failed, it smashed and crushed and pounded anything it could get close to, until finally it collapsed to the ground and crumbled apart. A black miasma leaked from it's corpse as it fell into dust, disappearing into the sky.
More bandits from the city joined the defense, reinforcing this gate while the Cadets and Professors moved to the East Gate where they heard another assault beginning. As they arrived a new wave gathered, the largest so far. The alarm was sounded, as this gate was already broken and could not be re-closed. Shapes moved in the fog as they readied with the barricade spell and formed up in a shield wall. They heard it approaching before they saw it- another Darkness Soldier. This time joined by an enormous wave of Shades and Rat Constructs- and a figure some of the guards recognized well. One suspected of having caused the Black Spots affliction in the first days of the towns opening. A man in rusted armor. The 'Rat Knight'.
The Darkness Soldier forced its way through the shattered gate with ease, striking out at anyone it saw standing their ground. Behind it, a horde of Rat Constructs poured in, as Shades clambered over the walls and forced the defenders' archers off the walls. And then the Rat Knight entered, flanked by three large Rat Construct Ogres. Each Rat Ogre was ringed in red energy, with a thick artery of energy linking back to the Rat Knight himself, was was shielded in three rings of similar vile magic.
The battle was a lengthy and blood soaked slugfest, with the Darkness Soldier breaking apart formations and forcing the Defenders to be quick on their feet, while Rat Constructs and Shades tried to entangle them and keep them in place long enough for the Soldier to crush them. The Rat Knight leapt from scuffle to scuffle, striking hard and dipping away from retaliation. His Rat Ogres did not fare so well, being slower and the shield links making them obvious targets. Slowly, one by one, the Ogres fell until finally the shield on the Rat Knight dropped. He was cornered by one of the gate towers by Carver and Albrecht, hammering against his armor as it dented in. He slashed wide, cutting Albrecht and ducking away to a better position near his Constructs. 
At the same time the Cadets managed to bring the Darkness Soldier to it's knees. It tried to rise but Ryder and Misty leapt in to hammer against it with their demonic strength and hellfire. The Soldier entered it's death throes and became enraged, lashing out violently. It threw Ryder into the wall but he leapt back at it, sinking his sword into it's shoulder. Misty clawed at it's heard where it's eyes should have been. The other Cadets joined in, driving their blades into it's stoney flesh as it began crumbling. A final mighty blow was delivered to it's head, which shattered into a foul ashy substance as the rest of the body crumbled away. A thick miasma leaked from the corpse as it rapidly decayed, though Rex tried to contain it with his Water Wall. 
The final opponent standing was the Rat Knight, now cornered against the wall with multiple Professors around him. His breastplate was caved in, bits of armor missing or crumpled away. His left arm hang useless. Yet he fought on, lashing out with savage intent for the Professors. But he could fight no more. He was thrown backwards into the city walls and grabbed, allowing Deputy Headmistress Boyle to shackle him with her magic inhibiting shackles. He was knocked unconscious, and moved to the Medical Bay to be kept alive. A living captive of the Dark Order, especially one seemingly as highly placed as this one, would be invaluable to the CAF.
The rest of the night and the following day were spent resting and recovering. Evacuated townsfolk were brought back into the city, and investigation into the events of the summer, as well as what Officer Finn was up to, began. The healers were worked for hours to stabilize everyone, but most of the town had survived. A little over a dozen citizens and guards had perished over the entire week and a half, a few to Zane but many in the battling at the gates against the Dark Order. Zane ended up fleeing into the wilderness, while most of his former followers turned on him and had sided with the town in the battle. Those who remained in town were sentenced to help repair the walls and farms, which they accepted. Plenty of drink and food was had to celebrate their survival, by both the Cadets and Townies alike. With two mature Darkness Soldiers defeated, one mostly by the might of the Cadets themselves, and a Dark Order member captured, this was surely a hard fought victory, but unmistakably it was a victory.
=Other Information=
==Trivia ==
*The townsfolk of Cari held a poorly organized parody play of the events that have taken place in their town, performed for the students during Spirit Week. Tanya, the little girl, played the Darkness Soldier that flattened Joseph- using a paper mache replica of one of the hammers.
*Steve the Skeleton is a well known sight in the town, for the inhabitants who have lived there the longest at least. Steve has made it his mission to defend the forests of the region and protect the fledgling city, and stops by from time to time to check in inside the walls.
*The Town has running water, despite there being no bathrooms in the map in game. The sewage is cleansed with Dwarven Purification tech located in the sewers.
*Camp Cari was named after the Ascension Academy Cadet Cari, after she died in the Crypt Mission. Her name has remained as the small forward camp evolved into a fort, and then a full fledged town.
==Gallery==
Camp cari 2.jpg|Some of the Tents in Camp Cari.
Camp cari 1.jpg|More Camp Cari tents.
Camp cari 3.jpg|The Camp Cari Checkpoint. 
CryptCristalThorn.png|Crystal Thorn in the Crypt.
Guildhall1.png|The Adventure Guild Hall.
CariTavern1.png|The Tavern, attached to the Guild Hall.
Townhallcari.png|The first Town Assembly of Cari Town.
Kareeda_April_17th_2021-CityGuardTower.png
Kareeda_April_17th_2021-CariStatue.png|Statue of Cari Cuddlefish
Kareeda_April_17th_2021-CityWall.png|New stone walls
Kareeda_April_17th_2021-LnikCompany.png|Lnik mining company 
Kareeda_April_17th_2021-MerchantPlaza.png|Merchant Plaza
Kareeda_April_17th_2021-CityGuard.png|Town Guards
Kareeda_April_17th_2021-Medbay.png|Medbay
Kareeda_April_17th_2021-Filter.png|Lady checking the new townspeople 
Kareeda_April_17th_2021-GuardCapitans.png|Town guards
Kareeda_April_17th_2021-AdventurersGuild.png|Adventurers guild
Towngroup2.png|The townsfolk relaxing in the town square at night.
GroupGuardShot1.png|The guardsmen drinking in the Tavern after a long day
RoacheVR_June_12th_2021-Attourney.png|Town attorney
RoacheVR_June_12th_2021-Lnik.png|Town judge
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Category:Ascension RP Locations