Editing Shadow 5.12

{{Infobox Ward chapter
|work=Ward
|book=[[Shadow]]
|number=5.12|dateposted=3 April 2018
|link=https://www.parahumans.net/2018/04/03/shadow-5-12/ 
|previous=[[Shadow 5.11]]
|next=[[Interlude 5.x II|Interlude 5.x]]
}}'''{{PAGENAME}}''' is the twelfth chapter of [[Shadow]]. The Marching Band fixes things,the Fallen surrender, things are looking up. Then things fall apart.

==Plot==
As the hostages succumb to Mama Mathers' torture, Rain attempts to negotiate with Valefor, apparently immune to his power, and warns the group about Mama Mathers. He interrogates Valefor about her whereabouts; Valefor requests that Rain rejoin. Rain attributes his immunity to a cape in March's group, explains his involvement with March.

Valefor instructs the power dampener, Amaymon, to step on Erin's throat; Rain uses his [[blaster]] power to try and dissuade him, but Amaymon blocks it and continues. Victoria uses her aura, causing Valefor and Amaymon to hesitate. Valefor responds with a verbal command to stop, but Victoria escapes the effect by covering her ears, while Capricorn, Rain, and March also are able to avoid Valefor's power.

The Fallen capes begin to act; Sveta grabs Amaymon and Valefor before they can act and drags them away, while one Fallen cape shifts into their [[breaker]] state, forming a growing tower of bone and flesh. Her flight still failing, Victoria apprehends one cape wielding a gun and intestine snake, using the Wretch to protect Capricorn before he incapacitates the snake woman.

Up ahead, Sveta, having gagged Valefor with her wig, wrestles with Amaymon; he manages to impale her prosthetic body, before Victoria approaches and defeats him. As Sveta patches herself up, Victoria returns to the main area of conflict, watching as March uses her power to disable the flesh-tower breaker and then kill him. Victoria refocuses on helping the hostages, flying down the street with her aura active until she notices a change.

Victoria prepares to enter the building with the Wretch active, but Mama Mathers, speaking through Rain's uncle, expresses her disappointment in Rain and promises to free the hostages. March goes in to retrieve Mama Mathers, while Rain and Victoria talk about the situations with March, Erin, and Ashley. March emerges with Mama Mathers wrapped in a bedsheet, while Sveta returns with Valefor; the Graeae twins from March's group sedates Mama Mathers, and the heroes plan their exit, deciding to meet up with the Wardens.

At the western part of the settlement, the conflict goes somewhat still as the Fallen realize who the heroes have captive; Victoria notes the presence of the Hollow Point capes and the other members of Rain's cluster. The Fallen begin to stand down, but Victoria remains uneasy, suspecting a trap. Her suspicions are confirmed as the Fallen resume attacking, and the Speedrunners' Secondhand retrieves Mama Mathers. Amidst the effects of Final Hour's targeted slowness, Victoria goes for Valefor, destroying his jaw, but the hostages, affected by a prior command from Valefor, begin to turn on the heroes.

Victoria flies in to interfere and separate the now-hostile hostages, but Capricorn is teleported away by End of Days. Gunfire begins, and it starts to rain just as End of Days brings Victoria to the same dark dimension; after a few minutes, she returns in time to see Sveta and Capricorn fending off Love Lost and a mob of civilians, while Rain and Snag face off. Victoria removes Sveta and Capricorn from the crowd, while Rain and the rest of his cluster collapse, as Snag dies from one of Rain's beams.

==Major Events==
*Mama Mathers and Valefor are taken captive by the heroes, but are freed by the [[Speedrunners]], who reveal themselves to be allied with the Fallen.

==Characters==
{|class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed wikitable"
! scope="col" |
|-
|
===[[Breakthrough|Team Therapy]]===
*[[Capricorn]] brothers
*[[Victoria Dallon]]
*[[Sveta Karelia]]
*[[Chris Elman]] {{M}}
*[[Looksee]] {{M}}
===[[The Fallen]]===
*[[Mama Mathers]] (captured) (sedated)
*[[Valefor]]
**Nailed mask guy
**[[Amaymon]]
**Woman-shaker with upturned, horned mask
**Woman with intestine snake
**Skull-giant breaker
**Axeman (Rain's uncle, [[Allie]]'s father)
**2 others soldiers
*[[Seir]]
*people from [[Herren Clan|the clans]]

*Fourteen hostages
**[[Erin]]
**Bryce
**Their parents

===[[Hollow Point]]ers===
*[[Love Lost]]
**[[Snag]]
**[[Cradle]]
*[[Damsel of Distress II]] {{M}}
*[[Prancer]]
**[[Velvet]]
**[[Moose]]
*[[Bitter Pill]]
**[[Bluestocking]]
*[[Speedrunners]]
**[[Secondhand]]
**[[Final Hour]]
**[[Last Minute]]
**[[End of Days]]

===[[The Wardens]]===
*[[Weld]] (mentioned)
*[[Narwhal]]
*[[Gilpatrick]] (mentioned)

===[[March's Megacluster]]===
*[[March]]
*[[Rain]]
*[[The Graeae|Dino and Enyo]]
*[[Ixnay|One unknown person]]<!-- by exclusion-->
|}

==Trivia==
*By rapidly switching to each other, Tristan and Byron are able to avoid being affected by Valefor's power.
*In Greek mythology, the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graeae Graeae] were a trio of sisters who shared one eye and one tooth among themselves. The capes in March's group, Dino and Enyo, take their names from two of the Graeae, being twin triggers with the ability to transplant body parts.<ref>Rain indicated the two capes with gray hair, a young man and woman.  Both had eyepatches, the steel-gray hair, and costumes with white and black.  Chris’ age, or a bit older.  “Dino and Enyo.  They’re multi-triggers, and they’re also twin triggers.  One of their powers is that they can transplant body parts, with some special rules.  I’m borrowing someone else’s eyes and ears, and a few other bits, so she can touch me and make it hurt, but it’s dulled, and she can’t do anything else.  The transplant recipient is back at our base, sedated.” -  [https://www.parahumans.net/2018/04/03/shadow-5-12/ Excerpt] from '''{{PAGENAME}}'''</ref>

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