[Closed]

[familysucks]

Who: Michael, Wanda & Matt; Michael & Istredd; Michael & Jack; Michael & Castiel
What: Closed prompts for the month
When: February
Where: Horizon
Warnings: None at the moment, will add as required

Comments

Istredd - Istredd's domain

[familysucks]

Michael sweeps into Istredd's tower like he owns the place, wingbeats that sound suspiciously like sheets being hung to dry announcing his arrival. It's the same imperious attitude he carries himself with everywhere he goes, but he was invited. That's close enough to justification for him. He wears the same modern-looking outfit he did last time he visited. It's the sole change he ever makes to his appearance in the Horizon—a matter of comfort. Experimenting with fashion doesn't hold much interest for him.

He nods a mild greeting as he spots Istredd on the main floor.

"So where is this book of theories you've been preparing?"

Given the theme of Istredd's domain, Michael is making some assumptions about the format of the speculation he and the others have been engaging in.

[magicalarchaeologist]

Istredd did invite him so he can swoop in however he likes. There are a few new texts in the library that he was curiously looking at, but he was waiting for Michael. Considering that Michael has been helpful in talking about Solvunn, and willing to share his thoughts, it seemed only logical to tell him about their notes. He is as old as Lucifer and wise in his own way, Istredd believes very strongly that he is an ally worth making. And Lucifer grudgingly allows it.

The five ravens who live in the tower do all flutter a floor above them and stare at Michael. They're not Wanda's although it is a little connected. They don't do anything to him though, as opposed to two of them that like to annoy the two chief occupants.

"Follow me." He leads through the shelves that part and it is very intuitive, quick to move around people if they know what they're looking for. Usually reading nooks are just created, but this is a special one for people who know. Michael will be able to find his way back to this if he decides to come on his own. It's a nice and comfortable space once they're inside with plenty of seating arrangements for people to enjoy if they want to talk about the theories.

Michael might recognize the Chart of Hell by Sandro Botticelli painting and know his brother's hands are all over this, but it wouldn't be a surprise, since he knows how close Istredd is with him. Istredd turns it around and shows Michael the back of it where many of their notes are on it. Some in handwriting he knows, some in Istredd's, some merely thought into existence and not written.

"Obviously we'll be lucky if even one of these turns out to be true, but we're trying to make sense of the gods and what's going on here." Yes they could leave it alone and ignore it, but after the Heralds, that seems like a stupid idea, if people can come fater them.

[familysucks]

Michael glances at the books that had held Istredd's attention as they pass, wondering if any of the titles are worth examining himself, but he doesn't stop to check any of them. Now's not the time. The ravens receive a similar cursory glance. So long as they don't swoop down to harass him, they're not a concern of his.

There might be something to why the people he knows are so fond of filling their domains with that particular corvid, but that's another thought for later.

He follows after Istredd, between the book-laden shelves and into the secret reading room beyond. He frowns a little at Istredd's back as the man heads over to pull something down from the wall instead of off a shelf. A painting slash bulletin board is not what he'd been expecting. Michael is silent for a few moments as he examines the back, reading each line before he makes any comment of his own. Some of these theories sound a little far-fetched, if he's being generous; like grasping at thin air, if he's being his honest self.

"Good luck to you. Even Solvunn's ritual masters are not very forthcoming when they speak of the gods. We may only learn of them by meeting them ourselves," he suggests, cynical. "Are you thinking of testing any of these theories, or merely gathering them?"

[magicalarchaeologist]

He knows that most of these are just thoughts as they came to them, and there is an element of it more prone to instigating thoughts than facts in themselves. Istredd can look at any of these and it spins him off into other theories, it works better when within a conversation. He wouldn't try to make this come off as more than ideas, ideas are sometimes all you have. Until someone else comes along and perhaps knows a fact.

"It has been brought up that we could intentionally try to summon the gods. In theory, if a blood sacrifice has done that, and they created a spell to send the entity back, it would be possible to refine both. Summon a god for questions, send it away." Istredd shrugs, looking at the board. That particular idea isn't written out there, because it's already in their minds. "I was the one to refuse to try anything like that until we had a guaranteed ability to dispel them."

Otherwise they were looking at maybe something worse than the heralds. Retribution, perhaps, from a god offended by the idea.

"If there is a way to test any of them, I would do it. The more we look into this, the more I think we really do have to summon one to get any answers." It's just not the smartest choice. It's dangerous. But who are they going to get answers out of otherwise? Solvunn? Unlikely. "Kyle's theory that they're not originally from this world is interesting."

[familysucks]

"I agree with you on that much. Even if you were to send away whatever you summoned, could you guarantee it wouldn't return of its own accord later? Some entities don't care to be called upon. They might hold a grudge."

There, Michael speaks from personal experience, having on one occasion been trapped in a circle of holy flame, handcuffed, and dragged to the Winchester's bunker. He hadn't appreciated it, and he'd nearly wrung the life out of Castiel for it. In the end, the news they'd brought him had been worth more than the insult of his capture. They were lucky that Michael isn't the vengeful type.

The gods of Abraxas, though—who knows? At the last ritual by the ocean, Solvunn's mages had said it was best not to target any specific god with their offerings, lest they offend others. Their old gods might be as jealous and capricious as any of the pagan gods Michael knows of.

"Do you have a means of banishing a deity?" he asks, a shade of genuine curiosity in his expression as he glances away from the board, towards Istredd. An opportunity to test it might present itself before they ever get around to summoning anything.

"You might also try reaching out to the gods before you try dragging them to you. Prayer, the magic writing. Perhaps some of the other Summoned know other means of contacting the gods of their worlds, if Kyle's theory is true."

[magicalarchaeologist]

"I think the Heralds proved that none of us would be stronger than them."

None of them were fully able to resist the influence. Even Istredd who was less afflicted than most was struggling the entire time. To put that much power over the entire world? Definitely over their pay grade. The problem is that simply can't be enough. They can't shrug their shoulders and go 'oh well' and go about their lives, or apparently Lucifer, Istredd, and Kyle can't. Part of it will always be about the Singularity for him, but this too. He doesn't like dangling on someone's string.

"Months ago when people were experiencing very vivid nightmares, they were also seeing an entity of some kind. I heard it had multiple faces, it looked like whatever someone might be scared of. It seemed like it followed people into the real world." Istredd was not there for it, but many people were, and he listened carefully to their stories, just in case.

"Thorne asked that the Summoned perform a ritual to push it out of here. Whatever that spell was, it seemed to work." He shrugs. "So it's possible that spell could be used again. Then again, they could have used it again on the Heralds, and they didn't." Istredd doesn't know the answers, that's why there is so much speculation. But he can't simply turn his back on it.

"I just think if we keep sitting around, it'll escalate. They have nothing holding them back."