EVENT #12: INVOCATION - IC EVENT LOG (PART 2)

[abraxasmods]

Event #12 - Invocation ( 2 )

Go to the:
OOC plotting post | Event coordination post

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As Week 3 approaches around March 6th, faction officials will begin to reach out to characters for information they've uncovered that hasn't been reported. Although Thorne, the Free Cities, and Solvunn have traditionally been at odds, the three nations have come together under these unique circumstances,, and will continue to cooperate until the Lost have been recovered. With Nocwich open as a base of operations, the Spared will have a neutral location to meet in person without border restrictions.

How events proceed will depend in part on your actions. If you're one of the Spared, you can join a team or stay back to prepare and coordinate. If you're one of the Lost, you can escape or remain behind to help others break free.

NOTES

1. For a rough TIMELINE, the Lost's breaking free and the Spared's coordination efforts will take place 2-3 days into Week 3. Leading into Week 4, the Spared will send out their teams to retrieve the Escape and Holdout Groups. Though there's some narrative wiggle room for who returns and when, characters should only participate in one team or group to keep things organized.
   
   
2. A Coordination Post will be used for communications between mods and players both. You can request dice rolls, start investigations, submit or review notable incidents, and begin in-person network-style threads with each other to quickly play out IC interactions. Review the post for forms and other details to fully participate in this event.


3. The Network will function properly again for the Lost who have escaped. The ones who remain captured will continue to experience disruptions similar to Part 1.

Please don't hesitate to ask us questions or clarification, even if you feel it might be a minor detail. This event contains a lot of information to go over, so we're happy to guide you through anything that requires further explanation. We'd much prefer you ask to avoid any misunderstandings or confusion!

Week 3

By now, several discoveries have been made. You've explored nearly every angle you can. It's time to take what you've learned and do something about the situation, whether you're trapped inside the dark cave or trying to bring your friends home.

Escape | The Lost

CW: Disturbing imagery (text and visual), death, dark and horror-based themes.

The past two weeks have been a harrowing experience, but you're still alive. Though the situation's worsened in some aspects, you've gained advantages in others. You might've formed unexpected allies from the other side, discovered hidden clues, or retrieved weapons and tools.

Moreover, the Acolytes don't seem quite so sure of themselves anymore, do they? Ever since the ritual, they've been watching nervously, as though they aren't confident in what's coming next. Some of you even managed to reveal one of their faces, exposing a weakness.

As you listen to the rattle of chains and scraping of metal on stone, you fear something much worse awaits you. Is it time to strike? Do you work on your own or rally the others? That's up to you, but one thing's evident: you can't sit around much longer.

Players can narrate the commotion and escape how they like, using the details described below. The Acolytes will retaliate and try to stop escape attempts. Killing and attacking them is possible with no need to request a roll, but enough will survive to subdue anyone left behind.

Characters don't need to willingly sacrifice themselves to remain captured. They can also be too injured to leave or fail to make it in time.

The First Domino (Breaking Out)

When the final shrine was unlocked late in Week 2, fleshy pillars rooted themselves into the cavern floor. As your third week in the cave crawls along, the trunk-like pillars begin to move.

A low groan shakes the ceiling above. Rocks fall along with bits and pieces of the bulbous organic prisons attached to the high walls. Chunks of melted flesh from decomposing bodies within the plantlike traps splatter below. Were it not obvious before, it is now: the pillars are legs belonging to a creature. A very large creature.

◎ Unleashed

The creature is not interested in fighting. Instead, it begins to leave. As it does, it takes portions of the ceiling with it, tearing holes above and below. People scurry beneath its feet and are crushed like ants. It does not discriminate between the Acolytes and the natives who are captured.

But it does avoid you and the other Summoned. Either it can't see anyone except you, or it recognizes you and associates you with those who freed it. Regardless, you are spared its destructive path. It lumbers off, dragging thorny vines that whip behind it. Crumpled pieces of the shrines and mangled bodies stick to its massive feet. You can't see where the creature is going, but later you might realize it has vanished into the ocean.

The brief chaos has left you with several openings:

• Seawater spills from unseen crevices above, flowing down the walls. Several Acolytes are dead, reducing their numbers.


• The already weakened cracked wall crumbles further, granting you an easier path to the webbing behind it.


• Equally weakened is the sealed opening where a smaller but deadly creature was previously trapped. A couple of determined hands could free it for a distraction. Beware - it's hungry.


• If the boulder hasn't already been pushed out of the way, the rumbling ground and smashed walls might help you finish the job.

Do you grab a weapon and attack the Acolytes while they're disoriented? Do you help save the injured natives? Are you focused on what lies behind the boulder and cracked wall? Do you free the trapped beast? Decide quickly - this could be your only chance.

◎ Opening the Door

Although the ceiling's been torn open, no open sky is revealed. Climbing up is difficult. You'll have to look elsewhere to escape. Once the boulder is removed and the cracked wall is torn down, you'll notice orange sparks that run between the strange bulb behind the boulder and the dense webbing across the cave.

Are you brave enough to reach into the pulsing bulb? If you do, you'll find thick vines connected to its beating heart. Each time a vine is forcibly pulled away and disconnected, the webbing begins to loosen, forming a small opening - but letting go will close the webbing right up again.

The more vines are disconnected, the larger the opening. It'll take 2-3 of you to make an opening large enough for people to go through... and from how quickly it closes, anyone who volunteers understands that they won't be escaping with the rest.

◎ Escape Routes

Do you trust what lies beyond the webbing? Looking through reveals only the dark abyss. You have no idea what's out there, but it can't be worse than what's in here. Can it?

If you don't trust the webbing and have the strength, you can swim down through an opening in the floor, left behind by the giant earlier. It's filled with cold ocean water. If you make it, you'll see a standard portal hidden in the depths.

Choose your path. Each one will spit you out somewhere a little different, but you'll have the chance to look for and meet up with others who took the other route.

If you're one of the Lost keeping the webbing open, you could try to dive for the underwater portal, but you won't make it. The portal will shatter quickly once the vines are released.

◎ Josselyn Creed | Interact

Josselyn Creed is difficult to spot in the commotion but not impossible. A few of her most faithful protect her. She wears a unique robe compared to the others. Her hood is lowered, revealing her brown hair tied in a bun that may be recognizable to some. Her mask is in place.

While she'll escape in the end, she isn't immune to harm. You can try to stop her and, in the process, perhaps contribute to what happens to her as she flees or afterwards.

◎ The Mysterious Acolyte | Interact

Along with the natives who might need your assistance escaping, there's also the strange pair whom a few interacted with. The Mysterious Acolyte and the Unknown Stranger will appear lost and uncertain in the pandemonium.

Some of you promised to help them escape, but saving them comes with a cost: at least one of you must exchange your place in the Escape Group for both of them. She will not leave without her brother, the Unknown Stranger. Her refusal will cost one of the Summoned their place.

Players can decide how the scenario plays out. At least one character must their place in the Escape Group so that the Unknown Stranger makes it through first. Only then will the Mysterious Acolyte follow.

Characters holding open the webbing and vines are not eligible. A sacrifice can only count for one outcome.

Into the Cold (Escape Group)

The first thing you notice is the biting cold. The sky is beginning to lighten. For once, you can breathe in the fresh air. But where are you, really?

◎ Gathering Your Bearings

Though spring is on its way, the mountains are a tundra. Temperatures are cold, though not as terrible as they'd have been in the dead of winter. Maybe you've stolen some warm clothes off the dead before the escape? Or, if you've been kind to the Abraxan natives who shared the ordeal with you, they'll offer supplies and equipment in return. It isn't much, but it could make all the difference if you're in dire straits.

• If you swam through the WATER PORTAL, it'll spit you up in an open cave. Wet and cold as you are, at least you've found shelter. Keen eyes might spot an unusual trail of glitter. Follow it to a tiny hidden hot spring. Soaking in the shimmering water are a few mischievous but harmless creatures. One was accidentally set loose at the Peace Summit many months ago, showering multiple attendants in a shimmery sheen. Large beast-like prints are nearby, though, so best not to stay long. Still, it's a nice reprieve while you can get it...as long as you don't mind being coated in glitter.


• If you went through the DENSE WEBBING, it'll spit you up on a frozen lake. Cracks will begin to form as more and more land on the surface. You'll need to find solid ground quickly. Take care - a large shadow lurks beneath the thinning ice. If there's too much commotion or excessive movement, it'll realize there's prey above and begin to thrash, disturbing the delicate ice further.

◎ Temporary Relief

Though some healing abilities and magic have returned, the wounds caused by the ritual don't seem to recover properly. They aren't getting worse, but it's troubling. Your mind could remain confused or disturbed. Even those who were successfully cured will discover the lesions heal much slower than other injuries.

As the days wear on, you might feel a strong pull from the Singularity that leads you into the Horizon. This is especially so if you remain under the ritual's influence. If you give in to the urge and find a safe moment to enter, you can go in without as much difficulty as before.

You won't land where you intend, but you might find one of the Spared within. Somehow, the Singularity has brought you together. Something compels you to reach out and make contact. When you do, you'll feel a gentle warmth. You might not know what's happening, but it feels right.

When you depart from the Horizon, effects from the ritual have lessened by a noticeable degree. They'll stay that way for the next day or so, giving you the strength to keep going.

◎ Preparing for the Night

What you do next is entirely up to you. You can organize with your fellow escapees, go off on your own, or try to bring the two groups together. Boars, rabbits, and foxes can be hunted. The surrounding snow can be boiled for safe drinking water.

Even more fortunate, your powers will return - to a degree. Stronger abilities might take longer to return fully, but elemental spells, modest healing, and enhanced senses or traits can be accessed. And you might find that messages on the Network are no longer distorted.

Not all is safe and well: though the first few days are quiet, the mountains aren't without the usual predators. Wolves howl, and large gryphons soar the sky. They're wary of people and are unlikely to attack, but that doesn't mean you should let your guard down. In the wild, you never know. As you enter Week 4, more formidable threats could arise.

Sacrifice (Holdout Group)

Maybe you're one of the unlucky souls, or maybe you chose to sacrifice your place for others. However it came about, both escape paths close, and the Acolytes inside the cavern overwhelm you and the rest once more. Those left behind are a mixture of native Abraxans and the Summoned. The ground is sticky with blood and viscera.

Forcibly, violently, you're led or dragged deeper and deeper down the stone paths to the altar room where the rituals took place. The Acolytes push as many of you in there as they can and seal the door - and if a few limbs are caught in the way, that's just too bad. Someone with you, perhaps one of the natives, ends up with a crushed finger or hand as the doors slam shut.

Not everyone is pushed inside in the end. In the Acolytes' rush to contain the Summoned, a few Abraxan natives are left outside the doors with the remaining Acolytes. When you hear their cries through the sealed barrier, you have to ask yourself if you're truly the lucky ones.

◎ The Altar Room

The altar is built of bone. The husks of now-empty bodies are piled into a macabre amalgamation. It's not meant to house anyone for long. Supplies are limited. Water trickles into a small pond used for the Acolytes' rituals. There are bowls of hardened bread. Sealed crates contain more mushrooms. They're edible, but some might carry psychedelic side effects. If you've succumbed to the ritual, though, you might not consider that a downside.

While not as open or large as the cavern you came from, you can explore the altar room for any potential answers to where you are and how to escape. The entrance is sealed tight. Outside, you can hear the Acolytes - and that might be important for later.

Since the door is magically sealed, nothing can come in or out...except the Bone Serpent, whose legs continue to slink down from above to snatch unsuspecting victims. Blood drips from above, possibly from one of its missing legs.

Now and then, something bangs on the door. Is it the creatures you unleashed before? The beasts that were never contained? You can try to follow the Bone Serpent to see where it leads or maybe even glimpse the creature beyond its thorny limbs, but that's a high risk. The consequences could be dire.

◎ Slow Flood

The destruction seems to have broken what prevented you from using the Network. You can now communicate with the Spared and the Escape Group uninterruped.

Unfortunately, the chaos has also dislodged the structure of the entire cavern. Husks of limbs crumble to the floor. The ground grows moist. Bit by bit, water begins to collect in small puddles. More drips through cracks in the walls and ceilings. The rocky floors offer higher ground, but that'll only last for so long.

As slow as it is, there's no denying the dread that washes over you: the cavern is flooding, and it's seeping through into the altar room. Some of the captured natives look uneasy. Others are too injured to help themselves. You can try to plug the leaks. Though the idea might strike you as morbid, the bodies of the dead can be used to keep some of the water at bay.

◎ Temporary Relief

Wounds caused by the ritual don't seem to recover properly. Your mind could remain confused or disturbed. Even those who were successfully cured will discover the lesions heal much slower than other injuries.

As the days wear on, you might feel a strong pull from the Singularity that leads you into the Horizon. This is especially so if you remain under the ritual's influence. If you give in to the urge and manage to find a safe moment to enter, you can go inside without as much difficulty as before.

You won't land where you intend, but you might find one of the Spared within nonetheless if you wander through. Somehow, the Singularity has brought you together. Something compels you to reach out and make contact. When you do, you'll feel a gentle warmth. You might not know what's happening, exactly, but it feels right.

When you depart from the Horizon, effects from the ritual have lessened by a noticeable degree. They'll stay that way for the next day or so, giving you the strength to keep going.

Coordination | The Spared

You might have compromised a few morals to get what you want - if you had any in the first place - but regardless of how you got here, you and the other Summoned have gathered enough information to proceed. Of course, there are still a few details to iron out. How will you approach the island without compromising the Lost? What spells and resources are required? What needs to be done so that survivors have a safe place to rest and recover once they're home? And what about the ritual inflicted upon them?

Players are encouraged to organize teams, rescue efforts, and tactics with each other. The details outlined below are to provide a starting point and some guidance but are by no means the only options available.

Nocwich

Thanks to a request by one of the Summoned in the Free Cities, Nocwich's doors are opened as a neutral meeting ground for the Spared from all three major nations. Some officials will also be arriving to monitor the situation.

◎ Ritual Details (Sten) | Interact

Sten, one of the Nocwich ambassadors for the Lunae, received a request to help find a cure for the ritual. To do so, he wants to first learn as much about the ritual as he can. Anyone with information can come forward either in person or with a note - anonymous or not. While he'd prefer to put a name to the face, Nocwich won't interfere with the Summoned's desire to protect themselves and their secrets.

Sten will be available in Oleuni Square, in one of the many tents. Pale-haired and scarred, he's warm and friendly to everyone. Due to Luna's connection to Solvunn, he has some knowledge of High Magic, although the traditions of the werewolves are different. While he can't hold long meetings, he'll make time to see everyone who has something important to tell him about the ritual - and if you need a little extra reassurance, he'll offer that, too.

◎ Oleuni Square

Normally a thriving marketplace, Oleuni Square has been repurposed. In the northeastern corner, a collection of tents have been set up. Most are utilitarian but others are covered with homemade blankets to help cover imperfections. The Lunae have come to lend their aid. Volunteers help set up tables and supplies. Others guard the area and the portals. A communal cooking area is available to provide hot meals.

You can make use of the tents for talking strategy, organizing supplies, and other meetings. Nearby inns are available for sleeping free of charge, although one of the inns is closed so that it can be converted into a temporary infirmary. Faction officials and employees are available, as well. You can consult them on tactical advice, resources, and the lay of the land.

Early in Week 3, a few representatives from Ikorr arrive with a supply of their sacred sap. With the sap and the metal ore from the Lunae, you can fashion supplies and potions from raw materials.

The mood around the makeshift camp is somber but hopeful. As one of the Summoned, you'll have control of the situation and can work with a variety of officials and locals to arrange what you need.

Reevaluating Plans

Shortly into Week 3, you'll receive word that some of the Lost have escaped. As details come in bits and pieces, you realize the situation's taken a dramatic turn. More than that, messages from the Lost are no longer disrupted as before. You can read the words clearly again.

Who makes contact first and how the news spreads depends on you. Regardless of how it comes about, your focus can't be solely on breaching the discovered island. Now you also have another group to retrieve - and you don't know where they are, though they at least have some helpful information: the Singularity, the snowy mountains, and a view of the ocean.

Take advantage of the Network's return to reevaluate your plans. You'll need to determine the situation in the island cave as well as the mountains, split into teams, and bring everyone home.

Assigning Roles

Under the circumstances, officials will recommend the Summoned divide into at least two groups: one to search the mountains and one to retrieve the Lost remaining on the island. If you're not the type to rush to the front lines, you can also stay back and help out at home. There's plenty to do here between finding a cure, delegating tasks, and preparing for survivors to return.

◎ Search Team

Reports from the Escape Group tell of snow-capped mountains, Acolytes in pursuit, and other creatures that lurk. Many are injured, though fortunately, abilities have started to return. The area isn't guarded, but the terrain is difficult and temperatures are harsh. Officials will suggest using portals to arrive at the nearest safe point on the mountains before traveling on foot to find the Lost. Others can choose to hunt down the Acolytes who are chasing their friends. Anyone with strong tracking skills would be key, but the team could also use medical assistance in case anyone needs treatment on the spot.

◎ Retrieval Team

Word has it that some of the Acolytes remain on the island along with the trapped captives. The area is tightly guarded and possibly infested with some unknown creatures or those not in their right minds. Officials will suggest negotiating to prevent unwanted casualties but will caution that having a team for infiltration and force is necessary, too. Some distraction could also be helpful, and it would be wise to have some medical assistance in case anyone needs treatment on the spot.

◎ Home Team

Having hands on deck at base is equally vital. Officials will recommend a cure for the ritual be found while the teams are out searching, and standard healing supplies will need preparation, too. Outbound teams could use someone to help bring together lines of communication, updating officials and the Summoned alike about what's going on. And of course, with the Horizon as a place of respite, anyone who can go in to help the Lost seeking healing would be of value.

Week 4

The days have been taxing, but you're beginning to feel a change in the air. Now that resources and information have been pooled, things are moving quickly. Soon, you'll be reunited.

Once you find one another, you'll still need to return home safely - but at least you'll have each other now.

Although players have been divided up until now between Lost and Spared, Week 4 will bring the Spared in contact with the Lost's environments. We'll provide relevant information or redirect each group accordingly so that you don't need to review the entire post for the correct details. If there's anything you're uncertain about from the other group, please ask!

Survival | The Lost

CW: Disturbing imagery (text and imagery), mild gore, body horror, dark and horror-based themes

By now, you've undoubtedly heard from the Spared back home. You're relieved to know rescue is coming, but you probably don't want to sit and wait. With threats to contend with and a dangerous environment, you can take steps to be sure the Spared have help from the other side.

Escape Group

Surviving the elements is only half of it. As the days turn to nights, you realize you're not alone. More than wolves and bears prowl. Something sinister comes...as well as the Acolytes who want their captives back at all cost.

◎ Pursuing Acolytes | Interact

Loyal to the cause, some Acolytes chase the fleeing Lost into the mountains. You might be lulled into safety the first few days, but by Week 4, you sense their presence. The evergreen trees wither, winter shrubs rot, and unexplained husks of wildlife are found. The winds carry a stench in the air that you now identify with the fungal cavern you were held in.

They hunt in pairs or small groups. Their powers seem weaker for reasons unknown, but they remain formidable opponents. You can run, protect others, or go on the offensive.

◎ Hydnellia & Esmond | Interact

If they successfully escape in Week 3, the Mysterious Acolyte and the Unknown Stranger will travel with their rescuers. They'll introduce themselves as Hydnellia & Esmond. Though nervous, Hydnellia is more trusting of anyone who helped them. She's skilled in healing and foraging, while Esmond carries a draught for warmth that could prove useful. Depending on where you stand, you could find their addition helpful or contentious.

◎ Revenant | Interact

Something else stalks the night, scaring even the Acolytes. A hoarfrost revenant has lived on these peaks for centuries. With the sudden arrival of the Lost and Acolytes, he prowls the snow, searching for who's disturbed his sleep.

He cannot be killed. You can only run or chase him away, but he'll soon return. Take care not to stay in one place too long. A rattling chain and blue-flamed lantern announces his coming. His touch brings instant death, made clear by the frozen carcasses of animals left in his path. Best not to fight him.

◎ Rescue

Landmarks such as lakes, cliffs, the Singularity, and more can be used to direct the Search Team to your location.

You might want to warn the Spared about the dangers they'll face when they reach the mountains. Unable to portal to you directly, they'll reach you on foot. You'll need to brave the dangers together one last time to reach the waiting portals below. The trek isn't far, but making that final stretch might feel like an eternity. In the distance, the ground trembles, and the snow begins to form an avalanche.

Players can arrange how the Search Team and the Escape Group meet and decide what threats they'll encounter as they return to the portal.

Details on the avalanche and what characters will face when traveling to the portal will be provided under the Search & Rescue - Search Team section.

Holdout Group

As you huddle in the altar room, you can only hope your sacrifice, intentional or not, was worth it. At least you've been able to communicate with the outside world. The Acolytes are beginning to show signs of unease and budding dissent. At some point, you have to ask, why haven't the unhappy ones left or fled themselves?

Maybe you aren't the only ones trapped anymore. Maybe you're all trapped together now.

◎ The Altar | Interact

Now that you can approach the altar and examine it closely, you see the terrible remnants of twisted figures sunken into the ground beneath it, as though they've fused with the altar itself.

If prodding at the shrines worked, perhaps doing the same with the altar will reveal some answers. A strange energy emanates from its open maw when those afflicted by the ritual come near.

◎ A Promise | Interact

In the final hour, some Acolytes desperately try to resume the rituals on the few remaining Abraxan natives left outside the altar room - many in poor condition. You hear it, though you can only glimpse it through a gap in the sealed doors. Their bodies quickly succumb and sprout more fungal growths while long, spine-like tendrils protrude from their orifices.

You can plead with them to stop, or you can join them in hopes that you will find your divine emancipation. The Acolytes will release anyone who wants to join the ritual from the altar room...but what you step into could carry horrific consequences.

◎ Dissenting Acolytes | Interact

More arguments beyond the sealed doors erupt as water fills the cave and altar room. They accuse each other of being faithless or too blindly loyal. Some say Hydnellia betrayed them. Others say the High Priestess did, perhaps referring to Josselyn.

Toward the middle of Week 4, it grows quiet outside. The arguments stop. One Acolyte approaches the door. She promises to free you and the others and help you find a way out of the cavern together, including overwhelming Josselyn's faithful.

This could be what turns the tide, but things might also go very wrong. You and the others trapped with you must decide if you'll accept the olive branch. Of course, agreeing to trust them doesn't mean you have to follow through. The Acolytes sound desperate and might be a bit too trusting themselves.

◎ Rescue

Unlike the Escape Group, the Spared know where the Holdout Group is. Getting to them will take effort, but you can help by providing information from the inside. After all, the Acolytes won't know when you're using the network. You can even coordinate with each other in secret despite being in the same room.

You might want to warn the Spared about the dangers they face when they reach the cavern areas. The Bone Serpent could pose a problem, along with any crumbling walls and obstacles. A creature might still be trapped in one of the tunnels if no one freed it. As the team approaches, severe quakes shake the entire place. Water flows in faster. It appears ready to collapse at any moment.

You'll need to get off the island to reach the portal on the Thornean peninsula. That'll pose a problem when the boats break from the collapsing island, but an unexpected friend might arrive.

Details on the quake and what characters face when getting off the island will be provided under the Search & Rescue - Retrieval Team section.

Search & Rescue | The Spared

CW: Disturbing imagery (text and visual), dark themes.

After an exhausting month, it finally seems as though things are coming together. By now, you've made decided on your plans, gathered your resources, and chosen the role that suits you best. Not everyone may agree with what you're doing, or maybe there's someone you don't agree with. Nevertheless, your friends are waiting, and you'll push forward with or without support.

Search Team

As part of the Search Team, your goal is to portal from Nocwich to the mountains and locate members of the Escape Group.

You'll need to determine the best place to portal in - close enough to the Lost that the trek is reasonable but safe enough that the portals won't be at risk. Considering the terrain and the condition of many of the Lost, it's likely the distance will be about one day's travel on foot.

◎ Resources & Support

Thorne will send their military for support since their soldiers are used to winter conditions, unlike the Free Cities. The Free Cities will provide portal stones so that mages won't be required to maintain an open portal. The Lunae will offer guides to help navigate the wilderness.

Solvunn's aid is limited to healing supplies, as their efforts are focused on the island due to the heavy use of High Magic there.

You are not limited to only what the factions offer upfront. If there's more you think they can do, you can make a request.

◎ The Acolytes (Escape) | Interact

Though rescuing the Lost is the top priority, you might feel justice or vengeance is long overdue. Some Acolytes are pursuing the captives while others might try to pass as one of the survivors. Those most faithful to the cause will attack you, but not all of them are that steadfast. Some prefer to flee. Others still may surrender, under the right circumstances.

Officials have requested that the Acolytes be brought in alive if possible, but no one will be counting the bodies if you decide to take out a few on your own.

Players can write out attacking, capturing, or killing the Acolytes without using the interaction. However, if you want to take a more specific action in terms of identifying any Acolytes pretending to pass as one of the captured Abraxan natives, negotiating a surrender, or interrogating them on the spot, you can submit an interaction.

◎ Getting to Safety

During the search, you'll encounter the same dangers the Escape Group has faced over the past week. Common predators include wolves, gryphons, and wild boars. Most significantly, a revenant must be avoided or else death is certain. Detailed under the Survival - Escape Group section, the revenant can be interacted with by the Spared once on the mountains.

Keep your friends safe after you meet up with them. You'll have to guide them back to the portals and make sure they can keep up with their injuries. Though you hope the journey is smooth, you know better.

And sure enough, a rumble draws your attention. When you look up, you see it coming down: an avalanche pouring down one of the mountain slopes. Get out of the way quickly or risk being swept up in the landslide. If you're lucky enough to dodge the avalanche, you can help anyone caught in its path.

Retrieval Team

As part of the Retrieval Team, your goal is to infiltrate the island and safely retrieve the members of the Holdout Group. A portal from Nocwich can only take you as far as the peninsula on Thorne's coast, near the island. The rest is on you.

Your team's likely already decided the best method to breach the island and you may have done your best to account for every last detail, but that doesn't mean everything will go as planned. The flooding hasn't stopped. Frequent, violent quakes are now shaking the island, and the structure beneath is rapidly crumbling. Time is of the essence.

◎ Resources & Support

Thorne mages and Solvunn Elders will accompany your team to focus on dispelling the enchantments, while the Free Cities will send some of its soldiers. They'll also provide boats powered with New Magic. Though normally quite noisy, Thorne has stepped in to enchant them to be much more discreet.

You are not limited to only what the factions offer upfront. If there's more you think they can do, you can make a request.

◎ Dispelling Protections | Interact

The illusions that once held the island together are corrupted from the escape. Navigating the constantly shifting landscape is dizzying and confusing. You might experience strange visions brought on by your imagination - terrifying images from home you know shouldn't be there.

Fight through it to find a warded tunnel. You'll need to find a way to break the wards to enter. Should you feel the urge to rush in heedlessly, you might want to observe the pile of dead bats and birds all around you. Their bodies are mangled and crushed. You can only imagine what might happen to you.

◎ The Collapse

Whether you make contact with the Acolytes or the Holdout Group first depends on your approach. You can apprehend what Acolytes you can, negotiate their surrender, or kill them. Whichever tactics you use, once the Holdout Group is released from the altar room, you'll end up in the same situation: the way out is blocked from falling debris. Seawater rapidly fills the cavern.

Your best bet is to follow the water flow into the open ocean. As you do, the cavern begins to collapse in on itself in a swirling whirlpool as the magic which kept the water at bay falters. You'll have to struggle to swim against the current, and a few Acolytes are sucked into the vortex. The boats splinter and break apart, leaving you and many wounded stranded in the ocean.

◎ An Old Friend

Deep waters aren't safe. When a deep rumbling sounds and a massive shadow looms below, you might wonder if this is the end. Instead, the shadow takes on a warm moon-like glow. A familiar figure to some of you from Thorne surfaces. The giant sea turtle waits calmly for you to climb on its shell. You can save any captured Acolytes, or you can let the sea swallow them.

How did the turtle find you? If you have strong psychic abilities or an affinity for communicating with animals, you might sense a connection to a much smaller turtle: Admiral Chuck from The Arcanis. Perhaps a friend is looking out for you from afar after you were kind enough to spend time with him.

The moonlit turtle will carry everyone to shore, where the portal to Nocwich awaits. Then it vanishes into the depths once more.

Home Team

As part of the Home Team, your goal is to support the others and prepare for the return of many survivors.

Two important tasks are healing in the Horizon to aid any of the Lost who are struggling, and finding a cure for the effects of the ritual. You can also assign tasks, transform the inn into an infirmary, and make sure supplies are available.

◎ Ritual Cure | Interact

The answer to a cure is likely found in the contents of Josselyn's house, the mushroom rings, and the odd black substance painted around the abduction sites. Solvunn's Elders and the Lunae, including Sten, will be there to help and provide any information they can.

If you're not the experimental type, you can still help in one of two ways: you can go to Ikorr to retrieve a bloom from their sacred flower located in the Nightbloom or you can go to Luna to collect moon-blessed water from the Lunar Pond. You'll be accompanied through a direct portal by the vampires to Ikorr or the werewolves to Luna.

Researchers and mages from the major nations will also work on the task using the information they've learned - but they'd be grateful for any assistance.

◎ Horizon Healing

As discovered in Week 3, you can continue to use the Horizon to offer to heal those who need it. In moments of calm, anyone connected to the Singularity will feel a familiar pull. The urge to enter the Horizon itches at the back of your mind as the hours go by, even if you're not usually inclined to do so.

If you give in, you could find one of the Lost there. You sense they need your help, or you feel compelled to reach out and touch. A warmth flows between you. Though you may not realize what you've done until afterwards, you'll know it's something unique and powerful.

Forging a stronger link to the Horizon can subtly strengthen the gifts and magic you receive from the Singularity - and a deep healing connection with another Summoned is a part of that.

Return

For the next week or so, Nocwich is the place of refuge. Concerned that the ritual and other unknown effects may have a widespread impact, everyone must remain in Nocwich. This includes the abducted Abraxan natives, the soldiers, mages, and Elders who arrived to help.

Captured Acolytes will be held in the prisons in Nocwich. Their fate is yet to be determined.

Should the Mysterious Acolyte and her brother make it to safety, they'll also be held in Nocwich for now. Nocwich will recognize that they were rescued by some of you, however, and will make sure they're placed in a comfortable - but still guarded - home.

Recovery & Cures

The Square's largest inn serves as a temporary infirmary. The Lost will be brought here to recover and receive the cure for the ritual. Any of the Spared who were injured during the rescue will also be treated.

Healing & Care

Although a few healers and doctors from the factions are in Nocwich, most have stayed home to prepare for when the Summoned and their citizens return. Instead, healers from Luna and Ikorr will look after you with a combination of salves, healing magic, and potions. Ikorr's powerful sap is used in healing concoctions, reserved for the most severe injuries. Overdoing it can cause unwanted side effects, so healers are careful.

If you're lucky, you can get a room to yourself. If not, you might have a roommate. The infirmary is hectic, though you'll receive the best care possible. Visitors are allowed. Nurses caution against overtaxing yourself, but you can finally reunite with everyone you've been separated from over the past four weeks.

Receiving the Cure

After such a harrowing ordeal, you'll be relieved to learn that the cure is effective and painless. It consists of a spoonful of a thick mixture. The aftertaste is bitter and a little sour but not terrible. After a day or two, the psychological effects will fade completely. Physical afflictions will begin to heal again.

If any growths remain, they must be removed. Thankfully, potent sleeping draughts means you won't feel a thing - a blessing that those who sought a cure in the caverns didn't have.

Returning Home

After a week, officials determine that the ritual effects are cured and request that you return home. Their doctors and healers will look after you once you're back. Eventually, they'd like to know the details, but you won't need to talk about it just yet.

◎ Thorne

Your return to Thorne is greeted with a show of fanfare. For many, the castle staff has grown familiar with your presence. They're heartened to see you return. A few may have get-well gifts if they've come to know you.

If you still require significant healing, you'll be taken care of in the Castle's infirmary. Otherwise, you'll be assigned a healer who'll check in on you in your room.

◎ Free Cities

Your return to Cadens is greeted with a buzz in the air. With a city so populated, reactions vary from relief to curiosity to a much less welcome invasion of privacy from local writers. City guards will do their best to make sure you return home or arrive at the hospital with minimal fuss.

If you were injured, doctors will insist you remain overnight at the hospital. If you were severely wounded and remain so, they won't clear you for release until you're fully recovered. Of course, no one can stop you from leaving, but you may want to listen to the doctors.

◎ Solvunn

Your return to Solvunn is greeted with a somber air. Many in the settlement are in the midst of prayer, having devoted themselves to seeking your safe return. Your friends and neighbors are relieved to see you, but they're troubled by the perversion of their traditions, the close involvement of one of their Council members, and the terrible suffering you endured.

Healers and Elders will see you in your home as needed. Offerings will be made to shrines on your behalf, and you won't run out of home-cooked meals for a while. Many will lend a sympathetic ear if you want someone to talk to.

Comments

[thedevilwhorose]

"... They shouldn't," he says, with some strain of caution.

If he actually cared about his brother's state of being it would be alarming, and something to check in on.

But he doesn't.

At all.

"We did what we could," he reassures. "With the mixed resources, and maybe not always getting it right, but we'd have found you." Her, them. "No one was about to give up."

[thedevilwhorose]

"Well. We're in a new world. New rules. He's still learning them, just like the rest of us. Remind him of that and it might help your case. Otherwise," he grins loosely. "I know you don't need protection," but I'd beat my big brother up for you is the stray thought, cobbled and hard to read, that she may pick up from him over the very loud static of his head, "but I'd do what I could on your behalf."

He doesn't say anything aloud about beating up Michael because he knows he can't, he's not strong enough, but the sentiment is still buried down there.

[shadowthief]

"Maybe it was just the stress of everything or something in the way all of our powers and abilities, the horizon and the network, everything was so messed up." That made enough sense, at least. Everything was awful down there.

She smiles dimly, "I never doubted it." Especially not with people like Jesper, Jo, and Sam (Wilson) on that side of things. If she trusted no one else, she could trust in the people she has come to claim as something like her own.

[thedevilwhorose]

"Ill effects are still useful in magic," he throws out. Positive and negative, push and pull... Light and Darkness. Why disgrace one over the other? "I don't know," he continues. "I don't know much about the arcana--I ignored them so heavily up until this recent time."

Because even after all these months he's still angry about the Devil's arcana slapped to him in constant reminder despite being on another world entirely. How's that fair?

He expects Urianger might have some fun with the new information though. He'd argue and say he doesn't particularly care either way, but pointing someone to different avenues of their ventures is good for all of them, isn't it? It's just resource management, nothing more.

At the question of the island, he makes a face. "It depends. On multiple things at work. "I will if my services aren't better used elsewhere. But there are people I believe in here." There's another positive spin from the devil for Thancred. "And they are better suited."

[thedevilwhorose]

"Maybe," he agrees, but the disbelief if heavy in the single word. He's both exhausted and accustomed to Thorne, where he gave up leaning heavily into obfuscating... everything. Anything.

He's had to make the rounds out of necessity, keeping up appearances, but the only mask he's able to hold around her is how much he wants to crawl up the walls and be out of this place he forced upon himself.

"Good," he says, firmly. "If anything else happens, don't forget that."

[shadowthief]

Luckily for him, she's still run pretty ragged and, though the doubt in his tone isn't missed, she isn't in the sort of place she might be otherwise to be any further curious about it. It's easy to let that line of conversation lie right there.

"I won't, promise." she smiles softly; if there's one thing that Inej will never let go of, it's that. She has people on her side and in her corner, and she has hope and faith both in spades.

[godshattering]

[ There's a scoff in regards to other people and paying attention, one he lets speak for the unsaid portion that it's her attention he wants as he just trusts that'll come through anyway. The others probably will be back soon enough given that's another familiar routine that's been simple enough to slide back into along with teasing her.

He's not going to let the necklace go either but it can wait for a second, since at the mention of the Leosylphs there is, maybe, the barest flicker of a(n actually) guilty look over their surprise invasion into the apartment before it turns into a faux one for the sake of being dramatic. Of course. ]

Hey now, I've been taking care of them! And now that I think about it, I don't recall you protesting the other day when they decided to take a nap with you.

[ Still - he does at least look up towards the tall storage cabinet nearby where he'd fashioned a makeshift bed out of a pillow and some spare blankets, and isn't surprised to see a couple of furry faces blinking sleepily back at them from over the edges of their bed for daring to disturb their slumber. The disruption might prevent them from knocking things over in the middle of the night thanks to sleepiness, so he'll take it. One more glance around proves the lizards, however, are nowhere to be seen at the moment as far as he can tell. Maybe they're curled up with the Leosylphs for some added warmth.

All the more reason to turn back to the necklace now that she's gestured to it, and Claude fully abandons leaning back on the couch to retrieve it by gingerly scooping it up in both hands. Hilda's description of it being silly crafting doesn't get a reaction from him like she might've hoped since he's too busy inspecting it while listening - and immediately disregarding her downplaying of... what it is. Because what exactly it's for is lost on him at the moment even as he gently balances the lantern on a fingertip to tilt it this way and that, noting how the crystal catches the light in the room. ]

It's a good design, even if you're planning on telling me it's just silly crafting again instead of accepting the compliment. [ Does he cut his gaze to her with a mischievous smirk of amusement there for a second? He does, then it's back to looking at the lantern again. ] Does the crystal do something? There's markings on here I don't recognize aside from them sort of resembling something I saw in a library book once.

[thedevilwhorose]

He nods, and takes the lull in the conversation as reason enough to escape. He does make one last tilted-head gesture towards the stew. "Don't let it get cold. It's better warm." Probably? What does he know.

And then he slips out in case she tries to continue any conversation.

He has limits, okay.

Divine, hellish, limits.

[familysucks]

Consequence of being thrown into a dark hole.

[It's not a mocking comment, or it's not intended as one. Michael understands somewhat where he's coming from. A couple weeks in a cave is nowhere near comparable to a decade in Hell, but he supposes the disorientation afterwards might be similar for creatures that aren't quite as long-lived as he is.

He crosses his arms over his chest. Dean had been presumptuous enough to think he'd say yes, too. Like Winchester, like friend-of-Winchester.]

I never agreed to it. I won't pretend I'm in mourning now that he's gone, but the trouble killing him myself would have caused—the politics of murdering a member of another faction, the vengeful fellow hunters... We weren't friendly enough for me to take on that burden.

I did say I'd lock him away if he came to Solvunn, which didn't dissuade him in the least.

[And it may still come to that. Whether the Mark behaves in Abraxas as it did back home remains to be seen.]

[theidlemaiden]

[ Hilda would be lying if she said she didn't hear the implication in his voice. Along a similar vein she would be lying if she said a small part of her enjoyed hearing it. Even though she had resigned herself to her plan, had already begun to put the steps in place to create a separation so miniscule that it would be like nothing had changed between them, feelings so rarely evaporated overnight. This was more than that though. Knowing that she still mattered to him, or at the very least hearing it, sent a rush of warmth through her. The tips of her ears may be covered by her hair but that doesn't stop them from turning a pleasant pink.

Her cheeks puff up at the accusation that isn't actually one. Now it's her turn to protest. ]

I didn't say I didn't like them! They're nice bed warmers. [ There's a pause as her gaze flits to the Leosylph's lounging atop the cabinet in their makeshift bed. The faint clockwork tick she's had to become attuned to (the lizards proved to be grand, mischevious escape artists) over the last several weeks is a giveaway that Veliki, and by extension, Mali, are there too. ] But I guess they're cute.

[ As Claude begins his examination of her creation, Hilda feels the familiar creep of anxiety. This feeling never seemed to dim, no matter who it was looking at it. She had felt it when Alucard had helped her test her bracers, when Viktor had looked at her preliminary sketches. Hilda had even felt it when Raphael looked at the necklace had made for his sister. Praise — praise related to anything but her looks — always made her uncomfortable. As it stood, Claude should have been the person she felt the most comfortable around and therefore the person that she shouldn't feel any sort of trepidation with. And yet.

Of course he sees the etchings. And of course he asks along with a trademark smirk to tie it all together. Goddess she hated that smirk. There's a muttered comment about how there's plenty of necklaces that look like lanterns, it's nothing earth shattering just like how florals for a spring fashion line isn't groundbreaking. The comment is really just a mechanism for her to mull over whether or not to tell him since he had seen them. She could easily dismiss it as a design feature and nothing more — but for some reason outright lying about it didn't sit well with her. More of the truth is pulled reluctantly from her as she flops against the pillow to her right. It's less a flop of despair and more her trying to hide the book that was stuffed behind the cushion. ]

Maybe. I just haven't decided what yet. Or how. Mostly they're just designs I thought might be cute.

[itookashot]

The offer had to be made because Jesper wanted to be certain she understood that she wasn't trapped into one path. Dean would understand if she decided to climb up a mountain instead. He thinks himself what he would do in her position, but he also has a streak of loyalty far beyond the rational. Kaz has done plenty to him that would turn other people against him, and yet he loves him with all of his heart. Nothing could ever shake that. Not even trying to kill him.

"You're missing out, we're going on a freezing cold mountain where there's probably mountains and monsters to kill." Absolutely sounds more interesting! Jesper's joking; infiltrating the island would be a worthwhile experience too. It just won't bring him to the people he loves.

Jesper walks over to her and reaches out a hand, snagging hers in the middle of what she was doing. Just a moment of connection, squeezing it gently, before letting it go. "Be careful, Jo. We'd all be a mess without you."

[earthborn]

He begins by answering the question she hasn't asked; where the hell am I? Shepard had known it for a stupid one, and had refrained— it was the Horizon, after all. Nothing was anywhere, least of all what it appeared to be. She didn't know this man, had never met him, or indeed anyone much like him. He looked both on-edge and a little pathetic, like the kind of kicked puppy that'd open up its jaws and take your foot off if you gave it another go.

Shepard didn't think she'd share that sentiment anytime soon. After all, she wasn't just here to get a break from the desperation; she needs his help.

"My name is Shepard," She tells him, her progress only momentarily checked by his abrupt appearance. Shepard's stride is urgent as she rounds on him, her voice stern and clear, as if there is no world in which she cannot expect to be taken seriously, "I'm with the people who were taken captive. Can you get a message through?"

[northerndragon]

She looks strong enough. That's better than Alicent had been doing earlier. And the way she speaks reminds him of a knight or a soldier.

"Aye. We're searching for you. As much as we can, as well as we can." A pause; he puts his hands on the back of one of the big wooden chairs, what serves him as the throne he did not seek, grips the back tightly, and continues, "What is the message?"

Shepard... before he answers, he realizes that they have spoken before. But he tucks that away for a moment. The most important thing is to hear her message; it might be that no one else can.

[earthborn]

If they had, she has no memory of it; or maybe it's the effect of the last few weeks. She's tired; even in this bizarre dream-world, she's tired. That's malnutrition speaking.

"They've been keeping us underground, but we've managed to make a breach in the stone facade. A large group was able to get out on their own, but a lot of them are injured, and they don't have any supplies," She delivers this news at a nearly-unconscious parade rest, responding without thought to his position at the head of the room, the throne's authority seeping through despite it all. This was his domain, in more ways than one, "A couple dozen of us are still trapped, but the people who got out need an evac, as soon as possible."

It all comes out in a rush, rapid clip, one soldier delivering to another on a field of battle. Next to the relative peace of Winterfel, it seems to Shepard a little misplaced, but she isn't one to let that stop her.

[northerndragon]

He listens closely, all serious attention. When she finishes speaking, he nods: a single sharp acknowledgment.

"All right. I think others may have delivered the same message, but I will relay it. We're searching in the mountains. We won't stop until we've found as many as we can." He pauses, then steps around the table, dragging one of the heavy chairs with him. It scrapes across the smooth grey slate floor -- a remembered sound. "Sit. Tell me what condition you're in."

[earthborn]

She almost moves to step off, headed rapidly in— well in some direction. As bad as the situation is, it's almost like having a mission again. She isn't made for all this enforced inaction. But there's nowhere to go, as far as she's able, and he asks her to sit. Shepard can't say that it's not a sensible thing to offer, under the circumstances.

"...Sure." So she... sits. It takes a minute, awkwardly hesitating over what would be, in her world, a punishingly expensive antique, and then over the idea of carbon-ceramics plating and polished wood, but... It's not real wood. And it's not as if he couldn't fix it, after, if it even mattered, "I won't lie, it's pretty bad. They've got us cornered in a locked room, and there's seawater leaking in. They've killed anyone who didn't get out, and if it goes on for too much longer we'll be drowned. There's water, but not much food. And..."

There is a moment, an odd flicker. For a blink, just the space between one heartbeat and the next, Shepard changes. The immaculate, carefully-maintained facade of sleek armor and clean expression is replaced with something more haggard; a cut along the hairline, sallow-cheeked with starvation, bruises around her eyes deeper, more hollow. The armor seems to briefly hesitate over whether it wants to be the ragged remains of a Free Cities military uniform, before reverting. Shepard grimaces, not truly aware of the lapse, and continues speaking with barely a hesitation.

"...I honestly wasn't sure that the Horizon would work at all. But there are search parties coming. What kind of numbers are we talking?"

[northerndragon]

He continues to nod. What she tells him is troubling, but no more troubling than he expected, not after talking to Alicent, and not after the things he has heard and seen and found these last weeks.

But he catches the change. She's tired. In the real world, probably a great deal more than tired. Desperate, and she may not live. Winterfell is a comfort to Jon, always a comfort, despite some parts of his boyhood that he would rather forget and cannot forget. It may not be a comfort to her. But he can make it a little more so.

Having dragged over his own chair to sit in, he tilts his head to the side, considering the question. "As many as are able, as much as they can. At least a dozen who can tolerate these conditions. A man in the Free Cities put a tracker on someone, something that tells him a little of where they are, so we know near enough where to look. But we still must look."

As he finishes saying so, a woman sweeps into the room. She doesn't bear looking at too closely, in her plain cloth dress with her hair tied under another cloth. There is nothing distinct about her face. But she carries a trencher with a bread bowl of hearty beef soup, and a pewter cup of rich red wine from the arbor in her other hand, and she sets them on the table near Shepard before making a quick curtsey and departing.

"Eat. I know it's not real, but -- " A shrug. He thinks it might help... her spirits, if not her body.

[subhuman]

No upselling their usefulness, their power? Their objectively horrifying aesthetic with dreams for world domination?

Yeah, this guy has definitely seen some demons for what they really are--pests. Awful.

(Well...most of them.)

So maybe there's a reason that he goes by--

"'Lucifer', right?" That's what he'd heard about the guy shouting out Ambrose. He'd thought it was more of an off-hand comment on his demeanor, but maybe he really lives up to it.

[warfed]

It is a wise thing, learning to pick your battles.

[She offers him a wink in response, gesturing broadly towards the door that she vividly remembers leading back to his room.]

Besides, I am thinking we are having very different ideas about 'terrible things.'

[She smirks, taking his arm of her own accord and steering him back towards and through the doorway, pointing their path towards the bed.]

If you are good about resting, I can see about bringing in food from outside. I am sure you are tired of eating what is being served here.

[warfed]

It took me by surprise, as well— he would not have been going without putting up a good fight. Neither would Sylvain.

[Their disappearances had been alarming right from the start simply on principle, but the fact that two battle-forged soldiers had been taken with hardly a trace left behind had told her early on that these were no ordinary foes they were dealing with. The more time had passed, the more information had been gathered, that had only become more and more apparent— much of what was taking place here, what could be gleaned from the outside, reminded her uncomfortably of a certain organization back home, one she had been unfortunate enough to work closely with in recent years.

She exhales, casting an anxious glance in his direction as she begins to cut a new path through the snow, moving forward.]

Those responsible are likely even stronger than we are able to be understanding without having met them ourselves. We should be ready for anything... but I am not afraid to do what must be done if we find ourselves in trouble.

[Most situations would see her willing to handle things more peacefully— not so, this time. These abductors have tortured those they have managed to take hold of. She is not interested in mercy this time around.]

We can do some subduing of our own.

[warfed]

[She leans in as he turns the sketchbook; she recognizes many of those depicted in passing, and gives a gentle shake of her head as he tries to insist against her assessment.]

You are looking like an artist to me. You're quite good.

[Certainly better than her efforts would ever turn out to be— her strengths certainly lie elsewhere.]

I am glad you have something to be occupying your mind— I know it is not easy to be staying still.

[Especially for someone like him. It's a problem she would have, as well, one she had already struggled with during her own forced rest.]

But you do not need to be thanking me. I wanted to see that you were well with my own eyes. You were all being gone such a long time... many of us did not sleep well in your absence, we were so worried.

[philancer]

[ Sylvain chuckles at the casual observation of the other man, inclining his head slightly as he stares into the fire. He wished it had been that easy a decision. ]

Our country was at war with itself, so I didn't have much choice in the matter. Everyone took sides pretty quickly. I fought more to protect those important to me than anything else, but if we hadn't fought, we would have been conquered, so there wasn't much in the way of other options left to us.

Hilariously enough, Claude was one of my enemies back there. [ He chuckles wryly as his glance drifts down the cavern to where he knew the other man was. ] Well. Maybe not outright enemy, we were both fighting the same foe, but we weren't exactly allies either. [ That chance had never come, for either of them. He's just grateful that he's never had to live through Gronder Field. Or not live through it, as it were. ]

[oversurge]

[ Good instincts, 'cause Reno absolutely did not kill the gigantic thing on his own. His kill shot came from hanging off of the sword a delivery boy stabbed through its neck after Hilda stuck with an axe.

Anyways. You can see why he's not real into fighting another one. ]

I didn't kill no one's mother bear, okay? [ He's shouting over his shoulder as he sprints toward it. ] How's it even supposed to know?

[ They're not that intelligent. (Are they?) And why's everyone keep yelling at him to hit stuff that's ten times bigger than he is? That's what guns are for. No one here has a firearm. If you ask him, it's a miracle they're all still alive if this is what's hanging around on their doorstep on the daily.

He smacks the bear on the nose (it recoils with a roar) and promptly gets swatted across the snow. ]

[ushiri]

[ He's mid-putting a nacho in his mouth when both eyebrows shoot to his hairline. ]

Death?

[ Um. what? ]

Death speaks?

[ You know, he's usually pretty good with weird concepts. But this is a new one for him. His people don't have a concept of angels or grim reapers. Death is not a sentient being where he's from. ]

time is fake, all is right with the world

[blackeyedprince]

Hi, I ... won't take much of your time.

[With all those people in his life now, Kell can finally notice when someone is blatantly unwell. More sick than he was. Now he worries he might be bothering Castiel with his visit. He'll try to make it quick.]

I did, in no small part thanks to you. The healers said that with that initial head injury I would have been lucky to make it through the first week. So, yeah, I came to say thank you.

He did. [Kell replies with a small nod, and a smile. It can't be more obvious that it's a good memory.]

He and Kyle found me in the mountains.

[and then there was an avalanche... but it's not relevant here.]