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

Horizon, Throughout

[cryptsleeper]

[Regardless of Alucard being present in the Horizon or away, entering his space is to walk into a thunderstorm. Mud puddles are everywhere, lightning cuts across the sky, the wind howls. There is less collateral damage now - no broken branches, the lightning doesn’t kiss the top of the treelines, but it is still Ţepeş man drama in its fullest form.

Finding the tiny home that Alucard has built for himself in the center of the place is still a difficult task. It takes effort, and a single light in the window suggests that he very much is not home. In fact, he’s mostly out wandering his own woods, and is more likely to be found among the trees, hair drenched, mud up to his thighs.

Regardless of being found, or appearing suddenly because something in him feels a gentle tug, like a string being pulled, Alucard does not hide his unhappiness at not being alone.]

You’ve found yourself in the wrong place, surely.

bringing his own little rain cloud

[mobezon]

{ he can count on his hand how many times he's entered the horizon. each experience has been jarring, but he still tries again. he has to stay in the dark cave and wait the sun to settle, so he meditates then, lets his spirit go where it wants. it's aiming somewhere he once called home - he had built a home within people for a long time; he continues to be a fool.

it isn't what he expects. there's a line of desperation to his gaze when he finds a thunderstorm in its place. he can see a tiny home in the distance, but it indicates something forbidden to it. he once again wonders if he had landed in someone's domain like the first time. he hadn't intended to intrude upon kyle's place. circumstances are now different. he stares off at the thunderstorm. he might as well be a statue with the amount of restriction he setting upon his person as he stands still. he's also wearing vintage 1910s attire.

it isn't until he hears the voice that he tenses. the pit has marked him enough that he'll fight if he has to. it's the displeased he perceives that sets him on edge, and he nearly does not recognize the sound until he turns and sees who it is. }

It seems I have. This is not... We've met once, haven't we?

{ alucard, was how the young vampire had introduced himself, he recalls. that brief visit to nocwich seems ages ago. a less tiring time. }

[cryptsleeper]

Your own Domain. [That much seems obvious.

Alucard, for as much as he looks like a wet rat at the moment, is calmer in the Horizon now than he was previously. Nothing is breaking here, which is a victory in and of itself. He recognizes Louis, their meeting in Nocwich more firmly stuck in his mind.

Like calls to like in this moment, perhaps. Or half-like. Alucard realizes he still hasn't clarified that point.]

Yes Louis, we have. [A neutral statement in a neutral tone.] I can't recommend staying here, it is all storms.

[mobezon]

I'm still tryin' to figure it out. { the concept of domains in general, or the fact that he started and it didn't get far. it's strange how he already is starting to feel better by being within it, despite it being somewhere else. when he sees how wet alucrad is, that's when he realizes that there's a storm that rains and he's also becoming wet from it. the rain should be a wary, but instead he welcomes it. it's better than a frozen mountain. it means he's a step closer to getting back. }

Mighty nice to see a familiar face that wasn't in the pit, I'll admit. Is there a better place...? { he suspects it is alucard's domain he's in. although it brings questions, he'll respect and reserve them. his expression is open, despite how much anger he still holds from the ritual's effects. louis has always been good at hiding it when he needs to. }

[cryptsleeper]

I've found that it takes a few tries for most, and that there's no one path to how to visualize what you wish to build.

[Alucard doesn't remember how he came upon these woods in the end. They manifested with a thought, and he has always found them a comfort. Others have seen the space as some version of sad, but Alucard is not about to talk over the interpretation of others.

He breathes out, realizing that after the pit, rain is a cruelty. The weather slows. Becomes a light mist.]

If you're looking to sit, yes. If you're looking to move on, the woods will guide you along the right path. [He didn't gloss over the point, but Alucard looks off to the side, permitting a modicum of privacy if needed.]

I'm sorry you were amongst those that have been stranded there.

[mobezon]

{ louis looks over to the woods and they hold something he can’t comprehend yet. his mind isn’t burning as it was in the pit, but it’s still trying to catch up. he gulps, his palms by his side as he tries to comprehend. then the rain becomes mist and he finds it’s oddly refreshing, an unintentional salve. }

I didn’t mind the rain. { he keeps his gaze on the woods. it isn’t imposing, and it’s nothing like solvunn’s where he was warned he shouldn’t enter. }

I… I don’t think I should be alone. If you don’t mind me staying for a minute?

{ he’s not sure what he’s asking for exactly. it’s unfair to, since they don’t know one another. all he knows is that he’ll end up off the path. somehow, louis finds a way. and he has to wonder like the first time, would he fall off the edge? a sudden pause, then: }

Do you like the woods? I remember the bayou with its swampy trees. Forested wetland, rivers. It’s diminishing. I always thought it would take over the city.

[cryptsleeper]

It can come back. I've simply been accused of being overdramatic with it lately.

[Which is not incorrect, but he has enjoyed the storms. Catharsis is the wrong word for what they bring, but they have felt satisfying all the same.

Alucard starts moving through the woods, calm and confident. The path to what he intends to reach is short.]

Usually this wouldn't appear as quickly. This place is designed to have people wander.

[There isn't much to see anyway. The sad little cabin that lies ahead is small, the porch featuring two chairs that are well lived in. Alucard enters his own domicile, and there's no sudden shift in scale. The kitchen is the largest part of the place, elegant wood burning stove and copper pots, a small corridor visible near the fridge that has only two other doors. (Bathroom, bedroom.) It is a meticulously clean kitchen, and Alucard lingers near the stove.]

I like the space they bring. Your bayou sounds like it holds a similar space in your mind. Something to drink? [That brings up a point that makes Alucard pause.] If human food is an option. I realized that your situation may be different from what I'm used to of my father's people.

[mobezon]

It certainly holds a space. I fear it will one day leave my mind entirely. { in strokes of fading memories. he doesn't believe he will lose key moments, but one day he might not see it as he once had it vividly in his time. it'll be fragments. time still affects an immortal being. it was partly why it lead him to an interview. he follows alucard, leaving no choice but the one to follow. }

I can use a different flavor of dramatic.

{ he briefly recalls his domain in its state and if he were to put in a blueprint, his might be made to contain rather than wander. the cabin is quaint, and he likes the silence it takes to go from the scenery of the woods to the cabin itself. he has another response at the roof of his mouth, but then he's offered something to drink. louis' expression becomes slightly amused as he looks around the small space briefly. it's preserved from what he can tell. }

A drink, please. I lost the ability to enjoy food, unfortunately. The horizon could be different, but I haven't had the opportunity to figure if my taste buds will come back. I wouldn't dare hope. I'm too new to Abraxas magic. Magic in general. Do you taste food?

[cryptsleeper]

Some parts of memory are ephemeral. Smell is the most fleeting, followed by touch I think. [Alucard is an absolute baby of an immortal(? lifespan unclear), but he knows what has already begun to slip away from recollections of his parents. The texture of his mother's hair stands out the most, as it was just different enough from his and impossible to put into words. And it is gone.]

I'm not sure if you'd like the full blown version of my inherited dramatics.

[Alucard immediately reaches up into a cabinet, rattling around. A drink that would be a good test, well. There's options, but he settles on a tea with floral accents. Not his favorite, but warming. Nuanced with rose and orange peel. The cannister goes down on to the counter, and he flits right over to the stove. The woods are a domain, but here Alucard seems downright comfortable.]

My father's people need blood, but can indulge in human food if they want. I enjoy cooking, even if I have an overly stronge affection for blood sausage and other blood pudding type dishes. [So yes, he absolutely can. The water goes down on the stove to boil, and Alucard gestures at the seats around the kitchen table.] The fact that you have vampires in your home world but not magic is deeply baffling.

[mobezon]

I'm fairly certain I can handle it.

{ he says it with a slight tinge of amusement as if he might have a private joke about it. it might just be a vampire thing if he has any experience witnessing dramatics. he steps over to the kitchen table now that he's been given the go. there's something about entering someone's private space, one he only ever took freedom of when he truly knew the person even when he hadn't been welcomed. it's different. louis draws the chair out and settles in as he speaks. }

I think feeling is powerful for memory. That'll never change. I'd reckon yours has magic. There are lores I never paid heed to back home. I wouldn't be shocked if there was magic I didn't encounter. My partner back home has lived through more centuries. I didn't ask in our time together. Considering what he could do... What I can do. { it's strange to recall dubai briefly, to recall the vampire who he chose to remain with, experienced and reserved even if louis was the older one when he turned. he didn't prod about the other vampires after paris, and now he wondered if he should have. he might not go back, why would it matter? does he want to go back to armand? the boil of the water brings him back. }

You keep saying it's your father's people. Are they not yours as well?

[cryptsleeper]

[Alucard bites back some bad joke about how his father once had an entire front lawn of impaled skeletons to make a point, but he'd rather leave that alone for now. That is personal. Bad conversation over tea at any rate, and the kettle's whistle is threatening to pierce the room now based on how it is rattling. The dhampir lingers, waiting for the boil to hit.]

Well, that is rather my point. If you have your abilities, I find it stranger to not have magic as well. But the nightworld is also vast. Yours might have chosen to silo itself off for whatever particular reasons over the centuries.

[There, there's the shriek of the kettle. Alucard turns the burner off and pours the first cup, orange and rose beginning to scent the room in response.]

My father was a vampire, my mother was human, and I was born biologically rather than turned. I am what is called a dhampir.

[mobezon]

{ perhaps if he knew the private joke there might be one in his rolodex about the impalement of one racist men but he's not there yet. bad times. one day. it's not the kettle's sound that further captures his attention, rather the smell of what could be. there's a desire to want to taste when he'd round up around the table with his blood family at breakfast before it all went south. it reminds him slightly of it.

the tea smells divine. he recalls buying his sister her favorite kind on his way back to the house. }

We are not many. I don't associate with other vampires of my own, nor wish it. { there's an air of high morale that sizzles out quickly. arguably, their numbers dwindled on a frightful, desperate night he wants to keep buried inside. he'd rather think of the smell of the tea, and it lures him into a sense of calamity he forces himself into. }

I suppose we become creatures of habits. I did take on a vampire partner. If you will age as ours do, to have centuries ahead of you... I do know this. Loneliness is our true demise. A dhampir, ay? Sounds to me like you lucked out. Humanity is somethin' valuable to preserve. I still believe it.

[cryptsleeper]

[The two cups arrive in due time, their shape more akin to a tulip than a traditional tea cup. What Alucard first learned of the stuff came from the Ottomans, and their style of glassware is what he knows. He sets both down, then settles into his seat.]

Well, it is always a small pool from what I understand. You run into everyone eventually, and that's your limit of associates for as long as you feel like being immortal.

[Creatures of habit? That Alucard can agree with, and he nods quietly.] My lifespan is a particular unknown, as were my dietary needs and ability to walk in the sun. [The humanity comment is interesting though. Something not to poke at directly, but lead down paths.] Have you met Lenore? She's from my world and of my father's people. Just older than I am.

[mobezon]

What faction is she from? To my knowledge I'm the only vampire in Solvunn right now. I'd been careful about it, but after the pit, plans changed. I am not ashamed, I am simply a private man.

{ selectively. he can open up, but louis has chosen to be extra careful about the way he interacts with others. having to force himself into uncomfortable situations where he revealed too much in the pit had been a rewiring that he's unsure of. might as well see where it'll lead. }

I was contemplating my own death before I came here. I was in the middle of an interview that would expose our existence. The odyssey of my recollection. You'll figure your odyssey eventually. { there's something about freeing up some weight that has held him down the last couple of weeks, as if the horizon is compelling him to gather his strength if he lets go. he won't, but he can try. louis places his hands over the cup, embracing it in his palms as he feels the heat from it, one that travels to his body mediating. one step at a time. }

[cryptsleeper]

Thorne. Red haired. If nothing else, she's good to speak with and has plenty of perspective.

[Alucard is ready to agree about privacy, but the immediate and deliberate contradiction of private versus interview catches him off guard. The frowns slightly, taking a sip of his tea before poking at it.]

You'll forgive me for finding obvious tension between a preference for privacy and an interview that would like to bring a portion of the night world to light. It is doubtlesly a choice, and I am not about to invade privacy, but that is a choice. [Better to keep that focus for now. Alucard isn't in the mood to think about long life spans.]

This is based on an Ottoman blend I've had before. The rose is mostly for scent, the taste is fleeting. The orange is far more defining, as the blend has dried orange zest mixed in with the black tea. Given that the Horizon is about imagination, thinking about description might help to rule over what you think ought to be.

[mobezon]

You know, it was a choice. I'll admit to that. { they warned him, and he won't be able to actually explain where his headspace had been, only that he had to do it. it seems far removed now compared to where they are at now. sort of a fever dream of its own. all he can do is allow a laugh to spill from his mouth, not at all mocking only at the sense of sheer audacity of what has occurred to him in the last few weeks. it's surprisingly at ease. }

Since you shared, I'll let you know there is another vampire in Thorne that is of my world. I will let you come to your own opinion if you do meet him. Lestat de Lioncourt. { he says it nonchalantly. he'll stick with the facts, and truthfully others can form their own. louis' complications don't need to be for others.

he looks down at the tea, its steam clear (or does he wish it). will it taste bland? instead of getting in his head about it, louis lifts it up to his mouth and smells it first. when he does take a sip, it's modest. it's nothing at first, since he expects it to be nothing, but if he pulls past it then something is trying to arise. } Huh.

[cryptsleeper]

Ah. Controlled privacy. Making one think they're getting the whole of it when it is only selective details. [He understands the strategy but not the purpose. He can't imagine what anyone might gain there, but Louis' time and circumstance are both far, far in the future. He doesn't like the laugh though. It feels as if he's missed a private joke and is worse off for the ignorance.

But on the topic of other Thorne vampires--]

Blonde? French? We crossed paths in Nocwich fleetingly. He seems....dramatic.

[Which is polite, and an understatement that the dhampir is wholly unaware of.

He makes a point to not watch Louis' tea adventure. Looking over at the stove affords the illusion of privacy for the moment. It isn't until the huh is heard that he turns back.]

There's something?

[mobezon]

Yes, he's very French. { french white he recalls grace teasing him. which is to say it's another form of dramatique, and how far louis' blinders were up when it came to the vampire. he's not surprised that he's hearing about it. he considers it, as he taps against the tea. perhaps it's the taste hitting his senses, or that alucard has gracefully allowed him into his horizon. either way, he decides to display his honesty as if it has been earned. }

He's my maker. There's one selective detail you can have. { faint amusement overcomes the flavor and he wonders if the horizon is influencing him to open up to what it has to offer. it's a strange concept, but to taste again? there's clarity in his truth when spoken, and he takes another sip, one that will surely give him a fuller taste. then there's a slow ease of a breath that is laced with genius surprise, as if a weight as been lifted. it's almost overwhelming, but the burst of flavor lulls out am immediate reaction. }

I can taste it. Fuck. I never thought I'd be able to again. I haven't...

[cryptsleeper]

--Somehow, I feel the need to apologize that it was him of all possible undead. Based on the level of dramatics alone.

[Alucard's father was likewise one for the dramatics, but so far as Alucard has ever been aware, his father never turned anyone. No reason why, just not something he wished to do. Alucard isn't surprised by it. His father had interests and he preferred to be alone.

It is in fact easier to focus on the gentle surprise and miracle of taste returning for his guest. He doesn't want to intrude upon the moment, but if this is working, it is ruder not to make an offer.]

Do you want to try some bread?

[mobezon]

I had my moments, too. Some might consider making a tower a coffin is dramatic on its own. I call it resourceful.

{ the fact that alucard does not pry is intriguing to louis, but he can let go of tidbits that are casual. he can appreciate the light flow of the conversation, since it's much needed at the moment. he can already sense the calm beginning to overcome him, to allow him to indulge in the fantasy of what is away from his body's temperature dropping to adapt to a harsh cold. his heart rate is at a low, controlled in a way he's capable of doing.

his eyes flicker from the cup and back up, the question making his mouth twitch to the prospect. there's no knowing how the horizon will gift him the ability to taste food, but he's not turning it away. it's the first time he's felt human in a long time. }

Bread would be nice, actually. Do you have a favorite dish?

[cryptsleeper]

[Only a tower? That's cute.

Which Alucard does not say, because he is a dramatic bitch who built a whole ass crypt under a city and then there's just. His father's sense of castle design. He settles on:] I've seen it done in a few variations on that theme. Quite bold, really, broadcasting yourself to vampire hunters.

[Alucard is wholly unsure if Louis' world has managed to gather dedicated hunters. Not everyone is special enough to anger a single family enough to dedicate a whole family line like the Belmonts and Dracula, but it is harder to imagine a life without accounting for something similar.

Easier to focus on bread. Alucard goes right over to the breadbox on the counter and takes out a dark rye loaf, studded with walnuts. It is the easiest thing in the world to tear off a hunk, and to reach for the butter that sits on the counter.]

I can do bread. And note that I'm not going for the low hanging fruit of blood pudding in response to your question, even if it is technically true.

[The dhampir's taste in plates is a simple affair. White porcelain with no decoration at all, allowing the food to be the focus. It really is just a hunk of rye with some butter on the plate.]

I'll hold off on description for a moment, as I want to know how that impacts things.

[mobezon]

{ louis is amused to the implication of hunters, which makes him lower the tea cup. what a notion. in his experience vampires kill other vampires. he could joke about the crime rate... it also makes him wonder what kind of threat could take them out of it weren’t for his own. }

I made sure I was protected. I acquired plenty of riches with my partner. He protected me plenty. { speaking of armand in the past tense isn’t an option for him right now. and surely surrounding himself with a powerful vampire led to more protection. louis ready to dismiss, no matter how complicated it had been. he has to steady his hand to ease any tension that could arise. instead he focuses on the conversation, on the bread on the plate that he can smell faintly. he speaks with a casual tone, inviting. }

What do you do when the apex predator has no one to hunt them? We kept to the shadows and that's a luxury I had. It's been different coming to Abraxas. I'm exposed. { he reaches for the bread, breaking it in half and lathering it with butter. it's soft when he takes a bite, allowing the maillard flavor to speak for itself. the walnut is there. }

It's baked to perfection. I'll have to repay you by bringing you a cajun dish. It'll be spicy, I warn.

[cryptsleeper]

[Alucard pauses, tilting his head slightly. Louis' time is far more ahead than his in 1400s Walachia, but the idea that there are genuinely no vampire hunters, no Belmonts, no anything feels genuinely wrong. Like the balance has shifted. What does a vampire do without the eternal cat and mouse game? Is it even safe for that to happen? He has no love of a family dedicated to the annihilation of his father's people, but he's seen what happens when his father's people are unchecked.

He can't hide the surprise.]

You genuinely have no vampire hunters in your world? Or anything of the sort? No one...notices if your people are unsubtle in their hunt?

[Bafflement is in every part of Alucard's voice. The idea is as intriguing as it is horrifying.]

I can manage spice, I assure you. And if you can leave a list of ingredients, I can likely procure them if you're comfortable using my kitchen.

[mobezon]

{ louis welcomes the differences between them, and finds talking to another variant of a vampire kind is strangely calming for him. he sees the visual surprise and decides to slightly tilt his head. through his horizon form, there’s the illusionary of the louis who spent decades becoming colder, trying to keep himself together despite it. }

I wish we would have had them. We are too few. It’s elder vampires with far too much power that decide. There are rules in a vampire society one cannot break. Turning a child is one. { he purposely takes a drink of tea again, finding the flavor great even when cold. the clank of the cup on the table is soft. } Killing your sire is another. Otherwise, as long as our actions don't expose us, they do as they please.

{ it’s a shame that there isn’t a way to control it beyond the nature of becoming powerful as a vampire ages. they can’t kill their own unless absolutely necessary, a rule of which louis broke. }

It isn’t ideal. Before I got turned, I thought the Devil was in my head. People had begun to see me as one when I didn’t age. There’s worse out there beyond superstitious notions. I’ve done terrible myself, but I hope to continue to right it.

{ he pauses, taking a glance over to the coziness of the kitchen. }

I’ll take you up on your offer to use your kitchen if you’ll have me again.

[cryptsleeper]

[Alucard can't help but laugh at the system. It a short, sharp noise that betrays surprise and disbelief.]

That is an objectively terrible system. [The words fall out of his mouth without meaning to. Ah well. It happens.] Killing a sire isn't exactly a sport among my father's people, but it is absolutely not unheard of. The number of elders that can become mad, or overstep their boundaries are...it is known to happen. Them making and enforcing rules? [He shakes his head. Ridiculous.] Although the first example is basic sense.

[Sorry Louis, he's gonna come down with the powers that be on that one.]

Believe me when I say I understand doing terrible things, vampire or human. Something I've come to question here is how much do I owe to the world, and how much do I owe to myself and my own well being? [Louis is not trusted enough to know any of Alucard's worst moments, but the question has helped him balance the world time and again over the past two years he has been around.]

Please. Just leave a note pinned to the door with the day and time, as well as a list of what you need.