there is a crack in everything ( closed )

[heavymetals]

Who: Erik Lehnsherr & Wrench
When: Early January
Where: Solvunn, Tertiary Settlement
What: Tier 1 Quest; Memory Totem
Warnings: Probable mentions of the Holocaust


Erik wasn't around at the time of the kidnappings, but he's heard and read enough about it to understand the weight of it all. Drawing parallels is inevitable, to him; people, herded together, taken by force, experimented on. Horrors he needn't imagine, for he has seen them. There is a reason why he's chosen not to visit the island, for all that he could have possibly helped. It would have been too much.

Can he handle this much? He isn't entirely sure. He's still struggling with his own grief, a process that's long and arduous in so many ways, an ache that will never truly be gone. He doesn't know how well he will do with handling everyone else's pain, as well. But he can try, at the very least.

He could have easily done this task by himself. Wouldn't have been the worst idea, really, but the last time he did enjoy Wrench's company during the Blessing of the Light, so it might not be so bad that he's decided to join him during this trip. It's a long distance away to the Tertiary Settlement, but it makes sense to him that they choose to go there, when most of the remains found were of people from there.

Once there, it's another thing entirely to decide on where to begin. They probably need to start by asking somewhere, but he addresses Wrench before going anywhere.

Where should be begin?

Comments

[wwrench]

In Wrench's short time in Solvunn, he's come to view this place as something almost idyllic. Unlike many of the other Summoned who might have lives and livelihoods they're eager to find their way back to, this place suits the tall man just as well. There's nothing so bad here that he's in any hurry to escape. Quite the contrary, apart from a couple of run-ins, it's hard to think of anything truly bad happening here.

Or it was, at least, until he visited the island. Wrench wasn't present for the kidnappings, but he's since seen the aftermath. It had seemed like an easy thing to assist with for a man who's seen more than his share of bodies, but witnessing those who had lived through it contend with the amount of destruction and loss of life left over was more harrowing than he'd expected. Even for a man who doesn't much believe in karma or consequence, it's left Wrench feeling like he ought to do something to help out. Delivering the totems and participating in the rituals isn't too much to ask.

The Tertiary Settlement feels almost abandoned compared to the Primary, particularly on the heels of all the winter celebrations. The space between farmlands and the little homes that sit upon them seems to stretch out in all directions. Even without so many names on the list, Wrench realizes this could take a while. He considers the totems he and Erik have brought along, and shrugs at the other man.

Do you know any of the names? Maybe we just knock on doors. I'm sure everyone knows what's coming.

[heavymetals]

Erik nods, lifting the bag he's brought with him.

I have a list, but that's all. We'll have to ask if anyone knows any of them.

He can only hope they'll find people willing to answer. He's left something of a good impression in the Tertiary Settlement, but still, he knows this will be a particularly difficult subject to touch on.

The houses are spread wide and far between, so Erik looks around, finding the nearest gathering of buildings and starting to walk in that direction. They need to start somewhere, and wherever they're likelier to find more locals together seems like the best place to begin their search.

[wwrench]

Wrench is happy to let the other man set their course. He's come out here more than some, but his familiarity with this settlement is relegated to places that sit well beyond what's already inhabited. Apart from the incident several months ago when monsters from other worlds were sucked up the portals and terrorized this settlement the most, Wrench has been hesitant to interact with any inhabitants beyond a cursory smile. He doesn't think any of them are likely to be smiling once they catch the first wind of he and Erik's shared purpose here.

It could be better that way, I guess. If they're already together, or if neighbors know we're coming.

Truthfully, Wrench isn't sure how the average person might deal with the news. It's nothing he's ever had to deliver before, despite having had a pretty significant role to play in its necessity.

I wonder what the death rituals are here.

[heavymetals]

It's not going to be a happy occasion, but it's important nevertheless. In his experience, at least, people prefer knowing what's happened to their loved ones. There is a very good chance that many of the names on their list aren't so dearly missed, but that doesn't mean their lives were worthless. Someone out here must have noticed them gone, at the very least.

Do you think they'll be different from the other settlements? Not that I'm very familiar with the death rituals in the other settlements.

Erik hasn't been here that long, so getting used to the culture and rituals of this place has been a learning process. But maybe Wrench knows a little more than he does.

[wwrench]

What Wrench knows about the landscape of the other settlements feels small and relatively insignificant. He's not quite sure whether that's by design, or the result of his own interactions with others. The political landscape of this place is something he's come to understand mostly from those who participate more fully. Wanda, he knows, has strong opinions. Wrench has asked her about them once or twice before, but he finds it difficult to know how any of those larger concerns really impact him, or how they slot into everything that's happening here.

Maybe he'd take a greater interest if he was trying to find a way out, or even an explanation. But to Wrench, his place in all of this feels equally as random and senseless as it did back home. He thinks he's mostly just along for the ride.

I'm not either, but I imagine them differently. Free Cities seems more militaristic, and Thorne is like a storybook, with queens and castles. It seems like Solvunn's the only one with a focus on the gods.

I don't know if that means anything for why people end up in certain factions.

[heavymetals]

In that, then, they're both the same. Erik's learned more from other people's experiences than his own, though it's been mostly by his own choosing that he hasn't gotten too closely involved. Past experiences in his life haven't been great, when it comes to governments, politics or authority figures. Probably wouldn't be the smartest thing to get involved here either.

He's quiet for a while, really giving some thought about what Wrench tells him.

It could mean something. I'm not sure.

Before I came here, I was looking for a quiet place to settle. Ideally, somewhere remote and quiet. So I always thought it curious that I ended up in Solvunn rather than any of the other two factions, since it more closely resembles the kind of place I was hoping to find.

[wwrench]

Wrench finds himself surprised by the revelation. His breath comes out in a soft, sudden puff, resembling something almost like a laugh though not quite formed. It's the release of some amount of tension, some mistrust that he hadn't known he'd been carrying up around his shoulders. It doesn't totally break the ice, but at once he finds that he feels a little more comfortable with Erik than moments before.

In some ways, he feels like many of the people he's met in Solvunn are suited for the environment. Most seem the kind to put their heads down and do whatever's needed, and few complain over lost amenities or a lack of clear comfort. Maybe there's something to it after all. Maybe the Summoned really are chosen with some kind of intentionality. Except it still doesn't explain why he was picked at all. He can't do magic, apart from what this place has given him. Wrench isn't exactly a good person.

Same for me, I guess. It's a lot closer to how I've been living. Mostly off the land, moving around. I haven't even bothered with housing in Solvunn. Guess winter's probably ending, so maybe now I won't have to.

[heavymetals]

The sound is quiet, but clear enough. It surprises Erik a little, an eyebrow raised as he looks over at Wrench, only for his expression to settle into a vague smile. He doesn't know what exactly about what he said managed to draw that reaction from him, but he imagines Wrench must have found some familiarity in it; a sense of something shared, perhaps.

It's not the worst thing to accept the locals' help, when it comes to housing. They're not at all invasive.

But I have been thinking about moving out here.

He nods his head around them, meaning the Tertiary Settlement.

[wwrench]

He's not sure why the admission startles him. Maybe because Wrench is more used to movement in Solvunn flowing in the opposite direction. He'd helped out with some of the relocation efforts during the invasion of those monsters, and he knows there are some who came from the Tertiary Settlement that never made their way back. He can understand why. Resources flow more easily in the Primary Settlement, for one. But he's noticed that the further out people go, the more their reputations seem to darken. There are people living out here not because they made the choice themselves, but because no other was available to them. They aren't easily welcomed anywhere else.

Still, he nods his head thoughtfully. Wrench doesn't have a single place he's been staying, but anywhere he's made a home it's been out of the way. Into the woods, as unobtrusive as possible. Less of a house and more of a temporary shelter. He can understand why someone might like the privacy. If that is, in fact, what Erik's looking for.

You could pobably have more land for yourself. People say it's a hard life, but I'm sure you know that.

[heavymetals]

Erik knows why it would be strange, or surprising. The majority of the Solvunn population, including the Summoned, lives in the Primary Settlement. Out here, resources are scarce, and skilled workers are few and far between. It's a place where people go forgotten, mostly neglected; that speaks to Erik. It's not just that he's looking for as remote a place as possible to settle, but a place where he may actually make a difference in some way. Stand for the needs and rights of those forgotten and cast aside.

I do, and I wouldn't mind that. There's no reason why I couldn't build something here, too.

He slows down as he spots a small house standing in the midst of a vast field, some poor farming attempts having been made surrounding it.

We can begin there.

[wwrench]

The idea of contributing isn't offputting to Wrench. He's happy to pitch in wherever he thinks he can lend a hand, particularly where physical labor is concerned. If the man knows he can be of use, either because of some skill he's managed to pick up out of necessity or simply because he's willing to treat himself like a workhorse, that's great. It feels good.

What he wouldn't be able to relate to, though, is the idea that any of that could make a difference. He feels most of the time like he's waiting around to be told what to do. Given an instruction, pointed in a direction. Wrench can't seem to conceive for himself what he has to offer that anyone might want.

Right now, he knows that the job they've come to do is a difficult one. That even if the people in those houses are waiting for the inevitable, it's still news that no one wants to be told. He nods at Erik and walks with the man up the narrow path surrounded by fields to the front door of a softly-illuminated home. It's no huge affair, but it looks comfortable in its modesty.

Wrench knocks on the door and gives a glance to Erik.

You ever delivered this kind of news to someone before?

[heavymetals]

Erik's belief in effecting change comes and goes, these days. He used to be more passionate about it, but he was more arrogant too. Still, that desire is still there, that belief that he can make a difference somewhere. More cautious now, certainly more jaded, but it's a flame that's not entirely gone just yet.

Nothing like this. I've

Before he can finish the thought, the door opens, and Erik's attention shifts to the local standing on the other side. He offers a slight tilt of his head in greeting, which is returned to some degree. They seem know why Erik and Wrench are here, and the tension is nearly palpable.

"My name is Erik. This is Wrench. We come here searching for anyone willing to help us identify family or friends of a list of names, if you'd be willing?"