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ABRAXAS MODS ([personal profile] abraxasmods) wrote in [community profile] abraxaslogs2024-04-17 10:07 am
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EVENT #18: EMERGENCE - IC EVENT LOG

Event #18 - Emergence
Whether voluntary or by force, you find yourself transported to the Singularity's crater. There probably aren't many resistors - officials have taken great pains to convince you to come voluntarily, reserving force as a last resort - but it's clear that everyone is required for this to work. It takes multiple mages to stabilize the portal, but you make it there in one piece. If you cooperate, you'll be asked to walk towards the ancient relic. If you resisted, you might be forced to do so while restrained. Regardless, a heavy fog soon descends around the area, obscuring you and your vision.

If you have thoughts of turning back, it's too late: for some of you, the second you step across the threshold, a force pulls at your chest and absorbs your psyche at once. For others, a mystical call beckons you to walk a little further before the same effect takes hold. And for a rare few, the call brings you to the Singularity itself, where you're compelled to touch it - and are subsequently swallowed up like the others.

The Horizon doesn't greet you like you might expect. Instead, something far stranger awaits.

Please communicate with your fellow players as needed! We also recommend discussing with us if you plan on a major environmental upheaval. As a rule of thumb, you should avoid changes to the landscape that will significantly alter the established map.

We've also posted comment sections for WORLDBUILDING and HANDWAVED submissions. Instructions can be found at the respective links.

Year 20,879
When you open your eyes, it feels like you've only blinked. If your body has transformed or you're someplace that shouldn't exist, it doesn't strike you as odd. You were always here. Everything around you was always here, and your physical alterations and new abilities - while perhaps not originally there - have been a part of you for a long, long time.

The world of Abraxas isn't completely foreign. Familiar territories remain, as well as the familiar faces of those with long lifespans. But a lot has changed in 800 years, too, especially where the Gods are concerned. Alongside the Old Gods of the Ancient Pantheon and the Cardinal Gods of the New Order, a third class of deities formed from you and your fellow Summoned: the Ecesis Gods of the Iterum Pantheon.
Politics, People, & Gods
Abraxas's political landscape remains complex, with continued tensions over land, worship, resources, and power. Nonetheless, since the Free Cities is no longer intent on destroying the Singularity, conflict over the ancient relic has lessened. All territories agree that the Godlands - and the Singularity - belong to the Gods themselves.
Beliefs and Gods
The active presence of the Summoned confirms the existence of the Gods. As a result, most Abraxans turn to the Summoned and other Gods for aid or protection. Extreme reverence exists in certain areas, especially on the Isle of the Lost and in parts of Solvunn. In other places, though, the Gods are merely acknowledged as a facet of life - a force that helps or hinders depending on temperament and should be respected, much like the sea. The Gods play a crucial role, sure, but so do the rain and stars. This is particularly true in the Feywilds, the Nether, and the Free Cities.

Small pockets of non-believers actively denounce the Gods. They claim the Summoned should be wiped from the world and the Singularity destroyed to prevent future invasions. Labeled dangerous heretics by Thorne and Solvunn, and "regressives" by the Free Cities - whose scientists and philosophers liken such thinking to be as foolish as declaring the sun unworthy or the earth to be flat - these people are shunned from society. In Solvunn, the consequences are more severe: heretics are exiled to the Barren, where they are subsumed by the desert, the Maw, or whichever Gods may punish them.

At the other end, some sects revere the Godlands so much that they believe feeding themselves to the relic will enhance Abraxas' good fortune for generations to come. Such cults are quite rare, but there are reports of mortals throwing themselves into the Singularity's crater and disintegrating as a gesture of their devotion to the divine.
International Relations
Due to the combined change in their priorities, Thorne and the Free Cities are less at odds. The Free Cities believes in protecting the Singularity; Thorne no longer seeks to control it. Nonetheless, mistrust flares on occasion.

While things are peaceful during these three months and have been for a few decades, Abraxas hasn't found a cure for war in the Gods. Conflict has broken out in the past and will again. Eyes are on the Nether as it grows in power, and who knows how long Thorne will be content with its losses? Will they convince the Velan Republic to reunite and turn against the Free Cities? For now, though, the territories have found their stride and appear more interested in progress than fighting.
Magic & The Singularity
Magic is relatively unchanged and is a vital part of Abraxan life. The small kingdom of Thorne continues to practice Academic Magic. Meanwhile, Wild Magic plays the same important role in the Velan Republic (formally Nott). Meanwhile, the Free Cities has developed New Magic further. The goal of decoupling magic from technology is less of a focus. Instead, researchers are eager to find new ways to fuse magic and innovation, including aspects of the Gods. Portable shrines, for example, are popular with traveling merchants.

High Magic no longer exists as a specific school of magic now that offerings, pacts, and requests to the Gods are a part of everyday life across Abraxas. Solvunn has returned to its roots, using the ancient Academic Magic practiced by the Lunae for standard tasks while turning to the Gods for greater blessings.

The Singularity has been relatively stable for the past two or three centuries. While occasional disturbances rumble, for the most part, the presence of the Summoned has strengthened it, alleviating its displeasure and ensuring that Abraxas - and possibly the universe itself - continues to exist. Indeed, academic writings from Thorne and the Free Cities across time suggest that the Singularity's devouring of the world has considerably slowed. It is now as much of a threat as the eventual collapse of the sun, something that is bound to occur but not for eons.

Of course, this could quickly change if the Summoned or any other Gods provoke the Singularity by rejecting its connection or denying its magic...so all should take care not to upset the nature of things.
Old World, New World
The map of Abraxas has undergone some notable shifts, although many names and places are the same.

Setting descriptions are HERE for your reference.

Mechapolis, the Witchwood, and the Barren/the Maw contain prompts related to the event itself. Information about those areas can be found under "Exploring the Land" in the section The World as the Divine (Month 1-2).


Month 1-2: Submersion
What do you last remember? Well, that depends. You might recall most things perfectly clearly. You might have new memories that don't feel new at all. Or, you might only remember the most recent year or two. Regardless, there is something missing: an important face, a handful of key events...maybe you don't remember having ever lived anywhere except Abraxas. You might find this unsettling, or you might accept it as just the way things are.

You've transcended those old memories, anyhow. You feel a little distant from the person you were centuries ago, and you most likely look different, too. Perhaps you've sprouted giant wings, become a formless void, or you're now a shapeshifter with no permanent appearance. You've gained a substantial amount of power and influence, the type that people of this world attribute to the Gods.

The first half is a more sandbox-like environment designed for scenarios that emphasize CR and personal character moments. Active conflict between the emergent reality and the world will not arise until the second half.

The World as the Divine
The mortals have bestowed you with a title and possibly a new alias. Do you know your mortal name anymore? Some of you might've taken on a new identity, or you might have held very tightly onto who you were. Regardless, your abilities have grown. Your new powers and appearance are as unique as your dominion, influenced by your interests, subconscious desires, or personal relationships.

While in your full God form, you'll move through the world unperceived. Only when you're sought by a mortal - followers, believers, cultists - can you consciously make your complete divine presence known. To be seen freely by all, you'll have to take on a less overwhelming shape to the mortal gaze. Those who have met the Old Gods or Cardinal Gods in the past finally understand why they seldom reveal their true selves, often arriving in hazy visions or speaking through animals.
Exploring the Land
The Witchwood
As the Summoned continued to ascend, their power began to coalesce, creating a new ecosystem never seen before. The dense woods, originally a temperate climate, warmed and grew into a thriving jungle. The air is humid and heavy with magic, the sky locked into an eternal sunset. Reds and oranges filter through the thick canopy. Birdcall and animal cries echo throughout the jungle. Trees and rocks seemingly move at night, meaning the Witchwood is impossible to map. Foolhardy souls who venture too deep are rarely seen again - unless divine intervention prevents a tragic fate from befalling them. Perhaps one of those intervening Gods is you?

The most dangerous beasts in the Witchwood are the demigod spawns. Creatures born from the Summoned, demigods are powerful enough to affect the world around them should they ever leave the magic-encased forest. See Impact & Consequences for more details on the demigods and how, as the Summoned, you can help maintain Abraxas' ecosystem.
Mechapolis
Heartwood Syndrome persisted in Fomalhaut long after the quarantined population died out. The port city stood as a monument to loss for nearly a century until about 200 years in when the Summoned gained notable influence as Gods. This resulted in a slow but steady acceptance of the Singularity's power as a positive force for potential advancement. New Magic boomed, leading to increased sophistication in technology and the refinement of automatons.

Originally designed to clear and guard Fomalhaut, they were eventually used to rebuild it. Fomalhaut became known as the City of Machines and was renamed Mechapolis. Although humans are barred from entering for safety, the automatons gather soil and air samples for study and perform fishing duties. The clockworks require routine maintenance and must return to a hub city or outpost for recalibration. Clockwork birds are used to communicate with Mechapolis. They can broadcast through the Free Cities's primitive "radio" towers.

You can enhance clockwork performance, boosting the towers or providing additional energy to the automatons. Scientists often have "rituals" when performing maintenance or experiments to earn the Gods' favor, hoping this will prevent their inventions from breaking down.
The Barren/The Badlands
Once contested territory between Thorne and the Free Cities, the Badlands was split into two by a large ravine shortly after Thorne retreated to Hayle. With neither side able to breach the gap, Solvunn naturally laid claim to the western half while the Free Cities retained its eastern half. On the eastern side, the chasm swallowed several well-known bandit camps and the presence of a new entity further drove them away. Bandits now occupy the mountains northeast of Aquila. Due to the entity's threat, the Free Cities increased its military presence in the Badlands to keep careless or foolish travelers from straying too far.

Meanwhile, Solvunn has named its portion of the wasteland the Barren and sought the Gods' assistance to form an enchanted forest. Those who enter are lost forever. Meant for more than just protection, the forest and the Barren serve as a place of exile. Heretics are taken into the woods and left to wander towards the Barren's harsh desert. There, they will face the elements, be devoured by the waiting Maw...or encounter a God.

As a God, you can lead the exiles to their salvation or doom, but choose carefully: the Maw is hungry and must be fed. These exiles want you dead. They don't care for you, and should their lack of faith spread, they might revive attempts to destroy the Singularity - and with it, your home. Is it so wrong to leave them to their fate? On the other hand, saving them might convert them by demonstrating your kindness.
The Maw
The Maw lurks beneath the chasm dividing the Badlands. Named for its gaping jaws, the Maw waits at the widest part of a jagged canyon, mouth open and salivating in the desert heat. Rows and rows of teeth as tall as a man spiral downward into a bloodshot throat. When sated, it retreats deep into the gully, barely visible aside from the shine of a tooth. When hungry, it draws closer to the surface. Hot and heavy winds often carry the putrid scent of its half-digested meals.

Solvunn is not the only territory that uses the Maw. The Free Cities will occasionally march criminals and bandits in that direction, as well, tossing them into the gaping mouth, although this method of execution is much rarer. Desperate exiles from Solvunn will try to cross the chasm despite the danger. None ever make it - at least, not without divine intervention.
Horizon, "Death," and Dormancy
Your domain in the Horizon is no longer constrained by size. How it's changed depends on you. The more detached from your mortality, the more likely it'll have surrealist elements: bizarre statues, physics-defying architecture, odd visual or psychological effects. The Horizon feels like home to all Gods, although you ought to take care not to heed its call beyond reason. Shutting yourself off from the physical world can result in unintended consequences...but completely refusing to enter the Horizon will do the same.

Additionally, Gods are beyond true death, but that doesn't mean you can act with impunity. Engaging in an exhaustive battle with other Gods can weaken you into dormancy. In this state, you will enter an ethereal void inside the Singularity. As you heal, you'll slowly be able to return to your Horizon domain and then the physical world once more. Depending on the extent of the damage, this process could take anywhere from months to decades. For instance, losing your head could take a few months, total dismemberment might take a year, and being vaporized into atoms can take a few decades.

Mortals cannot achieve this level of damage, even if they seemingly "succeed" in striking true. Only a God can weaken another God into dormancy. If a mortal removes your head, you can merely pick it up and put it back on.

Impact & Consequences
In the early years of your ascension, you might've wondered why the existing Gods seemingly intervened so little. Why did they not demonstrate their powers more blatantly over the thousands of years? Is it apathy? A desire to watch rather than act? As you come into your abilities, you realize that the Singularity and the universe are significantly more delicate than you thought. You begin to understand why the Gods have behaved the way they do.

Of course, whether you care to keep the world (and yourself) in balance is another story, but to be sure, some of the other Gods and the Summoned do - and you may have to defend your choices.

The equilibrium mechanic is described in OOC terms HERE. The Singularity and a character's ascension will not inherently sway them one way or the other. Any temptations will result from individual personality and development.

Instability Effects
To maintain the universe's equilibrium, you need to be cautious of when and how you interfere when using your status to alter the state of the world. Conversely, you'll also need to take care not to withdraw entirely. Several Gods have undergone periods of instability, though others haven't. Which category you fall under is up to you. It depends on who you are, your experiences, and your desires.
◎ Should you refuse to ACKNOWLEDGE your Godhood or enter the Horizon, you'll find yourself losing time. You may forget how you got from one place to another, or names you knew yesterday slip your mind. Lapses in memory or time can be temporary or permanent, but one thing they are is certainly confusing. With magic building inside you and nowhere for it to go, your power will begin to spill over, causing the Singularity to exhibit bursts of power that spawn demigods in the Witchwood.

◎ Should you give into the temptation to OVERINDULGE your Godhood or retreat to the Horizon for excessive periods, you'll lose more of yourself and your history. You may make decisions that feel unlike you, forget larger chunks of old memories, or struggle to distinguish what's real. Unrestrained use of magic will cause you to absorb yet more power, causing the Singularity to lose power in brief spurts, which can spawn demigods in the Witchwood.
These effects can be halted or even reversed in some cases. You might need someone's help to bring you back or convince you there's another way, or maybe you're the one seeking others out to assist. What you do soon understand is that your ability to manage your powers and stabilize your connection to the Horizon directly affects the Singularity and Abraxas...something that may have been true the moment you were summoned.
Demigod Spawns
Under the red haze of the Witchwood, monstrous creatures known as demigods or spawns emerge from crimson waterfalls and claw their out through the mossy soil. Born out of instabilities caused by careless actions from all Gods, they're usually contained to the Witchwood. For the most part, the older Gods - and the Summoned, if they choose - keep the demigods from leaving. However, now and again, one or two might escape, damaging towns, destroying villages, or causing ecological destruction in ways that are similar to natural disasters.

Demigods are not sentient. How they look can vary, but their appearances are often corrupted and disturbing: twisted animals, amorphous blobs, or alien-like parasites. They may resemble a monster you recognize from home.

Defeating one is possible but a challenge even for the Gods. Most crucially, you cannot kill your own spawn. Another God must deliver the killing blow, so working together is imperative. Should too many demigod spawns be allowed to invade the Witchwood, they will overwhelm and disrupt the Singularity further. Culling them is the only way to maintain stability.

You can submit demigod spawns you create to the WORLDBUILDING section if you want. Similar to using character powers, just keep the scale of destruction at a reasonable level.

Hearing Echoes
Echoes are a form of prayer that resonates through your connection with the Singularity. Solvunn has dedicated a monument to where the "First Echo" was heard, though the accuracy of this is debatable. Like the Network, you can hear an Echo regardless of where you are and can shut them out with concentration. However, your ties to Godhood may compel you to listen every so often. Mortals can entreat you through more formal methods (rituals, offerings, seasonal ceremonies) or in a moment of duress or desperation. They may seek you specifically or call to any God who will listen.

You can answer or ignore these cries for help as you like, but your choices carry consequences. Answer too many too eagerly, and your increased interference in mortal lives can upset the world's equilibrium - and the Singularity. Ignore your impact on the world, and your refusal to accept your ascension will equally destabilize the land as prayers go unheard.

Interacting with Other Gods
The Old Gods and the Cardinal Gods are an equal part of this world. For the most part, you coexist peacefully, though personal pacts and tensions can play a role. Each of you is aware of the impact of your actions on the Singularity: extreme displays of power are reserved for substantial transgressions, considering the price it carries.

Further, the older Gods have also walked the earth for centuries before you came. To them, you're still young, and rising against one of them won't end well for you. Nonetheless, many older Gods are more interested in giving advice or guiding you, ensuring the health of the Singularity and the universe so as not to doom all of you - Gods and mortals alike - to the void.

You can REQUEST AN INTERACTION with a God. Interactions will be brief but informative.

You will not be able to request a specific God. For logistical reasons, we have curated the list of Gods available ahead of time. However, we'll do our best to pick one from the pool that suits the purpose of your request.


Month 3: Awakening
Over the past 2 months, you've existed in the emergent reality without question. As you enter the third month, however, everything you've known over the past many centuries begins to shift. You might decide to investigate further, wondering if there's more out there that you aren't seeing. Alternatively, you might choose to ignore it, believing that your awakening is damaging the world and your life.
Catalysts
A catalyst can occur at any time through any circumstance. Do you see a familiar face you've forgotten in the eyes of a stranger? Do you recall a moment in your past while watching the mortals? Has a friend approached you specifically to try and remind you of the things you've forgotten?

With each memory returned you'll gain another piece of yourself. Depending on how much you've lost and how hard you'll cling to this reality, the effect may be clarifying or it might cause you distress and confusion. You might begin to encounter temporal cracks: buildings or areas that normally don't exist will flicker in and out of existence, or your reflection will briefly show an image of you from before your transformations took hold.

If you allow yourself to doubt your abilities or divinity, you might have trouble controlling your powers. If you've made alterations to your Horizon domain, it might start to revert to its original design.

These cracks are difficult to ignore, but if you bury your head, you can make them disappear - briefly, at least.
Shattered Skies
The effects go beyond the individual. As more of you and your fellow Gods reawaken, the sky also begins to form cracks that spread like broken glass. Through the fractures, you glimpse flashes of lightning and a swirling fog. The fissures only grow larger.

Soon, you realize you can see the Singularity itself, reflected upside-down in the crater. Disconcerting though it is, it may serve as proof that something is very wrong. Of course, you can also refuse to acknowledge this disturbance, closing your eyes to the crumbling sky. Doing so will let you remain unaware to the very end, but your friends who are seeking the truth might find your denial distressing.

The sky won't hold, though. Eventually, it does shatter completely - and you awaken abruptly, your body and others scattered several feet away from the Singularity's crater as if you were physically thrown out. The fog begins to dissipate. The lightning has stopped, the unrelenting storms fading across Abraxas. Whatever you went through, it seems to have done exactly what the territories hoped: stabilize the Singularity.

Characters will be returned home afterward. They will be thanked for their assistance regardless of if they cooperated.

Resistors will not face any consequences, as long as they don't cause excessive trouble upon their return. Officials will issue an apology for the heavy-handed action, stating that they saw no other way to keep the world safe. With the portals and weather returning to normal, it does seem to have worked...even if characters may not find the method agreeable.



diametrically: (pic#17140995)

[personal profile] diametrically 2024-05-13 03:41 am (UTC)(link)
[ Only when the light in the demigod's eyes has fully faded does the dust and dirt that had extended beyond where he stands begins to feed him. The remnants of the god's power echo that of Annabeth's, even to the point where it tastes faintly of bright lemon. Even as his hunger begins to sate, he doesn't allow the visceral relief distract him.

Of course, he can't even bring himself to refute her statement because what she says so disdainfully is the truth. Even if he wanted to refute that, he knows he's in the wrong. And as Annabeth's face is revealed from the glittering gold helmet, the thought of saying as much dissipates when a rush of nostalgia rushes over the ever present feeling of hunger. It fills his mind with more memories that gracefully slot into place of happier times. ]


This isn't the first time I've...dusted.

[ He hates using that word but it is the most accurate and probably least horrifying way to put what happens to him. Semantics aside he shakes his head, a defensive tone creeping into his voice.. ]

It's not like I mean to do it.
thedevilwhorose: » hallucination (the battle of the earth)

[personal profile] thedevilwhorose 2024-05-13 03:52 am (UTC)(link)
"The same way anyone has family, Michael!" Though there's still this black hole of memory that should contain their Father that he's been purposefully trying to ignore just as much as everything else. "Actual, official family, not add-ons!"

He sucks in a breath and it sounds like a death-rattling whistle.

No, this is fine. He can salvage this. Nothing is wrong. He just has to compartmentalize just a little more. He's gotten really good at doing again lately.

And no, actually, he can't--

"Did you forget Raphael, too?"
Edited (me half a second after posting remembering what I wanted) 2024-05-13 03:53 (UTC)
earthborn: (Default)

[personal profile] earthborn 2024-05-13 04:15 am (UTC)(link)
"I'm a blunt object," Shepard replies, a flat case-in-point, "Always have been."

It's a funny thing; she ought to be the last person to forget Garrus' name. But he's been Archangel for so long that... Well, it doesn't matter. Whatever you cal him, she knows him.

"So why did you hole up like that? It can't be because people aren't making requests. I get the general calls to action, just as much as specifics ones." Which is to say, Kobe ought to have the same issue. But Shepard sighs after a moment, thinking, "...Or is that the problem? Don't want to deal with this shit?"
earthborn: (Default)

[personal profile] earthborn 2024-05-13 04:20 am (UTC)(link)
True to form, Shepard responds as she's always done, wrapping her arms around, leaning into his grasp like a flower opening to the sun. And yes, she's a bit more... liquid of an armful, than she once might have been, but there's something helpless about that; it's not particularly voluntary. What can a woman do, but melt, for a man like this? Even goddesses have limits.

"Hmmm... I don't mind, if this is what it gets me," She murmurs, not pulling back, heat rolling off her in waves, the grass growing ever greener underneath them. She fancies she can even hear the drive core kick up a notch, sleeping in Normandy's bulk as it is, "Besides, I'll always be here to remind you."
earthborn: (Default)

[personal profile] earthborn 2024-05-13 04:30 am (UTC)(link)
"Look, it's not actually the noise, it's the... noise," Shepard tries to explain, hoping— knowing, he gets it. When something presses up against your purpose, the domain of your influence, and it isn't right, it's like...

...It's like when your shoes aren't tied right, and you can feel the misalignment in every step. It's like catching the whiff of an odd smell, and not being able to tell where it's from. It's like a soft, annoying noise, just slightly below notice, and you can bear it, probably all day if needed, but it's still a weight on your consciousness.

It's the smallest splinters that cause the most urgent annoyance, and nobody prays like an upset child, shouting into the void for a form of justice that isn't rational to want, or reasonable to ask for.

"It's fine," she lies, convincingly, and turns away, "But you can walk with me, if you want. Unless you've got a job of your own to follow through on."
satanicpanics: made by <user name="inkonic"> (pic#16613126)

[personal profile] satanicpanics 2024-05-13 04:40 am (UTC)(link)
Shit. You think so?

[ He proceeds to measure his own height by placing his palm flat across the top of his head and stepping aside to observe… the same height he has been for the last eight hundred years. And yet— ]

You know, I think you might be right. Three and a half, maybe.

[ Not at all. Not even a centimeter. ]

Don’t be so hard on yourself, dude. You’re not totally boring. Well, all the time, anyway.

[ Despite the joke, Eddie doesn’t find Michael dull at all. Frankly, the fact that he’s opted to lead a more quiet life when others have cloistered themselves away or buried themselves in divine work is fascinating, and Eddie would never pass up an opportunity to drop in on him. He may not be the most entertaining person around, but that doesn’t mean he’s off of Eddie’s list. ]

No, think you’ve got all of it. Though, uh, I guess you don’t always get the reward if something horrific happens along the way? Let’s maybe not make that the case today.

[ He rolls his eyes a little at the prospect of hopping on, but it is faster, so with a huff, he transforms into his shadowy batlike form. It’s rare for him to appear in this form, but not unheard of. It can still make things a little fun sometimes, as evidence by the way he lets out a shrill shriek to scare off one of the birds, then settles into hanging upside down from one of Michael’s wings instead, looking about as smug as he can. ]

Hi ho, Silver, away!
earthborn: (Default)

rolls in here late, with starbucks

[personal profile] earthborn 2024-05-13 04:46 am (UTC)(link)
"Istredd!"

Shepard has always had an exemplary parade-ground bark. It behooves someone in her position to possess such a tool, of course; to threaten, and issue orders, and to call out from the doorway of the library itself. The floor steams underneath her feet, little embers left behind, flickering briefly as they die, scorchmark footprints that follow Shepard wherever she goes— or at least they do when she's riled up.

If today the library appears a mite more labyrinthine than usual, that's surely her imagination and not that anyone might be avoiding confrontation. Surely. It's easy to invent new annoyances when you're already upset.

"I know you're in here! Hiding won't help!"

Actually, at this rate, she might be inventing new reasons to get mad, wholesale.
abraxasnpcs: (Default)

[personal profile] abraxasnpcs 2024-05-13 04:56 am (UTC)(link)
UmbvagherHerald of Abberations

[ Amidst the chaos of Serenity's uncontrolled powers, a flourish of color appears. On one side of a great tapestry appears to be the cosmos, visible only to Serenity's gaze. On the other is a shimmering rainbow that dances above the afflicted. The tapestry turns around and around and from inside the twisting cloth appears another god, wrapped in the divine cloth of cosmos and color.

He flings his cape open wide, bowing to Serenity in greeting. Umbvagher stands invisible to the townspeople and watches them wander around his feet. Their screams and pleas pull a shake of his head. ]


Things got a little out of hand, huh?
abraxasnpcs: (Default)

[personal profile] abraxasnpcs 2024-05-13 05:11 am (UTC)(link)
And so it goes.

[ Nikodaemus echoes in agreement. ]

I can't find the time to worry about it.

[ They are alike in many ways. Whether that is to the detriment of their counterparts will ultimately be for time to tell. Nikodaemus will continue to encourage Anthropos to ask his questions and seek his answers as he sees fit. ]

And your time is also valuable. Before I take my leave, do you have any parting thoughts?
cointosser: (Default)

[personal profile] cointosser 2024-05-13 05:15 am (UTC)(link)
Oh, that's what you remember? Bloody -- god, that is ripe. Whew! I wonder how much effect a few wagons full of mint would have on that breath? [He's guessing none at all. (He ignores the part of him that always flares up with relief when Geralt indicates some memory about them. There will always be a bit of his heart that prepares itself for the possibility he might be forgotten again.)

Such is the way of time.]


What? [He kicks a few more peaches into the mouth and hops back, giving Geralt a glare. Oh, he suspects he knows what that means. That he's not allowed to have fun.] I had a moment, all right? I hardly need you chafing my arse about it! And I granted them several future years of thriving harvests to make up for it, all right? The least they can do is entertain me for a single festival.
cointosser: ([034])

[personal profile] cointosser 2024-05-13 05:20 am (UTC)(link)
Oi, be careful with that! It's fragile. Bruises easily. [He may chide the little robot (all right, the rather large robot) about it, but he's hardly taken his eyes off of what's distracted him.

Jaskier purses his lips at his less-than-enthused friend.]


Why, whatever you want with it. It's colorful and bright, and from me. Also, I was considering perhaps a giant soup. You carve out all the guts and pour the soup in. Very festive.

[Time, unfortunately, has further lessened the limit Jaskier had on his impulses. Sometimes he doesn't think things through at all, and he sees little reason in justifying his ideas because they're his ideas, and thus very good ones. What he doesn't think about is why a lot of automatons would want a human food, or how one would make the amount of soup to fill that giant pumpkin, or what, even, sort of soup it should be.]

I'm simply going through the niceties, thank you. I don't only grow pumpkins. And it came from the ground. Surely you remember how plants grow? I could remind you. Liven up the place. Oooh, what about another giant tree in the middle? This time with blossoms, some color.
Edited 2024-05-13 05:20 (UTC)
abraxasnpcs: (Default)

[personal profile] abraxasnpcs 2024-05-13 05:29 am (UTC)(link)
[ Her acceptance of the cookie is a good step. He nods when she accepts his appraisal of the situation, both because they are in agreement on her condition and because the Trader also wants the best for their followers. ]

And some do. Others might not live their best, but living a good life is still a life well-lived.

[ He cautions against striving for perfection in gods and in mortals. He doesn't say whether or not he believes it is achievable, but if it is he doesn't think it's worth the strain. ]

I want to give you an honest answer, Wicka, and that answer is that we honestly don't know.

[ He sets his hands to rest on his bent knees. His voice is soft as he speaks, summarizing the thoughts gleaned of many conversations over the centuries. ]

Some of us believe that we were chosen by the Singularity and find a great deal of comfort in that, whether it's a realization of fate or just the desire to be wanted. We're not so different from the mortals we try to protect, are we? I believe it was just the right set of circumstances. There might be some comfort in that too, but to each their own. Until the Singularity can articulate its thoughts and feelings in a meaningful way, we're going to inevitably draw our own conclusions.

[ The Trader bows his head towards the younger god. ]

What would you want it to be?
princeofruin: (029)

[personal profile] princeofruin 2024-05-13 06:31 am (UTC)(link)
[It is not a hard feat for Sajj'aka to accept that many of the others are more charitable than he. Though he has attempted, over the years, to not let himself change any further... it seems inevitable as the march of time. He can still look at the scaled companion Aegis bears and remember who he once was, and perhaps who he is still.

But that is why days like this are the difference. He waits to offer his charity to the fisherman, if only because he cannot bear to see the Draconae go without. But he shall wait, until sufficient effort has been put in. Only enough help to keep his hopes up...]


It is always too long. [It sounds almost like a joke, coming from him.] She will be easily able to find me. As easily as you have.

[He is not quite at his moments where he hides away, or slumbers.

Sajj'aka sits up, eyes opening wider with delight. It rings through him, pinging against his every organ, blooming the flower at his heart. Light glows along his skin.]


They have never needed us. That's the beauty of watching them succeed without intervention. [Though he would have intervened. He cannot help himself. But he needn't; this boy has been under Sajj'aka's eye for some time, and he's learned from his mistakes. He makes a sharp jerk, and that hooks the fish true: it is a battle, though, a large fighter that tugs the line and fights desperately for itsl ife. But hte boy concentrates, his dark brows darker, and when the lines tugs hard and the fish is near --

He dives his arms in, pulling the fish out and tossing it in the bucket with a shout.]


Can you recall the last time a fish would have made you so overjoyed?
techmaturgy: (pic#15348837)

[personal profile] techmaturgy 2024-05-13 02:12 pm (UTC)(link)
[Viktor has long ago stopped feeling white-hot anger. Such rage is counter-productive and distracting, and he'd decided at some point it was better for his efficiency to remove the ability to feel it entirely. Now, however, his augmentations are failing, and he finds himself caring very much that Alucard sees no difference between what Viktor has done and the terror his father has wrought. It's unfair. It's insulting--and then, to ask him to give up what he's made for himself, on top of that?

Just another disappointment, in a long line of them. It is almost a relief, to catch a glimpse of the sword.

His laser cutter hums to life, the beam cutting across the workshop in a bid to stop Alucard from getting any closer. But for as much as Viktor has optimized his body, it has always been with progress in mind, not necessarily combat skills. Alucard is faster, more experienced

There is no pain, when the sword cuts through him--his augmentations have made sure of that. But the force of it causes him to stagger backward into a worktable with a grunt, and it takes him a moment to realize what has happened. Were his face visible, Alucard might imagine a furious expression, though they both seem to realize that he is powerless, and that Alucard turning heel and leaving is what's best for the both of them, in this moment.

Viktor has nothing to say after that.
]
ushiri: (pic#15839972)

[personal profile] ushiri 2024-05-13 04:06 pm (UTC)(link)
True.

[ He laugh when they eventually stand up to leave and little seashells fall out of his hair. He might collect some of them in his pockets, take them back to his domain for -

He shakes his head. ]


Let's just stay here a little while longer.

[ Like this. ]
thoughts: (46)

[personal profile] thoughts 2024-05-13 04:34 pm (UTC)(link)
[ as color streaks across the sky and umbvagher appears, serenity is flooded with a sense of relief and trepidation in equal parts. she can't see the other gods in the same way she sees everything else, her cognition blinded by their divine magic.

it's usually a welcome silence in the chaos whirling through her mind, but she doesn't know him ( doesn't remember a time when she feared him as a human child that didn't want to be awaited ) and can't say for certain if he's come to help or hinder an already tense situation. on instinct, the moment he says 'out of hand,' she unconsciously grips the bowl of her brother's remains tighter. ]


I didn't drop it. Didn't drop them - didn't touch them. Saw him coming and moved out of the way but there were so many more and they were afraid.

[ afraid of her, which is honestly fair enough, but she felt their fear and confusion feed into her own until it was unintentionally reflected outward with a burst of uncontrolled magic. ]
ushiri: (pic#16104273)

[personal profile] ushiri 2024-05-13 05:58 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Sometimes the Doctor's ramblings are hard to follow. Sometimes they unravel into something almost lyrical. This feels like one of those latter instances. What he speaks of touches at the deeper parts of his own memory, things long forgotten about his past. They sound true. ]

We all fear the destroyer. [ But the Doctor is right, that doesn't necessarily make it evil. Creation and destruction are two halves of the same whole. To look at the Singularity, the twin pieces of the monolith, he knows this without question.

To the rest - he shakes his head. He kneels with the star still cupped in his palms, gently placing it in the grass. ]


I don't know. There's power in the land, in the stones that make it - all the life that walked and will walk across it. It doesn't have to have been one of us to be alive.

[ They are all pieces of a greater whole, too. ]
thedreamer: (0442)

wrap here or your next one?

[personal profile] thedreamer 2024-05-13 06:00 pm (UTC)(link)
Well, that's never a doubt.

[ He pats her hands reassuringly for the briefest of moments before she pulls her hands back, the shadow of a smile on his lips. It's not the best of times, but reassuring and offering hope in some way is the Doctor getting back to himself and his more natural, instinctive way of being.

As her hair is pulled up into a ponytail, the Doctor straightens his bowtie, lifting his chin. Yes. Good. Be a Doctor again, he quietly tells himself. With his memories back, he recalls that time not so long ago in his life so very far away from here when he'd hidden away from people and the universe, when the pain of loss had done him in then, too. Maybe he needs to do something about that. Later.

For now, there are others to save. Giving a little nod, in agreement he adds — ]


And on and on until we're all back to ourselves.
princessvegas: (228. oh she's sweet but a psycho)

[personal profile] princessvegas 2024-05-13 06:20 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Her reaction to the sharpness in his voice is barely perceptible, but there nonetheless — a reproachful blink, a minute adjustment to the bend of her neck. The slightest lift of one eyebrow. In the second it takes her to shift back, mollified by his self-correction, panic flashes in her eyes like a bolt of lightning in a storm cloud.

She moves past him to the chairs, her feet glowing a dim pink under the hem of her dress as she propels herself with magic rather than locomotion. Long rose-colored strands trail behind her, loosened from the ornate twist holding up the bulk of her hair. Taking her seat, Julie props one elbow on the arm of the chair; she can feel the tremble of her fingers before she sees it. Quickly, her hand curls into a ball that she tucks under her chin.

As she watches him, she counts her breaths in her head — she has the sensation of her ribcage being crushed, collapsing inward until it squeezes around her lungs like a vise. One. Two. Three. Four. Everything is fine. She cannot die, but this is almost worse, she thinks, the growing dread and heavy weight in the pit of her stomach. When is the last time she felt so untethered, so light-headed with fear?

When was the last time she felt fear at all? ]


Things have been happening to us for hundreds of years, Stephen. This can't be any different.

[ It is, she can sense it down into her bones. Julie would rather cast her bones away and be a ghost than accept the horror carving itself into them like runes. ]
mathmetism: (drewvack-00115)

[personal profile] mathmetism 2024-05-13 06:21 pm (UTC)(link)
There’s a head flopped onto his shoulder with braids and bells and other fun sensory things, so Jerry picks up a couple of the smaller braids and begins braiding them together. Braids within braids. Braidception. Meanwhile, Jerry mimics a slow, hazy blink back to Koby, like when you slow blink at a cat that trusts you.

Perfect, in a literal, technical sense, is nigh impossible. Always some level of impurity to filter out of a product, always some means of improvement. But in the colloquial, ‘it’s really fucking good’ sense, one piece of music being really fucking good doesn’t stop new creations from being less really fucking good.

“Infinite, definitely infinite.”

Which is the nature of the universe, of the continuation of matter, of the perpetual and harmonious cosmic recycling system.

“Aren’t all things, really?”
thedreamer: (0606)

[personal profile] thedreamer 2024-05-13 06:29 pm (UTC)(link)
Well, it's — [ He looks around at the cemetery, the headstones holding memories of those gone; for so many, these are the last notations anywhere in the universe that they existed at all. He finds something sad and beautiful in it all at once. Another far too distant memory tugs at him, of very dear friends he'd lost...in a graveyard, he thinks. But it's gone as quickly, and here he stands in the presence of a deity he's never met before. ]

Meeting you, more specifically, is a pleasant beginning in a place that's otherwise very much a reminder of endings and sad things. You, the representation of the end of things essentially, but when something ends, something new is just starting somewhere else and it goes on and on like that but it still hurts, it always hurts to lose them. Looking at you doesn't make me sad, though.

[ Always with him, he carries contradictions — happy and sad. ]

How did you start, though? That first time. If you don't mind me asking! [ Though who are they kidding, he'd still ask, curious as he always is. ] How did it feel, being that one to take someone down that path, your very first time. How did you let go? And did you always — what was your life before this?

[ — one thing that's never changed, apparently, is his ability to rattle off questions at a rapid pace. Whoops! ]
ushiri: (pic#16104234)

[personal profile] ushiri 2024-05-13 06:29 pm (UTC)(link)
[ He's not really in the mood for what he considers to be a patronizing attitude, and so he bristles slightly at the first comment.

As for the rest - it's his turn to make a sound like a laugh, though his comes out more harsh. They use the word god to speak of themselves, but he's never thought of himself as one. The gold of his eyes is proof. Man, demon, black knife - he follows the will of something more powerful than all of them.

Something from within the maw grips the man's leg, pulling both him and Kyle into its teeth.

Kyle vanishes just before he feels its teeth sink into his shadowy flesh.

He's always been a coward. ]
funbreaker: (pic#16108639)

[personal profile] funbreaker 2024-05-13 06:40 pm (UTC)(link)
[ It is fun, Aegis won't deny it. On top of that, Sylvain's shouted encouragements which manage to reach him even all this distance down the mountain only motivate him further.

Which is right around the time when he sees a spot where there's a build-up of snow that causes the path he's on to slope slightly upward. If he aims for it, he'll board right over the ramp, giving him some air and the chance to do something truly impressive.

There isn't much time to decide. He goes for it.

He's built up enough momentum that the board easily glides up and off the ramp, and as soon as he feels that he's weightless with no solid ground beneath him, he twists his hips and shifts his wings to do a few spins in the air.

Then the ground is fast-approaching again, and he has to brace himself to land. Which he manages to do without much trouble, but then there's a grouping of trees right in front of him, and not much time to maneuver out of the way.

Hm. ]
Edited 2024-05-13 19:27 (UTC)
unresponsives: (pic#17112775)

[personal profile] unresponsives 2024-05-13 06:44 pm (UTC)(link)
I trust you.

( which is a statement that annabeth will know is said about few, but the girl is one of the few people that heather has trust in, who knows about her communities, those more hidden away than this one )

And your work would honour others here.

( that they would be lucky to have something more )
funbreaker: (pic#16108659)

[personal profile] funbreaker 2024-05-13 06:47 pm (UTC)(link)
"A puppet show."

Aegis would have expected something a bit more momentous for a tale about gods, but on the other hand, they don't have much control over how the mortals view or portray them. He's sure there are tales told about him and his sister, and he knows there are stories and myths exchanged regarding him and the Triad he makes up with the All-Seer and Stráedelaith, but he tries not to think too hard on all that.

Still, he understands the point that Jon is making. "You want to be certain he isn't in it only for the glory of it all."

A fair point, to be sure. Aegis is glad to help Jon understand the true intentions of this mortal, though if there are others who are also wishing to rebuild Thorne, he finds that curious as well.

They have a bit to go still, so as they walk along, he can't help but ask with a sidelong glance in Jon's direction: "This puppet show. What was it like?"