EVENT #18: EMERGENCE - IC EVENT LOG

[abraxasmods]

Event #18 - Emergence

OOC Plotting Post ⦁ Pre-Event Info ⦁ Setting Descriptions

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.

---

Comments

[wiedzminka]

You've picked up a thing or two about tracking from Geralt, have you?

[ Ciri points to the tracks, indicating the space between steps. ] You're right about the depth. Something heavy. And look at the width of its stride. The solid prints indicate a steady gait, so it wasn't running, but a steady walk with steps so far apart makes me think it's... rather big.

On two legs.

[ She stands up, peering ahead into the underbrush. The air is very still, eerily quiet. This place always sets her teeth on edge. ]

You think it's one of yours? [ They've all made a few... mistakes. ] Did you see something, or just a feeling?

[wiedzminka]

[ She's learned the hard way that these demigods are too unpredictable when mixed with her portals. Ciri may be able to deposit it somewhere else -- but she can't control it well enough when magic this strong and chaotic is involved, and there's too great a risk that she'll accidentally summon a beast of her own. Over the last century or so, she's been refining her technique and understanding but there's little she's been able to solidly rely on except the fact that demigods are always unpredictable. And always extremely difficult to kill.

Right now, their best option is to drive it away from the village and try to corner it somewhere where it'll do less destruction. Then, they can figure out the next course of action.

Unfortunately, it isn't going where they want. ]

Sidus!

[ Fuck.

She doesn't have time to plan, only to react. The ground beneath Sidus disappears. The next thing he'll know is he's falling out of the sky, somewhere above Ciri, who leaps up to catch him as the beast runs straight through the spot he'd just been. ]

[inthenameofhades]

"Yes, you've always been a god - of course you have - but you haven't always been here," Zagreus says, blinking at her. "Didn't you come from Themyscira? With the Amazons? I could have sworn you said that's where your from, centuries and centuries ago..."

[sophos]

[ as much as annabeth prefers helping shape structures, thrives on helping them come to life and watching them exist beyond a regular mortals life, there is something to their destruction that tugs at her too. it makes her feel powerful, like she can leave any kind of mark on the world she wants. ]

[ heather works her own affliction, but annabeth concentrates on bringing the building down into pieces. it's not his home, she thinks (she hopes), but it's too late for that now as she stands besides heather with the consequences of destruction. ]

He's welcome to try again, but I imagine he has a lot to think over first.

[ somewhere, she thinks, there's probably another deformed owl demigod running around in the witchwood. ]

[philancer]

[ He curses softly under his breath because none of this feels right. And he's now distinctly regretting responding to this echo in the first place. But he's here and not even he can turn away from the potential of one of their mortals being in grave danger.

So he sets his jaw and gives Cid a brief nod before turning and leaping off into the trees in the direction that cry had come from.

It's no more than a few feet from where they'd been when the tang of blood hits his senses and he gives a low snarl and speeds his pace. Cid would follow, he knew, but now they were likely on borrowed time.

He still has no idea what sort of predator they might be facing, but that matters little right now. Not when his massive form leaps from the underbrush to land in a clearing and he spots what looks like a shadowy figure hunched predatorily over a still figure. Enraged, he gives a warning roar and launches himself forward in attack. ]

[aquaveiled]

Fishing is just one of the best things you can do, hands down. There's a calmness at parts and a thrill in others! Getting to see what sort of creature you reeled in, how big it is, the fight that it puts up--what could be more fun?

Eating the fish, that's what. But that can come later.

Azem continues to glance at her compatriots throughout the competition, eyeing the number of catches that they've made. And just before the final bell is about to ring, she manages to pull in a whooper! Almost perfectly round, too. She has to wonder of it's somehow swallowed a whole melon or something.

She really wants to take that fish home. Can she? She wants to open it up.

But that will have to wait as judges tally the numbers and weights of all the fish caught. As such, she walks up to the other two and puts a hand on each of their shoulders.

"Whomever wins, I cannot wait for the feast afterwards. But I'm feeling fairly confident...and you two?"

[funbreaker]

[ Thancred's face immediately crumples with relief at the reassurance, and he takes another sip of the entirely normal chicken broth with no further uncertainty about it.

And, well, at least Alucard has found a way to look on the bright side. ]

Never going to let him live it down, are you?

[ Talk of "forever" leaves him slightly unsettled. Most of them should not have existed for this long, and he remains confused on whether any of it actually happened, or if it was all some massive illusion. It still feels real enough, the memories distinct in his mind.

The most recent ones, at least. ]

... Remember? [ Thancred frowns, leaning forward to peer up at the sky yet again. ] What do you think comes next? It feels a bit like the world's about to end.

[ Like the Final Days did. That memory washes up to the forefront of his mind like a crashing wave. So much that he'd forgotten is now reasserting itself. ]

i'm so sorry i fell off the face of the earth -_-

[philancer]

"Yes."

There's not even a hesitation in those words as he stares off across the room at nothing. Or something only he can see, feel. His tone is unusually subdued, where normally he might have tried to kept his counter light. Evasive. He doesn't bother right now. her own grief and pain deserves better than that.

"But I don't think... There's no place for me, out there." Not anymore.

But he gives her a warm squeeze as he turns to brush a kiss against the top of her head.

"There might be less risk, yeah. But you don't gain much either. Trust me on that. I'm not sure it's worth it. Especially when you don't alike being alone-alone."

And the long dark nights? They're always the worst.

[philancer]

"Or..." he trails the word out as he twines an arm about Kaz's waist, tugging him in close against his side. There's a dark hunger already simmering with anticipation in his gaze as he glances over to meet the other man's gaze, and a knowing smirk plays about the corner of his lips.

He keeps them moving down towards where the festival is being held this year - they're not far and he can already hear the sounds of music and laughter, the scent of tantalizing feasts and the more delicate spice of the incense he knew would be wafting from many braziers. The mortals had long since adopted the tradition of turning this into the most debauched night of festivities of the year. And he probably loved everything about it just as much as Jesper did.

"Or, we could find somewhere comfortable and mostly private - at least as much as we're likely to get here - and celebrate the holiday in style. We've got hours ahead of us, after all. And then we don't have to interrupt our... celebrating, to go anywhere else."

nsfw.

[gynvael]

[ He certainly cannot deny that; he prefers how she looks, her scent, all the things he associated with her at the time they met and has no desire to see vanish. But he is fond of her more prominent freckles. When they kiss, he lets her sharpened fangs scrape gently against his tongue.

He grows the flowers he knows she likes best. It's subconscious, somewhat, but home is what he makes of it now, and when there are others in it or who visit it, he wants them to feel like they belong, too. There are always butterflies in his woods if Julie is with him.

His hands explore her body, the warmth of her skin bleeding through the thin material. The flower's delicate petals slide between his fingers, soft and silky. They remind him of camellias, the kind he used to pass in late spring, in some distant memory he no longer sees with clarity. It's not long before he hitches her slip up higher, though. His hand slides between her thighs, and he watches her with a knowing familiarity. They've been here so many times, but he never does tire of it. ]

[gynvael]

[ Geralt raises an eyebrow. ] I have.

[ He understands the point Kyle is circling. You cannot just forget your past entirely. It doesn't work like that. But there's something to be said, too, for letting go of what will only keep you from moving on. After so many centuries, is there a reason to hold every burden on your shoulders? Maybe, for him, there's a difference between letting go and forgetting—wilful ignorance of the things that shape you.

There's a moment where it seems he might not reply further. He takes his time before he continues, weighing what how he wants to phrase it.

He doesn't mind the dog. She can stay as she likes. It's safe here, despite the bones that peek through the snow, and Roach is friendly should she venture back out and approach. ]

Ciri refused to see me at first. When I lost my memories, she left for a time. It was her return that healed me. [ He doesn't blame her for how long it took. It was his fault for not trying harder. He should have found a way to be by her side sooner. Regardless, like his own memories, he doesn't think they're ever simply gone. Just put away in places you can't reach—or have no desire to reach. ] Perhaps you might find, with some patience, that your presence makes a difference?

[gynvael]

If Geralt notices the shift in the air, he makes no remark. He more than understands the responsibility some feel towards their chosen duty. Geralt has deliberately kept himself apart from the whims of humans; he answers what he can, and there are things he cannot look away from, but he learned long before this to accept that he cannot be everything, everywhere.

He is not anyone's saviour. He's just there to do a job when they ask it of him. It matters little whether that takes the form of a prayer or a contract.

When she agrees, he's glad to hear it. She needn't stay for any length of time. A few days, a week. His home, where he brings it, is open to the people who've made themselves a friend.

Before. He hums. He knows what that means, when they say it like that. There is a vague time before that exists for all of them, one that he no longer grasps entirely, either. He doesn't usually try to, but her pause makes him take a moment to contemplate. He shakes it off.

"You'll like it. When Ciri was young, I trained her up in the mountains." Different mountains, technically, but Geralt does not distinguish when he says it. These days, it blurs together.

[aquaveiled]

[ It is rightfully disturbing and something that Himeka, herself, is glad that she did not have to be the one to witness. But the relief she feels at being fully supported, and feeling a little full, bit by bit is enormous. She's not perfect, but--she isn't' ravenous. Not right now.

She turns, suspended in the water to look at Alucard with a little more energy than she has this entire time--or rather, not the rabid energy she'd had before. ]

I think...I need more time. But...an hour. Can I have an hour? I'll meet you there.

[assembles]

That's the whole reason "capricious god" is a term, I guess.

[ Where exactly Steve first heard that, he can't quite remember, but he knows it's a thing. And it's pretty fitting when he considers how godhood is a burden that can be hard to accept at times. For the most part he's made his peace with it, but that wasn't always the case in the past.

So Rocket is right. They've got it handled most of the time, but there are going to be stumbles here and there.

Having reached the end of this row of inventions, Steve glances to Rocket, quietly entreating him to take him wherever he wants from here. ]

On the other hand, if there weren't demigods to prune every so often, I might get a little restless.

[ Which is maybe a weird thing to hear from a living statue who can stay still for long chunks of time, but it's true. He still needs a steady list of things to do. ]

[godshattering]

The smirk on Sidus' face only grows wider at that sigh, if only because it's so relatable as well. Right down to the woe (or what's sort of woe) over mortals thinking they could ever have the upper hand against whatever it is they have in mind. A way of thinking not all gods share, he's come to learn over these long years, which makes it all the more a thing to appreciate when it's found in someone else.

"Why promise anything except whatever it is we intend? Even better if it's wrapped up into what we understand it to be but leaves it a little ambiguous everywhere else." Or he's possibly telling on his own method of dealing with a devious follower who rather mistakenly believes they deserve what it is they're asking for and not in a way Sidus might normally applaud under any other circumstances. He does enjoy a little bit of trickery - just not when someone thinks they can best him in it.

"Anyway, I can promise it works for all kinds of smaller and far more playful things like if you'd simply rather it look like something was decided by fate with a friend or a lover. Not that I've ever done the latter, mind you." It's with a sharp and mostly genuine grin that Sidus picks his drink up again for another sip. "And far be it from me to stand in the way of the justice someone deserves, either. As fun as a coin flip can be, sometimes it's far better to let things play out as they were meant to before any intervention."

[northerndragon]

[He gives a small half-shrug.]

I've come to watch them and to have a drink. But a game isn't amiss. It is good fellowship.

[He dumps the dice out on the table. They are pretty metal things.]

How are things with you?

[With you, with Diana. It's very easy to see each other if any of them, the whole great group of them, wishes to, but just as easy to not notice the time passing. They each have their routines, these days.]

[assembles]

[ Maybe it's selfish, maybe it's something else. Steve isn't ready to immediately cast judgment on Garrus for this, mainly because he trusts him and considers him a pretty level-headed guy. Yeah, even for a god. So if there's a reason he's feeling uncertainty, it must be a good one.

And then he speaks those words, ones that Steve's heard from him before — although the exact context escapes him. He knows for a fact who Garrus is talking about, though.

So it's not selfish, not exactly. Garrus just wants to protect Shepard. Steve can't hold that against him.

The mention of her death sparks surprise in him, even if it doesn't show on his unemotive face.

Steve lets the rhythmic sound of the waves sit between them for a moment before he speaks up. ] ... I didn't know. [ But it doesn't change what he needs to say, for better or worse. He turns to face Garrus directly, one marble hand reaching up slowly to settle on his shoulder, made soft by a layer of feathers. ]

Maybe it's easier. But do you think she's okay with that? With accepting the easy way out?

[ Maybe he's talking out of turn, but he feels like it needs to be said. ]

... I think she and I are pretty alike, and while the burden is heavy, it's our choice to take it on. We do it because we can't imagine any other way of living our lives.

[ Yet Abraxas, or the Singularity, or whatever is behind this — it imposed this on them. And that's what Steve can't abide. ]

[aquaveiled]

[ She really could not imagine choosing an existence where you don't eat. Just because it's no longer necessary for survival, doesn't mean it's any less enjoyable. She's glad that Percy is willing to indulge that aspect as well, because she would certainly never stop offering.

That and he is, as expected, always happy to accommodate. They are usually on the same wavelength (pun intended). He's enjoyable company to have around, her little nephew. ]

Wonderful! Let's make quick work of it, then.

[ It doesn't take long. The shoreline is close to the shrine which makes it quite an idyllic location. Azem is ever prepared to set up a makeshift kitchen wherever she settles and soon has a fire boiling fresh water in a cauldron the size of a mortal's house. Skinning and deboning the fish, though, she's leaving that up to Percy. ]

There! Now, I'm feeling quite garlicky today. How much is too much?

[ She has about 20 whole ass bulbs on her large cutting board. The mortals that draw close do start to sniff the air and talk amongst themselves... ]

"Do you smell garlic, dear?"

[assembles]

[ It's not like Geralt's suggestion is wrong. Sam is always the person who Steve has turned to as they both try to preserve their memories — like precious trinkets that they can't help but misplace no matter how carefully they tuck them away.

It's not for lack of trying, and Steve knows deep down in the essence of whatever he's become that this person he's forgotten is important.

Maybe the most important.

He appreciates Geralt's presence, but he feels the lack of this person — his best friend — like the pulsing of a phantom limb. ]

I'll walk with you. I just — need a minute.

[ Maybe if he was more flesh and bone and less stone and marble, he might have leaned against Geralt for some kind of support. Instead he walks at his side, and as he stares at the massive trees that extend up around them, another memory ripples through him, of metal buildings that would stretch up just as high, if not higher. ]

... Have you remembered anything lately? Something you should have never forgotten in the first place?

[ His voice sounds strained, as if he would be wincing if his face could still do so. His friend — he'd also forgotten things, then slowly remembered. Maybe that's where the association with Geralt first started. ]

[godshattering]

Oh, from the mortals or whoever it was asking for help. Maybe someone else made it to them first since I was interrupted by my antlered friend on the way as the very subject of said assistance against it.

[ Hopefully; there's a pause in which Sidus listens for that echo again to which there's nothing but quiet. On that specific one since there's others he could go answer at the shrines which aren't too far way, but he just as quickly decides that's a Future Sidus problem. ]

You are rather good at the mechanical so you'll have to forgive me. [ Though - that also didn't really answer his question as it (unsurprisingly) leads to even more of them. Some things never change over all those centuries. ] What sorts of samples brought you here? Or maybe a better question is where else you need to go for more since that's my next thing to ask, of course.

[funbreaker]

[ Aegis assumes that Himeka's correction is her own opinion, and perhaps one that has been transferred to her demigod creation. He has seen his sister snack, and it's certainly something to behold.

Of course, that's something that they can discuss in more detail once the job is done. As Cid transforms to make himself a bit more palatable to the demigod, Aegis moves into position, ready to strike when the moment is right.

Although even then, he's not quite ready for the speed with which the creature hauls itself out of the water and after Cid. It's famished, clearly, driven by the overwhelming need to consume.

He's already moving before Azem calls for him, having processed the way she's controlled the makeshift battlefield and how he can use it to his advantage. His wings add to his speed, allowing him to flank the snail. He knows that his blade won't do much against the shell, and so he expends one of his cartridges against the hard exterior, causing a small but controlled explosion. The blast heats up the shell instantly, causing the demigod to let out a shriek of distress as its sluglike form quickly slithers out from its no-longer-safe armor. ]

Azem? Might you explain why a snail can move this quickly?

[ If he'd been just the slightest bit distracted, that could have turned south in a hurry.

As for bantering in the midst of a fight, that's just their thing. He doubts Cid will mind all that much. ]

no worries at all!!

[godshattering]

See, all the more reason it's fortunate we're here.

[ There's absolutely an even wider grin in those words - one he flashes in actuality to her when the attendant turns to look at someone else in confusion after the sputtering goes unacknowledged by both of them. It's right back to his act of Concern over the decor after that as Sidus puts a hand to his chest with an absolutely fake if not rather convincing look of dismay. ]

As if I would ever do such a thing! [ He would. ] But now you have me intrigued on what you have planned for our rescue of this absolutely dull everything.. In fact, maybe I'll let you lead on our plans.

[ While talking Sidus unloops the bag around his arm to hold it out and open for Nebula to rummage through. It's been conveniently enchanted to be something like bottomless and with just about any decorations possible lurking somewhere within: the usual assortment of streamers, a variety of glitters courtesy of Valentine's own creations, and just about anything else if only someone imagines what they're looking for before reaching in.

Oh, but he'd also forgotten something. Next his attention turns back to the attendant for a request that's absolutely to cause even more mischief yet. ]

Can you wait outside? We work best without any distractions.

[carmesi]

( when he peers up at her, just keeping on with the conversation as if nothing had ever been the matter to begin with, makes vexani feels light and airy—not the kind of feeling that comes with being able to bend herself at will, that comes with godhood, but with a pleasure she knows is akin to that which mortals experience—are experiencing around them, with the conclusion of this procession.

she steadies herself for a moment, before taking the plunge off the edge of the branch, arms stretched out so she can make it less of a sudden fall and more of a planned one. hands on his shoulders, falling into him.

a smile on her face. )

You came.

( every year it's the same song and dance, but every time it makes her love for him grow. )

[wwrench]

It's never occurred to Wrench to simply ask his followers for the space from them he sometimes craves. Instead, he finds himself retreating and reaching out at random, when the mood to be adored or to isolate himself entirely overtakes him. The people who call out to the Guardian of the Condemned are not, for the most part, prone to a lifetime of devotion. They come to him in desperate wanting and seek his refuge as long as they find it necessary. Unfortunately, too many get complacent. Time passes, circumstances improve, and they forget all about the God who granted them shelter and protection.

But tonight he's not thinking about them much at all. Spurred by Blake's casual detachment and the landscape he's created for them to play in, Wrench finds himself almost grinning. There's plenty that's changed over the last several hundred years. While the man might look further from the human he once was, he's more certain now of his proclivities and more forgetful of all the reasons he tried so hard as a mere mortal to shun them.

Oh, is that the price of admission? I don't think I saw that printed on my invitation. Have you found any worthy of your approval yet?

[wwrench]

For his part, Wrench is feeling altogether too relaxed to appreciate the tonal shift when Sam arrives out of nowhere. As the guests part to give his passing a wide berth, the tall man with the crown of blue moths lounges in his appointed seat. It's the temperature he notes first. The way the heat in the air seems to rise by degrees and degrees as the molten man grows nearer. Still, he can't fault him for that. Or maybe Wrench simply doesn't know enough to be cautious.

He regards the sentiment with a laugh the decades have finally taught him not to mask. The sound of it is airy and a little breathless, but entirely genuine. He considers Sam from his seated vantage point, then casts his eyes over the rest of the world stood still.

A party for us all, I think. A night of no expectations. Wouldn't that be a welcome break?