abraxasmods: (Default)
ABRAXAS MODS ([personal profile] abraxasmods) wrote in [community profile] abraxaslogs2024-04-17 10:07 am
Entry tags:

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.



divinityfrompain: (006)

[personal profile] divinityfrompain 2024-04-21 09:23 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Julia is less kind than he is, although that's always been true. She doesn't blame herself for everything, she blames herself for what she feels like is the right amount, and him for the rest. It's difficult when it's not a lack of love that breaks something but the inability to see eye to eye. And being separate from him has not helped. She hasn't found her way back to who she was, she hasn't reforged herself or found what she lost with humanity.

She's spiraling too, it's just in a different way. She nearly took her rage out on a full village who didn't deserve it the other day. She's barely held in check. And here he is hiding, not harming anyone, but harming himself, and that somehow makes her angrier. ]


I am your wife.

[ If divorce is an option for gods, it's not one that they chose. She still considers it a separation, not an ending. They haven't seen one another for a long time but she still has his ring around her neck. Not on her finger, it's too real, but it does weigh around her throat instead. ]

I came because you are still needed in this world and you're missing it.
thoughts: (71)

winter wonderland!

[personal profile] thoughts 2024-04-21 09:38 pm (UTC)(link)
[ serenity has become very familiar with this mountain over the ages. most often, she's been here accompanying sylvain in the moments he has retreated from the rest of the world, but sometimes she wanders through without him when she's in search of quiet places for respite. perhaps he's off traveling with her brother or hunting in the witchwoods or otherwise cavorting about the mortal plane; her powers of cognition don't work on other gods so she doesn't really know, but she doesn't expect him to be here.

so she finds herself at the mountaintop alone. she doesn't bother with food or lodging these days, ignoring all of the amenities the lodge offers to climb to the mountain's peak instead. sure, she could teleport there, but he truly has made a beautiful winterscape here and it's a shame to miss it.

this is the precise reason she settles herself atop the mountain now, sitting comfortably to survey the terrain around it. eternal sunlight glints off the white snow that blankets everything on the ground, and you can see everything in the area for miles while it's silent and serene in her immediate surroundings.

she loves this place. it's a reminder of sylvain, someone she's come to consider as a brother for all that he has entwined himself in kassa's path and welcomed her into his sphere, but it's also a reminder of the natural beauty of creation beyond the world's messy inhabitants. serenity sits there for hours or days ( it's all the same to her ) and simply watches, hoping the heavy snow will blanket the noise in her mind in the same silent stillness, even if only for a moment. ]
itookashot: (KY_74)

Prayer Site

[personal profile] itookashot 2024-04-21 09:42 pm (UTC)(link)
Are you sure it's not a threat? This will be your head if you don't give into our demands.

[ Jesper is in the mining camp because even miners look for love and their family ties are tight, and he is often in the Free Cities now that he and Hilda pretend to be humans occasionally. At one point he thought he would like nothing more than to get away from it forever, but those feelings have long since bled away.

His presence is a strong one, a permanent air of warmth, beauty, and desire around him, whether he wills it or not. Jesper is a well-fed god of worship and adoration and he glows with it. He doesn't have a typical god form like others, it's the air around him, his vibe, that is a powerful sense of the divine. He's in rainbow scarves and light wear, colorful as always to match his personality, and he flashes a grin to Astarion.

It's a joke though. As if mortals would be so bold. And this is clearly well-meant. Not everyone has the ability to do better.]


Sheep's wool for the hair is a stroke of genius.
thedreamer: (0720)

[personal profile] thedreamer 2024-04-21 10:03 pm (UTC)(link)
[ In all this time roaming these lands, seeing the best and worst of humanity, he's only come close to losing his grip like this once or twice, but this is new. This is a culmination of grief and pain, of losing mortals he'd unwisely allowed himself to attach to. Their brief lives flicker out over and over again and he's trapped here watching, waiting. Some die peacefully as they wither into an age that will never come to pass for him. But so many hurt each other, their lives cut short before he can save them all. Even for the ones he does manage to save, they'll die eventually and it's endless and he'll just be here going on and he's never learned, has he? There are no happy endings, just...endings.

For the children of this world, he wants always to be a beacon of light, for however long their beautiful lives will go on. And here, instead, in this village of horrors where the ground turns red with blood, he meant to protect, to bring hope. Hope he did bring — briefly — before the children were left to bear witness to a moment of darkness unleashed because he couldn't control himself. It's selfish and cruel, driven by his pain, and that voice —

There's a delay, a half-second longer than the children should have to endure. But it's enough to pull him back, to stop him, the psychic attack ending almost instantly as he severs the connection between their minds.

He's gone too far.

The man crumples to the ground — alive, but nearly catatonic.

The Doctor turns slowly to look for the voice, the children. In sharp contrast to the coming dark he'd manifested only moments before, his expression is notably softened, gentle, ashamed. The starlight that normally envelops him is slow to return, as though it doesn't quite belong yet. With all the regret one might expect of someone who means only to devote himself to the care and protection of others, the Doctor speaks with no small amount of regret and remorse — ]


I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. The children, are they — [ There were others, ones still to help. ]
theidlemaiden: (pic#16095029)

[personal profile] theidlemaiden 2024-04-21 10:05 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Being able to stay creative and come up with friendly competitions over the course of eight hundred years isn't a feat that just anyone can do. Fortunately for Hilda and Jaskier, they're not just anyone. If time has not changed their propensity for ridiculous antics then it's unlikely that anything ever will.

Which is why, as much as she cares enough about trying to win their annual competition, she loves the spirit of fun and creativity that comes with it more. And the fact that it had turned into a festival seems fitting considering she and Jaskier love a party. In perhaps something of a surprising turn of events she hadn't left him to do all of the work. She had contributed, guiding the various stalls that would soon adorn these places, helping out vendors ensure their wares would be the best they could be so they could make some coin as well. ]


Oh don't be so dramatic, Jasky. [ If she gets a nickname he gets one too. ] If they forgot us it would get really boring, really fast. But I know what you mean it is missing that something.

[ Hilda hovers nearby tapping her chin, her pale pink, red, and yellow wings flapping gently to keep her aloft. ]

What if we included a nod to the other gods this year? You know, like sort of an...homage of sorts. I finally managed to convince Steve to come and attend. Mythos, Azem, and a couple of the others will be coming too.
magicalarchaeologist: (cute smile)

Gale

[personal profile] magicalarchaeologist 2024-04-21 10:12 pm (UTC)(link)
"Oh good, I'm glad you're here."

It is not uncommon for Istredd to simply appear to people when they appear into his extensive library because he is mentally connected to every inch of it. He is aware whenever someone enters and normally pays enough attention to see if they need him before allowing them the space to do as they wish. He does have regular visitors whether to add their own books or enjoy a little quiet time.

He doesn't know if Gale is here to see him specifically, so it's a credit to his genuine delight to share something with his friend that he appears instantly. Istredd is known to be quiet and overly composed, but when he's excited about something, it brightens him up. His vivid blue eyes are bright and he reaches out to place a small touch on Gale's elbow. He is usually respectful of physical boundaries so these gestures are shy, but it's to move the both of them to one of his rooms.

This one is well-known to those who are used to Istredd in his theory mindset because the walls are all made of chalkboards so anyone can scribble on them. It's a perfect theory room. He releases Gale but crosses to a part of the wall, tapping on it.

"I got access to the Feywilds forbidden books." Istredd grins at him. "Thousands of years!"
Edited 2024-04-21 22:19 (UTC)
diametrically: (pic#16919526)

[personal profile] diametrically 2024-04-21 10:15 pm (UTC)(link)
High summer. 

[ He scoffs as he moves past the other god and into the warmth that immediately begins to seep through his clothes and into his bones. Dust trails quietly after him in his wake. Despite having been here plenty of times before he doesn't move to take his jacket or his boots off.

That's normal behaviour in and of itself though. Shedding his clothes usually caused more dust to fall and Sylvain was a god that enjoyed his space clean and tidy. But aside from wanting to keep Sylvain's home relatively clean, there is another reason for it. ]
 

I don't think you've spent enough time wandering around the desert. [ He makes his way to the fire, holding out his gloved hands to warm them. ] How have you been? 
nadine_he_loves: (smile)

Nadine Cross | The Stand | Herald of the Equinox

[personal profile] nadine_he_loves 2024-04-21 10:15 pm (UTC)(link)
[Open and closed starters below, feel free to hit me up for plotting!]
cryptsleeper: (Increase bad thoughts)

[personal profile] cryptsleeper 2024-04-21 10:17 pm (UTC)(link)
[Alucard can appreciate bluntness, just as he can appreciate knowing that there was no way to truly wiggle around the matter of ascension. There's other times and places to be upset about that (and it is an ongoing process). Now is not it. This moment requires bluntness. Time is a precious resource, even for the long lived.]

Thank you, then. It's a genuine surprise, and I appreciate it.

[To the rest then. The dhampir (and that's how he always thinks of himself first) lets out a soft exhale.]

In my mind, self-regulation errs more towards making sure actions directed towards each other don't catch those not involved in the crossfire, be it among each other or the wider world. The same goes for when forms of worship spiral outwardly with or without our sanctions. My mind turn towards the matter some time ago when ascensions were forced on what is now the Isle of the Lost as an example of that.

[It's preamble, but in doing so, it sharpens the question to the finest point.]

Perhaps better considered, I think I am concerned about when it is appropriate to interfere and potentially force one's ethical code on another of us that are long lived.
cryptsleeper: <user name="malagraphic"> (I'll consider it)

Raising the dead, your call time frame

[personal profile] cryptsleeper 2024-04-21 10:36 pm (UTC)(link)
[Where Alucard has his space in the Horizon for resting and his weird cave house in the desert for sitting with his own creative projects, he only enters the Witchwood when he feels the need to vent. It's easier to take anger out on the lesser beasts that the spawn like to use as snacks. In a way, it works. It draws the eye to what has become overpopulated in the forest and allows for the appropriate balance to be restored.

He's managed a few large beasts, naturally evolved rather than pouring from the magic of another of the Summoned. The work has been loud, and his ears ring from the attempt of the felled creature's sound-based defenses. If his hearing was normal, he wouldn't be walking in on another deity going about her business doing--

--ah. The normal work then.

Alucard pauses as he enters Haelva's workspace, opposite her and looking appropriately mortified.]


Apologies. I didn't hear you.
judgmentbolts: (42)

echoes

[personal profile] judgmentbolts 2024-04-21 10:44 pm (UTC)(link)
( ooc: semi wildcard - maybe around the beginning of month 3? )

[ Cid has been restless lately. The village on the edge of the Witchwood that has been his home for centuries now feels haunted by ghosts he can no longer remember; the blacksmith who barely wants to give him the time of day, the cook who insists that he take a place at the table every once in a while, and the head of the village — a large dark-haired man who won't hesitate to drag him down by the lapel even when he wears the full mantle of his godhood. A name comes to his lips, and it's gone just as quickly, like a dream he can't recall upon waking.

He's grateful to have a reason to get away for a spell. It's not an echo he answers, but a suspicion voiced by one of his merchants. Certain mechanical parts have made their way across the contentment to his humble village, and he means to confirm their suspected origin.

Finding a friend nearby is an unexpected boon, and one he's certainly grateful for. It's good to see the Doctor out and about; he's hardly the type to stay in one place, but he's been scarce as of late.

He huffs at the Doctor's words, almost a laugh. Cid almost never appears in his full god form, as he does now — with the wings and hooves and all that nonsense, it's easy to mistake him for another, at a glance. ]


You too, eh? My head's been a bloody mess lately. [ He pats the Doctor on the shoulder. They'll have to come back to the subject, once the immediate issue is handled. ] That one called to you, I take it? Aye, I could offer a light but... Did you see the way they came from?

[ He inclines his head toward the east - Mechapolis is the only thing of interest in that direction. ] I've good reason to think humans have been stealing inside to borrow a cup of spare parts. I'm not fussed about a little petty thievery, but I'm sure you know what else they're like to have picked up there.

[ Humans have short life spans, and short memories as a consequence, but Heartwood Syndrome remains a threat to any and all who might find their way into the city. If it began to spread beyond Mechapolis' walls, it could get out of hand again quickly. ]
restingstitchface: (Regret [AU])

[personal profile] restingstitchface 2024-04-21 10:48 pm (UTC)(link)
[Crane leans forward, hands on his thighs, showing curiosity and concern without words. But those emotions are novelties he intends to pick apart. He remembers sitting in her place. He recalls being advised by a mortal: a man older than himself. Why, he wonders?

He inhales and grounds himself in the present.]


This yearning would have been reinforced over time.

[He looks for any twist in expression and twinge in voice.]

Is there anything you remember that pointed you towards this being a genuine experience?
mathmetism: (tumblr_inline_p5gexyXToJ1rvxgyx_100)

ed & jack; rhino horn and bad dads (cw: abusive dads, also man-hunting references??)

[personal profile] mathmetism 2024-04-21 10:57 pm (UTC)(link)
Hey, dude, what's crackalackin'?

[ jerry's sprawled out on his stomach on top of his unicorn float, hands and feet dipped in the ocean so he can paddle up to ed's side. there's a glass dragon pipe hanging from his lips that he's trying to talk around, but it ends up falling out and onto the floatie. he lets out a shrill shriek and scrambles to save the contents, barely sparing jean claude some melted plastic.

jack's not far behind on the raccoon float, a loose rope tethering them together so one doesn't get carried off into the wild blue yonder without the other (also an effective child leash for jerry). they're pretty familiar with where they can find ed these days, so any seafaring adventure usually has them stopping in to say hi. ]


We're out here looking for a solid island for a castaway adventure. Jack said I could be the bloodthirsty aristocrat hunting shipwrecked men for sport this time.

[ but clearly happy to take a break from the search to chill with a homie. ed's usually up for some pretendy dreamscape shenanigans, or a cool dude to lay back and chill with while letting the waves drag them where they please. getting up to ed's squidly size, jerry fist bumps a tentacle and adjusts to get a better hold on his pipe. ]

Y'know, my dad used to go off on his super-yacht for weeks at a time, probably just spending campaign funds on hookers and blow. I asked once if he went to his private island and taxidermied his poor people kills. [ jerry takes a long hit from his pipe and holds it out to ed. ] Dude was piiissed, but he also didn't say no.
Edited 2024-04-21 23:10 (UTC)
iustise: (65)

[personal profile] iustise 2024-04-21 11:15 pm (UTC)(link)
He smiles at that, the description of her day. Bringing new life into the world. It is a wonderful thing, and he is happy for her. Happy that she gets to what she loves best.

As for his own day…

“Young people will always need guidance,” he says, tilting his head toward her. “Today is no different. It is difficult for them to know for certain which path to follow, how to understand their own desires at that, when there are so many other desires and expectations being thrust upon them.”
inthenameofhades: (Smirk 1)

[personal profile] inthenameofhades 2024-04-21 11:25 pm (UTC)(link)
"Oh, I certainly wouldn't want to miss that meeting," Zagreus says, as a slow, vicious grin stretches across his face. As gods go, Zagreus might be unusually friendly and polite - but it was at times like this that his capacity for anger, red-hot and searing, would make itself known.

It might have been a long time since he was there, but he's still a god of the Underworld - and what did the Underworld exist for, if not giving people exactly what they deserve? He's no Meg, but he'll do his best to follow in her footsteps.

He looks towards the mother and son, clinging to each other as they sob. "I rather think there's someone out there who's just forfeited their right to any second chances, don't you?"
thedreamer: (014)

[personal profile] thedreamer 2024-04-21 11:31 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Time, the Doctor thinks, used to be his business. (Or was it? No, that can't be right.) Strange, stray thoughts, hardly worth settling on for very long. Once, a long time ago, he belonged to the stars, but he was meant to settle here, to keep this world safe and by extension, to keep the universe safe. That's all. Nothing more than that.

But it has been a long while since they've seen each other, this he's certain of at least, and he's missed him. ]


Oh, eventually, I always do, don't I? You'll never be long without me.

[ He's pleased to see both fish and friend, and holds his starlit fingers up for the tiny creatures to poke at him if they like. ]

And yes, hello to you beauties, too. [ To Koby — ] Have you been okay? Tell me everything! Spare no details.
spiritread: (pic#17075110)

🎲📖🐉 — dustin

[personal profile] spiritread 2024-04-21 11:35 pm (UTC)(link)
They have a lot of spirit.

[ The girl offers thoughtfully, thinking on what feels wrong. And the right way to say it. Here, she's put away the appearance of the younger airbender she wears when involved with daily life. In the Horizon, she is herself: Though that self is less a fully physical form as it is the light glow of a spiritual body. Rather it was by choice or not, she'd become something more akin to the Light Spirit, Raava, in a personal space. ]

[ It doesn't bother her now, as it once might have, and it certainly doesn't in that moment. Not as she half leans against his shoulder to join him in reading the latest of a string of stories a budding novelist had left at one of his shrines. She's a little jealous, she gets plenty of pastries but rarely anyone leaves her books of any kind. ]

[ But she's happy (enough) in her role it doesn't bother her as greatly as it might as she cocks a head in consideration, leans back to think about it. They're in his domain and the sun is high in the sky, warm against the skin. She breathes out, considering, and then frowns: ]

But you're not going to let them consider keeping the kill the dragon part, are you? The dragon didn't do anything wrong. It's just unfair, it makes for a bad ending.
Edited 2024-04-21 23:36 (UTC)
krakened: (001)

[personal profile] krakened 2024-04-21 11:37 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Ed is highly supportive of Jerry's foray into textile art. He gave knitting a go himself, thinking he'd have eight legs up with all the knitting needles he could hold at once. Downside, yarn and water? Shitty combination.

He's gone back to his cave carvings. Reliable artistic expression.

A third tentacle emerges with a wiggling fish from under the waves. Ed takes it into a (human) hand and gives it a casual smack. Then he starts scraping the scales off. ]


Oooh, good lungs. Very impressive. [ But— ] Nah, nothing like that. I mean, a play, yeah, but, I—we wrote it. A pirate story. It's got some fucking fantastic fights, crazy fish on legs. Hilda planted it in some writer's head. Thought we'd bless his career and all that. Wanna come?

[ Ed's confidant pitch comes with a blasé wave that means to say he doesn't care that much if Jerry will come, but also, deep down, he actually does. Care. A lot. Look, Ed poured his heart and soul into this thing. He's pretty fucking proud of it, so it's, you know. Important. ]
satanicpanics: made by <user name="inkonic"> (pic#16613122)

[personal profile] satanicpanics 2024-04-21 11:45 pm (UTC)(link)
No, no. Not at all. I would literally never live it down.

[ He grins ear to ear, always happy to slip in a ridiculous joke. And when she agrees to accompany him, he totally lights up. He’s done this song and dance enough to know that he never actually moves anyone. Nothing’s going to change. She’ll humor him for a time and tomorrow, things will go back to the way they were, but for now, that’s enough for him.

So he folds into one of his trademark bows and offers her his arm. He knows better than to take her anywhere too overwhelming, and he still cares about her and the state of her mind, so he quickly sorts through locations in his head.
]

Tell you what--how about you just do the honor of walking with me for awhile? Catch me up on your shit, I'll catch you up on mine.
itookashot: (AuHSSuC)

[personal profile] itookashot 2024-04-21 11:48 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Jesper doesn't scold after his pronouncement, he just makes it and lets that stay. He is protective but he understands Crane seeks to press boundaries. It doesn't bother him, he's just good at keeping his boundaries very clear when he has them. His expression softens and he reaches out to try and snag Crane's hand with his, tangling their fingers in a very simple way. ]

I'd only say that if I was going with you. Into your bed, where I belong.

[ They don't often share a bed for longer than the time to get what they both need out of it, but he never stops wanting him. They're not the lingering type, either of them, although he wouldn't be against finding out what lounging in bed with Jonathan Crane would be like. ]

What if I took you to a place where the people deserved it?

[ There are still bandit camps all over the place. ]
itookashot: (pic#14855161)

[personal profile] itookashot 2024-04-21 11:57 pm (UTC)(link)
"Of course she did." Jesper laughs. "She was just as stubborn at their age." They've seen generations come and go at this point but Jesper likes being around people so he remembers them. He does take a shine to one or two family lines, and this is one of them. This is the area in which he is worshipped fairly actively, so he protects them more than most.

That worship and the celebration of love in front of them makes Jesper seem to radiate power and beauty, the inner shine matching the outer when he's surrounded by the cherished. He smiles at Koby and turns toward him, swooping an arm around his waist and tugging him in close. "Is that the way you greet lovers after time apart? I feel as if sailors know better than that."

Jesper leans in to kiss him sweetly, letting it linger but not go on too long, as then they'd get distracted. "It has been a little while, my dear, what have you been up to?"
itookashot: (FBEdmlH)

[personal profile] itookashot 2024-04-22 12:07 am (UTC)(link)
[ Jesper also spends time checking in on people who seem to have withdrawn into themselves when he remembers, so he and Eddie are two of a kind that way, but he's been sucked into this new clothing line with Hilda. They have to constantly reinvigorate their own designs and react to the changing times, which is exciting, but consuming. And neither of them are good at taking it easy. Still, it means he isn't spreading his glorious presence everywhere, so a good thing to remember. ]

As if I could ever forget someone like you.

[ He flatters and winks at him, the sentiment being true. They are both gods who haven't changed drastically over the centuries, the positions instead falling easily over their shoulders when it weighed on others. He's always been a fan of Eddie's strong personality and positive vibes. ]

Really? Rejections? Hm. Is it one of those slump years for others?

[ For them to reject Eddie they must be either too busy or in their own head. Alas, it happens. They keep walking together and he tilts his journal toward Eddie so he can see the full magical sketch book, which keeps moving swirling designs together. The problem is making certain clothing is possible to make rather than god-designed, it would give them away.

He didn't notice how cheerful everyone is around him until Eddie points it out and shrugs.]


I'm not much of a doom and gloom type, love.
godshattering: (pic#15439508)

iii

[personal profile] godshattering 2024-04-22 12:21 am (UTC)(link)
Of course not. But that doesn't mean they'll take it, stubborn as they are to have ended up here in the first place.

[ The words are said almost lazily and like an underscoring of some truth from where Sidus lounges, watching the exact same sight as the Sentinel as he leans against some construct conveniently there to be able to do so. There'd been a vague act of examining his nails like they're infinitely more interesting before he'd glanced down to where the exile is making a valiant attempt to stay upright in the heat and far hotter sun, and then watching had taken precedence.

He knows the voice that's spoken to him - recognized the figure as soon as he walked up to claim his current perch, and now he meets that gaze nonchalantly as though he hasn't heard the implied request beneath it. The ask to help, to which he doesn't step forward to as he might have in another life. Perhaps that can be considered an improvement to a few centuries ago where he would have set a chain of unfortunate events in order for the exiles without pausing to think of anything else first. Speaking of that: he then tilts his head to one side slightly with a small chime of the charms woven into his hair.

If the Sentinel deems this to mean he'll have to offer a little more before said request will be acknowledged, he'd be correct. Sidus, meanwhile, arches a manicured eyebrow as though something's just occurred to him. ]


Then again, maybe this time will be different and we won't get cursed for it before the Maw sweeps in to claim its prize. Who's to say?
techmaturgy: (pic#15348816)

viktor | arcane | patron of the chassis

[personal profile] techmaturgy 2024-04-22 12:23 am (UTC)(link)
[plotting commentAU info[plurk.com profile] whitticus OR discord @ whitticus]
techmaturgy: (Default)

months 1 + 2 | ota & closed

[personal profile] techmaturgy 2024-04-22 12:23 am (UTC)(link)
i. mechapolis
[To some, Mechapolis might seem like a ghost city, despite the activity of its inhabitants. Devoid of human life, it is unsettling to many—but there are those who love it, and care for it, perhaps in part because so few find it a place worth either. To Viktor, this is a culmination of his own work, a place too hazardous for humans but nonetheless productive and working towards reclamation. The fact that it is entirely populated by robots is the idea—no humans will be put in danger by environmental hazards. No humans will be killed or maimed by the dangerous working conditions. It’s not perfect, but it’s certainly a step in the right direction.

So on the occasion that he emerges from his workshop, he can often be found here, attending to the matters of the automatons. They aren’t sentient, and though he wishes they were, he makes do with the current level of technological advancement.

When Viktor answers echoes, they are the requests of Free Cities scientists and innovators and those who tend to the automatons. Now, he works on one that seems to have stalled out mid-task, treating it not unlike a doctor might a patient. The laser cutter in the Hexclaw ignites, welding something together. Viktor does not look up at the approach of another, but explains himself regardless.
]

It is a far cry from true sentience. [Despite his taciturn nature, a result of centuries of mental self-tampering, he manages to sound disappointing.] But it is a start.
ii. the workshop
[Deep within Mechapolis and in the Horizon itself is where the Machinist does most of his work. The laboratory isn’t a secret, but it is a bit off the beaten path, which might be on purpose. As renowned as he is for his intellect and innovations, Viktor is equally reclusive, wholly absorbed in his work, preferring to let others seek him out, if needed. That’s why you’re here—you need something built or fixed or improved or realized.

The workshop is always slightly chaotic—Viktor is at his best best when he gets to work on multiple projects simultaneously, even if it leaves things in a special kind of disarray. The main work area is covered in notes and schematics and pieces of metal, carefully etched with arcana symbols. There geometric drawings and equations covering the blackboards. In the center of it all is the Machinist himself.
]

Do you have something for me?

[If he sounds detached, it’s because he has taken great effort to optimize his productivity. More often than not, he barely spares a glance up from his current project. No time to waste, after all. Whether you know him or not, however, he’s willing to hear you out.]

Or are you here to watch?

[You would not be the first, or the last. He seems to expect this.
iii. the witchwood and godlands (wildcard)
[Very little tears Viktor away from his work, especially now that he has optimized every aspect of himself in service of it. When he does leave, however, it is usually to make some kind of displeasure known with another Summoned. A staunch pacifist, the petty quarrels of the gods are uninteresting to him, but if and when it spills over into his self-proclaimed domain of science and technology, he’s quick to seek out the perpetrators.

He looks out of place almost anywhere outside of Mechapolis, but there are things here that interest him, too, despite his seeming aversion to anything outside the realm of the mechanical. He might be found taking an interesting plant or soil sample, and is content to keep to himself, unless disturbed.

He’ll even jump into the fray in a fight against a demigod, if it’s disturbing his research, the bright beam of the Hexclaw cutting through the forest with deadly precision. In all of these situations his answer to these disturbances is the same.
]

You should be more careful.

Edited 2024-04-22 01:56 (UTC)