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

[diametrically]

[ Even when the dust stirs whispering warnings of another presence that could match his own, Andor doesn't stop his methodical stalk towards his next meal. The more benevolent gods will come - they always do - and he will deal with it then. But he isn't concerned right now. If anything, there's anticipation that stirs within his bones. For they are a meal, a meal that will satisfy and fill his belly longer than a village full of mortal's fears ever could. Maybe if this benevolent god arrives, he'll be able to stop this raging fire that burns in his veins calling out for him to fill the void. So he welcomes them, the dust dancing and weaving through the air, leading this newcomer to where he is. 

When Aegis finds him, Andor has caught a mortal like a cat with a mouse. He doesn't bother playing with his food, he's not malicious or cruel enough for that, but he does have them encased in his dust and dirt and sand, coiled tightly around them to still their squirming. He's about to partake when he hears them, this benevolent god come to stop him from having his fill. Or maybe he should look at it like they've come to deliver a tastier entree for him? 

If he looks at it that way, that gunblade in his hand is nothing more than a mere toy.

Andor turns his head slowly, casting an unbothered glance over his shoulder. Recognition fills his gaze but only for a moment before his hunger quietly places its hands over Andor's ears and stills the pulse of familiarity in his heart for someone he considers a friend. ] 

It isn't enough. [ The sound of his voice is like the surface of a burning star. Quieted by the endless vacuum that is space but no less powerful. No less ravenous. ] This isn't any of your business, Aegis. 

[diametrically]

[ When she steps into him a part of him that had been tense finally, finally unravels. One hand rests at the small of her back to draw her close, letting her tuck into the parts of him that just make sense. It's only when time passes during these conscious moments that he hates his mind for being so fickle; at the very least it's his body that seems to still recall these moments and the people that are important to him. 

His hands coaxes her palm open so that he can sign back to her. ] 

Not too long ago. 

[ It's a small lie. A small one so that he can spare her the knowledge that the time it takes for him to remember after he's returned to this plane is longer than either of them may prefer. Instead he quickly moves on, using a wry humor to try and distract from it. That and he knows very well that Heather would probably find some actual amusement from it. ] 

Serenity dropped me in the middle of the desert this time. 

[diametrically]

[ Cassian has slowly learned to read the unreadable mask - or rather the body language of the unreadable mask. While some gods and mortals might feel unsettled in the presence of him, Cassian can't say that he's ever felt that. Concern does tend to rear its head whenever he's away for long periods of time and he recalls what his friend looked like before he had dusted, but he's since recalled that expressing concern and arguing with Viktor is not something that has proven successful. He knows without a doubt that hovering would not be taken kindly. And Cassian's own nature not being conducive to babysitting a god aside, he knows that calling that aloud would also be met with more trouble than is worth.

Despite Viktor saying that he might find it familiar, the blueprints don't seem to ring any bells - at least not immediately. He pulls it closer to him, eyes skimming over Viktor's shorthand that he's come to learn and eventually recall. ]

Isn't there a droid in your domain that looks like this?

[ At least that much he can recall. ]

[beautifullies]

She would say they have a good balance, though she enjoys letting go of her control, when he's her lord and she lets him envelope her, make her his in whatever way he chooses.

There's a low rumble of laughter deep in her throat, giving a good, strong roll of her hips and continuing the motion in a slow, languid circle. "Playing with fire, am I?" she asks, letting her fingers lace with his.

"And if I want you to make me burn?"

[funbreaker]

[ Despite the way that the three of them are woven together, Aegis cannot help but wonder sometimes at what is truly happening behind the All-Seer's eyes. It feels as if he looks past even the planes that the gods walk upon, processing so much information about various possibilities all at once that it's truly no wonder that he ends up lost in it so often.

Which is all the more reason why he needs the two of them to anchor him, as far as Aegis concerned.

Books are always interesting, Stephen insists, and Aegis finds his lips twitching away from their normal neutral position in a half-smile as he shakes his head. ]

I believe you might be biased.

[ But yes, they are here to drag him away. It's not the first time this has happened, nor will it be the last. That is a constant too. ]

An echo came through for us, from a mortal who wishes to find a way through the ice wall. [ There's a pause, and just in case he needs to clarify, he stares Stephen down with white-bright eyes. ] From Thorne.

[ This mortal wants change; that is Stráedelaith's realm. They want to alter their state and escape chaos; that is the All-Seer's. And, of course, they want protection; that is his.

He isn't leaving any opening for Stephen to refuse, as he holds down his hand to him to help him up from his seat. A golden ring rotates in a slow circle around his wrist, matching the ornaments on his opposite hand and ankles. ]

[satanicpanics]

[ Nanaue is always invited to Eddie’s domain, day or night, whether that invitation is spoken or not. His soft spot for Nanaue has never faltered. The eels, on the other hand? Eddie could do without the eels most of the time, but it’s difficult to deny their talent.

Eyes wide, he listens closely as the eels play, slipping out of his throne to sit on the floor among them. ]

Wait—that doesn’t sound bad, actually.

[ At this point, he’s laying claim to the song. Surely it’s his work of genius and doesn’t come from some long-abandoned corner of his brain. ]

Hey, do you wanna like…get the eels in on the next show we play?

[restingstitchface]

[Fingers slide down Jesper, across his defined jaw, to grasp and latch around his neck. Crane squeezes with gentle force; a slight pressure that allows him to find and measure a pulse. For all the difficulty in adjusting for their mismatched height, he acts with confidence and experience. Not the passionate kind. Never that. But the professional skill of one trained in how to subdue and restrain.

In another time, life taught him how to overcome his shortcomings. Now he overpowers the physically strong with intelligence and medication. No. Why does he recall that?

His expression turns austere.]

Only if you lie down.

[In bed? On the floor? Or on a hospital stretcher?]

[sophos]

She closes the gap, moving to stand at the edge of the water. She squats over in a fluid motion to run her hand through it, unsurprised it's once again at the perfect temperature.

"Yes, I'm fine. I just realized it's been maybe a little too long," she offers, and there's the smallest hint of an apology in her tone, and only because it's Claire. It's not like Annabeth feels compelled to apologize for much of anything anymore.

She hikes up her dress and kicks off her shoes, sitting in the grass to drop her feet into the water first. Still perfect. "This is still one of my favorite domains."

[divinityfrompain]

[ Julia's unfortunately looking at him now and she needs her anger because without her anger there's only sadness and misery and want for something that used to be beautiful. Could they have it again? If she collapses into his arms now and begs him to forgive her, would it be possible to go back? But they'd end up here again, she knows that. With her loathing and his depression, all they can do is hurt themselves, and therefore all they can do is hurt each other. ]

Thanks for finally catching up to me with the reality of this sad little world we're trapped in.

[ She's bitter about it though, because when she was first going through this dark state of mind, he was still trying to be optimistic and have her see the bright side of things. Which did manage to keep her sane a little longer, but eventually there was nothing that could drag her out of it. It's infuriating that after all of it, she's the one who has to try and kick him out of the pit, when he wasn't able to do the same for her. She can't try to bring him back with optimism and promises of better times, so it'll have to be pragmatism and guilt.]

It doesn't change that we have a duty. That is the one thing we always agreed on. If I have to fulfill it, so do you, stop being so damned selfish.

[ It used to be a point of pride, that they cared so much about their followers, and wanted to make the world a better place. They always liked having a bigger purpose and accomplishing great things, it just turned out to be a double-edged blade. ]

Gods don't abandon the world, that's not acceptable!

[ Some part of her does remember why that in particular, the idea of giving up and abandoning the world, makes her especially angry. ]

[divinityfrompain]

Julia makes a face about that very positive belief in her, not unlike how a teenage daughter would react to a mother's reassurance, but doesn't comment because all she'll do is argue. She has a very low opinion of just about everything right now. Humanity, mostly, but herself most of all. She has managed not to go too far though. She even helped a few echoes this week and they made good choices! Which is probably why she's in a mood for carrying wildflowers to Claire and not skulking in a dark tavern.

"To be fair, you have stacked the deck in your favor. You're in a place with very polite people." It'd be more unusual if anyone was rude in the face of a flower offer. That's not the kind of community this is, which is why it suits Claire. Julia is much more inclined to run around the Feywilds where they don't actively worship the gods, since the pressure is off and they're easier to talk to.

"It's a good month. People are making better choices." It explains why she's only 75% of salt at the moment. Julia doesn't believe in optimistically expecting better, but she'll admit when things are okay. "For now."

[sophos]

[ she might be used to the time it takes for cassian to remember her, but it hasn't quite stopped being upsetting each and every time. beyond her sense of self-importance, annabeth hates the mere idea of being forgotten. it hurts, and she'd rather get angry about it than allow herself to be truly distraught. his memories comes back, she knows they do, but there's always a little fear that one day they won't. ]

Yes. It's mine. [ he's killed these spawn for her before. he knows their weaknesses, and the question agitates her because it reminds her of his scattered memory, but she doesn't have time to be annoyed when they have to kill it. ]

Damaging the legs throws it off balance. [ annabeth is more arrogant than she's ever been, but it is hers, and she's learned all the best ways to kill it. ]

[ as cassian traps it in the mud, annabeth darts in. she moves fast, a flash of gold as she ducks low to slash her sword into its belly and leave a gaping, open wound. as it swipes at her again, she leaps backward out of reach. the armor protects her regardless, but she's always been quick on her feet. ]

[philancer]

“I’m pretty sure you used to be more subtle.”

He can’t help but tease Claude as he laughs and shakes his head, making his way over to the large mirror across the room that Jesper was currently primping and posing in front of.

And he casually just. Drops his towel on the floor as he goes. Oops?

What were you saying about layers, Claude?

Still, he leans in to brush his lips against the back of Jesper’s shoulder as he passes behind him, heading for the closet beyond. Only to pause and glance back when his lover holds up a pair of outfits.

“Oh, both. But I feel like the tight one is more of a tease for the rest of the evening. What do you think, Claude?”

[northerndragon]

He trembles at that teasing shift of her hips, then laughs again.

"You know I will. But you're the one making me burn today."

Still, once their fingers are laced, it's the work of a second to roll her over onto her back and kiss her hard, all full of mischief and triumph, the skirt forgotten for the moment.

[theidlemaiden]

[ When Sidus finally unearths his eye from his blanket cave he'll be greeted with a mildly exasperated Valentine. It takes all her power not to let that sharp edge of annoyance slice through what is mostly a subtle plea (because if they're gods now, why should she have to beg anyone for anything, especially those that hold a piece of her heart?). ]

Don't you think we [ "We" as in the three of them. ] should all have a say in that?

[ While she's more than happy to enact a little bit of karmic payback to those that wished petty acts of revenge, she's been putting her foot down more often than not. Ironic as it is to say, it feels like the easy way out. It's one of her not-so-subtle ways of trying to convince the stubborn gods that they should just talk to one another instead of letting this drag out. It's pointless, she supposes to remind them that this is precisely the misery they'd gone through when she had had her fight with Sidus. Pointless because they had probably forgotten. Pointless because if they did remember they'd claim it was not the same thing.

Valentine had never thought she'd see the day that she was the one trying to be the voice of reason between them. All of her failures to this point were beginning to make her think that she was the problem. ]

That was the agreement. We don't make decisions about echoes without the other.

[beautifullies]

Delighted by the turn of events, Claire's grinning by the time he finds her mouth again. Hand escaping his, she moves to finally deal with the fastenings of his trousers.

"Then we'll burn together," she decides when she breaks the kiss, breathless and swollen-lipped. She will never be the holdout, and truly, it's ridiculous for her to try. Valiant effort, but it wasn't ever going to be her.

[vixening]

[ she knows something is wrong - and if she were being truthful, she would admit that she's known for a long while. the number of her peers who have fallen to it, who have 'reawoken' and they've started to call it, it's not a number she can simply ignore. what she doesn't quite understand, though, is why no one else seems to agree with her that whatever it is that's going wrong, they can fix it. they're gods now, after all. their connection with the singularity, their powers, their understanding of how this all works - they can make this better, they can make this work, and she doesn't understand why it feels like she's the only one trying.

( though that isn't true either - istredd agrees with her, others would too, if she wanted to take the time to collect them. instead, she dives into her own studies, her own theories, her own path. )

because this is her rebirth, this is her future. they are safe, they are whole, they are all together - where she has her family, where she has her people, where chaos and magic reign but can be dealt with, where they are allowed to simply be. these rumors that it's not real, that there are other memories, other pieces missing - no. no, there is nothing missing. there can't be.

( they're happy, aren't they? they are. they're happy. this could be their life. )

his voice breaks through the trees like a blade, and yennefer doesn't want to hear it. the intensity that she doesn't surprises her, unprepared for the spike in what it brings, but she knows why he's come. knows what he's chased her down to speak on. for a moment, she does consider ignoring his call, does consider keeping her attention on her tasks, on her projects, on finding a way to piece back together the shattered sky above them.

lightning flashes through the cracks in the sky above them, filling the clearing with light, and she is there - mist twisting, shifting, changing around her like some kind of swirling wind, a tornado of dark colors, greys, like the very storm cloud above them forced into the figure of a woman with dark locks and violet irises. ]

I don't care to repeat myself. [ another spindling strike of lightning breaks through the fissures in the sky, and yennefer's form is solid, is...familiar, though perhaps only to him.

she does not have time for this, but even she cannot resist the pull to him. ( has never been able to resist it, even if she doesn't recall why, when this all began ) but it feels strange, the impatience in her chest, the way it claws at her throat. she doesn't remember the last time anything felt this urgent, not for hundreds of years now. ] So I do hope you're here for something else.

[magicalarchaeologist]

It was a very natural extension of who he was into who he became, and he's only proven that being the Herald of Forbidden Knowledge suits him while growing and growing his library to the size it is now. It is larger than the entire Horizon used to be, full of knowledge both forbidden and welcome. There is no end to what he places inside of it and with the gathered millions of additions from the others. Endless information, and it's all swirling around in his head, ready to be used or inspiring others for it.

"I trust you will keep an eye on it then. We scholars leave it to the warriors." There are people who are both, such as Annabeth, but it is not Istredd's way. 800 years hasn't changed that, but he is glad to have fighters among them. "I do wonder why the demigods were created by us, but we don't know of any or many from the gods before us." That's Istredd for you, finishing one thought to immediately jump to the next, thinking out loud. "Perhaps they culled them more frequently than we did."

They were a little ... sloppy, to say the least. It took time before they understood what they were making and then more time to understand the how. Istredd doesn't know what the process was like in the past. Perhaps he should ask an older god.

He flips through the notebook and shows it to her. She'll see detailed drawings of every demigod in the woods, a drawing of the woods themselves with the boundaries laid out, written out descriptions of the demigods too in case people need to have a reference, and which ones they know are attached to a certain god. Basically, a thorough round-up of the Witchwoods. "Most of them are not a concern, but I dread a day they decide to work together."

[seaweedbrain]

[ Within Annabeth's presence, more and more of what makes him Percy — particularly her Percy — finds its place into his current form so that they could very well be two demigods from a long-forgotten pantheon that wound up on this strange planet all those centuries ago, stranded and so far from home, learning how to build an entirely new life here — together.

And at the very core of everything that led Percy and Annabeth to where they stand now, here at the edge of the water, is the fact that they had done it all together. That's what being each other's tether is; always connected, to lead and to follow, and to cross each other's paths no matter the circumstance. Eight hundred some years of circumstances, in fact — with so many lives, great and small, that had passed by them like whispers.

The grin softens enough for the intensity of his love for her to show in his eyes before he murmurs, teasing: ]

Bossy.

[ But he doesn't hesitate to obey her request, closing the small space between them so he can lean in to press his lips to hers. It's soft and warm and there's the lingering taste of salt and the ocean that has become synonymous with the very element that he has become in his godhood. Fingers gently trace the shape of her shoulder, skimming along the edge of her before pausing.

Or perhaps waiting. ]

[magicalarchaeologist]

[ The stars and the universe are often connected to the gods, but it also was something that he, Cassian, and River all shared, and he used to see it as one more way they were connected as family. The disappointment can be seen on his face even lost in the constellations and Istredd shimmers, looking more like his original human self with brown skin, although there are patches of starlight in it. His glowing blue eyes are just a vivid shade again, and therefore the sadness in them is noticeable.

It won't necessarily remind Cassian of who he's talking to, since Istredd knows he forgets and there's nothing he can do about it, but it is closer to who he was once. And it might seem less overwhelming than trying to look at his bright form. ]

I know.

[ He says it gravely and with meaning behind it. This is not the first time they've had this conversation. ]

Here.

[ The room around them shimmers and fades out, the two of them moving into a room instead that used to be Cassian's when he was of mind enough to create one for himself. It will be reminiscent of who that was and have a variety of books and clothes clearly made for him. At one point, he lived there, even if when in and out of other places, which is why Istredd used the word 'home.' ]

Are you looking for River?

in-between | the 800 years

[kobes]

[thedreamer]

[ He is and always has been selfish. When she needed him most, more than anyone else in this world, he turned from her. And it wasn't even because of her, not really, but his own pain and grief. He ran from her rather than running towards her, rather than thinking of her needs.

That she's here at all searching for him is far more than he deserves. To the Doctor, he's already forgiven her, if only because there's nothing to forgive. The distance between them should have been bridged long ago, but he'd hidden himself further and further away. He might have gone completely, become as fuzzy as a dream, erased from all thought and memory.

Why — after everything — does she care about him?

It's not him, though, it's the world. The world needs him, but she doesn't. She couldn't possibly want him or count on him for anything at all, not after what he's done. Removing all emotion from this, forgetting how much it all aches, he's here to serve and nothing more. He answers those who call to him and no matter his own bitterness at all of it, he can't continue to hide from his purpose and promise to the stars themselves far beyond. ]

A duty of care.

[ This is, apparently, as much as he's going to say in response at the moment to all that she's said. At least he's...acknowledging and indirectly agreeing to what she's said?

He has (has always had) a duty of care. There is a function to be carried out by his existence here. This, he can agree to, if not entirely out loud. ]

[vixening]

[ as aegis smile, yennefer lets out a low chuckle, stepping around the table from aegis' side to come and settle at stephen's instead. she hangs over him a bit, one arm languid where it lays across the back of his shoulders, her hip coming to his side. as stephen goes to set the book aside, yennefer's form slips into one they're familiar enough with, though it is different in many small ways. those same small ways continue to change, colors shifting in her hair, the shape of her features, her height, her build. they are subtle enough not to be alarming, but if any mortal - if anyone other than these two - watched her for too long, she has been known to be disarming.

here, though, yennefer reaches for the book stephen sets aside - flipping through it casually as if to make sure it wasn't anything all that important. she lets out a soft snort when she discards it back on the table. ] And your reading will still be here when you return. Tell me you've at least left this town in the last decade.

[ aegis explains the echo, why it was brought to the three of them as one. yennefer does not directly answer many echoes herself these days, not in ways that can be directly tied back to her, but when the triad is invoked - that is a different matter entirely.

when aegis is done and holds out his hand for stephen to take, yennefer slides her hand from stephen's back, letting her fingers card through the hair at the back of his head before she is stepping back to aegis' side, close. ]

Well?

for steve

[kobes]

[It happens sometime when they're still figuring out the way magic works -- long enough that they know that they're not aging, that something's very different in being a Summoned, when their bodies are starting to change and warp with the power inside them. But it's before eternity's become mundane, before they start to lose days and weeks and months.

It's when Koby still feels everything so acutely his whole body seems to thrum with it, stardust still spreading glittering bit by bit through his hair, his skin. How he met up with Steve isn't the point -- they'd been called upon simultaneously at one time or another, back when finding a peer still meant something. But over the past months (years? something), they've gotten closer, two teenagers (sort of) hanging out like teenagers do.

That's why it's Steve who Koby seeks out first, all eager grinning and visible starlight glow, when hours of practice finally pays off. He shows up in the Horizon, bounding forward, bouncing on his heels a little as he spots Steve.] Hey! I got it -- I finally figured it out, the -- faraway answering Echoes thing? I figured it out! C'mere, let me show you!

[theidlemaiden]

[ What matters most is being able to make amends for their mistakes! At least, that's the conclusion that she's come to and keeps telling herself and those around her that might otherwise confide in her about the mistakes they've made. And besides - she knows without a shadow of a doubt that Ed hadn't really meant to hurt those people and their livelihoods - sometimes her powers were useful for that.

Valentine's attentions and her blessings may easily come across as a fickle thing to mortals, but that couldn't be further from the truth to those that she's loyal to.

When she finds him in the bathtub she literally flies into his embrace with a fierce hug of her own. ]

What - Ed! [ Hilda can't help but gasp in delight, marveling at the way the light bounces off the gems. ] Thank you - you shouldn't have! Tonight is your night you big, loveable dummy.

[gynvael]

[ He can't explain why he's so certain. Maybe that's the problem. His inability to describe what instinctively, to him, is as obvious as the warmth of the sun. He just keeps thinking, she has to trust him. At some point, she has to.

Her icy words wrap around him. A blizzard stirs in his normally temperate forest, pieces of it faltering at his feet. He is losing his grip on what makes him who he is, except—he knows he was never this. Godlike, with limitless power at his fingertips. An unwavering strength. When was the last time he was even truly wounded?

(Not long. If his memories narrow down to decades rather than centuries.) ]

Neither do I. [ He hops off his horse. His form is unchanged, as it often is when they're together. He seldom wears the wolf with her, and he doesn't think to now. ] But here I am.

[ He steps towards her. This, they've been here before. She must sense that, too. The air crackling between them, the way he can hear her heart thundering. Sharp frustration burns under his skin, the kind only she can bring out. (He has not felt that, either, in ages.)

He's afraid he can't do it. That even he will not be enough to draw her back towards what's real. ]

I won't leave without you.