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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Setting descriptions are HERE for your reference.

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


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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



kobes: ([star] still just a lil guy)

[personal profile] kobes 2024-04-26 03:03 am (UTC)(link)
Koby's recollections are more vague -- he can faintly remember being afraid at first, going to Garrus shivering and panicking. He did that a lot more, back in the earlier days. Now he's much calmer, more secure in himself, and there's less fretting. Not that it's disappeared entirely -- even now he's looking at Garrus in faint concern, brow furrowing, starlight dimming.

"Have you been doing all right? I haven't come by in a while, I know." As if it's Koby's concentrated effort alone that keeps everyone he cares about safe and sound. Well, is there any proof it doesn't?

The request gets a quirked eyebrow, then a lopsided grin that's also very, very much like it had been centuries before. Koby pauses, then abruptly whips the stone across the water, with the light-quick speed of someone with stardust in their veins.
kobes: ([star] well that's horrifying)

[personal profile] kobes 2024-04-26 03:07 am (UTC)(link)
"Only one?" Koby says it a little dryly, though he's gotten better at being less bossily fretful towards people, with time. His sense of right and wrong -- so sharply acute when they'd met, all those centuries before -- has softened with experience, with the understanding that some people can and will change and others, quite simply, will not. Shepard is who she is, now as always, and Koby's made his peace with that.

Besides, at her heart, she's the righteous force she's always been, and that's something even a more lawful good being can appreciate. Like now, as the images flicker through, giving face and dimension to the words of prayer -- they're common folk, people who aren't advantaged by the systems, people who deserve justice. Koby's especially softened by the image of the soldier for...some reason. He can't quite recall. He'snever been a soldier -- right?

So instead -- "The first one. She looks exhausted." A pause. "We're not going to kill anyone, are we?"
kobes: ([star] well that's horrifying)

[personal profile] kobes 2024-04-26 03:10 am (UTC)(link)
[Koby's about to snip back about people taking their sweet time when the second scream rings out, prompting him to turn and start striding through the woods. Sidus is already ahead of him, though -- even in a more godlike form, Koby's got smaller legs -- and gets an indignant scowl.]

You come on! [It's not especially mature, nor is the way Koby's entire being reforms into an amorphous flare of starlight, streaking ahead with the speed of a shooting star. Sort of rude, actually.

But he comes to a stark halt when they come to a clearing, when he sees the source of the scream, because even he isn't cocky enough to try to fight things on his own. He's a guiding god, for goodness sake.
]
techmaturgy: (pic#15348811)

[personal profile] techmaturgy 2024-04-26 03:25 am (UTC)(link)
[Viktor has offered him an answer, and a confirmation of what he's sure has been eating at Kyle for all these years. He remembers, and Kyle should know that he remembers purposefully, which is important, given how he's refined his various procedures over the years. If he'd wanted it all gone, he could have done it effortlessly.

He reminds himself that it's not too late. Viktor can reassess, once he makes it back to the lab. Everything is streamlined now in ways Kyle cannot possibly know--or would probably be afraid to hear. In the end, however, he supposes it doesn't matter. There is nothing particularly satisfying about Kyle's realization, and Viktor is content to turn again, this time leaving for good.

They're interrupted, however, by the arrival of a demigod fiend. Kyle is faster, as always, thanks to his Gray Space, but Viktor has now spent hundreds of years in a maximally efficient body. It's almost quaint, how Kyle puts himself in the middle, because he doesn't know, not really.
]

Do you mean to protect me?

[There is, surprisingly, a tinge of amusement in his voice.]
earthborn: (where she has taken no precautions)

[personal profile] earthborn 2024-04-26 03:52 am (UTC)(link)
"We? No," Shepard says, cocking her head invitingly towards the vision of the unhappy waitress. Smoke billows as she steps forward into her, wreathing them both in a brief fug of acrid, sulphuric darkness, "Me? That depends on what kind of illuminating information we turn up."

That's a pun, you see. Because you are luminous, Koby. Because your place here, is to do just that, to illuminate the issue at hand. To light up the information. To make it brighter and easier to see. Koby, do you get the joke. She's grinning.

"The lady asked for a comeuppance, if I see something worth the trouble, it'd set a bad precedence not to comply. People who go knocking on my door don't get to complain when I open it up and give them what they deserve."

The smoke clears to show the interior of a pub, only barely less smoggy than Shepard's unique brand of Horizon-travel. It's a busy night, just barely on the trailing edge of sunset, and food and drink are making a regular parade through the benches, booths, and tables assembled as closely-packed as is economically viable. At the back, the doors to the kitchen swing briefly wide, showing a glimpse of a wild-haired man in black, sleeves rolled up, having a wildly animated discussion with a waitress— with the woman from the vision. Their words, inaudible over the din of the crowd, are nevertheless obvious from the gesticulating arms and frustrated expressions. A small child clings to the woman's knees, clutching a toy leosylph.

"There's our target. What do you think? Right into the fire, or..."

She's joking. Probably.
thedevilwhorose: (like the killer you know)

cw: violence, blood

[personal profile] thedevilwhorose 2024-04-26 04:03 am (UTC)(link)
(He's not coming back to this conversation.

Give him a few hundred years of fake memories and he'll forget it, broken down to the bare bones that they had a fight, but not remember why. Much like how another hundred years after that he won't remember the full extent of the rift he caused in his family. And another few decades and he'll forget his Father, good riddance, entirely.

But give him three weeks of actual time on the end of waking up from where they're barreling towards and his perception might change entirely, circling back to it willingly.

Time and power are a funny thing when it comes to archangels. When it comes to him.

But he's not there, yet.)

Istredd's command gets even a pause from Lucifer, interest peering out through the rage. It's a nice look on the mage, earning a predatorial fixation from Lucifer. Not Istredd's goal, but doing something nonetheless.

Still. It's good Istredd doesn't touch him. Lucifer would likely break his arm, too, without a single processed thought.

They were never kids to Thorne. They have the same rights as the rest of us. Which is none. Pawns, fodder, just as he's always told everyone.

(They're not ready to run.)

He gets into the guard's face, gaze cold, breath even colder, ice crystals misting at the air. "You're not going to like it when I get back."

(They're not ready to run.)

The guard gives him a flat stare, broken arm limp at his side, but his other hand reaches out and loops a binding with a word of Ancient Thornean, snapped around one of Lucifer's wrists.

Lucifer jolts at the feel of it, furious, lunges forward, and sinks teeth into the man's protective shield, eats through fire, and comes back with skin bloodied in his mouth and burns along his face. Definitely making things worse, Istredd.

(They're not ready to run.)

"I'm sorry," is Enhardt's rushed-out apology to Lucifer, to Istredd, to his partner in pain. He steps up, quick, and latches the binding to Lucifer's other wrist, hooking the devil's hands together as though magnetized and Lucifer staggers as though weighted down.

(They're not ready to run.)

Lucifer slumps, exhaustion a tether itself, and maybe more involved with the less-than standard, practical guard bindings. He thinks, then, he does remember this guard. Not his name like he knows Enhardt's. But he was there when Lucifer charged after Ambrose. Knew from experience, though Lucifer restrained himself then, just how much strength was under Lucifer's surface, a snake coiled to strike.

Whatever pumping boiling anger was beneath Lucifer's thoughts cut out, left with fritzing static and solid color thrown over the usual chaotic art piece of his mind.

Reluctant compliance.
Edited (styles) 2024-04-26 04:05 (UTC)
diametrically: (pic#17140993)

[personal profile] diametrically 2024-04-26 04:09 am (UTC)(link)
[ Percy's joke might not have been very good but just you wait. Cassian is coming for you with a real zinger. ]

I never told you this but I think it's your poor joke-telling skills that help me remember who you are.

[ The corners of his lips tug a little higher at that, giving away that he is in no way serious about that. It means more to him than he thinks he's capable of expressing that Annabeth and Percy still, after all these years, are (mostly) patient with him as his memories return to him. In the same vein, it pains him to know that he might recall more about their children than they do now.

It's a thought he doesn't linger on for too long for it feels like it has no place on this quiet little boat.

What he is perhaps willing to entertain however is this passing thought of Viktor changing him in some way. Were not for the fact that he was already prickly about how spotty of a memory he already possessed, he might have considered Viktor trying to do something about his mind. ]


Maybe an alarm clock for a heart? It could jolt it back to life.
theidlemaiden: (pic#16095213)

[personal profile] theidlemaiden 2024-04-26 04:13 am (UTC)(link)
Rules were always made to be bent a little right?

[ A wicked little glint dances across her heart-irised eyes in an attempt to tease him. But yes, yes, she knows that "certain activities" don't happen here because safety aside, it probably wouldn't be very comfortable. And now, probably more than before, she's a creature who seeks out comfort at the end of the day.

It doesn't quite matter that he'se healed immediately. She comes to the window to grasp a hold of his chin to examine him. The one time she had accidentally squashed a poor mortal who had sought out her help had never left her mind even after all these years. Now more than ever she was meticulous when it came to her craft ensuring that the weapon would never be so powerful that it could truly hurt a god. When she's certain that there's no nick that marrs his pretty face she lets him go, propping her elbows up on the windowsill to watch him again.

She nods, giving a noise of agreement. ]


I'd make sure that it was only spelled to you. [ Insert dramatic pause here. ] Only if you'd still want it though. It's a little too flashy compared to your design.
magicalarchaeologist: (annoyed)

[personal profile] magicalarchaeologist 2024-04-26 04:20 am (UTC)(link)
Istredd is sensitive so he can get hurt feelings, people can harm him, but he is usually so collected and logical that he rises above it. The one thing that can break him, though, is someone he loves being broken. It hurts so much to watch that he comes very close to saying to hell with it and fighting their way out right then and there. He could get the cuffs off, he thinks, and then they'd just have to tear their way through, maybe get to Nott somehow, Lyle might give them refuge.

He knows how hard being locked up is for Lucifer, more than most, and he raged against Lucifer's cell, against what was done to him. Now all he wants to do when he watches Lucifer slump, very unhelpfully, is cry. Istredd swallows through something heavy in his throat and steps forward when the guard goes close to him again.

"Don't you fucking touch him. Don't." Right up into his face and while he's not as threatening as Lucifer, he is a tall strong man that everyone in this castle knows is one of the strongest mages in the Summoned. Istredd's proud for a moment, angry, but then he deflates. "He's restrained. Just ... lead the way."

This time Istredd does touch him, moving to his side and putting a protective hand on his back. He can't stop this from happening, but he is going to stay with him until the end, whatever that means. The guards do seem to listen and keep a step away, knowing this is probably better than dragging him along themselves.
glaciare: (pic#16690675)

[personal profile] glaciare 2024-04-26 04:21 am (UTC)(link)
( Metia keeps an eye on her fellow gods, a habit she doesn't quite remember as to how or why.

( An aching loss for the fires of rebirth, a revulsion at her on reflection that she cannot name the source of; a distrust lurking in her heat for that which she is. )

Serenity has been missed. And now that she has returned, Metia can only greet her with a small smile now that she's caught the other woman, happy to simply just watch. There are no cults of Metia -- but she does not attempt to dissuade others, especially when they are simple celebrations of life.
)

They are lucky indeed to have you take such an interest in their wellbeing.
thedevilwhorose: (let me lead the way)

[personal profile] thedevilwhorose 2024-04-26 04:49 am (UTC)(link)
By this point Lucifer in unresponsive. If he were in a better place, he'd be sending out messages like birds. Kyle, Wilhelm, Kell. Heck, Yennefer, Thancred. Maybe even Jill. She doesn't have to like him to listen to him.

But Thorne is going for all its Summoned, and if Lucifer is so lacking in power that he can't escape this, then what good is he to the rest. They need a city to come back to, because they don't have a choice, where are they going to run, they come back every time, even faced with a portal that could have brought them somewhere else, they all returned to Thorne. Every last one of them.

Regretfully, and not knowing the other territories were undergoing a similar roundup, he wonders if he should have stepped through and abandoned them all. Maybe he wouldn't be tied up and led like this.

And then, briefly, far more morbidly, he wonders if Thorne is going to send them off to the Singularity and execute them with some form of magic sniper bullet. He bets they have a spell for that. Just a headshot. Drop them all at once. They are the caskets, in flesh form. Give their connection, their power, back to the Singularity.

He'll have such a sweet ride at least! Uniquely his. Everyone should be jealous.

Of his fancy locked carriage.

If Istredd tries to reach out to him, Lucifer will not respond for the rest of this trip.
magicalarchaeologist: (talking down at)

[personal profile] magicalarchaeologist 2024-04-26 05:04 am (UTC)(link)
Istredd does reach out to the others and he never manages to convince them to let the kids go, because there is no point. They aren't people to Thorne. He suspects they are not the only ones suffering this, if they believe this is the only way, but he can't deal with the other two groups. Only theirs. He tries to muster up the ability to talk to others, get them through this, but his heart isn't in it.

This is all very painful to experience, but it feels worse when they pull Luicifer out of the carriage, and they are faced with the crater. It doesn't look like much but Istredd can feel the power radiating off of it. He's been on it before, during the Dimming, when it's mostly silent outside of some pain aftermath. This isn't the same thing. The storms rage on around them, there is no end to them yet.

There is no reason to be afraid. The first time this happened, everyone lost their memory, but they've been through the Horizon before. It should just put them through it, and then they can talk on the other side about what to do. Yet a part of him feels uncertain about this. It's more daunting now that it is real. What if it is dangerous to them after all? With nothing but questions and no way out, all he can do is take Lucifer's face in his hands.

Whether he is responsive or not, Istredd looks him in the eye. "I love you," he says clearly and directly. If this does go wrong somehow, if the worst happens, Istredd wants those to be his final words to his angel. If they go in, they go in together.
aquaveiled: (himeka-441)

[personal profile] aquaveiled 2024-04-26 05:05 am (UTC)(link)
[ Azem stands behind the counter as she often does, concocting new mixed drinks for her shades to sample. Of course, it's much better when she has actual patrons and visitors than just the stand-ins she's created so it doesn't seem too empty.

She smiles at the question and sets down a class of something shimmering and pink. ]


It belongs to me in the sense that I created it, yes. But I like to think it belongs to everyone since I made it for people just like you.
thedreamer: (0634)

[personal profile] thedreamer 2024-04-26 05:06 am (UTC)(link)
( ooc: it's perfect! )

[ Cid, of course. He might have known, should have known, in fact. His head feels not entirely on straight these days. He's missing people and faces, images shifting from absolute clarity to unsettling distortions. It's rare, is the thing. Most of the time, it feels as though nothing is wrong at all, but sometimes he closes his eyes, and —

No, no, his old friend is here, everything's perfectly fine, and they have people to help. ]


Look at you, just showing off!

[ After that pat on the shoulder, the Doctor looks at him more fully. He's hard to miss in all his glory, this one, and it's a sight to behold, truly. As much time as they've all lived with and evolved into these forms (how long has it actually been?), the Doctor never quite loses his sense of wonder at the transformations they've all undertaken. Like Cid, the Doctor rarely appears in his full god form, though his entire being seems to permanently glow, most prominently his hands. ]

I did always like the wings, though. And you're spot on — [ The Doctor gives his own nod towards Mechapolis. ]

Suppose they're due a bit of credit, you know, they haven't ventured that way in a very long time. Seeing as I tend to think of Keep Away signs as friendly suggestions, they're practically flawless by comparison.

[ He jests, of course, and he does take it seriously, but a bit of lighthearted banter has always been his modus operandi, particularly around those with whom he feels most at ease. ]

Well! The day's only just begun — shall we? Nothing says another day ending in 'y' quite like saving people from themselves.
aquaveiled: (himeka-457)

i'll give you...SPECIAL SAUCE

[personal profile] aquaveiled 2024-04-26 05:11 am (UTC)(link)
[ It could be, yes, to those who aren't used to this form. Mortals may shake in their boots and rightfully clear his path, but Azem feels she's gotten adept enough at reading his expressions whether Mythos bears his fangs or not.

She shakes her head. ]


No thanks are needed. You would do the same for me, wouldn't you?

[ She offers a reassuring smile as she takes the first step into the heat of the jungle. ]

What do you think is the best way to find it?
theidlemaiden: (pic#16095200)

[personal profile] theidlemaiden 2024-04-26 05:19 am (UTC)(link)
[ It's hard to miss the glitter and sparkle of the fish as they reform when she's so endeared to them and their master. She knows that she should be paying attention to Koby because to not do so would be rude - but she's always been a bit of a multitasker anyway.

She gives the feathers that drape elegantly off her shoulders a little shake, sending off her own glitter in its wake. A little gust of wind sends it dancing towards the fish acting as her own silent message of, "We can play in a little bit."

In the mean time she has to try and defend her intentions. ]


I wasn't going to get them in any real trouble. You know that! When have I ever done that?

[ Maybe once. Or twice. Accidentally of course.

Hilda lets out a world weary sigh of acquiescence. ]


I'd prefer to have fun with you but you're always trying to be being "responsible". [ Read: Boring. ]
aquaveiled: (himeka-505)

[personal profile] aquaveiled 2024-04-26 05:24 am (UTC)(link)
[ She waits, her tail hanging off the edge of the counter with the end waving not unlike a cat anticipating an exciting toy. Azem enjoys the process of cooking for what it is, but she does it for others as much as she does it for herself. When she makes a new dish with someone in mind, she's ever eager to see how they like it.

The goal is, of course, that they do like it, but you never know.

She was kinder in regards to the heat, but she hopes that there's still enough to appease his own penchant for spice.

There's immediate relief and pride when she receives a positive review. Azem straightens, her tail popping up happily as she grins fin to fin. ]


I was hoping you'd say that!

[ She leans over towards him, using her fork to point out different ingredients. ]

I used fish cakes this time to make it a little softer of a fishy taste? And I thought that the cheese may be a decent balance to the new peppers I added, but the sauce itself is a little sweet too, don't you think? And it's the same color as your hair.

[ Yes, she did that on purpose. ]
thedevilwhorose: (the killer you chose)

timeskip

[personal profile] thedevilwhorose 2024-04-26 05:35 am (UTC)(link)
Istredd can look him in the eye all he wants. Window to the soul, the mind, what-have-you.

Istredd can say whatever he wants to make himself feel bolstered through this, but there's nothing answering, no power thrumming behind Lucifer's eyes, no sign that he heard him at all.

Lucifer's checked out. It's the only way they'll get through this without there being a trail of bodies at his feet.

He pulls out of Istredd's grip, and walks.

And walks.

And walks.

Aware vaguely, mildly, at the others spread through the fog, walking further, not drawn away so instantly. Enough experience pushing them on and on.

He still expects the headshot.

It doesn't come.

But a different frequency than his own static tunes through and for a moment he turns, for a moment he says, "Michael?" because that means it isn't just Thorne here, there's at least Solvunn, and then he's swallowed up by the fog.

(Just a blink, and he'll come to in his Nether garden, eight-hundred years later, settled into himself like an aged wine.

But for now...

They get to watch Thorne fall. Isn't that a blessing in itself. They fall in line with the retreat, and congrats, Istredd, you finally get to make it to Hayle.

Too bad about your partner.)


It's a disaster, so much out of Lucifer's hands so quickly. He planned this! He had it down. He hasn't learned Hayle as well as he meant to, but so what, he didn't need to, what were the locals going to do to stop him?

His full power is immense beneath his bones, rocking a high, recovered and oh so much what he needed, and if he could only just breach this useless vessel--still stuffed in and chained to it, what the HELL Crowley?!--he would have everything he could need truly at his fingertips.

And there, on a silver platter, making so much more sense than Lucifer could ever dream--the weird little stringbean human... was a smörgåsbord of power, soaked into his being like a sponge, and... oh, Lucifer thought Sam Winchester was supposed to be his perfect vessel, but this?

He thinks he could make this work. He thinks maybe, with the right tweaks to the right people, maybe he can bust his locks off and get settled into a new flat. A hermit crab needing a new shell.

He just needed Jack to be the powerhouse Lucifer knows him to be, knows him capable of, but always Just. Falls. Short! For that? He needed Sabine.

(Maybe.... Maybe he should have tried Jerry.)

He loses one strand of thread to weave into the next. A tangled mess. There was an unconscious cosmic woman, a nightmarish Jack that he thought he could control but maybe went too far, a dragon that used to be a raccoon, and Kyle thrust somewhere in the thick of it all and

oh

and

Lucifer was

Lucifer was in trouble.

Edited 2024-04-26 06:12 (UTC)
righteously: (tumblr_inline_n1qm70rw8d1sui5vc)

[personal profile] righteously 2024-04-26 05:56 am (UTC)(link)
( There is no Mark on Dean's arm. He doesn't protest the grab, doesn't so much as tense under the examination — but frankly, it takes him too many seconds to even realize what it is Geralt's doing. He forgot about the Mark. He forgot about that time, and it comes back to him with a rumble of thunder in the background of his mind, feeling fresher than it ought to for having been some eight centuries ago.

It feels like cracks in fine china. It feels like a bullet to a plate glass window.

Geralt drops his arm. It falls limp, hanging heavy at his side, fingers flexing around — nothing, no blade, no weapon. Strange.
)

They're molting. ( He says, but that's obvious, and so he — clarifies, sort of: ) They don't feel like mine.

( Does that even make any sense? They're attached to him, and they have been for hundreds of years. But-- have they?

He shakes his head, dragging a hand through his hair.
)

Something's wrong. Something doesn't- feel right, man. I keep thinking, things- things don't really... add up, for me, in a way that makes sense, you know? Sam-

( He starts, then stops. )

You know me. How in the Hell could I let that happen to Sam? Does that sound like me to you?
abraxasnpcs: (Default)

[personal profile] abraxasnpcs 2024-04-26 05:59 am (UTC)(link)
Curious? As was I.

[ Nikodaemus admits freely as he lowers his cipher, the incense slowly dissipating and regaining it's normal gentle flow. ]

I offer possibilities, not clarity. What they choose to believe is entirely up to them.

[ He waves his free hand as if absolving himself of responsibility of any misinterpretations. ]

And thusly I posited that their hubris would lead them to see an end most favorable to them: that they could achieve a semblance of godhood by performing rituals as mortals. Practitioners of the old ways would have never considered it, but those hungry for power and a rebellious propensity to break tradition? Oh, they are eager to experiment, aren't they?

[ Nikodaemus shakes his lead, the large triangle swaying from side to side. ]

I offered my assistance because I simply wanted to see what would happen.
thedevilwhorose: » hallucination (all this time)

[personal profile] thedevilwhorose 2024-04-26 06:33 am (UTC)(link)
Səˈrenədē. [He calls her this, sometimes. Her chosen name, but in the language he remembers her by. The name changes throughout the years from the others is a strange concept to him--he was always been himself, would always be himself, even in Abraxas would continue to be Lucifer, knowing he might flourish more greatly under an alias, respected without his history colored by the connotations of his name alone.

But he will always be Lucifer.

Still, sometimes, he's called her Héshuǐ liúguò, with an unusual fondness from him, so rare to hear come through, but she can sense it, his thoughts more open to her than they would have been in the past. There's a lot more open about Lucifer, when he has other barriers drawn up around him. A freedom, a surety.

He doesn't see the appeal that she does in watching this festival, but he can appreciate that it makes her find a sense of peace, and that's why he finds her here.]
If they get back up, that's the important part. [Both literally and metaphorically, this coming from the being wearing the form that he Fell with.]
thedreamer: (0479)

[personal profile] thedreamer 2024-04-26 06:39 am (UTC)(link)
Why. Oh, I see —

[ His attention is split between Kyle and the stars and planets swirling about just above his own palm. Did he sit on the edge of a star once, or was that just another dream? Only a few seconds later, he realizes he's yet to finish his thought, and he smiles again briefly. ]

You want my company for the next century, is that it? Get me going on why and I'm not likely to stop or leave. Last chance to back out!

[ Though many of his ruminations about why, about the stars and planets and universe beyond have been largely kept to himself (mostly because of his own confused memories, and a certain protectiveness in sharing vulnerable things he can't fully understand), he enjoys these conversations between them.

With the delicate tip of his finger, the Doctor deftly scoops up a tiny star and guides it across the air between him and Kyle, holding it out to him, offering it, this tiny speck of light. He may feel the slightest bit of warmth if he touches it, a crackle of energy, or nothing at all. ]


It affects the whole of the universe, that monolith. Did it bring others here to feed on all the planets and stars and pockets of time we've all touched, to give it power? Was it lonely? Was it saving us so we could save it in return? Leaving, perhaps, would be a tipping point, distort the balance beyond just this world and stretch on and on to the edge of everything.
thedevilwhorose: » power (so much pain and suffering)

[personal profile] thedevilwhorose 2024-04-26 07:08 am (UTC)(link)
[Oh, Kyle, you minx. And Lucifer didn't get you anything! If he'd known he was coming here to have a Good Time, he would have considered drinks.

... He assumes Kyle is still present, anyway, and didn't just lead Lucifer on to a deathtrap demigod and ditch him.

That would be extremely rude.

Justified, perhaps. But rude.

His wings billow and propel him backwards out of reach of the creature, ogling its form with a haunting whistle of appreciation.

He gathers light at six-points, pinpricks of power collecting at his talons, weaving them through the air like an intricate dance, or an eccentric painting, before they hit against the beast at different point.]
Kyle! You'd better not be dead! I'm going to be a bit annoyed if you decided to check out and take a catnap on me!
thedreamer: (0576)

[personal profile] thedreamer 2024-04-26 07:09 am (UTC)(link)
[ Having Hudson here with him has improved his mood considerably. So, too, did Julia's presence recently, even if none of the words shared between them were particularly kind or loving. After so long apart from her, he'd been more starved for the mere sight of her than he'd realized. Touch-starved, too, but he couldn't dare touch her, no, not when it might mean ruining things more than he already had.

He has been leaving his Horizon, he kept to his promise to help again, to be a Doctor as he'd always intended and meant to be. He's too proud to admit openly that being around people again has helped and made him feel better, but it has, and he's been...better. Ish. Getting there, at least.

He did keep more secrets from Julia, though, things he hadn't quite known how to explain, and wouldn't have begun to in that short visit after so much time apart. But he'd been — seeing things, hearing things, flashes of memories he couldn't understand, from what felt like another life that both did and did not belong to him. Now and then, he'll remember doing terrible things and wonder what sort of person he was, if any of it was real at all, hoping it wasn't. Which has only driven him a bit more mad — what's real and not? For some reason, he's still at least blissfully unaware of the fractures around them, taking some quiet time away from the world to be with Hudson. But when he hears her, his hearts go soft and ache a bit. She's come back. Maybe there's a chance — ]


Here, of course.

[ He steps out from beneath a console that looks awfully familiar. If only he could remember. On the console is a robot head he's kept with him for company. Between the robot's severed head and Hudson, he's kept a grip on his sanity. Everything is fine!

He moves to stand slowly, threading his hands together only because he doesn't know what to do with them, when he's desperate to touch her. ]


You came back.
cryptsleeper: <user name="malagraphic"> (THEY!!!)

[personal profile] cryptsleeper 2024-04-26 11:40 am (UTC)(link)
[Alucard is not surprised that Hilda insists that Alucard is double checked for any sign of injuries. She has her reasons, and out of respect for those, the dhampir stays perfectly still while she makes an assessment.

He'd be rude and protest that it was unneeded to start a different argument, but it'd be a less fun one.]


I wonder if there might be a way to make it look like a more simple design until I deemed it appropriate to drop the guise. Maybe that same link?

[The more important part is what Alucard does next. With Hilda's spot on the window sill looking so ideal, the dhampir leans in, pressing his lips to hers for a quick kiss.]

Thank you for thinking of me and making this, Hilda.