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

EVENT #18: EMERGENCE - IC EVENT LOG

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Setting descriptions are HERE for your reference.

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


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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



assembles: beard (unnnsure)

[personal profile] assembles 2024-04-27 09:00 pm (UTC)(link)
Is that what you call it?

[ The Nomad doesn't need to be invited to move closer, especially as this place doesn't belong to either of them as far as he's concerned. He walks over, his movements smooth and uncanny because no statue should be able to do this, and takes a closer look at the carved effigy.

It can't be coincidence that there are ravens, and that Anthropos is known to take that form. Not to mention the Nomad just saw one.

He hears the distant sound of the waves against the shore, but it doesn't bring him any sense of calm. Not when he's in this particular god's presence. His gaze snaps over to study Anthropos' still far too human face. ]


Do they worship you here?
beautifullies: (тнe warмтн oғ a мoυnd)

[personal profile] beautifullies 2024-04-27 09:01 pm (UTC)(link)
[ She laughs, and some of the wilted flowers around them begin to perk up. ]

This is hardly where I would prefer to visit, although it's good to know you keep an ear out for me.

[ She could hug him again, but instead, she squeezes his shoulder. ]

Let's go somewhere better suited for catching up than this. My cottage—do you have time?

[ Claire asks because she's the one who abruptly called upon him, she has no idea what she might've interrupted. ]
godshattering: (pic#15529797)

[personal profile] godshattering 2024-04-27 09:04 pm (UTC)(link)
There's an appropriate flicker of minor guilt at the confirmation it's been a while, since even though he'd mentioned it... perhaps it's been even far longer than he'd realized. Time is a tricky concept these days more often than not while looking for ways to stay occupied. A butterfly floats by as it turns back towards them, and he considers it before turning his attention back to Claire.

The mention of her disguises and the travels around to offer assistance gets a smile from him. Though the edges of his memory have blurred more and more in all those years she's remained a constant in it with all those things he reminds himself he knows, and though the subject of their echoes might not overlap often he thinks he remembers hearing a wisp within the ones he's paid attention to. Claude nods, and then -

He's heard the question turned back his direction, absolutely. But it's immediately shoved aside when clear, genuine interest lights up his face over what Claire was hoping might be glossed over. But.

"Oh, you can't possibly expect me to just ignore what you casually slipped right in there!" A protest but a playful one paired with a grin as he leans forward with as much eagerness as those words offer. "You know me far too well for that by now, I think. Now c'mon, I want to hear who, how you met, how long you've known each other - all the details you're willing to share."
beautifullies: (464)

[personal profile] beautifullies 2024-04-27 09:10 pm (UTC)(link)
I have no reason not to believe you.

[ But he'd be right to assume most wouldn't welcome it. ]

You seemed upset about the echoes and surprised I would take time for myself. Do you answer everything, always?

[ If so, no wonder he might be having a moment. ]
sketchycharacter: (pic#10396291)

[personal profile] sketchycharacter 2024-04-27 09:14 pm (UTC)(link)
Sounds like you could be talking about me.

[For a moment, his smile falters. Why did he say that? Nathan can't quite remember, it just — seemed to make sense. But it's only a moment and he's back to usual self, steady as ever.]

I like complicated. Keeps the decades interesting. Maybe that's why we're both here. [And he's pretty sure she likes complicated too.] Whatcha think — show ourselves right away, or do some watching first?
sketchycharacter: (pic#10454277)

[personal profile] sketchycharacter 2024-04-27 09:15 pm (UTC)(link)
Don't know. Just seemed like I should be here today.

[The clear ambivalence in his word answers the unspoken question from the Sentinel, a being Nathan is pretty sure would have given him the willies once upon a time, even if he can't remember why. But everything is different now, and the living sculpture is just one small piece of normal.]

What'll you do if they turn us down, keep watching? Trick question. [That's what he does after all, isn't it? Nathan waves him off.] Sure. Can't be a bad thing to give them a choice.

[They had one before and that's what got them here. But he'd like to think he's benevolent enough to look beyond that fact.]
sketchycharacter: (pic#10454312)

[personal profile] sketchycharacter 2024-04-27 09:15 pm (UTC)(link)
Maybe I am too, you don't know me.

[Actually he probably does. Know of him, at least, Nathan figures it's kind of hard for those who've been out and about for centuries to know of each other — but really it's just an automatic retort, banter that still comes easily whether he means it or not.]

Slurpy, right. Got it. And I can — improve their odds. [He can't make it all better, can't fix what went wrong for these people. But a gift of good fortune, sure, that's not nothing.] What they do with it'd be up to them.
assembles: beard (i just needed some beard icons)

[personal profile] assembles 2024-04-27 09:15 pm (UTC)(link)
It's good to see her too, and Steve doesn't hesitate when she holds her hand out. Again, there are certain habits that remain ingrained, even long after humanity has left them behind. So he reaches out to take her hand, fingers that before looked to be carved together somehow separating so that he can take hold and give a proper shake. Not too long, not too short; not too hard, not too soft.

At her question, he draws his hand back and lets it return to his side. Before anyone could take notice, his fingers have fused together once more. This is all normal, things that Shepard must be all too used to by now.

"Nothing in particular, no. I was just taking a look around and realized you were here." Because yes, he knows the signs of her presence.

He draws his marble arms up to cross them over his chest. "I thought if you were around, maybe something was going on." Something that had escaped his notice, unlikely as that might be. Either way, he tilts his head slightly to one side and asks: "How've you been?"
beautifullies: (gιve мe yoυr мoυтн ѕaѕѕenacн)

[personal profile] beautifullies 2024-04-27 09:43 pm (UTC)(link)
She's been asked recently if her emotions paint her as human, but she isn't sure it matters. She wants and needs, she loves and grieves. All living beings have some sort of emotion, and what are they, if not powerful, endlessly living beings?

When Jon presses close a moan tumbles out of her; reaching between them, a hand wraps around him as her mouth finds his for a heated kiss. Guiding him close, she uses him to tease them both for a moment, breath ragged against his lips.

"Do you feel how badly I want you? All that you had to do was come home to me."
funbreaker: (thancred-court-030)

— ✦ alucard

[personal profile] funbreaker 2024-04-27 09:45 pm (UTC)(link)
[ It's happened a number of times now. First with Jon at the ice wall, then with Kell at the hospital where Nott used to be, then with Azem on the Isle of the Lost, and finally with Ciri. Memories of Ryne had led to the final crack in his mind. The realization that he'd forgotten the person who meant the most to him was solid proof that something was very, very wrong.

That, and the cracks that have now started to form in the sky itself.

Yet not everyone seems to be breaking out of the spell in the same way. Thancred (his name is Thancred; how could he have forgotten even that?) wracks his brain to determine who he suspects will have torn the wool from their eyes by now. At this point, he just needs someone to commiserate with, and his memories (though he knows not if he can even trust them) tell him that Alucard may be a good choice.

Alucard has rejected his godhood as much as he feasibly could, all this time.

Thancred arrives at Alucard's domain, and the sight of the humble cabin among the autumnal woods causes him to pause for a moment. He has distant memories of coming here long, long ago; of chats on the porch, or inside with a pot of coffee. Or walking alongside a wolf.

The clarity is good, as if he's suddenly waking from hazy dream, but it's also disorienting. He stumbles toward the porch, hoping that Alucard is here and can help him make some sense of all this. ]
theidlemaiden: (pic#16098231)

[personal profile] theidlemaiden 2024-04-27 09:50 pm (UTC)(link)
[ If people wanted her to fuss less they should just say so. Then again, even if they said so she'd still probably do it. It seems that time has brought forth a more mother hen side of her than she thought herself capable of.

His suggestion is met with a grumble as she motions towards the glinting silver ring on his finger. ]


It's already simple looking!

[ Before she can go on however he leans in with a kiss halting whatever tirade she might have gone on at least for now. Her cheeks puff up in a mild show of embarrassment, eyes skipping away from him briefly. ]

You're welcome. And...you know I'll still make you your blade if that's what you really want. I know how important it is to have those reminders.
funbreaker: (thancred-court-051)

[personal profile] funbreaker 2024-04-27 10:04 pm (UTC)(link)
[ It isn't enough, the dying supernova in the shape of a man says, and Aegis recognizes that voice. He'd hoped that somehow he was mistaken, but no, this is Cassian. Cassian, who tries to embolden those who would revolt against corrupt systems, and he's destroying an entire village.

Why? It makes little sense to him, and yet this would not be the first time that one of the pantheon has lost their way, their new powers and identity somehow subsuming them.

Instead of instantly attacking, from a distance Aegis swings his gunblade in a wide arc that sends a blast of air toward both Cassian and the mortal he's captured; hopefully it has enough force to blow some of that dirt and sand away and free that poor soul. ]


These people are innocent, Cassian. [ He stalks toward him, his arm outstretched to point the tip of the gunblade forward in a clear threat. ] That means it is my business — to protect them from you.

[ He takes another look around the village, which looks like it's suffered the explosion of a far too powerful spell. Why... is there a hint of memory there, somewhere in the far reaches of his mind? Anger swells up in him as he demands to know, through gritted teeth: ] Why would you do this?
beautifullies: (ι'м jυѕт ѕo glad ι ғoυnd yoυ)

[personal profile] beautifullies 2024-04-27 10:04 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Claire is a quiet god, preferring to move with as little disturbance as possible (unless she's furious), and it isn't a consideration reserved only for mortals. When Steve moves, even she's impressed by what he can do, how to be a part of the humans while still keeping to himself. ]

The things you must see and overhear.

[ Which isn't the point of her coming, so she stays focused and looks at him with a half-smile. ]

One of the women in Michael's following specifically sought my blessing, but she needs more than time rewound; each opportunity that comes along that could change things, she can't do it, she finds herself too afraid to take that step because failing would mean letting down her son. I was hoping you might be able to help.
sophos: (pic#4369142)

[personal profile] sophos 2024-04-27 10:05 pm (UTC)(link)
She's used to the way Claire looks after her at this point - the easy care, the genuine nature of it all. Annabeth doesn't doubt any of it, not anymore, not like she used to in the very early years, born out of... something she can't remember. Something that doesn't seem to need to be remembered, not when Claire offers her all the motherly sort of affection anyone would need instead.

"I like the forest." She likes her libraries and her temples, of course, but Annabeth finds just as much comfort in the outdoors, especially near water.

She takes the tea, barely batting an eye at the way it appears. "Probably too much at once." But she supposes she's always been that way. "I feel like I should be asking how you are, unless you want to hear me ramble about the latest structural marvels I'm only idly pushing people to build."
princeofruin: (044)

[personal profile] princeofruin 2024-04-27 10:10 pm (UTC)(link)
[He raises a hand to greet the canary, but does not attempt to remove her. Another song that soothes a broken heart -- a thing he has long suspected of Aegis, as well. Have they not all suffered after all this time? And a new suffering, in forgetting the old. The lessons one may have garnered from them.

It is in this looping maze of thoughts that Sajj'aka rarely escapes from, and so his "good" days are rarer than the better. Here, with company -- both that acknowledges him and which does not -- he can find more strength to stop such thoughts in their tracks.

'Tis hard to be a curmudgeon when a canary graces one's horns.]


Surely you find your days of charity as well. [Dare a hint of a smile grace his lips? There is no denying that Azem is capable of vast feats where bounties are concerned, whether in drink, or spirits, or food. Her ability to bring an aura of companionship -- of trust -- is one he has long envied, if truth be told.]

To her next feast, I imagine. [His third eye closes, and he rests only two on Aegis now. There are more things forgotten between them than remembered... and yet after all this time, he still feels some trepidation in approaching Aegis, as if he is afraid to trip once again. The friend feels a gentle admonishment of such thoughts.]

It is a fine day, of sun without rain. [The blood on his chest is now only a stain. The canary sings a pretty tune, and her weight is a welcome one.] The Echoes are quiet.

[Which is a boon to him. They are loudest in times of war, and now... it has been some time since there was a conflict grand enough to need him.] I have missed yours and Azem's company, in truth. I am glad to see you well.
funbreaker: (pic#16108666)

[personal profile] funbreaker 2024-04-27 10:18 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Aegis has spent enough time with all three of these fellow gods that he is used to the way the Serenity will take on that distant look, noticeable in all three of her eyes. Or the way that she'll recite information as if she's a walking library. These are just things that she does, and there is little need to question them.

At her tease of Cassian, though, Aegis does have to make eye contact with him for a moment from across the room. ]


And is she wrong?

[ It's ancient history by now, but yes, he does recall Cassian causing quite a bit of trouble in the past, and not listening to instructions whatsoever. It's nice to know such times are behind them now.

So the dessert is not a pie, but it has been left to Cassian to prepare. These are not particularly helpful clues, if he's honest.

He nods at Azem's remark about the snacks, automatically reaching down to grab them and place them on the table for himself and Serenity to hold them over. He knows she doesn't eat much, though, so he's happy to start them off, taking a bite of a dip-coated chip. He eyes her starry form across the table, then nods in Cassian's direction. ]


If he's the one making dessert, you might have a better chance of guessing it. Which of the thirty do you think it might be?
cryptsleeper: <user name="malagraphic"> (ilu u idiot)

[personal profile] cryptsleeper 2024-04-27 10:37 pm (UTC)(link)
[For all his protests, Alucard also does not mind being fussed over. It shows care, and that means the world to him. He would also like some credit for not looking at the ring and making a proposal joke, because that would make this entire moment far too much.]

I think if I can cast an illusion over it every so often, I'll be happy.

[Alucard pauses, aware that the every shifting void is passing over his chest again. That's where he needs it to be, and he feels a little too practiced at reaching inside of himself. What he takes out is a tip of a rib bone, although the loud crack that comes from the dhampir suggests it's something much larger. It is dry and clean and bleached white when he places it in Hilda's hand.]

Take this, and I'll give you blood and hair as well to forge a final version. I think it carries one of our earlier encounters. Forging it into something bigger feels more than appropriate.
cryptsleeper: <user name="malagraphic"> (Hotter and drunker mess)

[personal profile] cryptsleeper 2024-04-27 10:43 pm (UTC)(link)
[It has been a very stressful series of events, starting in Ikorr and devolving from there. The first threat of realization had been with Astarion and a nasty returned memory, and the more Alucard had tried to shove the thought aside, the more cracks he began to see in the sky. Retreating to the Horizon felt correct. It was. Things could be shoved aside.

Until they couldn't, thanks to Geralt and the man hedging bets against Alucard making himself into soup. (Again.) Then Viktor.

There's only the question of when it'll break entirely. Everything else is simply waiting out the end of the world.

He's on the porch. What else is there to do but watch cracks appear in the sky while rocking back and forth, a warm mug of the best chicken broth he's ever made in hand.

The dhampir glances at Thancred, the dry observation that leaves his lips an attempt to confirm what his friend does and doesn't know about the present circumstances:]


You look like shit.
princeofruin: (029)

[personal profile] princeofruin 2024-04-27 10:46 pm (UTC)(link)
[The threat of the lightning is merely a tickle against his scales -- and what is lightning without light? If Bahamut was ever to take threat from such displays instead of some filtered amusement, such times are far behind them now.

The Isle is not an ill-chosen destination. The great dragon growls his approval, stretching out his limbs and his length. He no longer recalls when he came to these waters to rest; his heartbreak is a near-constant pain he carries with him, after all, and time has little meaning anymore.

His spines rattle as he shakes off what might be years of stillness.

It will be the opposite of the dark sea. Bright, and lush, and with life not covered in scale and gill. There once was some faded memory that told him to be wary of the place, but even then his power was so great it was mere paltry concern.

The dragon tilts his head at his fellow god, looking himself, for a moment, catlike too. He knows Ramuh often speaks in tones of deprecating sarcasm, but after so much time, Bahamut finds he wants to match it, sometimes -- a tone more scathing, but playful as a flame.]
Perhaps after eight hundred years, it is time you learned to carry a bit of weight.

[The King of Dragons shakes himself once more, and his form grows smaller -- rapidly, enough so that the ocean sucks and swells around the loss of mass within it. The long, scaled creature is now much more appropriately human-sized, a bit smaller, and he falls onto Ramuh's shoulder with some sense of feline arrogance, wings folded in against his body, whiskers twitching.] I should hate you to lose your opportunity to honour me.
thedreamer: (027)

[personal profile] thedreamer 2024-04-27 10:57 pm (UTC)(link)
[ They're of a like mind in that regard, with the Doctor finding his own Horizon to be far more comfortable and familiar these days. A place of respite. Somewhere in the back of his mind, there was an old voice saying that this isn't him, not like him, he doesn't give up, he doesn't withdraw, he doesn't stop.

But he did and he has, for a little while.

And it's only because there's something breaking apart, and it's pulled him back from the brink of madness. The past and the future and everything in between colliding. When he looks at Nathan, there's an instant remembering, but it's as though two realities are converging. He sees what's real and not, and everyone here deserves the same truth, painful as it is. This will hurt, probably. Or at least, he assumes so. It did for him.

Let Nathan have his island with its treasures for a moment longer, though. ]


Better than any gold or jewels or lovely little buttons that glow in the dark. [ What treasure do people usually bury anyway?? ] Only bested by uncovering a chest filled with singing rubber ducks. Imagine!

[ ooc - Oh Nate, we got you buddy!! ]
cointosser: ([204 - S3])

[personal profile] cointosser 2024-04-27 11:02 pm (UTC)(link)
[Hog-related is good enough. And it's not as if they really need to eat, but Jaskier could not understand an existence of failing to partake in pleasures, whether he needs them or not. A good rabbit stew, or smoked hamhock, or even a fruity pie... he would be a fool to not indulge!

And endlessly so. In food, and flowers, and company.

Jaskier wraps his arms around her waist as those little leaves and flowers tickle against his naked skin. A part of her as much a part of him, though he insists she wears them much better. It has long been his greatest pursuit to acknowledge and recall even his oldest memories, and while he sometimes does long for the simplicity of her long-lost human form... she is still perfect to him. Nature suits her as much as she suits nature.

And he still has her horns, which he would kiss if she hadn't, some years ago, grown quite a bit taller than himself.]


I thought of you every day I went to check on Geralt and was greeted only with his snoring. [He grins, all fluttery, youthful energy that only seems sated to be still in her presence. (But barely.)] I've been wonderful. It's been a rather bountiful start to the spring, even without my help. Which has left me a bit unpreoccupied... so I've been brainstorming my next project.

[Though he has no idea what it might be. Another oasis in the desert, perhaps?]
satanicpanics: (pic#15737492)

[personal profile] satanicpanics 2024-04-27 11:02 pm (UTC)(link)
[ He can’t really remember when that bond was from or how, but the same goes for so many of the people he’s met in Abraxas. They’ve all been alive for so long, meetings have become distant and hazy. It was bothersome at first, but so long as friendships are retained, how they were formed doesn’t really matter all that much. That’s what Eddie is doing when he drops in on people like this; trying to keep an iron grip on his friendships. ]

Man, it’s what they get wrong that’s interesting. And hilarious. You know, there’s a village in the Nether that’s convinced I eat children?

[ He gets where these rumors spin from—he’s one of the more easily accessible gods, but that doesn’t make him any more approachable. He’s loud and off-putting and he’s aware that the aesthetic choices he’s made over the years have made him a little scary, but there’s absolutely nothing new about that. The real irony is that it’s usually grown men and women who are afraid to approach him. Kids don’t care. As frightened as they seem to get of nonsensical things like the dark or the sound of thunder, they’re all the braver souls in the end.

It does make him laugh, though, that there are people unaware that his entire godly diet is still made up of junk food and whatever Azem happens to create. Human sacrifice has never factored into it even once.
]

Granted, it’s Nanaue they’ve really got to worry about but hey, they’ll figure it out eventually. Probably.

[ With a chuckle, he ruffles Koby’s glowing hair and wanders out of his space to poke around his domain, peering at the spines of books and anything else that happens to be laying about. No sense of personal space, no sense of keeping his nose out of other peoples’ business. It’s harmless, but he has had his hands slapped more than once before. ]

To be perfectly honest, I don’t really keep up with the rituals very well, though, so…fill me in? Anything particularly interesting?
cointosser: ([130- S2])

[personal profile] cointosser 2024-04-27 11:16 pm (UTC)(link)
[Jaskier glances down at their entwined arms, and for half a second there is a frown to his normally soft brows. Had he simply imagined the tightening of his grip? He hardly think Verity fears Jaskier escaping his touch, and he has made no attempt to, so --

Oh, look. Now the Wolf's got him bloody anxious, which is, frankly, a state that should be absolutely impossible for him. Is he not the Sun, after all?

And his name comes up again. Jaskier huffs, but it's light and affectionate. Nothing Geralt could do to him would ever truly upset him.]
He does have a penchant for using his hands. And he isn't bad with them. [It would normally be a double entendre, but Jaskier's mind is still preoccupied from his running before.] Forgive my saying so, but it shocks me still you're such a good match. He's always been such an irritable bastard. [His smile returns, brows smoothed out.

He's been to one of Geralt's cabins. They're nothing if not cozy. Warm. The way Sam had always felt like home... he thinks Geralt brings that to his cabins, too.]
Though you've an eternity's worth of patience, which certainly doesn't hurt.
blackeyedprince: (from afar)

[personal profile] blackeyedprince 2024-04-27 11:28 pm (UTC)(link)
Mara is much more connected to his physical form, as shifting as it is. He might be an orange cat stalking his prey at night, a disembodies voice in the fog of the early dawn, but feels lost without it. The mortals cannot see him unless he wishes them to, and he's learned to gauge their fortitude before he makes an appearance.

"I think she deserves her wish fulfilled."

He doesn't have to say it. Sabine can see it as clearly as he does, clearer even, the months, blood, death and toil, poured into this one tiny ray of hope, as sliver of a chance for someone so low to get at the most powerful man of her land, and free her daughter. Not knowing if the child is even alive - she is, Mara has made sure of that.

"I want it in my garden, but I don't think I can let it live anywhere else."

A plant with such unique poison will be sought after. The consequences branch out in ways he cannot foresee threatening the delicate balance he's learned to keep up. A wild card in so many plans.

"But it's so pretty."

He loves the new rose for its simple honesty - it is deadly and doesn't nothing to hide it - and wishes that others might love it too. And that's a contradiction he's stuck on.
cointosser: (076)

[personal profile] cointosser 2024-04-27 11:36 pm (UTC)(link)
[He knows Geralt's judging him, but Jaskier takes it in stride. To be fair, the musician was also stealing from the inn he'd been staying in, so Jaskier considers that justified. If he was a better musician, he wouldn't have to resort to thievery.

He should've put all that time practicing pick-pocketing towards music.]


The world has never thanked me for anything, but I don't see why that matters. Don't you ever remember being grateful when something blissfully awful happened to someone you hated?

[Not that Jaskier hates any mortals. Not to the depths of his core. Not to where the hogs did anything more than trample his shitty lute-want-to-be.

Jaskier, as much an unbridled lighting-quick bundle of energy that he is, still sits and waits for Geralt's slow-coming stories simply because he craves them. Whether he was hibernating or not, there's still plenty to talk about. After all this time, if he was like to get bored of their conversations of nothing, it would've happened centuries ago.

He stretches himself against Geralt's back, eventually climbing onto his sizable shoulder to see ahead of them better. And there it is!]


It's not my pet! My pets were cute and small. This one eats people. Though, to be fair, I think other people decided to feed it people, so... I do throw a good bit a fruit in! I always thought the Maw should benefit from a varied diet, and it's never complained.
Edited 2024-04-29 16:56 (UTC)