EVENT #18: EMERGENCE - IC EVENT LOG

[abraxasmods]

Event #18 - Emergence

OOC Plotting Post ⦁ Pre-Event Info ⦁ Setting Descriptions

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

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

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

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

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

Year 20,879

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

The world of Abraxas isn't completely foreign. Familiar territories remain, as well as the familiar faces of those with long lifespans. But a lot has changed in 800 years, too, especially where the Gods are concerned. Alongside the Old Gods of the Ancient Pantheon and the Cardinal Gods of the New Order, a third class of deities formed from you and your fellow Summoned: the Ecesis Gods of the Iterum Pantheon.

Politics, People, & Gods

Abraxas's political landscape remains complex, with continued tensions over land, worship, resources, and power. Nonetheless, since the Free Cities is no longer intent on destroying the Singularity, conflict over the ancient relic has lessened. All territories agree that the Godlands - and the Singularity - belong to the Gods themselves.

Beliefs and Gods

The active presence of the Summoned confirms the existence of the Gods. As a result, most Abraxans turn to the Summoned and other Gods for aid or protection. Extreme reverence exists in certain areas, especially on the Isle of the Lost and in parts of Solvunn. In other places, though, the Gods are merely acknowledged as a facet of life - a force that helps or hinders depending on temperament and should be respected, much like the sea. The Gods play a crucial role, sure, but so do the rain and stars. This is particularly true in the Feywilds, the Nether, and the Free Cities.

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

At the other end, some sects revere the Godlands so much that they believe feeding themselves to the relic will enhance Abraxas' good fortune for generations to come. Such cults are quite rare, but there are reports of mortals throwing themselves into the Singularity's crater and disintegrating as a gesture of their devotion to the divine.

International Relations

Due to the combined change in their priorities, Thorne and the Free Cities are less at odds. The Free Cities believes in protecting the Singularity; Thorne no longer seeks to control it. Nonetheless, mistrust flares on occasion.

While things are peaceful during these three months and have been for a few decades, Abraxas hasn't found a cure for war in the Gods. Conflict has broken out in the past and will again. Eyes are on the Nether as it grows in power, and who knows how long Thorne will be content with its losses? Will they convince the Velan Republic to reunite and turn against the Free Cities? For now, though, the territories have found their stride and appear more interested in progress than fighting.

Magic & The Singularity

Magic is relatively unchanged and is a vital part of Abraxan life. The small kingdom of Thorne continues to practice Academic Magic. Meanwhile, Wild Magic plays the same important role in the Velan Republic (formally Nott). Meanwhile, the Free Cities has developed New Magic further. The goal of decoupling magic from technology is less of a focus. Instead, researchers are eager to find new ways to fuse magic and innovation, including aspects of the Gods. Portable shrines, for example, are popular with traveling merchants.

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

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

Of course, this could quickly change if the Summoned or any other Gods provoke the Singularity by rejecting its connection or denying its magic...so all should take care not to upset the nature of things.

Old World, New World

The map of Abraxas has undergone some notable shifts, although many names and places are the same.

Setting descriptions are HERE for your reference.

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

Month 1-2: Submersion

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

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

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

The World as the Divine

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

While in your full God form, you'll move through the world unperceived. Only when you're sought by a mortal - followers, believers, cultists - can you consciously make your complete divine presence known. To be seen freely by all, you'll have to take on a less overwhelming shape to the mortal gaze. Those who have met the Old Gods or Cardinal Gods in the past finally understand why they seldom reveal their true selves, often arriving in hazy visions or speaking through animals.

Exploring the Land

◎ The Witchwood

As the Summoned continued to ascend, their power began to coalesce, creating a new ecosystem never seen before. The dense woods, originally a temperate climate, warmed and grew into a thriving jungle. The air is humid and heavy with magic, the sky locked into an eternal sunset. Reds and oranges filter through the thick canopy. Birdcall and animal cries echo throughout the jungle. Trees and rocks seemingly move at night, meaning the Witchwood is impossible to map. Foolhardy souls who venture too deep are rarely seen again - unless divine intervention prevents a tragic fate from befalling them. Perhaps one of those intervening Gods is you?

The most dangerous beasts in the Witchwood are the demigod spawns. Creatures born from the Summoned, demigods are powerful enough to affect the world around them should they ever leave the magic-encased forest. See Impact & Consequences for more details on the demigods and how, as the Summoned, you can help maintain Abraxas' ecosystem.

◎ Mechapolis

Heartwood Syndrome persisted in Fomalhaut long after the quarantined population died out. The port city stood as a monument to loss for nearly a century until about 200 years in when the Summoned gained notable influence as Gods. This resulted in a slow but steady acceptance of the Singularity's power as a positive force for potential advancement. New Magic boomed, leading to increased sophistication in technology and the refinement of automatons.

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

You can enhance clockwork performance, boosting the towers or providing additional energy to the automatons. Scientists often have "rituals" when performing maintenance or experiments to earn the Gods' favor, hoping this will prevent their inventions from breaking down.

◎ The Barren/The Badlands

Once contested territory between Thorne and the Free Cities, the Badlands was split into two by a large ravine shortly after Thorne retreated to Hayle. With neither side able to breach the gap, Solvunn naturally laid claim to the western half while the Free Cities retained its eastern half. On the eastern side, the chasm swallowed several well-known bandit camps and the presence of a new entity further drove them away. Bandits now occupy the mountains northeast of Aquila. Due to the entity's threat, the Free Cities increased its military presence in the Badlands to keep careless or foolish travelers from straying too far.

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

As a God, you can lead the exiles to their salvation or doom, but choose carefully: the Maw is hungry and must be fed. These exiles want you dead. They don't care for you, and should their lack of faith spread, they might revive attempts to destroy the Singularity - and with it, your home. Is it so wrong to leave them to their fate? On the other hand, saving them might convert them by demonstrating your kindness.

◎ The Maw

The Maw lurks beneath the chasm dividing the Badlands. Named for its gaping jaws, the Maw waits at the widest part of a jagged canyon, mouth open and salivating in the desert heat. Rows and rows of teeth as tall as a man spiral downward into a bloodshot throat. When sated, it retreats deep into the gully, barely visible aside from the shine of a tooth. When hungry, it draws closer to the surface. Hot and heavy winds often carry the putrid scent of its half-digested meals.

Solvunn is not the only territory that uses the Maw. The Free Cities will occasionally march criminals and bandits in that direction, as well, tossing them into the gaping mouth, although this method of execution is much rarer. Desperate exiles from Solvunn will try to cross the chasm despite the danger. None ever make it - at least, not without divine intervention.

Horizon, "Death," and Dormancy

Your domain in the Horizon is no longer constrained by size. How it's changed depends on you. The more detached from your mortality, the more likely it'll have surrealist elements: bizarre statues, physics-defying architecture, odd visual or psychological effects. The Horizon feels like home to all Gods, although you ought to take care not to heed its call beyond reason. Shutting yourself off from the physical world can result in unintended consequences...but completely refusing to enter the Horizon will do the same.

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

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

Impact & Consequences

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

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

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

Instability Effects

To maintain the universe's equilibrium, you need to be cautious of when and how you interfere when using your status to alter the state of the world. Conversely, you'll also need to take care not to withdraw entirely. Several Gods have undergone periods of instability, though others haven't. Which category you fall under is up to you. It depends on who you are, your experiences, and your desires.

◎ Should you refuse to ACKNOWLEDGE your Godhood or enter the Horizon, you'll find yourself losing time. You may forget how you got from one place to another, or names you knew yesterday slip your mind. Lapses in memory or time can be temporary or permanent, but one thing they are is certainly confusing. With magic building inside you and nowhere for it to go, your power will begin to spill over, causing the Singularity to exhibit bursts of power that spawn demigods in the Witchwood.

◎ Should you give into the temptation to OVERINDULGE your Godhood or retreat to the Horizon for excessive periods, you'll lose more of yourself and your history. You may make decisions that feel unlike you, forget larger chunks of old memories, or struggle to distinguish what's real. Unrestrained use of magic will cause you to absorb yet more power, causing the Singularity to lose power in brief spurts, which can spawn demigods in the Witchwood.

These effects can be halted or even reversed in some cases. You might need someone's help to bring you back or convince you there's another way, or maybe you're the one seeking others out to assist. What you do soon understand is that your ability to manage your powers and stabilize your connection to the Horizon directly affects the Singularity and Abraxas...something that may have been true the moment you were summoned.

Demigod Spawns

Under the red haze of the Witchwood, monstrous creatures known as demigods or spawns emerge from crimson waterfalls and claw their out through the mossy soil. Born out of instabilities caused by careless actions from all Gods, they're usually contained to the Witchwood. For the most part, the older Gods - and the Summoned, if they choose - keep the demigods from leaving. However, now and again, one or two might escape, damaging towns, destroying villages, or causing ecological destruction in ways that are similar to natural disasters.

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

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

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

Hearing Echoes

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

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

Interacting with Other Gods

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

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

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

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

Month 3: Awakening

Over the past 2 months, you've existed in the emergent reality without question. As you enter the third month, however, everything you've known over the past many centuries begins to shift. You might decide to investigate further, wondering if there's more out there that you aren't seeing. Alternatively, you might choose to ignore it, believing that your awakening is damaging the world and your life.

Catalysts

A catalyst can occur at any time through any circumstance. Do you see a familiar face you've forgotten in the eyes of a stranger? Do you recall a moment in your past while watching the mortals? Has a friend approached you specifically to try and remind you of the things you've forgotten?

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

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

These cracks are difficult to ignore, but if you bury your head, you can make them disappear - briefly, at least.

Shattered Skies

The effects go beyond the individual. As more of you and your fellow Gods reawaken, the sky also begins to form cracks that spread like broken glass. Through the fractures, you glimpse flashes of lightning and a swirling fog. The fissures only grow larger.

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

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

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

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

---

Comments

Months 1-2

[divinityfrompain]

[ ooc: I will be putting OTAs and scenes involving the pre-awakening section of this event! ]

OTA

[divinityfrompain]

The goddess known as Wicka is found most often in the Feywilds, content in her life not being worshipped by them but instead feeling like she is part of the community. When she leaves her beloved Fey, she goes walking with the humans in all the other territories, dressed in her mortal form or shapeshifting into men, women, children, of all races, of all species. Find her having a drink at a local pub, listening carefully to humanity's foibles and conversations, or exploring shops and looking at new technology.

There seems to be a sullen air about her these days. A bitterness, a darkness that she can't seem to release. There is a sharpness to her eyes, a snappy tongue, and she is quick to punish humans who are rude or aggressive toward others. Perhaps you witness her purposely leading people down the wrong directions, tricking them into thinking they are chasing something they want, until they end up lost and confused. Perhaps she has lost her temper and appears in her god form, on the cusp of punishing a mortal perhaps too harshly for a decision made poorly.

She answers most of her echoes but she is impatient now, always looking for mistakes or making the worst possible assumption about humanity's choices. She may be sulking in the corner of a tavern with a drink, glaring at the room and avoiding contact. Perhaps she is complaining to a stranger (or you?) about the bitterness of a love gone wrong. Either way, it is clear that this goddess has lost passion for the life that people may remember she once cherished.

The Godlands

Julia's Horizon has grown from a singular tree house to a tree village. The occupants within the buildings tend to be all manner of woodland animals and people might run across multiple beasts from the rest of the world, all docile and seeming to live contently in their little nests and home. There are fresh flowers blooming at all times lining every house and pathway, flowers from her world long since forgotten, and the tree itself is massive, lush, and always alive.

Wrapped around the tree village or sitting nearby by it is a fully grown red dragon named Hudson. She often flies in the Horizon and greets others with huffs and puffs of flame and friendly noises, often settling comfortably at her home by the end of every day. Julia can be found curled up with Hudson, wrapped in her claws or on top of her head, reading a book. Or she's meditating on top of her tree or lying amongst the vivid bright flowers, thinking of echoes.


The Witchwood

Julia watches as a few foolish teenagers start egging each other on to step foot into the Witchwood, hands on her hips. She shakes her now very red head and sighs, clearly contemplating whether to allow them to make a mistake or not. "They'll probably learn if one of them goes," she mutters to herself. And yet, they're practically children, especially compared to her. She could turn and walk away but she seems frozen in place.

Eventually she turns into a fox and goes to get their attention with a harsh and loud screech, the glowing blue patterns in her fur making it clear that she was no ordinary fox. The teens startle and run away, faithful enough to think this is perhaps a sign. Julia sits down, still in her fox form, watching them go. "You're lucky your destinies were elsewhere!" she shouts after them, her voice coming from the fox's snout.

She's been keeping an eye on one demigod that seems to be creeping closer and closer to the edges. There is some guilt on her face as she watches which may indicate this is what people don't always like to admit: she's the creator of it. Julia knows that she can't kill it, although maybe she can knock it back into the woods until someone else can deal with it. "This is going to hurt." This is toward herself, because frankly, it will be. She might be a powerful goddess and warrior not, but it doesn't mean she is ready. Join her if you want to help!

[furibund]

[ Nebula isn't completely unaware of Julia after all of this time. Not with being as close to the Doctor as she had become. Known, but it wasn't as if they spent that much time together — ]

[ Which is why when she comes to her village — yes hers — she keeps an eye on her. It's not entirely uncommon other gods get prayed to her. Nebula doesn't mind that part so much, but given she'd promised to protect this area any visitors get a heightened response. ]

[ The searcher in question was still but a teenager, recently orphaned after an accident that took home, life, and limb. There's a million things they could want, she has no doubts of that, but Julia's scornful approach has her on edge. ]

[ She approaches, hissing low: ]

If this is how you respond your help is not wanted here. By order of me. [ Lilac eyes alight as she pulls in the anger that floods. It was a stupid mistake the kid made, sure, but it's not like the other really knew everything that was going on. Even so, she thinks she should know better which is why she adds: ]

What the hell has gotten into you?

[divinityfrompain]

[ Julia knows when she's gone into someone else's territory but she follows echoes, she doesn't care where they are. Her wandering goes pretty much anywhere, but she does answer them, sometimes too much. Everyone knows that the Guardian answers prayers, she can be counted on, but it could be a risk, to take on fate. She knows that better than anyone else, her own existence leading to the role she inhabits now.

It's been a bad week. She's only had one echo go the right way. It feels like it's only a matter of time before there are no good choices left. It's true that humans are terrible at understanding foresight, they don't have the wisdom to look ahead.

She eyes Nebula coldly. It's been a tough two hundred years. Nebula might remember that she was anything but this, before she and the Doctor fell out. They seemed very happy and in love, both caring a great deal about the humans they answered to, traveling the world together. How it all fell apart to where they are now is something only they know, and suffer from.]

I was called here, and I gave them the choice I give everyone. Fate doesn't care about age, Nebula, or circumstance. They had the same chance.

[Her anger though is personal, even if her judgment could be called fair. Just fair to the point of ignoring all reasons to be empathic.]

[inthenameofhades]

Perhaps others would wish to avoid Wicka in her sullen mood. She's not been the easiest of company of late. Or for a while, really.

But Zagreus is stubborn - and she's family. And he's been a little worried about her.

"...They don't deserve this," he says softly, appearing next to her in a streak of red light. Before them are a pair of mortals - two siblings, clinging to each other as they huddle beneath a dead tree in the woods, trying to stay warm. It's a perilous situation, and one that could soon go very, very badly for them.

And he reaches out, red light settling over the pair as he gives them his own blessing. Once that will give them another chance; another shot at finding their way back home.

"Sister, what's gotten into you?"

[divinityfrompain]

Wicka stares at the two of them and she probably would have let them go ... eventually. It hadn't crept into her yet, the guilt, but something about them reminded her of something long forgotten. She can't remember why it seems so familiar. In a strange way, she doesn't want to stop the moment, her mind reaching for a memory, as they suffer not thinking there is a way out. She snaps out of it when Zagreus appears.

"I gave them choices the same as anyone else." That's all she does. Give choices that are constantly thrown back in her face as they pick the wrong one. There are so many chances they are given first, and she can see their brightest path, written out right in front of them. Then again, it is up to her how harshly she punishes them. It could be a slap on the wrist. It's less that these days.

She crosses her arms against her chest, defensive, and almost doesn't tell him the truth. It'd be easier to defiantly refuse to acknowledge that she is struggling, but it's her brother. That counts for something. "I went and saw my husband." It's been two hundred years of them refusing to be in the same room. Or rather, her refusing, and him sinking deeper into regret. "He's stopped answering any echoes, he just ... gave up."

And here she is, still answering them, and hating everything about it.

[inthenameofhades]

"You did once. But for the last few centuries...I'm not so sure you do, anymore."

Because was it really a choice when she stacked the deck against them right from the beginning? When she expected a certain outcome, and set the stage so that she was most likely to get it?

This wasn't a new discussion between them. They'd had it many, many times before.

But the news about her husband...that was new.

"You did?" Zagreus blinks at her in surprise. She'd been avoiding the Doctor for centuries now, but if she finally went to talk to him...but it doesn't seem like it went how she hoped. "Were you...were you hoping to reconcile?" He asks gently.

ᴀᴛ ᴀ ᴄʀᴏꜱꜱʀᴏᴀᴅꜱ, ᴡɪᴛʜ ꜰᴀᴛᴇ & ᴍᴇ

[the_keeper]

Sabine always keeps the line out and open, connected to Julie and Julia. She feels it—both steadily and in the teeming waves—when Julia's evolution and elevation wavers. She's young, even centuries later, to Sabine, but by that time, she's endlessly dear, too. It is important in the same way that bubbles need to catch the light and storms need an explosive clap before the lightning.

She feels the brewing of the the bad times, appears usually before it has become the worst; if that, learned only through experience and leaving her too long. Capriciousness and the eroding of humanity's boxes wall by wall, year by year, century by century—but Sabine still remembers. What Julia said at the beginning, yesterday, centuries ago, five seconds back—about what she didn't want to become.

"Eventide, Wicka."

[divinityfrompain]

There is a bond between the three of them although Julia doesn't always remember what it comes from, only that she knows it is there. They are all still very close to the Singularity, she feels its presence in her mind everywhere she goes, but she knows that with the two of them, she'll lack judgment. And sometimes she really needs that, considering her actions are worth judging, but pointing that out doesn't help.

She doesn't remember her reasons for being so afraid of becoming exactly what she is. She knows she had them once. It was important to her to be a good god, she spent centuries working for humanity, following Echoes, being exactly what they needed from her. She went all over this land trying to be the best that she could be. And she still ended up here.

"Sabine," she answers, quietly. She's come to the Singularity to get more Echoes, or maybe to just try and remember where this all started. She sits next to it, pensive. "I'd do anything for it to just talk to me."

[the_keeper]

Once upon a time, even in a human land that teemed with gods, monsters, and demons of all ilk, Sabine had never had anything like a sibling, like an equal at her side that she counted to be beside her—ever and always save Jack; and he had never been a sibling he'd been the first star in an endless and ever-embraced black.

Until they'd come here. Until a network of knots had drawn them together,
a tri-folded trinity of completely different possible impossibilities.

Her visage takes itself from Julia's thoughts and feelings, a painting of her wearing soul. The tatters of humanity still a cloak of feathers around her edges. Still, she settles herself neatly and softly across from Wicka, tucking her legs under her and holding out her hands for Wicka's. "What are you looking for it to say?"

tavern corner

[ancunin]

They met a long time ago as bitter divorcees, eager and willing to feed into each other's bitterness. Astarion has since mellowed, that bitterness transformed into a faint sense of shame and a wistfulness for something he can't quite remember anymore.

He finds her in the tavern alone, in her sad little corner. Astarion mingles with mortals every once in a while, mostly at the mining camps but sometimes in Cadens. There's something familiar about these streets, even though they've undoubtedly changed after centuries of political upheaval.

"What sad sob story brought you here tonight, darling?" he muses, finding a seat with his back to the wall and a glass of wine in one hand. The sob story, he assumes, is not her own - he knows she tends to respond to calls for punishments against the cruel. It's quite busy here tonight, there's some sort of festival going on in the streets that he hasn't bothered to learn more about. Astarion appears human, which she might know grates on him - his ears rounded and his eyes a rich brown that could be mistaken for red in a certain light. Still, even as a human there's an unnatural beauty to him - and when he smiles his teeth appear a bit too sharp.

sorry for the wait

[divinityfrompain]

"They do so love to seem like they're asking to see their futures for the benefit of all, until it's their happy ending at the expense of others." Julia's particular brand of trickery isn't even truly that, as it is known what to expect. She offers different pathways and if people pick the road they wish to go, it'll open for them. But too often they pick the one that opens only for their own selfish needs. She's seen it before so many times at this point.

"A village leader this time." Which makes her particularly salty as she truly wants to better the lives of a group. Sometimes just doing one nice thing at a time is good enough to keep her going, but she gets excited when she has a bigger ask. Unfortunately politicians end up being exactly that, and her bitterness should imply clearly what a disappointment he ended up being.

She sighs though and puts her hands on the table, propping her chin up on top of them.

"I went to see the Doctor." So her misery was just compounded by a whole lot of emotions all at once. She really shouldn't have gone in that mood, but she did. Astarion would know she hasn't seen her ex since she left two hundred years ago, intentionally.

[ancunin]

"Ah."

He lets that sound hang in the air for a moment before sliding his glass across the table toward her. She probably needs it more than him - so long as she doesn't mind the taste of blood spicing it up.

Astarion taps a nail on the surface of the wooden table. It's... sticky. Ugh.

"And... how did that go?"

His tone isn't exactly judgmental, though there's a hint of disapproval. Over these centuries they've confided in each other, perhaps sometimes amplified their bitter feelings about their respective break-ups. At least hers wasn't quite as explosive as his own, but few can compare.

tavern corner!

[sketchycharacter]

[Ah, there she is. For the better part of a year, Nathan's been overseeing the quest of a young treasure hunter from the Free Cities — occasionally joining him in mortal form as one of his hired men, mostly watching and granting boons to keep things interesting. It's been a nice diversion, but he's ready to shrug off some of the prayers and spend time with a friend. In the span of their lifetimes, a single relaxing night passes by in a blink, but that doesn't mean they should be any less treasured.

He swings into his seat in the guise of a mortal, grin firmly plastered on his face as he ignores her glare.]

I heard some a human talking shit about you the other month.

[divinityfrompain]

[ Julia does glare at him as he first sidles up but it loses its edge when she recognizes him. Gods don't hide well inside mortals; only mortals mistake them. She knows that personally considering she walks among them so often in different forms, listening and often stewing. She sighs and snaps her finger, the terrible ale she was pretending to drink turning into a Feywilds wine she can stand. ]

I assure you, they deserved whatever was pissing them off.

[ Julia is fair, or at least, she's fair to the letter of the word. She treats everyone the same way and if they make the same wrong choice, they get punished without question, but some probably deserve it better than others. She's starting to lose sight of that line. ]

Where have you been? It's been months.

[sketchycharacter]

That's good, cuz I gave them a hefty dose of bad luck for it. They'll be carrying it around for weeks.

[It won't accomplish anything fatal. Probably. Either way, maybe they'll learn.]

I disguised myself as human and joined a crew of starry-eyed adventure seekers. Not the ones talking shit. It was great — we had a good time, and you should have seen their faces when I revealed myself.

How about you? Anything earthshaking happen lately?

[Figuratively or literally, who knows.]

godlands

[lightkeeping]

Aloy spends most of her time traversing the continent, never staying in one place too long. Her job is too big, and her attention is needed everywhere--it's not conducive to settling down. Not that she minds, because it's what's familiar to her. Her nomadic nature gives her a greater appreciation to those who have settled down, or at the very least spend time in a place that might be home.

Julia's domain is nice, with its quiet nature and all of the flowers. She finds herself returning when she can, if only to check in (but also, maybe, to find a bit of respite for herself).

She finds Julia laid out among the flowers, and for a moment it seems almost unfair to disturb her. So Aloy tries to do this as unobtrusively as possible, sitting down next to her and then stretching out onto her back.

"Anything good?"

She can listen, too, but this is her way of saying hello.

[divinityfrompain]

Julia's domain is peaceful in a stark contrast to how she feels when she's out and about into the world. She often takes breaks from walking among people to hide out here and recharge. It's when she takes in the Echoes and decides when she's ready to force herself back out again. She knows other people take longer breaks in here, sometimes for years, and it might be better for her sanity if she did, but she usually drags herself out, feeling a responsibility.

It's nice here though and she feels at ease, listening to the birds flutter and the woodland creatures skitter around. She forgets her issues in here, so it's a great place to approach her for a less difficult version of herself. Julia knows someone's joined her because Hudson huffs a cheerful greeting at Aloy and she looks up at her, smiling. Red hair tangles and looks in line with the vivid colors of the flowers.

"A few things that may turn out okay. I'll know better when I see them." She still hopes that her Echoes will turn out well, despite being tired of being proved otherwise. Right now, she's thinking positively. Julia is called upon when someone wants a glimpse of their future or hope to see a positive path ahead of them. She does, generally, want them to get just that.

"Thorne's really struggling, the majority of them are from there." So uncertain of their future as a whole. "How are you?"

[lightkeeping]

Aloy's visits here are brief, but she tries to keep them constant, knowing that it's good to take a break from her duties every so often. Julia's forest is perfect for that kind of respite, though it belies the other woman's emotional turmoil. If she can provide some relief, even temporary...she'll do it.

"I'm okay."

She's always okay--doing her job and putting down errant demigods and answering the requests of her followers, such as they are. She knows this weighs more heavily on Julia.

"Are you taking some time for yourself?"

[unwings]

[ the goddess Wicka burns with righteous fury, a hand raised ready to rain punishment down on some foolish soul with the misfortune to cross her. The ache and bitterness in her echoes through the bond between them, and Cas feels a pull to her when it flares, as he wanders through his forest in his true form. Some days, he leaves it. There’s nothing either can do to fully mend the wounds they carry, only soothe and delay their return. Today, it twists a little too keenly in his chest.

Castiel appears with a flash of light, a rush of wind and brush of feathers against Julia’s cheek. They stand chest to chest, slightly off center, enough to leave his lips an inch from her ear. An arm caresses over her side, wrapping protectively (halting) around her waist. The edges of him blur, more a suggestion of a human form barely containing the light escaping this body’s borders, bleeding celestial energy out into this mundane plane. ]

It won’t bring you solace.

[ His whisper is a gentle breeze, ethereal and formless. This mortal is of no consequence, striking them down is fuel to the ache burning through her soul. To Cas, it appears like an act of self-harm. Unfurling, wings the colors of swirling cosmos spread while, spanning at least twenty feet as a blinding, white light forces all mortals nearby to shield their eyes and turn away. Feathers beat against the air and a small whirlwind picks up around them before they’re transported.

They appear in the shin deep, crystal-blue water of a shallow forest pool, dotted with white and pink lilies floating over the still surface, where a cool, foggy mist hovers. The tranquil quiet of the forest is only interrupted by creaking limbs swaying with the wind, birds singing for companionship, and the rustle of creatures in the underbrush. Somewhere in the distance, a stream trickled across a stone bed, tossing pebbles carelessly about with its current. Castiel leans his forehead against her temple, expands his chest against hers as he breathes in deep, trying to guide her along in slowly exhaling the chaos from their rigid forms. After a still moment, he speaks. ]

Tell me.

[ what that was really about, what’s going on inside, where the pain coils in her. ]

[divinityfrompain]

[ They are lucky she isn't a violent type of wrathful. Her punishments deal in being unable to see a path ahead of them, becoming lost and unknown in purpose, but she doesn't strike anyone down. Although that is painful in its own right, a mental damage different from physical. She can make their futures very bleak, misery beyond comprehension, and she's about to do exactly that when a flash of light gets directly in her way. She knows who it is immediately, her eyes lifting to look at him, a glowing red.

She allows intimate affection like this only for a few select people and Castiel is one of them, so she leans into his touch when he gets in her way instead of pushing him off. She sighs instead because she's been neatly neutralized and she doesn't argue with him when he whisks her away to his personal paradise.

Her hands slide up around his neck when he presses into her like that, and does give an irritated huff as he tries to make her breathe in and out to calm down. She still radiates anger that he can feel, anger and frustration and bitterness, not soothed easily by anyone's touch. ]

It's been a month with no right choices. They're getting worse. They're getting arrogant.

[ They think they can call upon her and not pay attention to the warnings surrounding her. She doesn't hide her ways. She gives choices and people know there is a potential wrong answer, that she shows pathways and some lead to lucrative but selfish directions. They each think they're exceptions somehow. They want their futures to be exceptional but sometimes that isn't the right way.

She reaches out to brush her fingers along the top of his wing, a sweet caress. ]

I'm sick of them.

[ Yet she never stops answering. ]

[unwings]

'Right choices.'

[ he repeats, leaning back with a lofted brow. julia likely knows well enough now what castiel's stance on considering themselves divine, or anything with the right to manipulate, guide, or judge the humans. who are any of them to tell another being what's right and wrong? when they're all so broken themselves.

all the ages have done is grant them power, not mended their minds and spirits. he doesn't need to revisit the same old tirade to remind her, so he leaves it at that. he'd rather bask in the sweet shiver the touch to his wings brings, letting a relaxing sigh fall into a soft hum. he trails fingers through her hair, gently carding the strands. ]

They call on you because you help them. If you stopped helping, they'd stop calling. Perhaps they'd even learn how to live on their own merits.

[ or they'd go praying to the next summoned willing to accept worship for super-powered favors. he isn't so foolish as to think all of them might stop one day, and let the mortals figure their world out on their own, as they should. but he's found peace here, disconnected from it all. he wishes those he cared for could find the same. ]

If you're sick, why keep going back?

[ Julia knows she could stay here. Anyone willing to leave the deification at the tree line is welcome in his forest, but it's so sweet a siren call to the summoned. they always end up going back, like it's them who need the mortals more than the echoes would have one believe. ]

God Thread

[divinityfrompain]

[ She's tired. It's not a matter of physical exhaustion but of spiritual exhaustion. This has been a particularly bad week in terms of the choices her worshippers have taken, bad paths they've chosen to follow rather than the good, and it's led her to have a kind of hopelessness. No matter what she does, this world still turns, her own pathway never diverges, but a part of her wishes that it would.

She sits in Solvunn, at a shrine that could be devoted to any god from the past, and she remembers what it was like to be there long ago. When she was new to all of this and seeking guidance, and now she is all this time later, still lost in a world only grown more familiar. Red hair is braided and out of the way, and the frustration deep within her heart almost pushes her to tears. For hundreds of years, she was sure she found the way. Now she finds herself at a crossroads, losing a battle only she cares about.

She kneels but doesn't remember how to pray, and does it matter, when she knows everyone who answers them now? Or she thinks she does. So she sits there, exhausted and alone, staring off into space as if she can find the answers alone. ]

[abraxasnpcs]

The Traders ◎ Patron of Heavy Thoughts

[ Her need might not be in prayer, but it is heard by the most devoted listeners of the New Order. The shrine itself is understated with two bowls placed at the base: one to deposit an item of significance and another to collect a single coin. The second bowl might appear empty at times, but it always refills when an offering is made in the first.

A large lumbering figure covered in willowy fur and tree-like antlers wanders out from behind the shrine. The eyes on the small face are kind and narrow gently in a smile that is more felt than seen. He extends a long arm and turns a closed fist upwards, slowly unfurling clawed fingers to reveal a small round coin that mirrors the ones that would appear at his shrine. ]

A coin for your thoughts, Guardian?

[divinityfrompain]

[ Julia went there hoping for something but she didn't really expect anyone, so she almost starts to tear up when the Traders move out from behind the shrine. She looks up at him, seemingly burdened with much more than meets the eye. She hesitates before reaching out and taking the coin, holding it to her chest afterward. ]

I don't know if I can keep going on. [ She admits. ] I wanted to do so much good when this all began, but I feel like all I can see is failure. Theirs, mine.

[ Humanity keeps going on the way it always has, so when did it change, that she couldn't give them the grace to fail? She's tired and she's been at this much less time with the older gods. ]

What keeps you going? Why haven't you given up?