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

Alucard | Castlevania | Guardian of Architectonics

[cryptsleeper]

Plotting post | AU information
The Look: the face | the body, featuring various voids
ota and closed threads below, please contact me on the plotting post or via DMs for specifics or otherwise hash stuff out

Months 1-2

[cryptsleeper]

OTA | Instability aka: whoops maybe making a demigod

[cryptsleeper]

[I’m already long lived, I don’t need anything in addition to it.

The idea of godhood, apotheosis, ascension, whatever term one wished to use, Alucard hated it. He was a dhampir. His life had been marked by religion taking things away. Too many gods poked holes in Abraxas as it was. Becoming a part of that group, the risk of faith and followers who might behave who-knows-how in the name of Ţepeş?

There was only one ethical option so far as Alucard could see it, and it was refusal. If he did not embrace the thing, then he could continue as it was supposed to be, and none would be hurt.

Except here, now, the theory is not holding true. He’s dropped deadlines for clients paying for new designs, certain that there were two weeks more time and not that he was a month overdue. Sitting anywhere for too long has been impossible. The whole new world of the headache has come for the dhampir, and the pain feels like having his chest ripped open with the claws of a beast.

It’s when blood leaks from his fingertips without there being a cut that Alucard excuses himself from civilization. Runs to the Badlands, certain that there’s no good in being around others, knowing that whatever it is, he cannot be around people for it.

He’s beside a giant rock formation that has weathered over time to look like a set of teeth, one hand digging into the stone itself to support his weight, the other dripping bright red blood.

Every so often, he lets out a groan or a muffled screech, unsure how the sound will carry or if there is anyone around.]

OTA | Horizon

[cryptsleeper]

[Alucard’s Horizon remains unchanged, unless he is forced to act as the god this place has forced him into. He hates it, and so the dhampir keeps things as they were whenever possible.

The Horizon is small - just a forest locked in late autumn, brightly colored leaves still clinging to the trees. Rains fall gently, resulting in low lying mist. Somewhere, deep in the forest, a fireplace burns.

He walks the forest more often now, dropping the guise of humanity and accepting that other meanings have been ascribed to him. Voids shift through Alucard’s body - sometimes his arm bones show, others his chest, others still a portion of his skull, stained glass for eyes staring back - and he moves as if it is the most normal thing in the world.

He expects wanderers every so often, but knows that there’s usually a cause to send someone to his Domain.]

Is this an emergency or a social call?

OTA | A mortal guise, Lunae Settlement

[cryptsleeper]

[For this human lifetime, Alucard takes to the Lunae Settlement, presenting himself with brown hair, rounder cheeks, and healthier looking skin, claiming to have been born in the Free Cities as a traveling merchant but having drifted away some time ago. He’s an amateur builder, and he’s willing to help construct whatever needs to be constructed. It’s a part time job at best, and so he works side gigs too, aware that he’s an observer, always. When there’s rituals, he stays away. He’s happy enough to sit quietly in an inn or a story telling circle though, listening. Never commenting.

If spotted by another Summoned during such a moment, especially documenting past summoned exploits, he’ll only offer a thin smile.]

I admit, I like this version more.

[spiritread]

[ Jinora's "last life" had ended many years ago. Her current form being that of a traveling child from a certain village isn't abnormal to see her in. In fact, outside of the Horizon and answering duties, she spends most of her time in this way - even answering what she can. ]

[ It's easier to feel connected like this. Especially with the last traces of her long memory being of a life similar - of a people similar. She clings to it, as much as the morality it brings her. Traveling and helping others a core part of her role, as a person (as a god). ]

[ But she likes it like this - where she can listen. Where she can feel the lives of others and hear their stories. Even if in moments like this she scrunchs her nose up in consideration. Tilts her head at the older god's suggestion as she thinks: ]

It wasn't... very accurate. [ She finds the words as she thinks: ] Are you sure you didn't like it because it was more dramatic? I don't remember it like that.

[ Albeit, maybe she doesn't really remember it at all. ]

[cryptsleeper]

The emotions of it were right.

[Alucard will be the first to admit that this bias is probably 100% a product of befriending Jaskier very early on into his time in Abraxas. But even before then, he's at least been aware of the powers of an oral history. It was the specialty of the Speakers, who carried stories as a part of their bloodline. Some favored correct emotion, others the facts. It was all a matter of balance.]

But that's also a bias of my preferences, nothing more or less.

[spiritread]

... So for you the emotions outweigh the meaning?

[ She asks with genuine curiosity. The meaning they conveyed here was far lighter than what actually happened, after all, wasn't it? Something of an adventure comedy - it feels different. ]

Well.

They enjoyed it — that's the important part.

OTA | A mortal guise, Old Public Hall

[cryptsleeper]

Stand over to the left, the sound will carry better.

[There is a blessed nostalgia in organizing an event in Old Public Hall. The place is reliable. Known. It’s like settling into a well loved armchair. And standing in the middle of the hall, in the guise of a slightly fashionable business manager, Alucard feels as close to the Alucard that arrived in Abraxas some...never mind how many centuries ago. He’s working to make an event happen for Hilda, who’s having her own stint as a person right now. The only thing that could make it feel more like the oldest days would be Jaskier showing up on the stage.

A possibility he hasn’t ruled out entirely, but that’s neither here nor there. There’s movement. The sound works. Alucard nods in quiet approval, and then steps off to the side to drink in the space.

Nothing’s changed. He’s seen to that, of course, ensuring that it has survived.

Yet sitting on the stage, watching set up go by, there’s a different sort of ache. He exhales softly, aware that it can be heard and finding no shame in it.]

Closed | Hilda

[cryptsleeper]

Before you look at the drawings, I just want to be clear that this is about me having a version of something from home, not me dismissing your skills or your genuinely remarkable designs.

[Alucard has never, not once in his life, been worried about showing someone else his designs. He has had plenty of time to be confident in his work. And yet asking if Hilda would forge him a sword? And if he might provide the design?

Well, that was a terror.

Not for any concern of artistic skills or ability or anything untoward. It was the knowledge that in asking that she forge a version of the sword he left back in Wallachia ages ago, he was requesting something beyond basic. An insult to her skill and art. He was being, in a word, basic.

Still, he hands over the designs, aware of their simplicity.

Then waits.

[theidlemaiden]

[ It might have only taken about 800 years for Hilda to find her footing and confidence when it came to the art of craft, but at least she had gotten there. And with that confidence came the curious bought of prickliness that came when she suspected people were going to be dismissive of the work she was clearly putting in.

It's not that she doesn't welcome feedback during the design process. Whatever she's making has to clearly work for whoever it is that will be wielding it. But even her typical easy going nature can't prevent her from hiding the little furrow forming between her brows.

As he prefaces the wings along the side of her head flare back a little, fluttering in annoyance but she takes the sketch from him all the same, eyes flitting over the design. When she finally glances back up, pink eyes flash a hint of red before smoothing back into its usual pink hue. ]

...That's it? That's all you want?

[cryptsleeper]

[Alucard's impressed. Even a few decades ago he'd be getting truly yelled at.]

Externally, yes.

[He does not like the movement of those wings one little bit. Alucard knows that the explanation is the important part, and so he turns the drawings over and over until there are only words on the page, the sheet titled S-001 SPECIFICATIONS

And it's an actual list. A proper one.]

The sword I had back home was a remarkable example of the art of the forge, although externally it did not look especially unique. I had a connection to it that allowed me to wield it with only a thought. I could be on the other side of the room, extend my hand, and have it fly over in a single flash of silver. I could throw it from my jaws as wolf and it would still find purchase in the intended target.

That's what I'm asking for.

[theidlemaiden]

[ Play his cards incorrectly and he still might get yelled at. It's difficult to say, really.

But she does remind herself at the very least that this is something that he's asked her for with no shortage of nerves. And as much as she was really enjoying her own designs (and feeling good about them with few nerves to taint that had taken centuries to overcome), this wasn't going to be her sword to wield.

Dramatic as ever however her pout remains all the same even as she tugs the schematics towards her. A quick skim has her coming to a conclusion that she already knew: they were sound. And wouldn't be that difficult to accomplish. ]

And you want it so that you can only wield it still, right?

CLOSED | Divine Meet and Greet

[cryptsleeper]

[The new settlement of the Lunae is shaping up nicely. Alucard can say that much from his current vantage point, a rocky outcropping with a good enough look into the distance. That it has needed to come about at all, however, still sits ill with him. The fact that someone's selfish attempt to undo the good fortune and collaboration found in Oleuni Square was eventually successful sticks in his craw. It was working. And yet in expressing concerns over one thing, that carefully constructed thing came tumbling down.

He's aware few remember or care about the particulars of the situation. Alucard knows that his father's people were capable of holding grudges for centuries (and inspiring others to do the same such as in the case of the Belmonts), and that there's no reason for this to weigh heavily on his shoulders.

But it does, just as watching the behavior of his fellow Summoned does. The dumb, spiteful nonsense that spirals out of control due to what he's come to label as a) being bored b) not being especially well suited for a long lifespan c) natural tendencies towards drama and d) not thinking about the impact of one's actions on others.

His fingers draw idle lines in the dirt as he watches a roof put on a new dwelling.

There's been his own moments of petty annoyance and outrage, especially at the start of the ascension process. Denial and anger really, his feelings on gods and religion never kept a secret. It resulted in demigods, and there's no pride in that. He can't even clean up that mess, as it has been learned that such creatures cannot be destroyed by their ancestor.

It'd be nice if there were easy ways to clean up after other Summoned, or prevent things before they happened. But to do so required being Involved in a way that demands selflessness and sacrifice that Alucard has refused to engage with since his father's death murder passing. He doesn't want that again. But none of them have cracked the code of keeping each other in a general sense of check, even to just limit the harm done to each other.

Alucard exhales. His fingers keep drawing their idle lines.

There's other things he's never figured out. If this apotheosis was the New Day the fae spoke of. If godhood was sped up by Josselyn Creed and her misguided ritual. If there are ways to keep other Summoned in line on a personal level, because he's starting to truly worry about Viktor.

He picks his fingers up out of the dirt, wiping them idly on his trouser leg. There's the distant and pleasant cacophony of construction. It is enough to still his thoughts, at least for now.]

[abraxasnpcs]

Innominate ◎ Guardian of the Nameless

[ A heavy scent of a dying fire wafts through the town. Mortals might look up and around to try and find its source, but only Alucard is capable of seeing the imposing figure that companies it. A ghastly humanoid form with melting candles on his back, Innominate regards his junior with an eyeless gaze. ]

Lost souls will find themselves in my path.

[ His voice holds the hiss of a freshly lit wick when he speaks. He lowers his chin. ]

They are usually mortals. You seek answers. I can sense it.

[cryptsleeper]

[Alucard knows the smell of a dying fire in the fireplace well enough. On a long, cold night, it isn't welcome. On a warmer one, out in the desert and under the stars, it is only a sign to rest. The scent should not be present in the middle of the day, far from where the Lunae-folk are working and there's no one else to...

oh.

He has the good manners to stand up, comfortable as the ground is.]

I did not mean to interrupt the course of your work with idle thoughts. My apologies.

[The dhampir is well aware he's kept his distance from the other deities who are now technically his peers, even if he doesn't wish to engage in that line of thought. Truth be told, now he just feels awkward, wanting to be polite and respectful and offer outs while realizing that perhaps yes, perspective might be needed.]

You're not under any obligation to offer answers, unless you wish to. Most of what I ruminate on these days is more akin to wondering how much self-regulation is possible among those still adjusting to long lifsespans.

[abraxasnpcs]

[ Innominate steeples his fingers together as if in prayer. His face is difficult to read with only the edges of his mouth flexing as he speaks, but he still closes his lips as much as they can as he considers Alucard's words. ]

No. The meandering thoughts of men are often trivial.

[ He delivery is blunt as it always has been. ]

If I did not want to be here I would not.

[ Innominate lower his hands to rest above his midsection. ]

Self-regulate in what way? The ascension? It is unavoidable.

Month 3

[cryptsleeper]

Closed | CATALYST - Astarion

[cryptsleeper]

[This lifetime, Alucard has gone back to basics in his appearance, which is to say he simply looks like the 20-something dhampir that first arrived in Abraxas, all long blonde hair with a particular taste for low cut shirts that show off an ample chest. His work for the past decade has been entirely focused on the preservation of historic buildings, allowing for greater freedom to travel between territories. Adrian Sorin, preservation consultant. There’s enough of a reputation for steady work, and there’s always some sad building that needs some attention.

Ikorr has enough historic buildings to provide work for three lifetimes, so far as Alucard can tell. He’s done enough work there to feel confident in his assessment, and his new project is no exception. A research institution with a large library turning four hundred and whose facades are beginning to weather worryingly. At least two decorative elements have fallen off, one maiming a visitor.

Alucard knows his own work habits and pace, so he requested a full week to examine every square inch of the exterior. Very well. We can give you our visiting scholar residencies as accommodations. It’s a townhouse two blocks from the museum building. If you need to bring an assistant, please feel free.

Astarion isn’t an assistant. The invitation Alucard offers is instead just a chance to lounge in a fancy house for a week and hang out in Ikorr, whatever that looks like. There’s a comfortable level of oscillation between friendship and something more intimate that’s welcome, no matter what shape it takes. And right now, it looks like Alucard draped on a richly upholstered antique sofa with clawed feet and elaborate carvings of Ikorr’s fauna, head tilted back. The apartment is nice, baroque-esque without feeling overwhelming, making Alucard’s plain black trousers and light grey shirt stand out in contrast.

He’s not sure where Astarion is. And frankly, the sofa is far too comfortable for him to extract himself from. So after a few moments of becoming all too comfortable, Alucard calls out:]

I’m back.

[ancunin]

[ Astarion doesn't share his companion's desire to slip in and out of mortal life like this. He does, however, understand it's important to Alucard to do these things though - and so when the invitation comes to play 'assistant' he obliges to keep him company. More than that, sometimes. The casual intimacy they've kept up for these centuries is an exception for Astarion these days, in stark contrast to his many past flings. There's a quiet comfort in Alucard's company that makes it uncomplicated, even if it hardly began that way. Some separate darkness in their pasts that overlapped, which he can no longer remember and no longer cares to try to recall.

He does not bother to disguise himself within the apartment. He hardly likes doing it outside, but for Alucard's sake he uses a glamour that makes the gaze of other vampires slide away from him, keeps them from retaining any identifying details about Alucard's 'assistant'. If there's a party in Ikorr that he feels like attending (also more rare these days), he simply goes as himself. The Ikorrans are similar to the Fey, hardly cowed by a god walking amidst them.

Astarion hears Alucard return, but he's too entranced with a new device he'd acquired for the apartment - a sun globe to bother greeting the dhampir just yet. The delicate glass object glows brightly like it's namesake, the enchantments on it filling the room with false sunlight. The neverending dark of Ikorr is still sometimes too much for him.

Eventually, maybe a minute or two after Alucard announces himself, Astarion saunters out of the other room, wearing only his underthings beneath an exquisite robe. ]

How goes the library work? [ he asks, arching an eyebrow and leaning against the doorframe. ] Anyone else maimed today?

[ He says this like he might find that exciting. Some things haven't changed too much. ]

[cryptsleeper]

To your eternal disappointment, no.  [Alucard's gaze drifts over to Astarion, the exhaustion on his face lingering as he considers the current state of dress of his companion.]  Close though, and I am certain that I'll be done acting as a consultant at the end of the week.

[The robe looks new.  It is new or there has been additional embroidery work applied to it, and at the moment Alucard cannot quite determine which.  The effect is that it makes him look all-too-at-home in their temporary lodgings, and within that thought there's probably some joke about curtains matching drapes.  Maybe Jaskier would have an infinitely better means of approaching it.  

He's all set to ask when he notices the warm glow from the room Astarion just emerged from.  That's new, and Alucard sits upright just a little bit more in an attempt to see what it is.]  What's in there?  

[ancunin]

[ Astarion rolls his eyes, though with more fondness than offense taken. ]

So soon! How lucky they are to have you...

[ This too he actually genuinely means, even if there's a teasing lilt to his tone. A week is nothing to them now, though he'll still have to find other ways to entertain himself. The thing about the Ikorrans is that they tend not to need his services, and although over the centuries he's toyed with the idea of finding a way to offer them resistance to the sun - he's come to the sobering conclusion that it would take a concert of godly blessings to accomplish. And even if they should succeed, giving the Ikorrans free rein across the continent might, well, alarm other territories.

Which brings him to his new toy - ]

They call them sun globes. [ He motions toward the light from the room, encouraging Alucard to get up and look if he wishes. The robe isn't new, and the elegant embroidery seen when he moves his arm is clearly the wearer's fine work. ] They are enchanted in such a clever way as to make it seem as though the room is lit from sunlight streaming through the window... a bit disorienting if you do look out the window, though...

[ Because it's still dark as the hells out there. ]

Closed | REAWAKENING - Viktor

[cryptsleeper]

[The scale of the truth takes time to accept as reality. They all need the grace of time for that, to work through the roiling waves of emotion that come with being told the past 800 years have been a lie, have fun! 800 years of lives lived, relationships formed and broken, the rise and fall of rulers and of each other’s standing in the world. Alucard hates it as much as anyone, the bitter sting of knowing so many of his problems are, in fact, not in the past but still so very present. And his problems were always small compared to that of others.

It’s the thought of Viktor that snaps the dhampir out of his own bargaining with himself to make it all not true. Viktor who began to replace parts of himself because of his health. Viktor who achieved the unique combination of god and machine. Viktor who will absolutely refuse to accept this and proceed to do something deeply, shockingly, terrifyingly dangerous in pursuit of....

No matter.

Alucard arrives as a man, aware that he might need to shed the form. It’s impossible to know what to expect. He simply announces himself with a loud, panicked iteration of Viktor’s name, followed by:] Where are you?

[techmaturgy]

[The world hasn't quite fallen apart yet, not for Viktor, though it's starting to fray at the seams. While the full realization hasn't come (thanks in part to his staunch resistance to it), he's begun to understand that something is not right.

It must be his own augmentations--perfected as they are, Viktor knows he is not without flaw. There are always improvements to be made; so he'll see if it helps, and then go from there.

Viktor does not respond, even as the little chime that alerts him to a guest rings. Alucard will know where to go, deep into the laboratory, where he houses the perfected version of the Hexcore. Viktor stands over it now, arms braced on either side of its containment table, his stillness belying the fact that he's most certainly about to do something unadvisable.]

[cryptsleeper]

[Silence is the worst answer.

Alucard begins his descent into the depths of the workshop, shedding his skin as easily as any of his other transformations. A large void ghosts over his hands, showing bones studded with little pieces of bright blue glass in between every little space available. It passes through his chest, over his face for a moment so that his eye sockets are two rose windows, and then flesh reappears as if nothing has changed at all.

No part of Alucard is surprised to see Viktor near the Hexcore.

No part of Alucard is surprised by his own voice as it lets out a single, all too authoritative:]

Don't.

[He faintly remembers his father using it before, when explaining the human theory that vampires could compel people to do things against their will. If he ever had occasion to use it, it would be now.]