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

Koby | OPLA | Herald of the Maiden Voyage

[kobes]

[au god info | plotting
OTA and closed starters to follow, feel free to contact me at ceedawkes]

month 1&2 (pre-awakening)

[kobes]

ota | the horizon

[kobes]

[There's no resistance to any Summoned who want to come to Koby's -- the North Star's -- domain. In fact, if someone's never been, or has been away too long, they might get a visit from one of Koby's stardust fish, appearing out of thin air and swimming around another god of the pantheon until they surrender and slip into the Horizon.

Once there, they'll find themselves on a beach, following a sandy path, accompanied by a small school of the silvery fish, all of whom vanish as swiftly as they appeared as soon as the house comes into view. It's the only building around for a good long ways, as far out as Koby's domain exists, but it's quite a welcoming place to visit.

Koby spends most of his time here, watching the ocean, waiting for echoes from his followers, entertaining visitors or venturing into their domains as well. He feels the most secure here, one of the shyer gods who usually sends his silvery fish to guide petitioners, these days. But as soon as he sees another Summoned, he'll sit up and smile welcomingly, the stardust in his hair brightening.]

Hello! It's been a while. [Maybe it has. Maybe it hasn't.]

[krakened]

[ Sandy shores and giant bodies of water are Ed's dominion, which means that's where he drifts along in the Horizon, too. He hasn't made any place of his own in particular; the sea is vast and so, his space is, too, carrying him wherever the current wants to. These days, he isn't much one for steering. Not like there's any shore he's gotta reach.

'Course, that also means sometimes, he ends up where he didn't actually plan to be.

Like. The North Star.

Ed's probably not super visible through the distant waves, but as he draws closer, Koby might recognize him as the anti-navigator (and possibly, in others' views, huge dick) who keeps fucking with people's compasses and rudders. Ed, on the other hand, absolutely recognizes Koby, though, listen, he doesn't, you know, actually hate the guy or anything; at the end of the decade, they're all kind of stuck here together and it's hard to...make mortal enemies out of people when you can barely remember what the fuck happened between you three centuries ago.

But you gotta admit: huge spoilsport. Just saying. ]

Oh, look, it's you. [ He slithers onto the sand. ] Having a little rest from being a killjoy?

[kobes]

[If asked, Koby would say something grandiose and thought-provoking about how all voyages come to his shores eventually, how that's sort of the point of being a patron of voyages. The North Star guides all, regardless of huge dick status -- clearly, since Ed's here.

There's a flat look over the top of whatever Koby's reading -- he likes to keep the legends and learnings of the Abraxan's around, finding it fascinating how the Summoned are woven through their writings. He likes their theories, their rituals and religions, even if they aren't about him. So of course he recognizes Ed. Koby's quite often called upon specifically to counteract Ed.

The sand gleams like stardust, sticking to the other Summoned's limbs, floating like a crowd around him. Annoying.] Can I help you? Maybe navigate you to some other place? Since you have so much trouble with maps. [Regardless of relative equality in age, by now, Koby's still always going to be a snarky upstart killjoy to some.]

hammock travel

[mathmetism]

[ jerry yawns and stretches in the sunny hammock swinging in the ocean breeze on koby’s front porch. He’s in pajamas: a hot pink croptop that reads "THOT" in bold, holographic lettering, some silk boxers covered in kittens barfing lasers, and unicorn slippers. Also, a neon rainbow colored, knee length, faux fur coat - per usual these day. he shuffles his way into koby's beachside domain home and beelines to the kitchen. ]

Yo, Kobbers, you got any juice?

[ jerry squints against the sunshine, hangover fierce enough it follows him into the horizon. as soon as koby rounds the corner, jerry has questions for him. ]

You ever dream about giant geese? Like, stupid huge, soulless, primordial geese, and hard as you try, you can't make yourself let go of the bread crusts in your hand.

[kobes]

[When you become a virtual deity, there's a certain level of decorum that comes with it. You're a subject of worship, people look up to you, depend upon you. It's important to behave in a way that befits that reverence.

Or so Koby believes. Jerry, it seems, never got the message.

Still half-asleep, perpetual starlight dim in the early morning light, Koby rakes a hand backwards through his hair, sending out puffs of stardust. He squints at Jerry's...ensemble, leaning against the doorway of the kitchen and blinking at the question.]

No. I can honestly say I've never dreamed about geese. [A stifled yawn, then an annoyed flick of starlight -- pointed, feeling like a jab to the ribs -- as Koby starts closing the cupboards Jerry'd left open.] Stop rummaging and sit down. I'll make you something, you don't need to make a huge mess.

Re: ota | the horizon

[tedandroses]

[Theo — for it’s an Echo that brought him here today - technically listens to echoes for and ensures the balance of all ecosystems, despite his love of the mountains and frequent appearance in moss and branches. Something about the ocean, though, never fails to inspire a little extra awe and respect (is it the vastness? the very different workings of the creatures who survive in it?). That’s as true in Koby’s Horizon as by the literal shore.

Calming, too, though.

It’s a boyish day, which like being Theo is both a mantle that can be worn and also deeply intrinsic. To anyone else’s eyes, all it means is that Teddy’s shape today skews masculine: bared skin to the waist reveals his natural strong-but-lean build favoring shoulders just a touch more; pectorals he might have grown into if a single chromosome had won a race. He’s wearing pants in some material that echoes the tan and sort of the texture of beach grasses, cuffed at the ankle, with a flowing sort of skirt-train attached at the waist that fades into blues and then white, like the waves.

(On a mission as Theo, or just Teddy hanging out: he likes to honor the environment. The usual branch-antlers are driftwood pieces, shells and barnacles perched like a wreath.)

The smile he offers to Koby’s hello would be the same in any form, at least any humanoid one: bright and echoed in his eyes]

It has... [A tiny apologetic wince.] And …I’m actually here with a question. Or — a mission. Should you choose to accept it.

[No, he has no idea why those words belong together. Where do phrases come from? They just happen.]

[kobes]

[With the advance of centuries, the slow growth of magic within Koby had impacted his body similarly -- he's mostly starlight now, softening the shape of his chest, his hips, flesh and blood adjusting to fit the way he'd always imagined himself. The change had been slow enough that he scarcely remembers what he'd appeared like before. There isn't really a before anymore, quite frankly -- just the starry slope of his shoulders lifting at the sight of -- Theo, Teddy, Theo, his mind settles --approaching.

The book he's holding is closed, set on a teetering stack -- mortal texts have remained a weakness for Koby, the new theories and ideas and developments of the human plane fascinating him even now. Then he sits up, sending the hammock he's in swaying slightly.] A mission. Sounds serious. [There's a note of amusement in the words, in the flicker of Koby's stardust fish, forming out of his aura and skipping over to greet Theo.

Standing up, sending more stardust scattering to the floor -- Koby goes through brooms like nobody's business -- he moves deeper into the house, calling over his shoulder:] You can ask while you eat something and sit down for a moment. [He's a host, first and foremost.]

ota | the feywilds

[kobes]

[Something about visiting Abraxas makes Koby feel uneasy, these days -- he's a mythical figure, capable of things that even he doesn't fully understand, and the people treat him with reverence because of that. It's strange. Had he wanted that? No. Yes. He can't remember.

The Fey are different, though -- they're polite, but not deferentially so, and Koby's won points over the centuries by carefully guiding humans away from the deeper, more dangerous parts of the wilds. So he feels more at peace here, more welcome to explore the winding woods that even 800 years where did that number come from? Why put a timeline on eternity? can't make him a complete expert of.

When the Echoes come, Koby feels it in his marrow, the stardust at his fingertips forming into his fishy messengers, ready to swim out and guide petitioners to safety. But he pauses at the sight of -- another Summoned, another god, letting the fish swim slow circles around his fingers. After a cautious moment, a smile.]

If you're the one who's lost, I'm going to laugh.

[thedreamer]

[ Of all the lands he frequently travels, the Doctor doesn't visit the Fey very often. Not for any reason apart from Julia being fond of this area and it allows her time and space away from him. They both need it.

But in the end, the things that have remained true about him include his almost ravenous spirit of adventure, his curiosity almost incapable of being tamed. All the lands here belong to him in one way or another, he feels. He's their protector, after all. He guards the stars themselves, and every corner of the land they shine their beautiful light on.

So it's with intention, if not purpose, that he finds himself here today. ]

I think I have been quite a while now. You took your time answering me!

[ A teasing smile after only a moment's pause. ]

[kobes]

[Koby's not entirely sure how long it's been -- time is weird, these days, ages of time passing by in what feels like moments, months slipping through his fingers. It's been long enough that seeing the Doctor has Koby's chest going tight with nostalgia, with remembering, has him smiling genuine and warm.

The silvery little fish seem pleased as well, skipping forward and frolicking around the Doctor like they're happy to see him. Perhaps they are -- Koby certainly seems to be.]

I thought you'd sort yourself out eventually. It's good to see you, though, even if I'm still sure you could've found your way eventually. [A moment of hesitation, then, softer:] It's been a while.

[wwrench]

Time must pass differently for them all, just as it might have when the majority of them still thought themselves human. There are days when the tall man still feels closer to that reality than this one, and decades when he can hardly seem to remember a time when he didn't appear as he is now. The man once called Wrench is still, by most appearances, a man. Not that he appears very often as such outside the reaches of his own little realm. Those who beseech him are greeted by something different entirely: scavengers. Sometimes just one, and sometimes a small pack of the animals, appearing as some hybrid of hyena and jackal, or jackal and wolf, or a thing that is somehow all and none simultaneously.

They aren't with him now. Alone, Wrench is still tall. Taller than he's ever been, and willowy too. With leaves in his mop of hair, he could almost pass for just another trunk of another gnarled tree, until he moves. He does so quickly when the glittering fish catch and glint in the sunlight, and he turns his gaze on Koby.

"Lost" assumes I have somewhere else I'm trying to be.

The words seem to form around him, emanating in a way that's clearly of him, even if not from him.

[northerndragon]

[When he arrives, Jon is surprised to find Koby already there. He has come because someone is calling for help leading their family out of the woods, though he need not be the only one who can help him.]

No, not me. You here to aid that family?

closed | for diana

[kobes]

[It's been a while -- it's been a while with everyone, and Koby knows that. Part of him is guilty, but another part is just tired. Tired on a deep, unsettling level that he hasn't felt in centuries. Maybe that's what prompts it -- thinking about those early centuries, how when his powers had first grown, they were in tandem with Diana's, how the Abraxans would call on them simultaneously. How it felt to be part of a pantheon, him and the other Summoned whose powers were from the stars.

So that's why he sends the message, his first in years:]

Are you busy right now?

[monomachy]

[Diana never thought she would be a part of a pantheon. She had been a god on her own for so long that it had never occurred to her that it could change. But with the ascension of the other Summoned to godhood, suddenly she wasn't alone anymore. And it had been... nice. Especially when there were others who had domains similar to her own. Suddenly, it seemed, there were festivals and worshipers, and she hadn't known what to do with herself for all the attention.

But Koby had been there with her, and she had been grateful for the company while trying to learn how to navigate the sudden influx of echos. But he had eventually gone his own way, which had made her equal parts sad an satisfied. So when she receives his message, she's surprised, but pleased. Her response only takes a few minutes.]

Not at all. How are you?

for clarisse

[kobes]

[While tending to be more reclusive, only coming out at night or when called on by his petitioners, there are a few things that can get Koby out of his Domain and into some other Summoned's. Usually it's a friendly visit, checking in on one of his friends or allies to make sure they're doing well.

Occasionally it's a little more aggressive, Koby just sort of barging his way in and yelling, in a general way:] Are you eating my fish guides?!

[areou]

( when koby barges in, clarisse is in her dragon form, curled around some massive tree jutting up from the mountain they call olympus, but as soon as he speaks — accuses her — she suddenly assumes a slightly more human form, mostly so she doesn't accidentally bite his head off, which she had been feeling very inclined to do several seconds ago. )

Oh, you mean these? ( she isn't going to deny it. she's caught two starry little fish by the tails, where they flop uselessly trying to free themselves from her iron grip. traces of starlight line her lips like powder; these are clearly not the first. she throws her head back and swallows the two fish whole, all while staring directly at koby with a sharp, smug smile. ) They taste better fire-roasted, less wriggling on the way down.

for hilda

[kobes]

[Usually when they meet, it's somewhere in the Feywilds, when some poor, innocent human has gotten lost and Koby's been called upon to guide them home. There are any number of reasons that someone could've gotten lost -- the woods aren't exactly hospitable to humans, and Fey are known to play tricks.

Sometimes, though, when Koby appears with his little stardust fish, he has a pretty good idea of who's responsible. There's an element of...chaos to it that's pretty damn identifiably --] Hilda? I know you're here.

[theidlemaiden]

[ All the world's a stage! It's a saying commonly heard amongst Valentine's followers whether or not they're actually embroiled in the arts or not. The point is that it's meant to encourage play and fun - and of course, the occasional mischievousness.

Or maybe more considering she is the patron of performance.

Hilda knows that it's only a matter of time until Koby arrives, but she has her fun until then, transforming into various fey creatures to lead the poor soul a little off of where they're trying to go. And sure enough...

He'll hear a little sigh near his ear as a faerie resplendent in pastels comes and really no longer than a mortal's pinky comes to perch on his shoulder. ]

Have you come to scold me? I haven't done anything wrong!

month 3 (awakening)

[kobes]

ota | waking up

[kobes]

[When it comes, everything in Koby rejects it. The sudden recollection -- who he was, who he is, no matter how many years have passed -- is jarring, alarming, upsetting. He doesn't want to be small and helpless and terrified again. He doesn't want to give up everything.

For the first time in centuries (maybe), Koby's out in Abraxas, in the Godlands, not quite in his domain, pacing back and forth and biting at his nails. Stardust comes leaking out, not forming the familiar silvery fish shape, but tendrils that go darker and thicker with every moment that passes. He feels too hot, too cold, he feels too much, and he can feel it under his skin like flames.

When approached, he'll recoil, the stardust going brighter, searingly hot, until he pulls it back with an effort. Throat working, body stiff, he manages:] Don't. Don't -- touch me. I'm not going. I'm not going back.

in-between | the 800 years

[kobes]

for steve

[kobes]

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

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

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

[hairington]

[ one of the things that steve has started to notice slipping is that feeling of needing to know how, or why, or when, he comes across the other summoned. how, or why, or when they really start to know each other. to be friends. a lot of the time it has more to do with consistency, with presence, with the fact that as the years continue to add up, the only real people they have are each other.

he and koby end up in a lot of the same rooms, a lot of the same places, trying for a lot of the same things. helping people, even when they're not the strongest, or the fastest. steve is fairly sure there were times where he stepped in to help koby, and just as many where koby stepped in to help him. either way, what matters, is that they're here - where steve is in his horizon, his the sleeves pulled up to his elbows, bent over the hood of his car. there's no real reason for this, considering it's the horizon and his car will always be working if that's what he wants, but it is something he's picked up from geralt and dean over the years. something to do with his hands.

it's not the first time either of them have found the other in their domains, so steve isn't all that surprised to hear koby's voice ringing out. hey! i got it! and steve is straightening from where he'd been bent over the engine, reaching for a dirtied rag and wiping his hands. ]

Huh? What'dya mean? [ steve can tell koby's excited, but he's still trying to catch up on why, or what about. echoes? ]