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

month 3

[funbreaker]

— ✦ jon

[funbreaker]

While Aegis will periodically perch atop the ice wall to keep a closer eye on what takes place in what is left of Thorne, in that small bit of land that they've clung to, it isn't often that he enters the territory itself. Yet Jon has asked this of him, mentioning that there is a mortal there who has entreated him for help and who he wishes to meet with in some form.

Direct interaction with mortals can be a difficult thing for their kind, and surely Jon knows this, but Aegis isn't going to stop him if that's what he wants. Or perhaps he plans to simply watch the mortal's actions and take measure of his convictions up close, and then make his final decision.

But if this person hopes to reunite Thorne and the Velan Republic, Aegis cannot help but feel some sort of unease about it. The decisions that mortals make, the politics and negotiations they engage in, the wars they fight — it is not for the gods to be too involved in these things. And yet...

Well, they will see. For now they trek down a less well-worn road, the bright and jagged ice wall looming in the distance. He could spread his wings and they would be there in an instant, but he has gathered that Jon is like him, appreciating the journey as much as anything else. So they range forward at a measured pace.

"What will you do when you find him?" He can't help but ask.

[northerndragon]

Jon shrugs, another unnecessary gesture. He does like the journey, and he likes the reminder that some things are not so easy for all who attempt them: that when a man wants to get from one place to another, sometimes he might have nothing other than his feet.

Sometimes Jon misses having sore and tired feet. It means that they touched the ground, the good green earth. It does not do to always hover above it.

"Talk to him, might be." After a pause, he adds, "There's more than the usual number of people asking for this sort of aid. I don't know why. And last week, I saw a puppet show about me and Claire. One thing I remember about being a boy... it's hard to remember everything anymore... but one thing I remember is that I wanted people to sing songs of my deeds. But when they do, it's different than you thought it would be." Why, he can't recall, only that he had regretted it.

"If this lad only wants a song, it might be better not to give him what he seeks."

[funbreaker]

"A puppet show."

Aegis would have expected something a bit more momentous for a tale about gods, but on the other hand, they don't have much control over how the mortals view or portray them. He's sure there are tales told about him and his sister, and he knows there are stories and myths exchanged regarding him and the Triad he makes up with the All-Seer and Stráedelaith, but he tries not to think too hard on all that.

Still, he understands the point that Jon is making. "You want to be certain he isn't in it only for the glory of it all."

A fair point, to be sure. Aegis is glad to help Jon understand the true intentions of this mortal, though if there are others who are also wishing to rebuild Thorne, he finds that curious as well.

They have a bit to go still, so as they walk along, he can't help but ask with a sidelong glance in Jon's direction: "This puppet show. What was it like?"

[northerndragon]

He tips his head to the side, thoughtful.

"The glory, or to play the lord. If he has more care for himself than his people, helping him would be a kindness to no one. Why should Thorne rise under someone who can't understand why it fell to begin with? Anyway, if I am undecided about him, might be that you can help me decide."

He would not punish a child for a childish whim; he might punish someone more grown who had a secret desire in his heart to have men kneel to him.

"As to the puppet show, they seem to travel about to different festivals. They seem to have made up their own tale, too, but that's how it always is: tales grow in the telling. They had me running in as a wolf-man wielding a sword as big as my body, protecting her from bandits." He laughs. Claire needs no protection from bandits. They had been walking together one day when she pulled him in for a kiss -- that was how it had started, nothing like the sort of thing that makes for a good show, a rescue, an adventure. And while he has adherents, and shrines, he doesn't mind the telling of that sort of tale. He finishes, a bit teasing, "Don't tell me you wish you had one too."

[funbreaker]

Aegis considers himself a decent judge of character and is willing to assist Jon in making this decision if he finds he is uncertain in any way. He can't help but be flattered that Jon thought to ask him at all; it must mean that he trusts his input.

That will all have to wait until they arrive, however, and so it is simple enough to fall into other topics of conversation for now.

Aegis laughs in turn with Jon as he describe the puppet show, shaking his head as he can only assume that the truth of it was quite different. Of course the story would be twisted into a fantastical tale that would excite children.

"Who's to say I don't have one and simply haven't seen it?" he teases back without missing a beat. "I may have to go out of my way to find out now, however. I'd like to see how creative the mortals are with it."

As they continue down the well-traveled road, they reach a bend in the path, allowing them a proper look at the ice wall in all its glory. Aegis has traveled here many times over the years, so he doesn't give it more than a passing glance as he continues forward.

[northerndragon]

He's still chuckling with Thancred -- Aegis -- as they round the bend. It might be that this journey was simply an excuse to spend some time with a friend, one whose company he enjoys. But as the ice wall comes into view,

as the ice wall comes into view,

as the ice wall comes into view,

the smile dies, and Jon stops where he is, reeling.

This -- how could he have forgotten this?

When the words come out of him, they are only faint.

"This was a mistake. I ought not to have -- "

— ✦ alucard

[funbreaker]

[ It's happened a number of times now. First with Jon at the ice wall, then with Kell at the hospital where Nott used to be, then with Azem on the Isle of the Lost, and finally with Ciri. Memories of Ryne had led to the final crack in his mind. The realization that he'd forgotten the person who meant the most to him was solid proof that something was very, very wrong.

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

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

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

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

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

[cryptsleeper]

[It has been a very stressful series of events, starting in Ikorr and devolving from there. The first threat of realization had been with Astarion and a nasty returned memory, and the more Alucard had tried to shove the thought aside, the more cracks he began to see in the sky. Retreating to the Horizon felt correct. It was. Things could be shoved aside.

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

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

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

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

You look like shit.

[funbreaker]

[ Thancred's stumble forward could have been worse. He doesn't quite keep his balance, but he manages to land on one knee, which slams hard into the wooden slats of the porch. He catches himself there, dignified as he can manage, and avoids sprawling out entirely into a fall.

It's only then that he realizes Alucard is right there, sitting in a rocking chair with a mug of soup like a grandmother.

(Then again, all of them are so, so much older than they should be—)

The pain behind Thancred's eyes only seems to worsen. What a day (week, month, year, eon) it's been. He blinks a few times, as if that will help clear the ache, and then looks up to make proper eye contact with Alucard. ]

Have I ever told you how much I appreciate your honesty?

[ He doesn't make an attempt to hide the biting sarcasm as he catches his breath. ]

Please tell me you say what I see. In the sky.

[cryptsleeper]

A few times. It's nice to hear though, especially because the only other thing people seem to appreciate about me these days is either violence or the magical properties of my ribs.

[Alucard gestures to a rocking chair beside him, making it very clear that Thancred is more than welcome here and now.]

A giant crack in the sky and the awareness that we're watching the world end? I see it. Geralt made me into soup to force the matter, which I have some mixed emotions about.

me cringing as i reread my previous tag and see a typo

[funbreaker]

[ Violence and the magical properties of ribs. Those are some interesting things to be known for, let alone appreciated for, but Thancred isn't going to question it. The way they've existed for the past handful of centuries is starting to sink in as he questions if any of it was even real in the first place.

There is another rocking chair, though, and it looks far too inviting in this moment. With a groan, Thancred pushes himself up, his wings shifting behind him to redistribute his weight and help him balance. It takes some maneuvering of the wings to sit comfortably in the chair, but he manages. ]

Made you into soup? [ He echoes the words with a confused huff, but he already feels better being with someone else who's seeing and experiencing the same as him. ] I'm not sure I follow.

[cryptsleeper]

[Alucard gets up to fetch another cup of broth from inside. It feels like the warmest, coziest drink option all things considered, and when he returns outside, he can see how awkward the chair is in contrast to Thancred's wings. He offers the cup.]

Please feel free to modify the chair to your comfort.

[As for the rest? Well. Alucard settles back down before elaborating.]

It turns out that because my bones are associated with memory keeping and structure, taking one out and boiling it to make broth helps restore recollections. Geralt knew this, and when I expressed some acknowledgement if the situation but not full clarity, hedged his bets about being right and more or less dared me to drink soup from one of my own bones. If he was wrong, then the only problem was a little self cannibalism.

[He sighs, shaking his head.]

I know it sounds like madness.

— ✦ kell

[funbreaker]

First there was the moment at the ice wall when Jon seemed to suddenly remember something from back, far back, from before Abraxas. And then, Aegis' own moment with Azem where they felt the potent absence of something (someone) at the Isle of the Lost and wondered how they could have ever forgotten something of such importance.

Naturally, he's suspicious. There is something more to this. More than that, he's seen strange flashes among the clouds this past day or so, even if he doesn't quite know what they are yet.

When he comes across Mara in the godlands, he asks him if he's had any strange experiences or sudden returning memories, but earns little more than a confused stare in response. It almost makes Aegis wonder if he should leave it at that — perhaps he's the one losing his mind and his grip on reality — but his gut feeling tells him that's not the case.

"Come with me, then. Let me show you something."

There's a memory that's leaked through among all this, which is that there's a particular hospital that was important to both of them, nestled in the Velan Republic.

Somewhere, Mara's voice echoes in his mind: Do they even know who started it?

As they walk up to the hospital, which is still kept up to date and functional by the mortals who run it, Aegis turns to watch Mara's face, his bright-white eyes piercing into him.

"... There's something about this place, isn't there?"

[blackeyedprince]

The question Aegis asks him leaves Mara confused but intrigued. Like a loose thread at the edge of his shirt, he keeps poking at it. Then they go to Nott. The city is special to him, even if the exact reasons why have long ago slipped out of his memory.
So he follows, curious, suspecting nothing. He knows its every single back alley. What can exist there that Aegis might show him the he hasn't seen before. How can it connect to strange memories he speaks of. Mara has had no unexplainable flashes of past events. He's as unbothered as he usually is.

Then they come upon a building that makes him understand what Aegis had in mind. It's one of the old one. Practically ancient, if he were to judge it simply from its architecture. Surprisingly well preserved for a thing this old in a city that prides itself on its resilience and adaptivity. That has no qualms with tearing down the artifacts of the bygone eras to make room for the new. Yet this one stands, preserved, maintained what truly looks as its original form.

It's a hospital, and not just any hospital, and he completely missed it.

Mara stares at it in silence, unaware his appearance changes in response to the sudden revelation. His eyes flicker between golden and a pair of mismatched ones, blue and black.

"I know this place."

[funbreaker]

The hospital truly does stand out for its sheer age. Regardless of what has changed around it, due to political upheavals or simply the changing times, this one building has remained the same. It's the sort of place that people new to the city might stop and admire for its resilience, or that might feature on a tour of the area as a notable landmark.

All normal enough things for a building that has been around this long, but the significance of it is something that Aegis hasn't been able to shake from his mind. As soon as he'd realized Mara was somehow part of it, he'd known the only option was to bring him here. At least Mara has been a decent sport about playing along.

Now that they're here, though, his demeanor is quite different. There's a tension in the air, like a storm cloud that's about to burst.

That shift in Mara's eyes is strange, and Aegis isn't certain what to make of it. He doesn't think he's ever seen it before.

"I thought so," he says with a distant nod, glancing from Mara's face to the building itself and then back again. "Do you know why? Perhaps we should go inside." He'd had the thought before, but somehow hadn't wanted to do it alone. Now that Mara's here, he feels emboldened enough to step within.

[blackeyedprince]

The place raises all kinds of alarms in him. It shouldn't be here. Mara does not remember it ever being here, and it's so old. He's been to Nott so often he knows the place as well as his own domain. Nott is his city, he always returns here. Its people are most resilient, most stubborn and ambitious against the odds that batter them like nowhere else. No wonder he comes back. But this building? This ancient mass of stone never before registered on his internal map of the city. How could that be? He knows everything about it.

It feels like a trap. To solid to be a mirage, to alien to always have been here,and yet familiar. Like it's always been here, and he's always known it. He cannot resist his curiosity. If anything can be said about Mara is that he is stubborn. Once having made his mind it's difficult to persuade him away. Even if what he plans is dangerous. Danger was never a good enough deterrent to him. With Aegis, he feels even more sure they can deal with anything that appears in this strange place.

The surrounding buildings make sense this one doesn't. It's not abandoned either. There are people coming and going from the large open door, with purpose that can only stem from familiarity. They can easily slip inside unnoticed. They are gods, no mortal can see them until they wish them so.

"No. I'm pretty sure I've never been here. Or rather, it has never been here. Let's see for ourselves what really is inside."

Mara's already climbing the steps leading to the doorway as he speaks. He needs to know what it is, and why this building feels so familiar even if he has no recollection of it.

[funbreaker]

It has never been here? Surely not. Buildings do not simply spring into existence overnight. Granted, as gods they can find themselves absent-minded or distracted for an entire decade without thinking much of it, but still.

Hasn't it always been here? Just what is Mara getting at?

Either way, it seems as if both of them feel the same, which is that the old stone building that still brims with life is calling to them somehow. Aegis is quick on Kell's heels, watching as the humans walk in and out. Some of them are dressed primly and carrying briefcases or journals; others carefully walk out with crutches or with the help of a loved one.

The inside mirrors the outside, in that it is an active hospital. They walk in and find a front desk where someone is set up to greet anyone who enters and is in need of assistance. Down the halls, he can hear voices and movement, and there's a general sense of urgency about the place.

"Do you truly mean you've never noticed this place before, Mara?"

How can that be? It's well-kept, but Aegis can feel the building's age even so.

[blackeyedprince]

It's old. Centuries old. Mara can feel it. And yet, his mind brings to surface all the times he visited the Republic, and its main city. He might not live here, but he always comes back to Nott. Not a single memory has this hospital in it.

It's as if it had emerged from the fog fully formed, dragging with it a shadow of recognition. And it's so lively. It is a properly working hospital full of healers and patients. Meticulously maintained and well provisioned.

"There's not a stone in this city that I'm is not aware of."

It's more complicated than this. Mara can find his way around this place. He knows where everything is. What is stored in the cellars, where is the laundry room, and the rooms for patients with infectious diseases that need to be separate from the rest. All this information springs from the depths of his mind instantly. Only that he doesn't know how he knows all those things.

"Never. I feel like I should remember it. Even now I can probably tell you where things are, or how to move around. I know things about this place. Things that I weren't aware of moments ago, before we went through the door."

And he knows someone is missing here. Someone should be here. He just doesn't know who.

— ✦ ciri

[funbreaker]

[ For Aegis, this house of cards is starting to come down.

It's happened a few times by now — with Jon, with Mara, with Azem. Memories tickle at the back of his mind, followed by the sensation that something important is missing and forgotten. After that, he finds himself deeply unsettled that he could have forgotten such things in the first place.

Since then he's seen sparks of light in the sky unlike any storm, but he doesn't know what they mean just yet. And ultimately, he is still a god, isn't he? He's still hearing echoes from mortals in need of his help. He can't just ignore them because something has thrown him off-balance.

Especially not one like this. The girl begs for help from anyone who will listen, meaning this request has likely reached more than just him. She's been kidnapped, thrown in a wagon to be dragged to who knows where, but the caravan is currently traveling a remote trail off the beaten path in the desert wilderness, dangerously close to the Maw. This is not a place Aegis normally enjoys visiting, but there's nothing for it now.

When he arrives with a flap of his golden wings and hovers far above the desert sands, he finds it's as he suspected. Another of the pantheon has heard this call, and he's not surprised to find that it's Ciri. Her green eyes shine as her long hair sparkles like starlight, rivaling even the sun that blazes overhead.

Even if the girl in the wagon far below them has long stopped praying to them, Aegis can still sense her distress. There's no reason to make her suffer this any longer.

Thus, with little fanfare, he nods to Ciri and gestures below them while his other hand tightens its grip on his gunblade. ]

Shall we?

[wiedzminka]

[ Perhaps she shouldn't be surprised that someone else heard the girl's pleas, but Aegis's arrival is unexpected. Ciri's gaze flicks to him sharply, a warning in her eyes -- but he is here to help, of course, and her immediate tense reaction dissipates the moment he speaks.

She draws her own sword, the runes carved into it glowing brightly, and nods just once. ]

You'd best not get in my way, old man.

[ It's said jokingly, her voice light, but there is steel beneath: she means it. ]

The Maw will have its dinner tonight.

[funbreaker]

[ Aegis sees the steel in Ciri's eyes, not unlike that of the glowing sword which she draws, and he understands what is hidden behind her joking comment. ]

Surely I cannot be that many decades older than you. [ He tosses it back with a put-upon sigh, always ready to give as good as he gets, but as they start to move down toward the sands and the caravan which trundles upon them, he does glance over with a more sober expression. ]

I will not impede your judgment, worry not. [ It's the fate that scum like this deserve, and what are gods if not to pass judgment when a situation calls for it? Aegis is not usually one to take mortal life, but this is one such exception.

Humans are capable of terrible things, some of them so terrible that they should not be allowed to live and perpetuate such wrongness.

They're nearing the caravan. Aegis lands with a shift in his wings, his boots touching upon the sand. ] You take point then, if you're so eager.

[wiedzminka]

[ The mortals haven't seen them yet; they won't, unless they reveal themselves. Ciri makes sure it will be far too late for them by the time they realize. ]

Get her out of there. I'll take care of the rest.

[ There's an urgency in her voice that seems somehow too much for such a simple job. For them, this is easy. Just a handful of humans. Why does she feel so tense, so... upset? There's anger on behalf of the girl whose echo she'd answered, for the fear and desperation Ciri can tell she feels at the hands of men who may do unspeakable things. But that's not all.

And she doesn't quite understand why, but somehow it feels personal, raw, and too close to home in a way that leaves her agitated more than usual.

They make a brief plan to break out the prisoner (or prisoners, since that's not beyond the scope of possibility in a caravan that size), after which Ciri says she'll banish the whole wagon and the kidnappers straight into the Maw. ]

[funbreaker]

[ Get her out of there.

Aegis nods, also feeling something ripple through him at those words, though he can't quite put his finger on it either. Of course a young girl in distress would bother him, he may be a god but he still has a heart, and yet it's as if there's something more to it. Like a layer of skin has been peeled back, but the sting of it means he can't directly look at the wound just yet.

He's too distracted to think much of Ciri's agitated behavior. Their plan is quickly put together, they are both old hands at this by now for better of worse, and then Aegis straightens. ]

I'll get her clear of the others. Then you go in.

[ That's all he says before he swoops over with a powerful flap of his wings and arrives at the wagon that's in the very center of the caravan. He's almost certain that the girl who called to them must be there; as precious cargo, she'll be well protected.

That doesn't stop him from ripping the doors on the side of the wagon off their hinges, sending them flying as an uproar erupts from the men who are currently saddled up.

Aegis doesn't pay attention to them. He instead looks at the girl who's cowering in one corner of the wagon, her hands and wrists chained and her blond hair looking closer to brown for all the dirt and grime. None of the other humans can see him yet, but she can, and her eyes grow wide with fear and relief in equal measure.

He's done this before. He's been here before.

No, he can't think on it now. He reaches out for her, one hand outstretched, and the girl manages to push through the fear to take hold of him as he destroys the chains binding her with little more than a thought. ]

I will keep you safe, I promise you.

[ It's a simple thing to pull her into his arms, and with that he flies away, clear of the caravan, so that Ciri can deal with the sinners he's left behind.

Holding this girl in his arms, one who is so small yet so brave, he can't help but think again: I've done this before. ]

[wiedzminka]

[ She's done this before. She's been here before.

Not this place. Not this time. But evil men are the same across all time and space -- brutality, greed, lust for blood and flesh, all the same base desires no matter the context.

The girl trembles in Aegis's arms, tearstained and dirty. Blood spatters the front of her dress, clings caked around her fingernails; Ciri can tell it isn't hers. That she fought.

A piercing scream leaves Ciri's lips, a cry of rage and vengeance torn from deep inside her lungs in a place she had forgotten existed. Her sword slices through the caravan, shears the top clean off; wood splinters beneath her voice, glass shatters, metal twists. The humans cower and shout, pulling swords and muskets as she reveals herself. ]

You would stand against a goddess? You, who are the lowest scum beneath the worms in the dirt, beneath even their shit?

[ Her voice is all around them, vibrating through air and bone.

She didn't find any other prisoners in the wagons. That's all that matters to Ciri; the rest is worse than trash.

The Keeper of Doors lifts her hand, the ethereal form of her shimmering against the desert sky in the mirage outline of a woman in armor and helm. The men scatter, and she laughs like fire roaring into an inferno, desolation none of them can escape. ]

Run, run, little maggots. A quick death is too good for you.

[ Her hand comes down. The earth beneath the ruined wagons sinks, sucking everything into the hole. Ciri watches the men scramble, and lets them get away, lets them realize they have no supplies, no water, and no hope.

Aegis can stay and watch as she plays with her prey-- or he can try to stop her, this vicious falcon of a goddess he's never seen before. ]