EVENT #18: EMERGENCE - IC EVENT LOG

[abraxasmods]

Event #18 - Emergence

OOC Plotting Post ⦁ Pre-Event Info ⦁ Setting Descriptions

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

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

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

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

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

Year 20,879

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

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

Politics, People, & Gods

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

Beliefs and Gods

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

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

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

International Relations

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

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

Magic & The Singularity

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

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

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

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

Old World, New World

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

Setting descriptions are HERE for your reference.

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

Month 1-2: Submersion

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

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

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

The World as the Divine

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

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

Exploring the Land

◎ The Witchwood

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

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

◎ Mechapolis

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

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

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

◎ The Barren/The Badlands

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

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

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

◎ The Maw

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

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

Horizon, "Death," and Dormancy

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

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

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

Impact & Consequences

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

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

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

Instability Effects

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

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

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

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

Demigod Spawns

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

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

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

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

Hearing Echoes

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

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

Interacting with Other Gods

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

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

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

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

Month 3: Awakening

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

Catalysts

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

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

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

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

Shattered Skies

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

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

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

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

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

---

Comments

months 1 & 2

[monomachy]

ota

[monomachy]

Most days, Diana looks the same as she has for the past few thousand years. The fashions of the world have changed, but she still sports the same dark hair and dark eyes, the same tall, toned frame, the same warm smile. She has learned, by now, that it is unsettling for mortals to see her so unchanging, so she has learned to move on from cities every generation or so to avoid notice. Of course, it had taken many years of whispers growing louder and louder before she had finally accepted the truth of it.

Endless, ageless, boundless. Whispers that had been met with her own, giving a name in an attempt to ease their fears.

Apeiron.

So that is who they pray to, who hears their echoing words in her head when she finds it in herself to listen for a moment. She had learned many centuries ago that listening to them all was impossible, borderline catastrophic. Time and experience have tempered her impulse to help everyone she can, though the desire remains.

So it is that she turns her attention to another group, one who doesn't need to pray for her to hear their calls, sense their hurt. She is drawn to them either by some magic or instinct; either way, she seeks them out, sometimes repeatedly after experience, sometimes for the first time by a mere hunch. Occasionally, the other Summoned are just as surprised at her enduring visage as mortals, especially because some of them have not been able to keep hold of their original forms. But she doesn't bring it up, doesn't point it out, instead offering a warmhearted smile and the same kind words as she meets their eyes, unflinching:

"How are you doing?"

[assembles]

While it might be unsettling to some how Diana has remain unchanged while the rest of them have transformed in such dramatic ways, the Sentinel — no, Steve — finds it comforting. There are some things in this world that are constant, even as he and his own friends from home have found themselves warping into something else.

There's so much he's lost despite his white-knuckled (literally, now) effort to remember. Sam has tried even harder than him, but that hasn't stopped so many of the memories from slipping through their fingers like grains of sand.

Then there's someone like Diana, who's stayed the same and helps to remind him of earlier days, when he was still flesh and blood.

They've had so many conversations over the centuries. She's patiently listened to his struggles, to his uncertainty, and always had words of guidance to offer. So when she finds him in one of Libertas' cemeteries, fixed in stone like any other funerary monument here, he isn't bothered that she's sought him out.

There are not many mortals here. A few are here to visit graves and so they're dotted around the area, but it's not as if they can see him anyway, not unless he makes a point of it. His utterly still form suddenly seems to come to life as he shifts toward Diana and nods in greeting.

"Oh, you know."

She does know. He isn't sure what else to say, honestly.

His head, cast in marble and gold, shifts slowly to one side. "What's brought you to this neck of the woods?" Not that it's that uncommon to find her in the Free Cities.

[monomachy]

While a cemetery is not the first place she had looked for him in Libertas, she is not surprised to find Steve there. After all, this city was one of the places they had first encountered one another, first worked together. Shared the horror and grief of these people. Even if he may not remember it (she doesn't know, hasn't asked), she does. She remembers everything about this world, the good and the terrible. It is a blessing when talking to those like Steve, who strive to remember, always reaching for some memory that she can summon with hardly a thought. But for her...

Well, not all beings were built for immortality. Diana was, but that doesn't make it easy.

She's learned, by now, how to mask herself at will from the eyes of mortals. Even if she looks like one of them, the magic of this world has intertwined with her own so thoroughly that she can call upon it to do her bidding at any moment. And as Steve is in his current form, she uses it to make herself fade from perception as well; the faintest twinkle of starlight remains in her dark hair and eyes from her use of the magic, but otherwise, she looks as she always has since he's known her. Like all Summoned, she, too, has undergone physical changes wrought by this world's magic, but she has more of a natural aptitude for controlling (suppressing) it. Most days, she's content to walk among mortals as one of them, if in appearance only.

She looks out at those visiting grave sites, brow drawn together in sympathy. But this visit is not for them, so she turns her full attention back towards the man (automaton?) beside her, expression smoothing.

"Just making the rounds." She was looking for him, and for others like him, for whom godhood has presented an unfamiliar struggle. She's drawn to them, it's true, but there's still a choice in who she visits. This week had been about him, though she won't admit that openly. "The seasons will turn soon, and even in Libertas, the evenings grow cold." A roundabout way of offering company, if he wants it. The cold doesn't affect her much, so time is no issue.

[assembles]

Steve's memories of that time are hazy. All he knows these days is that Libertas is a place of importance to him, and it's one of the cities of Abraxas he feels the strongest duty to protect, holding a soft spot in his heart for its people. He seems to recall they suffered great tragedy at some point, centuries ago. There is little physical evidence of that these days, and the mortals barely remember it themselves.

Consigned to the history books, and to museums.

"Patrols, huh?" He cannot properly smile anymore, but she might be able to hear it in his voice all the same. Diana has kept to her routines all this time, her background as a soldier sticking with her. And even if these patrols are more about checking in on her fellow gods, Steve can't help but view it as the habit of a trained combatant too.

He appreciates her offer for company, and isn't about to reject it. Though...

"We don't have to stay here." He knows not many people would want to while away their time in a graveyard. While his head turns to look at the mourners around them, it's hard to catch that movement in the act. It always seems to happen when Diana isn't looking directly at him. "Did you want to take a walk? I could help you make the rounds."

Whatever that turns out to be.

[monomachy]

Hope and joy bloom in her chest as she hears the tone of his voice; there are few Summoned she would judge to have been physically altered so radically as Steve Rogers, and any sign of the man (mortal) she grew to know all those years ago warms her heart. His voice, in that moment, takes her back nearly a millennia, to the aftermath of when the city around them was smoldering ruins. To a friendship that had grown from shared grief. Though she knows in her mind it was so long ago, to her heart it doesn't feel so. Sometimes, she still sees him as he used to be.

"Old habits." Which are even older than him, but she doesn't elaborate. Most Summoned know now that Diana was already thousands of years old when they met her, that her history as a god predated anyone else's by millennia. It had never really been a secret to her, more like something that was... inconsequential to her relationship with mortals at the time. Now, it is anything but.

Engagement had been her main goal with this visit, so a smile blooms across her lips at his suggestion. "I would love to take a walk with you." And her tone conveys the honesty of her words; even with the apparent toll Abraxan magic has taken on his body, there are few people she would rather make rounds with. She has always felt a kinship with Steve not only because of their common training as soldiers, but also because of the strength of his character, of his heart. "Let's head towards town."

[assembles]

Even way back when Steve was still mortal, he does remember that he'd understood that Diana was a god who had lived for hundreds of years by the time that they met. In that sense, it's unsurprising that she hasn't changed much at all.

It had reminded him of someone, hadn't it? But though he feels that itch at the back of his mind, understanding that once there was an association, he can't dig it up now.

Maybe he'll ask Sam, later. If he remembers.

Either way, when she says "old habits," she certainly means it. But there's a sort of comfort in that, isn't there? In knowing that certain things are eternal and won't be washed away by time.

Her easy acceptance of his suggestion is a balm. While he does give the cemetery a final glance, he doesn't hesitate beyond that in falling into step with her as they head toward Libertas proper. Statue-like as he might be, Diana is more than capable of perceiving his movement now that he isn't intending to fool human eyes, instead existing on an entirely different plane, if one that's overlaid with the mortal one.

"How have you been?" He appreciates these moments where they can catch up with one another, and he asks the question with genuine interest.

[monomachy]

The ease with which the Summoned could slip in and out of mortal perception had once unsettled her; now, it is one of their greatest boons. Diana had learned, many centuries ago, that it was easier to fool their eyes than to live with the suspicion in them once they saw someone who didn't change, didn't age. It had not occurred to her, before then, it might be something she would be stigmatized for. But now she, too, is adept at tricking their eyes into seeing just a shadow, perhaps a slight shimmer of air, where she moves when the occasion calls for it.

And as they walk, as she embraces this magic more, her skin darkens to the dusky hues of night, and pinpoints of starlight shimmer across her body. A by-product of existing in this in-between plane, but no longer an uncomfortable one.

Diana smiles at him, letting out a quiet laugh. "Busy." She's always busy, but it's because she chooses to be. Idleness has never been her way. "Back from the Witchwood a few days ago, and I was at the Lunae Settlement before that." Always traveling, always answering calls and checking in on other gods. "But I like to travel, to see how this world changes." Which is true--it feels as if she had blinked, and suddenly borders had shifted and technology had advanced. But perhaps that is because she does not think she saw much change in the world during her first few millennia of life.

"How are you?" The question is volleyed back, but with kindness. This is the reason she came here, after all. "What have you been doing? Don't tell me you stand in cemeteries every day." The last part is said as a joke, but there might be a trace of real concern in her voice, but only a trace.

idk where this is happening you can decide lol

[aquilus]

Altaïr doesn't answer her immediately. The brighter golden glow in his eyes doesn't inherently signify his drifting further from what he thinks of as his humanity and closer towards his divine nature, but in this case that's exactly what's been happening, for some months now. The Eagle's adherents are informal, unorganized, but the strength of their belief rivals any congregation's, and whispers in the shadow grow louder in times of conflict.

There's a group in the Free Cities, people who want to take its regulated structure and make it rigid, controlled, extend its peace beyond its borders by force. They don't have much power to back up their ambitions, but it's enough to make a word float up from the corners of his mind that house long-ago memories. Templar.

Prayer can't hurt a god, but he has such a headache.

"Well enough."

She knows him well enough to parse out more meaning than should be possible from his few words. Altaïr reaches out a hand without really looking, knowing she will take it in hers.

somewhere in the free cities probably who knows

[monomachy]

One very, very important virtue Diana has honed over the past few centuries is that of patience. Before the other Summoned had started ascending, it hadn't occurred to her that it might not be an easy process for a mortal to become a god. But the learning curve is enormous, and learning how to be patient with others who were adjusting to immortality had become paramount.

Learning with Altaïr had been... more difficult than with some others. So much so that there had been times when she had needed to spend a few months (years, decades) away, to clear her head and calm her temper. But despite what she considered a rocky ascent, he is still an anchor for her in this world, and she is always compelled to return, to check in, and to remind herself of what those early years in this world were like. The joy of them.

Even now, there is joy in seeing him, even with the brighter glow in his eyes and how he won't look at her. That he's spoken to her at all sparks hope for him in her chest, and when he reaches out--she smiles, and it's as easy as anything to reach out in return and take his hand. She runs her thumb gently against the back of his hand. Starlight glints in the waves of her dark hair, and in her eyes.

"I'm glad you're here." Here with her, in the present, a silent ask (not quite a plea) for him to shut out the echos in his mind.

[aquilus]

Her presence here is more than enough to prove what she says. During their early years as Summoned, the world had felt...small, in a way, with the lot of them constantly drawn together a community for one reason or another. It would have been difficult to fully avoid one another.

Their ascension had changed that. The world is the same size, but their places in it are so much bigger. Each human worshiper is an echoing chasm of need, and each of them could spend endless hours attempting to fill it without ever acknowledging one another if they chose. He does appreciate that Diana chooses differently, even when it is difficult for him.

"It's been some time." Because of her? Because of him? He can't remember at the moment, but the whispers fade as he finally turns to her. "I've missed you."

When he hasn't been wrapped up in what he can do for others. The affection he still feels for her began before he was touched by the divine. Maybe that's why it allows him to feel more human in her presence, even after so long.

[monomachy]

As he works to return his attention to the present and away from the echoes, she can see the change in him. Despite the horrors of this world, the war and famine and other disasters that seem to happen every decade or so, Diana has never lost her hope, her belief that humanity was on its way to being better. And even if they are both gods know, blessed with immortality and nigh-incomprehensible powers, there is still a part of her that sees Altaïr as the most human of the pair of them.

And despite all that entails, she still loves him for it.

She doesn't let go of his hand, smile blooming wide when he finally turns his eyes to her. Diana risks reaching up, brushing her fingers gently across his jaw, testing the waters. "And I, you." She remembers, just as she remembers everything about this world, but she simply doesn't care to lay the blame anywhere. There would be no point. "I wondered if I would see you before the festival."

[aquilus]

It's a test easily passed. If anyone can be allowed this casual touch, like they are simply people, it is her, after so long — but it is not only down to the habits of centuries, either. Diana makes him feel more human, here and now, even though neither of them are.

"You could have called to me if you wanted to." But he sees why she would not do that. She has always given him space when he needed it (and doubtlessly required it herself more than once — he knows he is not always easy company, to say the least, and neither of them have ever wished the other to be anything but free.) "But I suppose you have always had more patience than I."

[monomachy]

She had considered reaching out to him many times, but time had taught her that it was better to let him come back to himself in his own time. Such was the case with many of the Summoned who had transitioned from mortal life to that of a god. It is not easy, and Diana knows well that not every creature was created to be immortal; the centuries take their toll, more often than not.

Still, her heart aches a little at his words, though she doesn't let it show. He's here with her again, and she intends to savor this time, however long it may be. Instead, she smiles. "I have had more time to hone it." Thousands more years than him, in fact. "But you are here now, which is what matters to me."

[thearchangel]

She finds him perched atop a high lookout, in Cadens. Looking down over the rooftops in grey dawn light. In her presence, the charcoal of his feathers slowly bleeds to white. The blues and golds of the collar about his cowl brighten, just a fraction. And though his face stays covered by those small wings, blindfolded, his expression warms when she speaks, all the same.

"You know, one day, I'm not going to be surprised you still look like you always do."

The wry humor there hasn't changed. Somehow, there's a sense of a smirk under it all, too. He offers a hand to her, greeting.

"Feels like we've had this conversation before." And it's not a bad thing. If she's asking, then it's probably necessary.

[monomachy]

After a few centuries, most Summoned had begun to notice some change to their bodies, an alteration brought on by the excess of Abraxan magic. Diana, who had already been a god with a true form of her own, had been spared much of the changes. Others, like Garrus, had not. But she still recognizes him, still knows him when she finds him watching out over Cadens, despite the feathers shrouding his face. And even if she didn't, that sardonic tone to his voice would be unmistakable anyway.

She sits beside him, legs dangling out over however many stories from the earth below, as unconcerned with the height as he is. "I have good genes." She's learned what those are, by now, and is confident in matching his joking tone with her own. Except she means it more literally, but she isn't about to say as much.

Then, gentler: "But you know I don't." And because he's Garrus, she lets the magic of this world flood her; Diana's skin darkens to the colors of midnight, pinpoints of starlight winking in and out over her skin and hair. Her eyes turn to pools of bright white light, twinkling like the stars in a cloudless night sky. She stays that way, for now, not really feeling as if she's changed, but knowing she looks as if she has. Her gaze sweeps across the city below. "I like having this conversation with you." Because as long as he keeps having it, she knows he's still Garrus.

[thearchangel]

That earns a short bark of laughter out of him. Brief and breathy, like always. Good genes, she says. Like all their bodies have gone through is genetic. A product of breeding and chance. He looks down at his hands, how much more talon-like they've become. "You won the lottery there," he agrees, and it's meant to be a joke. By comparison, anyway.

He won't admit it. But part of him relaxes when she changes like that. Makes his own form feel less like it stands out painfully against the world around them. He knows he's always been a bit of an oddball, though the centuries have made the reasons why blur and fade. "Yeah, I do." He looks slide long at her, difficult given the lack of visible eyes and all. "Got to admit, I'm a little jealous with your theme. Always did like looking at the stars."

It's a good aesthetic. A very, very good one.

"That's probably a good thing. After this long, someone's bound to have run out of things to talk about."

[monomachy]

She doesn't contradict him on his lottery comment, though she doesn't know if she can really agree. But to anyone who doesn't know why she was born a god, or how she was born at all, it isn't obvious that her parentage is something of a sensitive subject.

Diana smiles to herself, glancing down at her own hands and the stars dancing across her skin. "I always have to, but it was usually to find my way somewhere." Which is fitting now, considering her domain. The guiding light of the stars is always with her.

A laugh bubbles up, and she shakes her head slightly. "It might surprise you, but after nearly six thousand years, I still find myself surprised by some of the things people tell me." Usually mortals, but even her fellow immortals, now. "I don't think I could ever get bored of talking to people."

[thearchangel]

"Navigating by stars, huh?" He sounds almost wistful as he says it. Almost nostalgic. "I learned..." A pause. Under the blindfold of feathers, his expression creases. Trying to remember. He knows he learned late in life. But why? "Later on," he finishes, lamely, confusion in the undertones and echoes in his voice.

Something to gnaw at, later on.

Her laugh is always a nice thing to hear. It makes you feel a little lighter. "You're right," he says. "It does surprise me." But, then he falls quiet again. Pondering what he spoke with Koby about. "Have you been... I don't know. Feeling all right, lately?"

[krazed]

Tall, dark, and gorgeous as a lover of the female form it's difficult for Harley not to see Diana as the goddess that she was. It was far more fitting for her than it was for Harley who still struggled with the prayers, the alters, and the visitors to her domain. Harley didn't have a lot of experience with Wonder Woman but the Wonder definitely applied and boy, were the years kind to the things that made her wonderous.

"You know me, been better, been worse. It's a living."

A living that now included her newfound deity status as undeserving as it might be. She's dressed in dark clothes, with her hair hidden under a cowl, but the makeup stays the same. Black and red, blue, and dark tones with royal flair. She's got no sparkle, no dazzle, unlike her present company. She looks pretty typical. The things that changed for Harley weren't surface-level.

"What about you, DP? Anything new?"

[monomachy]

Diana had known, in theory, what being worshiped as a god would be like; but in practice, it had been a big adjustment for all the Summoned, herself included. It had taken a lot of training to learn how to tune out the echoes, even with all her experience, her concentration can still slip. But despite all of that, being a god of this world comes naturally to her, even if her attention is more focused on other Summoned instead of the mortals of this realm.

For the most part, Diana retains her usual form, and has for nearly six thousand years. Only when she embraces her newer gifts, granted by a co-mingling of her innate magic and Abraxan magic, does her form alter. So it's telling, perhaps, that her skin has darkened to the colors of midnight, with pinpoints of light twinkling across her body and hair, and her eyes the bright white of starlight. But her voice is still her own, warm and full of compassion. She cares abut what Harley has to say, and it is not an act.

Diana hums quietly for a moment, acknowledging Harley's answer before giving her own. "I recently returned from the Witchwood. But really, I'm just making the rounds." Of checking on other Summoned, as her domain calls her to do.

[krazed]

Harley might have had some idea, but the idea of it didn't meet her expectations. Most ladies want to be swooned over, worshipped, and pampered but after being on the receiving end of all that admiration Harley preferred the hands-off approach with her peons. She didn't take to all the fuss, and would rather go around incognito to prevent getting caught-up in all the attention.

Wonder Woman was hot before god-dom and her full-on goddess mode was no exception to that rule. It took it to a whole new level and out of this world was no longer just a pun but the reality.

"Just making the rounds," Harley makes a show of pantomiming what she said and how she said it. "Sounds boring. What about taking time for yourself? I know people need us but we need us too, right? Girls night in? Any one on one time with a hot bath and a steamy book?"

[monomachy]

Diana can't help but laugh at the list of potential activities Harley lists off. But it's good-natured, and when she responds, her tone is appreciative. "It can get... repetitive." She does her best to push away any guilt borne of saying such a thing aloud. But Harley is right--they're all still people, regardless of their godly status.

"I don't remember the last time I had one of those." Spending time with another person just because she wanted to and not because duty compelled her to. It is a very fine line to walk, and Diana knows that she's more often on one side than the other. Her teeth flash in a grin. "Any recommendations on a bath, or a book?" She's teasing a little, but there's an undercurrent of seriousness to her tone. She's considering it.

[krazed]

Repetitive was an understatement. Harley didn't like the whole rigamarole of being omnipotent. It was too much pressure being a guiding force for people when she could barely guide herself half the time. She manages fine, but at the end of the day, she misses the simplicity of what used to be considered normal for her.

Normal being a less than apt word choice, of course.

"If that's the case it's time for you to have a soak and read a dirty book." Better than constantly being at the beck and call of followers who might have good intentions but didn't value them so much as put their problems on their plate. "Well, I like to add a little zhuzh with some florals and aromatherapy. Does wonders for the nasal canal. Mix in a little oil and you'll come out smoother than a baby's backside."

The books though, that's a little harder to come by. She shrugs. "Whatever books tickle your fancy but the nastier they are, the better. A dirty book'll make you feel like a woman again and not so much the sparkling being of light that you so clearly are."

closed to clarisse

[monomachy]

[Diana visits the Witchwood often, but it has been a long time since she was called there, or felt as if she was. She should have expected it, though; her own heart had gotten away from her, and she had overtaxed herself. There was no guarantee that doing so would result in an abomination spawning in the woods, but she wakes in a cold sweat in the middle of the night and knows. Her careless actions had led to the creation of such a beast, and she will not let it escape its magical confinement and harm any mortals.

By the time morning arrives, she is ready for travel and has decided who she wants to ask to meet her there--Diana knows she cannot, as it is, clean up her own mess. Centuries of experience has taught her that she will need an ally in this, and there are few she would call upon with such short notice.

The message comes to Clarisse as Diana is already making her way north towards the wood:]

I would call upon my sister's aid at the Witchwood.

[She does not say it is urgent; that much is implied because she is asking at all. Usually, she travels to the wood alone and fights alongside any who may already be there. This time is different, and when she arrives at the treeline, she pauses to rest, though she focuses on listening if a familiar gait approaches. She looks much the same as she always has, though there is a twinkle of starlight in her hair and eyes, a byproduct of overusing her abilities.]