EVENT #20: ADVENT - IC EVENT LOG

[abraxasmods]

Event #20 - Advent

OOC Event Log ⦁ The Gods ⦁ NPCs

The Badlands has remained contested territory between Thorne and the Free Cities for many years. During a mediation two years ago, a resolution was attempted but fell apart. The Badlands is valued for being the direct route toward the Singularity...meaning it was only a matter of time before conflict broke out over it.

Early in AUGUST, Thorne and the Free Cities begin to march on the Badlands. The clash is bloody and violent, taking place exclusively on the ground. Although the Free Cities military has its share of firearms, such things are still rare and expensive. Most of the fighting, as expected, makes use of horses, swords, arrows, and - of course - magic.

The territories won't call upon Summoned like yourselves. You are meant for something more important. If you insist on joining the fight, they may approve depending on who you are and what you plan to do. Soon, however, a powerful force emerges, one far bigger than just another clash of swords.

This event draws on a previous event involving the Heralds of War. Knowledge of this past event is not necessary, but you may review the information for added context if you wish!

The consequences of Solvunn's choice in Event #18 occur at the end of the event. The result of this act will be further detailed in the Wrap-Up.

Overture

The return of the Heralds might stir familiarity within some of you. You may recall how they whispered in your ears, planted visions of death, or corrupted the Horizon. This time, although their coming spreads across the land, you as the Summoned are remarkably resistant to the Gods' influences. Newer arrivals might be more susceptible, but those of you who have been here for months or years won't find yourselves afflicted much, if at all...until you start to make your choices.

As the Summoned, certain actions may open you up to vulnerabilities. Everything you do carries a weight. If you experienced the emergent reality, you'll likely have learned that lesson. You're not fully one of the Gods yet, but your connection to the Singularity means the magic that flows through you contains both a great capacity to help others and a cost that comes with it which you must consider.

A Taste of Blood

It begins sometime in mid-August, around the 16th onward. Not everyone will experience it at the same time. You might even believe you're spared until days afterward when you're visited by an unusually vivid dream.

The dream starts the same for everyone: you are going somewhere, anywhere, walking to your bedroom, or enjoying a stroll on the beach. You might be driving down a familiar neighborhood. Wherever you're headed, you find that the world around you shifts. Thin red veins spiderweb across nearby surfaces. As you press on, they become engorged with blood until they form a fleshy tunnel. A light at the end beckons you. You can turn around if you want, but aren't you curious?

If you proceed, you eventually come upon a beating human heart with your Arcana painted in gold. A swarm of large mosquitos quickly encase the heart, sucking it dry. As their abdomens become fat with blood, more and more join the swarm until it becomes a whirlwind of insects that gradually take on a large humanoid shape: bright red with blood with horns bent upwards like a lopsided crescent moon.

This is Zorne of Last Blood, the eldest of the Heralds of War.

The veins are pulled in by the insects, connecting one to the next and holding them in place like latticework of sinew. No longer obscured, the world that surrounds you is bleak and gray. A large sword materializes in Zorne's hand. Holding it aloft, he measures your resolve.

◎ If you have spilled blood, the blade begins to drip with it. The steel beneath glows hot, then begins to harden.
◎ If you have not spilled blood, the blade turns brittle, eventually falling to dust.

Zorne accepts you regardless. He sits down on his simple stone throne, laying the sword against the armrest. His eyes are thinly veiled sockets in a skull made of insects, downcast towards where you stand below his form. A thin layer of red skin stretches across his mouth with every word he speaks.

"The path...has been chosen. The snake has found its tail. Each new age rises from the ashes of its grave. It is...as it always has been."

Zorne holds the sword up again. Behind his throne, you glimpse the rays of a rising sun.

"A sword hardens in the fire. In the darkened hearts of mortals. Destruction heralds purification from madness.

All things end before they begin. Mortals, Gods, the smallest insect. And when it ends...we will be there. I will be there. And you...little godling...must find your place in that end."

The sun reaches its apex. It is blazing and fierce, as though it might soon swallow you in its fury - and then it does.

Do you feel at peace from its cleansing fire? Strengthened by it? Or is it purely unimaginable pain and fear that consumes you?

Zorne's sword measures the blood on your character's hands as perceived by them. A character who took only one important life to save the world may see as much blood on that sword as another who killed many to do the same.

Making Your Choices

Whether you believe Zorne or not, you must still do something, even if that something is nothing. As things unfold before your very eyes, you can decide whether you will aid the Heralds for what you may believe is the greater good, help the individuals you can't deny, or decline any involvement at all.

General Effects

Each territory will have a set of circumstances brought forth by a combination of human actions and the Heralds. Those who experienced the afflictions in the past may recognize that the Heralds never implanted or controled your thoughts. Instead, they showed you visions, whispered in your ear, or coaxed you to indulge the darker impulses that live inside you.

The same effect will take hold of the regular citizens now, whose dispositions play a large role in what the Heralds can influence and how much. This is made most obvious by the fact that children are the least impacted. The younger and the fewer their worries, the less vulnerable they are. Of those who are afflicted, the effect might manifest in ways that are more fitting of a child: dreams of a beloved pet dying, bullying a sibling, or giving in to the desire to steal a toy. Adults who are naturally and genuinely carefree may also fail to be affected by Koth's despair or Adlewyrd's poisonous thoughts.

Vulnerabilities

Your status as the Summoned affords you some protection. The longer you've been in Abraxas, the less open you will be to influence. However, depending on what you do, this might change.

◎ If you choose to counter a Herald's influences, you may inadvertently absorb the affliction's effects or experience a "bleedover" from the person you're helping. The more you do this, the more severe the impact will become. You might also be concerned by the new ability you're exhibiting when countering an affliction. Though the ability is small, you feel its power coursing through you. When you try to call on it outside of aiding others, however, nothing comes. It seems this ability only manifests when interacting with an afflicted individual.

◎ If you choose to enhance a Herald's influences, you may inadvertently absorb their abilities as yours and thus, in turn, spread them toward individuals who are nearby. This could occur deliberately or accidentally, depending on how much you desire to act as an extension of the Herald in your chosen territory.

◎ If you choose to ignore a Herald's influences, you'll receive no effects either way...but you might find it difficult to disregard what's going on around you.

For an OOC explanation of the mechanics regarding being a countering, enhancing, or neutral force, please review the Deciding Your Actions section on the OOC Plotting Post.

Patchwork Horizon

Luckily, the Horizon isn't intent on trapping any of you this time. Its instabilities instead manifest in your own domains. It might revert back to a previous state or older elements might resurface that you thought you got rid of. Or, it may take on transformations from a future version - the domain that you had as a God in the emergent reality. The more you've made yourself vulnerable, the more unstable your experience in the Horizon will become.

Further, these instabilities aren't limited to your domains. Effects from other domains might overwrite yours, or perhaps pieces of your domain are showing up in another's.

◎ For some, it might just be a minor inconvenience. Perhaps your flowers have transplanted onto somebody else's yard across the Horizon or your pet keeps teleporting around to everyone's domains except yours.

◎ For others, the effect might be more troubling. You could find private letters surfacing in a stranger's desk or you might open your closet to find another's buried skeletons.

Anything that ends up in someone else's domain will be missing in yours. Rather than a duplication, the effect is more like a jigsaw or a patchwork quilt. You can put it right, of course, with some concentration - but it's best done with a partner, especially someone who knows your domain well enough to help you reform it.

Setting a domain right will also repair any vulnerabilities its owner might've exposed themselves to, so it's a good idea to try and assist each other. Of course, if your concentration's off, attempts to fix a domain might actually make things worse, so be careful!

Arrival

The sections below will contain more specific prompts to help players jumpstart threads, but you may use the broad descriptions of each Herald's impact here to inspire your own ideas and scenarios.

The First Shadow

The arrival of the Heralds of War is subtle. For many citizens, they might not realize that there is a force exerted throughout the world. Indeed, how much of what happens can be attributed to the Heralds, and how much is simply human nature? That's a question even the Heralds can't and won't answer. They are only here to carry out the same task they have done since the dawn of time, each time a war brews.

Koth, the Kingdome of Thorne

Koth of Festering Lands brings with her death and rot. This affects vegetation, wildlife, livestock, the already dead...and the soul itself. She does not bring literal death to living people - she only brings it to the things around them and within them.

◎ Missing Warship
In Borrel, a naval warship on its way home to resupply goes missing. Led by an experienced captain and with no fighting taking place at sea (surely, even the Free Cities can't sail that quickly toward the western coast), the mysterious disappearance has many concerned. Unfortunately, some mages who attempt a common tracking spell report visions of bloated corpses sunk to the bottom while others dream of drowning, an effect so real they must be shaken awake. Many mages refuse to try the spell again, leaving it in your hands instead.

Each tracking spell can only vaguely locate an individual or a part of the ship, so multiple attempts are necessary. If you're not skilled in magic, you can take a more active role and board a rescue ship off the coast of Borrel. This ship will venture out based on the coordinates according to the spell...but take care: the sailors with you are prone to similar visions of drowning when they look into the blackened depths below. Others claim they see the faces of the dead in the ocean's surface. All of this leads to high tensions amongst the men and women on board.

It'll be possible to rescue a few sailors, but others may be lost entirely. The ship itself appears to have broken into pieces. Survivors report a grotesque undead leviathan that cannot be harmed or killed, though it's difficult to tell if this is true or another hallucination.

◎ Dukewood Lumber Mills
Previously a site of a dangerous rift, the lumber mill in the woods by Nott has since returned to normal. Unfortunately, that ends quickly when the trees begin to rot. Workers report a horrible smell that comes from the trees themselves, and that the normally clear sap has turned into a putrid black-blood substance.

To make matters worse, the rotting stores of food and now the dying trees are putting the workers and locals around Nott under great stress. Thoughts of despair are amplified by both the situation and Koth, leading to higher rates of drinking, which in turn has increased the amount of accidents at the mill, including mismanaged safety protocols and mishandled equipment.

Lumber is of great value during wartime, especially for the construction of naval ships, outposts, and weapons, so Castle Thorne is determined to help restore the trees, as well as calm the workers. You can help with everything from checking equipment to ensure they're safe, searching for any missing mill workers, providing first aid where necessary, or confronting beasts that might've been disturbed by all the commotion.

If you happen to fall under Koth's sway, you might also see the dead when looking into the waters as you rescue the other sailors. The bodies might reflect something you fear or they may be a reminder of a death that's already passed. You could also sink into despair or experience haunting dreams as you try to help another recover from their hopelessness.

Adlewyrd, the Free Cities

Adlewyrd of Poisoned Tongues brings with them words that poison the heart and mind. This affects thoughts and emotions, a slow and subtle influence that spreads.

◎ Untold Secrets
In Libertas, where underground networks thrive, sudden slips of the tongue, rising tempers, and impulsive actions have caused the black market to collapse into disarray. Between power struggles, accusations of betrayals, and missing transactions, the violence has spilled into the open.

Preoccupied with the battle, the number of guards and soldiers keeping order is reduced. Venturing into Libertas can be dangerous and those who live there, including artists and orphans, are struggling to go about their day-to-day without disruption. You can help calm tempers or break up fights...or maybe, if you're a bit more vulnerable to the influences yourself, you might become drawn into the chaos yourself.

Because of the limited number of hands, the Summoned are allowed to make an arrest, but you must bring the culprit to a guard outpost for formal processing. Taking matters into your own hands too severely can lead to scrutiny. Given the circumstances, however, a bit of non-fatal violence will be overlooked, especially if it takes place in the darker corners of Libertas.

You don't have to enforce the law, though. In Libertas, this enforcement is rather loose, anyway. Instead, you can mediate as a neutral party, take advantage to make a deal of your own, or simply offer your services to fill in any gaps that might've occurred in these networks. This could involve more illicit activities like transporting underground goods or something more above-board like searching for a missing person. Just be sure you don't draw too much attention if you're acting outside the law.

◎ The Red Path
Previously a site of a dangerous rift, the scenic Red Path leading between Cadens and Libertas has since been restored. Unfortunately, that ends quickly when conflicting reports cause an accident involving merchant wagons carrying silk, spices, and wine. Some claim the merchants are spies while others insist they were bandits in disguise.

Regardless, the accident leads to several fatalities and disturbs a monster nest: that of the dangerous Copper Spine Wyvern. It also draws swarms of hungry Kaskadura, the latter of which are lured by the corpses. While not normally aggressive towards the healthy and living, the Kaskadura seem to be in a frenzy and will bite just about anyone they see - and there's a lot of them, gathering over the area like a black cloud.

To make matters worse, a clerical error has slowed down the cleanup and identification process. If you're not inclined to fight monsters or locate missing bodies, you can help at Portam Hall to manually match names to surviving family members, as well as locate said family members to deliver the somber news. As for Portam Hall, the main hub of government activity might not be under threat from beasts, but isn't calm, either. Gossip, secrets, and missing paperwork plague the various departments and offices.

If you happen to fall under Adlewyrd's sway, you might read too deeply into an innocent comment or mishear a remark that raises your ire, leading you to snap wrongly at a friend or attack an innocent. You might also give into lurking temptations that surface as you try to help others overcome their dark desires.

Sannleikr, the Solvunn Commune

Sannleikr of Many Faces brings with him deception of the soul. This affects faces and minds, causing appearances to become distorted, untrustworthy, or altogether unrecognizable.

◎ Lost Herders
In the Secondary Settlement, a woman named Eydis has lost her prized herding dogs and her flock of sheep. They left one morning as usual to herd the sheep out to graze and never returned. She worries that rumors of livestock sprouting teeth are true and will harm her dogs. She isn't the only one, either. Several other sheep and goat herders have claimed their dogs and flocks have gone missing, too.

The dogs themselves have scattered across Solvunn. There are roughly a dozen dogs and several flocks that failed to return home. Should you run into any livestock, it would appear the rumors are indeed true: the normally fluffy sheep have grown wicked claws or horns while the goats bear their sharp fangs. Despite their fearsome appearance, however, they are not aggressive except when frightened. Keep them calm when herding them lest you provoke them to bite or claw.

As for the dogs, some might be wounded while others will growl at you. They don't recognize familiar toys or faces and will attempt to run away or behave apprehensively. You can use any abilities or techniques you have on hand to try and bring them home. After all, the Solvunn woods are dangerous, and there are many creatures within those dense trees that will strike.

◎ Living Statues
Previously a site of a dangerous rift, the Feintak Ritual Site, located just outside the Primary Settlement, has since returned to normal. Unfortunately, that ends quickly when confused citizens of the Commune begin to wander toward the area at night in search of their "missing" loved ones.

Unable to recognize familiar faces, some begin to see those faces imposed upon the statues at the site instead. You can find children playing with their "mother" or an elderly widow spending time with a "relative." While this would be disturbing enough on its own, the sacred area contains an ancient magic that, should any missteps occur, could be released into the world and spell disaster.

The Council has asked the Summoned to help bring home the lost folk of the Feintak site. They must be guided gently, as any negative energy could be absorbed by the dark power that lives in the earth and the statues. Victims of the affliction might become frightened of you or fail to recognize you even if you've been neighbors for months or years, making your task more difficult.

If you happen to fall under Sannleikr's sway, you might also begin to see faces in the statues at Feintak and forget the real figures around you. The faces might be friendly or they could be adversarial - an enemy or a source of shame. You may also see a twisted reflection of yourself in the mirror, representing something you've been trying to hide from.

The Final Coming

Zorne first spoke to you in your dreams, but his presence is noticeably absent for the first few days. Then, one week later, after one of the most fierce and bloody battles in the Badlands in recent history, a red sun rises over Abraxas. The morning's dawn is cast in a red glow across the territories.

If you met Zorne in your dream, you may recognize this very sun. You remember feeling its heat over your skin and the emotions it stirred in you, whichever they might've been.

By noon, the blood-red hue will fade...but Zorne's coming has only begun.

The Last Affliction

Unrestricted, Zorne's influence travels across the land and joins forces with his siblings.

◎ The Badlands

Forces from the Free Cities introduce a new prototype to the war: a semi-automonous suit of armor armed with a piece of technology derived from something that came through the rifts: a unique firearm that launches explosive discs imbued with New Magic.

The weapon's destructive capabilities wreck havoc on both people and the environment...inadvertently setting loose yet another creature of the rift - the swamp-like creature that researchers had been studying in the Badlands before the war broke out. Its giant mouth is lined with numerous teeth. Its breath can paralyze, blind, poison, and weaken anyone caught in it.

The morbol will move toward the borders of each territory throughout the event, so the Summoned in all locations can encounter it when arriving at the front lines to deliver medicine, supplies, or news. Zorne's influence appears to prevent it from dying. When killed, it respawns in another location - sometimes miles away.

◎ Forging the Soul

Zorne's influence can affect those who are already under the effect of one of the other three Heralds. A shopkeeper angry about a misspoken rumor might begin to have disturbing and violent dreams of confronting the offending gossiper. A soldier who sees his death at the hands of another may start to feel the urge to kill first before his turn comes.

Aggressive wildlife will begin to invade city borders. While most are stopped or killed before they enter a major city, one or two predators might slip through. Trade routes are disrupted. Nearly all caravans are halted except the most critical transports. Hunters and farmers begin to report disturbing sights of deer scavenging on corpses or butterflies biting as mosquitos do.

You, too, may experience similar dreams or desires if you've allowed yourself to become too vulnerable or exposed to the Heralds. The more you entertain such thoughts or let your guard down, the harder they become to ignore. As you move through your days, surrounded by turmoil and conflict, you may have to ask yourself if you're as above it all as you first thought.

And what about your friends? Your neighbors? After all, you might associate frequently with the other Summoned, but you've made connections with the native population, too. Perhaps the kindly innkeeper is now treating you with a suspicion she didn't used to exhibit. Maybe you hear that the baker across the street, who once offered you free sweet rolls, has been gravely injured by his own son.

As Zorne said, this is about forging peace through madness - or so the Heralds believe. Maybe, in the pandemonium and bloodshed around you, you begin to understand something important about yourself, your friends, or the world.

Beyond the Heralds

It's tough to deny that even without the Heralds, this conflict would be ongoing regardless. Neither Thorne nor the Free Cities has demonstrated any desire for peace. Solvunn seems to be considering their role, as well. Despite the war, life must continue for Abraxans: parents have mouths to feed, farmers have fields to sow, and professors continue to lecture and hold classes while they're able.

As the Summoned, you can engage in any of these elements. You can agree to take notes for a fellow student who's suffered an unfortunate attack after being mistaken for someone else. You could babysit for households who need an extra hand while their partner has been sent to fight. You can pack medicine, offer healing abilities, or bring supplies to units stationed by the Badlands.

You can also take on acts of diplomacy. This is not restricted to communicating with the leaders of your territory. Both Nocwich and the Nether have a relationship with the Summoned, which is something you can utilize. You might have to begin by sending a letter instead of meeting them directly, but if you're determined to find a peaceful solution, it's worth trying.

Individualized actions are entirely possible! We will discuss it on a case-by-case basis. You can SUBMIT YOUR REQUEST by replying to the comment with the form.

Please have a concrete goal in mind and try to keep your requests concise. We will do our best to accommodate everyone, but we may have to ask that you hold the request for after the event or ask you to revise it, depending on what you've submitted.

Departure

When the Heralds withdraw, it's quiet and as difficult to notice as their arrival. Did they vanish near the end of one of the battles? Did they leave days ago, the seeds they sowed flourishing without further intervention?

For the Summoned, it may be a bit easier to tell. Steadily, as the month comes to a close, the Horizon begins to stabilize once more. If you have been countering the Heralds, you find your ability no longer triggers, even if there remain those around you who behave as though they are still being influenced. You suppose it's fair to remember that the Heralds don't need to exert their powers for people to behave as they do.

The battle in the Badlands continues to wage...but on AUGUST 30, Thorne's troops receive abrupt orders to return home. It appears that, while the kingdom's forces were occupied on land, her naval warships were dealt a serious blow, handing a sudden victory to the Free Cities - but not by who you might predict.

The Hands of Solvunn

Solvunn has often refused to pledge for one side or another. The Council maintains that they are devoted to protecting their commune and their way of life, nothing more. They certainly have no army or weapons to speak of. Their disinterest in the Badlands conflict is expected, and neither Thorne nor the Free Cities consider it unusual that Solvunn has remained isolated.

What you might've wondered, however, is this: why have the Heralds visited Solvunn twice now when they spare genuinely neutral lands like Nocwich and the Nether?

A Guiding Light

After Thorne's retreat, news begins to travel. It moves through Solvunn and Thorne first, eventually reaching the Free Cities. Multiple stories surface about the sea in Borrel, not about the storm wall or Koth, but something else - a mysterious lighthouse and a thick fog that's obscured the waters for days.

Survivors of one destroyed warship, The Queen's Secret, return telling tale of a light that beckoned them during a heavy storm. But the lighthouse keepers in the western sea swear they saw no ships come their way. The ship itself seems to have crashed into a massive sea stack that should've been easily avoidable. What lighthouse could have drawn them near?

Over the next few days, this happens again and again. Sailors looking out from shore confirm that they can indeed see the flickering beam of a lighthouse. It stands proudly in a spot where no lighthouse was ever built.

Then, on the final day, the lighthouse moves.

Blessings Granted

Citizens gather seaside despite sailors and guards ashore attempting to send them home. They watch as a naval officer and his men are sent to investigate. As the lighthouse grows brighter, its hypnotic pulse begins to pull others forward. Fishermen and noblemen set sail on their own civilian ships. Sailors of the Royal Navy break rank and order, as if under a powerful compulsion, and set forth in Thorne's prized warships. One by one, ships big and small pull out of the harbor in the dead of night.

Witnesses report strange limbs emerging from the base of the lighthouse. The limbs do not strike or attack. Rather, they open up like a waiting embrace. They gently accept each vessel that sails towards the light. Then they enfold the ship and pull it down into the depths. To onlookers, it's a silent but horrifying affair. Each ship disappears until only bits of wreckage are washed ashore the following morning.

A surprising number survive by abandoning ship, though some captains choose to go down with their vessel. Having made a crippling dent in Thorne's Royal Navy, the lighthouse vanishes. Back on shore in the Tertiary Settlement, the storm wall finally vanishes.

The incident above will lead a few changes in Solvunn and to the borders of the Badlands. We'll detail those changes in the Wrap-Up!

---

Comments

[righteously]

"Clearly," he echoes dubiously. Yeah, so she kind of fits the overall aesthetic, but in terms of, like, scale? More on the Mushu side of the spectrum than the Drogon side, is all he's saying. Which, you know what, all the better for him. Would've been way more distressing to walk in on that crammed into his kitchen. The ensuing mess, the disorganization of his pots and pans rack, the toll it would take on his cast iron skillet... shudder.

Miracle is not nearly so skeptical. He perks up at what he clearly assumes to be a new friend and prances over, sniffing cautiously at Hudson, nary a scrap of territorial concern over that food bowl. Far more interesting is the thought of having someone new to play with aside from Dean, probably, considering how vacant and empty the bunker tends to be these days.

He huffs at Lancelot, but hooks a finger under the helm and pulls it off his head anyway. His hair sticks up in disarray, but let's face it, the man's so unfairly good-looking he even kind of pulls off helmet hair somehow. It's a gift and a curse, this face of his. Woe is he.

"Yeah, looks like we're headed ass-first into another round of Singularity Bullshit. Tell you the truth, I'm a little surprised it hasn't taken a bigger toll here, but uh... I don't know, I think maybe I'm starting to become a little immune, or something. So far, no major catastrophes here, unless you count," he gestures at Hudson with the helmet absently. "Puff over there."

[divinityfrompain]

"What, is she not dragon enough for you? Rude, I did make her, you know." Julia flips her dark hair over her shoulder and puts her hands on her hips like she's getting ready to scold him. "She's based on a real dragon I knew." The Hudson River dragon would in no way appreciate the homage though.

Hudson may hiss at Dean but she doesn't hiss at Miracle. She dances around him instead, flying a little to get to the other side of him, and moves in a playful way. She does the 'come chase' me moving a little closer and then farther away until he does. She plays very well with other animals, remembering a time when she shared Julia's domain with hundreds of little ones.

"Nope, this time it's God Bullshit. If it's not one, it's the other." Julia is coming up on a year in the land soon and she gets the usual suspects. She spends a lot of time in godland and Solvunn has already figured out what's going on, considering they're being devout. "The other gods aren't going to step in, I already talked to mine."

[righteously]

He can't stop himself from mumbling vaguely under his breath, "You and I know very different dragons."

The ones here are alright; he'd been wary of them at first, until a few conversations with Geralt and some quality face-time firsthand. They grew on him — especially when they busted out the hardcore barbecue competitions. Then they really grew on him. Prior to that, though, his experience with dragons was way less wholesome. The things they do back in his world... no bueno.

Miracle has no such scruples, though. He play-bows, chuffs out a subdued little bark, and begins to gently chase Hudson around the open spaces in the bunker lobby — deeper in toward the rich wood-lined library just beyond. He shakes his head in faint amusement, and then turns his attention back to her.

God bullshit.

"Great. That's worse." At least the Singularity's not generally an asshole. That last little bit's of interest to him, though, and a furrow sets itself in his brow. "You get a lot of one-on-one with yours?"

[divinityfrompain]

"I guess our dragons are a little more like this world's, although I'm pretty sure they still eat people. They just also sometimes bargain with us, if we give them things they want. The Hudson River dragon helped me get to the Underworld in exchange for an important teleportation device, but it was worth it."

Thus, Hudson, a cutesy version of the sassy red dragon that Julia met all that time ago. Going to the underworld was a big experience, especially as she made a choice while Shadeless that showed how much of her was still there, and she holds onto that. She wishes they didn't have to lose the button to get it though. Quentin always had to lose things that mattered to him to help other people. It's an unfortunate reality for her best friend.

"I do, yeah. She left a special flower in my backyard to communicate with me. I don't think she can intervene with the heralds." Endrborrin may be a beloved spring goddess and vital to Solvunn, but she doesn't deal in violence and conflict the way they do. She's focused on her own priorities, something she also reminded Julia of, and she promised to remember. The harvest is coming in the next few months and Julia plans to do all she can to live up to their pact.

Julia glances around, now that the dragon and dog have apparently gone to play games and hopefully not cause more havoc together, curious about this unexpected space. This is not like the bar. "So are you going to show a girl around your secret base or what, Bond?"

[righteously]

For one long, sterling, open-mouthed moment it looks like he has something to say about the concept that there's a dragon in the Hudson River — but then he thinks about his own world, and all the absolutely batshit insane stuff lurking around just out of view of the public, and his mouth slowly closes.

You know what? Sure. Hudson River Dragon, underworld, teleporting. Why not. Sounds like a Tuesday, right?

He sighs, tiredly rubbing the heel of his palm against one eye socket, contemplating his own unfortunate perspective on what godhood was like. Hating that he gets why they might be reluctant to step in — even if he was never quite as hands off as most of the other Summoned were, he still gets it. Sometimes, getting involved only brings more devastation.

Better to change the subject to happier things, and so he shrugs it off, smirks, and nods his head toward the library.

"Come on down to the Price Is Right. Get ready to have your mind blown. We can start in here, it's a nerd's wet dream."

Books on every scrap of lore him, Cas, Jo, Sam, and Jack ever read. All of them contributed whether they meant to or not during their time here, and the knowledge lingers as one of the last traces of their presence.

[divinityfrompain]

Julia as a goddess was too involved as he might remember, so it's one of the few things that has stayed in her mind as a warning. It's why she wouldn't consider pushing Endrborrin on it because it makes sense. They old gods have been around this world a lot longer than any of them. They've been in their positions for thousands of years. It's not the same thing as Dean showing up to tell her to calm down a few hundred years in.

Julia isn't entirely certain where she falls on any of this. She can see the logic in what the heralds are saying. And from what she can tell, they only react to war, they didn't cause this one. Humans are making their own choices. Should the gods intervene and stop them every time? It's a question that probably they're all more aware of after their experience. Everyone has their own opinion. She's just still on the fence.

She follows him on the tour and he took her to the right first stop! Julia's a nerd, through and through. She crosses to pick up one of the books on monsters and flips through it. "So cool. Also so intense, considering they were all real for you." Maybe there are a few obvious ones like demons and vampires, but she figures he's seen some things she's never heard of.

"I'm sorry about Sam. I was looking forward to teaching him some magic." Julia likes to teach. She sets the book down. "I don't suppose you'd like to learn any?"

[righteously]

He has a lot of thoughts about the whole thing — about the gods, about what they owe to their followers, about free will. About the difference between being hands-off and being negligent. Most of them come from a place of resentment, of a life of personal experience wading through deity-adjacent bullshit, so yeah, he's well aware his opinions aren't without a little personal bias. Honestly, at the end of the day?

Nothing he can say on the subject matters. Nothing he can do will change anything. It's exhausting, and he doesn't have the energy in him anymore to get hung up on a cause he can't impact. The days where he could ram his head into an unbreakable brick wall on repeat have long since passed; he's dead, he's retired. He's just living as peacefully as he can now in what is, effectively, his second chance before the final afterlife.

So yeah, he'll distract himself with his fake dog, in his fake bunker, learning spells with Julia, because why the hell not?

"Sure," he agrees, lips quirkly up with just a touch of wry self-deprecation. "Fair warning, though, I've never been the brains of the family. Magic, spells, that's always been my brother's bag, but uh- yeah. I'm down to give it a shot. What've you got, Teach?"

[divinityfrompain]

"I don't know who you're talking about, my friend Dean Winchester is very smart." Julia would say smarts don't matter that much with magic, but it's untrue when it comes to hers. There's a reason there is an entire graduate school dedicated to learning the arts, and every person there is on their own level of intelligence. But that's in a world where magic is harder to access, it requires a lot more focus and power to pull out even the smallest of spells correctly.

The magic in Abraxas is insanely overpowered. Julia just came from a place where magic was completely sapped away from her world, at least for humans to have access to. Only a small collection of people can use it, but here, everyone can use it. It's overflowing in the air around them, in the power within their veins. She might want to go home, but she wouldn't deny that she loves having so much of it at his fingertips.

"A lot of our magic requires hand gestures so let me see what you're working with." She wiggles her fingers at him playfully but reaches out to take his hand. It doesn't actually matter if they're long or short or whatever, they only need to be nimble and workable. Julia figures that he uses his enough in his every day work he has to have strong ones.

"Let's go with good old fashioned telekinesis first, okay? I found it very useful for getting the books I wanted or the remote. If you used any magic here or got some of your own from the Singularity, you should know how to call on the energy, so it'll be an easy learn." Julia's found that there is a natural pull of magic around them and using it even in casual ways makes using it again easier.

"So basically the idea is that you're grabbing onto it like you would with your hand, only for larger things you expand the reach." Her hand reaches out toward the books and she flicks her fingers and a book snaps to it with no trouble.

[righteously]

That first little comment earns a quirk to his lips, a deeply fond and particularly appreciative smile. He can't say he agrees with the sentiment, but he loves her like hell for saying it anyway. She's a good person, Julia — not that this is new information, she just reinforces it so often it's impossible not to feel it whenever he's around her.

And she's right, honestly. He may be lacking in formal education because of the circumstances of his upbringing, but he's still a very smart dude. Competent, and capable, and surprisingly well-read by this point in his life. He can do this. The only thing really holding him back is himself, and his own mental blocks insisting he's not good enough.

But he's had some growth in that department, since coming to Abraxas. Working with Geralt on mastering Witcher Signs had been a learning curve, had been a slow and steady struggle, but the development he earned along the way isn't insignificant. It pays off here, now, today — because unlike some shows that will remain nameless, we don't backpedal on character growth arcs in this house.

He holds up his hands — long, skillful fingers that do masterful and dexterous work with things like fixing engines, playing the guitar, disassembling and reassembling guns. They're not bad for this kind of thing, as it turns out. A little calloused maybe, a little rough, but still plenty nimble. He'll be able to do this — which can only be a bad thing for his cholesterol levels; if he doesn't need to get up to snag the remote, he may never bother standing up again.

He focuses. Mimics her gesture, slightly halting, certainly less practiced — but something does happen. The same tug he feels when he calls on a Sign, he feels now, flowing from his hands, from his chest. A book on the shelf begins to vibrate, to jiggle, to slowly bounce and rattle its way closer and closer to the ledge — and then it falls flat onto the floor with a thunk.

"I mean..." he starts optimistically, "That was... something, right? I might not be a total squib."

[divinityfrompain]

Julia's best friend is someone who is infinitely hard on himself. He's battled self-esteem issues and depression as long as she's known him, so she's something of an expert on how to give constant kind reassurance to people who might be dealing with negative inward thinking. Dean's more confident than Quentin on the outside, but she knows personal put-downs ('I've never been the brains of the family') when she hears them. She'll be there to counteract him if she hears them again going forward.

Julia claps her hands when he gets the book to jiggle and move forward, and even if it falls on the ground, it still moved. "Uh duh, that was something. You made it move with magic, how cool is that?"

She's glad that people around here are used to using magic more because it means they have such an easier time. Julia's been offering classes regularly to people in Solvunn so they don't have to worry about worship-based spells, and there's a difference between newcomers and people with some experience.

"Here. It's a little more precise, it's in the tension of the fingers." Julia moves in front of him. She's almost a full foot shorter than him usually, and her heels are sensible so she's still half a foot down. She puts her fingers on top of his, her own smooth and without a callus on them in comparison. Her other hand moves underneath to bend his fingers at the knuckles as they would be if they gripped a book, making them more taut.

"The magic is in the energy of your body, it's all here." She runs her fingers over the top of his knuckles. "The force of that energy is traveling over there and manipulating the book." Julia finds that explaining sometimes makes it easier to understand. "It's like the power of your hand is tugging it here, so you just pull."

She smiles up at him, feeling that she's moved his fingers correctly, so she stands to the side again and gestures. "Let's see it, Potter."

[righteously]

Alright, look, Julia's relentless positivity and encouragement is goddamn adorable. It just is. Despite himself, it puts a stupid sideways grin on his face. As it turns out, there's more than a little overlap between tactics that work on Quentin and tactics that work on Dean.

Always eager to earn approval, to do things right, he concentrates.

Precision.
Tension of the fingers.
Force, energy.
Pull.

The book not only soars at him, it canonball yeets itself directly at his face at mach speed. There's a crack, a groan, and he reels back from the sudden gushing nose bleed as a direct result of the force of the spine impacting his entire god damn face.

"AH- fuck- son of a bitch!"

But... hey... he did it...

[divinityfrompain]

Julia looks shocked for a second, her mouth open, but then she bursts out laughing. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry," she says, continuing to laugh. It's not very nice but it looked so funny and she didn't think to warn him about that. It's probably happened a ton of times at Brakebills as people get used to telekinesis, but she didn't think of it.

It's a good thing he did this in here and not in the real world, because in the real world it would have stuck around. Still, she's stifling her giggling as best as possible. They're friends, he can deal with a little humor in the face of his pain. Hopefully!

"Look, at least you did it, really well!" She's going to tear up if she keeps laughing so she manages to suck in breath to slow it down. "Here, let me help." If Dean lets her, Julia reaches up to touch his nose and any actual injury to it heals instantly. This is small potatoes compared to what she can do as a healer. She creates a towel and offers it to him.

[righteously]

The glare he levels at her is... pretty lacking in heat, to be honest. No real anger lives inside it, it's more a perfunctory har har, shut up formed into one wordless but loud facial expression. Thank god this place is barely even real; if he had to run around with a practically broken nose for a couple weeks over this Jedi mind power force pull crap he'd be real annoyed.

Maybe. Probably not, because it's still awesome and therefor totally worth it.

With only the mildest rassum frassum'ing, his hands fall away from his face and he gently complies, allowing her free and uninhibited access to whatever it is she plans on touching. In a warm and soothing second, the injury is gone, and he's left touching his nose absently, vaguely impressed.

Cool.

"Thanks, Jules," he says wryly, only a touch flat, as he accepts the towel and wipes away the little streak of blood. "Solid lesson. I'll work on it until I can pull it off without giving myself a concussion."

[divinityfrompain]

Julia gives him her most doe-eyed look, big round hazel eyes full of I'm sorry forgive me but she's smiling at the same time so it doesn't have the full effect as if she meant it. He is more than welcome to laugh at her if anything like that happens! She'd probably be laughing too in that case, she's learned once or twice how magic can flip on someone.

"It'll become second nature once you get used to it. Also it's super helpful when you need just about anything from across the room or in the area. The obvious combat use is that you push rather than pull." So if he learns how to call things to his hand, he can push things away from him just as easily. It takes a little more force depending on what he's trying to toss away, but it goes under the same principle.

"Oh, here's a cool one." Julia makes a gesture with her fingers, flat up, three fingers down, sparking what looks like electricity between her pointer and middle finger. It crackles and pops, held between them and her thumb. It looks very simple but as he'll figure out with magic, it usually looks easier than it is. "So the idea is electricity is everywhere, in the air and in our bodies, and this is bringing it to the surface of your skin. It's already in you."

She spreads her fingers and it becomes wider and stronger, sparking. "Eventually you could get a really good jolt out of it on someone."

[righteously]

Frankly, it'd be useful as hell in combat. He can't count the number of times he's had a sword knocked out of his hand; being able to Luke Skywalker it back might be a total game changer. He will, of course, need to make sure that he doesn't accidentally impale himself with it in the freaking process first, so... practice. Months of practice.

The next little spell, man, he'd love to be able to nail anywhere near as quickly. It looks awesome, full-on flux capacitor stuff. Unfortunately, a few frustrating repetitions of the gesture with a slowly deepening furrow in his brow, and he barely gets more than the kind of flint-spark an empty bic lighter might produce.

"How in the hell are you even doing that?"

[divinityfrompain]

"Practice. So much practice." Julia has absolute control over the electricity glowing and sparking between her fingers, but it wasn't always that way. "The first spell I ever did was this one."

Julia lets go of the jolt and instead puts her fingers all together, and flicks them together at once. Instead of a spark it turns into full on lit up fingers of electricity, and she flexes her fingers, letting it go. "You can probably do that. Just flick them the way you would a lighter, all at once." She puts her hands over his again, her tiny fingers on top of his, and she shows him how to flick them. And then lets them go so he can try it on his own.

This is not likely to get something thrown at his head but it can feel like fireworks are going from his fingertips.

"My specialization is apparently Meta-Composition, if I went to magic school. It means I get how magic works on a fundamental level." It's why Julia makes an excellent teacher, many Knowledge Brakebills students end up professors. Because the way they look at magic and use it are about breaking down how it works and how the spell functions.

[righteously]

It reminds him, a little, of the time he spent trying to learn to produce the smallest flame during his first few months in Abraxas. How he snapped his fingers over and over again, like a lighter. How many damn times he tried and failed to do even the most basic, most minute magic. Now, three years later almost, he's mastered every Witcher sign Geralt could teach him. He's got wings, and powers of his own that come as naturally to him as breathing. He's learned, he's not a total novice.

He can do this. He knows how it feels to channel magic, and he's smart enough to see his mistakes now. He can do this.

With that confidence, that ambition, resonating in him, he copies her again — and flicks them all at once, like a lighter, just like her delicate fingers guide him.

And there they are, the sparks, the fireworks. Noticably weaker than hers, certainly still a beginner manifestation, but it's something. He smiles widely, beaming at her — proud and pleased. Way less book to the head this time, so he actually gets to relish in the accomplishment for a second.

"Meta-Composition. Yeah, I think I get that. You're good at this. Teaching, I mean." He shrugs a lax, lazy shoulder and casually offers a suggestion, "You ever think about maybe starting up classes? Maybe in Nocwich, or something? For the folks that might wanna learn this stuff."

[divinityfrompain]

Hedge witches make better teachers than actual Brakebills professors because they are so fixed to their proper spells and have large classrooms to worry about. They can't give specialized attention like this. Hedges only have each other, they practice all their spells together, they're rarely alone. Marina was a very good teacher, truthfully, if also a raging bitch. Julia's relationship with her was complicated, and unfortunately now she's dead so closure will always be impossible.

Julia smiles wide at him when he does it first try and claps her hands. He also did a good job with the telekinesis, it just is a lot more physical than the firework hands. "The first few times I tried it I could get only a spark, enough that I thought maybe I was imagining it. I thought I was crazy." She knew magic existed but access to it was denied to her at the time. It wasn't until she met other witches she could do anything.

"I teach in Solvunn! Most of the magic there involves the gods, prayers and stuff, and I wanted to give an option that didn't require you to believe in anything." Julia thinks she's offered pretty pragmatic alternatives. Mostly it's the Summoned who learn from her, but she's taught some natives too, who want casual spells that don't need a blessing to be done. They're taught by a Summoned, chosen by the gods, so it's almost the same thing.

"But I don't know, that might be cool. You think other people would want to learn? You guys have your own magic in those places." So they might already have plenty to work off of.