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

[cryptsleeper]

It isn't. [Alucard has met Mogwry a few times and has generally vowed to keep his distance. Foul mouth moogles, especially after Jaskier's darling boy, are disconcerting at best.

Instead, he gestures Hilda over towards the table he's placed outside his cabin. On it are any array of lost trinkets. All the easier for them to be found again.

He places the basket down on the table, looking to Hilda to couch what she's about to see.]

I found them like this, unfortunately.

[Alucard takes the soft towel he's placed on top of the first mask off, the face of a rotting fox staring up at them both. He's done his best to clean it off and remove leaves that have stuck to it, but...it's still not great.]

[theidlemaiden]

[ What she feels is equal parts relief and worry. Because while it's a good thing that Mogwry hadn't been a little bitch nuisance to Alucard, it also wasn't great to hear that this was one other place she had to cross off the list of him not being here. At the rate this was going she'd have to put up posters or something.

That doesn't answer what he'd found though. Clearly it isn't a wyvern and she had gone through with a fine tooth comb through her cottage to check for lost things to know that nothing was missing.

When she's finally faced with what he'd found, her furrow grows deeper, her voice catching in her throat. ]

What happened? They never looked like that during the dream.

[cryptsleeper]

[The way that Hilda's voice catches makes Alucard's heart sink, just a little. Not only because of the tone, but because the answer he has will help nothing.]

I can't rightly say. I found two of them on the ground, almost blending into the woods. The third one was in a tree, trying to imitate the moon itself.

[He doesn't cover up the masks yet, but his fingers linger at the edge of the blanket, ready to do just that and let Hilda take the basket.]

Regardless, I'm sorry.

[theidlemaiden]

[ His apology and subsequent explanation has her looking up in confusion. Although she guesses it makes sense considering the question she'd asked that he probably didn't and wouldn't have any answers to. ]

Why are you sorry?

[ The masks had been a representation of people and the bonds she shared. Sort of a silent museum so that she wouldn't forget as the years had sped by them. She hadn't forgotten many people - but she had forgotten her brother and that guilt still stings at her cheeks. ]

It's not your fault. I didn't think I'd see these again, that's all. And when I did see them they...didn't anything like this.

[ She reaches out almost hesitantly, morbidly curious because the materials didn't seem like what they had once been either. Lightly the pad of her finger brushes the fox mask only to recoil in horror when it feels akin to flesh. The revelation however is enough to trigger something else - her nails elongate, morphing and changing into something sharp. Wyvern like.

Hilda lets out a startled scream, stumbling backwards. ]

What the fuck - !

[cryptsleeper]

[Alucard blinks in quiet confusion for a moment. An apology that expresses sympathy isn't something he thinks needs explanation, especially not from Hilda. She's usually not this...

...on edge? Alucard's not sure. And he isn't quite sure how to respond at first, so he takes a quiet moment to try and find words that will be helpful rather than potentially lean towards an argument.

That's all before Hilda's hand decides to be deeply fucking weird.

He sees the elongation of the nails first. Alucard's used to that on himself and for a moment it seems normal. But the shape is wrong. His claws are just very long nails not--

--oh, that's different.

It is instinct to run over towards Hilda rather than give her space. To gesture at her hand, his heart racing faster but voice managing to remain calm.]

Hold on, let me take a look.

[theidlemaiden]

No -

[ It's her first thought and it makes its way out of her mouth more scared than anything else. Everything about this is bizarre and strange and she hates it so much. Her nails haven't just elongated, there's the faintest hint of texture where the nail meets skin and she knows without a shadow of a doubt that they're scales. ]

I don't understand.

[ Maybe if there hadn't been some kind of war raging outside and everyone wasn't acting so off she might be able to find some levity in this situation. Instead a tiny bubble of panic lodges in her chest. Her gaze rips to her other hand as she holds them out to look at them side by side rather than give them to Alucard. ]

These are the kinds of claws I had when we were gods.

[ And she didn't want to be a god. ]

[cryptsleeper]

[Hilda's realization knocks the wind right out of the dhampir. His hand drops, his left hand tightens into a fist(even in the Horizon, he has that skeletal finger), and he takes a step back. This is a moment that demands space, not crowding.

What he doesn't know is how to respond. He awoke one day to find that his body had changed without his say so. Hilda's had it happen in real time, in a personal moment, and...

...there's no right words.

He lets silence settle in for a moment, allowing the realization take up an appropriate amount of room. Then he manages:]

Do you want a few moments alone or....?

[theidlemaiden]

[ In the silence that falls around them Hilda tells herself this isn't such a big deal. That wyvern claws are nothing and that she can probably wear gloves to cover them up if they don't go away soon. No one has to know. ]

No, I'm fine. I just -

[ She didn't know what to do. Hilda knew that she didn't want to be a god but Zorne had called them as such. Godling. Not wanting godhood in a far flung future isn't even about responsibility and expectations at this point. All of it boiled down to the fact that she knew what she wanted and it wasn't that even if it had brought other pockets of wonderful things into her life that she'd never be able to experience otherwise.

But her choice in this matter had been taken away. Again. ]

I just want to put that behind us and it keeps coming back.

[cryptsleeper]

[Alucard is quiet, but he nods in understanding. Leaving behind those years that never were would be a blessing. He can ignore it most days, even with the persistent mark that is on his left hand and that Hilda has helped to obscure. But with Zorne, with what's going on, they've all been dragged back in, kicking and screaming and biting in most cases. No question if they wanted it, just a blunt instrument saying it shall be.

There are parts of it that he's meant to discuss with Hilda. The reaction she's just had makes it clear that waiting was a good idea, even if it has caused a small amount of anxiety on his end.

What do you even say to this? Any of this?]

I'm starting to fear that it may always come back around, regardless of what permissions we give or how deeply we hate the concept in and of itself. And I don't think I have run into a single person who has been approving of...well, everything that happened.

[theidlemaiden]

[ There's a wordless sound of agreement at that. It's comforting to know that she isn't the only one so vehemently opposed to being a god and the future that they had been forced to live through but that doesn't make the reality of the matter any easier to swallow. She had only barely begun to come to terms with the idea that the life she had here was hers. That her whims and wants could be possible if she allowed herself to believe in them too which extended from everything to her hobbies to her relationships.

To have a god come back and remind them not so gently that that may not even be the case - it makes her blood boil. It didn't matter that some part of her understood Zorne and the other god's reasoning behind the "natural" course of things. It wasn't fair. And that thought alone makes her feel like a petulant child all over again. ]

Well these can't be permanent.

[ War would end. The gods would come and go. The only thing she could focus on now was her current predicament. She stares down at her hands, a mixture of frustration and helplessness on her face before looking back towards Alucard. ]

Right?

[cryptsleeper]

It'd be a strange time for them to announce themselves if they are.

[Alucard offers his hands, palms upturned, gesturing gently for Hilda's claws. He doesn't make a point to emphasize the skeletal finger he has, but it is there all the same, quite clear and quite certain that it is normal enough. (It is not and Alucard hates it.)]

May I?

[theidlemaiden]

Well how are we supposed to know how anything here works? The only certain thing is absolute chaos.

[ Her dramatics aren't unusual, nor is Alucard a stranger to them. He'd even seen them at their worst. She knows that this isn't nearly as bad as it could get, nor were wyvern claws the worst thing that could happen to her. But so much of her identity is still wrapped up in her appearance. And if she couldn't be pretty then what else could she possibly be?

The thought makes her want to tear up but she looks towards Alucard before nodding and holding out her clawed hands towards him tentatively. ]

[cryptsleeper]

[Alucard does not wrap his fingers around Hilda's claws. That'd be the easy thing to do. He simply lets her fingers rest in his palms for a few moments, before he gently takes both of her wrists in hand.

There's many ways to go about this, most of them patronizing as hell. That isn't the intent. Alucard instead just gives a gentle squeeze, meeting Hilda's eyes.]

Agreed regarding chaos. So let's set that aside for a moment, please? Focus on my hands and the texture.

[theidlemaiden]

[ Her eyes eventually settle on his. The panic from earlier had already set in motion some colour to flush onto the apples of her cheeks but she does her best to remain focused using him like a grounding force.

After a moment her breathing evens out despite the tension not dissipating from her yet. ]

[cryptsleeper]

[That's step one at least. Alucard gives her wrists a gentle squeeze, aware that Hilda's still pulled taught like a bow string. The goal now is to relax the string inch by inch, not release everything at once.]

You can feel my skin. The texture, right? [As if to re-emphasize this, Alucard begins to rub very slow circles against Hilda's wrists with his thumbs.]

Imagine that where my thumbs are, it's what your skin should be. The texture's the same. And then imagine that texture emanating outward from that one little spot. Every rough patch smoothing itself out. Everything just shifting back to what it was.

[theidlemaiden]

[ At his first question she nods trying to focus on that instead of the worry at the back of her mind that she might accidentally dig into his flesh. It's not like they can actually get hurt in the Horizon but that doesn't stop her from wanting to avoid being the cause of any harm to him. 

After a moment she tries her best to focus on his instructions - only to find that the feeling of scales and claw against skin is too much. She draws in a sharp breath, panic beginning to edge into her voice. ] 

I can't. It's not working. 

[cryptsleeper]

Okay.

[Alucard makes a point of keeping his voice calm, trying to radiate the feeling outward, as if Hilda might catch it from him by some small miracle. He knows it doesn't work like that, and moreover, that Hilda doesn't work like that. At best, he can imagine she's starting to build up more concern.

They need another tactic. The dhampir's lips thin, struggling to find something to hang onto that'll help.

His second attempt circles back to the masks.]

Try this: I know those masks represent people, but I don't know much about them. What are the happier memories they evoke?

[theidlemaiden]

[ Telling someone to calm down has rarely ever worked in the past and it isn't about to work on Hilda now. The belief that she's only had her looks to fall back on still remains a lingering thought making it hard for her to shake the idea of something permanent like this happening to her.

But talking she can at least do. ]

Some of them were for my brother, Holst. Not that I knew that at the time. He's a pain but he's been nothing but good to me. And I even replaced some version of him with Altaïr.

[ She draws in a breath both in an attempt to calm her heart and to steady the swell of homesickness in her chest. ]

But he'd always try to comfort me when we were kids because I cried so often.

[cryptsleeper]

I think you've mentioned him to me once or twice. He seems like he would be good company, although...[he smiles very softly at the mention of Altaïr.] I think that also speaks highly of how you view Altaïr as well.

[The steadying breath is hard to interpret. Alucard doesn't know if that means talking is helping or making it worse. He knows Hilda's hands haven't changed but--

--oh.

He squeezes gently, more out of the instinct to give comfort.]

He cared. Was the world so big to you when you were young?

[theidlemaiden]

Ugh, don't tell him that.

[ It just goes to show how determined she is to maintain appearances of a reluctant little sister in spite of her obvious distress.

That groan however melts into a watery laugh at the thought of a much younger her. It's obvious that Holst will always be bigger and larger than her, but he'd always been such a large part of her life and her world as annoying his attentions could be. ]

Maybe. Everything was when I was that age. Even then I knew that I didn't want to disappoint anyone but that's all I seemed to be able to do. Holst tried to comfort me as best he could but he was - is - perfect. I don't think I ever believed him but I appreciated him comforting me nonetheless.

[cryptsleeper]

I won't, but I think you should express at least a little of that fact to him. It is a good thing to hear, that other people care for you that deeply.

[Alucard doesn't move. He simply listens, hoping that somewhere along the line, Hilda's hands will change back. At the back of his mind, he wonders if this is the most real physical contact they've had after that little adventure at the worst rock in the world. There's been so much going on.

The word disappointment though. He hates when Hilda uses it in regard to herself, but Alucard's long since learned to not approach that head on. It isn't the point of this exercise either.]

He sounds like a wonderful sibling to have. I think what you created was an elegant way to honor that, even with him so far away. What else should I know about him?

[theidlemaiden]

[ That earns a little furrow of her brow as she sniffs a little indignantly. ]

Who says I haven't?

[ The conversation that she and Altaïr had after they had reemerged from the crater had been shockingly soft. Softer than she suspects either of them could have been towards one another, but remains a conversation that she keeps near and dear to her heart all the same.

Alucard's next question prompts a soft laugh from her however as she grips his hands subconsciously. ]

He's so smart, but he's so dumb. Holst was so overbearing it drove me insane that being sent to a military academy actually sounded fun. But I also knew that if I asked him for anything while I was at the Academy he would have hand delivered it himself.

[cryptsleeper]

--Well, then I'm just an idiot telling you to do things you've already done.

[It isn't like he would have thought to ask about that until this exact moment.

Smart but dumb. Alucard can't help but laugh too. He could probably be accused of having moments like that, but not to the extent that Hilda just described. There's real warmth in his voice though, and he doesn't mind the way Hilda's claws grip him. He can take it.]

Hm, I almost wonder if some of your tendency to tease is informed by him.

[theidlemaiden]

[ Normally she wouldn't have a problem quipping that he was, in fact, a bit of an idiot right back but the knowledge that her fingers were still like this takes up too much of her attention to properly tease him in the way that they were used to.

The sound of his laugh is something she's missed and the realization of that cuts through some of her panic and worry that she was marred for life by this strange transformation. The scales begin to retract some though she doesn't notice. Her cheeks flush a little in response. ]

What is that supposed to mean?

[cryptsleeper]

[Fact: Alucard is always an idiot, he's just good at hiding it. Or turning it into something more productive these days.]

You're a wonderful friend who, like your brother, would go above and beyond if asked. But you temper it with the teasing, and from what you've shared, perhaps you're modeling his overbearing nature with something lighter but no less affectionate at the core for it.

[Alucard hasn't noticed that Hilda's scales have begun to retract. He's too busy bracing for a response.]