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

[techmaturgy]

[Viktor is not of much help here--ordinarily, he might be, but the very act of being in Portam Hall after everything that's happened makes him viscerally uncomfortable, and that's before taking into account the re-emergence of the Heralds. Perhaps he thinks if he meets Alucard here they can dig up something relevant, but he quickly finds that the real task is less productive, at least, not in the way he wants to be.

Hopefully they can finish and move on to something else. Viktor certainly will not be playing the role of courier, though he does give a cursory look around the room to see if one might materialize.]

I can ask for one.

[Even if he doesn't want to talk to anyone here. Viktor has found a bench to wait on, his gloved hands twisting around his crutch uncomfortably.]

What did you find?

[cryptsleeper]

A next of kin for one of the dead.

[There's nothing but deep regret in Alucard's voice. For the small little breakthrough of finding something, there's the worse sorrow of having to deliver potentially devastating news. It is coupled with the worry of further errors and insensitive sharing of the information, but...

...it is worse to wait and not know. Alucard knows that much.]

If they're all busy, I suppose the matter can wait an hour or two. [He frowns, not liking that answer either.]

This is all nightmares.

[techmaturgy]

[Viktor makes a disappointed, sad little noise--both for the loss of life, and that there's no further information here about what's happening. Once again, the government is just as much in the dark as they are, and he has the thought that he should be digging around in one of the Academy libraries instead, but then he would be alone, which is sort of the last thing he wants, right now.]

In an hour or two we could deliver it ourselves.

[Even with Viktor's general slow pace. Maybe he just wants to get out of this place.]

I should check on the mining camp.

[cryptsleeper]

--Would you like company?

[The offer is genuine, but Alucard won't lie about being worried about the safety of others these days either. It makes him sit up a little straighter, read rooms a little more carefully, have his hand closer to his sword.]

I'll find someone else to deliver the message. I've done three in two days because no one else was available. I...honestly, I don't think I can do a fourth today.

[techmaturgy]

If you're offering.

[He can take a portal to Farhill, but he still has to walk to get there. Viktor still has complicated feelings about all this--about Alucard--but they are friends, and Viktor does trust him. The company is not unwelcome, even after everything.

And it sounds like Alucard doesn't want to be alone, either. Viktor pulls himself up from his seat, starting to make his way out of the hall and assuming Alucard will follow.]

I don't like any of this.

[The fighting in the badlands, the Heralds--the implication that the imagined future is what awaits them.]

[cryptsleeper]

I need a break from the misery.

[So yes, he's offering. Yes, it is selfish, but he also suspects Viktor won't begrudge him this. They're in a damned awkward place right now between the two of them, but it pales in comparison to what likely lies ahead in the immediate future.

Alucard does follow. He has a few things in the space he's been using as an office, but they're nothing that can't wait right now. He lets Viktor set the pace, then keeps in time.]

It's never good when something that hasn't been seen for thousands of years decides to reach out and say hello with a bloodied sword.

[His voice is soft as to not be overhead, but the dry disapproval is plain enough.]

I feel as if we've all been swept up in the course of something we're powerless to fully stop.

[techmaturgy]

Farhill is its own kind of miserable.

[For Viktor, anyway, who hates seeing the child miners, but wants to be there so that he can do whatever he can to improve their conditions. Right now, all of this feels like a setback even without the government's meddling in his work. It would be remiss of him, however, not to see how they're doing. If they're being affected by the Heralds, and if he can take some of those afflictions away.

He still hasn't decided what he thinks about that. But he knows he has to do what he can.]

We are only powerless if we decide to be. [But Viktor understands what Alucard is saying. The visions, their resistance to the Heralds' influence--it's starting to feel like their fate is inevitable, even if he refuses to walk that path.] Whatever it is they want us to do...we can refuse.

[cryptsleeper]

I'll trade it for a few hours.

[He doesn't want this to devolve into a misery measuring contest, so he doesn't let it. Alucard knows that any time mining is involved, there's problems. Some work is inherently dangerous and prone to corruption.

Alucard tilts his head for a moment, considering. Viktor's point is well taken, but there's something he's noticed lately.]

That's just the thing, isn't it? In this moment, we're not being asked to do anything. We are, for the moment, sidelined by the governments that usually do look to use us and by the greater godly powers, who are older and more experienced in these situations.

[techmaturgy]

To refrain from action is still a choice.

[The Heralds, obviously, believe the Summoned to be on their side, and that they will stand by and agree, or at the very least allow that will to be enacted. But the Summoned are not gods yet, and still have the capacity to think on a smaller scale. To be invested in human lives, and to know that it matters, in the scheme of things.

At least, that’s what Viktor tells himself. He tugs on the hem of his glove.]

They expect us to agree. I do not believe any amount of human suffering is worth their preferred outcome.

[cryptsleeper]

It is.

[What little course of action they have available to them, however, feels like a pitiful drop in the ocean. Alucard's brain bristles at the thought, aware that inaction as action is what made his father condemn all of Wallachia. To repeat those same mistakes is a grave sin, so far as the dhampir really puts value on that word.

He exhales slowly, pausing at the doors of Portam Hall to hold them open for Viktor.]

I do not disagree on that point. I think where I become stuck is scale these days. But my work right now does not feel as if it decreases human suffering. All it does is decrease miscommunications.

[techmaturgy]

[If the imagined future is what awaits them, Viktor wants it to be known he will not accept it without a fight. He supposes they have an advantage, now, knowing what's coming. Having some idea of how to reproduce his other self's advancements while avoid his previous mistakes is...helpful, though he doesn't say as much, knowing Alucard won't like it.]

Alerting families, you mean?

[Viktor allows the door to be held, then steps outside. His gait is slow and stilted as usual, but he moves with purpose, glad to be out of the government building.]

I can't say my work will, either, but I'm much better suited out at the mining camp than-- [A slight scoff noise.] --in there.

[cryptsleeper]

Mmm. I keep telling myself it at least offers closure and allows the grieving process to begin in earnest, but it is still delivering misery to others.

[The only good part of right now is that the weather is fine. Cooler than usual, and it is easy enough to move through the city without the oppressive heat of high summer upon them all.]

You already have connections to that camp, and in there runs too many risks. I've taken over a room full of ledgers and treat it as a fortress at this point.

[techmaturgy]

Someone has to do it.

[Though there's something to be said for once again enlisting the Summoned into this endeavor, when this should be the job of government bureaucrats. At least at Farhill, he feels like he's doing something material.

And things are less under the thumb of the government, out there. He understands what Alucard is saying.]

Hopefully the medical facility has avoided most of the chaos. We'll shore up what we can.

[cryptsleeper]

Someone who's less error prone and likely to not be an ass about it, if we are delving into howling truths at the moment.

[Alucard has seen how bad it is within Portam Hall these days. He cannot imagine a version of this process that doesn't have fuck ups without his interference right now.]

I'm here to be a set of hands. How long does it usually take to head out that way?

sorry i forgot there is no portal

[techmaturgy]

Please.

[Viktor will never begrudge Alucard's honesty, and if he wants to complain about the peons in Portam Hall, Viktor will not stop him.]

A day's ride by caravan. So if you have other matters to attend to, I'm not going to make you come.

lmao all good

[cryptsleeper]

The heralds and all the miscommunication have, obviously, been bad. It makes me very nervous in asking people to deliver news of death. It also makes me feel rather rude for thinking that, since I know that this is the influence of deities beyond anyone's control.

[He's being very measured and polite about it, thank you.]

I really don't mind. I can change form and rush back if I really need to. The bats are reliable in that regard.

[techmaturgy]

It's making my work difficult, as well.

[All the wrong measurements, and miscommunications. Even without that, from the dream it's clear the Heralds already believe the Summoned to be the same as them. Viktor almost wishes that they were still affected--because at least that would separate them, in some way, from the gods.

He tugs unconsciously at the hem of his glove, at the thought.]

I'll have to pick a few things up at the workshop, before we go. If you don't mind.

[He's been leading them there, regardless.]

[cryptsleeper]

Given the precision required for your usual workload, I can't imagine the frustrations you're enduring in completing simple tasks.

[Alucard's eye catches the tug of the glove, but he says nothing. The only thing it does is remind him to ask Hilda if she has thoughts for additional ring designs to vary how he's obscuring his finger.]

Of course. I'm happy to do the heavy lifting as well, if there is any.

[techmaturgy]

I've moved all work in-house, for now.

[Not that he's doing much, given the fact that he doesn't want to give the government more to work with, now that there's skirmishing in the badlands. Whatever he can't move into the Horizon, he must keep away from the general populace.]

Just an overnight bag. Some tools. [Things he should keep at the camp, at this point.] If things are as bad there as they are here, I'm not sure what I'll be able to do. But it will be good to check on them.

[cryptsleeper]

Probably for the best. I met Cid earlier, he seems...gregarious.

[Or at least not aware of the temperament of literally everyone else around him. It is a remark Alucard doesn't mean in a rude way. More a simple observation of contrasts.]

If things are starting in the neighborhood of bad, then it may be possible to calm some of it before everything spirals outward. Let's just hope that checking is more than enough.

[techmaturgy]

That's one word for it.

[Nosy is another. Paternalistic might be a third. Viktor frowns, thinking of their conversation upon waking up from the emergent reality. Still, he's a real engineer, which is a career the government doesn't seem interested in summoning, so he has to take what he can get.

As he pushes in the door to the workshop, he pauses, briefly, as if considering something at the thought of his argument with Cid.]

There's something I should show you, I think.

[If they're going to embark on an overnight trip to Farhill together. Viktor has concealed it, until now, wanting to spare everyone the complicated feelings--and reminder of what he did to himself, in that reality. But he can't hide it forever, especially not when the Heralds are making everything worse, so he might as well rip off the bandage while they have a moment in private.]

[cryptsleeper]

Did he also call you lad or am I special there?

[Alucard would 200% agree with paternalistic, it seems.

They walk in, and Alucard is ready to go to check what kitchen supplies there are for traveling snacks. If not for Viktor, then for himself.

Except then Viktor says something that never, ever counts as a good statement.

The dhampir keeps the look of worry off his face, but it is only just barely.]

If you're sure?

[Alucard doesn't know what it is, but it feels right to give Viktor a last out.]

[techmaturgy]

You might be special.

[Viktor says that with a little smirk, though there's some sadness in his expression that indicates neither of them are really going to like where this goes next. While Alucard checks the icebox and cabinets (contents sparse, as usual), Viktor pulls his travel bag of tools off its space on the shelf. He understands that he's being offered an out, but he's put this off long enough.

He doesn't look at Alucard while he takes off his gloves and unbuttons the cuffs --frankly, he's surprised nobody's said anything about that, given his habit of rolling his sleeves up to his elbow, especially while working.

Underneath, one hand is natural flesh, the other living metal, as it was in the shared dream. It extends up his forearm, and disappears under his sleeve.]

The...changes...I retained, from our time in the imagined future are...much more drastic, than others that I've seen.

[A pointed glance, to Alucard's own hand.]

[cryptsleeper]

Somehow that bothered me more than Astarion's comment about my age.

[Funny how that little petty moment has been lost to time. He and Astarion get along these days, and the weird trips to gawk at Ikorr's art galleries have become one of his favorite parts of when Nocwich is open. He doesn't know if Viktor would want to come along on one of those jaunts, but he makes a quiet note to lob the idea at Astarion to get the vampire's read on that first. The vibe is very important when they do this.

Alucard keeps a poker face as Viktor starts to roll his sleeves up. It had seemed strange that Viktor was wearing gloves so much during the summer, but Alucard's policy of not prying combined with the general awkward air between them both meant he never poked at that particular bear.

For a long moment, Alucard is quiet. There's a nod of his head to show that he understands what he's seeing and that he's processing what he's looking at. Silence isn't a good or a bad thing in this moment, it simply needs to be what it is.

He's careful not to touch or grab, or even reflexively curl his own offending appendage.

Words are hard. He doesn't want this to be more awkward than it already is.]

Does it hurt or interfere with your daily life right now, besides wearing long sleeves in the heat?

[techmaturgy]

[Taking the gloves off is something of a relief, though he watches Alucard's reaction carefully. It's probably not a secret that his concealment of his arm was less for himself and more for his friends, so although he knows this will dredge up unwanted feelings, he'll be more comfortable with himself in the long run.]

It performs the same as my natural arm. Maybe a bit heavier. And it doesn't bleed.

[Suffice to say, Viktor has already run all manner of tests on it, to determine its limits and what it's made of. As far as he can tell, it's some kind of organic, metal-like material, flexible and tactile. He imagines there's nothing else like it in this world.]

I'm not--it doesn't bother me.

[Implying, of course, that he was keeping it hidden for the sake of everyone else.]