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]

[He knew all this, he thinks--or some version of him did. Hearing it now, in the present, as their mortal selves, reopens the wounds all over again. To see Kyle so distraught and embarrassed, to say nothing of the horrors he describes, is newly painful in a way he hadn't anticipated. Viktor's first instinct is to reject it all as the backwards and unimaginably cruel practice it is, but that wouldn't fix anything. That wouldn't absolve Kyle of the shame he must feel.

He hates to think that Kyle feels that shame, on some level, when they're together. Guilt, for being allowed to survive what so many others did not.]

Kyle, none of this is your fault.

[Viktor has never been disparaged for his preferences, only everything else. His place on the outskirts of Piltovan society has always come from his heritage, his disability, his illness. But he was never tortured for it, or physically harmed, and Viktor has always known that prejudice to be wrong, and that he was always so much more than how they saw him.

So he feels empty, trying to comfort Kyle, even though it's all he can do. Viktor doesn't allow him to shirk away, following him down onto his knees and trying to hold him. Unless he's stopped, Viktor will reach for Kyle's face again, his thumbs brushing the corners of his mouth where he knows the scars are.]

I can't...I won't pretend to know what it's like. [To have your mentor beat you and scar you; to watch others like you tortured and killed, knowing you're only kept alive because you're useful.] But you're still here, and I am--I'm glad for that.

[ushiri]

[ His priests told him his parents were criminals. They never told him what crimes his father had committed. His mother, he was told, had been a witch - and from her his blood was tainted. It had made him an outsider from the moment he climbed the thousand steps. His preferences, when they became suspected, only made things worse. In all that time he had spent at the monastery, he can only remember one priest who had treated him with any kindness. He had been a healer, and a drunk, and Kahlil cannot even remember his name now.

He doesn't expect many people to understand the circumstances of his life - he would have preferred that no one here had to know about any of it. Especially Viktor, who has only made him happy here, and deserves the same. Kahlil had time to waste in jail thinking on how there was a selfishness in asking Viktor to try this with him, when so little is certain and the likelihood of someone getting hurt is so great. But - he tries to remember what Wanda had said to him - about worth and feeling worthy, as Viktor's deliberate and gentle touch brushes across those invisible scars that had been once used to shame him.

It makes his chest ache and his eyes sting, something unwanted seizing his throat, and before he can do anything else to embarrass himself he grasps his shoulders and leans forward. It's an clumsy and needy kiss, just the hard, desperate press of his lips with his eyes closed tight. ]

[techmaturgy]

[For a moment he's afraid that Kyle might try to push him away, because he's not sure what else he can offer in this moment. He's not sure if his words are enough. Viktor doesn't understand this kind of abuse, but he does know what it's like to be an outsider--unwanted, and doing what it takes to survive. That sort of thing wears on someone, and it hurts Viktor to know that Kyle lived with this unique pain for so long.

He wishes he could take it all away, but Viktor knows more than most what it is to live with pain. It is part of them, but it doesn't need to define them.

There's some relief, when Kyle grips him desperately and leans in to kiss him. Viktor doesn't care how haphazard it is, receiving it eagerly, an arm sliding around his shoulder to pull him closer. This is different than Jayce, who was soft in many ways. Blind to the harshness of the world and the way the people in it suffer. Kyle is not so naïve, so Viktor cannot shield him. All he can do is make it known that he's safe, now, even if it might be fleeting.]

It's okay, [He gasps, briefly, in the space between kisses.] I'm here.

[And no one will hurt him if Viktor can help it.]

[ushiri]

[ That ache in his heart and lungs builds over nothing more than reciprocation, and he stifles a small, choked sound - it hurts to hold back, but refuses to let himself completely fall apart like this over a shadow. With the break he can at least nod to those words, lets his chin drop again, forehead bumping against Viktor's cheek. His hands remain holding his shoulders, though no longer grasping as tight.

He takes a minute to say anything again, fearing that his voice will crack. ]

I don't think those things about you. [ He needed to say it again, even if in a harsh whisper, his throat still tight. He shakes his head. ] I don't think any of those things when I'm with you.

[ He doesn't want to leave that unsaid or with room to question. It's hard to feel safe anywhere - he might never be rid of these ghosts, but he does feel safer here, and with him, too. He wants him to believe him. ]

[techmaturgy]

[He can tell that Kyle is trying to be stoic, and though Viktor hopes to create space for him to be vulnerable without question, he knows it isn't so easy. The choked noise doesn't go unnoticed, but it never seems to materialize into real tears. He pulls Kyle closer anyway, as if to say it's all right if he does want to cry, the hand that wraps around his shoulder inching upward to tangle fingers in his hair.]

I know. [Even if it was difficult to hear, Viktor understands that all of this is deeply-ingrained fear--nonsensical, unconscious. The idea that he might provide some relief from the past that haunts Kyle more than makes up for the small hurt brought about by his lingering anxieties.] It wasn't real.

[That, too, seems worth reiterating.]

[ushiri]

[ He lets himself be held close in this way that he has only known since he arrived here. He had been touch-starved for so much of his life before this that he didn't fully understand what he was deprived from, or missing. He knows now, and so he lets himself be soothed with touch and words, nodding and letting go the breath he'd been holding to stop himself from making another tremulous noise. ]

No. [ he allows himself to speak again, a little less strained now and agreeing with Viktor's words - it wasn't real. He lifts his head, not so much to make eye contact yet - but he sits more level now, pressing forehead to forehead with his eyes closed, one hand tentatively touching his chest, palm flat against his sternum. ]

You're real. [ Even if this is all only fleeting and temporary, it matters to him. ] And I'm glad to be here, too.

[techmaturgy]

[Viktor lets precious few people have close contact with him, and though it hasn't been as long for him, it's certainly been some time since he's held someone like this. He strokes Kyle's hair until he feels him relax, trying to take things at his pace, not forcing any eye contact until he's ready.

The hand on his chest dredges up another memory, of nights in bed with someone else, where Jayce would press a palm against his heartbeat to make sure he was breathing. Real, and living. His illness and the specter of death seem so far away now, especially with the revelation that the Singularity may allow them a lifespan that far outstrips that of a normal human.

It reminds him that if he wishes to escape that fate, then he will have to, eventually, say goodbye. But that's far away, too, and right now all that matters is letting Kyle know that he is wanted. That he's not the failure or mistake that Dayyid seemed to think he weas.]

We don't have to stay. [If he thinks it's not safe. If the ghost will come back.] We can go to my domain.

[ushiri]

[ It's telling that he's a little quick to nod at the suggestion that they go, although it's with much more reluctance that he extricates himself, his eyes still a little red despite the control he ought to have over his own appearance here. ]

I think maybe we should. [ Horizon doesn't follow the rules of the real world, there's no guarantee that the yasi'halaun's curse would consume a spirit here. His gaze flicks to the hexclaw again, having almost entirely forgotten that Viktor arrived with it.

As he stands he offers him a hand, brow furrowing. ]

I might leave Rousma there, if that's alright.

[ It wouldn't be the first time he left her at another domain where it might be safer. He glances over at her and finds that she donned her dog's skin while they were distracted, her tail wagging expectantly. ]

[techmaturgy]

Okay.

[Viktor understands this will force him to reveal what's happening to his own domain, but at least it's not currently haunted by the ghosts of his past--just shifting to be closer to what it was over the imagined centuries. That in itself is an uncomfortable prospect, but Viktor knows there's nothing dangerous about it. So he nods, beginning the slightly laborious process of getting to his feet, leaning on Kyle even though he doesn't need to, in the Horizon.

Rio, too, perks up, and upon seeing Rousma as a dog again, Viktor offers her a smile, though it's slightly sheepish, knowing that she had to watch all this. He hopes the fact that Kyle is composed again is something of a relief.]

Always. She'll be safe there.

i'll let you fast travel them on ur tag

[ushiri]

[ To that Kahlil can only smile open and earnestly, taking Viktor's hand in his own and squeezing. Rousma herself pads around Rio and then the pair of them, squeezing between Kahlil and Viktor: ]

You makes kissy faces later! We goes now!

[ Kahlil releases Viktor's hand to stroke the top of her head affectionately. ]

We're going.

[techmaturgy]

[They must be a sight, not that there is anyone around to judge them or comment. Viktor gives Kyle's hand a squeeze in return, only to be interrupted by Rousma between them and Rio nudging against his side. Yes, they've lingered here too long.]

I'll look after both of you. Don't worry.

[Viktor focuses, stepping out of the door of the temple with the group and into his laboratory, allowing the power of the Horizon to remove any need to physically walk there, his domain not being directly adjacent to Kyle's. At first glance, things seem as usual, though on the edges of the cavernous space, things seem to be slightly less familiar, entrances to steam pipe-lined corridors and churning gears spiraling off into the darkness.

He frowns.]

Perhaps my study would be more comfortable.

[ushiri]

[ He lets them walk ahead a handful of paces, watching Viktor from behind as both Rousma and Rio flank him, the former with her lizard-slink gait and the latter pressing her side gently against Viktor's leg. Out of context they might make a strange sight together, but to him it's a relief, a comfort to observe. He trusts Viktor when he says he would keep her safe, even if she isn't real, that doesn't seem to matter. Kyle feels that fissure within his chest again, not just an ache, and not just affection or fondness, but something that shouldn't be named, and he feels even more certain now that it isn't just because of that other life they experienced.

It only takes him a few strides to catch up to Viktor's side again. He places a hand at the small of his back, something he doesn't need here but what's started to become common at times when they were last together in Nocwich. He notices the shift in the scenery, though he can't put his finger on what it reminds him of - he had only visited Viktor's god-domain at the very, very end of the vision, having spent centuries apart and observing it at times from a distance, just to be sure he had not vanished.

He nods at the suggestion, not having a preference either way, but asks with some wariness: ]

This is the Heralds?

[techmaturgy]

[Maybe a part of him was hoping that he could correct his domain when entering it, the act of transporting the whole group from the temple to his laboratory a sort of hard reset. When things are more-or-less how he left them, he feels a twinge of frustration--and apprehension, for what Kyle might think. If he might reconsider how safe Rousma is here.

It's the Heralds preventing him from reverting his domain to its normal state, but Viktor doesn't get the sense that it poses any danger to him, the way it is. No more of a danger than anyone else's domain, he thinks.]

It must be.

[For now, he'll hope that the study is largely unchanged, and lead everyone there. Despite the state of things, Viktor seems to know where he's going.]

But this is not their creation. It was--it is mine. From the emergent future.

[ushiri]

[ Rousma, while often acting independent to the point that she'll often say things Kyle would rather she wouldn't, still reflects his moods more often than not. So while Kyle's reserved expression reveals nothing yet, she pads along where Viktor leads them without any hesitation - though every so often she presses her nose to the smooth floor to sniff as they go.

Kyle frowns slightly, looking over at Viktor as they walk. ]

They want us to remember what we saw.

[ What they became.

Kyle doesn't want to think about who or what he was by the end, except to remind himself of what he doesn't want. But it wasn't the same for Viktor. They haven't talked about any of this in months. Kyle hasn't thought there's been much of a reason to - this future still felt so far away, there are too many unknowns. Maybe that was wrong of him. He never expected events to play out exactly the same as they did in the emergent reality, but there was a sense that they had some time - decades, maybe centuries. ]

[techmaturgy]

To remind us that we're like them.

[And should be on their side, in all of this. Acting above the petty squabbles of the various governments and looking towards the future of this world many centuries from now. Viktor refuses to believe he will lose sight of what he works for, and even though the changes to his domain are benign, he won't indulge the Heralds, no matter what they try to do.]

Or they want us to be, anyway.

[Accepting the emergent future as their fate is not something Viktor is ready to do, not when he's still looking for a way out. As if to defy the maze itself, he pushes open one of the doors in the corridor, revealing the study as it always is. His shoulders relax, slightly, in relief, as Rio slinks inside.]

[ushiri]

[ Rousma follows after Rio, finding a place on the floor in the sun where she can stretch out. Kyle enters as well, taking in the familiar sight of the study, resisting the urge to touch and inspect everything. He shakes his head, looking out the windows. ]

I don't want to be like them.

[ There's more that he could say and admit about his fears, about the doubts he's started to have since this started. But he already had one near breakdown, he doesn't want to open his mouth and spiral into another. After a minute he looks over at Viktor again, eyeing the hexclaw. ]

Did you summon that, or is that also them?

[ He reaches out to touch it, wary but curious. ]

[techmaturgy]

[Viktor doesn't need to say that he agrees, though it does occur to him that they've perhaps not spoken of this as much as they should have, given the nature of their relationship and how it came to be.

The sight of his study puts him slightly at ease, as does the fact that Rousma seems immediately comfortable here. Viktor has almost forgotten that he's wearing the Hexclaw until Kyle mentions it.]

No, I did. I thought it might be useful.

[To both have an extra hand, literally, and a way to defend himself should he encounter something here that's dangerous. Viktor is relieved not to use it, but he does have a fading memory of pointing it at Kyle, which means he's suddenly conscious of the way it arches over his shoulder. He holds it very still while Kyle reaches out to touch it, trying to be as nonthreatening as possible.]

I can put it away.

[ushiri]

[ Kyle touches the pointed tips of its 'fingers' with his own, not necessarily threatened by it right now - no more than he might be had Viktor handed him a dagger or blade to inspect, and he does not regard it as a part of Viktor. Even knowing his aversion to violence, Kyle can't help thinking of it as a weapon. In a way, he might be glad Viktor has found one he's comfortable using. He should be able to defend himself.

So, after a moment he only shrugs and shakes his head at the same time. ]

I don't think you'll need it until we leave. [ In that this room feels safe from whatever else is happening outside. He slips his arms around Viktor's waist without pulling him closer, still a little uncertain, lowering his gaze. He wants to stay here a while longer, but it also feels like stalling the inevitable, this question about the Heralds and what they want of them during these afflictions. ]

[techmaturgy]

[Viktor can't really guess what Kyle is thinking, as he examines the Hexclaw, but it doesn't seem to be bad. Here, in the Horizon, the neural integration that he'd achieved in the emergent future and can't hope to reproduce in the real world is as easy as breathing. He flexes the claws open with only a thought, allowing Kyle a better look, if he wants.]

I'm glad I didn't have to use it.

[For a moment he thought he might have, but Kyle was too fast and too lethal. He'd stood there uselessly, only able to watch. There's silence, briefly, as Viktor resists the urge to step forward and close the distance between them.]

You had the dream too, didn't you?

[ushiri]

[ His expression briefly softens - he's glad, too, that Viktor didn't need to use his weapon to defend either of them. But he doesn't raise his eyes until Viktor mentions the dream. There's a flicker of uncertainty again across his features before he nods. The war god came to him with his sword as judgement and the sun to burn him to ash. He'd woken to the faint scent of smoldering flesh seeming to linger around him.

Everyone he spoke to had seen some version of the same thing, because everyone he's spoken to about it has taken a life.

There's a pause, and his brow furrows. ]

What did you see?

[ The dream would have been different for Viktor. ]

[techmaturgy]

I saw...Zorne, as I imagine we all did.

[The discomfort in Viktor's voice indicates he likely did not welcome the vision, nor did he particularly enjoy the things said to him. It was all very apocalyptic in nature, and certainly doesn't bode well for the outcome of the war.

But the Heralds don't necessarily care about who is victorious, anyway. They seem to have a job to do, and want the Summoned to participate because they perceive the Summoned to be like them.]

He offered his sword. It bled, and then the sun swallowed everything.

[It doesn't matter, to Viktor, that he hasn't directly shed blood--the fact that his technology was used to enact destruction seems to have been enough, in his own mind.]

[ushiri]

[ He doesn't think about the attack on Thorne at first, because he doesn't blame Viktor for it himself. So it takes longer than it ought to for him to guess why the sword would bleed for him too. He struggles for another moment, wanting to tell Viktor it wasn't his fault while knowing how little the words actually mean.

So many people, Viktor included, tell Kyle that he wasn't to blame for what he did in the past, that he had done what he had to do to survive. Those words and acceptance can soothe, as they just did for him, but they can't fully absolve him of the guilt. He hates that it might be the same for Viktor. That he should have to feel any of that weight.

It makes him think of John, again. How Basawar changed him. ]

The Free Cities killed those soldiers in Thorne. [ he says this again, slowly, speaking only to Viktor and not the shade of another life. ]

[techmaturgy]

[Viktor hasn't spoken to enough people about the dream to understand what the bleeding sword might mean, or that there is another outcome. All he knows is that he still feels the weight of the lives taken by his technology, and how every day spent here means he's failing the people of the Undercity, as well.

It doesn't surprise him, to hear Kyle once again say that it wasn't his fault. He still can't tell himself that it's true.]

I know you want me to believe that.

[He finds it difficult not to turn away--out of shame, or something else. Viktor's voice trembles, slightly. Now he's the one who feels soft, unprepared for all of this and unable to cope with the guilt.]

I never wanted to hurt anyone.

keeping this short in case viktor wants to PUSH HIM AWAY

[ushiri]

I know-

[ This time he tries to pull him in, if Viktor allows it, so that he can hide his face against his shoulder if he needs to, hoping that he can at least offer something like support if not solace, and half expecting Viktor to pull away instead.

He has the same selfish thought as when Viktor first told him about his stolen technology, if there had been a choice to be made, he'd choose Viktor saving himself even if it meant those soldiers deaths. Like before, he keeps this to himself. ]

he does not

[techmaturgy]

[For once, pushing Kyle away or turning from him would be the easier course of action. It takes great effort, to tell himself that he's permitted this--that he's deserving of it, even if he considers himself responsible for the attacks on Thorne. Once he moves, though, it's easier. Viktor steps forward and tucks his forehead against the side of Kyle's neck.

Maybe this is how Kyle felt, not that long ago in his own Horizon, when Viktor held him through the shame of Dayyid's memory. That thought is enough to remind him that they're both allowed momentary weakness, and consolation. He lets out a shuddering breath, shoulders relaxing slightly at the feeling of arms around him.]