abraxaslogs | EVENT #22: KHION

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EVENT #22: KHION - IC LOG

Event 22 - Khion

Despite the unsettling tremors from the previous month, the citizens of Abraxas are determined to enjoy their winter festivities. For you, the collective wintertide celebrations - The Dimming, The Festival of Enlightenment, and the Winter Solstice - have often been held in your home territories or Nocwich.

This year brings a change. You'll receive a personal letter from the Nether, signed by Aster, the Guardian themselves. Whether you were there to aid the Nether or not last autumn, the letter thanks you nonetheless for your assistance and informs you that much has changed in their lands...for the better. Indeed, so much so that the Draconae wish to invite you back so you can see for yourself the positive impact you've had.

Their gates will open DECEMBER 16 and close on DECEMBER 20. Because the Draconae do not possess magic as powerful as other races in Abraxas, they kindly ask that you stay for the week since they cannot maintain a persistent portal.

The major plot occurrence will occur at the end. The fallout of this incident will carry over into January.

Above and Below

Previously, only the Obsidian Heart - the volcanic city - was accessible as the area above was far too cold and desolate. Now, with the adult dragons having returned to their full strength and their hatchlings growing by the day, the Draconae have begun to reclaim their territory beyond the volcano.

You'll be able to explore areas within the Heart, but you'll find most of the festivities above-ground. The Draconae are a fun-loving people and they're quite fond of the Summoned after all the help you've given them. They also understand that tensions between the major territories have been high as of late...and would like to grant you some reprieve from a war many of you didn't ask to be a part of.

Accommodations

This time, guests will stay in stone huts built from the Nether's volcanic stone. The stones preserve an unusual amount of heat, meaning the huts are very warm. Bedding is comfortable, if simple, with room to store your belongings. The Draconae believe strongly in mutual respect, so the doors contain no locks. Your safety is assured, but if you're nervous, you can ask for a guard to watch you at night.

If you don't do well in the cold, the Draconae will offer you warming potions and thick furs. Curiously, the furs closely resemble what the werewolves in Luna wear, suggesting that the Nether and Nocwich have resumed more active trading in recent months.

◎ A larger community hut is in the center of the small village that's slowly being built. The dining area consists of open-fire grills, pots, and raw ingredients - including spices and fiery hot peppers. As great believers in self-sufficiency, the Draconae will leave you to make meals to your taste and liking.

◎ You can hunt and fish your meat, as well. There are numerous spots for ice fishing. Since the natural world is steadily being restored, game and fish found are of the common variety like deer, bison, and trout, as opposed to the stranger creatures that were found inside the Obsidian Heart's lava pools. Feel free to share your catch with your friends or offer to cook for the culinarily challenged.

◎ Hot springs can be found to the north. You'll have to hike to reach the area but it's a lovely walk. The waters themselves are crystal clear. At night, they glow with hundreds of tiny unknown creatures. These creatures are believed to be the result of the previously sickly hatchling, Anthusa, who creates bioluminescent algae. Now that Anthusa is much healthier, it can be spotted playing in the hot springs and lakes.

◎ Large fuzzy rodents the size of a small cat will occasionally invade your sleeping quarters or eating areas. They're easily chased off but they can be a huge nuisance by stealing your food and chewing holes in your blankets. You're warned only to chase them off not injure them. Unfortunately, their blood is quite corrosive and can cause a harsh burn to the skin. While the burns will heal up in a few days, it's best to avoid the situation altogether.

Sights & Activities

Opal Flats

The Opal Flats are natural wonders that have recently come into being with the dragons' increasing strength. The pearlescent icy surface glows at night which makes it the perfect place for ice skating after sunset. You can borrow a pair of ice skates and join the Draconae on the ice.

◎ When you're done with the ice, you can join one of the tents nearby that are hosting spiced cider workshops. Here, you can make your own spiced cider blend. Flavors include clove, cinnamon, and berries unique to the Nether. You can test infusing your blend into small cups of cider until you're happy with the results. Your final personalized blend will then be packaged into a jar and tied off with a ribbon. Enjoy it yourself or give it to someone special!

◎ Keep an eye out! The young dragons are troublemakers and will sneak into the workshops to steal cinnamon sticks, drink from the steaming cider pots, and knock down hanging decorations. You can help rehang decorations or remove the dragons from spaces they shouldn't be in...though they'll soon find their way back again. The Draconae seem exasperated but tolerant of the hatchlings so you shouldn't worry too much about the mild chaos. It's to be expected.

◎ Once more, Khloris is the biggest menace and it's grown larger since. While Khloris has learned to better control its powers, it's still prone to causing flowers to sprout in your hair should you come into contact with too much of its pollen. Fortunately, the effect is temporary - just a few hours.

Dusk Falls

Each day, starting at dawn, two Draconae guides will lead a hike up the mountains. Make sure you bring your hiking boots! The slopes are frosty and can be dangerous but they'll keep you safe as much as possible. Otherwise, it's a lovely trip and takes about two hours to reach the top. You'll encounter a beautiful view, fresh mountain air, and a cavern at the peak where you can go inside and look at some frozen waterfalls.

◎ Unusual ice-like spiders infest some portions of the cave. While they're quite big (about the size of a wolf spider), they're harmless and seldom bite. On the occasions that they do, the bite is easily treated with a bandage and a few days to heal. However, they do have a bad habit of dropping down from the ceiling onto the heads of passersby wandering through the caves. The experience can be startling if you're not expecting it.

◎ Once you've all finished enjoying the sights, you can return to the bottom. Luckily, you won't have to climb down. Instead, the group will get to ride one of the two adult dragons in the Nether: Hierus, the Obsidian Drake, and Kruos, the Glass Serpent. They'll bring all of you safely back to the base of the mountain.

Cinder's Core

Walking through the Ashlands no longer requires any special potion. The air is now clear. Cinder's Core lies at the southern end. Previous visitors will recall that it was full of petrified trees and fossilized bone. The detritus of a fallen ecosystem remains, but alongside it is new growth of flourishing green thanks to the young dragon Okenus. This includes the trees growing the unique kydros fruit.

◎ You can help harvest the kydros fruit to contribute to the feast above the surface. Now that they're growing freely again, the Draconae are no longer reserving them for the potions and have reintroduced the fruit into their regular dishes! Mildly sweet with a hint of citrus, it tastes somewhat like a pomelo.

◎ Be careful when harvesting or traversing the area! While the jungle is starting to recover, it's still a jungle full of tripping hazards, slippery vines, and high cliffs - some of which now have refreshing waterfalls. There might also be a hidden snake or aggressive birds. These creatures aren't dangerous to any real degree, but if they bite or peck, it'll leave a mark!

Mysterious Gifts

While the Draconae participate in traditional gift-giving, this occurs only between the closest of mates and friends. More common is an activity they call Krypto's Box. Krypto's Box is a massive jar in the middle of town with a hole carved out at the bottom to function as a sort of dispenser. Filling the jar are hundreds of vials containing a mystery potion. Each year, the batch of potions is blessed by magic from the young dragons of the Nether. In other words - these mischievous creatures have influenced the potions' effects.

You can take a potion and gift it to someone. Neither of you will know what the effects are until the recipient opens it, but you can trust it'll be something mild, temporary, and amusing. During Khion, it's not unusual to see the Draconae wandering around covered in glitter, swirls of flowers, or hovering 2 feet above the ground. Accepting a mystery potion is part of the fun. The local Draconae will gift you some alongside your Summoned friends!

If your character has received a potion - whether from a Draconum or another Summoned - comment HERE to see what effect they'll receive. If you don't like the effect, simply disregard your character having received a potion to begin with.

Making Friends (NPCs)

The occasion is less formal this time, so Anneth and Aster will each be available for you to meet regardless of your status. There's also one surprise guest that some of you might recognize from last year's Epulum event in Ikorr: Babis, the cheerful Draconum who was merely looking for a good time and found himself embroiled in a mysterious theft.

Descriptions about the three NPCs and where they can be found will be in their character comments below. Depending on who you talk to, you can learn a little more about neighboring Endsmuth, the dragons, and relations with Nocwich. The meetings might not last very long, but you'll be able to get in one or two questions!

Characters of any rank can speak with one of the three NPCs available.

To do so, TAG IN with your character under the NPC you want to meet.

Renewal

The Nether's limited magic means that they seldom feel the effects of the Dimming. However, even the Draconae begin to notice something is wrong as the final day draws near wherein the Singularity should go completely dark, falling into its usual state of hibernation. The dragons, in particular, are disturbed and have communicated as such to both Anneth and Ermis, the Keeper.

Before anyone can determine what's truly happening, a massive quake strikes all of Abraxas. As far away from the epicenter as the Nether is, even they feel the effects, a tremor that knocks over decorations and cracks foundations.

For any who are near the cliffs overlooking the ocean below, they can observe a giant tidal wave that consumes the island where some of you recall being held captive on.

Portals Awry

Naturally, you want to return home after such an unexpected event. The Draconae hurriedly open the portals to your individual territories and assure you they will assist in any way possible, though they are equally unsure of what's just happened.

Stepping through the portal, you expect to pass through and face the familiar sights and sounds where you reside. For a small handful of you, that may be exactly so. For many others, however, you'll find yourself in a completely unexpected place.

Indeed, it seems that whatever force has caused the quake has also disrupted the Singularity's no longer waning magic, corrupting the portal magic and sending you into an opposing territory. In a time of war, this could be disastrous for all involved...and it's clear from the locals who greet you on the other side that they are as baffled as you.

Players can choose to mix things up and send their characters to a new territory for the duration of January. Since this will be temporary, feel free to separate close CR or put your character somewhere they won't enjoy. It won't last long!

Characters will not be placed under any restrictions for accidentally landing in a strange place. They will, for the time being, be treated as guests while officials determine what to do next.

The Wrap-Up will detail how characters' experiences will go once they are in their new territory.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ Oh. He thinks he's following now - it's not a tactic he considered before. ]

That would have been difficult. [ He scowls slightly, then shrugs. ] I think I'd have to be a completely different person.

[ He eyes Alucard. ]

Did it work, at all?

[ Slow down any changes? He assumes no, by Alucard's other explanation. The dhampir may notice a physical change with Kyle from the last time they met, or he might not - his eyes were once a deep, dark brown. Now, they have a ring of gold around the pupil.

None of them remain untouched. ]

--Ah. [Alucard's own godly title was so connected to work he did that he has forgotten the same is not true for all. But the completely different person comment rings true.

He exhales slowly, careful to let his eyes slide off the level of intensity that comes from that ring of gold now present. There's some relief that both of his hands are below the water now, obscuring the stained glass bone that Alucard now sports.]

For a while, I didn't create or design anything new - I only stuck to existing plans. [It was working, until it wasn't.] I've been drawing again, but I haven't engaged in anything beyond that mark. I don't want to be defined by any one thing.

[ He hums, thoughtful, though not really convinced Alucard's plan was something that could ever have worked. Near him in the water one of those creatures swims by, and he lifts a hand to block it from reaching his chest - it quickly turns in the opposite direction. ]

You should do what you like. [ His drawings, creating new things. ] That future was only ever one possibility. [ That's how these things work. Some futures are more likely than others, the Oracles might declare one event fated to happen no matter what anyone did. Sometimes, knowing the future and trying to avoid it only made things worse. ]

Or did you just not care for what kind of creature you became?

[ Did he still wish to be a 'god'? Kyle intentionally steers clear of using that word to describe them now. They were not gods - not in the way he understands his own god. ]

[It was a stupid plan, one born of kneejerk reaction and horror rather than rational thought. Alucard knows at least that much.]

From talking with one of the other pantheons, I was told it was inevitable. [Most conservations left Alucard's head. That one, elder god to man unhappy with apotheosis, that one had stuck.]

But your assessment is correct. I have no small amount of contempt for such things and to be told that I will among that number is repulsive to me.

[ He gives him a curious look again. ]

'Such things'?

[ The transformation, or the Abraxan gods themselves? Or something more? He knows very little about this man, despite the trust they've offered each other at times, when necessary. ]

I've had poor experiences with most elements of religion. The idea of apotheosis sits ill with me due to that.

[Poor experiences is perhaps doing a lot of lifting. It's fine. Alucard's demeanor is entirely calm, suggesting that this is far easier for him to discuss than it really is.]

[ In Kyle's world, an incarnation of his god is always reborn as a mortal in another world, who only comes into his or her power when they step foot on the land that is their divine body. This is how he theorized as early as he did about the Abraxan gods. The thought should have been sacrilegious, but so many things were already that in regard to what he was taught, so he couldn't deny the possibility. And now, he wishes he'd been wrong. ]

No one's told you I was a priest, then.

[ He says this with the faintest touch of wryness in his tone. Was is how it's starting to feel now, though his faith hasn't wavered so much as shifted slightly, and he no longer only thinks of himself as the title he earned when the priests tattooed him with the Prayerscars. ]

[Alucard's eyes lift slowly in genuine surprise. That is a no, but moreover, he seems to miss the was. His tone is serious, aware he probably just made an error with someone who has at least proven themselves trustworthy on certain matters.]

It has not come up in any discussions before now, no. And my apologies if my tone offended. My judgement isn't meant to be universal. Just based on home and here.

[He won't judge the gods of other worlds, at least. The god of the church back home is terrible and the actual gods here are far too active.]

No offense taken.

[ He gives a shrug. Generally, he doesn't care about anyone else's opinions about the religion or gods within their own world, they don't affect him or his own relationship to Parfir. He cares just as little about how any of them feel about the Abraxan gods now. It's only the Singularity that's important - and even then, he doesn't expect anyone else to see it the way he does.

It only becomes an issue if and when someone decides to meddle with the stone. ]

I don't want to become that either. [ A 'god' - a demon. If that wasn't clear. He doesn't want power, he doesn't want to be worshipped. He doesn't want to become something else. ]

[Alucard nods once, relieved to not have caused any real harm with the comment. He exhales, sinking a little deeper into the water. Like that'll fix all the problems in the world.]

It bothers me that we apparently don't get a say in it. People and that rock make the decision for us. Ascribe things that may not be inaccurate, but then become all too limiting.

[ There's something funny about the way Alucard sinks lower, though he's not about to laugh about it. ]

How so?

[ Obviously in the Free Cities he's bound by what the government allows, the question is aimed at Alucard's 'godhood'. Limiting isn't the word he would use, exactly. ]

Do you want to be defined by only a given set of actions you have done or are associated with in the minds of others? Do you not want to be seen as a wholly rounded person?

[The question is blunt. Alucard's gold eyes fix on Kyle, genuine unsure of what the answer will be.]

If they were worthy actions.

[ But he gives another ambivalent shrug before grimacing. ]

I don't care so much how most others see me. I just don't want to lose so much again.

[ His memories, mostly. His humanity. He doesn't want to be immortal, losing pieces over the centuries. ]

Then you and I differ deeply on that particular topic.

[Alucard at least knows why it bothers him. Back home, he was defined by one dramatic action. In that false world, he was defined by a series of actions that culminated in a legacy, but they were still others defining him more than he wanted or appreciated.

But to losing one's humanity? That Alucard can nod in agreement with.]

No. And certainly not without consenting to it. I don't think it's too selfish a thing to ask for either.

[ He lets out a small huff like a laugh, though one that's fairly mirthless, and runs a hand through his hair leaving it damp. ]

Have you tried? Asking?

[ The Singularity. A while ago Istredd and some others had suggested it. Kyle has done his best to avoid doing so - and that has been a change since a month or so after they left the crater. He fears strengthening his connection more. ]

What, the rock that keeps making our lives miserable?

[Alucard's disdain for the Singularity is practically dripping.]

I've made a point of avoiding it at all costs over the past four years.

That's probably for the best.

[ It makes him wonder again what it is that causes some people to stay in this world for so long while others vanish. He once expected it to have to do with strength of connection, but that no longer seems to be the case - at least two people he knows of with strong connections to the Singularity have disappeared since he's been here. ]

It is, although it does mean living in ignorance. For now, I think the trade is worth it, but further down the line...

[It could do real harm. Alucard can acknowledge that much even if he continues to absolutely hate the idea.

He lets the thought sink in, and while he does, the dhampir extends a single hand in the water. A few more of the creatures pass over his palm, gently brushing over it.]

I've heard talk of others trying to find ways to store our recollections, so we do not run the risk of losing them again.

[ He hums at that - the Singularity doesn't exactly give answers in a way that he'd consider it ignorance to avoid attempting communication. Despite him being the one to call it 'asking', he has tended to feel that the Singularity often reflects back their own emotions.

Kyle raises an eyebrow, interested: ]

Talk from who?

Thancred, although I don't know if that's information I'm allowed to widely share.

[He knows that it is in early development at any rate.]

We both had very strong feelings about losing parts of our memories, so it came up in a discussion.

[ He nods, his expression tense. Kyle wouldn't share this with anyone else, except Viktor, though Alucard might suspect as much at this point. ]

Records could be stored in Horizon, I guess. [ Though he suspects they want something not so connected to the Singularity. ] Unless you also mean for traveling beyond this world.

[ As everyone who remembers returning to their own world lives out a time where they've forgotten being here at all. ]

[The traveling between world bit has Alucard's attention. He blinks, tilting his head slightly.]

I did not at all. What made you think of that particular idea?

[ It doesn't seem like a leap to him, and he gives a similarly confused look back to Alucard. ]

Not everyone means to stay here. That hasn't changed since before we experienced that vision. [ He frowns. ] The Summoning spell protects our minds and bodies to bring us here, but something happens to the mind and their memories when people return. Or so it sounds like.

[Ah, now he follows. Alucard nods slowly, his mind going back to what Jaskier has experienced in his time going forward on his home sphere only to return to Abraxas.]

You're correct, I simply haven't thought of that detail in some time. [oops?] I'll complicate the situation by saying that my understanding is that these storage devices will be physical objects, and thus perhaps impossible to take to one's home sphere.

They would still be better than nothing. [ As an only option. He shakes his head. ]

It should be possible to take physical objects between worlds, that only seems to be a flaw of the Summoning spell.

[ He never lost his clothes when traveling through the White Space, though honestly, that's the least of the danger in doing so. ]

EVENT #22: KHION - IC LOG

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can probably wrap this!

sounds good!