out into the unknown (march catch-all)

[funbreaker]

Who: Thancred Waters & others
When: Throughout March
Where: Thorne & the Horizon
What: Eclipse stuff, quest stuff, Horizon stuff, anything and everything.
Warnings: Will add if something comes up.


[ Starters will be placed in comments below! If you'd like to do anything with Thancred this month, please reach out at demonology, demonology#1725 on Discord, or by PM. ]

Comments

[funbreaker]

[ There is a sort of amused resignation in Stephen's reaction, almost as if he'd been prepared for Thancred's response. Such a thing exists on his Earth? That certainly captures Thancred's attention, though he can't say he's surprised that similar groups are called for on other stars.

Despite Meteion's discoveries and how it had drawn her into a pit of despair, the fact is that people will never stop fighting for their right to survive. ]

Quite often, I would say. Eorzea and the lands beyond it are frequently under threat from any number of sources.

[ The primals, the Ascians, the Garlean empire — the list never seems to grow any shorter. Granted, the Alliance's work with the tribal groups does mean that they should have to worry less about primals being summoned so routinely. The fact that they've been able to solve tempering was also a huge step.

Yet now, they face the Final Days. He can't quite bring himself to speak of it, not when it's still a very real danger that has not been resolved, at least in his own timeline. ]

Why did they disband? [ There could be any number of reasons, he knows, and yet he can't help but be curious. He slowly drinks from his glass while awaiting Stephen's response. ]

i waited to see if this tag would come back from the blue... but alas

[sorser]

[Quite often. Not so departed from the overall framework of a group of heroes seeking to defend their reality from constant looming threats. Suddenly, his empathy spikes; he wonders just how tiring it is for Thancred, who seems to put on a good face despite it all, because Stephen knows from his own experiences how much the job requires from a man. From a group of individuals. He had not been a part of the Avengers officially, but even as the weird sorcerous outsider-looking-in, he knew there were hairline cracks splintering the team well before he met any of them.

Well. Some hairline, a few more cavernous, if the media hadn't overblown their reports. He thinks, more or less, that they didn't.]

That's a long story. [A long story that can be watered down into a very generalized one, which Thancred does deserve to hear from him, at this point. It's only fair, since Stephen got to see his clean-slate, memory-less self.] The gist of it is this: they had just come off of a long battle against an intergalactic warlord who sought to exterminate half of all life in the universe. I got wrangled into it, too, all things considered.

[All the considered: his guardianship of the Time Stone, his (then) role as Sorcerer Supreme. He glides over all of that for now.]

When it was finished, we saved countless lives. But sacrifices were made. Several of their own were lost. [He takes a long swig of his wine here, brow scrunching up when he's done.] There's only so much trauma a single team can take in such a short amount of time. The Avengers were no more, after that.

Can't say I blame them.

punches dreamwidth for you

[funbreaker]

[ Isn't any story having to do with a group of people steadfastly working to defend their world going to be a long one? Thancred can't imagine trying to explain the whole of the Scions' history in a single sentence, or even a few of them. There are ways to boil down what they do, but as soon as you get into the details it becomes far more complicated.

Stephen is rather matter-of-fact about this warlord wanting to commit universe-wide genocide, but it's likely easier to do so when the threat is gone and has been resolved, if not without some people lost along the way.

It sounds a bit too familiar in some senses. The likes of Meteion and Fandaniel also want to destroy just about everything, dragged so far down into a pit of despair that they see no other option. Thancred still knows not what will come of all that, even if he's chosen to keep his faith in Himeka's future actions strong.

And as for sacrifices made, well, how many nights has he spent dwelling on those? He stares at the glass of wine in front of him for a few moment, well aware of how often he'd turned to drink while mourning his inability to keep Minfilia safe. It does feel like he's finally made up for it as best he can, and he is no longer in such a dark place, but the memories are fresh all the same. ]

Aye, that's fair enough. The Scions have also lost people along the way, though mayhap not in such quick succession. We've managed to stay together thus far, but the threat we were dealing with before I arrived here was the most wide-spanning of all those we've faced.

[ This isn't something he's brought up much save with those who are already aware of it, and he permits himself a deep exhale as he finally takes another sip of his wine. Then he shoots a glance back to Stephen. It's best they don't dwell on that subject overly long. ]

You didn't consider yourself a part of these... Avengers, even though you helped them?

[sorser]

[The similarities keep on piling up, though Stephen is sorry to hear about this one in particular. A wide-spanning threat -- just how wide? It bothers him, not knowing, his imagination wanting to fill in the holes with nothing to work with. Leave him hanging like that, Thancred, and you'll have Stephen wanting to nose around for more information on principle alone.

He almost asks in the pause that follows, uncaring if it interrupts Thancred's lingering exhale and sip of his wine, wanting to know. But he's beaten to the punch, asked something else instead, and Stephen's lips twist.]

Me? An Avenger? Maybe in some alternate universe. [And even then, it sounds silly. Stephen's far removed from the team dynamic lifestyle, happy to be relegated to his role as the weird sorcerer guy.] No, I have a different set of responsibilities in my own order. The sorcerers of Kamar-Taj usually deal with magical threats. The Avengers dealt with more Earthly ones.

[Thanos was just... a particularly special case. Magical restrictions do not apply when half of life in the universe had been turned to dust.]

[funbreaker]

[ Magical threats, Earthly threats — Thancred does not quite understand the difference, if he's honest. It might be due to the fact that most of the threats they deal with back home are somehow magical in nature, save for that of the Garlean empire. It would not make much sense to draw such a distinction, but magick must serve a different role in Stephen's world.

Either way, Stephen doesn't appear to be too bothered by this, as if he'd rather not have to function as part of a team. It isn't for everyone, certainly. ]

A sorcerer of Kamar-Taj. [ Thancred repeats the words between another sip of wine. That seems to be Stephen's title, something quite lofty and important from the sound of it, and Thancred thinks back to his slightly hazy memories of his domain. ] Is that a place? One of the structures in your domain, perhaps? And what magical threats do you typically have to deal with?

[ He's asking a lot of question, but he feels comfortable doing so within the privacy of the Horizon. Stephen has been a useful ally thus far, and Thancred would like to learn more of him, especially given what Geralt mentioned about him at the summit. ]

[sorser]

[He used to have a much loftier title, but Stephen isn't here to flaunt that, despite how exasperated he sometimes gets when the subject's brought up around Wong. He swirls the wine in his glass idly.]

Kamar-Taj was the area surrounding the main building in my domain. That [the building, he means] was one of my Earth's Sanctum Sanctorums. Think of it as one of a handful of magic headquarters stationed around the world. You'll have to visit properly next time.

[Not that he would've turned him away during Thancred's first visit, but his companion had been eager to wander like all newcomers. Stephen wasn't about to stifle that.]

As for magical threats, just about any you can think of. [He realizes that doesn't narrow it down at all, so he rattles off a few examples.] Dangers from across the mulitverse, beating back dark entities, or monitoring instances of dangerous magic being used planetside.

What about you? Magical or otherwise, what's the average threat your group faces?

[It was only a matter of time before the question niggling at him made itself known.]

[funbreaker]

[ Magick headquarters? Thancred would say the best example of that in his own world is Old Sharlayan itself, to say nothing of the smaller guilds scattered among other citystates. It does sound like something that it would benefit him to see with his own eyes, and so he nods in agreement. ]

I'll make certain to pay you a visit sometime, if your doors are open.

[ He understands that not everyone wants their domain to be invaded or inspected with any sort of scrutiny. Stephen, however, has been quite open thus far. The fact that he had offered to show Thancred into the Horizon in the first place speaks volumes.

The term "multiverse" means nothing to him, but dark entities and improper use of dangerous magick? Aye, he's familiar with such things. He notices his glass is almost empty and reaches out for the wine bottle to refill it, offering to do the same for Stephen as well. ]

By this point, it's become any number of things. [ He heaves out a sigh, not certain where to even begin with explaining Meteion. He won't start there. ] In my world, it's possible for beings of great magical power called primals to be summoned. Generally this is done by a group of worshippers who believe the primal will keep them safe, or as a show of power in a conflict. However, primals draw large amounts of aether from the earth, and will also temper anyone in close enough proximity, turning them into their thralls.

[ While the primal threat has in many ways been contained now, it's a decent place to start given how long the Scions had been focused on them. ]