abraxasmods: (Default)
ABRAXAS MODS ([personal profile] abraxasmods) wrote in [community profile] abraxaslogs2022-04-16 10:46 am

EVENT #7: THE SIGHT

Event #7 - The Sight

The night before APRIL 18, your dreams are disrupted by a vivid image of the same eclipse that occurred last month. The black sun seems to be an endless void in the sky, growing ever darker - until it suddenly opens into an eye that stares straight at you.

When you wake up, much of your night seems a blur except for the vivid dream of that eye. Whether you find it unsettling or try to ignore it, the image is something you cannot get out of your mind. If you ask, you will discover that none of the locals of your faction saw another eclipse. Speak with your fellow Summoned, however, and you may learn that while there was no eclipse that formed over the world, you were not the only one who had this dream.

Of course, dreams don't need to mean anything. You can't feel or see any immediate effects, and nearly everyone around you is going about their day as usual. Maybe you should do the same.
The Awakening
It might happen that very morning or a day or two later. You could be discussing the dream with a fellow Summoned or perhaps you simply brush shoulders with them as you walk by. Whatever it is, as soon as you make brief physical contact, one of you is struck with a sharp pain in your temple that grows into a terrible headache. It's disorienting and painful as the world around you shifts to someplace you may or may not recognize. Like an old film reel, you watch the events of the past play out before you: the past of the other Summmoned. It might be something they would rather hide, a moment of failure or despair, or something they are immensely proud of and brings them great joy - or even a jumble of several images over the course of a person's life. But you see it as if it were real and right in front of you all the same. When you come to, you'll likely find yourself on the ground or bent over, possibly with one or more people around you to see if you're okay. It'll take you a bit to gather your bearings, and the subsequent pounding in your head could last from minutes to hours.

Or, maybe you aren't the one who receives the vision. Instead, as you watch, another Summoned might grasp their head and crumble in front of you. They may go silent or groan in pain. They'll be impossible to shake out of their stupor until it's over. If you ask what happened, they may be inclined to tell you the truth - that you, you were what happened to them.

Or, if your Arcana signs happen to line up in a specific way, you'll see each other in the shared memory itself. You may also find that for certain Summoned, you can help soothe the effects, calm their emotions, or help draw them out of the memory before it consumes them for too long. It's not entirely clear what determines which effect, but one thing is for certain - within each memory, every Summoned as they appear in the past seems to wear the mark of their Arcana somewhere on their person.

For some, they might experience this only once. For others, they might experience it multiple times: with the same person, with several other Summoned, or with a different memory each time. Over the next 7 days, you'll find the Summoned around you are all receiving a glimpse into each other's past, as if the Singularity has awoken an eye within each of you.

Flee for the safety of the Horizon if you want, but you'll find that in there, it's much the same. In fact, inside the Horizon, the other Summoned don't even need to be anywhere near you - just existing in the Horizon space itself together will be enough to possibly set off a headache-inducing vision.
The Factions
What has occurred between the Summoned will not go unnoticed within the factions. While it's difficult to say how faction officials have picked up what's happening, it'll be obvious they do know.
In THORNE, characters will be asked to remain in the castle walls until further notice. Characters will not be allowed to leave the castle grounds, not even to go into the surrounding city, and anyone who is already outside will be requested to not leave again as soon as they return. If asked, they will be told it's for their own safety, given the Singularity is behaving unpredictably and the Summoned have a unique connection to it. Soothing potions and healers are on hand to offer assistance, if anyone is particularly suffering from ill effects.

In the FREE CITIES, characters will find the army by the outposts show more activity than usual. A higher number of guards will patrol the streets throughout the event, particularly in areas frequented by the Summoned. Anyone who publicly and visibly experiences the effects of the memory share (pain, doubling over, etc.) will be offered assistance by the guards. They are generally there to help, but they are also there to maintain order and ensure anyone behaving erratically due to this incident is properly contained. This might include confinement for a day or two if anyone is especially posing a risk, but no one will be punished except in the most extreme cases, as the locals are aware this is not within the control of the Summoned.

In SOLVUNN, the locals will be watching what's happening with a mixture of trepidation and curiosity. Host families and neighbors will be on hand to help with charms meant to offer protection, as well as general care and assistance (soup, blankets, and so on) if your character seems to be especially under the weather or afflicted by the event. Towards the end of the event, more elders and mages will be out and about to check up on the Summoned to make sure they're doing okay. If asked, the mages will say they aren't sure what's going on, but that they are currently divining with the gods and hope to have a definitive answer soon in the upcoming days.
None of the factions appear to be doing much more than keep a watchful eye on the situation - but as the week comes to a close, officials will start making a decision as to what they want to do and how to handle the Summoned who have demonstrated this unforeseen connection to the Singularity.
standvastig: (Something in the distance)

[personal profile] standvastig 2022-05-06 06:13 am (UTC)(link)
[Oh, skies. He's not sure if he's glad or not someone else doesn't know what exactly is going on here -- not that it helps the situation at all when neither of them are in control of the vehicle they're in. Hendrik chokes on a yell as the compartment manages to rock violently while they're climbing practically vertical. He didn't even think that was possible.]

--Why??

[Why would anyone get used to this? Want to get used to this?

He's holding on to that railing so hard that he can't feel his fingers.]


Please tell me this-- this thing can fly!
thearchangel: (My favorite part of me.)

[personal profile] thearchangel 2022-05-06 06:17 am (UTC)(link)
"Well, glad to hear it."

No need to elaborate, regardless of how they'd just met. If someone could pull that kind of stunt, and were some kind of powerful spirit thing, then... yeah. Definitely good they weren't here. No one needed that crap stalking them.

He makes an understanding kind of noise. Somewhere between a hum and a vibration, not bothering to hide the uncertain flick of mandible against his jaw. I like to leave it there. Honestly? Fair enough. Who didn't have things they were trying to move past? Forget about, or atone for.

"Understood," he says, in the simple, direct way he would if he'd been given an order. "Pretty sure no one I know would believe me, even if I tried to tell them."

That... was probably supposed to be more humorous than serious.
thearchangel: (My favorite part of me.)

[personal profile] thearchangel 2022-05-06 06:30 am (UTC)(link)
[Don't worry, Himeka, he's also used to all kinds of species interacting. And not all of them can read turian facial expression. He tries to emphasize the humor, as a result. The fact it's also kind of a coping mechanism helps. Probably. We're not going to examine that too hard.]

[Hands shaken, he also shakes his head, the tilt of it wry to match his tone.]


You know, I've never been great with pleasantries. Nice meeting, crap circumstance.

[His expression tightens up at her request - it's fair. It's extremely fair. And frankly, if he were in her position, he'd request the same. But it means dredging up his own thoughts of bodies covered in sheets. And his tone lowers, more vibration than words.]

Yeah. Yeah, I can understand that. It's as good as closed.
thearchangel: (This is going to suck in 10 seconds)

[personal profile] thearchangel 2022-05-06 06:42 am (UTC)(link)
"What was it?"

He has to know, sorry Thane. He'd told Shepard he was going to look into it, and why not start with someone he knows? Better than asking a stranger off the street, right? What had thrown the drell off?

As for the rest, he exhales, blowing out the air sharply between his mandibles. "You think that's what's happening? 'Forces' mixing up the universe?"
photophobic: (020)

[personal profile] photophobic 2022-05-06 07:04 am (UTC)(link)

[Kylo's head tilts slightly to one side as he appraises both Julie's statement and the question that follows.]

I think... the same thing you do. We have the opportunity to be whatever we choose, here. Do whatever we want. And what I want... is to protect what I have gained.

[He says, from his fortress of evil built into the side of a volcano, symbolic heat still searing under his skin. As much as he may be claiming to seek freedom from choices made for him in the galaxy he was taken from, he's clearly more than a little reluctant to give any of that up, villainy and all. What isn't clear is how aware he is of it.

A moment later, he adds a twitch of a wry smile:]

Even if I have lost my ship. Did you like it?

wiedzminka: (eight.)

[personal profile] wiedzminka 2022-05-06 07:19 am (UTC)(link)
[ Ciri tenses, waiting for it, bracing herself. Of all the horrors he could have seen--

The Wild Hunt. With Geralt and Yennefer, when she was young. Ciri realizes, instantly, what he means and her fists clench automatically, one fist tight around the bottle. But, all things considered, it's not... too bad. Unnerving for her, certainly. Her heart is racing, even as she wills herself to take a breath and another drink. Alucard, however, doesn't understand the significance of what he's witnessed, the magic that took the three of them there. ]


Appreciate you telling me.

[ She doesn't offer an explanation. ]
photophobic: (140)

[personal profile] photophobic 2022-05-06 07:22 am (UTC)(link)

Kylo frowns.

"I didn't see the Lace. An eye. The eclipsed sun grew larger and darker until it opened into an eye."

He can still feel it on him now, when he thinks about it. The sense of being seen. Watched. His lips press together firmly.

endcaller: (not here to beta test your buggy code.)

[personal profile] endcaller 2022-05-06 07:38 am (UTC)(link)
Who indeed?

Spoken like a true scholar.

[Fandaniel leans back, bracing his elbows as he peers at Y'shtola.]

Well, far be it for me to stand in the way of another curious soul. You will not find a way to forestall the Final Days but you may examine the readings anyway if you wish.

...If you can read Allagan, that is. Otherwise you may not glean much.

[At the base of the spire, Amon finally lifts his head and shifts back just enough to brush his fingers through his hair as he looks down at the console again.

"Tau cluster, no readings", chirps the machine.

Fandaniel slowly tilts his head to the side. Thousands of years later, thinking about the vast, lifeless emptiness of the sky has only gotten easier because the last of his hope is long dead.]


...And you may need to convince me to move. I seem to be a tad preoccupied.
photophobic: (122)

[personal profile] photophobic 2022-05-06 07:59 am (UTC)(link)

[Well then. He had thought she wouldn't want the details, but...]

A... romance. A kiss you were pleased to imagine you had stolen, and later... the two of you were interrupted before you could explore your... intimacy further.

[And honestly, having met Kirigan and spent a fair stretch of time with him, it's a little unsettling to suddenly remember what it felt like to be one intrusive knock on a door away from having sex with him. Not that Kylo's unblinking stare suggests he's struggling with any such discomfort.]

I hadn't realised you had ever been so... [...enthralled? Eager? hm. He reconsiders.] ...willing. To partner with him.

[...nailed... it...?]

wiedzminka: (one.)

same tho lmao

[personal profile] wiedzminka 2022-05-06 08:03 am (UTC)(link)
[ Ciri has no idea who this woman is in this vision-- no idea who any of them are, what this world is, what the fuck is going on. Even here, with no one around, someone else's worst memories are being shoved into her head like nails hammered right into her skull.

Meanwhile, her own are somewhere else, a reciprocal unpleasantness for another woman.
( cw: blood, animal death )

The room is well furnished and high-ceilinged, a beautiful place lit by the large fire burning in the hearth and the many candles in the standing chandeliers. But it smells of blood. An older woman lies sprawled on one of the couches, blood staining her loose velvet gown; her face is drawn in pain, voice low and labored as she speaks, addressing the girl -- no more than twelve -- standing tearfully at her bedside.

"In the face of the inevitable, Cirilla, good leaders should always choose mercy. In the future, you will be wise to do the same."

And then, to someone else at the edge of the room: "Lazlo, bring her cloak."

The girl's bright green eyes widen, and she shakes her head in protest, barely holding back tears. The older woman tries to speak to her again, reminding her you are the Lion Cub of Cintra; you are destined for great things while the man meant to bring her cloak tries his best to usher her into it and out of the room. Her protestations grow louder, more vehement-- as she screams, and suddenly the scream is something more. The room shakes. The glasses tremble.

The vision shifts suddenly, with the echo of the dark-haired queen's voice fading with it:

"Find Geralt of Rivia. He is your Destiny."

The same young girl, thrown haphazardly across the saddle of a dark-clad rider: a soldier wearing a helmet adorned with large black feathers from a bird of prey. She looks back at a city in flames, burning to the ground.

Again, she screams. The horse rears, dropping both man and girl to the ground and fleeing. As she tries to scramble away, Cirilla lets out another scream, and then another, until the very earth cracks apart.

The scene twists and shifts again: around a campfire at night, Cirilla in her threadbare cloak, dirty and ragged, surrounded by a group of teenage boys. They reach for her with leers and nasty grins, and she screams again, the scene plunging into darkness as the fire goes out, and the boys and nearby horse are torn apart, thrown into the trees that shatter and fall around them.

Ciri falls to her knees, gripping her head on instinct as the pain rips through her-- not her body, even, as it's not really here, but the very deepest parts of her, mind and soul, pulled open to have someone else's experiences shoved into the wounds.

This, here, with someone she doesn't even know-- it's never happened before. In her shock, Ciri screams, and her magic reacts. Not with destruction this time, but something else.

She follows the visions. In a blink, she is somewhere else entirely. ]
Edited 2022-05-06 08:04 (UTC)
photophobic: (192)

[personal profile] photophobic 2022-05-06 09:33 am (UTC)(link)

"Don't pretend I never offered you kindness," Kylo reminds her tightly, his façade of bitterness freezing all the more solidly over the rawness of his hurt the further Rey leans into the ways she feels wounded.

"You were never nothing to me. I know you know it. You felt it, just as I did. Everything I wanted to show you. Everything we could have been together. You were the one who discarded me. You."

How dare she imagine herself the wronged party, considering it some kind of cosmic injustice that he, Kylo Ren, might have found acceptance here. How dare she stand there with her indignant, bruised pride, as if he had never begged her to let him help her. As if she doesn't recognise how everyone always chooses her, time and time again.

How dare she be surprised to find that here, at least, his companionship has value? He swallows, crushing anger into the wound to keep it fresh.

photophobic: (107)

[personal profile] photophobic 2022-05-06 10:19 am (UTC)(link)

Kylo swallows, hard, his eyes growing glassy with the unexpected swell of emotion. He'd known from the moment he discovered his true heritage just how much easier it all could have been if they'd only let him know where he came from— if they'd allowed him to know even what was left of his grandfather, instead of hiding the truth from him for all those years— but it's something else entirely to be standing here with him, hearing those words.

"They knew," he says, bitterly furious, unable to choke the loss out of his voice enough to pull it level. "They knew. But they thought it would be better for me to feel I was alone than to know I was like you. They..."

He pauses, sets his jaw, collects himself until he can meet Anakin's eyes again.

"They can't hide you from me here."

cryptsleeper: (Default)

[personal profile] cryptsleeper 2022-05-06 11:49 am (UTC)(link)
[There's a nod. And while Alucard intends to stick by his promise not to ask for details, he does have to ask something else. Ciri was interested in the matter at the singularity back in December, after all.

But first, a request for another drink with his hand holding the cup extended.]


Is there anything I should keep my eye out for then and tell you about, should I see particular signs here?
cryptsleeper: (i have an idea it's kind of a dick move)

[personal profile] cryptsleeper 2022-05-06 11:51 am (UTC)(link)
You saw my father's castle, right?

[He must have. Alucard doesn't wait for an answer, it seems like a safe bet.]

Something like that is a mix of creativity, magic, and actual engineering. And defense. The last part was important to all of us, and it was something my father and I bonded over when I began to grow into those awkward teenage years.

[He lines up another nail, just in case.] Had things not gone as they did, I might have traveled as my father did and walked among men. Perhaps architecture would have been a passing interest then.
chosenfordarkness: (half dare bar tee)

[personal profile] chosenfordarkness 2022-05-06 01:17 pm (UTC)(link)
When put like that, he can't find it in him to argue. He opens his mouth to retort but snaps it back shut. His own situation had been different, but what about all the other younglings taken from their home because of their Force sensitivity?

"When I was still with my mother, I always dreamed about becoming a Jedi. I always insisted I would be the first one to travel to every star and come back and free all the slaves." Neither of those things happened, and the Jedi always insisted they couldn't get involved with the Outer Rim's way of life. Something that's always sat rotting in his chest about them. How was that not something they should interfere with?

The business with Zygerria had proven enough they don't give a damn unless it suits their needs. "It had felt like freedom. Or what I'd expected it to be like. Really, it was only a set of chains exchanged for another."
chosenfordarkness: (trunk eggs stink)

[personal profile] chosenfordarkness 2022-05-06 03:10 pm (UTC)(link)
It hurts knowing that he becomes such a monster that everyone insisted on hiding him away from Kylo. His legacy in the second half of his life completely washed away everything else about him. How much did they truly even know? He's bitter about it, but Kylo is right- they can't hide him from his grandson in this place. Anakin is more grateful for that than he knows how to express.

He swallows against the lump in his throat, blinking back the tears he can feel creeping in. "They're always going to be their own undoing. The Jedi Council did the same thing to me. They told me my fear would lead to anger, my anger would lead to hate, and my hate would lead to suffering."

Anakin reaches to put a gloved hand on the side of Kylo's face. "If only they knew that by keeping me at arm's length and berating my lack of control over my emotions or taking advantage of them that they were causing their own downfall. It's ironic, isn't it? They were too arrogant to see that they would be the ones to suffer."
princessvegas: (054. i'm a brat)

[personal profile] princessvegas 2022-05-06 03:40 pm (UTC)(link)
What've you gained here? These people will cut any of us down the second it suits 'em, all of 'em. The government in Cadens is worse in what they want, but at least they don't force us to rely on 'em.

[ Kylo is, at this point, one of the few remaining people who was there in the beginning, would be able to understand her mistrust. Outside of Nott, Julie holds no faith or fondness for any of the native Abraxans, and she fears the ideology of Cadens far more than Thorne. But in Cadens, they have the freedom to hide, to make money and plans for themselves. There's an illusion of process, of justice, and while she knows better than to trust it, it's familiar to her. She knows how to work with it. She doesn't know how to deal with a kingdom that kidnaps and tortures people just to test someone else.

She believes that Kylo thinks he knows what he's doing. She won't tell him otherwise. But she doesn't think it's foolproof.

His question makes her chuckle, even if it doesn't really reach her eyes -- they remain wary and fearful. ]


It's tiny as hell on the inside. I spent the whole memory basically sittin' on your lap. And it goes faster'n anythin' ever made in my world, so it was kinda scary. But cool.
princessvegas: (049. i'm a loser)

[personal profile] princessvegas 2022-05-06 04:28 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Julie doesn't feel much better than the other times, but then again, she's quite drunk, so it could be that. Maybe the pain in her head is less sharp, more like it happened hours ago instead of minutes. She's definitely very nauseated, though.

(She can also testify that follow-up touching is not what triggers it, but she will not explain how she knows this fact for certain.)

Either way, she doesn't pull away from Ciri, just rubs at her face again and takes a deep breath. All she wanted was a bottle of vodka, jesus. ]


I'm okay. [ It's a mutter. ] I just need to go to the store.
gynvael: (012)

[personal profile] gynvael 2022-05-06 05:06 pm (UTC)(link)
[ It strikes him now and again, when he reflects on when they met—because how many of them remain who remember it, being trapped in the dungeons? Julie, scant others he can count on one hand. The number dwindles further when it comes to the first of them, who arrived locked away at the very start. More and more, he senses that part of their beginnings waning into rumours and stories. He supposes he should be familiar with that. Time wears down all things. It happened so quickly, though. Within months, barely a year. He feels it, deep down inside: an unconscious drifting towards the handful left who remember, a kinship he can't help grasping onto. It isn't quite the same thing, but it just—it reminds him of the way his own kind would fade and fade. In the world, in the memories of others.

But a few of them are here. The people most important to him remain. It means something to him, that Julie trusted him—him, Sam, everyone—enough to travel all that way to where they were in Cadens. ]


Of course. [ Monsters. A classic. Every Witcher loves good beast to hunt; what else are they made to do? He wraps his fingers around her wrist and guides it a little further up his chest. The quietest sound escapes him, something that passes for a laugh. ] Julie. Are you calling me a bug?

[ He will not deny she smells plenty sweet—does not hesitate to lean down and breath in the scent that he's grown more than familiar with. If she's here to snap him up, he can't say he minds. ]
gynvael: (229)

[personal profile] gynvael 2022-05-06 06:17 pm (UTC)(link)
His head tilts. Mm. Did he? As far as he's concerned, he received a massive cityscape he can't fully comprehend, a glimpse of her crew, her ship. A brief overview from her about the politics of a faraway world he did not quite ask after. (Fuck knows he barely wants to be involved in the politics of his own damn sphere.) Not that he's unsympathetic. Maybe to her, who knew what she was hearing and looking at, it feels like more. Hard to begrudge someone for feeling invaded upon, no matter how innocuous the memory itself might be. They're still memories. Still pieces of one's life not intended to be shared. This whole affair's been...uncomfortable, to say the least, from the start. Even when he's shared his quieter memories, ones with Ciri or his brothers, memories he'd have not minded speaking of, a sense of uneasiness lingers underneath the relief that it was not something worse. When the choice is wrenched out of his hands, it complicates matters.

One, two decades ago, he'd have a much different reaction where Blaviken is concerned. These days—it's an ache rather than a fresh sting. Time scars all wounds. Even the deepest cuts.

But Geralt has a habit of neither explaining himself nor what's on his mind. His answer comes plain, straightforward. "You can. Might not answer."

What's there to say? A princess turned bandit, humans too frightened and disdainful of what they don't understand, what they've no interest in understanding. When has it ever been anything different? It's long stopped being a thought that brings resentment or bitterness. He's too old for that. It's a fact he learned to live with, if only so he can continue to exist among those who do not want him.
Edited 2022-05-06 18:19 (UTC)
provenforce: (herbskillz-sw-rey-18)

[personal profile] provenforce 2022-05-06 07:20 pm (UTC)(link)
Where Kylo freezes Rey is a raw wire. She clenches her teeth as she furrows her brow, doing everything she can to fight off the tears she can feel coming. He thinks She discarded him?

"You wanted me to watch while my friends died!" Rey bursts out, her arms dropped as she takes several angry steps towards him, gesturing behind her like she had on the Supremacy. Maybe they had not been her friends then the way they are now, but they had still been people who had been kind to her after Han's passing, who had held her and given her new clothing and accepted her into a place that just as easily could have cast her out.

"Your mother was on one of those ships! I know you love her, and you were going to let her die! How could you ask me to be a part of that?"
itookashot: (CeGHZxa)

[personal profile] itookashot 2022-05-06 07:45 pm (UTC)(link)
"What, they weren't on board rescuing slaves? Seriously, these are the good guys?" Jesper doesn't consider himself a particularly good person, but he sure as hell would help rescue slaves without question. "My friend was a slave. Before she came here, she was about to go out on a ship with a mission to find slavers and free all of the people they'd taken, like no one ever did for her. We were all behind her, and we're not even the good guys."

Criminals and thieves, actually, but not on team slavers, so he feels rather confident that they were on a more righteous path than these Jedi people. "Honestly, it sounds like both sides just wanted to use your power, mate. What did you want for yourself?"
leitstern: (Retrospect)

[personal profile] leitstern 2022-05-06 08:02 pm (UTC)(link)
[One foot steps forward. From one world into another. The scent of sea air floods his nostrils and has him glancing away, towards narrow cliffs that resemble canals. The view reminds him of a seaside port he became familiar with back home.

He is guided towards a child crouching behind crates; a wily manouever reminiscent of his own behaviour as a boy. He closes his eyes and listens. His lip curls.]


A thief and a scoundrel?

[He does not sound impressed.]
leitstern: (Default)

[personal profile] leitstern 2022-05-06 08:11 pm (UTC)(link)
[Jasper steps closer for a moment to observe before turning his gaze. Desiring to learn, to understand - but not intrude. To make a connection? Perhaps. He catches sight of the strange city and clenches his jaw. Devices and lights that work without flame. It is not magical like the fortress but has the same strange air. He steps closer towards the railing and leans against it.]

You obviously care for each other a great deal.

[What else is there? Even a monster likes him recognises love when he sees it. Why else was he so outraged all those years?]
leitstern: (Miffed)

[personal profile] leitstern 2022-05-06 08:25 pm (UTC)(link)
[Strong. Confident. His approval of such traits cannot mask his distaste for impertinence. This man cannot help but look indignant? He cannot help but look scathing.]

I can but what business is my appearance of yours?

[He has little idea of the memory witnessed without his permission - or even his knowledge.]