EVENT #7: THE SIGHT

[abraxasmods]

Event #7 - The Sight

go to the OOC event info and plotting post

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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.

Comments

[carmesi]

[and that, perhaps, is as comforting a thought as anyone can have when they struggle—such as herself—with where she lies in the grand balance of the world. light versus dark, good versus evil; does it matter as long as one is true to oneself?

as long as one understands and accepts who they are?

wanda looks at his back with a big of envy, the way he stands confidently, undeterred.]

What happened after?

[leitstern]

[It is an inquisitive question. One natural expression of curiosity that angers with its intrusion - yet pleases with its honesty. He could offer the truth if he wanted or choose to lie. It is something he ponders with a thoughtful expression. Hands rest confidently on his hips and he looks to himself as though he might provide direction.

He tries not to stare too long and turns around.]

I dropped by the very first place I wanted to go.

[Which is a whole other memory by itself.]

[carmesi]

[jasper is something of an enigma with his reactions, and with what little he says. wanda is not all too sure she understand whether he is pleased or displeased at any given time, but—

all she knows is that he's not upset at her (never was, even from the start), so that's perhaps something in her favor.]

Having changed that way, where would you want to go?

[leitstern]

[Jasper grimaces at the question - at the reminder of his responsible actions following his ascension.

The commander of his master's army. The greatest of his spectral sentinels. Positions of weighty responsibility or so most would think. His nose wrinkles at the thought and he snorts to himself.]

For a bite to eat.

[Or two. Or five. Or ten. Or twenty.]

[carmesi]

[definitely not the answer she was expecting, though it does make her... laugh a little. she's been finding, from her limited interactions with jasper, that the man has a dry sense of humor, easy-to-miss jokes thrown about at any given moment.

she points at the memory of himself, at the demon-form he transformed into.]

After that, perhaps you would be very hungry.

[please—]

How come you're ... not like that here?

[leitstern]

[Eyes frown and stare. The difference she notices is an unpleasant one; driving him to ignore the past but live according to it. He looks at himself - the monster he is - and towards the woman who knows nothing of his past.

He cannot help but look back. Eyes regarding himself with some curiosity.]

No idea. Perhaps I am the subject of some twisted cosmic sense of humour.

[He certainly doesn't look thrilled about the prospect.]

[carmesi]

[she can tell that jasper is not thrilled. who would be, when you can't be your true self among others, regardless whether or not they understand—regardless of whether they're strangers or acquaintances.]

Wouldn't we all be.

[approaching him, then, wanda feels comfortable enough to put a hand over his forearm—a gentle touch, timed minimally, enough to discern understanding through her empathic powers.

monster. the word is a blaring klaxon in his mind.

her hand falls back, holds onto her other one.]

Are you afraid of being seen this way? [monica's words repeat in her mind: don't make him make you the villain. a plea to wanda, only for her response to be that she may very well already be one.] It might worry others if they did.

[leitstern]

[Moments pass with Jasper wondering about her motivations, questioning attempts to emphasise and understand. The gentle touch hardly makes him retreat; though he does shift in discomfort until her fingers pull away. His caution for revealing personal aspects extending to strangers much as close friends.

Lips press together as hands settle on his hips. His posture hardly shows fear.]

Hardly. It would complicate matters but nothing more. I should rather not be hassled by people making a bother.

[The stress of explaining himself: too much work for a man who would rather relax.]

[carmesi]

I see.

[she thinks she understands. for vision, although not something that inherently bothered him, it was easier to go about the world disguised as a normal human. it was easier to exist without the hassle of explaining himself, answering questions, or succumbing to fans and haters alike of the avengers.

it is perhaps her thinking of him that the world around them starts to change, to the cobblestone streets of edinburgh, one fateful night, the beginning of the end. two aliens attack them, and wanda's scarlet magic the only source of protection between the two, as vision struggles to keep up. wanda steps closer to jasper, as if there is danger in the action that unfolds around them. wanda and vision are flying, only to be intercepted by enemy fire, and they crash land through a glass ceiling—vision holding her tight to protect her fall, but their landing anything but stellar.

vision looks worse for wear while wanda tries to get him to stand, to get back on his feet. a hand cups her cheek. please leave. wanda's wounded, open bruises on her face, but she sounds resolute. you asked me to stay. i'll stay. despite vision's muttered pleas for her to leave.

it is her against two, but thankfully not for long, as steve rogers shows up, along with the rest of the avengers who had absconded in years prior. wanda's attention turns away from the battle to tend to vision.]

It's my turn now, I suppose.

[for her memories to be shared.]

[leitstern]

[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?]

[carmesi]

[that sentiment—it's true. they care for each other a great deal, and wanda wonders when she should start using that verb in the past tense. i can't feel you. vision is gone, truly, and she has no idea what came to pass with the version of him that got utilized again by the government.

she watches as the battle plays out, glimpses of it, as the focus of the memory remains on wanda and vision.]

He was killed.

[it's an admittance that still hurts, but an admittance that helps cope with this perpetual grief that tends to cloud her judgement.]

They had come for him, and in the end they succeeded.

[the avengers can fix anything, right?]

[leitstern]

[Honestly? Perhaps he should not watch. Death is a subject he wishes to avoid.

There is an exhausted expression on his face as he observes distant buildings, biding time with a cold silence that is nervous and uncompromising.]

Perhaps, but it would be a fortune that he was aware of your feelings.

[carmesi]

Perhaps.

[and he certainly was. not a day goes by without the memory of having to kill him replaying in her mind—to put a hole in the head of the man she loved for it to mean nothing in the end. bitter was the sudden end of their relationship.

without vision, wanda had no anchor. has no anchor.

she turns to jasper.]

I will keep your memory to myself. I promise no one will hear of it from me.

[because, even without saying it with words, jasper has become something of a... friend, to her, despite his cold demeanor and his harsh words. she would do everything to respect his space.]