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Entry tags:
- !event,
- aerith gainsborough; the sun,
- alucard; the hierophant,
- anakin skywalker; judgement,
- castiel; the hanged man,
- cirilla of cintra; the devil,
- commander shepard; judgement,
- dean winchester; the lovers,
- diana prince; the empress,
- edelgard von hresvelg; the emperor,
- garrus vakarian; justice,
- geralt of rivia; the hanged man,
- gideon nav; strength,
- goro; the chariot,
- harrowhark nonagesimus; the magician,
- hendrik; death,
- himeka sui; the fool,
- jaskier; the sun,
- jasper; judgement,
- jayce talis; the magician,
- jesper fahey; the wheel of fortune,
- jordan hennessy; the moon,
- julie lawry; the wheel of fortune,
- kell maresh; the magician,
- kylo ren; the tower,
- link; strength,
- nero (dmc); the chariot,
- princess zelda; the high priestess,
- rey; the star,
- rhy maresh; the lovers,
- ronan lynch; the moon,
- sam wilson; justice,
- shuten-douji; the devil,
- thancred waters; strength,
- thane krios; death,
- viktor; death,
- wanda maximoff; the hanged man,
- yennefer of vengerberg; the chariot,
- zhou zishu; strength
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.
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.
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.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.
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.
no subject
They disembark. It's an odd, almost blurry affair; maybe that's not surprising. How many thousands of times had she gone through the decontamination routine? It all sort of blended into one memory, after a while.
Then it's white offices, clean and open and sterile, a twisty little hallway, the Asari at Reception and...
Big Place!
And there it was in all its bright and beautiful glory: the presidium commons. The sky is, as always, summer-blue with gently roaming clouds, and the horizon bending up and away behind it, following the donut-curve of the presidium itself. And everywhere, the fountains, the greenery, the people. Humans, yes, a handful dotted here and there, but Asari, Turians, Salarians, even the odd Elcor with their slow, careful plodding. One hanar stood, iridescently shouting, his voice visible even at this distance.
"Oh shit, the preacher guy," Shepard mutters, "I almost forgot about him. Stubborn ass."
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Jesper follows her through her memory, the white offices so bright, and there's an interesting-looking alien woman there casually at a desk. Fascinating. Jesper walks forward and his mouth drops open, even more amazed than before, not caring that he's looking like an absolute idiot tourist at the moment. Who cares, when this is so big? He can't seem to find a place to focus his eyes, he wants to look at everything, he turns in a circle and looks up at the sky, taking in everything he can.
"I am never showing you Ketterdam. You'll think it's so dirty and dark in comparison." And he normally likes that about his city, but it's so starkly different. Jesper's in love. That is the look in his eyes, legit, actual love. "Is every port like this? Everywhere you fly?"
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It's kinda cute, his enthusiasm, that space-joy on his face. Alright, it's more than cute, it's endearing. Shepard remembers feeling that way herself, the first time; and having to suppress it, for the sake of command dignity. She has a reputation to uphold, after all.
"Jesper, I don't wanna give you the wrong idea about me; I was born in the gutter, and I grew up on the streets— and not nice streets like up here on the Presidium," She cocks a hip and gestures out over the smooth white-paneled wealth on display in every corner as the memory goes on, and the ground team sets out towards the Council tower, "I don't know Ketterdam from a hole in the ground, but I guarantee you don't have anything there that'll shock me."
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He manages to pull his distracted attention from everywhere shiny to her instead. Well that honesty was nice so he may as well share. "I was born on a farm. It's the worst background for my image, but it's true." Jesper was a naive farmboy once upon a time. Ridiculous, in retrospect. "And I came to the city for schooling, but ended up in the gutter myself. Ketterdam's got gutters on top of gutters. It's a city of gangs, killers, and scoundrels. It's home."
Jesper's all three of those things. Gang member, killer, scoundrel. "I don't usually admit too much to what I did before." He shrugs. "A lot of the Summoned are good folks. They wouldn't last that long in Ketterdam before being robbed and stabbed."
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Well, that got a bit too honest you might say. Shepard clears her throat, "You see the woman sitting over there? The blue one, at the coffee place."
She indicates a glamorously dressed woman at a cafe, sitting on the balcony and chatting with an equally elegant human man. Cream-white dress and golden trim, beautifully offset by the brilliant indigo of her skin. She laughs at something her companion says, and sips at her coffee without any indication of having a care in the world.
"Nassana Dantius. She doesn't pay her workers; she kills them off, if they try to get any job that's not working for her— or if they finish a job at all, in the case of contract people. She even killed her own sister, for the inheritance, which is a pretty big deal for a species that can live for a thousand years," Shepard folds her arms at the sight, even as the memory goes on, leaving it behind. The party pauses to admire the great bronze statue honoring Krogan who aren't allowed even to see it, "Nassana gets to laugh it up right now, but in two years she'll be dead too. Presidium looks clean, and it's a nice place to live if you have enough money, but the reality is that the whole system is built on blood. These people wanna ignore it, and mostly they can, but it doesn't change reality."
no subject
Jesper glances over to who she is pointing out. Beautiful woman, clearly not human unless humans come in blue where she's from, but lovely. Fancy. Merchant-like in appearance. "Hmm, surprised she made it so long. Someone loyal to no one is always going to run out of time." Jesper is unshakingly loyal, so he takes betrayers very seriously. The only time he ever betrayed his crew was by accident, which was nevertheless a serious problem. He may be part of gangs, but they are loyal to their crew ... or they die. At least then it's death for a good reason.
"Thanks for ruining my exciting space city!" Jesper says with a sigh, but he follows it up with a little smile that says there is nothing that can do that. He still would like to live here, thanks. If he had the money. "Nah, it's good to know corruption lives everywhere. Although my friend Inej would be disappointed, she's hoping one of these days we'll run into a world where everyone's nice and there's world peace."
no subject
You can't deny it; the elevator goes up and up and up, and the higher vantage only makes the presidium's shining glow more obvious. Clean and white, blue water, green plants, beautiful people fashionably dressed as they moved and shopped among it all. And then darkness as the elevator shaft breached the bulkhead, and then...
Yet more glories still: the ward-arms, glittering with the lights of their eternal cityscapes, and beyond them the magnificent colors of the widow nebula.
"Hey, you wanna see what my boyfriend looked like when he was still smooth and pretty?"
OKAY finally alive again from my vacay hello sorry
Jesper follows her into the elevator and gasps when it moves, wide-eyed again. "What is this? Is this magic?" Yes, he has never seen an elevator before, that's how far back they are. It feels like they're being transported. Between the ship and this, the advanced technology feels like it might as well be magic, with how drastically different it feels. "This is great."
It's so bright and exciting. Jesper looks out at all the lights and he might be a little in love. It definitely feels like the first time he shot his pistols, or the first kiss he shared with Wylan, that sort of rush of disbelief and excitement.
"This guy isn't your boyfriend?" He gestures at Kaidan. He's attractive and right by her side, so he assumed. "That kind of makes sense, he seems a little too stiff for you." Maybe it's an unfair assessment from a quick once-over, but Jesper knows the type. Matthias was that type.
never forgives u, ever <3
We don't think about Virmire. We don't talk, about Horizon. While she dithers, the memory of Kaidan Alenko opines that the council will see sense, and had his optimism immediately rebuked by both women. There wasn't a great deal of faith, going into this meeting.
"I got lucky; my boyfriend was summoned too. I could introduce you for real, sometime. Oh, here, we go," The elevator door slid open on a beautifully spacious chamber, ceilings vaulted high enough to vanish into twilight, trees in bloom and flowing water, beautiful people of every shape conversing seriously in every corner. At the top of the steps, two aliens wearing the same blue armored uniform were arguing, "There he is."
Commander Shepard? demands the apparition, Garrus Vakarian, I'm with Citade Security
no subject
Jesper really loves these lifts, they're exciting. Everything's moving around them, it seems there's no end to how shiny this place is. Bright, colorful, so alien to him. Ketterdam's dark and dank and he loves that, but he could trade it in for this. He is not going to stop gaping, moving forward to stare up at the ceiling and the unexpected trees. "This place is so huge. I've never been anywhere this big." Cadens is spread out more, it's a desert, it doesn't give off grandiose like this.
He turns to look at her boyfriend and whoa! Non-human alert! Jesper grins and walks right up to the memory of Garrus, moving around it in a circle to give him a really thorough once-over. Absolutely fascinating. "I like the voice." It's right away kind of sexy. "So he was security, but he can't be too straightlaced if you're into him. Rebellious to the system guy?"
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...and...we're off. Shepard watches Jesper with all the disaffected bemusement that the tourist routine deserves. It wasn't that she didn't get it, but even at the time, Shepard had always had a focus on the more important things.
"Yeah, he was a pretty shitty cop," And she had not seen the appeal of Garrus, at the moment. The way her former self is grilling him with all the brusque suspicion she can is evidence enough of that, "He does go after criminals, but it's more of a... why are we screwing around with pickpockets but letting the organ harvesters walk free, kind of thing. I don't know if he's a nice person, but he is a good one. And he's stuck with me through some deep shit."
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"I promise not to pick either of your pockets though. I keep that for when dealing with Thorne." Jesper ended up stealing quite a lot of doodads and trinkets from Thorne while they were at the peace summit, and he regrets literally nothing about it. He would have done more if he didn't think they'd eventually catch him on something. "Organ harvesters, that's a new one. Sounds disgusting."
Ew. Organs. Jesper flashes her a playful smile. "Well I'm a really nice person but not exactly a good one, so maybe we'll even out."
no subject
But you're very cute, and she appreciates your sense of personal importance. It's the funny, charming kind of hubris, which is naturally the best sort. Better to be the the butt of a joke than the other end of a rifle, right?
"Most people in my crew, they eventually end up asking me a favor. Garrus' favors were always about taking the worst monsters that ever walked down the street, and putting them down, making the world a better place for everybody else. It's cute that you worry, though."
no subject
"Oh good, you know, some people are very against killing around here. Even bad guys or worse guys. I don't know what to make of it, but I haven't gotten to shoot anyone for real in ages." Jesper already knew that by living with Wylan he was going to have to stop being in crime and violence as much, but he thought he'd have a cute boyfriend to make it less boring. Instead he's here. He does have his guns on the way though. So if he has to shoot something, he can.
"I'm not saying we go around killing people for fun back home, there are still some vague not be a monster rules, but I'd have to shoot people in the kneecap. Which is easy, but still. What if I have to shoot them again in a few months?"
no subject
Most of them people, and the persistent, selfish way people would do their best to step on one another just to get another few inches out of the mud. Shepard could understand the desperation; you had to know hunger, real hunger, to know for sure what you valued more than food. But if you'd never seen the bottom of that cup, you might assume it was a different color, just because you wished that it were so.
So, some people were redeemable. And other weren't. And often, there wasn't time to figure out which was which before you had to make a choice.
"You know, Jesper, this is why you and I get along."
no subject
"And what, you put the slaver into jail and he gets out because it's good business, and that's when I'd have to shoot him all over again. Bullets don't grow on trees." Jesper is fairly blase and cheerful about all of this, but he genuinely does not have any bloodlust. He's fine with shooting kneecaps, especially if it's a skirmish between gang members, those things happen and not everyone has to take it seriously. But slavers. Nah.
He winks at her. "I know. It's why I don't worry about talking so freely with you. We're similar. I think I'd be good on your crew." Saints he misses being on a crew. He misses Kaz. "I don't know if you'd like my boss, he's difficult for most people, cold as ice, but a brilliant mind like no other."
no subject
She considers Jesper with a weather eye, the blackness rushing in around their feet, the memory fading out, and the bright normalcy of the world beyond returning. Well, for a given value of normal, very loosely defined. There isn't much about this fucking planet that's got to do with actual normal.
Damn, but Shepard's head hurts.
"Jesper, I like you. If I could see a bit more of your skillset, I might take you on. But you would have to understand what that means. My crew is to the death, and that's usually because I'm walking them right into it. It's a hell of a ride, emphasis on hell, but I can promise you won't do better for people at your back. It's not fun and games— well, alright mostly not. I'll introduce you to Garrus, he'll be happy to tell you the horror stories."
God forbid someone take a damn short cut in an all terrain tank, after all.
no subject
"My skillset." Jesper smiles at her, oh she has no real idea, he mostly keeps to saying he's a perfect shot and everything. There are no visible knives on him until he seems to bring one out of his jacket, where his pockets are hidden. He keeps his eyes on her when he throws a knife to the side, not even looking at it. It sails through the air just missing several people and cutting into a wood stall. He walks over to it and comes back, showing her the point, where a fly has been pierced without him having to look.
"I can do that with any bullet from any distance to any target." He can prove it when he gets his guns, which is soon. "I also have supernatural abilities that manipulate matter and modify types of matter, so I could turn this into goo with a touch, and then back to a knife, or change it to suit what I like." Jesper's abilities are known within their community but not in the public large. He was warned to be careful, and he is, outside of selling trinkets he's made for a nice little profit.
"I'm useful, believe me. Anyone would be lucky to have me on their crew." Jesper says that with utter belief in himself and his worth, and that is part of the package to be honest. Confidence can be a good thing, when put into situations that needs a cool and quick head. "But I can't guarantee you to the death option, because my life is Inej's. She's my best friend and gets to call all my shots."
It was funny at one point she was waiting on Jesper's orders, as Kaz's second, but he's always followed the other two. "But I'm sure we can at least be helpful to you when you need things done, and also, I'm the fun and games it sounds like you could use more of."
no subject
"You make a good sell," Shepard observes, her mood in fine fettle about the concept. She'd always been rightly proud of her ability to judge someone's character based on short acquaintance, "But I don't have a lot to offer, right now."
No ship, no mission, not even pay— and as much as she did not like most mercenaries, she also didn't disrespect them. Keeping Jesper would mean paying his keep, same as anyone else. The whole world wasn't made of people like Garrus, who would stick by her for free, no matter what happened.
"That said, I do take care of my people, in the end. What if you introduced me to this Inej person? If you're worried about breaking up the pair, I'm willing to be impressed, assuming she's as good as you are."
no subject
"Oh she's better than me. In a different way. Inej is called the Wraith, she's a spy. I've been her friend for years and she can be standing right next to me without me knowing until she speaks. It's amazing." Jesper even has super abilities that should be able to detect her! And she still shocks him! Kaz seems to be the only person who knows. "You'll find few people faster or more agile. We held opposite but similar levels of importance in our gang."
He was the long-distance, guns ablazing, right out front member. She hit people in the back. "There's not a lot of mercenary work here, no. Unless you want to go into the Badlands, where apparently the bandits and monsters are."
no subject
But he is painting a lovely picture— a familiar one. Stealth and sharpshooting, covering all the bases for close, mid, and long range. She loves a well-rounded fireteam, and having an extra hand isn't bad. But then, there's always the question of money, weapons, a base of operations...
...It isn't as if there's going to be a convenient paramilitary organization to lean on, in these desperate times. But Jesper keeps going, supplying the answer and the question in one breath. Bandits and badlands; there was more than one kind of scum in the world, and what else did you call outlaws other than fair targets?
"I'm the Butcher of Torfan. I'm not afraid of monsters, or anything else out there."
no subject
"I do, and I think Inej will too, we're both restless." She'll still have to ask Inej though, he doesn't do anything without her. But Jesper has been here longer so he is a valuable asset. "For you and your boyfriend to get guns, you need to either save money, or sell your services to the military or see if you can get a deal with a gunsmith. You want to talk to Geralt, Ciri, or Dean, they're all Summoned here in Cadens and they're hunters. They've been making a living off of it already, and I suspect at least one of them might have gone against bandits by now."
They do tend to lean more toward monsters, he knows that much, but if the bandits are a serious problem, he suspects they've been hired for that kind of thing too. Jesper actually has a lot of connections, he's always been good at this part too. It's why he was Kaz's legs. "It's possible the military hires to take care of these things, you'd have to ask. Then we'll have to gear up, get good advice, and head out."
He smiles. "High risk, high reward."