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abraxaslogs2022-04-16 10:46 am
abraxasmods) wrote in abraxaslogs2022-04-16 10:46 am
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
[Kylo's expression as he listens is a tighter, quieter version of the one he'd worn in the cockpit of the Silencer— the memory isn't far from the surface for him even now. He swallows, gaze sliding past Julie's face to rest on the view beyond the entrance to his obsidian fortress. There's silence for longer than there should be.]
It's ironic. Not that you could understand, but— [he sighs, his broad shoulders still too tense to slump, exactly, but there's a new weight carried on them now.] The teachings they wanted me raised me with, their... religion. It forbids attachments of any kind.
no subject
That's... I mean, you know that's insane, right? Bein' alone is the worst thing possible. It's literal torture. I know. And if that's what that lady was into, then she was pretty bad at it, 'cause I could feel what she felt.
[ Also, forgoing attachments would also mean severing all relationships, and you can't do that and have a fucking child. Not if you're human. So why bother with that religion? ]
no subject
[It is laughable, isn't it. Kylo's lips twist.]
You'd be surprised. You only saw her at the end, fleeing with the last of her forces, but there was a time where she had great fleets of ships at her disposal. And yet, that was the first time I'd felt anything of her since she sent me away as a child. She had years to demonstrate it, if she truly felt anything other than regret for her failure to control me. She knew where I was. I wasn't hiding. I just wasn't as important to her as her great plan for the Galaxy.
[His gaze swings back to Julie's face, hard. Heavy. A little challenging, perhaps, daring her to disagree.]
She was far more talented at avoiding attachment than I ever was.
no subject
But she won't say that what she felt in that memory was indifference. It wasn't. ]
What was that battle about?
no subject
[It's a good question, and on some level Kylo appreciates the shift away from the topic of his mother's feelings— which were far from indifferent. He remembers that much very well. His mouth tugs at a corner.]
The battle? Good and evil. What is any war ever about?
[His bitterness suggests he knows full well which side of that particular binary he falls, as far as most most people are concerned. In a game of Shah-tezh, if your opponent chooses to play white, you must play black. Kylo's always felt his role was decided for him in much the same way.]
It was a small part of a longer conflict with a... complicated history. That convoy was the last of the Resistance fleet, and my task was to eliminate them before they could find another planet to hide behind and rebuild their forces. But it's irrelevant, here. All of it.
no subject
[ Or at least no one she's ever met. And she could easily tell him that she can think of a million reasons to wage a war that are about neither good nor evil. Most of them are about money or power, things that aren't really a matter of conscience. She grew up in a country that specialized in that area.
It sort of hits her that she has now been to space, in a way. It's a delayed reaction for sure, but it's nearly as incredible to her as having magic. They were the same kind of impossible to her. ]
So then what do you believe in now?
no subject
[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?
no subject
[ 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.
no subject
Mm. It wasn't made for two.
[What has he gained here? Kylo's smile is similarly shallow, but his reservation isn't born of fear. It's simply difficult, it seems, for anyone to realise just how new the concept of having anyone choose to side with him is— and that isn't something Thorne or Cadens or anyone from Abraxas can take from him. He's discovered a truth about himself, freed from the trappings of his past and the context that kept him tied into a singular role. He knows now that he isn't inherently unacceptable, undesirable or impossible to love (or even like).
And, of course, he's more than familiar with evil tyrants who kidnap, torture and direct their subjects to do the same and worse to prove their loyalty. If anything, he assumes most leaders will do the same given the opportunity. Better to work with those who have already tipped their hand.]
I imagine Cadens has its own priorities and methods for seeking compliance... and I hope you are able to outsmart them when the time comes. You certainly have a better chance of hiding there. Perhaps it will be enough, if you take care to hide your gifts. The Free Cities have a lot of soldiers to choose from, after all. You could disappear with ease.
[Not, Kylo's expression suggests, that she should have to. It seems a pity for someone with such capacity for radiance.]
If that is what you want.
no subject
[ She trails off, unsure of how to explain just how unstable things have been for her, to make her crave the ordinary. Or how she feels like she wasn't a whole person until she was brought here and became aware of the fact that she had spent two decades sealed off from the thing she was supposed to do, the power she was supposed to have. That's she's afraid to lose this place because there's nowhere else she can go, and even if there was, she might lose her magic again.
She's glad that he didn't have to see any of her memories. No one should have to see what she's seen. ]
I'm safe. I have people in Cadens who'll protect me. And I've always had a plan, if I need it. Where to go, if things go sideways. I know you have power in Thorne, just -- just be careful. We're always gonna be the outsiders they turn on first. If you ever think you need to get out, let me know. I'm kind of an expert at it now.
no subject
It doesn't sound stupid. Not to me.
[The unpracticed curve of his mouth is awkward but not for a lack of sincerity, heavy in the dark hold of his gaze. It's possible, with his particular abilities, that he doesn't need to see Julie's memories to catch some glimpse of understanding— and he's always felt a strange commonality between the two of them, if not a host of direct parallels.
At her suggestion, his smile widens further: mild surprise, amusement, even a twist of fondness. Whether or not she knows about the work he's been doing behind the scenes it's a kind offer, and one he wasn't imagining she would extend to him.]
I can read minds and sense intentions, and I have made myself useful to the right people. But I am being careful, and if I should sense a threat to my safety... or yours. I will contact you. And you should contact me, if you want. I'll help you. Perhaps we can help each other.
no subject
Julie smiles back, though she has no awareness of what he's actually doing in Thorne. She knows they trusted him to portal to Nott and back, to take at least one person back to the castle, and that they sent other mages under his command. Nott is not a big enough city to keep information like that quiet, particularly given their distaste for the crown. But even that soon after the first summonings, Thorne had placed Kylo into a position of power, at least as far as foreigners could be concerned. She doesn't know what he did to earn that, but she knows that she has not heard of him misusing the power, either.
But most importantly, he has always been kind to her, even when she was completely out of her gourd because she was still struggling to cope with being brought back to life. Julie comes from somewhere that has little kindness left in it. That means a lot to her.
She nods, looking up at him, where he must be close to two feet taller than she is. ]
We will. All of us who want to stay in Abraxas, we need to work together.