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

[falcony]

[ they're pretty much on the same page, then. and considering sam's gone through much worse lately from a single touch, he'll take a headache and not much more. but it does make him worry about the others, and even as the woman stands and seems to be able to swallow it back herself.

from what he saw of that memory, of her, well. that makes sense.

a month she says, and sam nods, feeling a bit guilty they've only just run into each other. he's been slacking, or...no. not slacking. there's been a lot happening. still. at her question he shakes his head. ]

Just under a year, now. Or, well. Here in the cities about 9 months, Thorne before that, but it's a little complicated. [ the smile he gives is part sheepish, part this isn't my first time. but now that the headache actually is easing, he's starting to feel a bit more like himself. ]

I was one of the first group that came through the well.

[monomachy]

["A year" doesn't seem that long to her, but she knows that for most mortals, it is. She looks suitably shocked by this news, enough so that she almost forgets about her headache. Almost.]

That is a long while. [She sounds sympathetic; even though she's only been away from Themyscira for perhaps two months in total, it does feel much longer. She's also very interested in the fact that some Summoned have been in this world for so long. She's heard rumors implying as much, but hadn't yet met any who have been here for more than a few months.]

But you have found a place for yourself here? [That's something she's still trying to figure out. Diana always had a place, a purpose, on the island (and even after she left it). Here, she has none of that structure or surety. She's out of her wheelhouse, truth be told, a feeling she doesn't really like.]

[falcony]

[ okay, well, no. in the grand scheme of time and space it's not that long. but also sam probably needs to stop surrounding himself with really normal looking people who also happen to be over a hundred years old. perhaps. for now (or at the very least, until he actually realizes diana is as old as she is), sam will just nod. ]

Here? [ there's a beat where sam isn't sure what diana means. and sure, alright, perhaps it's a little weird to assume she wants to discuss something this deep when they're still nursing the after effects of their raging migraines, but he suddenly isn't sure. ] Do you mean in Cadens? Or Abraxas as a whole?

[ because those are very different answers, and even if sam has stilled a bit in his over enthusiastic welcome committee vibe he gives off during first meetings, he feels like this is pretty important. ]

[monomachy]

[Diana is starting to feel a little bit better now that she's had a few minutes to breathe normally, and takes a moment to think about his question. She hadn't meant in one specific place, but it's curious that he asks her to specify.]

In Cadens. [This is, after all, where she plans to stay for a little while; she needs to gather resources and perhaps a guide before heading out to explore the rest of this world. It would be good to know how other Summoned feel about it.]

[falcony]

[ ah, yeah, okay. sam nods, any of that slight tension at the clarification gone. he smiles when he starts talking, and there is something very familiar about the way he shares the information. like he's done this a few times by now. ]

There's an Inn run by a woman here, her name's Mag. Amazing woman, and she's got space for any new Summoned who make it into the city who are looking for a place to start. [ a beat, and then sam gestures off down the street. ] If you're not busy, I can show you there?

[monomachy]

[Despite her headache, she can tell that he's more comfortable talking about this city, and she finds that curious. She doesn't yet know much about the other areas, the other factions, but there seems to be a deeper conflict than the threat of war she's heard about.

It takes her a moment to realize what he's offering. Diana has been staying in the barracks, a place familiar and yet not to her. But perhaps a move is in order, especially if there are more Summoned there; it makes sense for her to try to meet others who aren't from this world either, doesn't it? So she nods, squaring her shoulders.]

Thank you. I would like to meet Mag. [And see if she has any available lodging. She'll just have to figure out how to pay for it.]