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abraxaslogs2021-06-12 12:13 pm
abraxasmods) wrote in abraxaslogs2021-06-12 12:13 pm
Entry tags:
- !event,
- !intro log,
- !npc,
- !player event,
- abby littman; the lovers,
- abigail hobbs; the hanged man,
- achilles; the hierophant,
- adora; strength,
- adrienne peters; the empress,
- aerith gainsborough; the sun,
- alan wake; the magician,
- alhaitham; the hermit,
- alice elliot; the empress,
- alicent hightower; the tower,
- alina starkov; the hanged man,
- aloy; the hermit,
- altaïr ibn-la'ahad; the magician,
- alucard; the hierophant,
- amos burton; the lovers,
- anakin skywalker; judgement,
- anthony lockwood; the devil,
- apollo; the star,
- arthur hastings; the hanged man,
- astarion ancunín; the wheel of fortune,
- bartimaeus of uruk; the wheel of fortune,
- bay kennish; the star,
- belle; strength,
- benedikta harman; the devil,
- billy kaplan; the hanged man,
- boothill; the hierophant,
- brad bakshi; the wheel of fortune,
- brother cadfael; justice,
- bucky barnes; the hanged man,
- byleth eisner; the devil,
- caitlyn kiramman; strength,
- cal kestis; the hanged man,
- captain jack harkness; the hanged man,
- carl grimes; the empress,
- carmy berzatto; the magician,
- cassandra de rolo; strength,
- cassian andor; the tower,
- castiel; the hanged man,
- catra; the tower,
- cersei lannister; the devil,
- ches fields; the lovers,
- chris halliwell; the tower,
- cidolfus telamon; the hanged man,
- cirilla of cintra; the devil,
- claire fraser; the empress,
- claire novak; the hanged man,
- clarisse la rue; the chariot,
- clarke griffin; strength,
- claude von riegan; the wheel of fortune,
- clive rosfield; the tower,
- cloud strife; the hanged man,
- cole cassidy; the hanged man,
- commander shepard; judgement,
- coraline finch; the tower,
- courtier 6; death,
- daemon targaryen; the tower,
- daenerys targaryen; judgement,
- daisy johnson; strength,
- dan heng; the high priestess,
- dante; the devil,
- dean winchester; the lovers,
- diana prince; the empress,
- dion lesage; the emperor,
- dustin henderson; the sun,
- eddie dean; the sun,
- eddie kaspbrak; the lovers,
- eddie munson; the devil,
- edelgard von hresvelg; the emperor,
- edward teach; the devil,
- eli clark; the empress,
- elias bouchard; the wheel of fortune,
- elidibus; the high priestess,
- eliot waugh; the star,
- elrond; temperance,
- emet-selch; the emperor,
- eponine thenardier; the hanged man,
- erik lehnsherr; the hermit,
- esme frost; the hanged man,
- estinien wyrmblood; the hermit,
- ezra bridger; strength,
- fandaniel; the hanged man,
- father maxwell; the wheel of fortune,
- felix fraldarius; the magician,
- finn; strength,
- frank castle; the hermit,
- g'raha tia; the lovers,
- gabriel; the wheel of fortune,
- galadriel; the hierophant,
- gale dekarios; the lovers,
- garrus vakarian; justice,
- geralt of rivia; the hanged man,
- gideon nav; strength,
- goro; the chariot,
- haelva lueltar; the magician,
- harley quinn; the wheel of fortune,
- harrowhark nonagesimus; the magician,
- heather montgomery; the magician,
- hector; the magician,
- hendrik; death,
- henry creel; the hierophant,
- hilda goneril; the lovers,
- himeka sui; the fool,
- homelander; judgement,
- hornet; strength,
- hythlodaeus; the empress,
- inara serra; temperance,
- inej ghafa; the hierophant,
- iris black; the hanged man,
- istredd; the high priestess,
- jack frost; the fool,
- jack kline; the sun,
- jack skellington; the fool,
- jack townsend; the moon,
- jacob frye; the sun,
- jaime lannister; judgement,
- james sunderland; the hermit,
- james t. kirk; the tower,
- jaskier; the sun,
- jasper; judgement,
- jayce talis; the magician,
- jerry pascal; the sun,
- jesper fahey; the wheel of fortune,
- jessica jones; strength,
- jill warrick; death,
- jinora; the world,
- jo harvelle; strength,
- john blake; the tower,
- jolie ann harmony; justice,
- jon sims; the high priestess,
- jon snow; the emperor,
- jonathan crane; the magician,
- jonathan emmet reid; the empress,
- jordan hennessy; the moon,
- joseph kavinsky; the devil,
- joshua rosfield; death,
- julia wicker; the tower,
- julie lawry; the wheel of fortune,
- jyn erso; the tower,
- kai parker; the fool,
- kaveh; the star,
- kay faraday; the fool,
- kaz brekker; the chariot,
- kell maresh; the magician,
- kelson haldane; the tower,
- kenzo tenma; the empress,
- kiryu kazuma; the tower,
- klaus hargreeves; the fool,
- koby; death,
- kol mikaelson; the hanged man,
- kyle; the hanged man,
- kylo ren; the tower,
- lan wangji; the hierophant,
- laura hawley; death,
- lenore; the lovers,
- leon belmont; the wheel of fortune,
- leonard mccoy; the lovers,
- lestat de lioncourt; judgement,
- lila bard; the fool,
- linhardt von hevring; the high priestess,
- link; strength,
- lloyd henreid; the lovers,
- loki; the devil,
- lord john grey; justice,
- louis de pointe du lac; the lovers,
- louis; death,
- lucifer; the devil,
- lucy maclean; the hierophant,
- majima goro; the hanged man,
- malyen oretsev; strength,
- marc spector; the tower,
- marianne von edmund; the hanged man,
- martin blackwood; the empress,
- marty mcfly; the hanged man,
- mat cauthon; the wheel of fortune,
- matt murdock; the tower,
- matthias helvar; the lovers,
- max mayfield; the hermit,
- merrin; strength,
- michael ralston; death,
- michael; the emperor,
- misty day; the lovers,
- morgana pendragon; the tower,
- nadine cross; the world,
- nanaue; the fool,
- natasha romanoff; the lovers,
- nathan drake; the fool,
- nebula; death,
- nero (dmc); the chariot,
- nero (drakengard); the devil,
- nicholas d. wolfwood; the lovers,
- nico di angelo; death,
- nikolai lantsov; the fool,
- norman jayden; the hermit,
- oberon; the hanged man,
- obi-wan kenobi; death,
- percy jackson; the lovers,
- peter maximoff; the devil,
- peter parker (comics); strength,
- peter parker (mcu); strength,
- petra macneary; strength,
- phoenix wright; the lovers,
- prince wilhelm; the tower,
- princess zelda; the high priestess,
- queen maeve; the hanged man,
- quentin coldwater; death,
- randall flagg; the tower,
- relena peacecraft; death,
- reno; the chariot,
- rey; the star,
- rhaenyra targaryen; the emperor,
- rhy maresh; the lovers,
- richie tozier; the hanged man,
- rinwell; the magician,
- rita farr; the star,
- river tam; the fool,
- robin buckley; the hanged man,
- rocket; the chariot,
- roland deschain; death,
- ronan lynch; the moon,
- rowena macleod; the high priestess,
- ruaidrigh mac raith; the hanged man,
- sabine; the empress,
- sam wilson; justice,
- sam winchester; the hierophant,
- samus aran; strength,
- sandor clegane; strength,
- sansa stark; the high priestess,
- sasarai; judgement,
- satoru gojo; the devil,
- sebille kaleran; the hanged man,
- sephiroth; the tower,
- shione daymore; the hermit,
- shuten-douji; the devil,
- some ovmennet; the empress,
- sophia of yaldabaoth; the world,
- stephen strange; death,
- steve harrington; the lovers,
- steve rogers; the hierophant,
- suguru geto; the hanged man,
- susan delgado; the lovers,
- sylvain gautier; the sun,
- sypha belnades; the tower,
- taylor hebert; death,
- teddy roberts; death,
- thancred waters; strength,
- thane krios; death,
- the commander (syrlya); strength,
- the darkling; death,
- the doctor; the fool,
- the medicine seller; the hierophant,
- theodore blackwell; temperance,
- thor odinson; the fool,
- tifa lockhart; the empress,
- tony stark; the magician,
- travis guidry; the chariot,
- triss merigold; the empress,
- urianger augurelt; death,
- vash the stampede; death,
- vi; the lovers,
- viktor; death,
- wanda maximoff; the hanged man,
- wei wuxian; the tower,
- wen kexing; the tower,
- will solace; the empress,
- wrench; the hanged man,
- wylan van eck; the magician,
- y'shtola rhul; the high priestess,
- yennefer of vengerberg; the chariot,
- yuffie kisaragi; the tower,
- yuri lowell; the tower,
- zagreus; the chariot,
- zelda schiff; the magician,
- zhou zishu; strength,
- zoya nazyalensky; strength
EVENT #1
EVENT #1
Welcome to our very first event! This event will be divided into two parts: one for honored guests, and one for prisoners. There are some opportunities for characters to go to the opposite group's event, so read on below and make sure to check out the accompanying OOC plotting post for extra details!
This event takes place ICly from June 14th to June 19th.
It's June, and that means the annual Summer Festival in Castle Thorne. The newcomers are causing quite a buzz and, for the first time in ten years, a representative from the increasingly independent city of Nott has agreed to attend. The representative, Lyle Vela, has a lot of political sway in Nott and the impression he takes back with him will affect whether Nott begins to repair relations with the rest of Thorne or moves even further towards independence.
But that's not all there is to do here! The residents of the city surrounding Castle Thorne are intensely curious about the newcomers and several of the events at the Summer Festival have been designed by the mages to show them off. At some point you may begin to feel more like a prized pony than an honored guest, but there are rewards and gifts and good food to be had for all, so what's the harm in showing off a little?
The festival runs all week (June 14th-19th) and the list of events are as follows:
If your character has been imprisoned but you want them to attend the Festival, an honored guest may lobby for them to stay behind and help set up. It'll be work, but they can sneak off to have a bit of fun and it won't be as difficult as what's in store for the rest of them. If you wish to have your character stay behind, please post to the OOC plotting post. Because we know that claustrophobic tunnel horror isn't going to be everyone's cup of tea, there is no limit to the amount of prisoners who can stay behind.
Good news, prisoners! You get some time away from your cells in the beautiful snow-covered mountains of northern Thorne. A volunteer work opportunity has arisen, and you are all volunteers. If you do well enough at your assigned task, perhaps your prisoner status will be re-evaluated. Or perhaps your supervisor will take all the credit for themselves and throw you right back where you came from. Life's unfair sometimes! You'll at least be given a nice set of boots and heavier clothes to keep you warm.
Your task: to harvest as much crystal as you can from the burrow of a Giant Frostwurm. From June to September, the Frostwurm hibernates and is generally non-aggressive. Huge and territorial, Giant Frostwurms are only rarely encountered and are considered endangered by Thornean biologists. All known Frostwurm habitats are marked and harvested once every few years as the crystals that grow on its body are highly valuable for use in medicine and, erm, recreation although the latter is frowned upon by Thornean authorities. Don't worry, you don't have to touch the Frostwurm itself, it sheds every now and then and leaves a healthy supply of crystals in the tunnels of it burrow.
That's not to say it will be an easy task. There's a reason they're using "volunteer" prison labor, after all. The tunnels are deep and labyrinthine, and it's easy enough to get lost down there and wander in circles until you die of thirst or starvation. The crystals themselves also have a certain disorienting effect that turns hallucinogenic after prolonged exposure and, because of the Frostwurm's unique psychic properties, hallucinations can be shared between individuals. Like a contagion, spending time around someone who is hallucinating can cause it to 'catch'. These hallucinations may be pleasant or frightening, but the only cure is to get out of the tunnels and away from the crystals for a while.
Tunnel cave-ins are also a possibility, in which case you best start digging and hope you choose up. Getting too lost can result in an encounter with the Frostwurm, and while it needs to conserve energy and won't give chase, it'll bite or whip at you with its tail if you get too close. Both prisoners and supervisors are instructed not to kill the Frostwurm under any circumstances, even if it means sacrificing someone in their party. They're endangered, after all!
If your character has been welcomed to Thorne but you still wish to go on the Frostwurm excursion, they can volunteer to be a supervisor. There are currently 24 prisoners and they will be divided into groups of 3, so we will accept a maximum of 8 supervisors (potentially less depending on how many prisoners stay behind to help with the festival). Be aware that supervisors will be in danger as well, and they will be punished if they try to help the prisoners escape, but unlike the prisoners they will be paid for their efforts and seen as having initiative by the Thornean authorities. If you wish to be a supervisor, volunteer on our OOC plotting post.
The timeline for this part of the event is as follows:
Questions
Will there be any mod NPCing during this event?
The three visits with Lyle will be NPCed but other than that, no. Feel free to play random townies, guards, or black market sellers on your own!
Can I try to free the prisoners/can my imprisoned character break out?
Ambrose will be willing to hear cases for prisoner freedom after the event has concluded. You can try to smuggle the prisoners out of town during the festival or escape from the mountain, and prisoners can try to escape, but they will be caught and punished at this stage. Please post to the appropriate header below if you wish to have your character try!
Are the prisoners still powerless?
Yep! Don't worry, inmates, there'll be opportunities to be released for good behavior OR do a prison break soon. More details about the status of the prisoners will be released after this event.
Can my prisoner or supervisor character break away from their assigned group?
Yes, the tunnels are disorienting so individuals may wander off, especially if they are hallucinating. Feel free to interact with anyone and everyone.
What can the hallucinations entail?
Anything! They can think they're being chased, imagine a portal to a green oasis or even scenery from their own homeworld, and anything else you can come up with. They won't be real or tangible so nothing will remain of them once the affected characters are recovered (unless a special mod consequence is given...) but as stated above they can be shared between characters so everyone can see the same thing.
Can my character attend both the Summer Festival and the mission in the tunnels?
Alas, no. Both events will take the whole week, so it's one or the other!
This event takes place ICly from June 14th to June 19th.
The Summer Festival (Honored Guests)
It's June, and that means the annual Summer Festival in Castle Thorne. The newcomers are causing quite a buzz and, for the first time in ten years, a representative from the increasingly independent city of Nott has agreed to attend. The representative, Lyle Vela, has a lot of political sway in Nott and the impression he takes back with him will affect whether Nott begins to repair relations with the rest of Thorne or moves even further towards independence.
But that's not all there is to do here! The residents of the city surrounding Castle Thorne are intensely curious about the newcomers and several of the events at the Summer Festival have been designed by the mages to show them off. At some point you may begin to feel more like a prized pony than an honored guest, but there are rewards and gifts and good food to be had for all, so what's the harm in showing off a little?
The festival runs all week (June 14th-19th) and the list of events are as follows:
Sparring Contest: Honored guests will be asked to spar in front of an audience. Depending on the time of the week the fight takes place in, some guests may have some or most of their powers back, but the audience is here to see a show and just trampling your opponent in seconds won't do much for them. Try to add some spice to it: a good narrative and a close fight are much more enthralling. You may decide the winner of the fight between yourselves or ask the mods to roll for an outcome below. Prisoners who stay behind can sneak into this event but will not have their powers.At the end of the festival on June 19th, there will be a huge feast available with all manner of fancy food and some alcohol if you wish to get a little drunk. Beware, Thornean alcohol is strong! Prisoners who stayed behind to help out with the festival can easily slip in and take some food and drink for themselves.
Magic Demonstration: Show everyone what you can do and demonstrate a Thornean magic spell in front of an audience. This should be a simple beginner spell such as a smaller elemental magic spell, some minor healing, a small illusion, and so on. Feel free to decide what spell you'd like your character to perform and post to the header below so the mods can roll for your character's success when performing it in front of the audience! Regardless of success, your character can learn the chosen spell by the end of the event. Unfortunately, prisoners cannot access this event.
The Black Market: Castle Thorne is much less secure during open festivals than it is during the rest of the year, so it's no surprise that some shady characters have managed to sneak in. They're trading potions and magical items, and luckily enough for the penniless newcomers, they're interested in things other than money. They may ask for some blood, saliva, or the chance to perform a spell on the hapless newcomer. Prisoners are welcome in the black market. Please post to the header below to see what item your character gets from the event (and what spell they'll be subjected to if you choose that option).
Visit with the Representative: Near the end of the Festival, three honored guests will be chosen to have one-on-one audiences with Lyle Vela in the hopes of impressing him. Ambrose hasn't had the time to get to know each guest individually yet, so he's asked that they choose the three candidates among themselves. If you wish you have your character volunteer for this position, please make a case for their suitability under the header below! If your character is not running for this position, have them vote for another character. Prisoners who stay behind may vote as well.
If your character has been imprisoned but you want them to attend the Festival, an honored guest may lobby for them to stay behind and help set up. It'll be work, but they can sneak off to have a bit of fun and it won't be as difficult as what's in store for the rest of them. If you wish to have your character stay behind, please post to the OOC plotting post. Because we know that claustrophobic tunnel horror isn't going to be everyone's cup of tea, there is no limit to the amount of prisoners who can stay behind.
In the Tunnels (Prisoners)
Good news, prisoners! You get some time away from your cells in the beautiful snow-covered mountains of northern Thorne. A volunteer work opportunity has arisen, and you are all volunteers. If you do well enough at your assigned task, perhaps your prisoner status will be re-evaluated. Or perhaps your supervisor will take all the credit for themselves and throw you right back where you came from. Life's unfair sometimes! You'll at least be given a nice set of boots and heavier clothes to keep you warm.
Your task: to harvest as much crystal as you can from the burrow of a Giant Frostwurm. From June to September, the Frostwurm hibernates and is generally non-aggressive. Huge and territorial, Giant Frostwurms are only rarely encountered and are considered endangered by Thornean biologists. All known Frostwurm habitats are marked and harvested once every few years as the crystals that grow on its body are highly valuable for use in medicine and, erm, recreation although the latter is frowned upon by Thornean authorities. Don't worry, you don't have to touch the Frostwurm itself, it sheds every now and then and leaves a healthy supply of crystals in the tunnels of it burrow.
That's not to say it will be an easy task. There's a reason they're using "volunteer" prison labor, after all. The tunnels are deep and labyrinthine, and it's easy enough to get lost down there and wander in circles until you die of thirst or starvation. The crystals themselves also have a certain disorienting effect that turns hallucinogenic after prolonged exposure and, because of the Frostwurm's unique psychic properties, hallucinations can be shared between individuals. Like a contagion, spending time around someone who is hallucinating can cause it to 'catch'. These hallucinations may be pleasant or frightening, but the only cure is to get out of the tunnels and away from the crystals for a while.
Tunnel cave-ins are also a possibility, in which case you best start digging and hope you choose up. Getting too lost can result in an encounter with the Frostwurm, and while it needs to conserve energy and won't give chase, it'll bite or whip at you with its tail if you get too close. Both prisoners and supervisors are instructed not to kill the Frostwurm under any circumstances, even if it means sacrificing someone in their party. They're endangered, after all!
If your character has been welcomed to Thorne but you still wish to go on the Frostwurm excursion, they can volunteer to be a supervisor. There are currently 24 prisoners and they will be divided into groups of 3, so we will accept a maximum of 8 supervisors (potentially less depending on how many prisoners stay behind to help with the festival). Be aware that supervisors will be in danger as well, and they will be punished if they try to help the prisoners escape, but unlike the prisoners they will be paid for their efforts and seen as having initiative by the Thornean authorities. If you wish to be a supervisor, volunteer on our OOC plotting post.
The timeline for this part of the event is as follows:
June 14th: Prisoners will be led from their cells in chains to a Thornean fast-travel portal (a glowing circle of neon light) that will take them about a mile away from the Frostwurm's burrow. It's cold and the air is thin, so they'll be given the rest of the day to rest and acclimate before being sent inside.Please visit the accompanying OOC plotting post to choose your team of three, and a supervisor if your group has one (groups without PC supervisors will be sent off on their own with no NPC supervisor). This event is designed to have some element of risk to it (but no one will die, don't worry!) so while you can plan what happens to your characters out with your group if you like, we also encourage you to post an action or two to our IC Consequences header below and leave it up to chance. Who knows, something awesome might happen.
June 15th-18th: Down in the tunnels with you! Characters are sent into the tunnels and can experience any of the effects listed above. If your party makes it out after sunset they'll be permitted to sleep in a tent, if they're lost then they will sleep in the tunnels. On the 18th, anyone who comes out alive will not have to go back in and the supply of crystals will be counted.
June 19th: Today would be the day of the Summer Festival, if they were back at Castle Thorne, but their captors aren't completely merciless. The prisoners and supervisors will be marched back to the fast-travel portal, where a small feast has been set up for them. It isn't as glamorous as what's back in Thorne, but it's the best meal the prisoners have been served since they arrived. And, as a bonus, the guards might slip you some alcohol if you did a good job in collecting the crystals.
Will there be any mod NPCing during this event?
The three visits with Lyle will be NPCed but other than that, no. Feel free to play random townies, guards, or black market sellers on your own!
Can I try to free the prisoners/can my imprisoned character break out?
Ambrose will be willing to hear cases for prisoner freedom after the event has concluded. You can try to smuggle the prisoners out of town during the festival or escape from the mountain, and prisoners can try to escape, but they will be caught and punished at this stage. Please post to the appropriate header below if you wish to have your character try!
Are the prisoners still powerless?
Yep! Don't worry, inmates, there'll be opportunities to be released for good behavior OR do a prison break soon. More details about the status of the prisoners will be released after this event.
Can my prisoner or supervisor character break away from their assigned group?
Yes, the tunnels are disorienting so individuals may wander off, especially if they are hallucinating. Feel free to interact with anyone and everyone.
What can the hallucinations entail?
Anything! They can think they're being chased, imagine a portal to a green oasis or even scenery from their own homeworld, and anything else you can come up with. They won't be real or tangible so nothing will remain of them once the affected characters are recovered (unless a special mod consequence is given...) but as stated above they can be shared between characters so everyone can see the same thing.
Can my character attend both the Summer Festival and the mission in the tunnels?
Alas, no. Both events will take the whole week, so it's one or the other!
go to the OOC plotting post
no subject
Though he's not planning on losing a hand to a worm, if that's a thing. Doesn't know how advanced health care is here. (Probably not very; everything strikes him as some dark ages bullshit.) Doubts Thorne would bother fixing any of them up if they got hurt, either. Better to avoid that entirely, and that includes avoiding the worm.
Amos shrugs, dusts the snow off of a nearby rock, lowers himself down to it, too. If he's gonna be stuck here, there are probably worse people to talk to. Whatever distracted this guy aside, he seems alright. ]
Yeah, I'd prefer a gun. But I'm guessing they're not gonna start handing those out.
[ Because, you know. It'd be real easy to turn them on the guards real fast. If this world even has guns, which, he has his doubts there, too.
God, they probably have swords, don't they? Dark ages. ]
Shovel'll work in a pinch. Better than nothing, at least.
no subject
What matters is what exists on this one. He can guess, from what he's seen. Neither its magicks nor its technology are especially foreign to him. If not for the unmapped landscape, he could've believed he'd never stepped off the Continent. ]
Whatever that is, I doubt you'll find it here. [ There's a pause where Geralt sizes Amos up without much care for discretion; for a second, where the sun catches his eyes, they glint an unnatural yellow shine. Then his attention shifts away. ] Hope you learn your way around a blade quickly.
no subject
Dark ages shit. What is Amos even doing here; this isn't his scene at all. Not that he can't handle being thrust into a low-tech wilderness — kind of just came from one of those — but this is nothing like where he came from, how he's lived. He almost feels out of place; exposed, carrying this knowledge people here probably don't have.
Easier to watch Geralt size him up. He doesn't mind that, used to that sort of thing. He's got the physicality for it, at least. The kind of thing that can easily identify him as a threat. Catches that weird glint in his eyes, though, and blinks; are his own eyes playing tricks on him? Is the air too thin here after all, does that portal have weird side effects? He turns his head slightly to the side, looking at Geralt from a slightly different angle. Probably not important. ]
Yeah, probably gonna have to do that, huh. [ He's not quite resigned, but. Gonna miss guns. ] Any pointers? You know, for when they let us have real weapons.
[ His tone is dry, sarcastic. Because that's probably not a thing that's going to happen. ... If it does, though. He'll be pretty happy to take advantage of that. They've been imprisoned, forced to work for no reason; as far as Amos is concerned, murder is very much on the table. ]
no subject
Paid a steep price, to become what he'd never asked for. He's not sure how he feels about entire pieces of himself being stripped away with one simple enchantment. It edges a little too close to being unmade, even though he knows full well he's not been turned human again. The thought leaves a sour taste in his mouth. He pushes it away for the sake of not dwelling. No point.
Besides, if he's learned anything from Yennefer, it's that any spell can be broken. It's only a matter of what you're willing to pay. ]
Aside from the obvious? [ He glances over, stretching one leg forward. It's possible that the longer Amos looks at him, the more apparent it might become that his eyes are just a few shades too bright, too close to an animal yellow, to entirely pass as normal. ] Blunt end's surprisingly good at cracking a bone or two.
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If anyone was going to stop paying attention, bump into him, send them both to the ground, there are worse people. (What caused him to stop paying attention in the first place? Amos isn't going to ask outright. Just something for him to file away. Maybe figure out later.)
... For as much as he recognizes something familiar there, though. There's something distinctly different. He's just not sure what. Amos inclines his chin a fraction, eyes trained on Geralt; appraising, but also enjoying the answer. ]
Wouldn't have thought of that. Good to know. [ It is. You know, for when he's able to get a sword. Until then, well, fists and the like will have to do — which they've done in the past. A beat. ] You familiar with places like this? Not here. Obviously. But where you came from; was it like this.
[ Low tech, obviously. Or. You know. Kind of survivalist. Just trying to get a gauge. That's the thing to do here, right? Geralt gave him a lookover; it's Amos' turn. ]
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Hard to tell from inside a cell, but. You could say that. [ In truth, it's difficult for him to conceive of what a sphere that isn't like this would be like. Entirely filled with water? A desert landscape? Glowing elven trees? Fuck if he knows. And though it's not Geralt's tendency to elaborate, Amos has him curious: what world would have a weapon so predominant that a man like him simply has not bothered learning to wield a sword?
The implication is an almost unsettling one, actually, the longer it sits with him. ]
Magic here's more...present. [ He lifts a hand vaguely, as though that's not exactly the word he wants but a better one escapes. Either its people are more naturally inclined towards magic or Thorne has especially gathered all of the mages in one place. Neither are options he finds particularly comforting. ]
On the Continent, you might have at most a mage or a druid assigned to a court. Seems they have an entire sect here led Ambrose, if not more.
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Doesn't mean anything, though. Or at least, probably doesn't. Especially if magic is actually a thing where Geralt's from. Okay, so maybe not to this extent — maybe without the portals or army of magicians or whatever — but still. Still a thing. ]
Yeah. [ He says the word slowly, pauses, still eyeing Geralt, but with a bit more of an open expression. Just a conversation now. He's more interesting than any hypothetical off in the distance, anyway. ] Don't have magic at all where I'm from. Feeling kinda out of place here.
[ Not like there's anything wrong with admitting it. It'll probably be obvious sooner rather than later, and doesn't really put him at any extra disadvantage to make it known. Besides, he knows other shit. In case rocket science ever becomes relevant during his stay.
But. Because Geralt's clearly the expert between the two of them, so much as one can be an expert when you've been ripped away from your world, ] Think that's a bad thing? That it's more present.
[ Or something dangerous. Something they need to watch out for. Tomato, tomahto. Might as well pile on their problems, right? ]
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At least, he's fairly certain Amos is human. Normally he'd just sniff him out to be sure, but he can't at the moment. Too bad. ]
Mm. [ He sits back on his hands, taking a moment to think. Only another mage could say for certain how the magic feels here. The sheer audacity, though, of what's been done is impossible to ignore. ] Magic is just a tool. The larger it is, the less stable and the more costly. I've been around a long time. Never seen a summoning of this scale before.
[ Not even close. One, two, people. That would be startling enough. But amongst the prisoners alone, he counts what has to be a couple dozen. That's a lot of fucking power expended, in an extraordinarily short amount of time. ]
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That the magic they've seen here so far is apparently a lot, though — a lot to someone familiar with the concept — huh. Amos frowns, thinking it over. ]
Think they might be overloading their system? I don't know shit about magic, but I know mechanics. Engineering. Pushing past your limits usually isn't a good thing.
[ Wouldn't be surprised if it resulted in excess energy. There's a way to use that. There's also a way to have it literally blow up in your face. ]
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Guess we'll find out eventually. [ Maybe they really do just have that much power to expend. As familiar as this world is, it isn't actually his. And hell, his profession lies in hunting, not what mages get up to in their free time. Monsters are far simpler. Predictable, in a way people are not.
He eyes Amos for a second or two. ] Is that your trade? A mechanic.
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Isn't sure what to make of that. That's. Well, it's different. He settles further onto the rock he's chosen to sit on to avoid the snow, arms back slightly, palms flat on its surface. Might as well be comfortable for whatever this is. ]
Yup. [ Simple as that. And he gives Geralt another once over. ] What do you do? With a sword and all.
[ That's gotta be interesting. Archaic, maybe, but interesting. Not like he's even supposed to use guns in his line of work; if Geralt needs a weapon for his then... might be cool, actually. ]
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In return, he offers an answer where he might not have said much otherwise -- though no less stripped of excess detail. ]
Just a hunter. [ Which possibly says more than it seems; if Amos has even an inkling of hunting, it's that one doesn't bring a short-range weapon to hunt traditional game. ] I track it, kill it. Then someone pays me for it.
[ Sounds uncomplicated, laid out like that. Maybe that's why seeing the bard has been so jarring. His own survival is inherently simple. But every fucking time another soul steps into the equation, he finds himself walking paths he knows he'll regret one way or another. ]
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Good for killing things, at least. ]
Not a bad gig. [ He could do that, he's pretty sure. If he'd come from that sort of environment. Which, he didn't. Only ever had to kill people, and it's not like he tracked them down. Just did it. ] Guessing you don't get stiffed a lot, either. Can't imagine people want to try ripping off the guy with the sword.
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You'd be surprised. Men are bold when a village stands behind them.
[ Sometimes when they're alone, too; when they're desperate or just feeling spiteful. It doesn't matter: one more thing he's accepted is better to walk away from, because the alternative is leaving a swath of bodies that'll catch up to him sooner or later. He's done that before—it's not a place he wishes to revisit. In the end, it's still their world he has to live in, and he isn't a man who can walk through a town unnoticed.
Besides. He's not the only one trying to work. As few of them as there are these days, the other Witchers are still out there. No point in making their lives harder. ]
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Yeah? What do you do when that happens?
[ Trying to rip off someone like Geralt seems like trying to rip off someone like him, Amos figures. At least from what he knows about him so far, which admittedly isn't a lot — still not sure what's up with those eyes — but seems like enough, right now.
And he's genuinely curious as to what the answer might be. Getting ripped off doesn't happen in his line of work; before the Roci he'd always been under a bigger contract, anyway. Never really came up. If it did, then the solution was obvious: a dead body, one way or another. Which he's pretty sure shouldn't actually be the solution. So.
Professional curiosity, really. What's the better way to problem solve, if there even is one. ]
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In my experience, [ he begins slowly, ] there are two reasons someone will short your coin. Either they can ill afford to feed the rat in their pantry or they're shielded by their overflowing coffers. There's no blood to wring from a stone, and the only one likely to bleed is you if you pursue the latter. I prefer to move on.
[ Prefer is the key word. Sometimes the cards fall elsewhere. He's accepted that, too. Mostly, though, it isn't as if he has a use for wealth, for accumulating the sort of money people often seek. He won't say he doesn't do what he does for the pay -- he obviously does; he needs to eat, he needs to repair his gear, occasionally he even would like to sleep on a proper bed -- but beyond that, what's there? A fucking future? That isn't a concept that exists for him. His future extends only as far as he lives to see it.
Which, at the moment, is particularly up in the air. His goal is to leave this mountain in one piece. That's about all he has for now. ]
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... Though Amos had been kept on probation first time he'd tried that, so maybe Geralt has a point, much as he still can't quite follow it. Probably an indication that Geralt's a better person than he is. It's not surprising; most people are. So. Probably for the better to not argue the point, heed his words.
Still, there's that logical tic. ]
I get that, moving on. [ Kinda. More like he has people he knows and trusts who would do that, and he's happy to follow their lead. When they're actually around. Which they are not, because interdimensional kidnapping or whatever. ] Can't always be an option though, can it. Though I think I can hazard a guess as to what the solution there is.
[ Probably not the ideal one, by most people's standards. Probably not by Geralt's, either. But if they understand each other. And Amos thinks they just might. Then sometimes, you know, you just have to kill people. No getting around it.
Spares a glance at a guard. Not quite the same topic, but hard to see any of them getting out of this without anyone dying. Probably violently. You know, when there's no other option. ]
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For the moment, Geralt lets it go. He isn't certain he'd call it a solution. Not once has he walked away feeling as if he solved a damn thing. Most days, it just has to be enough that he walks away at all. ] We make our choices. Sometimes we get to live with them. I'm hardly one to defend mine.
[ Because yeah: he can see where the man's gaze is going. He can guess what's on his mind. Geralt knows the guards are only people. Probably have families they go home to. Likely, none of them have any real say in the shit the crown has a hand in. He also knows what he'll do, in spite of that, when it comes down to it. Not a decision he'll apologize for, either. He has people, priorities. Himself. It is what it is. In that, they do understand each other. ]
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Just not the kind of thing one explicitly brings up. Hey, can I use you as my proxy moral compass? isn't a question to ask, even if Amos knew how to put any of that into words to begin with, which he does not.
So Geralt's words hold a great deal of weight, as far as he's concerned. Does he have his priorities in order. His shit together, as much as one can in this situation. And, you know. Maybe. Or maybe not, because maybe some of this hits incredibly close to home. ]
Yeah. Think we might be in the same boat.
[ Whether that's a good or a bad thing, who knows. Potentially a reliable thing, though. For whenever they make it out of the caves. Probably back to their cells. Whatever comes after that.
At least the guy knows how to use a sword. Amos cocks his head, pauses for a second, then gives Geralt a good-natured clap on the shoulder, expression brightening a little. ]
Not the worst thing, place like this.
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And though he's usually damn good at reading people -- comes with the job -- he can't tell much from Amos past their brief conversation. So when the man claps his shoulder, it takes him almost by surprise, after they've been sizing each other up. The faintest bit of that sparks across his face before his expression settles.
Geralt nods in return; gives a hum that carries a shade of interest. Telling, how the others have been responding to being shoved around in chains. Not the worst thing says a lot. ]
Don't get lost down there tomorrow.
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Though he doesn't know how else he'd find someone. Right place, right time is the method he's most familiar with. Suss out the people who are around him, hope someone in that group is good, move on if they aren't. Somehow, that's yet to let him down.
He gives Geralt one last look before getting set to wander off wherever else there is in this camp, wherever else he was going to go before all of this. ] Same goes for you.