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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
Maybe it's a blessing that it's Alucard here with him and not someone else. At least he knows the man has a steady head on his shoulders. Won't ask a dozen questions after, either.
Aware that the images are coming from his mind and not Alucard's (those eyes, he knows what they are), he lets his companion take the lead. It bothers him, that he can't trust his sense of direction at the moment -- but he's right not to: as he turns the first corner, the tunnel drops off sharply towards a depth that can't be possible.
He stops on instinct, abrupt. His head cocks to the side as he catches Alucard's gaze, as if to ask if Alucard sees the same or if he can still tell there's a path forward. Somewhere. ]
no subject
Alucard keeps moving forward. Blood though, blood still hangs heavy in his nose, and he resents that these hallucinations are impacting every sense. Blood and something meaty in the air. Rotting. Exposed to the sun for too many days.
Geralt stops once the corner is turned, and Alucard nearly doesn't. Then he understands why.
An abyss.
Then an honest consideration of what that might mean.]
Wurm tunnel, hallucination, or death trap?
no subject
Geralt looks down at the yawning abyss. A howl screams back at them, one that cuts through the bone. He knows what Jaskier would ask if he were here. Can't he imagine something nice? A rainbow over the vineyards of Toussaint? Apparently, he can't. (Wonder why.)
There's only one way to resolve the problem. Geralt picks up a loose rock behind them and flicks it, as one might skip a stone. The rock plummets -- but the sound it makes suggests otherwise, skittering and bouncing across the ground until it finally stops. It's solid. In theory. ]
Come on. Before something bursts out of it.
no subject
Happily.
[He won't ask what is likely to burst. So far as he can determine, these visions come from Geralt's head, not his own, and that's absolutely a good thing. Dealing with someone else's demons is far nicer than Alucard's own--
--oh fuck.
He sniffs at the air. Fire.]
no subject
Geralt slows, looking askance at Alucard. He smells it, too, which makes next to no sense. In some ways, even less so than the blood. There are no torches here, only these floating glowing orbs, and the heavy snow outside makes fire unlikely.
He's beginning to question the logic of going ahead. The further they walk, the more he's concerned they'll run themselves in a circle without even realizing. He touches the walls. Cold stone, nothing more. Before he can weigh his decision, though, he hears the crackle of fire closing in, and as he draws his hand away from the walls, they squelch. The entire cave seems to breathe, sticky and wet.
He hates feeling like he's losing his damn mind. ]
no subject
But no. The sound of crackling flames goes higher, and the smell of something burning, burning burnt fills the air.
Instinct has him cover his nose, struggling to get through the worst of it. Alucard's sure that ahead there must be a stake, the kind of thing you burn witches on, and he's only slightly relieved when he sees that instead of a single stake with his mother's remains, there is only a sea of burning, impaled bodies.
One of his father's plans that never quite happened. For the better, but no less terrifying to behold.]
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And in the midst of it, a figure stumbles out: distinctly female, her features nebulous, hair ash-blond one minute and darkened flowing waves the next.
Not a memory, not exactly. Like the grotesque, misshapen wolf, time has turned many of his darker memories into malformed nightmares that shift and change every night. But this is especially different, especially foreign. A lost dream, a recurring fear -- or a wish that links them which even this far from home has kept its hold.
Despite knowing better, her name falls unbidden from his lips: Yennefer?
Then he snaps his mouth shut, taking Alucard's arm. They don't need to get separated on top of everything else, and this place is fucking impossible to navigate with bodies and fire that shouldn't be here in the way. If Alucard's subconscious is beginning to spiral out of control, too, they have even less time to waste. ]
Keep moving.
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A hallucination should not be this effective, but that thought is neither here nor there. But it is a thought useful for one thing: steering. He's too caught up in the realization of how vivid this thing is to realize someone's latched onto his arm, as in just about any other circumstance he'd lash out in response.
His feet move. The air grows thicker in smoke, a burning forest of the dead. Flames grow out of each stake in the ground, the wood and bodies now gone. Sky threatening to go dark.
Please let this be the end, he thinks vaguely.]
Trying.
[Managing a single word is not impressive and he knows it. But the clouds are now the color of black ink.]
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Like the blood, the blistering heat. The fact that he cannot shake Yennefer's image, nor those bloated bodies that recall too much of the carnage on the steps of Kaer Morhen. The crystals embedded in the walls are teeth that bite into his palm as he feels his way down the tunnel, not trusting himself to move by sight alone.
He curses under his breath. When they reach another turn, he takes it, hoping it's the right way. His sense of direction is rarely so off kilter, but right now it's entirely fucked. ]
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He sees the forged Night Creatures now, lurking around every burning stalk. Knows them, he's killed enough. He wills himself forward, trying to ignore the glaring sky above. The low chant of my home, defiled; my wife, murdered; my son responsible for casting a greater darkness into the world echoing in Alucard's head. (There is no chance that Geralt won't hear it, even if he might hope.)
For a fleeting moment, the dhampir looks up. In that same moment, the cloud descends, no longer a cloud but a skeleton with decayed flesh clinging to it. With outstretched hands, the same that reached for Alucard in their last moments, the noise being made some horrible screech of the damned. There's only the intensity of the heat, the overwhelming noise, the everything of this and from what?
Rocks?]
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Some other time, the hallucinogenic properties of the creature and its crystals would be of interest to him. At the moment, he can't give one shit. The sky is oppressive, the voices pulse with the beat of his heart. Distinguishing between what's his and what's Alucard's is impossible: there are only flames and creatures that scream and a whisper of things he'd rather not hear.
He finds just enough space in the chaos to reach for Alucard, to try and jerk him into the next hallway, a narrow passage that he thinks he glimpses is free of crystals -- too narrow for the wurm to have crawled through and deposited them. Maybe. Probably.
Suppose they'll find out. ]
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He lands face first on the ground instead, and a bump like that could actually be a good thing, all things considered.]
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Fuck. It's fine. He dislodges Alucard's elbow from his ribs, shaking off the smoke and smell of burning human fat that clings to him.
He looks upwards. There's a ceiling. A plain one, made of rocks and not corpses that drip blood. Even so, he feels a whisper in the back of his head, and when he turns to look again, a spidery form flickers in and out.
He looks away, turning his attention to Alucard. ] You're okay?
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There's a soft groan that follows as Alucard forces himself upright again. He's pretty sure Geralt's moved out of the way enough from that, but spatial awareness is not at the top of returning senses list.
He shakes his head, trying to dislodge the worst of the images.]
Fine. [Alucard presses his hands to his forehead, careful.] I don't think I'm bleeding.
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Still. He'll take it. Now that the mirages have faded (somewhat), the sharp burn on his thigh has returned. In some ways, it's welcome -- a firm reminder of reality.
He stands up once Alucard confirms he's fine. The problem is orienting himself. He can count back how many turns they took and which direction, estimate they're on track, but the whole ordeal leaves him far more uncertain of where they are than he'd like.
He strains to hear voices, footsteps. Normal ones, that is, that would tell him they're not far from the others. ] Should be nearing the surface.
[ Should being the operative word. ]
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Should. That doesn't fill Alucard with confidence. He moves one hand up over the cave wall, hoping for some kind of marking.]
Can you see any directional indicators out there?
[Please tell him someone in their sober mine carved a THIS WAY OUT arrow.]
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Folks have passed by here.
[ A number of them. It means they're close to the other groups. Geralt gestures for Alucard to come along. As much as he wants a rest, he'd rather move on while his head's still clear.
Already, he can see a flicker of shadows. Compared to the flames and bodies, it's almost easy to miss. But it's there: a flash of red hair that sweeps away and vanishes, a small child with brown curls running after her. ]
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[It takes effort, standing right now. Alucard's half tempted to just sleep in this alcove for the night, just to avoid any further visions. But there's the risk of freezing, and so he must get up.
The sheer effort that moving demands of him right now means that what Geralt sees, Alucard misses entirely. His brain is not a subtle place. Geralt's seems to come with some finesse.]
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They move. There's no other choice. He tracks the prints, the forks in the tunnels, noting the areas that have been largely mined away. It's a good sign. Even if the woman stays, hovering at every turn like a half-formed wraith.
He'd almost prefer the fucking corpses. He says nothing about it either way—though the curl of his fingers suggests he's not as unbothered as he's trying to be. (Of course he sees her again; why wouldn't he? At least this time she's not trying to convince him she was justified following Destiny's footsteps, to leave him on a Witcher's doorstep.) ]
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His eyes remain ahead. His ears ache for not having their usual long distance abilities, although perhaps with hallucinations, it is better that his heightened senses be muted for now.
Every so often, he thinks he smells something. Someone's natural scent, although precisely what it is leaves the dhampir searching. His gaze moves to Geralt, the man's fine, this is--
--there's something afoot. The way Geralt's hand keeps moving isn't right.]
Onward, or back to where we were?
[There's still a possibility that this could pass.]
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Yeah. He's not bringing it up. It's possible Alucard's shaken himself out of it and Geralt won't drag him back in by asking if he happened to have spotted a woman with red hair wandering ahead with a little boy calling out for her.
He hesitates. If the crystals are still fucking with him, he needs Alucard to at least have some indication of where they're going. ]
Go left ahead. There's a jut of rock. [ As vague as it sounds, Geralt has clearly marked the point in his mind. ] Skip the first fork. Two turns right. Try not to imagine anymore roasting corpses along the way, we'll be fine.
[ Just ignore him and his occasional glances down darkened tunnels that linger for too long. Don't even worry about it. ]
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He's fine with the silence. Alucard's footsteps are somehow still light in all of this, and he can shift left as the jut of rock comes into view. A good landmark, and a good moment to sneak a look back at Geralt to ensure that the man's level head is enduring.
Alucard catches one of the lingering looks.]
What was that about the fork?
[The question is meant to ground them both.]
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He turns to Alucard. His attention shifts to the side, then back. A pause, before he backtracks their conversation and pieces together what Alucard is asking. ]
Go past it. Take a right. [ He clears his throat. Right. They're walking. He realizes they've passed the jutting rock, that he's been following Alucard more than leading the way.
Fuck. He just wants to get out of this shithole tunnel. ]
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[He moves right. He knows he has to look back to ensure he's being followed this time, and while Alucard doesn't want to have to drag the other man along, it might happen anyway.
Silence with Trevor was welcome. Easy, a break. With Sypha unusual, Speakers were rarely quiet. With Geralt it has been pleasant up until this point, and that makes his stomach lurch more than it did in his own visions of fire and corpses.
He hears the same word, repeating again and again. This is far too personal. They need to get out.
His eyes cast to the ground. The path is more worn now.]
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He sits with these visions often: during restless nights, when he's exhausted, or sometimes when his thoughts wander further than he intends. But it's never happened with an audience, with a stranger. They're parts of himself not even Jaskier or Yennefer have been granted. Unlike the bodies and pools of blood, Geralt can't walk by it and pretend it little more than a twisted horror that means nothing.
Even when he hears voices—proper voices, from the guards and prisoners that linger near the more open caverns—he can't bring himself to relax. Doesn't look over his shoulder, either. He just follows steadily alongside Alucard, who he at least can confirm is real. ]
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