EVENT #10: AFFLICTION - IC POST

[abraxasmods]

Event #10 - Affliction

go to the OOC event info & plotting post

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With tensions heavy across Abraxas and all the destruction that's happened, it's no surprise that the dark shadows which sweep over the land go unnoticed...at first.

Winds initially stir in Solvunn, where the influence of the Old Gods remains the strongest. Slowly each Herald infects Thorne and the Free Cities, as well. The Summoned are the first to feel its effects and are the most heavily impacted.

Though no one will realize it until well afterwards, Nocwich remains unaffected. After all, the Summoned don't reside there.

NOTE: This event will deal with themes of death (people and animal) and horror imagery.

Emergence

It begins sometime in mid-October, around the 18th. Not everyone will experience it at the same time. You might even believe you're spared until days afterwards when you're visited by an unusually vivid dream.

The dream starts the same for everyone: you are going somewhere, anywhere, walking to your bedroom or enjoying a stroll on the beach. You might be driving down a familiar neighborhood. Wherever you're headed, you eventually come upon a stone tablet engraved with your Arcana. Laid on the tablet are three objects:

◎ A dead moth trapped inside a wilted rose, symbolizing Koth of Festering Lands
◎ A teacup inside which sits a single nightshade berry, symbolizing Adlewyrd of Poisoned Tongues
◎ An ornate cracked hand mirror that contains no reflection, symbolizing Sannleikr of Many Faces

Make a choice. Something inside your soul will be drawn towards one of the objects. Maybe you spend hours in the dream deliberating, but sooner or later, you'll pick one of the items up. The moment you do, the other objects vanish and the chosen Herald appears before you. Where one might expect a god to seek subservience, the strange figure instead extends a friendly hand towards you - as though it's greeting you as an equal.

Whispered around you, you hear its name. Then it fades and with it the dream. You awaken.

Affliction

You go about your day as usual. That's when you realize something isn't right. Creatures and people around you behave strangely. You begin to sense that you are the cause.

Depending on your chosen Herald, you'll experience at least one of its afflictions. The effects might start small, then grow. They might rush you all at once. You can't shake what haunts you, though you can try. Spells, potions, and willpower can help keep the afflictions at bay but you won't ever be completely free.

As the afflictions seep into your mind, you start to find shadows of it following you: a dead moth here, a nightshade bloom there, a cracked mirror elsewhere. You may even wonder if it's following you in the first place. What if instead, you are the one leaving these signs behind?

Corruption

The first time you inflict your ability on someone else, you don't mean to. It might be a stranger, some unsuspecting soul, or it might be another Summoned. Regardless, the afflictions that ail you seem to spread through you into another. Someone falls down as if in the throes of an invisible death or secrets spill. You brush by someone and they're suddenly upset and confused.

The more this happens, intentionally or not, the better you feel. You may grow full of life and energy, gain a renewed strength of heart, or radiate a charm that turns heads and garners compliments. The afflictions haunting you could even start to fade or completely vanish. And if you use your newfound power deliberately? You'll feel better even faster for longer. Of course, these boons are temporary, lasting at most an hour or so. When the feeling wanes, you might miss having it.

You are not possessed. You can't control this power that spreads through you, but how you respond or behave is up to you. You could be attracted to the allure of power, enjoy the boons you are granted, or realize you can gain relief from your afflictions if you choose a victim. Not everyone will fall headfirst into the pull. Some are not easily swayed by power, some struggle to overcome their dark impulses, and others would rather endure their suffering than inflict it on someone else. But others still might succumb to temptation and turn on those around them with purpose: once, twice, multiple times. The choice you make is yours alone.

Blight

With the call of the Herald at your fingertips, the world around you twists. No one knows whether this stems from you and your newly imbued afflictions, or if the Heralds are exerting power on their own. It's for sure easier to think of what occurs as the influence of something monstrous beyond your control. No matter the cause, the earth is changed all the same.

Omens

The omens arrive shortly after the initial Summoned receive their dreams, but they don't come to every faction at once. SOLVUNN is first, being home to the Old Gods' shrines, before THORNE and the FREE CITIES follow only days afterwards. Depending on where you are, the omens will affect things a bit differently.

Solvunn

In Solvunn, the ground stirs. A desiccated hand breaks through the grass, a cloven hoof. Human or animal, they crawl forth, animated against their will. Some might attack, but most do not. At the same time, crops around the settlements begin to fail. Some chickens lay rotten eggs while cows produce spoiled milk. Any livestock that perishes overnight will surface in the mornings with empty eye sockets - pecked out by crows or gnawed on by rats. From a distance, the ocean can be seen bubbling as leviathans beneath thrash.

Worth noting is that many of the dead are concentrated around the shrines, especially the ones deep in the woods. They're too decayed to recognize, and some might not even move from the site, as though they are waiting for the earth to take them again...or as though they once chose to give up their life at this very spot.

Summoned can assist by helping to cast spells or place warding charms around shrines, farms, and gardens to protect crops and livestock. As a commune, the Solvunnites will share their resources as much as possible and would appreciate those who might lend a hand bringing supplies, herbs, and offerings to neighbors who are lacking. The Summoned can also brew a common herbal remedy to aid any animals who have fallen ill or to help purify the well water.

Free Cities

In Libertas, the dead buried under the rubble dig themselves out. More crawl forth from graves in Cadens' cemeteries. Beasts and bandits slain in the desert wilds rise, hungry or searching for the ones who killed them. At the same time, dead fish wash up onto the shores of Aquila while birds fall dead from their perch, dropping like flies from an unknown illness. Vultures and other scavengers begin to prey upon the eyes of the dead, leaving behind hollowed-out corpses.

Worth noting is that in the Badlands, a few very old and skeletal corpses rise with a metal plate or two screwed onto their bones, which are also oddly elongated. Only one or two make their way near the city. The army is quick to dispose of them before many can notice. They will not disclose any information about this and will claim these are just monsters like anything else.

Summoned can assist by going on patrol with the soldiers to put down any risen dead. Merchant caravans are also hiring escorts for their journeys. Additionally, they can help look through any received supplies and packages to make sure the food isn't rotting or worse, use a special dissolving compound to purify the waters, and donate staple food items to refugees and the less fortunate who can't afford the rising prices.

Thorne

In Thorne, the dead emerge only from the outskirts of the castle city. Thanks to information from one of their Summoned and their recent monitoring of the Singularity, Thorne was able to act swiftly and was able to ward any royal or otherwise significant burial sites. Graves and tombs of less importance, though, will not be protected in the same way. There are fewer encounters with eyeless corpses, though some animals might appear outside the castle in such a state. Normally extravagant dishes from the Castle's kitchens use simpler ingredients as they struggle to ration their food stores.

Worth noting is that a few unexpected corpses make their way up from deep under the castle in places beyond the dungeons. These are twisted and mangled, missing limbs, heads, fingers. The castle guards are quick to dispose of them before they get too far into the rest of the castle, but one or two may be spotted.

Summoned can assist by contributing to the wards around Castle Thorne and the city, using spells to put down the dead without mangling the corpse, and taking inventory of food stores. Further, in Nott the situation is more dire for anyone who is traveling there to continue assisting with repairs following the attack. Nott will welcome help with any problems caused by the omens. It'll be clear the kingdom has neglected the city somewhat. Thorne will claim the Castle takes priority, of course, due to King and Queen residing there along with the entire royal court.

Apprehensions

Across the factions, locals are beginning to catch on that something isn't right with you, the Summoned. No one will say it outright, but there's an air of caution and wariness around you where you go. Merchants might be quick to hand you your wares so you'll leave or locals give you a bit of space when they walk by. Chatty innkeepers are more reluctant to hold lengthy conversations.

Much of the time, it may not be conscious. The natives might simply sense something off that instinctually makes them want to put some distance between them and you. The only exception? If you've chosen Sannleikr of Many Faces, you'll continue to exude your charm towards people you encounter. At least for as long as you continue to inflict that ability you've been gifted.

Displacement

Everyone responds differently while in the Horizon. You might exert better willpower over your afflictions or you might feel its effects more strongly. It all depends on the individual and their mindset. Regardless, the Heralds are only one part of the equation. There's a much bigger disturbance going on.

It could happen as soon as you enter or it might be as you're stepping over the threshold into another's domain. Whatever the case, you are suddenly not where you're supposed to be. Instead, you're in one of two places depending: transported into a domain you never meant to go into or in a foreign setting altogether.

Visitation

Whether you're the one transported or someone teleports unexpectedly into your space, the Horizon becomes unpredictable for the next little while. Rooms normally locked to strangers, areas you yourself may not even realize exists - you and your fellow Summoned continue to pop in and out despite your intentions.

The effect isn't painful, just disorienting, like missing a step you didn't see or stumbling through a door into a too-bright room. The person whose domain you've inadvertently visited might sense an unwanted presence, whether they're inside the Horizon or not, or they may be completely oblivious. This will depend on the strength of their connection to the Singularity and the Horizon.

Not to worry. You won't be trapped or anything in these cases...unless the domain you land in happens to seal from the inside. You might stumble on secrets you weren't meant to find, though, locked away in someone else's mind.

Ensnared

The less fortunate will be pulled into a space that they've never encountered before. The bizarreness of it resembles the glitchy visions that flashed through a few months ago, but rather than an image flickering by, you are now inside the space itself.

Trapped between minutes to hours, you can't use the Horizon's creation magic as normal. Attempts will falter or go sideways: trying to fly out might cause you to tumble, tools and objects are broken or not quite right, wounds don't vanish or heal completely, etc. More significantly, you can't seem to send or receive messages through your connection. Anything that manages to come through will be garbled and distorted. It's as though the place you are in is just out of the reach of your control.

Luckily, you may not be alone. Someone else may have gotten lost alongside you. They might already be there when you stumble through or they might arrive after you do. They might even fade out sooner than you, unintentionally leaving you behind.

Eventually, you'll be released back into the Horizon proper, spat out in a random place in the Horizon. While you're stuck, though, you can try to survive, explore, sit and wait it out, or make friends with your fellow trapped partner. Each area has its challenges and quirks that you'll need to deal with.

Scenes to Explore

JUSTICE ◎
FULL IMAGE

High in the clouds, these snowy peaks are as cold as they look. Giant marble hands reach out, though their sheer scale means you might not recognize them as hands from up close. You can scale the mountain, but if you try to go down, the hands will flip the mountain, which sends you tumbling to the top again.

It's up to you whether you can be injured when you fall. Maybe the snow will feel like marshmallows, or you'll break a bone on the jagged rocks. No two experiences are the same. If you have a partner, they could end up faring better than you despite being in the same place.

Conjure some warm clothes or a log cabin even if you wish - they might not manifest perfectly, but it'll be better than nothing. At least the view's fairly nice...while the sun is up. A blizzard will come through by nightfall. With it arrives a strange hovering light that entices you or your friend to follow it into the frozen darkness. What draws you out depends on you. It could be a familiar voice, an image, or a simple compulsion. If you're lucky, the person with you is unaffected and can try to stop you. Or maybe you're the one desperately chasing after the other person?

---

THE CHARIOT ◎
FULL IMAGE

From a distance, it's hard to tell if they're shipping containers or houses stacked atop each other. A gooey mess covers the ground below. Oddly, the smell isn't as unpleasant as the goo looks. It smells like bubblegum or cotton candy, artificial and sweet. When you first fall in, you might land inside one of the homes, on top of the stacked structure, or the ground. You can try to reach anyone else who's there with you, but be careful: the ooze is spreading. Climb if you must or move from room to room. If you don't keep moving, you risk getting sucked into its sticky mass.

Each block of a home is different. Some are furnished, whereas others are empty or filled with strange knickknacks. Some might even have subconscious creations spawned by you. Keep ahead of the gloopy substance, and you'll be fine, probably. Or you can try to fight it back or block its path by sealing yourself in a room or otherwise, which can slow it down significantly. Mostly, you'll have to hope you fade out before the pink mass completely consumes the landscape.

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THE WORLD ◎
FULL IMAGE

The hazy neon glow obscures a nothingness that seems to extend forever. In the middle of the wet ground are several stacked television sets with wires plugged into nothing. Inexplicably, there's also a cat. At first, it appears perfectly normal, but keen observers will notice that its behavior is on a loop where it will walk a certain path, pause at specific intervals to lick its paws, and meow at set points. It does not acknowledge any of its intruders. You can break its loop by picking it up, at which point it'll go limp as a ragdoll. As soon as you set it down, it'll resume its actions as before.

While you can see the same images as someone else on the screens, it's also possible you'll each see something different despite being in the room together. What you see is up to you. It could be an old fuzzy movie, home videos of your childhood, trivia questions you have to answer correctly, or even a memory or vision you wouldn't want to share. Words or faces taunting you could appear between staticky flickers, or maybe your very thoughts are projected onto the screens for anyone with you to read.

Break the televisions if you want, but given a few short minutes, they'll reform between one blink and the next. Looks like you'll have to keep watching until you're released.

---

THE FOOL ◎
FULL IMAGE

Sprawling and massive, you're unlikely to recognize at first that you're trapped in a labyrinth. Stone walls rise around you, and your surroundings are pitchblack. Manifest a torch or a flashlight if you can, though these will be prone to going out at inopportune times. Escaping over the walls will only send you into another section in the maze.

As you navigate the twisting corridors, you'll encounter any variety of trials and troubles: gaps in the ground, spiked traps, haunting whispers, monsters, decaying corpses. Some of these might've formed from your mind, others might've spawned from anyone else who's trapped with you.

If you aren't alone, do your best to locate your fellow Summoned. Voices do carry and echo over the walls, and there could be landmarks that help you find each other. Finding the exit, however, is another matter. Walk and climb all you want. A way out is impossible until the Horizon chooses to set you free.

Players can pick any scenario that interests them from the four choices above. Unlike the visions from before, characters can accidentally be trapped in as many of the scenes as you want, as many times as you want. Another option is that they can stay trapped in only one scene while a variety of characters fade in and out to join them, or some combination of the two. Choose what works best for your plans.

Each scene will once again carry an associated Arcana etched somewhere inside it, which can change from person to person or instance to instance. It might be on a wall, a table, or on the ground. Characters with a stronger connection to the Horizon are likely to be trapped for longer but the extent of this is your choice and it won't ever exceed a few hours. It's also your choice whether the afflictions continue to haunt them or not. If you want characters to deal with both problems while stuck together, you're welcome to!

Generally speaking, there are no restrictions other than that they won't be able to communicate with anyone outside the area, they can't escape it until the Horizon chooses to release them, and their creation magic will go wrong just enough that it'll make things tricky.

Comments

[aquilus]

[None of this is actually funny, but Altaïr cracks a smile. Gallows humor, perhaps? Except he has no intention of dying today.]

Indeed. Perhaps we could ask politely for them to come to us and dispatch them that way. Much more efficient.

[If they were more predictable and less dangerous, that might not actually be a bad idea. But he has no idea how to lure them in without endangering more people.]

[shadowthief]

He seems caught off-guard, whether by her question or the voice is hard to say. "Are you being haunted, too?" she asks, frowning slightly.

"The Horizon won't let you?" she suggests. Seems as likely as anything, after all, with everything that's going on lately.

She shakes her head, "Don't listen to it." that's the mantra she's been repeating in her head over and over since Heleen had first appeared in the wake of that strange dream. She calculates the risk and decides it's worth it- no offense to the boy, but Wilhelm doesn't strike her as dangerous- and grabs his hand, tangling her fingers between the space of his own.

"It isn't real," she says, leaning toward him to mutter it close to his ear. "but I am." maybe he can focus on that instead of the whispers.

[gynvael]

[ No answer greets that offer. Which is perhaps answer enough. He settles his horse and navigates the blizzard with surprising ease, though he's careful to stay within sight of his new. Guest. Apparently.

He just doesn't want the man to get lashed to a fence by the leshy. Or mauled by his wolf. So. Going inside feels safest rather than sending him out into the snow back down the mountain.

Inside is behind two heavy wooden doors. Not a hell of a lot more cheerful, but at least it's warmer by a few degrees. The fires are lit, and the floors are clear of any bloodstains for once. Tree's still cracked, though, but. Not much he can do about that. It's not yet fallen into halves. He'll take it. ]

It'll let up soon. [ Eventually. He hands a mug of ale over, unprompted, with the expectation that the man is to take it. Perched on the ancient branches of the tree, medallions glinting in the firelight, a black and white owl shuffles left and right. There's an odd shape to it: rounder than a typical owl. ] Try not to wander far. This place is, mm...unpredictable.

[ Is he pleased about people dropping into his domain unannounced? Hardly. But he's well aware it's no one's fault. Just the nature of whatever the fuck's been happening. If the man needs to wait out the storm here, he can. ]

1 • Exterior!

[soothsighs]

( Still, the Horizon refuses to let him go. Urianger has been wandering for what feels like days — though in truth, the passage of time has been far from a primary concern — in a strange back and forth between his own realm and those of his fellow Summoned. Some instances have been uneventful, leaving him to the perils of his own mind, but others?

Well.

Others have made themselves a problem. This time, however, Urianger finds himself alone in the snow-blased lands of what appears to be a large keep. There is nothing immediately concerning about the place — no blatant peril looming on the horizon — and so Urianger wraps his cloak around himself a little tighter against the cold as he begins to head towards shelter.

His first mistake, really, was in not recognising the vines.

It happens more quickly than he'd been prepared for — or perhaps it's simply a symptom of having not been prepared at all. The vines he'd thought to be natural shift just a little in his periphery, before snaking in close and coiling tight around one unfortunately bare ankle. His sandals provide little protection from either the cold or the thing, which roots him in place almost curiously as the crack and snap of bark herlads its arrival. )

By the Twelve ...

( Is all he manages as the creature surges forwards from the knot of trees, its faceless head focusing him down with the weight of an unseen gaze as further tendrils lash out to bind Urianger tight.

Whatever kind of Morbol this is, Urianger has never seen its like before! )

[gynvael]

[ Twitchy is not an inaccurate descriptor. Geralt says nothing of it, but he does lead the man towards where the fires are warmer and the walls freer of grasping vines. He makes a vague noise that acknowledges the incomplete jest. Mm. It was fairly tidy once. Still worn and falling apart in places, but this is...more than that. ]

Geralt. [ He does not offer a hand. Instead, there's a mug of something strong and a hint spiced pushed towards Eddie. If he's to have unexpected company in these walls, then they're drinking. ] You can leave when the storm dies. It's not safe out there.

[ In a manner of speaking. There are certain people he would not hesitate to send out to find their way through a blizzard that isn't technically real and sort themselves out. He can take one look at Eddie and know that the boy is not one such individual.

A stretch of silence passes: not awkward, just steady, his eyes on Eddie like he's trying to read something there. After a second, he reaches forward, just over Eddie's shoulder to light the candles behind him—and maybe it's here that Geralt brushes against him just a hint, without quite meaning to. A single blackened rose petal flutters between the plates of bread. ]

Where were you intending to go?

[gynvael]

Wonton destruction of property? [ He sounds amused. ] I'll consider it.

[ There are undoubtedly some commemorative military structures someplace. Which, all jesting aside, he is not touching. He's enough troubles on his hands without inviting attention for smashing shit to pieces.

He looks ahead towards the horizon. Flat, empty, dusty. He misses the damn trees. ]

As many days as I decide. [ He doesn't actually pack for amount of days precisely. He knows how long it takes to go from one vital water source to the next, which is all that matters. The rest is a case of living out of his saddlebags as he's always done. Whether he's out here for a night or for a month, his pack is often exactly the same: some rations, water, his bedroll, and a small assortment of weapons and gear. ] Cistern would be useful. How far along?

moogle reunion plz

[aquaveiled]

[ It's been quite some time since she properly visited Jaskier's domain, but to say that something is amiss would be an understatement. A man so filled with warmth and welcome to all would never allow this realm to fall into such disarray, to despair. She can feel her own heart hang heavy the further she goes in. It's wrong.

It's much too like the affliction that's taken the hills and fields of Solvunn. The blight they try to treat in person, could the same thing be done her? It isn't her realm to influence, yet...it is her job, isn't it? To heal.

--Or it will be once she's properly questioned. Despite the circumstances, there's immediate relief when she sees a familiar pom. ]

Moglad!

[ Mayhaps she's taking in the surroundings too much, but her scales do seem to have a strangely wood-like texture for once. Beyond that, she looks much the same as she always has. ]

Mayhaps I came to see you.

[aquaveiled]

[ Worried? Maybe a little, but only for the both of them. Himeka offers a somewhat tired smile. ]

If only because I have no idea where this is or how to get out, so I doubt I can be of much help.

[ Hopefully he wasn't hoping for a guide. ]

Assuming this isn't your domain?

[catholica]

It's not.

( matt's breathing hard but he's otherwise no worse for wear. these things, while nasty, haven't been able to get any real advantage over him which is good.

he shakes his hands out and listens to the carnage around him, head tilted down to make sure that no one's approaching. )

These were, uh, only in movies where I came from. Movies and the active imaginations of younger people. They — this shouldn't be happening.

[cryptsleeper]

[One day it'll be a true statement.]

High ground it is. This way.

[Alucard is ready to high tail it to the east end and get moving, but there seems to be a politeness required here. The very most that Sylvain gets, because there's the sound of moving earth coming from the direction they intend to head, is a serious head not.]

Alucard. There's two more digging themselves up.

[He moves with sure footing over the grounds, aware of where bones and piles of earth lay and avoiding them all. The dhampir's eyes move right just as the wall comes into view and--

--yep, that's a skeletal hand clawing it's way out of the grave.]

Your experiment is coming up on the right.

[cryptsleeper]

[Alucard nods in agreement, saying no more. He steps towards the greenery, considering the width of the corridor.

it's wide enough for three people to walk shoulder to shoulder, which suits him fine. It gives the dhampir enough room too maneuver if the need comes to it. Alucard has not been shy about using his sword through the maze so far, and his hand rests on the hilt.

The obvious thing doesn't happen as he transgresses into the greenspace. No vines come out, swatting and whipping to ensnare. There is only the sudden lush smell of a garden far away, full of herbs and light florals.

Concerning.]

I don't like this.

[cryptsleeper]

Hmm. You won't. Not your style. [He huffs, unhappy.] More or less did it to the graveyard to keep the dead in place. I did not appreciate having to use vampire hunter tactics to manage.

[Geralt only does property destruction when there's no other choice, Alucard has long since figured out that particular detail. Geralt would make a fine hermit if circumstance allowed him to. It probably never will. Much like the Belmont.]

Experimenting to see how much rain this place even gets, and how well it can hold water. We can check the volume when we're there.

[familysucks]

It's good to see that his presence still puts his junior on edge. It soothes his ego, but also it means Castiel is that much less likely to have something planned. He'd been calm when he'd lured him into that circle of holy oil.

Michael gives him a glare. Those words are undoubtedly a dig at his convictions, that his so-called destiny had never come to pass, but he doesn't want to get into it. He hasn't felt compelled to argue for the Apocalypse since the moment he realized the entire plan was a lie.

"And death never did seem to have a very firm grip on you," he says. "Is this your domain?"

It's certainly not his, so Michael can only assume the Horizon has misplaced him within his brother's. Weird choice in decor for a personal space, but Castiel's always been a little off.

[familysucks]

Michael appears with the sound of feathered wings beating the air, as he always does, but the sight that greets him is not what he'd expected. Instead of the greenery of his own domain, he's facing a metal tree. The sound is wrong, too, that background chattering of indirect prayer suddenly loud in his mind.

This is not where he meant to be.

It's just about becoming a pattern at this point, that Michael follows a certain path and finds himself somewhere other than where he intended. It's not usually so abrupt, or so literal.

He looks down as he turns around, finding a girl obviously mid-prayer at his feet. This must be the one responsible for those unintelligible prayers, or at least one of them.

"So you're the devout one."

[godshattering]

[ In this round of asking someone who's suddenly appeared like they were meant to be here all along, Claude's in the middle of looking up from his book while speaking. He expects, as one does, for that glance to end in eye contact with whoever it is and then lead to a proper greeting besides the obvious, you probably aren't supposed to be here, right?

But that script skips quite a few lines - or all of them, really - when instead of meeting someone's gaze he appears to be looking at their knee. Or something close to it since what he thinks are clothes shroud them, and he pauses with his finger between the pages to mark where he was while closing his book to continue looking up. Quite far. The expression on his face doesn't waver from even puzzled curiosity when he spots the mask. It is... concerning, only because it almost reminds him of something Agarthan.

The speech doesn't.

That gets a raised eyebrow as Claude attempts (he thinks) to parse through what's said to him first. But it resembles nothing he's heard before and therefore rules out his vague fear of another piece of the past coming to haunt him, and it doesn't sound like any of the machinery he's come across. The eyebrow's swapped for furrowing both brows slightly, unsure of where to go from here. But then focus and no harm come through clear as a bell; both are reassuring. ]

If it helps, I would've guessed you meant no harm simply because you... almost certainly have to be one of the Summoned, yes?

[ All of that is a hypothesis for what was actually said. Claude's still unclear on that, figures it's worth making an assumption if conversation was offered. The Horizon has been acting strangely as of late, yes, but surely it hasn't started to create beings all on its own. (Hopefully.) ]

Though I'm afraid I haven't met you before, if so.

[gynvael]

I had spare time.

[ Mm. He shifts his weight. Is it? At this point, he isn't certain what insisting that everything's all right would do. It's been laid open for everyone walking by to examine.

He sighs. ] Could be worse.

[ That's an honest answer, technically. He steps forward. This isn't the first time Himeka's arrived unannounced—and she's welcome in Kaer Morhen any time—but it is the first time she's appeared without her ever-present crystal. He glances over her shoulder through the thickening white as if he might be able to spot it hidden in the blizzard.

After a second, he looks back at her. ]

Come in. If you're staying. [ They shouldn't linger outside too long. ]

[gynvael]

[ He isn't looking, but some part of him can sense the tension leeching from Dean. And he isn't sure what that means, or what it really says, but he knows it's important. Knows he'll remember it. Think back on it some time later.

It's more than a simple yes. Dean will find in the days, weeks, months to come, he'll be here making himself at home, seeking refuge from his own place spiralling out his grasp as it occasionally does—whatever the case may be. Geralt accepts these types of invitations rarely, but when he does it is not a matter of courtesy. He means it. ]

Before you subject me to that horror, [ Geralt picks up the scissors with a pointed look at Dean—good effort, but no; Dean will never see him with his hair shorn for as long as he lives—and tucks it into the top drawer, ] show me the rest.

[ There must be more to it than some leather-bound tomes and bedrooms. He knows what being a hunter is in Dean's sphere solely through description, perhaps the bits and pieces in the Roadhouse. But he's never quite seen it all condensed within a singular building. Consider him intrigued. ]

[godshattering]

It's hardly intruding if we've had tea here before, is it? I'm not sure I'd call it that.

[ Well - it kind of is this time, what with Claude's magicking the exterior doors out of existence to prevent anyone from walking in. Just teleporting in as Wilhelm and others have done: there's no real way around that, and so he's not going to dwell on. Just as he is, most assuredly, not going to give any hint or air of the other trespassing. Not when he likes Wilhelm, and he'd prefer to keep it that way.

So. Claude's about to offer the teen a smile and something else genial but then he catches those small tells thanks to years of storing up ways to read people to anticipate their next move. Unfortunately, with what he's learned as of late, those reactions aren't likely to be towards anything positive that Wilhelm's dealing with. ]

Are you hearing things or seeing them? [ It's blunt, more so than the last time he'd lobbed questions the teen's way. Though Claude's not planning to pry (for once), there's no point in letting politeness wave this on by. ] For me it's been seeing faces I never thought I would again. Can't say I'm a fan of the Singularity's work on this one.

[ Odd how he felt compelled to share that, he thinks afterwards, considering though offering support's in his nature - something Wilhelm semi-found out before - revealing that wasn't in his plans. But the concern about sharing is there and gone in a minute, like it never happened at all, like it won't lead to more questions or answers. ]

[familysucks]

The diner is empty of staff and patrons, as it always is, save for the one who willed it into existence in the first place. There's work to be done in Solvunn, but Michael's had all he can take of shoving the dead back under and warding pagan shrines for one day. Maybe if the locals weren't worshiping false gods in the first place, they wouldn't have this problem.

His domain is not the reprieve it once was, the Horizon proving almost as unstable as the rest of Abraxas, but it's still a break from seeing familiar faces and ashen wing-prints out of the corner of his eye. Right up until his little brother stumbles through the doors, that is.

"Lucifer?"

The first words are simple surprise. The dead are not supposed to rise, dead archangels even less so, but apparently Abraxas is making exceptions this week. Michael is quick to stand from the booth where he'd been seated, covering his shock with a familiar disapproving look. Lucifer is not a mere phantom. He is all ragged grace, but very much real.

Michael's expression darkens.

"I'm getting used to seeing the dead returned to life, but they usually do a better job of it."

[gynvael]

Apprehension lies not in if she'll be able to slip through. It's in what may spring forth unbidden. He's no desire to end this little excursion with a pike through her skull because of some twisted labyrinth designed to fuck with them.

She clears the spear tips—scraped and bleeding, but alive. Standing. Best they can ask for given the circumstances. He doesn't ask if she's all right, though there's a sweep of his gaze over her, he practiced look of someone who's learned to identify injuries from a distance.

Then he turns. Barbed trap behind, what lies ahead is...

More darkness and tight corridors. He wipes the blood off his palms on the leather of his trousers. Genuinely wishes for his sword in hand but unwilling to risk what may happen if he tries to summon forth a blade in this state.

Besides. There's something they both must be thinking. They've just not said it out loud.

"This place doesn't give a shit which direction we choose."

And yet, he continues to walk. It's drawn on his emotions, his memories, once already. If they stop and his thoughts overtake him, he's not certain the outcome would be any better.

[ushiri]

[ The question receives a raised eyebrow, with a touch of anxiety creeping into his expression. ]

I was about to ask you the same thing.

[ About this place. The room itself empty and unfurnished, decorated only with the gooey footprints of Kahlil and his new companion. The dog watches Geralt, tongue still lolling out of its mouth. Kahlil looks from her to the other man, brow furrowing as there seems to be something protective about his demeanor when he stands next to her. ]

She's with me.

[ There's another awful squelch from beneath the floorboards, and the dog barks, tail tucked between its legs. ]

It swallows us whole if we stays here.

[thedevilwhorose]

There's a lot Lucifer does not manage to process at once, jumbled and crossed over through his mind. Notably, what sticks out strangely through the screeching and screaming: he's going to have to tell Wanda he made a mistake.

Though his statement to her likely still holds accuracy. Regardless the version of Michael, she should be worried about him with the same level of Lucifer.

But then all his chaotic thoughts fall away to silence at the mention of dead returning to life. Right. The omens. As much as he wants the power of the Singularity he's getting real tired of it screwing with him like this. First his Father, now Michael? Both all wrapped up with the curse of his Cage?

"Oh, shove it," he drawls, his exhaustion with all of this feeding into what Michael's already seeing from him. His voice twists into a sneer, and he's drawn-up with tension. "I am done with these games."

But the diner--the diner is what keeps tripping him up. What keeps his mind trying to process fact from fiction and falling back into the latter because that's what is always, always has been.

[ushiri]

[ He shakes his head to both of her questions, not willing to approach yet - she's not hostile this time, but he remains slightly cautious. One hand remains touching the tree as he follows her gaze up to the glass dome and the night black sky beyond it. ]

Nothing like this, ever.

[ It's usually more peaceful, quiet. His brow creases again. ]

Yours hasn't been affected?

[ He's only been to Julie's domain so far and that was... different. ]

[shadowthief]

She knows how the Horizon works, and that it’s been… a little off-kilter of late, but the timing of her prayer and the man appearing is almost too perfect. A gasp escapes her when he addresses her and her head snaps up. She makes a religious symbol across her body and mutters softly, "Sankt'ya..."

She’d heard the wings, but she could see no evidence of them. Her first, childish thought, is of the People of the Air, but she quickly dispels it was a shake of her head. “Yes, I— I am Inej Ghafa,” she says in way of introduction. “You are… Divine?” Because how could he have heard her prayers otherwise. So many people of Divinity here, it makes her head spin a bit.

[ushiri]

[ Well, at least now he can be sure it's definitely not Fikiri. Energy crackles above them and he can feel the electricity cause the hairs on the back of his neck and arms to raise.

He throws Jack to the ground a few feet away and blinks out of space again, appearing bodily on top of him so that they are face to face this time when he pins him to the floor. With a flash of regret he slaps him across the face. ]

Jack, wake up!