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?

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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.

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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

[righteously]

For one single second, it seems like everything's okay.

And then she shudders, and shudders again, and his hands drop to her biceps to hang on tight — ready to catch her if she drops, unfiltered concern plain as day on his face. He doesn't even hear the blade he'd been carrying hit the stone floor.

"Hey hey hey-" Followed immediately by a look shot at Geralt, not accusatory but rather confused, urgent. "What's wrong with her?"

Full through with the assumption that Geralt's been looking out for her, if something happened he'd know.

[nadine_he_loves]

"I honestly didn't see enough to say. It was like...they were moving, but there wasn't any thinking happening. They didn't seem too aware of what was going on or where they were or anything like that."

Nadine can only shrug. They'd been ushered out very quickly, so the problem could be dealt with. How, she doesn't know, but she probably doesn't want to. It's a problem for the heads to the academy, and she'll just enjoy the surprise days off.

"But it's probably something we should be on the lookout for. It's likely it's happening other places, too."

[tobeclosetohim]

It's cratering fast toward the end, and she can't think it through, but it's a white-knuckled burst that somehow, fucked as all get out, has a desperate will and relief to knowing how little left there is to get through. It's the hiccups of only a matter of seconds, most of a minute all together.

Pieces fading even (Dean jerks away. Her mother stays. They leave over her shoulder. Her mom's voice. And when it got too hard to lift her head, to open her eyes.) as the feeling was coming back to her. As Dean had shifted to grab her arm, and something about that movement shattered free the wired lock on her bones, and she threw that arm out, slapping up to hit his arm with her hand, to break that grasp no matter how well meant, at the same time using her other to shove herself back with a hand in the middle of his chest.

"Fuck." That's. "It's—" She can't. "Don't touch me." It's too sharp. Snapped hard. She nearly tripped on a corpse behind her in that quick retreat. Panic both stringent anger and the draining drop wrapped. Wrong person; no reason; it's this place, it's not Dean. (She's not dying here.) Like Geralt said. "I'm fine." Nothing is fine. "Just living it up through my fucking death again."

Jo can't apologize. Yet.
She's too busy finding a wall.

"New rule," comes as a hand finds the wall finally.
The brick rough and solid and cold. She leans against it.

"No one touches me again until we're out of this fucking place."

[gynvael]

A blade he'd have recognized on sight—except there's an abrupt absence where Ciri's memory sits. It happens quick, a flash. A shift in his eyes that perhaps Lucifer can see. Then there is only Lucifer before of him.

He isn't often one to strike first, either. Another day, this encounter would've ended with him walking away long ago. Letting Lucifer see rooms and places as he will; in a space that isn't even real, with a demon who knows nothing of him, what would it matter? What would the creature even comprehend?

But between a surge inside him that runs hot, nerves taut, and a sudden narrowing of the world to one singular prey (a thousand screams piercing the air)—

He moves on reflex, one hand moving to wrap around Lucifer's holding the knife and the other swinging his sword in an upward stroke.

[techmaturgy]

[He knows full well that this is not a good situation to be in. Viktor is a liability on most days--the fact that the Horizon is technically not real doesn't change the fact that this strange labyrinth seems endless, and full of obstacles he's not at all equipped to navigate. Whatever he usually does to mitigate his own illness here doesn't seem to be working (or, perhaps, he doesn't have the level of focus required to maintain it, in a situation like this), which means that Viktor is struggling to keep up, or at the very least, stay as close to Alucard as possible.

He is also not in the mood for any of this. It's probably not helping.]

Yes, I'm well known to carry knives on me at all times.

[That's actually not sounding like a bad idea. Maybe he should start.]

We're in the Horizon, can't you make something?

[gynvael]

As always, everything happens quick. And as ever, Geralt watches—not interfering in an already fraught situation when Dean's here to step in.

He picks himself off the ground. There's a look in return to Dean, one that says he has the answer but that it is not his place to give. Jo will either say or she won't; what he feels about her has no bearing on his basic desire to not involve himself where he's aware he isn't wanted.

They might have made tentative ground. But he has not forgotten what preceded between them before now.

(Though perhaps it says enough he appears not at all surprised when she mentions death.)

He steps over the fallen wolves. If Jo or Dean need a moment, he'll grant it to them, but eventually:

"We should keep moving. Where did you come from?"

[thedevilwhorose]

Good. He smiles, licks his lips. He has no need for lesser gods, but this gift they've granted him settles so nicely through him, the spike of radiance invigorating to his celestial nature.

The charm he exudes will do nothing to an unleashed wolf, but that isn't the point. This fight has no point, no lasting damage they could do to themselves.

However, Lucifer has nothing to lose and he thrives on seeing people unhinged.

He's had it happen enough himself lately; someone else should feel it, too. Sannleikr bleeds through his surroundings.

"Your type always think the blades are the part to focus on," Lucifer says, laughing, making no effort to free his hand. He doesn't need a knife to fight; prefers it, certainly, but it's nothing more than distraction, and he catches Geralt's own blade with his palm of his free hand, letting it slice deeply. Grips tight, bloodied fingers curling around.

He laughs more, using the peculiar hold they both have and swinging them around in a full circle, a parody of actually dancing. "Bit of a standstill, wouldn't you say?"

[satanicpanics]

[ Eddie is just naturally on edge. Everything about him exudes nervous energy, from the way his fingers tap against the cup in his hands, to the way he refuses to stop fidgeting.

He doesn’t think he was always this way. Circumstance just sort of made him this way, and he hasn’t really found his footing again since. When he first arrived, there was a brief moment where he felt truly safe and content, but the fear of the recent attacks in Thorne and the Free Cities ripped that away just as quickly. ]

Yeah, sorry, this is just—

[ He gives another nervous laugh. ]

This is just how I am now, which is kind of annoying? I mean, believe me, dude, I’m trying to get over it, but it’s just been one thing after another and—

[ He holds up a hand to stop himself, because he knows he will ramble given the opportunity. ]

Well, you know just as well as I do. I’m not gonna bore you with a rehash.

[satanicpanics]

Eddie is more than happy to keep close on Mat’s heels. He hasn’t been frightened of the dark since he was a kid, but this is much different. It’s the type of dark that light barely penetrates, and there are no stars or moonlight to brighten their way. Anything could be lurking, watching them fumble through the blackness, and they’d never even know.

“Alright,” he concludes. “That’s…not actually very helpful, but at least we know there’s a path, and a path has gotta lead somewhere.”

At least, that’s what Eddie thinks. Keeping close within the circle of dim light given off from Mat’s torch, he slides his hand along the cold wall.

“Hey,” he begins slowly, tilting his head upward. “You don’t think we could climb these, do you?”

He doesn’t know how tall the walls are or what’s above them, but he doesn’t know what’s below them either, so anything is worth a shot at this point.

[satanicpanics]

Yeah, no, Steve. We’re not gonna just put a pin in it, because this right here?

[ He gestures to the room, to the scary-looking medical tools, to the blood on the ground.]

This raises a whole lot more questions than anything outside, and that is saying a ridiculous amount.

[ He’s being hypocritical, and he knows it. He still has his own shit to deal with and he definitely hasn’t confronted it since arriving. His refusal to back down is a double edged sword, and he really doesn’t know why he’s pushing so hard for an answer when he could have just accepted it and gotten out of this freaky room already.

But Eddie has grown to respect Steve. He’s grown to respect Steve a lot more than he respects most people. He’d even argue that they’re truly friends by this point, but every time he learns something more about Steve, he’s more and more surprised that the guy manages to hold it together at all. This room just adds another layer.

He kind of regrets it the minute it comes out of his mouth, though. It seems cruel, so he offers an out; a white flag: ]

But, uh…that elevator’s a piece of shit, so if you don’t wanna discuss this here, you should probably lead the way someplace else.

[ But it doesn’t seem like enough, so he quickly and quietly tacks on: ]

Sorry.

[techmaturgy]

Entering the Horizon when the Singularity is subjecting them to more of its fluctuations is generally inadvisable--but it becomes fairly apparent that this is not the Singularity, for once. Viktor decides, perhaps inadvisably, that he's going to check on his domain. But whatever is causing all of this has greater power than he realizes, and soon he finds himself trapped.

He tries to find his way out, at least for a time, but the labyrinth quickly becomes disorienting and frustrating and he doesn't make it very far, given his own limitations. That's the most frustrating thing of all--whatever's happening here, it's interfering with his ability to negate his illness, and Viktor exhausts himself fairly quickly.

But, maybe that's fine. Maybe he doesn't have to do anything, because he's been trying very hard for a very long time, and now he's tired. He doesn't know how much time has passed--only that it feels nice, to sit down and rest. Viktor drifts, paying little attention to the shifting maze around him, at least until he hears a voice.

"Jayce--" Viktor doesn't quite perk up, and part of him wonders if he isn't hearing things, but it sounds like it's coming from the other side of the wall. "is that you?"

[funbreaker]

I'm older than I look.

[ Thancred winks at Geralt even as he's handed the torch, which he takes without hesitation. There's little telling what he'll do with it if they end up attacked by something in here, but...

Usually, the Horizon doesn't have such creations, not unless one of the Summoned chooses to make them. Yet Thancred can't shake the feeling that there could be an ambush around any corner of this infernal maze.

A lit room. It isn't much to go on, but Thancred would feel better exploring than simply sitting somewhere and waiting this out, so he takes off after Geralt without protest. ]

What would we be betting, exactly? [ He's fairly certain his pockets are filled with naught but dust. ] Regardless of what it is, I'll wager that there's going to be some manner of pitfall somewhere.

[thearchangel]

"It's - fine, really."

And, though embarrassing, it actually isn't that much of a problem. You know, aside from the fact she has no idea how she got here. Which is all kinds of concerning. "Has this ever happened before? To anyone?"

This Horizon stuff really is crap, as far as he's concerned.

"But uh. Welcome aboard?"

It can't hurt to at least welcome her in. Not like she heard him remembering a more personal call, after all.

[thearchangel]

"Ah, right, I remember. Nice to put a face to the name. And the..."

Steve's gesture is mimicked. Not a mocking sort of mimicry, but the kind to indicate agreement. Yeah, crazy brain network. This is the guy from 2023. More than a hundred years in the past. Still weird to think about, even if the gap isn't as large as some of the others he's met so far.

At least he didn't need an explanation of space travel, for example.

"I don't know how much this counts - " Since they're technically just in the Horizon and all. "But, if you're here, chances are you're way outside the Sol System. And definitely off Earth." There's a wry, amused little cant to his head, mandibles flicking in a lopsided version of a grin. "Don't have a galaxy map down here, but it's a fair guess."

May as well make this amusing while he has an unexpected guest.

[thearchangel]

Some of the words in the snow probably can't be translated, but are curses nevertheless. Her help is appreciated, so hopefully, Diana can at least tell he's not swearing at her - but at the whole damned situation. His head finally pops out of the drift, jaw dropped, and mandibles fluttering wildly against it. Turian version of teeth chattering.

"What - what in the - hell - just happened?"

He's not injured, he's sure of that. Toes, fingers, they still twitch when he tells them to. Even though there's snow between his plates, in his mouth and soaking the clothes he'd been wearing. He has fallen into hell. Literal hell.

"Diana -?"

[thearchangel]

"Better yet, you point out yours so I can buy two."

If one of them is going to boast about winning, so can the other. It's not actually a bad idea, though, all things considered. Hell if he knows what's good to drink here. Besides water, obviously. That conversation can happen later, though. Banter is one thing, thinking about your relaxation order in the middle of a mission is another.

A far more dangerous one.

Kneecap - head - quick succession. Only as long as it takes to reload between the two shots. Disable, kill. Disable, kill. Normally, he'd just go for the headshots, quick and clean, but with these things? If their nervous systems, their brains, weren't actually functional, disabling them was almost just as good. At least, squirming on the ground, they were easier to dispatch at closer range. They'd pose less danger to people, this way.

[carmesi]

[the memories crash into her like they were her own—a pulse of darkness, of torment. the dread she feels as her eyes take on the perspective of a young boy left at the bottom of the well, desperate and trying to cling to any amount of hope. emotion floods her, her fingers digging into the stone of the well's edge, the cries for help louder and louder, echoes ricocheting off the circular walls, the uncertainty of whether it would reach the top at all. they would all project back this certainty that he would die there.

and the mockery of it all, of someone older, pushing at her back, feeling that hatred, that overwhelming sense of maliciousness, and wanda gets the impression— that it comes from someone close, or meant to be close. there is familiarity in this feeling, of something brotherly, but completely the opposite of what wanda knows and understands, with pietro.

she tries to push herself away from the gravitational pull of the memories that drag her toward the bottom of the well. it's a strong hold it has on her, this feeling of giving up, a constant end result to endeavors that take everything away from her; so she tries to focus instead on what—despite being a memory—is still full of love, full of happiness (memories of her family, of her brother, of vision—), finally pulling back from the well, as if it were a magnet ensnaring her metallic limbs.

wanda heaves as she catches her breath, stumbling on her feet but bracing herself, arms crossed tightly as if trying to remove the severe cold she felt from sharing in those memories—trying to remove the feelings of being abandoned and forgotten still heavy on the forefront of her mind. she turns her head to the source of where it all stems from, because this is external; this doesn't come from her.

it's someone she recognizes.]

Sylvain?

[bealufull]

His gaze tracks the crow, a brow arching as he it lands on his shoulder. He doesn't move though, not sure if it's somehow her in another form or some sort of alarm system. A smart idea in a place where people could stay in their rooms and invade your mind. He may well have to think about implementing something of the sort at the Crow Club.

He turns suddenly at the sound of her voice, realizing it didn't just look like a Suli caravan but was. At least he hadn't strayed too far, and it made sense what had drawn him here.

He hesitates, knowing he isn't meant to be here. There was a time when apologies were nothing Kaz knew but he had given Inej several since coming to this place. Today he suspected there might be another.

"It wasn't where I was trying to go," he admits, staying standing as he blatantly looks around. He at least has the decency to keep his hands to himself, though he looks to her as he removes his gloves, folding them neatly and tucking them into his pocket. He may not need to make that show but he wanted her to know that he is trying with her, to give her all and not just part of him.

"Are you okay? Those things..." His expression darkens, hating how much it makes his skin crawl, how cold he feels thinking about it.

[philancer]

[ It takes him a moment, to shake off the cold dread of old ghosts and memories, to remember that he's here, now, and that this well doesn't belong here. None of this can actually touch him anymore. His movement had stuttered to a halt as his mind gets caught up in old horrors that feel all too real and present. But he forcefully shakes his head just in time to see her stumble and then he's moving again.

Hands that tremble just a hint reach out and clasp her arms, guiding her back away from the edge of the well as he gives it a dark look, wondering why it's appeared here and now. The Horizon has been acting strange for days now. This is something new, too.

And here he'd thought the moments of the Monastery catching fire were traumatizing enough... ]

Are you okay? Careful, that... that shouldn't even be here. But it's not exactly safe, either.

[ He has no idea that she saw or sensed anything, other than having lost her balance while peering down into the depths of an old stone well. Which makes him feel a little silly for acting so panicked to see her leaning over it as she had been. But he'll take embarrassment over watching anyone topple into those depths. ]

[philancer]

[ He nurses his drink through that explanation, his expression unusually grim and pinched.

He doesn't know what's worse - having to remember that like yesterday, or dread that it might somehow be his tomorrow. ]

Is it terrible that I keep thinking that the silver lining to this place is that I didn't have to step out onto that field yet? Or at all? I'm hardly a stranger to the battlefield at this point but... there was nothing I wanted more than to not even get out of my bedroll that morning. [ It was hard, feeling so conflicted about returning home. What would he even find there? ] Finding a familiar face on the opposite side of the battlefield... it's been my greatest fear ever since the war started. It's almost enough to make me regret having made so many friends in the other Houses.

[ The very idea of having to face off against Caspar, Dorothea, Bernadetta... Even Raphael and Hilda. It cut almost as deeply as considering having to come face to face with Annette or Dedue or Mercy. It made him want to not pick up his lance at all.

Which, of course, just incites that nagging sense of guilt and regret that's been haunting him so thickly these past few days. The whispers that taunt endlessly at the edges of his consciousness. He visibly winces, rubbing fingers against his temples to ease up the sharp ache he hasn't been quite able to get rid of ever since that strange dream that seemed to have triggered all this in his head.

He's somewhat made that connection, because he knows he can normally ignore things like this far easier than how he's struggling at present, which is enough to make him suspicious. But it's not like knowing what's happening is doing anything to make it happen less. ]

[philancer]

Not in the least.

[ His tone is dry as he tosses back that retort, hands steady on his lance as he turns to face whatever's emerging next. ]

Unfortunately, I don't think they care. Rude of them. Don't they know I need my beauty sleep?

[ Which is ironic in its own way, because sleep has been scarce this week as it is, with the strange nightmares he's been having.

Not that the dead are giving him much time to dwell on that, when several can be seen clawing their way out of the earth around them. ]

Maybe we should talk to someone in town about making sure future corpses are buried in much more secure coffins...

[gynvael]

His other hand releases, grasping the lower end of the sword's blade for a firmer hold before he jerks it back—and if there's one thing about Geralt, it's that his blade is never not finely sharpened; it'll slice through any grip to free itself.

Not exactly a standstill.

The wolf has a mind of its own. Geralt no longer recognizes it as his because he holds no memory of the bard who once created it, then gave it to him. He doesn't think twice to let it distract as it will. What attachment he had to the animal has vanished. In return, it's entirely wild, no hint of any domestication. When the wolf leaps, it's not to protect him so much as it simply hungers—drawn to the blood dripping from Lucifer's hand.

Geralt puts distance between them as it jumps, waiting for what might come his way before he moves again: an opening, an attack, both.

[philancer]

[ Look, he doesn't understand the Horizon or how it works. It's magic, therefore it's weird and that means anything's probably possible. He's not going to risk underestimating how many ways it could possibly screw with them. ]

Unfortunately not. I haven't even taken a step yet, so I came from exactly here. [ He points down to where he's standing. ] But since you came from that direction, should we try going this way to see what we find?

[bealufull]

He draws the cane back to him with a slow dragging over the table and the money that lays there. He doesn't care whose it is as some flutters to the floor. The tip of the cane hits with the floor with a hard thunk.

Kaz's pale eyes stare a hole into Jesper, not saying a word as he takes in the way he looks, the obvious state he's in. Familiar and disappointing at the same time. He had been so proud of him when he'd arrived, learning he had fought and clawed his way out of this, and now here they were again.

He turns on heel, hating the pain that lances through his leg and up through his hip and back, heading for the door when he hears his name. Spinning so fast that the pain turns his stomach he closes the distance between them until the tips of his shoes are overlapping the very edge of Jesper's shoes.

"Don't. You. Dare." Each word is bitten off, a low and dark sound, even more of a growl than his voice usually is. "We're going back to the boarding house where Inej is waiting for us." But his words make it clear. Not us. You.

[itookashot]

[ Jesper is an excellent liar, he's just not good at it right now. He's too sick at the moment. Not sick in the way physically most people get, but sick in the way you can't stop doing something you know is bad for you. Inej once told him there are a lot of ways of being sick, when he argued that not using his Grisha powers didn't make him sickly and thin. It hit him in a different way, but it was the same problem. Now he's used his powers but it didn't fix him. It's painful to know that.

Or it will be, when he stops being so deliriously caught in the grasp of something bitter than him.

Jesper hears the coins like they were next to his head. He shivers both from that and the desire that comes from it (just one hand, just one hand), but also from the heavy handling by Sylvain. He focuses on the man, on the soft lines of his face, his brown eyes, the tousled red hair. ]

I need it. [ He whispers, he can feel it under his skin. ] Please, Sylvain.