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

[techmaturgy]

It occurs to Viktor that without a visual, he could be hearing things. This place could be playing tricks on him, an effort to drag him deeper into the illusion--but for what purpose? There's a great deal about this that makes little sense. Perhaps the simplest solution is also the correct one, and Jayce really is here, on the other side of the wall.

"I'm unhurt." Which is not necessarily okay, but it's a start. He shifts against the wall, turning slightly with the hope that his voice will carry better. Some part of him knows he should actually get up--try and find the path that leads one row over, but he can't quite will his body to do so.

"Do you see another way around? I'm not certain I can get to you."

[princessvegas]

[ An ocean. The dead. Her heart sinks. There's nothing like that anywhere in sight. She's already tried to walk away from the blob, and she doesn't really get anywhere -- certainly not far enough for there to be an ocean or bodies, or anything that isn't just the dirt and the blob.

The sky is otherwise empty. The clouds don't even move.

As always, when she's most lost, Julie resorts to dry, dark humor. Clings to the last shreds of her sanity with it. ]

I bet at least the dead don't make an earthquake every few minutes.

[ Another bottle of vodka appears in her hand. She takes a drink. ]

[godshattering]

That is better, and the quick grin he flashes over his shoulder in Garrus' direction hopefully confirms as much. Though he's confident in his own abilities Claude also isn't interested in being a distraction when they have enough of them present in the dead shuffling towards them.

Better to continue nocking one arrow after another; better to keep the dead mostly organized in the sense of not letting them wander away. A couple who seem to have the idea of wandering off also get taken down to the ground in no time at all, and Claude wheels around when there's a disturbance of air far too close to him.

He hadn't noticed stepping forward while taking his shots but it seems he was the target of a missed blow, on the fortunate side of fate for the owner of the decomposing arm to have the best aim. Just a matter of darting away to relatively safer ground to add this one to his count, and a good chance to check in with Garrus as the crowd grows smaller and smaller. "You doing alright over there still?"

[harmonian]

Sasarai is about to walk away when Ronan speaks.

The boy seems worn out, which is in itself distressing, but it is hard to glean why from the words alone.

"Ah, I see," Sasarai replies, the intended humor only apparent in a slight bell-like ring to his tone. It could be easy to miss.

"Well, that explains everything."

[godshattering]

[ Wanda's right: illusions can serve many purposes. Some could be comforting, some can be varying levels of harmful like being trapped on a mountain they can't leave or of seeing death. Or seeing faces of those who fell in the war as if he needed a reminder, like he doesn't think of them all anyway without it being like they're standing in front of him.

But disease - at that Claude frowns. He'll get back to that in a second. ]

Kind of. I was walking back down, and-- [ He stops because he knows exactly how what's about to come out of his mouth sounds. But if there's anyone he trusts to believe him, it's Wanda. ] The mountain, it, um. Seemed like it turned all the way over and then dumped me on some rocks. I don't think it seriously injured me, but it hurts enough to feel real.

[ Claude lifts one arm enough to roll his shoulder with a grimace timed with the twinge of pain it brings about in his shoulder, his side, other places he'd forgotten he could ache. He'll keep his layers on for now since seeing if the bruising's real isn't something he's very keen on. ]

I'll be fine, I've survived much worse. And, wait. You said disease is spreading in Solvunn? You don't have the dead getting up and walking around?

[ A sentence he never thought would come out of his mouth where he would mean that instead of inventing a ghost story to terrify a friend, but. What else can it be called? He'd been by the graveyard and had seen them rise out of the ground, and there's a rumor the same is happening in Libertas. Claude can't begin to imagine what it looks like there and truthfully, he doesn't want to. This is one situation he's absolutely fine not putting his imagination to use on. ]

Or... do you have both, and the disease part just hasn't made it to us yet?

[catholica]

( he's never had an episode like this, something so vivid and real that he thinks it's happening to him. he thinks he's dying, that his heart is in vise and being squeeze and it's all he can do to not crumple completely down onto the ground.

blood oozes over his hands, stains the dirt, and he wipes it against his pants like that's going to solve the problem that he has.

dimly, he does hear the sound of the person he'd been fighting with but he doesn't remember his name. had he even gotten a name?

what does it matter if he's going to die in front of him anyway? )

[bealufull]

Things might be strange in this mental place of old familiar places and new shiny things he doesn't recognize but already he's catching on that those things, those walking corpses, they aren't here.

It's a relief and a new fear, wondering if they came from their minds and could invade this space as well.

"I'm with you, Inej. You made a demand once and I will do my best to give you what you asked for." Even if it's all in their heads, technically.

"And what is everything? Do we even have a clue what it all means?" He knows she doesn't. If she did, he would have been told. It doesn't stop him from vocalizing the things he's thinking about though.

That question though gets a sharp look, eyes narrowing before he gives a nod. "I only remember it because it isn't things I usually dream about. Moths and flowers aren't something to fear, or that I've ever dreamt of before." It's a worry though, because dreams are of the mind and so is this place. "You think those had something to do with what's going on? With the... corpses?"

He arches a brow at the mention of the saint but he doesn't say anything. Even if he looks away at that, biting back a sharp retort. "I'm the furthest from fine that I've been in nearly a decade. If you had asked me to describe my worst nightmare it would be what is going on out there. Enough that if I thought your saints were here, I would ask you add my petitions to your own."

He isn't denying her saints, though they both know how he feels about it, but he isn't sure they move with the person and not the land. If they were real.

[gynvael]

[ Ah. There's a certain detachment from Geralt about the idea. Objectively, he can sympathize. But such symbolism doesn't exist in a Witcher's world. You take care of what needs to be taken care of, however you can. Then you move on. It isn't personal.

He can gather the topic is not one to draw out, though. He leaves it be in favour of discussing the cistern. ]

And the blender? Have you gotten one from Viktor?

[ He's not been out here since, so. He's a little behind on the news and upgrades to Alucard's crypt. ]

[gynvael]

A brief moment, where he might've felt something when the wolf goes sprawling: a pitiful yelp as blood splashes across the stairs, the walls. It's gone quick. The foremost thought on his mind is, he can gauge how Lucifer moves. That little flit. It's faster than even his eyes can track, but it reminds him of how wraiths flicker in and out.

He'd be more at home out in the vast snowy grounds. Tight corridors are a hindrance for any sword, no matter how skilled he is. This is where they are, though. He can work with it.

His feet slide against his will. He goes with it, using the momentum behind the force already dragging him to slam hard into Lucifer—maybe to pin him against the wall if he can. Earns a hole in his side for that, piercing just under his ribs. He expects the cold pain, leans into it, and in return his sword slips between them at the same time.

Lucifer might be toying. Geralt has no inclination to do the same. When he moves next, it's to slice that throat open: no words, no hesitation, not even a real acknowledgement that Lucifer's been talking at him. But for how fast a Witcher can be, he's still more mortal than he isn't.

[gynvael]

[ At the edge is where Geralt stands, peering over it into the nothingness of the cold sky below. The blue tumbles downward into an unending abyss. Same as before. He's wearing a thin cloak, but the cold otherwise seems not to bother him.

He's turning even before she calls out to him—attention caught by the sound of heavy crunching on the snow: an odd metallic clunk belonging to a raptor-like monster that has him nearly drawing his sword until he sees the woman atop it. He stares at the...creature, then back at her.

That's new. ]

Wish it were. [ Then he would not be trapped here. Again. He shoulders his sword once more, tucked in its leather case. Last time, it shattered so he isn't certain how long it'll last, but. He'd rather have it than nothing at all. ] You came with a friend.

[godshattering]

[ Claude understands that sentiment more than he ever wanted to since finding out it was a possibility - let alone their reality.

It's a comfort to have anyone familiar, anyone he knows here after being here alone, and it's something he's grateful for since that's been more of a comfort than he could've bargained for. But it's also a bitter comfort because they haven't lived what he has to share it, and now they don't even know which version of it is right. If 'right' is even a description, let alone the best or accurate one when they all have quite clear memories of the war in differing ways. It's been months and he's no closer to making sense of that than he was from the first time Sylvain called Teach 'she' and mentioned taking up a base in Garreg Mach. Even as someone intent on keeping secrets any which way he can, it doesn't get any easier.

So Claude watches as Sylvain grimaces, assuming it's from the topic as he thinks of several jokes he could make to forget they ever even talked about this while they bury themselves in drinks like nothing's wrong. Gods know it's something he's used plenty himself. But he was the one who asked, and slamming that door shut after nudging it open is hardly fair. ]

I get it. [ Quietly, all cheer forced or actual far from present in those words. ] And more than anything, I wish that neither of us had to understand anything about that. No one should ever have to, and we shouldn't have to worry about it happening again here.

[ There's little to no comfort he can offer from being on the other side any more than being on the brink of it; knowing the end result doesn't make it easier to bear. Claude shifts his gaze back to his drink. The liquid within is at a standstill so he can watch as his reflection warps into something mocking. Something that drags up more that he should say, and for a long moment he sits and weighs whether he trusts Sylvain enough to voice it. In the end, he finds he does. ]

I had a dream the other night. One not about Gronder, it was - I don't know what it was, but since then. [ He stops abruptly. There's only one way this will sound and he's not fond of it, and even with that trust in mind he curls the fingers of one hand under to rest a partially formed fist against the bar. ] Since then I've been seeing everyone's faces everywhere and it feels a lot like that morning did.

[wiedzminka]

[ The body pushes her against the wall, trapped under the heavy weight of her own despair and disorientation. Her chest heaves, wrist twisting in his grip. Her other hand has found his hair, and tangled there-- but for a few brief moments, she seems to stand frozen, trying to keep fighting but running up against walls of darkness on every side as the fear spirals out of control.

Ciri closes her eyes, as if to brace herself for the worst.

And then, instead of the cold hand of death around her throat, she feels something else. A warmth. Pressed to her lips, soft and alive.

She stops struggling. Nearly stops breathing. Heartbeat racing, pounding in her temples, Ciri shudders and goes still, sinking back against the wall as the adrenaline leaves her and her knees go weak.

The crack in the plaster spreads, creaking as the building itself shudders behind her to match. ]

[assembles]

They're in the Horizon, which means that none of this is actually real, but Steve does have to admit that it's a good shorthand for learning more about his fellow Summoned and where they come from. Garrus had told him before about his people and their interaction with humans in the future, when space travel allowed their paths to cross. Seeing it like this is certainly different than hearing about it, though.

He accepts the explanation without too much protest. "I've actually traveled into space once before, when..." He trails off. It came with a long, long story, and it hadn't been a happy trip. They'd tracked down Thanos only to find out that he'd already destroyed the Stones, and their chances of undoing his terrible decision with them.

Instead of dwelling on that, Steve turns back to the doors that presumably lead to other parts of the Normandy. "If we head through there, could we see it?"

There would still be something novel in seeing the stars from the perspective of a spaceship, even if Steve has experienced something like it once. He doesn't know how far Garrus' Horizon actually extends, though.

[shadowthief]

She blinks, a bit taken aback, but it melts instantly into a smile. “Thank you…” her words are soft and small, but no less bright for it. It doesn’t matter that they’re in the Horizon, it holds the same weight regardless.

“No, not everything,” she admits with a slight shake of her head. “But it obviously isn’t good. These… omens can only be a warning of what’s to come.” She is uneasy about what it all might mean for their futures in this place.

She listens to his explanation of his dream. “It was a mirror for me. Beautiful, very old, but it was cracked, a spiderweb across the whole thing. Except… it didn’t actually reflect anything.” she had been unnerved by that, even after she was awake again. Something still stirs uneasy in her stomach for it.

She shakes her head a little at that question, “I don’t think so. At least… not so directly. There are some stories… about the old gods. Most of it is quite contradictory, like most tales of old, no one who was actually there when it happened is around anymore. The details get fuzzy. The specifics tailored to whoever is listening,” she’s been studying this stuff for awhile now, it’s nice to finally be able to just divulge it all. Especially when it’s to Kaz. It just feels right, like a puzzle piece she hasn’t realized was missing until it clicked back into place. “But there is a mention in some stories about three figures who herald misfortune and war. They’re never named, and I think Solvunn might have more information somewhere since they are still the most connected to the old gods of this world… but I’d think anything that could cause the dead to walk again is not foretelling anything favorable.”

She knows how he feels about them, but he respects her enough to not argue the point any more. Not like in the very beginning after he had saved her from Heleen. But more than anything, it’s the blatant honesty that pours out of him that hits her the hardest. She isn’t sure Kaz has ever been quite so blunt about how he feels about anything since the night she met him. “I’ll put in a word for you next time anyway.” she retorts back, not as a challenge but rather in acknowledgement of his doubt. She has enough faith for the two of them, it’s fine.

[assembles]

[ No, Matt doesn't look particularly worried. His expression has mainly stayed calm and controlled throughout this fight despite the strange circumstances they're in. It speaks to the fact that this isn't his first rodeo, probably not by a long shot.

If he's been doing the vigilante thing even back in Hell's Kitchen, it would explain why he doesn't blink at much of anything. Even recently animated corpses flinging themselves at him. ]

Point taken.

[ Steve focuses up then, knocking out yet another one of the shambling dead with a jump kick and then finishing it off, as he usually does, with the edge of his shield pressed down into a vital part of the body. By this point he's become covered in grime and black blood, but the forces around them have started to thin. With a brief lull, he asks the obvious yet pressing question. ]

It was you I ran into in that alleyway, wasn't it?

[tobeclosetohim]

Always an excellent place to start.

[ And stop. And stay. Jo was attached to it; even if the universe had made it very clear, life was not as attached to keep her. Maybe that made it even more trident now. Or maybe it meant she ran into packs of zombies as though daring the world to break its vow with the future. To call her bluff before that day.

Jo circled her wrist while she had the mmoment ]

How long have you guys been at it tonight?

[tobeclosetohim]

Jo does not have any fucks to give.

She wouldn't on a good day, but she has even less when everything is haywire, and his stupid slimy little laugh raises the hairs on the back of her neck. If there had been people before he appeared—were still people now—it's almost like the room fuzzes a little around her focus on him. There has to have been. Except nothing matters but not taking her eyes off of Lucifer. Standing in her bar. The rest is just background noise she can't let distract her.

That step forward makes her muscles tense,
but she doesn't move from behind the bar.

"You're the last person I want to talk to."

[thedevilwhorose]

"Everyone gets me all wrong," Lucifer says in a placating tone, gesturing to himself.

Another step, excruciatingly slow. From what he's been able to garner his ability to afflict others either comes from close proximity or touch. Getting in her radius is going to be tougher than he'd like.

"I don't know what Dean's told you about me, but I'm not the bad guy everyone makes me out to be."

[assembles]

[ They're not in immediate danger, so Steve doesn't mind pausing for a moment to turn back toward Wanda and address her questions. They're figuring this out together, even if it always remains his instinct to lead the way forward. ]

Not long. [ Time may be hard to measure in the Horizon, but... ] I started out on ground level outside, but realized pretty quick they I needed to make my way up. The front entrance to the building was already fused shut by this... sludge, so that's when I started climbing.

[ The hallway is an interesting mishmash of things, but it feels decidedly lived in despite the fact that there's no one here. Almost as if everyone had to evacuate all at once. (Or something else happened to them.) With all that in mind, he really isn't surprised by where Wanda's mind goes.

As she continues to draw conclusions, he only nods in agreement at first. He spots a door that has a horizontal metal push-handle on it, which screams stairwell entrance to him, and makes a beeline for it. ]

Yeah, which begs the question: whose is it?

[ It's possible to make a tower like this, Tony has, and yet Steve is almost positive he's never seen this place before. He leads them into the stairwell landing and peers down over the railing. A few floors below, the mass of bubbling pink goo continues to slowly rise. ]

[assembles]

[ Ciri doesn't seem particularly thrilled to see him, but Steve doesn't blame her, given the situation they're in. As if Libertas hasn't been through enough, now there's this. ]

That's why I'm here. [ It's definitely not for sightseeing, but he isn't much in the mood for jokes himself. Instead, he pulls a large disc of metal from where it had been strapped to his back and sets his sights on the group of walking corpses.

There isn't much need to say more when they both know what they're doing, and so Steve jogs past Ciri and then breaks out into a full run toward the closest of the undead, shoulder-tackling it to knock it to the ground. This startles some of the others, and while a few back away out of latent fear, others turn toward them with aggression, their moans turning into sharp, guttural hisses.

If nothing else, he's gotten their attention. ]

[wiedzminka]

When Dean tells her to wait, Ciri begins to protest. She wouldn't have obliged if it weren't for this stupid maze, and the fact they've had to keep an eye on two sides of the same hallway at the same time before they shifted. Rather than simply waiting, Ciri compromises by telling him that she'll check the other corner (though they're both probably beginning to realize there's no real way out through the twisting, nonsensical corridors).

She spends some time making sure a door to the outside world hasn't magically appeared. Only a short few minutes before she gets antsy that Dean hasn't reappeared. When she makes her way into the direction he'd gone, she hears the voices.

But not well enough to hear Jo's new rule.

Ciri rounds a corner and sees the other woman grabbing for the wall, too pale, blood-spattered and wobbling. She reacts on instinct, grabbing Jo by the arm to steady her.

"Whoa! What's going on here? You all right?"

b.

[actualwizard]

[ He’d been lost on the woods for what felt like hours, trying to dodge and hide from that familiar red mist. He wasn't sure why it was familisr- he'd never seen anything like it before, but it gave off a feeling like he knew what it was. If he had been in the right state of mind, and not getting chased by it he would have figured it out. Instead he was hiding behind a stone shrine catching his breath.

Which was probably why he didn’t notice the ghoul that shrieked once it was right in front of him. He tried to turn and run but another appeared, and then another, all at once he was hearing voices. Familiar voices that he couldn’t place.

”You are the reason the team isn’t together, you killed your best friend. You neglect your husband, he doesn’t deserve you, you almost destroyed the world.”

All things he thought he had moved passed. He tried to ignore them but it got harder and harder as more showed up and then he saw that familiar mist and this time there was no getting away. ]

[funbreaker]

Surely we can throw something else into the pot to make it a bit more interesting.

[ Thancred's mainly speaking to fill the silence, knowing he'll need to work overtime on that when he's wandering with Geralt. There isn't anything physical they can bet, given that they're separated by many malms and a heavily guarded border, but there are other things that they could wager. There's always information to be traded, though he knows that's a worrisome road to walk down right now, with how he's been affecting others.

Thancred drops that for now, focusing instead on what Geralt has to say. ] Wait, you've done this before? What is this place, then? It seems far too large to be anyone's domain. [ Or is it the Horizon playing tricks with their minds, and it's not nearly as large as it feels?

He'd really rather not get squished into paste by spikes if he can help it. He holds his torch higher, wanting to illuminate as much of the path before them as he can. Soon they come to a four-way crossroad, and Thancred waits for Geralt to lead them. ]

[tobeclosetohim]

There's not a cent of consideration for those words in her expression,

"Right, and that whole thing in the forest was just a 'misunderstanding.'"

Jo does raise her hands to make those quotation marks, even as her voice leaves no room for anyone to think she was listening, no less had a single cent of her that was even considering it. She'd heard more than enough already.

"Why do you think I'd give a fuck what you might say?"

[warfed]

[That is a sentiment they certainly share.]

I am also not having understanding— why were you calling me 'Edelgard?'

[She watches his face carefully for any kind of tell, looks him over to see if something in his body language might give him away. He seems tense, but had he not betrayed the fact that he was perplexed by saying as much in so many words, she might not have known. Even now, he masters himself well.

She exhales, curling a hand into a fist at her side and shaking her head.]

This is not right— you know me. Petra.

[Then again, it seems like nothing is as it ought to be these last few days. Her dream from the night before is still fresh in her mind, its possible meaning weighing heavily on her heart. It had been far more real than any other she'd had in recent months.]