EVENT #10: AFFLICTION - IC POST

[abraxasmods]

Event #10 - Affliction

go to the OOC event info & plotting post

---

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.

---

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

[gynvael]

[ It's something unique to listen to the sounds of a man's bones knit together within seconds, minutes. Geralt on his part is sturdy, but not that sturdy, which means his arm is still bleeding where the jagged rocks sliced it open and he's now missing half a nail.

It'll grow back.

He rises to his feet, too. Glances up and up at the marble curves around the mountain. The sight is unlike anything he's seen before. ]

No shit. [ Yeah. It isn't his mountain. ] Dropped in. Last time, it was some sort of...maze.

[ He doesn't want to get into details. His company during the last excursion was. Complicated. He walks forward. The sun is sinking. Perhaps there's shelter they can find. ]

We should keep moving.

—SOLVUNN [ assisting with omens ]

[carmesi]

A. CASTING RUNES

[runes are nothing new to wanda, as is casting spells. they've been given instructions on the types of spells and warding charms that can be placed to try and protect what seems inevitable. it is what she is good at, and thus she sets to work.

scarlet glows from her hands, shapes and figures as her hands move in practiced patterns, fingers flexing in familiar gestures. there is abraxan magic, and then there is her own magic—witchcraft—and she hopes that the runes she casts may help protect what is untouched, or give strength to what is slowly succumbing to this unknown affliction of the land. the runes pulse in its carmine magic before seeping into the ground, the grass getting greener for a moment before returning to the dried out hues from before.

wanda frowns at that. it is worrisome, but there isn't much else to do but hope it works to an extent.

with a glance to the side, she takes note of another summoned. she pulls at her shawl a little tighter around her shoulders, waiting for their approach and meeting them halfway. there are other things that can be done; she's been given warding shrines to place around the different structures in the settlement, shrines and farms and gardens alike.]

Were you given warding charms?

[she can help boost their influence with her magic, if nothing else.]

B. TENDING THE DISEASE

[it is disturbing enough to find livestock lying motionless on the ground in the mornings where once they would graze, and it's more disturbing still to find their state of decay. finding nothing to salvage, wanda uses her magic to disintegrate the bodies of those too far gone—remove the evidence of the disease that is currently plaguing solvunn. it's been days of this now, there's no point in allowing for others, children and adults alike, to feel the uncertainty of what this all implies.

for the corpses of animals that are relatively fresh, wanda uses her magic to compel another animal into existence—give it life in hopes that it may not succumb to what has plagued its previous incarnation.

obviously, this is not a permanent fix.

her trek from the gardsbruk farm to the primary settlement proper takes longer because of this. still, she knows what she intends to do—keeping busy is helping, removing her entirely from having to look too closely at her own emotions, from witnessing the rotten façade of those around her. is it something in the water?, she wonders, straying away noticeably from the path and towards a stream that runs nearby.

the well is the obvious place to check, but curiosity has her wondering if this all expands further than what they imagine. crows circle around, excited to scavenge for their next meal; more mice than usual feel bold enough to travel close to where the settlement is. without glancing, she raises a hand, and from a scarlet mist three cats emerge, immediately chasing after the squeaking rats.

now, onward to the stream—]

[righteously]

A while. ( He says grimly, after a weighted pause. ) Twenty, thirty minutes maybe? Hard to tell.

( That's the kind of place that makes you lose track of time. It stretches, it disorients. Could've been longer, could've been less, but he's not sure it matters either way. )

Maybe... I don't know, man. Maybe it's the kind of thing you don't get rid of from the outside. Maybe you need to- acknowledge it before you can process it or whatever, you know?

( Maybe that's stupid. God knows he's not an expert in involuntarily manifested metaphors in nebulous dreamscapes, all he has to go off of his gut. A beat passes, then he points over his shoulder with a thumb and tacks on: )

And if that don't work, I'm just sayin', I got some power tools. I know my way around a welder. We can strip that bitch out by hand, one bolt at a time.

[godshattering]

[ Well. Shit. ]

Nope.

[ Said a little too quickly to be entirely believable, but. If he keeps talking that could make it more believable. It's been his go to method before, one that usually works enough to distract until he can find some other conversation thread to grab onto instead. So - here goes nothing.

Claude shrugs the shoulder of the arm he's not leaning on, keeps his gaze on the bar. ]

As far as I know nothing like whatever it is that's going on now happened before. Others have told me the Singularity's caused some issues here and there. Nothing was told in great detail but I'm pretty sure they would've mentioned this. Whatever it is. [ A pause, since now he's just restating himself. That's unlikely to help his goal here. ] Something else happened a few months back.

[ No, this is not going as planned, and it absolutely shouldn't be that difficult to not keep bringing it up when it's the one thing he's attempting to avoid. Getting that drink might've been a good idea after all. Now if only the tavern did have more people around to help with something else to do. ]

[ofthesword]

Last time? Last time?

[Like this kind of thing happens all the time? He rubs the back of his neck, cracking it with a swift bend to the side. He might heal quick, but it doesn't feel great. Somehow it doesn't surprise him, though, that it's Geralt who finds him. They seem to keep coming together in nightmarish hellscapes.

Actually, this one's pretty nice in comparison.]

Don't tell me you're afraid of freezin'. [But he follows, boots sinking into the snow, because standing around's not doing much for him, either. And where do they go back? Down? He watches the hand hovering above their heads, unmoving once again.] Last time I was in a blizzard this bad, it was pouring out a giant toad's asshole.

[Well. Its mouth, technically. Same difference.]

[gynvael]

Mm. [ Last time. Apparently, this is the Horizon's new disturbance for the week. He's hoping it ends quickly.

The snow falls thick. He can hear the winds picking up. By nightfall, it will be a full blizzard. He can survive a blizzard. In theory. These places are...

Unpredictable. And while no one can die in the Horizon, he's not certain he wants to test that theory while the situation is so tenuous. There's every chance they may not wake up from this place. That it will not release them. In any case—

Wait, what? Geralt gives Nero a look. ]

I'm afraid to ask. [ He pauses at the edge of a cliff. Sighs. He suspects there's no ground beneath them. He asks, anyway. ] Have you tried going down?

—HORIZON [ witchcraft and horror ]

[carmesi]

A. WITCHCRAFT GONE WRONG

[the unpredictability of the horizon's malfunctioning could very well land one into wanda's domain, particularly bypassing the labyrinthine forest and finding themselves, instead, in the home she's made for herself. it would be easy to just blink out of it, but there is something quite unusual about the place, and the walls are no longer walls.

rather, bits and pieces form like a puzzle, expanding and contracting, floating and hovering mere inches from each other, creating the illusion that things aren't quite right. it is enough to disorient. similarly, the slow crash of waves booming nearby echoes loudly between the rooms that doors open themselves to, the floor and roof shaking, the whistle of bombs and the crash of explosions nearby. the house feels alive, like it is breathing, wisps of red connectors tracing a path that one may very well follow.

those adept in magic may take note that it is just that, witchcraft acting up, as if confused, uncertain of what shape to form or how to make itself useful.

following the path highlighted by the wisps of red, one will go down the stairs, and will be unable to extricate themselves from looking at their reflection in the mirror. except it is not their own face that stares back, but rather that of the domain's owner: wanda, her eyes seeing but not seeing the person that stands before the mirror.

—and, just like that, chaos.

the world unfurls, dizzyingly so, like a kaleidoscope of the surroundings, the house in its psychedelic overture of puzzle pieces multiplying and refracting, causing confusion. but it is not all reflective surfaces; should one walk carefully, one may encounter a dark room, walls and ceiling filled with runes and sigils unfamiliar, but which exude certain dark, oppressive power all on their own. in another area, a singular television set plays a happy sitcom, beckoning the viewer.

but be careful, the longer one finds themselves in this space, the more one traverses to try and find a way out, the more the mirrors seem to refract and multiply and divide, making it much harder to find a way out.]

B. TERROR IN THE WOODS

[perhaps it is mercy to not land in a house where witchcraft has gone haywire. the forest, at least, seems an easier space to navigate. that is, until one realizes how utterly quiet it all is, the grayscale value of what was once lush and verdant. it is nighttime, but it is a lot darker than what one would expect. standing still would not be a good idea, though, as the only hue of color comes in the shape of dense, blood red mist, crashing into trees and whatever other feature juts out from amidst the foliage. it travels a specific path, though, and does not linger—like a traveling stream covering a small radius at a time, a predator of unknown shape and form.

best to run and hide out of its way, for while the forest is quiet, chants and macabre whisperings in a language unknown announce its approach. there are wails, too, if one listens closely, but they seem so far off.

there are closed structures one could hide in, or in between, for the mist seems to be intelligent—but can seemingly be outsmarted. hold your breath, toss an object elsewhere to distract it, whatever repertoire one may have in their pocket could work.

do not get comfortable, though, for while the forest creatures who were once friendly no longer seem to be around, ghoul-like creatures appear from the darkest of shadows, traveling silently, but screeching once they find their target. these are tangible and can be fought, but they will also grab and hold on to their target, yelling the sins of the offender they have crossed paths with.

but don't stand still and get dragged down by them—they seem to be working together with the mist, and it is only a matter of time before they meet up halfway.]

[gynvael]

He walks. It doesn't feel as though they're indoors. It feels as though they're underground. A cave structure? The walls are flat, sturdy. Manmade. Perhaps they're in someone else's domain, but he doesn't think so. He can will himself out of another's domain. Here, it's—

Unusual. As though the tether which links him to the Singularity is stretched taut. Or is that only his imagination?

He lights another torch as they pass by it. Just to keep track of where they've been. He steps over a rat scurrying past.

"This isn't mine," he replies flatly. Why the hell would this be his? "Are there any other incorrect assumptions you'd like to make or are we finished?"

[tobeclosetohim]

Jo stops walking almost as soon as she'd started, because he can keep saying that and she can keep ignoring that he's saying it when he's actually going on about something she's decided he deserves hell for. This isn't. That doesn't make any sense.

"What'd you mean it's not yours? We were just up there."

This with pointing at the ceiling... which, okay, does look different entirely. But it's the Horizon. The bunker ceiling looks nothing like the Bar floor, and the ground outside that has to be covering the rest of it is unchanged. That doesn't mean anything.

[gynvael]

[ A faint grimace greets that. Even a minute would be an eternity. He knows better than to give an open apology; there isn't one for these cases. But there's an acknowledgement of what it means for Dean, specifically.

Nothing about what Dean is saying is wrong. Nor is it anything he doesn't know. It's more— ]

I have. For decades, since I was a boy. I didn't exactly anticipate needing to do it again a century later.

[ So where does that leave him? Staring down a past he's already confronted and accepted? Perhaps. Maybe that explains his reluctant to address it all this time. It doesn't feel like an attempt to move on. It feels like turning back.

He makes a noise over the lip of his bottle. ] I prefer that option.

Sasarai | Judgement | Thorne

[harmonian]

[Various starters. Plotting comment here]

[righteously]

( Yeah, this is definitely a situation where apologies fall flat on both sides. Saying I'm sorry wouldn't mean a damn thing coming from Dean, because it's not his place to apologize for it. It's a platitude hunters learn to avoid early on.

He can't help with the scar being torn open again, he's got no words of wisdom or sage advice on how to re-burry something you thought you were over.

But he can do this. He reaches out to settle a firm hand on Geralt's shoulder. )

Alright.

( He says with a note of finality, like it's been decided. Officially contracted. )

This weekend. You, me, and a couple of sledge hammers. I don't care if we gotta haul it brick by brick, it's going.

[gynvael]

"And now we're not."

He can't explain it, either. He's accepted there are inexplicable aspects to the Horizon no one understands. Whether that's the Singularity or the minds which occupy it, who knows?

What he does know is they require a way out. Wherever that might be. Jo might've stopped, but he's still walking, pausing only at the end of the narrow path. A fork in the road.

"When I stepped into the Horizon yesterday morning, I landed in a stranger's domain." This isn't quite that, but it's undoubtedly related. He glances left, then right. Where had the grinding stones been? The sound. To the east, he thinks. "This way."

[gynvael]

[ He raises an eyebrow. Yeah. At some point, at least. He can't say, quite, when he'll be ready, but perhaps acknowledging the decision out loud has changed something.

It's true he's only ever tried to change it. Not destroy it first. ]

You seem eager to tear apart my home.

[ He's only joking. A beat, before the offers Dean the same bottle. ]

And what of yours? [ He tilts his head. ] I rode by some days ago. Looks different.

[ofthesword]

[Nero huffs under his breath, brushing snow out of his hair, then pulling his hood up. It's only getting snowier, the hands ominously floating above them. Waiting... for something.

For what? Is it gonna flip over the damn mountain again? He'd ask how it's possible, but -- fuckin' Horizon.]

It was gross. Stank like an ass, too. [But that was years ago. It'd be just a minor annoyance now, huh? Maybe he would've been the one to close the gates. Hard to say if that was even a threat anymore.

And who was gonna stop it, anyway?

Nero squats down and peers over the cliff. Not much to look at. Just white. Like they're floating over nothing.]

'Course I went down. How do you think I fell outta nowhere? The whole damn thing turned upside down. Like it wants us to stay at the top.

Garrus Vakarian | Free Cities | KOTH

[thearchangel]

[ Throwing up a couple comments below for Horizon vs. Free Cities interactions! His plotting post is Here! Or I'm up for plurk plotting @ redfirelight ]

[righteously]

What can I say? I've been on a remodeling kick.

( Wryly; his hand drops away in favor of taking that bottle. With a solution mapped out, he can let a braincell or two relax again.

He drinks, swallows, then points the neck of the bottle at Geralt. )

Speaking of which. There's somethin' I been meaning to show you, and now seems like the perfect time. Come on.

( He slaps Geralt companionably on the thigh with the back of his hand, and hops to his feet — still hanging on to that bottle. If Dean can sucker him into it, they're going for a ride.



The door has always been there — it was once Ash's, and the sign proclaiming Dr. Badass is In still hangs from it, but what lives beyond it is a tiny concrete room, an anti-chamber to a second door. This one is heavy and iron too, though instead of leading to a horrific freaking nightmare, it leads to the balcony entrance of the bunker he's been calling home.

Ta da. )

You remember that dream I had a while back? ( He clicks his teeth, nods his head toward the wide open floor below. ) Me and my brother dug ourselves up a fancy hunter fortress of our own. It's no mountain castle, but...

( It sure is something. )

> HORIZONS

[thearchangel]

Visitation - NORMANDY MAIN BATTERY - OTA
When you appear, you're surrounded by low light. There's the dull hum of some vast engine, a sort of distant whooshing noise. Air circulates with a soft hiss, easily missed if you're not actively listening for it. Machines beep, quiet and unobtrusive. It'd be a fairly peaceful scene, if it weren't for the massive guns housed in the room. Stick around, and the sound of voices come over the radio - a man and a much more feminine sounding one.

From somewhere in the room, those who have met him before can recognize Garrus' voice. "Still can't believe he broadcast that..."

The owner of said voice chooses that moment to come around the corner, shaking his head. Only to almost trip over himself at the sudden invasion of his room. He was holding a flat screen in one hand, then nearly fumbles it out of shock.

"What the hell?" He's damn sure he didn't hear the door swoosh open. "I... wasn't expecting a visitor?"

Nice save, big guy.


Ensnared - FROZEN MOUNTAIN - OTA
This is hell.

This is some kind of cold, frozen hell, tailored for him, and him alone. If there is a god in this place, said god definitely has it out for him. Why else would he be in snow of all things, trying to slog through it? No hardsuit, nothing.

"Noveria was a vacation," he's grumbling to himself, loudly.

Garrus is not someone who enters the Horizon with any regularity. He's been here enough to have carved out a little piece for himself, mostly thanks to Shepard envisioning hers, but not enough to know how to conjure anything. So he's left to slog through the snow with little more than what clothes he was wearing in reality. And hating every single second of it.

Maybe you're there too. You're there and you encounter this scaly, leggy alien trying to climb down toward a warmer climate - maybe you know that's a bad idea.

Or maybe he falls out of the damn sky nearby, to land in a snowdrift with a flurry of alien curses, the result of said downward climb.

"Hell. This is Hell. And we don't even believe in that!"

> Cadens

[thearchangel]

Dead Patrol | OTA
Thanks to an earlier warning, it's not too surprising to see corpses in Cadens. Shambling around. Angrily. On the one hand, this is horrifying, he should probably be way more disturbed by this. He should be repulsed by it all. But, on the other hand...

They aren't Husks, human or otherwise.

When you've seen corpses crawl over barricades, horrible fusions of machine and flesh, glowing eyes and gaping mouths, sometimes wearing a head you swore you could almost recognize? Regular moving dead bodies just turn into so much ambulatory meat.

Working with the local soldiers was just the natural next step. Especially since it got him handed a crossbow again. Any kind of weapon in his hand feels one hell of a lot better than patrolling with just his fists. Talons. Whichever.

Feel free to run into him as a team-up, a little zombie defense squad. Or maybe you're confronted by the shambling undead, and one of them suddenly sprouts a crossbow bolt in the middle of its face. Which it just sort of feebly bats at before another bolt takes off one leg at the kneecap.

"Scoped and dropped."

Garrus you don't have a scope.


Food Rot | OTA
It's later on. After coming in from one such patrol. Just another normal evening, where Garrus happens to be trying to unwind and refuel before heading out tomorrow. But there's just one problem. Trying to taste anything results in a gag, and the hilarious sight of a turian, whose mouths really do not work that way, trying to spit out a bite of food.

No matter where he is - military barracks, bar, taking a break in an exercise ring, or just sitting outside with a snack from a vendor - the result is the same. Constantly.

As the days go on, sharp-eyed friends may notice the big guy's eating less and less. Until even drinking causes him to pull a face. No small feat when your face isn't nearly as mobile as a human's.

Either food or water, he will glance at whomever he's with. "Does this taste weird to you?"


AFFLICTED | Koth | OTA
... Of course, having friendships at this point in things is probably not a great thing. Sometime during all of this, coming in contact with Garrus will, for lack of a better word, cause a hallucination.

He has no idea. One moment, he's feeling like crap, the next, someone nearby is stock-still, wide-eyed and panicking. Maybe you're doing a workout with him. Maybe you're just walking and talking. Hell, maybe you're even on zombie patrol with him.

And then the Koth Affliction takes over. A vision of death.

"What's wrong! What's happening!"

Look, he's. Trying.

(( feel free to throw in a death vision, or if you want to play out the lead up, I'm game for that, too! ))

[cointosser]

[Honestly, among everything else... he should not be surprised.

But he is. Jaskier kneels next to one of his blackberry bushes, or rather, what remains of it. Broken branches jutting out at odd angles, the berries smashed into the soil. Leaves scattered. And as he touches them, he finds signs of rot: the leaves are blackened and coiling in, what berries still cling on touched with mold.

It can't be his magic. Not again. Not like this. When he'd been doing so well. When he'd felt... confident. Using it. Letting it flow through him.

Jaskier's hand closes around the leaves in his hand, crushing them. Because of Solvunn? Again? Could it really be a repeat of last fucking year?]

Simple to recover, but not easy. I don't have the energy for this. Not to regrow all of these from saplings. [He stands, kicking the bush, cursing.] I don't know if I even want to. What if we just destroy this whole bloody place? At least the dead can't return if they're not here in the first place.

[cryptsleeper]

[I don't have the energy for this.

Alucard has not been pleasant the past several days, but the words make his heart sink. That's not right. Those aren't Jaskier words, and with that thought comes a fresh new wave of anger. It's bad enough to be going through any of this again, but now? Of all times?

There's no clamping down on the anger either. Only bitter, angry thoughts that come flowing out.]

What, so I can live in ruins? [Actually, that isn't a bad idea.] So that another part of this place's past just gets thrown to the side, eventually to be covered up by some new machination of war and destruction? That the dead might truly be invited to rise up in anger because their peace has yet again been disturbed? [The dhampir can feel something angrier wanting to rip out. He takes a few steps back. They're close to the wrought iron fence.

A fence that is soon punched and crumbles in reaction to Alucard's fist.]

[carmesi]

[wanda would like to remind nero that thor isn't dead, just pulled away by the singularity as it has done with so many other summoned. but there's no arguing this point, for this is something that nero clearly needs; he had bonded with the asgardian god, and wanda would also admit that she misses his presence. thor had become... a pillar of sorts, someone she could trust would understand the intricacies of her fears where others would raise a brow at the mysticism of it all.

the door is open when nero knocks, and wanda is just about placing a shawl over her shoulders as she goes to meet him at the doorway.]

I didn't know we were bringing gifts.

[she places a hand lightly over his arm for a moment, before she walks down the stairs of the farmhouse and then down towards the front door. it's still morning, but they wouldn't want to spend too long at this; chores still needed doing at the farm.]

You got somewhere in mind?

mountain

[carmesi]

[it reminds wanda of somewhere, too, but she doesn't want to linger too long on thoughts of wundagore's cursed grounds, because there is no way this is the same mountain. the cold is biting, though, and although she's been able to conjure appropriate clothes to keep herself warm, it seems that the more she tries to escape the situation, the worse it gets.

no way but up, and her fingers are so cold they've gone numb.

as a last ditch effort, she tries to use her magic to compel the horizon's magic creation to take shape however she wants it — into the shape she wants — of a cabin; anywhere to escape the cold, especially now that the sun was setting. wanda knows enough about winter to know it gets worse at night.

walls set up—and a roof—and though it may be a small, one-room cabin, it will suffice until she can figure up from down (quite literally). it is the muffled footsteps in the snow which makes her turn around, keeping herself from entering the cabin entirely, and what she sees— well.

wanda gasps, falling back on the snow, shocked at the sight. it's always unexpected, even if she's seen enough of it by now.

it's claude, she recognizes as much, eyes foggy and visage pale, looking like a half-rotten corpse more than anything living. is this mountain going to be climbing with the dead by sundown? what a terrifying notion. wanda tries pulling herself up to her feet, scrambling and slipping a little, one of her hands raised in front of her.]

— wait —

Claude?

[maybe, maybe, if he can say something, she can force herself to see him for the friend he is to her, and not some mindless dead vision coming to haunt her.]

the well

[carmesi]

[the courtyard she finds herself in is beautiful—and wanda would like to spend time here, if she could, for it pulls away from all the terror she's encountered of late. but it is through no reckoning of her own that she finds herself pulled towards a large stone well; wanda traverses the courtyard like a ghost with no volition of her own.

the cuts of stone feel rough under the palms of her hands, and as she leans over... well, nothing but darkness, and yet her eyes are transfixed. it feels like there is something there in the darkness, which feels dense and alive, and if she leans ever further, perhaps—

a voice rings out—a warning?—but it feels far away to wanda, unable peel herself away from it. it's like it beckons her. but this darkness is not her own, the images of memories flooding her all too abruptly, as if she were living in that moment.]

strange humming

[carmesi]

[this place—this temple—it's unlike anywhere she's been before. as she steps inside the horizon, wanda knows that she's taken a wrong turn somewhere, and she could (should) blink her way out of the domain and try again, but...

there's something here. past the massive marble statues, the apple trees, and the seemingly normal stream. it almost beckons to her, this strange feeling, a strange hum coming from the stone. wanda has heard something like this before, but it — it worries her — for reasons she can't quite understand. suddenly, it shakes and rattles, and wanda tries to stabilize it with her magic. she doesn't know if it helps, as scarlet envelops the base of it, but it stops.

and so does the magic she curls around it.

the humming, however, continues, and she moves closer, an arm stretched forward, to place a hand over it.]