EVENT #10: AFFLICTION - IC POST

[abraxasmods]

Event #10 - Affliction

go to the OOC event info & plotting post

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

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

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

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

Emergence

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

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

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

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

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

Affliction

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

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

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

Corruption

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

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

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

Blight

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

Omens

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

Solvunn

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

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

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

Free Cities

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

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

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

Thorne

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

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

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

Apprehensions

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

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

Displacement

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

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

Visitation

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

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

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

Ensnared

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

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

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

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

Scenes to Explore

JUSTICE ◎
FULL IMAGE

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

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

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

---

THE CHARIOT ◎
FULL IMAGE

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

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

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THE WORLD ◎
FULL IMAGE

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

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

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

---

THE FOOL ◎
FULL IMAGE

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

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

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

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

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

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

Comments

[nadine_he_loves]

Nadine makes no such distinction between seasoned fighters and someone making a stupid and desperate mistake. When she feels threatened, when she thinks she's against a wall, she doesn't hesitate or think. She eliminates the potential threat immediately and finally.

Only she isn't equipped to do so right now. She can hurl her fire, but it will only hit one of them and it won't take him down. Only hurt him, and there's no guarantee it would hurt him enough.

Geralt, however, has a sword and is far, far better with it than she is. Even if she did have her own, there's two of them and one of her. And he's there, suddenly, in front of her. But his sword stays raised rather than put into action. She doesn't even quite realize she's doing it, more concerned with their attackers than anything else.

"Take them out!"

It's what she would do. It's what she wants to do. The words just come out, some part of her realizing she can defend herself, after all. In a less direct way.

[wiedzminka]

Ew. Gross.

[ Ciri jumps back a little farther, getting entirely out of the way of the spray and wrinkling her nose. His declaration seems practically a non-sequitur. ]

So what? It wants to be here. Just kill it here and move it.

You got the place all gross and slimy anyway!

[ She gets it that he doesn't want a corpse on his doorstep, but is this really better? ]

[carmesi]

[the ghouls, at least, recognize when a weapon could hurt them enough to cause significant damage—and it is certainly something they want to avoid. it takes the first couple of cut-through ghouls for them to start and broaden the radius between them and the blond, skeptical in trying to seek a way to draw past her and do as they want.

still, perhaps someone more stupid than them comes in a blur of whites and blues, speedy, and stumbling along as he very narrowly misses the sword from slicing him in twos or threes.]



Wow, wow!

[a man who shouldn't be here—but compelled instead by wanda's magic to traverse past the mesmerisms of her own desire to have a grave for him, somewhere within her domain; a ghost of the past, a vision of guidance for those who may be lost, for those who may be in need of aid, especially when speed is key to reach them.

for the dark mist travels quickly, seeking its target, and that can't be fought off with a blade.

his accent is thick, his voice like sandpaper, as if misused for a while; as if wanda can't quite remember what he sounds like anymore. but it's friendly, despite the circumstances.]

Hey, so put the sword down, and let me help you out of here. Okay?

[cryptsleeper]

If you don't like my work--

[Well Ciri, now that you say something, good point. It absolutely isn't any better to have all of the gore and effluvia hanging around. But these are the choices a very aggro dhampir has made, he's pretty tired from all of this, thank you.

He's quick to float up at this point. Fuck it.]</small. Come help decapitate it then!

[wiedzminka]

Sounds a solid plan.

[ Ciri nods, appreciating his practicality.

She does look a little surprised he chooses to fucking kick them when the corpses lurch forward, the action so unexpected, she almost laughs. ]

Or you can kick them apart like loose haybales.

[wiedzminka]

[ ...is he serious right now? ]

That's exactly what I was trying to do! Before you fucking interrupted me with all your stupid whining!

[ Ciri shouts at him, the spark of anger burning hotter than she really meant for it to. Alucard's always been kind of a particular weirdo, but why is he being such a little bitch baby all of a sudden?

Whatever.

When he lands atop the beast, she teleports right back to her starting position, this time right beside him. ]

[cryptsleeper]

Sorry for not wanting a giant corpse rotting in the desert sun while I am trying to keep a low profile!

[Deep inside, he is absolutely a bitchy baby teenager who needs like five more years to actually mature.]

It's basic politeness not to leave dead things on a doorstep.

[God, it is like dealing with the Belmont.

Alucard knows that decapitations are hard. The neck is not easy terrain to cut, and he knows his blade is sharp. He begins to dig into the flesh, swift and certain that this can be done easily.]

[wiedzminka]

Ciri's eyes narrow at her name. He grew up with Yennefer? And Yennefer never saw fit to let Ciri know someone from their world had appeared in Thorne with her? It's not like Castle Thorne is all that large; the Summoned there definitely all know each other, are in much closer proximity than they are in Cadens. She's not buying that Yennefer didn't know or didn't realize. (Maybe that Yennefer simply hadn't told her, though Ciri has to wonder why.)

She presses the flat of her knife harder into his throat. Not upward, not leaning on the sharp edge, but enough to make his windpipe rather uncomfortable.

"I think you're lying."

Naturally, she doesn't answer any of his questions.

[wiedzminka]

I didn't bring it here! Why are you blaming me?

[ Well. At least she already started the work; there's a sizable chunk of flesh separated from the bone beneath the curve of the shell.

The monster doesn't exactly stand around waiting to be decapitated, and goes back to thrashing, now dripping gross black blood everywhere. Ugh.

Ciri shoves forward, not bothering to stay out of Alucard's way as he takes to hacking. She has more precise plans. Maybe if she can sever the spine, the thing will stop moving as much, headless or not.

She lifts her sword high and stabs directly downward at the center of the neck behind the head, hard as she can, with both hands. ]

[wiedzminka]

A good third of what you say is completely indecipherable. Did you know that?

[ She snaps, sounding more annoyed than usual, and otherwise completely ignores him. He goes on high alert, but she's already past that: Ciri strides forward to examine the source of the noise, which appears to be coming from the wall.

More than one of the walls, now that she's really listening. It'd seemed an echo at first. Now, it becomes clear that it's actually coming from several sides.

It becomes clear, in fact, because the walls begin to move. Inward. Toward them. ]

...fuck.

[cryptsleeper]

What am I supposed to think when a stranger shows up and there's a giant one of these?!

[The thrashing doesn't deter Alucard from the grim work. This is fine. He can keep hacking away, the spine is all Ciri's.

When her blade finds its mark, there is a great bellowing from the beast. The pain is real, and while it wobbles dangerously it doesn't quite fall over. Yet. Alucard manages his balance, snarling as he gets to the wind pipe.

Silence responds.]

[wiedzminka]

[ ...a what? ]

Fuck.

[ She doesn't have time to examine that right now. Her own balance is a bit precarious, especially as the head begins to separate, and the whole beast begins to tilt dangerously to the side.

Ciri yanks her sword free with a hiss and jumps back. But the moving platform makes her misjudge the distance, as it quickly changes. She ends up bumping into Alucard accidentally, landing too much in his space rather then only near him like she'd intended. ]

[wiedzminka]

[ As soon as she's helped Wanda through the hole, Ciri releases her to keep running, looking around the new place for anything they can use. Going up has been a good idea so far, and it's what she's sort of been doing on her own while running for the last few minutes already, so no arguments from her there.

Though something else Wanda says catches Ciri's attention. ]

Last time? [ She repeats, turning to look at Wanda. ]

You've been here befo--?

[ Crash. The roar shakes the building.

Ciri turns again, this time toward the sound. On instinct, she reaches for her blade, but there's nothing there. She hasn't been able to summon any weapons here. Not even a flicker. ]

What the fuck is that?

[cryptsleeper]

[There is little so well deployed as a witcher F-bomb.

Alucard can feel the lilt of the beast going off to the side. He gets his sword out as quickly as he can, but that demands perfect balancing. His feet manage, but barely. Cat like reflexes are great in most circumstances, but there's too much going on. His instinct to change into bats is countered by Ciri in his space, the angle they're both at, and the fact he hisses out of sheer reaction.

Some days, you just have to accept when you're a dhampir trying to balance too many things and someone smacks into you, your teeth might graze some skin. By accident. Not because you're so angry and frustrated and want the world to fuck off that biting someone feels like a logical solution.

What you don't have to accept is the very sudden sensation of burning in your mouth. Raw, wicked, spice and spice and spice and what the fuck?!

The dhampir coughs and splutters, the world temporarily gone. In it's place is a unique pain that he can't immediately will away.]

[ushiri]

[ As the ground shakes again the yellow dog whines, circling twice before lying flat on the floor, head on her paws.

Kahlil is more focused on her expression at the moment, watching it shift as she speaks. If she's a creature like Lucifer, then she's a much more dangerous one - he believes she's telling him the truth, and there's a pang of empathy for her loss.

But she changes the subject before giving details, and so he obliges her in that by not pushing for more personal information. He steps toward the dog, crouching down to pet her flank soothingly as another short earthquake rumbles beneath the stone floor, a flash of guilt briefly appearing across his expression when he looks down at her. ]

You mean the version of it here? [ In Horizon. He glances up at her, frowning thoughtfully. From what he understands there's only a few people here that have been to the physical location of the Singularity. ] I've approached it before. It felt... deeply old.

[ That's the only way to describe it. Then, curiously: ]

It seems alive, in some way. Not like a thinking, breathing creature, but...

[ He trails off. It feels like the yasi'halaun, or the Gates. It responds.

It feels like a piece of a god. ]

Mildly NSFW

[nadine_he_loves]

"Grab it by the horns, hmm?" Nadine presses herself lightly against him, chuckling. When does he ever not want to do something pleasurable? But that does sound good. They neither of them have any pressing obligation, there's no reason not to spend the rest of the waking day with sex and leisure. She can be indulgent.

"Was that a turn of phrase or a request?"

There's a flirtatious tone to her voice. They don't often get rough and tumble in bed, and normally she doesn't like the idea of asking Jaskier for a harder hand. He's always so sweet and considerate and she isn't sure if he'd be that interested in throwing her around and pinning her down.

But sometimes she wants that.

"I did just buy some new things I think you'd like. Why don't we finish that joint I have going and I change into something a little more...fun?"

[hextechhead]

Have you not noticed anything weird happening to you or around you? Like the nightmares, only different. Viktor and I had one hell of an intense morning. It seems to happen through touch.

[ Not at all of the good variety. Of the what happens when both have a horrific vision of their own inevitable terrible death. Viktor's far more aware of his mortality but it doesn't mean that is easy to witness, and Jayce has never really considered his own death before. He's always been focused on other people and their safety, never his own.

After they were shaken from that, he went in to work, and thought maybe it was just something strange and random. Until he was chatting with Lee and put an arm on her back and she had the same look on her face that Viktor did. Since then, it's been a really, really rough run of stress and heightened emotions he can't tell are real or stress. Jayce looks exhausted. Emotional damage goes much harder on him than physical. ]

I don't know, people do seem to be running right toward them instead of away. They're over in Alucard's graveyard so I doubt he's having a good time of it.

[ It isn't technically Alucard's graveyard, it existed before him after all, but they both know their mutual friend spends a lot of time there. It is what Jayce associates with the graveyard. ]

You were here when it happened last year? Was it just like this?

[wiedzminka]

[ Ciri hisses too, startled by the brief, sharp pain, but she's not actually paying enough attention to realize at first what had happened. She assumes he scratched her, or maybe she nicked herself on something. It's not a priority.

She's just about to portal out of the way as the beast starts going down, only to realize Alucard is--

Choking? Sputtering, distracted. ]

What is wrong with you?

[ She snaps, utterly baffled, and makes the executive decision to get them both out of the way before the end up toppling over and getting crushed.

Grabbing Alucard by the arm, Ciri yanks him to the side and yells: ]

Jump!

[magicalarchaeologist]

Istredd narrows his eyes as well and then he disappears. No need to teleport or say a spell, because they are in his psychic domain and he has more control of it than most people do of theirs. Outside of the strange humming and shaking going on in this place, which he has no answer for.

He appears again just one floor up, looking over the balcony at her, leaning on the banister there.

"Geralt and Yennefer can back up what I'm saying. If you don't believe me, you can ask them. But I'm not going to fight you, so there's no point in trying."

If she tries, he has more tricks up his sleeves to merely stay out of her grasp or keep dodging and moving, which he'd really rather not bother to do, because it does require some effort. And it seems like it would be easier if they could just stop and talk. Istredd contemplates before it all sort of snaps together at once and he looks genuinely shocked.

"You ... are you ...." It seems impossible but he forces the words anyway. "Cirilla?"

[a_better_man]

"It has its downsides, trust me."

Mat balances the coin on the edge of his finger and flips it with his thumb, catching it neatly as it comes down. There's no way to say if his gift works in the Horizon, but it's what he knows to rely on.

"Heads. Looks like we climb. But...what do we do for light?"

They can't carry a torch and climb at the same time, not with any ease. And the idea of climbing in pitch blackness is one he doesn't even want to entertain.

[cryptsleeper]

Your blood is what's wrong with me! What is in-

[Great, now he's being yanked around?! His head is spinning in full and true sensory overload, and so he is yanked, jumping only because Alucard's pretty used to being bossed around by very powerful and deadly women in his life.]

[wiedzminka]

"No."

Just no in general. It bursts out, almost defensive, angry and confused.

She reacts without thinking, chasing after him. It's the Horizon. Anything can be explained away.

Ciri appears beside him at the banister, green eyes flashing dangerously. Her lips twist in a snarl, the scar that crosses her face twisting the grimace into something even more menacing and furious.

"I'm the one asking the questions here, mage. What are you after?"

Of course, she's aware she told him her name in Nocwich. But to connect Ciri to Cirilla, knowing about the monoliths, knowing he's a mage from the Continent, hearing it aloud is a stab of cold fear.

[nadine_he_loves]

"I'm just taking a guess here, but I'm going to say magic."

What else could it be? They hadn't shambled out of some lab...well, okay, technically they had. But they were just regular cadavers.

"It wasn't like they were alive, there was no evidence of actual thought or intent. They didn't attack anyone, even though we were literally cutting into them when they...woke up. It was weird, honestly."

Compared to how Nadine is used to zombies acting, with her limited experience.

[wiedzminka]

[ Oh. So that's what that little spark of pain was?

What the fuck, dude.

She releases him before they land, making sure to keep her sword out of the way. It's not a particularly graceful tuck and roll, but at least they're just out of the way as the heavy corpse of the beast crumples down into a heap, releasing a big cloud of dust and a variety of unpleasant noises and liquids. ]

Did you just bite me?

[ She yells, incredulous, shortly after releasing him and pushing herself back up into a wary crouch. ]

[wiedzminka]

That's not--

[ She huffs, glaring at him. ]

You're a dick.

[ Now she's definitely not going to visit on purpose!! Rude. ]

I was just trying to get to where I usually appear, but obviously it didn't work. The snow-covered mountains, there's a big stone keep, though it's mostly hidden in the trees. You know it?