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.

---

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]

"Cheap whiskey is fine. I've probably had worse. Not that I can even tell."

Nadine strives to keep her body language casual, not wanting Dean to feel cornered or anything like that. She doesn't want to come off as predatorial - she's done that in the past and hates how it feels. It's not that she thinks he's nervous, but...maybe unsure of her motives. She can understand.

"One time, right after the world ended, I did 'loot' a liquor store and try this ridiculously expensive scotch, the stuff went for over four hundred dollars. And it pretty much just tasted like burning to me."

Just a little anecdote to break the ice, so to speak. She takes the offered glass and watches him as he sits, studying him. She's not one to beat around the metaphorical bush, so she offers a smile and takes a step closer to him. Coyness doesn't come naturally to her, and even in these matters she has a somewhat practical approach. May as well just lay it all out, plainly.

"Look...nothing has to happen tonight that you aren't feeling. I'm not going to be offended if you just want to drink and talk or...play cards or something. It's fine. I just...I think you're very attractive and I like you and more importantly I trust you. I don't trust many people, for reasons I'm sure I don't have to explain, and I need trust when it comes to sex. And I..." She shakes her head, laughing a little but it's at herself.

"I've never actually picked somebody for myself. Even Jaskier was Julie's suggestion. I wanted to make a choice myself, for once."

[wiedzminka]

Instead of backing away, or letting her run, he pulls her closer. Of course he does. Of course she shouldn't be surprised, and yet--

Despite her confusion and guilt, Ciri reacts instinctively. He wraps his arms around her, touches her face, and Ciri presses herself into the embrace like a child, a sob catching in her throat. Then another, and suddenly she's crying, forgetting there's anyone else around.

"Sorry-- I'm sorry. I didn't--"

The worst part isn't that she hurt him. Tried to kill him, even, though she's aware now that in this place (thankfully) none of that could really harm him.

No, the worst part is how alone she'd felt. How fucking lonely, empty, that nothing inside, the bone-deep inescapable knowledge that she'd been completely alone. Again.

[magicalarchaeologist]

Istredd creates a telekinetic shield around himself instantly, moving a quick dash backwards from her. But he doesn't go farther than that, nor does he try to surprise or attack her. This is merely to keep from needing to dodge continued violence, and she will find that his shield is very difficult to get through. Stronger than many mages, considering where they are.

"I'll explain, just stop trying to threaten me!"

He thinks that is a perfectly reasonable request. Her reaction only gave him confirmation of what he suspected. It feels like he just went through an ice bath, like water crashed down over his head, metaphorically. Princess Cirilla is not only real, but she's here in front of him.

"Geralt approached me and said that he knew the monolith in Cintra was destroyed. He thought there were monsters inside of it. When we investigated, and we came to the conclusion that the monoliths were gateways, and suddenly we heard a girl's voice screaming Geralt's name. Everything shook, the monolith pieces rose and seemed to be sucked somewhere, and then a new monster appeared. One never seen before in our land. It flew away. Geralt asked me to teleport him away without answering questions."

No matter what Istredd asked, the witcher had no interest in answering, and once it all came together, Istredd understood why. The girl was under his protection, apparently, he had to go for her. And he probably suspected the monster knew where it was going.

"Afterward, I decided to look into how the Cintra monolith was destroyed the same night the castle fell. I followed a hunch into the royal bloodline, and that girl who called out to Geralt was identified as Princess Cirilla. Someone with the ability to affect the monoliths."

And might be therefore afraid of them and perhaps even her power over them.

"I am not after anything other than knowledge. I had no idea you were even here."

[cryptsleeper]

[He's asking himself the same thing at the moment.

Alucard lands with a little less grace than usual. There's no gently settling down onto the ground, there's a thud in the sand and a small cloud of it immediately after. But the thing is no longer moving, so at least that much counts are a win.

He's got just enough sense back in him when Ciri yells.]

Not on purpose, I assure you! [So yes, yes he did.] Your blood tastes like every pepper has been concentrated into a vile sauce!

[funbreaker]

[ Despite all of Sylvain's complaints, he ultimately agrees to the plan. Thancred reminds himself that this means if something happens to them, it will be his fault, but that's a burden he's had to bear before. What's yet another shard of guilt stabbing him in the heart, at the end of the day?

Neither of them are in real danger. He repeats it in his mind like a mantra.

He keeps abreast with Sylvain as they walk, at least where the path allows it, and thus notices the strange outcropping structure as well.

It does look like fingers, and perhaps a palm. ]

... Is it possible this isn't a mountain at all, but some manner of creature?

[monomachy]

Briefly, she wonders something along the same lines--Libertas has experienced so much loss of life recently. Have those dead become restless as well? It isn't as if she can check easily right now; portals are expensive, and the trip on foot isn't short. So she'll have to focus on Cadens now, and pray to the gods that the other settlements aren't going through something similar.

"Most of them, I think." She's spent enough hours wandering the city, patrolling on her own to know the lay of the land well enough. There are probably some smaller, perhaps private cemeteries she hasn't come across, but again, it's better to focus on what she knows right now. She checks the sword at her hip, ever-present especially after the attack on Libertas. Whether she likes it or not, this is a city ripe for war and she isn't about to be caught unawares. "There is one not so far from here."

[wiedzminka]

[ At this, Ciri merely stares at him. Is this a really weird insult? She doesn't get it. ]

...What?

[magicalarchaeologist]

Istredd snorts, gesturing for the two of them to walk toward the mess hall where they can get a drink. He suspects they probably shouldn't go into town right then, with everything getting messed up around them. It's responsible to stay close, it's not as if anything is wrong right now, right? The two of them are going to have a drink and ignore the confusion for a little while. He might not remember her name, but it doesn't matter.

"That's what happens when you don't know what you're doing and messing with magic from other spheres. The magic from this world is permanently out of balance because of us."

Lucifer has already warned Isredd before that he has to be careful about how openly he criticizes Thorne, but he would say the same thing openly. Maybe much more diplomatically to the queen, but he doubts it would be a surprise to the main mages here, that an old an experienced mage would have opinions. If he was consulted before this happened, he would have told them never to do it. But here they are.

[magicalarchaeologist]

"No, no basement. I have plenty of storage up here."

Istredd has not seen any freaky hidden basements that would make him think of it. It's true though, the ground beneath them is very solid, if a little unstable apparently. He does know what Lucifer means though, it does feel like there's something underneath. But that seems impossible, he's never heard of something underneath the Horizon.

"But maybe...."

He kneels down and puts his hand on the ground, as if he could possibly search it, but as in tune with his domain as he is, it doesn't go into the Horizon's power itself.

"Maybe there is something under there we didn't know about. All of this ground is under the Singularity's power."

Or so he's always assumed. Istredd still isn't sure if it is a giant rock or not, if there is sentience in it, he thinks there is and hopes to get the answer soon. But they know so little truth about the Singularity. About any of this.

[magicalarchaeologist]

"Hello Kyle. This is yours?"

Istredd nods respectfully to him. It's always interesting to attach a domain to a person, it says something unique about them, always. And this says a great deal, although he's not sure what exactly it is. Just that there are some vast interesting details about Kyle that weren't that obvious to start with. He is intrigued by the sound of an apple that goes splat and also sounds like glass, but turns his attention to the other man.

"This is the first place outside of my own domain I've felt this shaking and humming. I've been to at least a dozen others and they're silent, Lucifer said it was the only one he noticed too."

So it isn't only his experience he is taking into account, which is important as a researcher and making a case study. It could be that there are a few of them, but all the more reason to make a list of them when it is notable. He doesn't understand why theirs though. He rubs a hand against his beard thoughtfully.

"I don't know the connection."

[gynvael]

[ He waits, then leaves after her. He's not at her place, but he's close by, makes his way there quickly. He pushes open the door to her room, afraid that he may not see her inside, that he'll find her still lost in the Horizon. Locked in a permanent sleep.

But she's awake. He sits down beside her, quiet. His hand lays atop of hers. All that's happened this week, none of it matters right now. Not even the fact that he died in the Horizon. He's just glad she's back. It isn't like him, but over the past days his thoughts have spiralled so wildly out of control—imagining everyone around him vanishing one by one.

For the first time, he can finally push those fears down.

A wet nose prods his hand. He picks up her little moth rabbit, placing it in her lap. ]

I'll stay tonight. [ He's certain she knows, but he says it anyhow. ] Would you like me to retrieve Nadine?

[thearchangel]

"Is it?" Genuine curiosity there. He hasn't heard a lot from other people from the same worlds. Thane... definitely wasn't from the same timeline they were. For more reasons than the obvious one. "I admit, I haven't heard a lot from people who share a world of origin. So I'm curious."

He flicks the screen around, idly focusing on different sectors. It's all labeled in human script - but he's got no idea if it's different from the one Steve reads. Humans have so damned many, after all. And he's pretty sure the man doesn't have a translator. Luckily, for both of them, it's in English. Council Space, Traverse, Krogan DMZ...

Other portions highlight as the map zooms in or out. Individual race's territories. Asari Republic, Hanar Illuminated Primacy, Turian Hierarchy... the Perseus Veil.

"Yeah, it's weird. Definitely more used to being in space than planetside but..." He shrugs. "I was born and raised on our homeworld. I'm probably better adjusted than a space-born person would be."

[thearchangel]

There's absolutely no way he would, or could, ever judge her for something like this. It's not a failing, it's the aftermath of something horrible she'd experienced, and came back from by virtue of mad scientists. How the hell could anyone judge her for reacting? How the hell could he?

His hand stays put on her shoulder. She hasn't shoved him away, and he's staying at her side. Right where he's supposed to be. Even before they'd gotten closer, he was supposed to be at Shepard's side.

"Yeah, I've... I've never seen that before," he admits - as someone who's definitely done those missions before with her. He would have noticed - hell, anyone on the team would have noticed. Again, he doubts anyone would have judged her, thought less of her. "If any of us had, we'd have told you. And then probably Chakwas."

Who also wouldn't have judged beyond her usual why is my crew Like This judgment, anyway.

"Has to be. No other reason I can see." Because he trusts her assessment. If Shepard says this has never happened, then it hasn't happened.

[thearchangel]

"Maybe we did." He trails off, sighting another corpse head and squeezing the trigger. "But, what's that human saying? Looking gift animals in the mouth?"

Maybe they shouldn't be looking at this gift animal too closely. Just accept it for now. Maybe some other squad had come up the rear to thin out the ranks from behind. It could happen. They're not the only ones out here, after all. That's hopefully all it is. But he's going to stay on his guard, just in case it isn't. Just in case they're being deceived somehow.

Another corpse falls. He runs a quick mental tally - "Depends. You want to plan ahead for drinks? Or be surprised and spontaneous?"

Either way, it's fine with him. He's pretty sure he's ahead. And if he had any idea of the reference, he'd say he's ahead forty-three to forty-two.

[cryptsleeper]

[It's all fact, my dude.]

Precisely what I said. You've had some of the spicier condiments in Cadens, yes? Pepper sauces. Your blood tastes as if all of those sauces have been reduced only to the heat of the chili peppers used to make them and creates a deeply painful burning sensation. [Alucard's nose wrinkles, and he coughs just a bit at the words.]

I can still taste it!

[cryptsleeper]

I can't blame them for being guarded with strangers from other worlds. It is hard to say what knowledge they hold, or if they'll ever be willing to share all of it.

[Alucard doesn't know if they've clocked him yet. He offered blood, he peacocked hard in August. Everything else requires time, and he knows better than to rush ancient creatures. They think in decades and centuries, not weeks and months.

Jayce's question gets a shrug.]

No idea. If they're not of my world, the whole thing could be pointless.

[cryptsleeper]

Why would they limit themselves to one area anyway? [Gods, after all, can do whatever the fuck they like.] If their goal is chaos, they've achieved it.

[It circles back to needing more information. Alucard knows that, just as he knows it is going to be a long, long time before all of this truly settles.]

The other way to think of this would be to ask what gods counterbalance them? Who do you implore for calm rather than what we're dealing with now? Solvunn might have readier access to those answers.

[catholica]

Right.

( an assassin. he's almost not surprised, not with this place. he's been around assassins, known them and even loved them. the revelation that he is a killer for hire isn't something that bothers him.

what bothers him is that he'd been able to instill something in him that made matt see something so vivid and potent that he thinks he can taste the blood in his mouth. )

You touched me and I saw — death. Darkness. Blood.

[gynvael]

[ Geralt, meanwhile, simply does not think to ask for help. He's often taken care of these tasks—whether travelling with Ciri or travelling with Jaskier—and there's a comfort in the familiarity in a place that's currently...

Not at all comforting. The barren landscape leaves him uneasy. So does the looming marble statues. He'll not say it, but Nero's company is appreciated. A good distraction. ]

Most things make people nervous. [ Yeah. He understands that. (Ask him how he knows.) He means to say something else when the ground trembles. The ice above them begins to crack. He manages to shove the rocks blocking off entrance, diving out before the ceiling collapses.

He grabs for Nero, trying to catch him before he falls right through the fissure yawning from the abyss—but the gap is widening fast, opening up under their feet. ]

[godshattering]

[ It takes a bit but eventually Claude realizes why this particular set of injuries feels familiar: a wall wasn't involved then but it's the same strike Nemesis gave him back on a battlefield to send him sprawling. If that's the case - his shoulder and knee are his imagination, maybe, and just bruised. At least in comparison to his side since that part's still a problem.

He can worry about that later since now he's a little too busy with keeping the Sword of the Creator from extending its long reach, careful that with each deliberate parry he works to chip away the mechanisms or at least remove the serrated edges of the blade itself. Freikugel holds up - thankfully - and with a feint he lets Nemesis advance a step towards him. Maybe it'll buy Kyle some time to get away.

Or instead, it buys Kyle time to strike with his own blade.

The flashes of sparks seem much brighter in the darkness now that his vision's cleared enough to focus and as Kyle attacks it brings Claude to a halt to stare at what he can see of the weapon. A dangerous move for more reasons than one, and common sense to keep moving kicks in right after.

With one thrust of the axe Claude sends the no longer glowing sword clattering down the hallway before then using it to knock Nemesis off balance and onto his back. As for Claude: he advances again, axe raised, but slower than he should be while trying not to show it. Even if this is an illusion they're fighting, some twist of Horizon magic - all that training to keep him composed wins out. ]

[godshattering]

[ He'd thought it was his imagination that something was at the door and had somewhat aimlessly glanced its way when the wind shakes it in its frame again, but Claude's attention is back on Wanda in an instant at her mention of this being familiar. In the weather alone, maybe, but a wry smile crosses his face at the idea of going out. ]

Don't worry, I wasn't planning on wandering around in that any longer than I had to. I'm just glad we got inside before it really picked up.

[ One more look towards the windows where snow and ice pelt against the glass, and then Claude focuses on taking off the heavy cloak while ignoring all those Faerghan details within it to hang it on the back of a nearby chair. Might as well get comfortable if they're going to be stuck here. ]

The worst we used to have in Derdriu was thunderstorms during summer months. It was always too warm in the winter for much snow, and what we had didn't stay for long. Blizzards like this were more suited to Faerghus, the kingdom nearby. Students from there used to tell us about the long hard winters and they sounded miserable.

[ Off come his gloves to tuck into the inner pockets of the cloak for safekeeping, but with that also comes Claude swallowing hard as the tiny mention of those winters brings what he's been trying to avoid back to mind once more. ]

They're... those faces I mentioned seeing. The people from Faerghus, they're some of them. [ For a long moment Claude keeps his gaze on the cloak like it'll clear his mind before he looks back Wanda's way. ] They died in the war, but the Horizon decided to bring me parts of their clothes in this outfit.

[monomachy]

Once he's on his feet, Diana takes a step back to give him some room to try getting the worst of the snow off himself. She tilts her head back a little, looking up the steep side of the mountain. "I'm not so sure." There's doubt in her voice, but also the beginnings of an idea. "We are in the Horizon, and things don't always seem to work as they should here."

[ushiri]

Well... I did go after you first, so - I don't know what you did before, but you can call it self defense this time.

[ If that's any solace, he does seem genuinely unconcerned about the slash across his arm. And if it leaves a scar it will just be one more among many across his body. He continues slowly stroking that place along Jack's collarbone, tipping his head to one side. ]

What happened?

[ The other time? ]

no worries!

[monomachy]

[As soon as Ciri says it, Diana catches the distinct sound of hooves pounding against the earth. Her blood runs cold, and between the maze and the bull, she can't help but think of the stories she heard growing up of Theseus and the Minotaur. But while the creature that rounds the corner a heartbeat later doesn't have any of the features of a man, it does have far too many legs.

She hears the other woman swear, and from the corner of her eye sees her with a fork in her hand. The Horizon is not being kind today, it seems.

So Diana takes another large step forward, putting herself firmly between the creature and Ciri, blade out horizontally in front of her and braced for impact. She wishes she had her shield, but the sword will have to do; she just prays to Hephaestus that it won't break.]

[ordinar]

Wanda's explanation fails to smooth the worry from his expression, but he nods to let her know that he believes her when she says she's trying to fix it. The weight of her remorse that day they reconnected in the Horizon — on his birthday, after weeks of silent upheaval — was very real. He understands her need to set mistakes right, how it presses on the heart with an insistent gravity.

"I tried leaving, yeah." When he was running, and the mist curled and snatched inches from his ankles. "It didn't...it didn't work."

Wilhelm makes a face, self-deprecating.

"Well, obviously. But if something is wrong with the Horizon, then...that's not surprising."

He sighs, this time backed by more air in his lungs. He pushes his hands through his hair, getting it out of his face.

"I had kind of a weird dream last night. I wonder if there's a connection. When we all had those nightmares a while ago, and those...monsters, or whatever they were, were stalking us, the Horizon got messed up too."