EVENT #10: AFFLICTION - IC POST

[abraxasmods]

Event #10 - Affliction

go to the OOC event info & plotting post

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

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

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

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

Emergence

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

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

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

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

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

Affliction

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

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

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

Corruption

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

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

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

Blight

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

Omens

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

Solvunn

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

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

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

Free Cities

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

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

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

Thorne

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

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

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

Apprehensions

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

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

Displacement

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

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

Visitation

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

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

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

Ensnared

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

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

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

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

Scenes to Explore

JUSTICE ◎
FULL IMAGE

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

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

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

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THE CHARIOT ◎
FULL IMAGE

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

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

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THE WORLD ◎
FULL IMAGE

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

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

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

---

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

[philancer]

[ Sylvain just blinks over at him in confusion for a moment before going back to trying to wade through the deep snow and make a trail for them up the mountainside. ]

Has the Horizon's behavior over the past few days give you much cause to be optimistic about that hope?

[ Because that was not the impression he'd gotten. ]

If it was the size of an island, how did you know it was a beast? Wait, did it know you were there?

[hextechhead]

Jayce can't blame her for following her heart even if it will lead to pain. He wouldn't be able to ignore it either. The people he left behind he misses, but he knows they're still alive, that his mother doesn't even know he's gone so she will be safe and happy. It is the only reason he has been able to let that go being here. But what wouldn't he do to have her here with him, even if only for a few minutes? Even if in his head?

He puts his hand over hers on his arm so she knows he is there to support her. He gets a good look at her children for the first time. They're cute and he can see her in them. Jayce doesn't understand any of this, so when she looks at him, he just looks confused. He doesn't know that it makes sense, but she believes it, and he believes in her.

"Okay, I trust you." It seems insane but all of this is insane. "But not just me, they said they can get us both out. So we're both going." Jayce said he wasn't going to leave her and he meant it. And the kids wouldn't have said that if they didn't mean it. Apparently. If she's right that these constructs are helpful and not planning on leading them into disaster.

[gynvael]

[ So that makes...three diversions? He frowns. In its simplest form, it does make a certain sense that a catalyst would exist. A common defining point. He doesn't know what it means, either. Or if it makes any real difference upon this world. But it does open some dangerous doors. Does it not? ]

Mm. [ It's a signal that he hasn't anything more to add to the discussion. His knowledge of this shit, it's limited. He's only just started to learn, in the past year or so, that it's possible to leave one's sphere altogether. ] Perhaps the answers will come in time.

[ He stands up, walking to the heavy wooden doors. Outside, it's grown quieter. And sure enough, when he pushes open the doors, the swirling blizzard has died. Snow still falls, but winds have ceased to howl, the skies a bit clearer. ]

You'll be able to find your way down now. Just avoid the tendrils.

[philancer]

[ Sylvain kinda doubts answers are going to be anywhere as easy as that, but he's sort of resigned himself to that fact, as well.

He follows Geralt towards the doors, peering out into the white world beyond. He'd come to the same conclusion, although he does pause to mouth the word tendrils in a confused sort of horror.

Right. That sounds unpleasant. ]

Fine, but if your tendril monster out there eats me, I'm sticking around to haunt you out of spite.

[ With that cheerful announcement, he offers the man a playful salute before slipping back outside into the cold. ]

[gynvael]

[ Geralt rights himself as though he'd not fumbled his entry at all. He steps silently over the smooth white tiles for all the good it may do, given that he's also leaving a trail of blood and dirt. With his sword lost alongside his motorcycle, Geralt begins to dig through the drawers. Silverware, linens. Kitchen knives. He gives one to Steve.

It isn't a dagger. But it'll do. ]

No. [ Or if they were, those people are long gone. ] This appears to be some corner of the Horizon. Traps you for a time.

[ Unhelpful, he knows. He's found no solution other than to wander until they're released. Or in this case, avoid the spreading pink ooze. It pulses against the unbroken window on the other side, sticky, wet, a heaving sickly-sweet organ. Best they not wait for it to spread to the broken one. He gestures for Steve to follow. Behind them, the squelching grows louder, more insistent. Where are the stairs? A door? There must be one. ]

We need to go up.

[cryptsleeper]

Maybe for now. Who knows if they'll have their own Summoned, in time.

[There's more to say, but Jayce then says the word home. Gold eyes fix on him, intense and snapped to attention, even if the rest of Alucard is slack. He knows one thing for sure amid so much.]

No. I'd rather never return to Wallachia.

[hextechhead]

You're right, they could. Would you move here, if you could?

[ It's a reasonable question, if it turns out the vampires may end up being worth sticking around for. It would mean only seeing him occasionally if the square keeps open or Horizon, but Jayce would want it for him, if it made him happy.

As for the other thing, well. Jayce hasn't really had this talk with anyone before, he feels weird asking that question, but with Alucard and knowing some of his past, he isn't actually surprised. He waits several seconds before taking in a deep breath and letting it out. ]

If we can cure Viktor here ... I don't want to go back either. Not unless there's a guarantee he'll go back with the cure. Going back only to lose him, what's the point?

[gynvael]

[ It makes sense, at face value. The actual concept of it, less so. There's an extremely long pause, which can be mistaken as either Geralt ignoring her or accurately interpreted as him being genuinely lost in thought while he contemplates this new piece of information.

Eventually, he replies, ] I see.

[ He does not see, but it's of no consequence. It's the Horizon. He can acknowledge that her machine raptor was built by a more complicated machine, and leave it at that. He turns his attention to the sky instead, rapidly becoming blotted out in the growing storm. What's the distance to the pillars? He never reached them with Nero. They'd taken shelter, then collapsed back into the Horizon proper. ]

We should watch the slopes to the east. [ The machine they're riding on is heavy, steps weighted, and the snow is powdered—blown into loose drifts by the western winds. The last thing he needs is to end up buried. ]

[gynvael]

[ Were Geralt that sort of bastard, the smart thing would be to let Thancred go in alone. He is not, so despite knowing this is not the most intelligent option, he heaves a sigh deeper than a troll's stomach and steps in with the man. For solidarity's sake.

Regret is instant.

At first, he thinks he's falling. But the ground rushes to meet him with no impact, and he realizes he has shrunk. By a lot. Before him is a...his mind fills in giant, but that isn't actually true. It's an average sized frog. The problem is that he is apparently also a creature of equal size. He's—

Ah, fuck. How the fuck.

Though he doesn't realize it, the sword has shrunk with him, a tiny toothpick now latched onto his back. He hops forward to face the amphibious Thancred. He refuses to make any sort of. Frog noise. Geralt is silent as he stares at Thancred, as though the other man (frog) has a solution to their problem. His round eyes retain the same gold color and look of displeasure.

Great. Wonderful. He's glad he gets to experience this labyrinth twice.

Another hop brings a small pond into view. He pauses at the edge of it. Either they will turn back when they cross it, or they will be eaten by a water snake. It's too late to do anything else, though, so Geralt simply...puts one webbed foot in the water. If they don't change back soon, he may need to do something drastic. Like spike himself on the next trap and hope that solves it. ]

[falcony]

The longer he is here, the more he's reminded of just how much he does not like the cold. How he feels like his entire body has to remain tense, tight, just to keep it together. He's not shivering, not exactly, but he knows he's not going to be able to keep this going for long.

Thankfully, Inej is there not long after, and without really thinking much about it, Sam pulls her into a tight hug. "Not sure." He says as he lets go, checking the space around them. "It's not my domain either, but I've heard whatever has the Singularity off this time around is messing with the Horizon too. You're okay, though?"

[godshattering]

I meant after any battle in addition to the war part, since the aftermath from each field still counts. [ Sylvain has a point, but Claude's not willing to surrender this so easily. Not with that convenient little loophole. ] Honestly, it'd be more help considering we don't know what's coming next from either the Free Cities or Thorne. Or even Solvunn, if they decide to stop being neutral.

[ Too close to Fodlan, he thinks for the umpteenth time in a day, week, month. Even more so when he'd been the one projecting that neutrality for the Alliance and the reality had been anything but; for all they know, Solvunn could be doing the same thing. ]

They're definitely keeping secrets and likely a lot of them. I don't even think that's arguable between letting us leave the barracks with no questions asked after telling us how important we are to them. Can't really hold up a bigger sign saying, 'you weren't going to agree with what we're doing anyway' than that, if you ask me.

[ All of this is a lot, but: it also feels oddly like a start. To what exactly Claude's not entirely sure but the larger plan can be fully defined later on. What's really needed now is some smaller ones to build towards something larger, so maybe it's time to float one of his ideas out there. Better than talking directly about war, at any rate. ]

There's a thought I had - a while before this - about starting something to help support somewhere like one of the shelters or the orphanages with supplies. Food in the form of some kind of crops, maybe, if I could find somewhere to do that. Let alone figure out how to do that on every scale, but Viktor has some ideas we're supposed to talk about at some point for what advances he knows of that could help.

[funbreaker]

Piecing together Abraxian history. Who would have thought?

[ Still, Thancred has both Urianger and Istredd to interface with when all of this unpleasantness is over and done with, so he'll keep this all in mind. He is curious enough about this old god business and concerned enough about what it means for their future here that he'll put the work in.

There's a brief moment of shock that passes over his face when Alucard invites him inside. He's such a private person that Thancred expected the inside of his cabin to remain off-limits, but they are stuck with each other for the moment. ]

Well, far be it from me to say no. [ He gives a bow of his head and a little flourish, indicating for Alucard to lead the way. ]

[philancer]

[ Sylvain gives a quiet sigh, staring down into his glass for a long moment before lifting it and draining it dry once more. Setting it back on the bar top, he swivels to face Claude entirely, his expression firmed into a serious, focused expression. It's one he hadn't worn all that often back home, at least not before the war, but it's been making an appearance more often here in Cadens in recent days. ]

Alright, Claude. What do you need from me? What can I do to help?

I am alive! Ish! I can breathe

[hextechhead]

Maybe we're just the unlucky ones.

[ That would hardly be a surprise. And there are times when some of the Summoned are completely untouched by something that happens, so he assumes Jaskier either is being skipped or nothing has happened to him yet. He seems altogether pretty good at the moment, although what he's saying is disturbing. Jayce is deeply unsettled by the walking dead, he has taken to carrying a weapon with him just in case. ]

It was a very beautiful cemetery and I'm sure with your skills it'll be beautiful again once this passes.

[ He hopes that's reassuring. Jayce also happens to mean it. He's an intensely sincere person, he usually always means what he says with his full heart, even the light one-off compliments. ]

I'm not a fighter at all. I've been in one fight, and it ... was a terrible experience. I didn't save any lives, so what you did is definitely impressive, especially to the man you saved. Especially from terrifying aggressive corpses.

[ No, Jayce found out that he was exceptionally good at taking lives. His one fight he won very, very easily, and he had the bodies to show for it. He really hopes it doesn't have to happen again. In defense, absolutely, and he would do it the way Jaskier did if need be. ]

How long did it last then?

[cryptsleeper]

I would consider having a residence, but not all the time. Endless night was my father's dream, not mine. I enjoy the luxury of sunlight.

[And honestly, he likes his desert home too much. It is small and quiet and in a vast place. Most importantly, it is his.

Alucard isn't sure why he's surprised that Jayce would rather stay. With Geralt and Jaskier, he's suspected there are reasons he's not privy too. Things at home felt more immediate with Jayce and Viktor, and--

--it's obvious once said.]

Well, you can't take my blood with you, that's for certain. [Since that's the only thing working for now, and that's just a stop gap. All joking aside, he breathes out, agreeing in the end.] There's no point, I agree. But I'll still outlive you both.

[cryptsleeper]

Someone has to.

[Alucard knows he isn't the one to do it either. He's come to appreciate the simple joy of not having the past hanging overhead, a lack of prophecy, no reputation except for the one he's built by actions here. He's no patricide, he's not The Alucard, he isn't Dracula's son. He doesn't have to worry about the past of a world here except for when he chooses to. It is selfish, and he's stopped caring about that fact. If Thancred wants to take up the task, or knows others who might wish to do so, they're welcome.

He nods slightly at that shock. It is nice, having someone read a gesture for the little bit of trust it conveys.]

And far be it from me to leave someone in the rain while making a drink for them.

[Inside, kitchen is well stocked, a fire already going to fuel the oven. He reaches for a percolator style coffee maker, and the ritual of putting the filter and grinds in suggests that this is a gentle routine for him, like others have with tea. There's an exacting order in the kitchen, and a few sprigs of rosemary in a jar placed in the center of the table, both floral decoration and practical item.

There's a vague gesture from the dhampir for Thancred to sit wherever he likes. The kitchen may well be the only room in the cabin, save a small corridor that suggests a bathroom and a small bedroom somewhere.]

[hextechhead]

I'm from later in our timeline. He was days away from dying, maybe weeks at best, and he told me to destroy the Hexcore. He gave up.

[ The Hexcore he's making now in tandem with the experiments, which he seems to be confident he can actually make work now. And with all the other things here in Abraxas, it's probable that they can actually do it. But Jayce knows what he saw and what he promised and that there is no hope for Viktor. It is easier for him to say now than it was months ago, when he was fresh from it and bleeding internally. But it is no less painful to think about. ]

He saw it with his own eyes in my memory but still ... doesn't believe it, I guess. Once we cure him, he'll probably start talking about how we get back.

[ And Jayce doesn't think he'll hold to the same principle of insisting they have undeniable proof that he goes back cured. It's complicated and very difficult. Jayce is speaking candidly though, it's something he will probably hear if it all works too, later on. ]

That must be daunting though. Outliving all your friends.

[cryptsleeper]

Maybe. Or maybe he'll surpise you. What does he have to go back home to that either one of you can't do here?

[The question isn't really a query. Just Alucard making a point. From what he's gathered, there are politics and people that pose greater problems to the work that the two have pursued versus the relative freedom here. Maybe there are things he missed, and the dhampir knows he's biased.

But not everyone wants to outrun their problems either.]

Good thing Geralt's already old.

[hextechhead]

The Undercity, where he's from. He swore he would make things better for them using Hextech.

[ Jayce doesn't have to think about this, he knows exactly why Viktor wants to go back and that he will have a hard time letting go of it. He probably would put his life at risk out of sheer stubbornness. Jayce was always happy to work with him in designing new Hextech for the common folk, and yes, of course for the Undercity, but he never understood the depth of it. ]

Everyone has failed the people there. He doesn't want to. If he forces me to go back, I'll do it for him after he dies.

[ It's a lose/lose situation for Jayce and he knows that. It's upsetting, for certain, but he also sounds just wearily accepting of it at the same time. That is a fight he and Viktor will have to have someday, and he already knows how it will all go. ]

I'm sure there are other immortals or long-lived people who were Summoned, you should ask around. Make a club.

[ He smiles, teasing. ]

[assembles]

[ Even with Steve's trip to the border between Thorne and Solvunn, it's not like he really has much of an idea of what life is like there, save what people like Wanda and Thor have told him. The contrast between idyllic farm life and human sacrifice is pretty damn jarring, though.

Something pointed them in a new direction. That sounds ominous and he wants to know more, but Wanda has her own set of questions.

He steps over to also try and look at the books with her, but the information within is either nonsensical or it just refuses to stick in his mind. He heaves out a sigh as he returns one of the books to the shelf, then turns to Wanda. ]

A lot died, and then plenty more came back from the dead and had to be burned to ash. [ It wasn't pretty, to say the least. ] Murdock was one of the people who helped out — that's who I meant by your friend.

[ He drops that in, seeing that they have the time for it now, keeping a close watch on Wanda's reaction out of curiosity. From there, he moves toward a nearby window and peers out. The level of the ooze has definitely gone up since last they checked, but they appear to be safe enough for now. They really have no choice but to ride this out, anyway. ]

... And if it isn't about the war, then what is it?

[cryptsleeper]

[Ah. That would do it. Alucard had forgotten that there was morality involved. In a good way, of course, the kind that wanted kindness done and shared, but one that could undo a lot of his own work if things went just a little off track.

He breathes out, and a little puff of his breathe lingers in the air before the wind blows it away.]

I...no. You can't do that from here, can you? [Fuck.] A true and long term cure then demands pure biology, with no stop gap measures featuring impossible to procure elements. [Like him and hi blood.] Don't start making death avenging promises though. Those don't end well, in my experience.

[They end with dead family members!]

We'll just see who's left standing. Your method involves too much effort.

[godshattering]

[ Somehow, even despite the various turns everything's taken, Claude isn't really expecting Sylvain to face him with such a relatively severe expression. For a second he appraises the other man, like one might if they were expecting some kind of gotcha or they're used to constantly looking for one, but it never comes.

Well. Hard to doubt that conviction then. And yet - ]

That's the problem I've been stuck on myself. The main thing we need is money, and I haven't the slightest how to go about getting that level of it. Weird thing for nobility to be complaining about, isn't it?

[ He says this deadpan, because part of him is serious, but there's a telltale twitch of his mouth which plainly says he's trying not to laugh over the sheer absurdity of no longer having some of those resources they're used to. Funds included.. ]

Or maybe it's spot on for nobility to complain about. Could really go either way, but the money part will be something to figure out later when there's actual goals to put into motion rather than an idea alone. In the meantime, I've dragged some plants from out in the desert into town to see what can be done if you want to help me experiment with those.

[philancer]

Experiment how? What are you trying to do with them?

[ He’d spotted Claude a time or two messing around with what looked like a makeshift little garden, but hadn’t really been certain what he’d been up to. He’d just chalked it up to a new hobby or something. And hoped Claude wasn’t actually cultivating poisons or something. Claiming ignorance seemed wise, just in case.

As for the money, though. ] Well, since inheriting it is no longer an option… Earning it would probably take far longer than either of us want to think about. Which leaves… stealing it. Or finding a very rich patron willing to indulge your every whim. I suppose you could marry into money, too, that worked often enough back home. That one comes with more responsibilities than just an indulgent patron, however. Probably.

[ He might be teasing. There’s a glint in his eye that hints very heavily in that direction Although this is Sylvain so there’s a 50/50 chance either way right now. ]

[carmesi]

[if steve is expecting a reaction at namedropping matt, then he'll be awfully disappointed—but maybe it's the lack of a reaction that speaks droves in her stead. wanda's actions remain muted, her expression unmoved, as she, too, strays away from the bookshelf and watches as steve turns back towards the nearby window to assess their current situation.

the fact that he speaks about matt with such levity means that he's alright. it might also mean that steve encountered him under some non-lawyer circumstances; she doubts the undead need a lawyer to tend to their rights before a burning.

so, one thing at a time:]

I don't know. [wanda watches his back, eyes fixed on the center of it. her voice is devoid of any confidence; the rules of this world are so different from the truths and the darkness the darkhold had shown her.] Cannot be something that will go without opposition. If it were something good, then I'd imagine it wouldn't be having these hidden machinations.

[or, maybe, whoever is trying to make it happen has no voice.

wanda wonders if they should start trying to climbing up through the apartments. she can make a path for them and block it off behind them. it will be tedious, but slow and steady wins the race. but, first:]

...the way you keep bringing up 'my friend' — you know about Matt.

[about his 'secret', of the things he gets up to at night, a scarf covering half his face. about her and him, too, because steve is anything but subtle. only now does wanda move her eyes to steve's face, should he turn to look at her.]

Is he alright? [she asks, despite the ache she feels. matt had said some horrible things to her, embittered and angry, and wanda wished she didn't want to seek him out. still, she cannot help but care.] He was acting strange when I saw him last.

[ordinar]

[Wilhelm nods just a fraction, as if reluctant to admit that he relates to Claude's words. The whispers haven't relented, the strands of gossip all tangling together in his ears. His fingers curl over his knees. But strangely, he feels confidence unfurling in his chest as Claude reveals these scraps of secrets long kept. It's Adlewyrd's influence taking hold, pushing him to pursue the conversation despite his instinct to lock his feelings up likewise.]

Yeah. I got tired of it too.

[Tired of his every move and every mistake blowing up into national news, tired of everyone having an opinion on things that are nobody's business but his own, tired of being steered by his mother and the royal court.]

That's the good thing about being here. It's sort of like...starting over.