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

[cryptsleeper]

I've come to appreciate just being a pair of ears when these sort of things come up. It removes the concern about offering advice that goes poorly.

[If he just has to listen, then nothing can go so wrong that he will feel bad about it. Either way, this seems....well. Jayce needed it. Clearly.

Alucard doesn't get up out of his seat, but he does nod politely.]

Should the walk take too long, you're welcome to return.

[princessvegas]

[ She doesn't know how good her ideas are -- the first time she'd ever been to a beach had only been months ago. But she learned all the same Girl Scout and 4-H bullshit as everyone else she knew had, and shelter is always the first step. Protect yourself from the elements as best you can.

Gazing at the broken glass, she has a thought. It's half-baked, and maybe only occurs to her because she's drunk, but. She knows that she is able to things in the Horizon that are seemingly impossible for anyone else. She knows that, wherever they both are, it's still subject to the Horizon's magic, at least in some ways; they were both capable of at least the act of manifestation. Maybe not successfully, but they still got the broken pieces.

She knows that, when she was afraid and desperate back in Cadens, she called out to the Singularity. She's pretty sure it answered. And if she could do that, then...

Sighing, she closes her eyes tight. Rarely does she have to actively manifest like others; usually she can just have a passing thought and whatever she wants appears in conjunction with it, like her mind and the Horizon are working as partners. Here, it's not so simple, but it seems to be possible. She pictures the warmest, fluffiest sweater she can. It's navy, cable knit. A bit fuzzy. She gives it a silver zipper up the front. A hood, to protect ears. A pocket on each side for hands. There's a little stitched butterfly in silver, where there might usually be a Polo horse or a Brooks Brothers sheep.

And she pictures it on Rhy. Covering his arms, his head, his body. Summons every mental image of him she can, all the details of his face and skin. She hopes he's not taller than she remembers.

The blob hums furiously at her, enough that she has to cover her ears from the buzzing. The ground quakes, crumbles on the edges of some of the cracks.

(She doesn't say anything about it to Rhy. She doesn't want him to be upset if it didn't work.)

When she can't take the shaking anymore, she stops. The tremors continue for a moment, then quiet to a tolerable drone. Her brow knits. ]

Rhy. A few months ago. With the nightmares. Did you... did you try to come to the Horizon back then? Did you see somewhere else for a second?

[ It flashes behind her eyelids. The statues, the red strings, the tall grass. The Magician hanging in the sky. She'd been so caught up in the dreams that she'd barely remembered it, but it happened. ]

[a_better_man]

"Luck."

Maybe. Mat isn't really sure, and he finds he doesn't want to think about the particulars.

"It wasn't like this, all...metal boxes stacked together. Was a city, had streets and stairs and all that. Places to run. Gates leading out." Not trapped like this, as though on a raft moored in the midst of gathering storms.

"There's nowhere to go here, Jesper. There's nowhere to run."

That may be the worst of it, for Mat. The sense of being trapped, of having no escape strategy, no exit. There's only the wasteland and that...toxin below, that seems to be lapping at the walls of the odd thing they're on top of.

"What are we going to do?"

[nadine_he_loves]

"I'll do my best, but if they get violent, I'm not taking any chances."

Viktor doesn't seem likely to hold up well under a zombie assault. Nadine's not going to risk it. It's not worth it just for a sample...

And then something occurs to her.

"We might not even have to go right to the source, just back to the classroom I was in. We were doing dissections, Viktor! We were literally cutting parts of them out! There's a fresh zombie liver just sitting at my work station."

Unless someone cleaned up...but she has a feeling no one's gotten around to that yet.

[hairington]

[ no is both plenty an answer and not nearly enough of one. part of him can't figure out what exactly the no is in response to - the being here? if the horizon usually does this? if they're heading to something or not? part of him feels like he needs to repeat the questions, but then at the same time, he realizes he doesn't need to at all.

a similar space with someone else does pique steve's curiosity, but he also realizes they have something a little more important at hand, and his focus stays there instead. geralt indicates the window and steve does chance another glance out, and that's all the confirmation he needs. they are moving away from this stuff, which...well, it doesn't make him feel better, necessarily, but it does give him direction. ]

Do we know what happens if you touch it?

[ he feels like that might be important - to know what it does, to know what waits for them if they slip up, not that steve has any plan to.

soon after he asks he's heading up the ladder with geralt, though, keeping the knife in hand and his eyes open for anything else that might be useful. ]

[aquaveiled]

[ Patience is something that she has in excess, mayhaps to the point of allowing some things to delay or fall by the wayside. But when it comes to people, particularly in difficult situations, she's found it a boon. And for those she cares about? Those close to her? She will gladly let them take all the time they need.

What Wanda says doesn't come easy--but it's something that has weighed on her for some time, that much is certain. Himeka thinks back to not long after Wanda returned from her short (to those in Abraxas) break back to her star. That had almost broken her. She sought solitude, penance, haunted by horror, grief...

Things Himeka would not say were "okay". Wanda doesn't need to hear that. They both know it isn't. But they are understandable. When you're driven to the brink, mad with loss and desperation... you do whatever you can.

If she could look Emet-Selch in the eye and empathize with him, she can do the same for Wanda. Tenfold.

She keeps her gaze on the other woman, letting the world around them take a backseat for now. Quiet, waiting for Wanda to put it all out, pull into herself. She begins to falter and Himeka reaches out instead to place her hands on Wanda's shoulders. ]

They weren't good things. And...there are things that we have to live with. Our regrets. But...what you did, what happened--it wasn't...it wasn't malice or hatred. It wasn't a love of blood and sport. It was despair, wasn't it? You wanted something you lost. And you've no desire to do what you did before again.

[ Tall, darkened towers against the gentle blue light of a sea kept far at bay. Ghosts of the past, recreated with the attention to detail and care of a heavy heart. What was cannot be truly remade.

Himeka shakes her head. ]

...You do deserve happiness. Now more than ever.

[funbreaker]

Not particularly, no.

[ Thancred glances over to Sylvain with a crooked smirk. Both of their faces are reddened by the whipping winds, though in Sylvain's case it just means he's matching his hair color. Thancred tries to pull the collar of his cloak up and over at least the lower half of his face as the cold gets that much more biting.

He could speak to how he turned into a frog in his last Horizon adventure, which hadn't been all that bad, but Sylvain seems to be quite interested in hearing more about Bismarck. ]

From a glance he appeared like a normal island. [ He gestures out with one arm into the distance, then makes a semicircular shape with his hand — like the hump of a whale, in fact. ] But he was in fact one of the fae, and therefore my colleague was able to make contact with him and earn his trust in helping us. We rode him down below the ocean's surface to a particular location we had to access.

[ Just another normal day for a Scion. As Thancred speaks, he does continue to focus on where he puts his boots, not wanting to lose his balance in the snow. The higher the climb, the colder it becomes, and even he can't quite stop the shivering now. ]

[nadine_he_loves]

"Magic isn't that different than science. It all comes down to the same principles - manipulating energy and matter. When I use a fire spell, I'm not just chanting nonsense and calling fire out of nowhere. I'm utilizing a mantra to focus and use my own energy to combust oxygen molecules."

Nadine had fallen into Academic magic for that very reason. It makes sense to her. She can correlate it to what she already understands. Maybe she doesn't know all the tiny technical details, but she understands the principles.

"Asari?"

[hairington]

[ steve, for reasons unbenknownst to him, suddenly feels a bit like he's let wanda down with that answer, and he has no idea why. but there's something in her eyes when she hears him, something in the feather-light brush of her fingers against his temple. he hadn't even realized he was bleeding, but her frown suddenly has him feeling a bit...what? self concious? worried?

( it reminds him, very suddenly and very overwhelmingly, of his mother. of the kind of cool, direct, immediate look she would get in her eyes. ) ]

Followed? By what? [ truthfully, he doesn't mind the touch of it. feels a bit self-conscious by how much he feels like he's missed that. but wanda is already turning and steve has to remind himself where he is, what is going on. while she looks around, his eyes are on the small slits out to the rest of the area, to the distant movie still playing, silent, up on the screen.

it catches him off-guard to hear her say the word - demogorgon - but at the same time, doesn't surprise him all that much. why wouldn't she know? ] Some of them, yeah. They're the ones that are roughly human-sized, if a little larger. But they're not the only things. [ a beat, and then he's looking back to her. ] Did you see what followed you?

[hairington]

[ in eddie's defense, he is still relatively new to this entire thing - it has barely been months since he's, you know, died. and steve would be fully supportive of him spending as much time as he'd like just sort of letting that stew before he unpacks what all that's supposed to mean. and not to make this a competition of trauma, because that's not what this is, but steve has technically had...what? years of this? that he still hasn't bothered really touching on?

that is part of why this is so...off-putting. coupled with the way steve's felt his emotions stung out past the point of breaking for days now, on top of whatever other bonkers bullshit he's been dealing with whenever anyone has showed up in his horizon...steve is tired. beyond tired. tired in ways he didn't even know existed. and maybe the energy it takes to keep this all bottled up is better spent somewhere else.

( and maybe, just maybe, there's a part of him that's glad it's eddie who stumbled across this. steve doesn't even know where he'd begin to deal with this if it involved somewhere who didn't know what any of this even was. )

so he gets on the elevator and he hits the buttons they need and he doesn't react when the thing shudders and shakes into motion. steve feels a bit too stretched thin to be worried about any of this, even as he definitely feels eddie's worried eyes on him every second or so, glances that eddie might think he's sneaking, but that steve can tell each and every time. the words that do come are...well, they're not comforting, exactly, but they are something. something that takes steve's mind off of the spinning, if only for a moment. ]

Does that even count if I still don't know who that is? [ steve does breathe out a sort of laugh, some of the tension escaping with the sound, as the elevator climbs and climbs and then comes to a stop. the doors split open ahead of them, and steve leads the way down the small back hallway and through the door that leads to the lobby of scoops ahoy. he seems to heave a sigh of relief as they make it inside, finding some sort of comfort in the weird fluorescent lighting and cool air of the ice cream parlor. ]

[aquaveiled]

[ Look, it's not even that she doesn't want to (which she doesn't, truthfully), it's that she can't. It's just...it's just too tempting. She's normally a patient woman with about anything but food, but even this is a little much for her.

The fact that her warning came to fruition isn't something that sits well, but she does hope that her little public service announcement did give people a moment of preparation. Of course, this isn't exactly how it happened last year...what does that mean? The mages can't be behind this one, can they?

She's quite used to being tugged along, prone to following her whimsy when allowed out alone in the wilds as she is. (So many...side quests.) She's licking her fingers clean once again even as her face turns pensive. It's a strange juxtaposition of gluttony and warranted concern. ]

There's been no such botched-- [ Slurp. ] --ceremony this time around. Hells, the mages have been just has concerned.

[ As for not feeling herself. ]

Oh, it's been on and off, I guess. Mood-wise. But with everything dropping dead right in front of us, it's been a little difficult to really worry about much else...

[ At least she's still the sort to take any supportive role, chosen or otherwise, and run with it. Little does she know that her attempts to remove the affliction from the land are dulled considerably by her own new propensity to spread it. ]

What's wrong with you?

[gynvael]

[ While Steve examines the pulsing mass, Geralt peers into the attic. He can't hear or smell anything unusual.

He glances over his shoulder. ] It will not hurt you by touch alone. But it did consume my motorbike.

[ In small quantities, it seems harmless. As a giant moving ooze that devours—that's a different outcome. But nothing says the odd substance will behave the same way this time. Geralt has never entered the same place twice. He hasn't any idea if what he learned from his last experience will hold true. Possibly, everything has changed.

He ascends the ladder first, in case anything waits above. So far, it's quiet. The steps creak beneath his feet; Steve follows close behind. At the top, he pushes aside crates, knickknacks, then steps aside to let Steve through next. Up here, the thick sweet smell is less sharp. ]

[lightkeeping]

[Well, she appreciates the lack of follow-up questions, at least. Aloy is generally fine explaining things about her world (surface-level, at least), but she can recognize that this is neither the time or place. The Clawstrider, despite not being built for snow, is still better than trying to walk through it, but she understands what he means about the precarious nature of mountain slopes.

She can't promise an avalanche-free experience, when she gets the sense that it's not at all up to her, but the pillars seem to be their best bet--if they can make it there, after all.]

Do you want to keep going, or do you think we should make camp before that weather moves in?

[a_better_man]

"Something like that."

Mat chuckles, even if it's a bit weak. But there's no sense in putting it off further. With a sigh, he grabs a handhold and starts hauling himself up. It is not, by any means, the easiest wall he's ever climbed. The space between stones is narrow and daubed with some sort of cement. But the stone is rough, which helps. There's knobs and irregular hunks to grab and use as foot braces.

"Holds are real shallow, be careful."

And the light on the helmet keeps flickering, making it even slower going. Too much time spent feeling around above him and squinting, looking for another good place to reach for.

[familysucks]

Another grimace. There is very little good about Lucifer anymore, from his intentions to his attitude. He would not exactly count his presence as bad either, however. It would mean Lucifer is not dead. The relationship between him and his brother is complicated, to say the least.

For someone like Inej, though? So small and so human?

"In your place, I wouldn't consider it good."

Michael is not especially keen to discuss his brother or their history with a stranger, even one with a taste for prayer, so he omits his own opinion on Lucifer and turns the discussion towards her second question. There is no Heaven and no host of angels in Abraxas, nor any trace of the God he knows in Solvunn. It is difficult to judge how his perception has been impacted without those familiar elements.

"It may be a touch of both. Those directed to me are the hardest to ignore, though I used to be able to hear prayers meant for our Father if I made the effort. But we were of the same faith. What deity do you worship?"

Perhaps he hears her because she devotes herself to someone familiar.

[earthborn]

"I don't know, get you calibrated right..."

It's not as if she's enjoying this either. The idea of having to face down a random assortment of her least proud moments every time they so much as make contact... There's a reason she hasn't let go yet.

But isn't that the point, right? It's not courage if you aren't afraid of it in the first place. But if he knew exactly how rattled she was, how could she expect him to stand up and let her take it? It's what he needed from her right now.

Fine. Pain is temporary, isn't that the saying?

"Besides, we don't even know if this is like my thing. Maybe it's temporary, like the nightmares from before. Let's do some research, scout it out. Hell, this could even be me doing it."

[thearchangel]

"See, now you sound like every biotic I've met, and my head still can't wrap around it." Which is probably a Garrus Problem. Give him concrete numbers, solid tech. Controlling things with your brain, manipulating matter - molecules, whatever - that all felt totally out of reach. "I'll be honest, my specialty is tech and weaponry. Maybe that's the problem."

But honestly, it all really did sound like biotics when Nadine put it that way. Energy manipulation was how they threw people (or buildings) around with their minds. Or wove barriers to protect themselves. Still, he wasn't among their ranks, and only knew the basics of how it all worked. Enough to work with them, back them up, or kill them, that kind of thing.

"Yeah. One of the Council races... hang on." He has his omni-tool here. And the glowing orange interface appears on his wrist at a flex of his fingers. Shortly, Liara's picture appears hovering over the tool. "This is Liara, one of the crew. But, basically, they look like her. Blue, purple, head... tentacles..."

[londonbound]

Rhy settles into the armchair with him. It's a little bit of a squeeze, but the closeness is appreciated right now. He leans into Mat's arms, peering tentatively out the window at the people below, none of whom seem familiar to him. Somehow, watching them all moving about outside, unknown faces to unknown destinations, makes him feel even lonelier.

But Mat doesn't. Mat makes him feel seen.

"I know. I believe you," he murmurs. "Thank you."

[wiedzminka]

At least he's not a complete idiot. Ciri doesn't thank him or comment on the assistance, but she does take it; once the precarious stack has gotten taller and she's balanced a couple of chairs on a table, she climbs up and reaches down, expecting to be handed something else light enough to keep stacking as she keeps climbing.

"Some time," she answers vaguely, but with confidence.

"It may be possible, but I think it's unlikely. These places morph on their own, and they do not respond to the manifestation and manipulation we can normally use, even in others' domains. No, this is something new. A part we haven't experienced before. I think it is-- unstable, somehow."

She's almost reached the hole in the ceiling. And the unpleasant pink substance has almost reached the bottom table's legs.

[philancer]

It wasn't Claude's, was it?

[ He can't help but grin, because the little wyvern can sometimes be spotted around the Monastery here, as well. He doesn't pause to ask if Wilhelm even knows Claude yet, since just about everyone he's encountered here so far already does. But even if it wasn't his... ]

If it makes you feel better, the one that had landed on this place out of nowhere was also the first one I'd ever seen. Everyone thought them myth or legend before that. At least until it crashed down right in the middle of the conflict. Hell of a way to find out you were wrong about something like that.

I'm Sylvain, by the way. Since it was a little too rushed for introductions earlier.

[philancer]

I think you'd be stroking something a little different than their egos. [ The smirk that flashes across Sylvain's lips is wicked and instantaneous. Did you really need to set him up that well, Claude? ] But considering who those lords are, I can't blame you for being reluctant. Hilda's brother's not so bad, at least? [ Not really his type, but there are definitely worse options out there. ]

You're clearly in dire need of those lessons, if you're so quick to give up. Really, the challenge here would be to make them juggle you. Then you don't have to do any of the work and can still reap all the rewards.

But ah, well. I can't be too disappointed. [ He reaches for his drink, finishes the rest of it. ] If you're not going to take up a harem, it just means more of your time and attention for me.

[carmesi]

It was hiding from me.

[as she answers, wanda's hands have gravitated back unto each other, wringing one of her rings around, a gesture of uncertainty. sure, she could not see what was following her, but she could feel it; anyone who is being looked at as prey knows that feeling—that feeling of not being safe.]

This is your domain. Whatever is lurking here is something that you know. Demogorgons, or these other things.

[—this... nightmare world he's put together. these vines, the ashen quality of the air. wanda pulls her hands away from one another.]

What kills them?

[carmesi]

[himeka has become one of wanda's close friends here—if not her closest one; they live together, they share a bed, they talk about small things, and do so much for each other each other as if they were sisters. even if their worlds are so different, even if himeka's life is unlike anything wanda's heard before, there as an unequivocal bond between them.

and himeka always seems to know the right things to say.

it was despair, wasn't it?

wanda nods in agreement because she feels seen, because she finds this kind of sympathy often, but never quite vocalized. so easy to aim her towards the path of forgiveness, even if she doesn't feel deserving of it, so easy to want something good for her.

the hands on her shoulders are just a catalyst for wanda pulling the other woman into a tight hug. wanda still feels her pain, this grief over a life that could have been her—one life she would give anything to get a chance at. you do deserve happiness. it gives her peace to hear someone say that.

wanda needs time, and solvunn has a lot of that to give, despite the things that happen within it. wanda thinks himeka understands more than anyone that that's something wanda needs and deserves.

pulling back, she swallows, sniffles.]

Thank you. [for seeing me.] I... I still don't want to make any excuses for myself. [after a pause, they start walking again, side by side. and then wanda speaks up.] ...I think I can find happiness with Matt. I just — I'm afraid of talking to him while all this is happening.

[philancer]

[ To be fair, his weapon is neither shiny or new. It's all too familiar. And considering the jagged parts of the spear look as if they were crafted out of the bones of some massive beast... Well. The effect is more than a little creepy, honestly. Especially when it almost seems like they move every once in a while. ]

Oh, why would you tempt the fates like that?

[ He gives the most put-upon sigh as he rolls his eyes heavensward (ha) and turns back to the enemy that was now very intently bearing down on them. He can feel the heat of her fireball at his back but he doesn't let himself be distracted as he balances his weight on his back foot a moment before launching himself forward in a flurry of fast, adept blows at the... thing.

Which should be a pretty clear sign he's pretty far from a pacifist, at least. He clearly knows what he's doing. ]

[philancer]

[ He supposes matching the red of his hair is still a shade safer than matching the blue of his House.

But he listens intently as he wades through the deep snow, even though some of those words make no sense to him. He has no idea who or what a fae is supposed to be, for one. ]

Wait. The island monster took you under the ocean?! How did you not drown??