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abraxaslogs2022-10-15 10:14 am
abraxasmods) wrote in abraxaslogs2022-10-15 10:14 am
Entry tags:
- !event,
- aloy; the hermit,
- altaïr ibn-la'ahad; the magician,
- alucard; the hierophant,
- castiel; the hanged man,
- cirilla of cintra; the devil,
- claude von riegan; the wheel of fortune,
- dante; the devil,
- dean winchester; the lovers,
- diana prince; the empress,
- eddie munson; the devil,
- garrus vakarian; justice,
- geralt of rivia; the hanged man,
- himeka sui; the fool,
- hythlodaeus; the empress,
- inej ghafa; the hierophant,
- istredd; the high priestess,
- jack townsend; the moon,
- jaskier; the sun,
- jasper; judgement,
- jayce talis; the magician,
- jesper fahey; the wheel of fortune,
- jo harvelle; strength,
- julie lawry; the wheel of fortune,
- kaz brekker; the chariot,
- kell maresh; the magician,
- kyle; the hanged man,
- kylo ren; the tower,
- lucifer; the devil,
- mat cauthon; the wheel of fortune,
- matt murdock; the tower,
- michael; the emperor,
- nadine cross; the world,
- nero (dmc); the chariot,
- petra macneary; strength,
- prince wilhelm; the tower,
- rey; the star,
- rhy maresh; the lovers,
- ronan lynch; the moon,
- sephiroth; the tower,
- stephen strange; death,
- steve harrington; the lovers,
- steve rogers; the hierophant,
- sylvain gautier; the sun,
- thancred waters; strength,
- urianger augurelt; death,
- viktor; death,
- wanda maximoff; the hanged man
EVENT #10: AFFLICTION - IC POST
Event #10 - Affliction
go to the OOC event info & plotting post
With tensions heavy across Abraxas and all the destruction that's happened, it's no surprise that the dark shadows which sweep over the land go unnoticed...at first.
Winds initially stir in Solvunn, where the influence of the Old Gods remains the strongest. Slowly each Herald infects Thorne and the Free Cities, as well. The Summoned are the first to feel its effects and are the most heavily impacted.
Though no one will realize it until well afterwards, Nocwich remains unaffected. After all, the Summoned don't reside there.
NOTE: This event will deal with themes of death (people and animal) and horror imagery.
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.
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:
Whispered around you, you hear its name. Then it fades and with it the dream. You awaken.
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 LandsMake 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.
◎ 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
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?
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
ᴏᴛᴀ | ᴠɪꜱɪᴛᴀᴛɪᴏɴꜱ | ᴛʜᴇ ʜᴀᴜɴᴛᴇᴅ ʜᴏᴜꜱᴇ
The Roadhouse is offered as a safe haven to those who need it in quiet times, and even more now when the world is an explosion of problems, some of which they can point to, and some seem to be happening for no reason, which is great. Until it isn’t. As all the Horizon, and especially the deeply connected locations without it, begin to malfunction, so does the Roadhouse.
People who come in, new and old, to the hunter’s hangout will begin to realize things are wrong. The jukebox cranks itself to a bleeding noise level without warning. The bar bottles shake or shatter on their own without being touched. A barrage of hunter voices suddenly whispers through from every direction, all over layered, all telling the stories of the worst horrors of what monsters have done. Occasional smells of sulfur or sudden cold spots. Creaking. Ectoplasm suddenly excreting from random places. Blood stains on the floor, or trails of it from the door into the back rooms.
It will do any combination of the above but then look normal the next second. It flickers randomly without warning from its fully formed, perfect normal appearance of a smoking ruin, then changes to a room full of screaming shadow-hunters trying to beat the walls, the windows, and the doors, which are all locked, before the place starts burning down, swarmed by demons.
The Roadhouse will also be listening to people’s fears and associations with what haunted hours should be doing, and then it’s suddenly doing it. All haunted house horror schtick, at the smallest or largest levels, welcome here.
no subject
It's not a look he sports often, if at all. Like a wounded animal, or an injured bird he knows better than to display weakness. Still, the bunker and its towering walls and many rooms offer him some consolation in the midst of his grief. The constant death and decay that follows him haven't found him here, and he can alter it as he sees fit. In the kitchen, a box of Jack's favorite cereal sits untouched a small reminder of him and a way to keep him close even in this new alternate plane of existence.
Castiel despite having his own room is at the large table in the main entrance room of the bunker, seated in his usual chair with his chin in his palm. Solace felt far off, but a moment of silence away from the droves of corpses, the risen dead, and the constant cyclical memory of his demise is a boon now. He looks meditative, eyes closed, posture slack.
no subject
Jo comes in the door, exhausted, catching sight of Cas' hunched shoulders from the back. Even as she's just heading down the stairs, she calls down, "I know I said I missed things being like home, but I think I'm missing not having viscera in my hair now."
no subject
Castiel wasn't expecting company but he should have, and he knows that. He's not the only one suffering the exhaustive side effects of whatever was influencing their turmoil. The dead were rising, and the Free Cities had subsequently shifted into chaos once more.
"Spend some more time in Cadens, and I'm sure the uprising will be more than happy to facilitate that." Castiel hasn't moved from his spot, a comfortable little nook that he's made his own. Had he not announced himself with the comment, he would have been just another part of the backdrop as still as a statue at the table with nothing else to accompany him but the deep frown-lines etched into his features.
no subject
That was definitely a recipe for getting more viscera, blot cots, body parts, and god knows what, as it came spraying out of the zombie bodies, in her hair, on her clothes, and in her mouth when she wasn't paying attention. Things she didn't actually give two fucks about and would be right back out into after the slightest pause. A tiny break. A tiny bit of sleep, food, a once over on their places.
"Everything still ship-shape and untouched down here?"
It's weary, regimental, and under it, without the sound of it in her voice, hopeful. It's been a minor miracle that anything is, especially with how bad the Roadhouse is acting up (and everything that happened the first time she tried to come into the Horizon at the beginning of all this).
{'Cause, baby, you're a haunted house » OTA
Her association with the bar as a safe space is shattered the second she walks past the threshold of the door. A gasp escapes her as she takes in the state of the place– the lights are almost completely out except for a few stray bulbs not touched by the apparent blackout in the building.
"Hello?" she calls out, frowning, fingers trailing against the line of the bar to keep her place in the room as her eyes adjust to the mostly-dark of the room. "Jo? Dean... Geralt?" they're the most easily expected to find here, but she'll take anyone. Eventually, her finger slides over something thick, wet and slick, she squints in the dark trying to make it out, but it isn't until she makes it to the next shining bulb she can see the red tainting her fingers.
The strength of the afflictions she's suffering from are stronger in the Horizon, and she can hear Tante Heleen's cruel tones whisper, "Will your Saints accept a killer?" She isn't sure if anyone else is even in the bar, or if they can hear the phantom that's chased her so relentlessly.
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Weird, nebulous sensation, fingers running down her arm, but something deeper. Like it walked through her. Like. Jo looked up from the big table. Past the stairs, to the door. This was the only place that wasn't touched. But she could feel it. Like something was strumming a line in her. Something pulling, she couldn't name what inside of her, orienting her to the bar.
She pushed off her feet and took the stairs a little faster than average.
"I swear to god if I open this onto a cliff this time," Jo muttered as she opened the door with The Baddass Is: In on it. But there's no cliff. And no bedroom torture chambers. It's the bar, the flickering lights, cold bites into her skin instantly, and the sound of someone walking, which makes Jo take a few steps out into the mess of the bar (pushing past glass ground in her teeth annoyance that squeezes her ribs for that).
"Inej?"
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“Jo,” she breathes out and steps toward her, hesitating to a stop only a couple of steps later because she suddenly isn’t sure she is Jo. This isn’t the RoadHouse, not the way she knows it, twisted, a dark mockery of what it’s meant to be, so close… but just uncanny enough to be uncertain. What’s stopping Jo from being much the same?
She glances down at her blood-slicked fingers for a brief second before snapping her attention back to the older woman. “Is anyone else here?” Like Dean. He always felt… safe to her.
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"Sorry. He's out. Cas is still in the back—" Back, rather than downstairs one because she doesn't know if Inej knows yet, but too, and biggest, because The Bunker hasn't malfunctioned yet, and it maybe he a fucking cliche of hopeless hope, but maybe if she doesn't mention it, the House won't take her up on changing that right now, too. "—but he's down hard with all this shit, too."
Jo's eyes narrowed on someone right behind Inej. More dark shapes and specific in the dark of the room. Except that feels wrong. "You got a friend, there?"
feel free to take control of Heleen, I trust you <3
Her whole body goes very, very still at that question. She hadn't come here with anyone, which only means one thing: The phantom that has been plaguing her has followed her to the RoadHouse. Unfortunate. She had hoped here she could find a small respite.
"She's no friend of mine," she assures her, jaw set in a tight line, shoulders tense as she feels that thick, cloying presence that always tagged along with Heleen. The kind of sweet that hides the knives in the words.
"Ohh," croons the woman, "don't be so sour." Her fingers trail over Inej's shoulder as she breezes by her, heading straight for Jo. She stops just short of her, taking a slow walk all the way around her. Appraising her, a soft thoughtful hum in her throat. "She's a bit older than most of the girls," When she stops in front of her again, Heleen reaches to take her chin between her fingers and turn her head. "We could pass her as a Fjerdan wolf, don't you think, Little Lynx?"
Her blood boils at the way she assesses Jo the same way she always did every new indenture she took on. "I think," Inej's words are bitten out sharply, "you will find Jo a lot harder to intimidate than most of your charges."
Re: feel free to take control of Heleen, I trust you <3
That new word is still recognizable. Fjerdan. Something about her looks.
And the way the woman considered her body like a piece of stock cattle out on a ranch.
"She's right," Jo says about Inej's words without looking at Inej herself. Staring at the woman who is more ghost than woman and yet more solid than a ghost should rightfully be. The lights consider to flicker and buzz around them, through the bar, and every moment it seems to change whether the light is going through that body in front of her or reflecting off her rich skin.
Scornful promise in her retort, "I bite back." And so much worse.
The woman's smile seemed only more domineering. "There are always clients who pay top dollar to sate the hunger to—" She savors the drawl, turning her look toward Inej again. Letting the space build the intensity of it "—tame something beautiful and wild."
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Inej wonders if the lights flicker for Jo’s agitation or Heleen’s. Or maybe it’s coincidental all around. Who can be sure given everything that’s off and wrong these days.
“You never tamed me,” she bites out sharply.
“Oh, but didn’t I?” She doesn’t even walk the space from Jo’s shoulder to Inej’s, she’s just suddenly there, pausing in front of the girl, uncomfortably close and makes it worse still reaching up to stroke delicate fingertips across high-boned cheeks.
Despite her attempts at resolving herself, Inej still recoils from the touch. Icy cold and somehow both solid and feather-light enough to wonder if anything had been against her skin at all. “Yes,” she purrs, a soft amused sound rolling low in her throat. “You may have escaped with the barrel rat, but you will always… be… mine.” The last word holds a possessive curl that matches the curvature of her smirk.
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Very much a ghost move. Except ghost shouldn't be in the Horizon. At least, she'd assumed that.
Had she ever asked? No. It's like the way zombies shouldn't be in the streets, but they are. That one hadn't surprised her. Zombies in the real world happened, even if other people thought it was only kin media. It annoyed her that this Horizon one had. It might as well be a good assumption to go with nothing being assumed in this place, too. She needs to know so much more about it. Maybe once it stops being fucked up. If it ever stops being all fucked up.
"Fuck the fucking fuck out of that," Jo snarls it.
"Inej only belongs to herself and whoever the hell she wants to belong to, and I gotta tell you, lady hellspawn, if you haven't figured out what that looks like, it definitely ain't the look on her face now."
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Her lips pull into a tight line, but there is nothing to say. And maybe the worst part is, some part of Inej really does believe that in a way. That this is a demon she will never be released from, that no amount of time or distance or anything else could ever really make her stop being haunted by Heleen or The Menagerie.
Kaz had always been her safest bet, and even he hadn't been able to protect her completely- from Heleen, or Van Eck to no fault of his, specifically, but that sense of shield against the worst parts the Barrel had to offer had been cracked. Apparently, enough for some parts of it to leak through to this world, where all those things can come back to plague her again.
It's a blink-and-you-miss-it flicker of something across her face. She tries to focus on Jo, and only her, "I thought I could escape her here... it worked before. I suppose- it's...stronger. For some reason. Whatever's causing," she gestures vaguely with a wave of her hand. "all of this." So many things are happening everywhere she looked, both inside and out of the Horizon.
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“No one will ever love you but us, dearest,” she hears Delilah Briarwood’s bloodied, poisonous whispers murmur in her ear as she moves through the Horizon. The afflictions are stronger here, but she’d come anyway. Hoping for… a reprieve. To find sanctuary. Something. She doesn’t know what.
She’s taken to avoiding reflective surfaces. Afraid of what they’ll show. Or rather, afraid of what they won’t. Her reflection is gone, now. As Sylas’ was. Had been since she’d… known him. And the last time she’d seen it… she’d had fangs. Her worst fear. To have become like him. Vampiric. Evil.
The Roadhouse is… a place of safety, of sorts. Of noise and distraction and camaraderie.
Or it was. She can smell it, the moment she steps inside, the metallic tang of blood. She’s smelled it before, the night that Whitestone fell, and she can scarcely breathe for the smell of it. The memories choking her. “Have you brought ruin here as well? Everything you touch turns to ashes,” Delilah croons.
But there’s someone else here. Someone she knows. Someone she calls friend, even.
“Inej?”
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It was the only thing she could think to do, with the horrors taking place in the city, the Horizon seemed the safer option. Less so now, suddenly, given the state of the bar, of the way she can just almost feel the presence of Heleen in the place.
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"Are you well?"
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"No," she answers honestly, shaking her head. "I had a dream about a mirror- broken and no reflections... and I'm effectively being haunted." Beat. "Again." Because this is not the first time she has had Heleen used against her in this world. Nor does she believe it would be the last. "You?"
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He’d left. He’d escaped the hell that had become their home.They’re not alone. And it makes a difference. It makes all the difference.
She shakes her head, a quiet, small movement. “Haunted as well.” A pause, a hitch in her breath. “The woman from the memory you saw.” Inej knows. Had seen one of the earliest of so many wounds that had been inflicted on her soul.
Will the Briarwoods ever let her be? “Never, dearest,” Delilah murmurs in her ear, as though she heard her very thoughts. “You’re ours.”
feel free to drop <3