abraxaslogs | The time has come, the Walrus said, to talk of many things.

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The time has come, the Walrus said, to talk of many things.

Who: Istredd and the Thorne Summoned
What: Istredd called everyone to a meeting
Where: Istredd's Horizon
When: Friday, January 13th, midnight (technically therefore the 14th too)
Warnings: Discussion of Thorne's set up so paranoia, discussion of war, possibly some treason, who knows, it'll be fun.

HORIZON AND SET UP

The Tower was described by Istredd in detail so people would know where to go, and once they arrive the door automatically opens. After the meeting starts and he feels most of the Thorne Summoned are there, it will be locked to any outsiders. Istredd has tight control of his domain so it will also be shielded magically and sound-proofed so they cannot be eavesdropped upon. They get enough of that at Thorne! His domain is unique for being essentially a tower of books. Shelves upon shelves of books and multiple floors. The only other detail before the talk starts is that there are five ravens who will be curiously watching everyone from a perch nearby.

The main floor has been turned into a meeting hall of a sort, although mostly in terms of having a large space full of chairs and a long table if people wish to sit there. A key note about Istredd's domain is that people can easily morph chairs or create them in whatever form they'd want, so if you want them to have their childhood chair, go ahead. If they want a gaming chair, it'll show up automatically for them. His space is very intuitive. People can choose to speak either from the back of the room, as Istredd will do, or from where they sit/stand.

Attendants may notice that Kyle, Lucifer, and Kell come and go a few times, their intention to be visible to anyone watching so it doesn't seem obvious that there is anything suspicious going on.

After the initial formal talk and information gathering, people should feel free to explore the tower if they want. If you're a bookworm, go nuts. People will find that if they open a book it will appear to be empty at first, but if they think about their favorite book, the pages will fill in. It is entirely based on their recollection of the book so may not be entirely complete, but if their subconscious mind has memorized much of it, they will see what they need to in there. They may also find that was they move through the floors, a 'reading nook' may appear in the corner that will instinctively know what they would feel comfortable sitting to read with. If they would like to stay here, they can.

Istredd's domain is open when he is not there, so people can come back if they want later on.

ISTREDD'S SPEECH

Istredd will wait until it appears everyone has arrived or most people have and he will clear his throat to get their attention if they are already chatting with other people. He appears as he often does in Thorne, with very plain clothes in a dark shade of blue, serious and calm. None of his actual nerves show, although on the inside he is anxious about so much attention being on him. Even if he asked for it. He stands straight-backed, hands clasped behind his back. Istredd speaks in a very clear and calm way.

"Please sit or stand as you feel comfortable. If you want, you can create any chair you wish to sit in. I will say my piece here, but I would appreciate it if afterward others are willing to share their own information and thoughts. I know some of us are information gatherers and may know the history of Thorne Summoned, so whatever I don't cover, it would be helpful to fill in any blanks.

Whether you are new or have been here for some time, the facts are very clear: we are trapped in Thorne Castle. The other factions have a great deal more freedom. They can create their own businesses, live in their own housing, wander the streets or go on trips, and while they do have their own struggles, few are constantly afraid that a single wrong word spoken out loud will get them interrogated. Because of that, we are in a much more precarious situation.

We have to assume that Thorne is always listening, the castle has ears and magic everywhere, and they have already questioned anyone for showing the slightest bit of disagreement with the royalty.

Here is a quick current history of Thorne and the Summoned that I gathered, although people here who know more or who were there should add, as this is a summary. I assume there are some new people who have no idea that this happened. Thorne first Summoned people a year and a half ago, and when they did, they threw many of the Summoned into prison immediately. They were not told exactly why. They planned on executing one of the Summoned in a public place, and during that event, two unknown people appeared and froze all the Thorne mages. They gave the Summoned the option to flee to Free Cities and Solvunn. This was the first time any Summoned went to those locations, and the majority of them did leave. Eventually, as we know, Free Cities and Solvunn used the spell for themselves.

It should be noted that thousands of years ago, Summoning in Thorne happened, but it went poorly and the High Mage at the time was exiled. He ended up founding Solvunn. We know nothing else about that, but it is interesting that after all this time, they began again.

While Thorne has not thrown any new people into the dungeon, as far as we know, there are those of you who have been questioned recently about the situation with Yennefer in Nocwich or loyalty toward the royalty here. Suffice to say, we're not that far away from the potential of some of us going back into prison. I was made aware by Kyle that early on, a Summoned was taken and experimented on. Their attempt was to see if they could take a Summoned's connection to the Singularity and put it onto one of their own. It didn't succeed, so as far as we know it hasn't happened again, but that is not to say it won't. It's clear they are not above doing this.

I am sorry that this is all very alarming, and some of you may not have been aware of how tense of a situation we are in right now. But it's important that everyone is informed so you are not going into this blind. My reason for declaring this meeting is for people to share what they know, because knowledge is power, and being ignorant here is dangerous. I also would like to take this opportunity to encourage us to do the one thing we can to make this situation better: unify.

The more they can isolate us from one another, the weaker we are. If we are ignorant, ill-prepared, and disconnected, they can take advantage of us. And we have the power to change that for ourselves.

I'm teaching magic classes to beginners and offered the same to the Summoned. Stephen and Yennefer are also magic users who teach. My roommate Lucifer has volunteered to teach others basic combat skills, and I believe there are others in this group who have those abilities. Obviously, as I've said, it is dangerous to make us stand out too much, so I recommend offering it to anyone and the Summoned signing up, or to come into the Horizon and train here. If you have other abilities you can share with people, please consider offering them to the group. If everyone can feel confident in their ability to use magic and defend themselves, we will be better for it.

It's possible that by doing this I've opened us up to danger. It is possible someone here is willing to sell us out to Thorne, and if that happens, I'm the ringleader, so I hope the danger will fall on me. But please understand that they do not have any loyalty to us. We are all one bad day away from the queen deciding to imprison us again. As you've seen from the attack on Libertas, she can't be trusted. We can only count on ourselves and one another from now on.

I will open the floor up now to anyone who wishes to speak. You can share your information, experience, or thoughts and concerns. If you're willing to train others in your skills, please say so. There is a big book open on the table where you can write your information down. Everyone is welcome to stay here as long as they like if you'd like to take the opportunity to speak to anyone here without fear of being overheard in Thorne.

Thank you for coming. I apologize if this was long and boring. We scholars have a tendency to always sound like we're lecturing."

OOC NOTES

Hey everyone, it's Dee! I am so sorry for the tl;dr. I have the headers below: Speeches (information sharing/tl;dr like mine), Offers to Train (in whatever), and then everything else can be a Mingle.

If you want your character to speak/offer information but don't want follow-up questions, you can put 'OTA' or 'no follow-up' to indicate what your preference is here. If you put OTA people can reply with a sort of Q&A option, but the no follow-up idea is so that people can share information but not need to commit to that unless they feel like it.

The same goes for Offers to Train, you can make a 'OTA' to people who can reply to your character asking more or setting that up, or simply make it a statement. I want everyone to feel like they can play as much as they want here or just share.

And from there, mingle to your heart's content! Your characters can talk afterward, before, go explore the library, whatever you want, I support it. You can plan closed or open starters, follow your heart.

Jay reminded me that it may be relevant to read the game history page. Your character can have asked around for the pre-game history portion and know details about it.

If nothing else, I want people to take from this mingle that their character can hear any of this information and have it from now on for your RP purposes, and also have the opportunity to get them to learn skills from other Summoned/build CR that way. Do as much or as little as you want! If you have any comments/concerns, please message me on plurk.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ Kahlil arrives after the speech itself, noticeably either Lucifer or Kell seems to leave around the same time. It's easy enough to ask around and find out the reason is caution, they are making sure at least one person is outside of Horizon while so many of them are gathered inside.

His clothes are a copy of what he wears in the real world, simple and dark, the only embellishment being the symbol on the Hanged Man printed on the chest of his shirt. He's been here only since the end of the summer, and around the castle you may have previously seen him in the library trying to find out what he can about history and the gods, or passing through portals to Nott and Nocwich. He might also be known for studying High Thornean, or at least attempting to study as much as anyone is really able to.

Kahlil sticks to a nook on the floor up the first staircase, watching from there. He doesn't linger very long after most of the speaking is done, but he can be approached or stopped to talk. ]

( ooc: any info mentioned here is free to already know about him, including that his name is Kyle for anyone who wants to skip intros! can do brackets or prose )

[For the duration of Istredd's speech and the conversation that follows, Wilhelm sticks to a chair somewhere toward the back. He has no knowledge to share, no skills to offer. The best he can do is look attentive and knot his hands together in his lap to keep himself from gnawing on his thumbnail as he gets inundated with all this grim information. In short, he feel like...well, a dumb kid.

Kyle's tardiness is noticeable to Wilhelm, who is used to finding the man promptly at seven o'clock every morning for training. He has never once beaten his teacher to their meeting spot. When he gets the chance, he approaches him.]

It's not like you to be late, Kyle.

[There's a question in the slight tilt of his head.

Notably, he hasn't shaken the habit of dressing as he would in his world when he comes to the Horizon: jeans and a sweater, bright white sneakers and a shiny wristwatch.]

[ Between Wilhelm, Rhy and Jack, it's hard to say who Kahlil was most concerned about when he first met with Lucifer and Istredd the week before. Out of those three, he was most concerned how Wilhelm would take hearing what they learned, with how much he's already been grappling with.

But Kahlil misses getting to observe him, thanks to his late arrival. He doesn't have to seek Wilhelm out to find out, though. He gives the young man a slightly tired grin. ]

I talked with some of the others earlier. We thought it might be best that a few of us take turns being awake and on the outside.

[ To keep watch, and to pretend to be active for any watching eyes. He tilts his head thoughtfully, crossing his arms as he looks down the railing at the people still mingling below. ]

What did you make of all that?

[ Istredd's speech, the discussions afterward. ]

[Chewing on the inside of his cheek, he nods. Wilhelm can't find it in him, though, to return the grin.]

Oh, makes sense.

[Like a lookout. Until this moment, it didn't occur to him that the castle guards could, if they wanted, break into any one of their rooms and take advantage of their deep trancelike state. Everything is suspicious these days. As for Kyle's question, it takes him a moment to piece together an answer from all the things clattering around in his head.]

It's... [Hands on the railing, his fingers fidget and drum. He also watches the people on the level below.] It's a little overwhelming, not gonna lie. I knew about some of this stuff, like Thorne throwing all of the Summoned into the dungeons back then, but... [He sighs.] More and more, this place is starting to look like a fancy prison.

[In contrast to what he'd once confessed to Kyle: that had more freedom here than back home. The walls are closing in, the sky narrowing.]

[ He tracks Wilhelm's physical tics, watching him work out his response. When he speaks, Kahlil gives a slow nod in agreement. Had it been his choice, he would not have told the others what he learned from Geralt about the experiment. He's not sure it would have been the right choice, though. It's never been one he's had to make before.

His secrets always belonged to the church, or to himself alone.

He lets his gaze sweep the floor again before returning to Wilhelm, curiously: ]

What do you make of the recent newcomers?

[ Another concern. ]

[Surprise darts across his expression as he realizes that Kyle isn't just making small talk with him — he might actually value any insight he can provide. It does make Wilhelm stand a bit taller, as if this is another training exercise he's steeling himself for.]

I don't know any of them too well, other than Elrond. [Whom he indicates with a nod, although the elf had introduced himself to the whole gathering earlier.] He's my roommate.

[Wilhelm has probably mentioned a new roommate at some point in the last month, although he may not have named him.]

He's very...reliable. Like, he has a routine that he sticks to, and if he says he'll do something, he'll keep his word. He's probably the calmest person I've ever met. I've never seen him get angry or annoyed or anything.

[ Small talk wasn't his aim. Wilhelm is sharp, he sees through most attempts to appease and especially to coddle him. And his insight is useful. Here, people might speak more freely around him without thinking. Wilhelm could smartly leverage that, though Kahlil would never purposely put him in that position.

Elrond - he recognizes the man with the pointed ears, his brow furrowing. ]

I found him difficult to read. [ In a way that, for someone like Kahlil, made him want to end the conversation quickly and leave. No insult meant to the man himself. ] But that kind of makes sense, then.

[ An unnerving calm, to some.

And then there's the other person in Wilhelm's orbit - ]

I didn't realize you and Lucifer were close. [ His tone is neutral. ] He said he'd taken you under his wing.

[Difficult to read is a good way to put it. Wilhelm thinks of the placid surface of a lake, inpenetrable, unfathomable, no real way of knowing what's happening beneath the surface. But although he finds his roommate a little weird, he weighs his character to be good. He's about to comment further, when Kyle evokes Lucifer's name, and Wilhelm pulls back just a fraction as if its syllables have smacked him in the face.]

I guess so.

[It's not really an answer at all; it's a placeholder. Are they close? In some ways, Lucifer might know him better than almost anyone else here. A week ago, he might have held that thought down and strangled it. Now...he lets it breathe, tentatively, haltingly.

He's not sure how well he knows Lucifer in return, but in digging into Wilhelm's layers the archangel has had to pull down some of his own walls. It couldn't have all been a lie, what he glimpsed.]

It's... [Complicated. He sighs.] Yeah, he's sort of looked out for me since we both got here.

[ Kahlil waits for Wilhelm to gather himself, then nods again, brow furrowing. ]

He's a powerful and dangerous ally to have. [ He's trying to be careful with his words without sugarcoating too much. He knows Lucifer sees something in Wilhelm, and that he's concerned enough about Wilhelm's situation that he reached out. Had he learned of this a few months earlier, he would've advised Wilhelm to stay away from him.

As it is now...]

What do you think he wants? [ From Wilhelm, from all of them here. He lets the young man decide which way to answer. ]

[The thing is, he doesn't need Kyle to tell him how dangerous Lucifer is. Now, Wilhelm knows exactly what fire he's playing with. That's why, though he'd accepted his apology of sorts — with forgiveness of sorts, in the form of a second chance — he's proceeding with caution.]

He wanted to use me as a spy. [He shakes his head.] But I think he's backed off from the idea.

[Maybe only because the truth had come out about Lucifer's intentions and identity, but...maybe he would have eventually dropped the plan anyway. His eyes wander upward, glancing off the vertical lines of the tower's architecture. What does Lucifer want? In the last few months, he's prodded at the question until it's bruised.]

I think... Lucifer doesn't want to answer to anyone else's authority. He wants to have control over his life.

[They have that in common, unfortunately.]

He isn't going to go out of his way to hurt anyone who doesn't stand in the way of his goals. He doesn't just do things, he almost always has a reason.

[ He's known for a while now that Wilhelm is sharp and observant, but he's a little impressed by this assessment. Or maybe he should be concerned. Kahlil continues to frown, half-watching the floor. ]

I think you're probably right. [ About all of it. And he almost adds, you could be a useful spy, but he'd rather not encourage it. He should be bothered that Lucifer would attempt to use the boy that way, and he probably would have if they'd not recently had an unexpected conversation about Wilhelm very recently already.

It's off the table for now, at least.

He eyes Wilhelm, curious: ]

Do stories exist about him in your world?

[ His version of Earth. ]

[He didn't expect the precision of that question. Kyle had seemed unfamiliar with Christianity when they discussed religion, but now he wonders how much he already knows.]

Yeah. He's... [Wilhelm toes the bottom edge of the railing with his sneaker.] Well, according to the Bible, he's an angel who got thrown out of heaven. He's supposed to be, like, the embodiment of sin. His whole thing is tricking people and leading them into temptation.

[Too ashamed to delve into his own willful ignorance leading up to the moment Lucifer cracked the truth open across his head, he leans in a different direction:]

The first part actually happened, I think. [A shake of his head, a wry curl of his lips. He still feels insane admitting this.] At least, Lucifer made it seem that way. The rest...I don't know. The Bible is obviously biased.

[ He gives a grim looking smile, then shakes his head. ]

Wouldn't it be nice to have someone to blame all of your sins on?

[ Though not so much for the one who is blamed - he imagines Lucifer has committed plenty of his own sins, no need to accept responsibility for others. None of the demons from history had names in his world, no singular identities remain in Payshmura texts. But then there are no angels either. There is only Parfir, and his other aspect, the Rifter. ]

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ordinar - 2023-01-27 04:03 (UTC) - Expand

[It's one of the rare moments where they're both here, Kell tapping out for Kyle. Lucifer may dip out again soon, but he'll stagger it. Can't be too strange on the outside, either.] I know you were against telling everyone. [About the experiments.

Lucifer folds his arms as his gaze shifts out to look in Wilhelm's direction.] Sheltering them keeps no one safe. [His gaze moves away, not lingering on anyone in particular for long.] It may not happen again, or we may simply lose control of the information. [He knows Yennefer was right, regardless how willing he was to tell her that.] But they needed to know it. [He's not sure Kyle will accept that, and he doesn't have to.

They're all in metaphorical new territory now.]

[ It's with surprise that he glances at Lucifer. As the devil's gaze trails across the room, he continues to study his features in profile, waiting for him to finish before saying. His tone is neutral, despite what might sound like a defensive statement, there's nothing in his tone to suggest that: ]

I told Istredd it was fine. [ To share what they discussed - although this was after Istredd already made his announcement. By then arguing would've been pointless, and he was already thinking of ways to make sure this meeting went undiscovered. ]

It went better than I would've expected. [ No arguing or panicking. People sharing what they had uncovered. He doubts everything has been brought to the table: Kahlil still has his own secrets, and Istredd has left out whatever it is he's done for Ambrose. But that's expected. He frowns. ]

The gathering itself is what worries me most. [ It's why he was willing to miss the entire meeting just to make sure someone was on the outside. ]

Oh, trust me, I have that same concern. Istredd probably would've done it during the day had I not said something. [Despite the jab, there is an underlying fondness to his tone.] I pushed caution on everyone as much as I could. I'm not afraid of how the Summoned react--I'm afraid how Thorne will if they start to think we're actually more organized and aware.

[ An underlying fondness to his tone, there it is again. It's like when you notice greens stuck in someone's teeth and you want to point it out - but those teeth are sharpened and the person in question is prideful. He keeps his gaze off of Lucifer, sticking to those on the floor below. ]

I heard that there were Summoned here that supported the war. Did you know them?

[ He means Ronan. ]

[It might be shocking but he didn't ever interact with Ronan. It was partially because he didn't like the idea of someone getting into his dreams, even if it was to pull something into reality.]

I didn't. I did vet a reliable source [he's not going to say Yennefer's name; he doesn't know where Kyle stands with her and he knows that woman values reputation] about whether or not there were any remaining Summoned that were absolute flight risks [other than himself] and they weren't concerned about that aspect at least. That doesn't mean there isn't anyone still around, but I feel more comfortable with the odds.

[ He cocks his head at reliable source. It's fine for now. He doesn't give up many of his own contacts, presuming that most would rather not be named. ]

It's been some months since the last Summonings. We're due for another batch soon.

[ New people to 'vet'. ]

[He rolls his eyes skyward, not audibly groaning, but he may as well be.] New people, lovely. Exhausting. You think we can uh... uhh... ward Natasha's book? Super Secret, pinky-swear enchantments before you can open it?

[His tone may be joking, but there's a touch of seriousness there.

Even though... Ew that might come back to bite himself at some point. Well. That's what Istredd could be for, right?]

[ Well, even if Lucifer's joking - that's his immediate first thought. With a raised eyebrow: ]

Shouldn't you be asking Istredd?

[ Which, after a second leads him to: ]

Horizon doesn't always work the way we assume it does.

[ There's a hole in front of his tower that proved just that. ]

I only just considered it, so I'm asking you. [You know, trying to not be rude. Shocking.

What? He's gotta keep Kyle on his toes.] Honestly, that's another growing concern. The increasing Horizon... troubles.

[ Istredd has a whole library of useful information here. He really hopes this was thought about before everyone was invited in, but maybe you two really are bad about distracting each other.

Ugh.

His eyes narrow slightly. ]

Nothing too recent, I hope?

[He didn't know Natasha was going to show up with an entire notebook of information, thank you very much, Kyle. They can ward books easily, but ward it so only certain people can get at something, that's a different story.

He gives Kyle a dull stare. He's not hiding new information. Shocking, right?]

No, just all the past issues. Far as I know the Horizon was fine when I first got here. Then there was the strange flicker of other places and then literally being trapped in other places. And the issue with Istredd and your domains. It seems like things are getting worse.

[ He mostly ignores the look and grimaces again at the mention of things getting worse. ]

You're right. It's not so stable that we should rely on it but -

[ For once, he gives Lucifer an unguarded look: troubled to a degree that he doesn't usually allow to be seen. They don't have many other options. Not for places they can talk freely, without being easily noticed gathering. And writing anything down in the real world is off the table.

If they suddenly lost their connection to Horizon, they'd be at a disadvantage. But what else can they do right now? ]

The ones who were Summoned after us, as far as we know they haven't been contacted by the heralds yet. [ They won't have a gift in their domains that they can't remove. Would they return to claim the newcomers? ]

Edited 2023-01-22 18:28 (UTC)

Kyle post-meeting; open to all

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