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Entry tags:
TDM #2
TDM #2
DREAMING (new characters)
At first, there is nothing. You are nothing. Whatever existed before ceases to be if for a moment. Then, bit by bit, you start to become aware. Where there was not even darkness now is a dim haze, gentle and almost mist-like. You have limbs again and beneath your feet lays a path of light reaching out like limbs of a great tree beneath you, twisting and climbing out into the horizon.You take a step forward for what else is there to do? As you walk you begin to remember what it was you were doing before the nothingness; maybe something as simple as chatting with a loved one or close friend. Maybe you were just beginning a great journey or facing off against an old foe. Whatever it was, you get the distinct feeling that wherever and whenever that was, it is not here. Not now.
The path of light twists off into different directions. When you look up you can see that it is not a sky above you but the sky of everything, a grand cosmic tapestry littered with not mere stars but galaxies and clusters of galaxies that gleam like crystals against the velvety backdrop of space. Admire it for a moment, if you will. You don't know how long you will drift here, but you are not alone. Other wanderers will come and go as you bask together in the vastness of creation.
It seems to you that there are two paths to walk in this place, the light and dark beckoning in turn.
❖ THE LIGHT AT THE CENTER
One leads you to the center, splintered fragments folding together and colliding until only one thing remains: a light that speaks to you with the voice of all there is and has ever been. It greets you simultaneously as an old friend and as a lost child, both rejoicing in and mourning your arrival. You remember it too, somehow, with a feeling of complex nostalgia, as if returning to a place recalled from your distant childhood.
You’ll feel the same of the other wanderers that join you in the light; you know their faces, their voices, and as you reflect upon the world of your birth, you may witness fragments of theirs as well. You feel a comradery, then, a synchronicity of thought and emotion. Are the lives of others truly so different from your own? Or are you simply two hands of the same, greater being? Though some individualistic part of you may resist, the longer you spend in the light, the more you will find yourself becoming one with it.
Despite this welcoming call, no matter how eagerly your pursue its embrace, before you can fully submerge yourself in this oneness you will find yourself being torn away. As if seized by the impossibly long, cold arm of a creature unseen, you are plucked from the edge of fulfillment. The last thing you will remember is the sensation of your world, and all the others your experienced here, collapsing into nothingness.
❖ THE DARK OUTSIDE (CW: deep despair, ego death)
The other leads towards the outside, where the splintering becomes so great that the vestiges of reality can do nothing but collapse back into the abyss at the end of everything. As you wander to these barren outskirts, your thoughts will not be drawn to familiarity and oneness, but instead to memories of discontent and waste. The darker the path becomes, the more you find yourself dwelling on life’s disappointments and injustices, of the things about yourself and your world you find wanting.
If you see others here, at first they will feel frightening or contemptible, as if representing to you the worst experiences in your life. Even if they are someone you’re certain you know, that familiarity and affection will be stripped away in the face of the great emptiness before you. In the end, you were all the same. In the end, none of this was worth it. If you approach the end together, you may even form a kind of kinship around this acknowledgment, as the need for paranoia and hatred fades.
Slowly, the darkness encroaches, and you can see it devouring all the things you once knew. Memories of your home, of those you loved, dissolve into nothing, and you can only reflect on the barren emptiness in your heart as you see it happen. In your final moments, though, you feel peace with it all, knowing that there was no other way. You step from the edge of the last dwindling fragment of being and are greeted by silence.
❖ THE END
No matter which way you go, you are left with a single impression: you feel the world you came from die. It's a realization that transcends logic or sense; it weighs on your heart and leaves the vestiges of dark memories dancing in your thoughts like motes of ash. It's a memory of your home crumbling away into nothing as if consumed from within by rot. Returned to the void, all that's left to you is to be reborn.
REBIRTH (new characters)
In a new time and place, you awaken. Stirring within a capsule of warmth and isolation your senses will slowly return, only to observe that you are trapped. Your body, as it wakes, is tangled in close, yours eyes unable to open, as if still within the womb. You are held tight in the embrace of something unyielding, so smothering that at first you only have the strength to struggle for moments at a time. Yet, as you persist, the pressure begins to relent in turn; it may take hours, but eventually you will find the purchase to push, to claw, to fight, and it will all give way.The chrysalis surrounding you bends like flesh and cracks like glass. It tears as you force your fingers through, finding liberation one inch at a time, until finally you have emerged. As if having undergone metamorphosis, you feel old and new all at once. You are weak, piteously so, but the markings and scars of your previous life remain. As you slump down upon the smooth cavern stone, you realize that you've just wrenched yourself free of gigantic crystal, though its hollow, shimmering form is now in pieces on account of your passing. Somewhere on your body, a shard of similar material remains embedded.
The cave itself looks almost like the inside of a geode, the walls and ceiling bedazzled with greyish crystal that shines with all the colors of the rainbow. While they vary wildly in size and shape, only a few have grown large enough to hold a form like yours, and you can see the one you just escaped isn't the only one bearing a passenger within. They may have already hatched, or they may still be lingering in stasis. Either way, there's enough time that you may have a chance to speak to yours unexpected peers, or to perhaps to struggle to find something to cover your naked body with. You feel the chill of the open air against your moisture laden skin, a distant light trickling in through the cavern's opening.
Make the most of this time. It won't be long before you're interrupted.
[Mod Note: If you don't want to deal with your character being naked in front of the others at that location, feel free to assume they emerge at a different time than the others of their legacy. Characters will be 'hatching' over a period of several hours.]
DREAMING (OLD CHARACTERS)
For those already in Horos, they will find themselves in the same dreamscape as the new arrivals, only, this time, it's familiar. You'll feel more cognizant of your surroundings as you reawaken in this psychedelic realm, more in control of your emotions. What's more, you recognize that light at the center and the darkness at the edge: it's the Pleroma and Kenoma respectively. The one you are attuned to will call our to your soul, and though you are technically free to wander as you please, the closer you get to the force of your opposite sect, the more it will grate against you spiritually. Pleroma attuned nearing the Kenoma will feel as if its presence is desperately trying to tear them apart, and Kenoma attuned nearing the Pleroma will feel as if its light is burning them from the inside out.
More importantly, you notice that entirely new souls are wandering here with faces you didn't see in the cavern. It gradually becomes clear that they are Aions in the same state you were prior to your rebirth, lost and wandering this stretch of the cosmos with no idea what's to come. Maybe this is your chance to ease the confusion of their arrival, or maybe you'd simply like to scope out what kind of people are on their way. It's also possible for you to run into Aions already in Horos, wandering just like you are. Unfortunately, things are a lot less neutral than they are the last time you shared this realm.
No matter what you do, eventually the cosmos above will begin to burn out, just as it did the first time you were here. As darkness swallows reality itself, you will wake with the visceral memory of your world corrupting and breaking apart.
More importantly, you notice that entirely new souls are wandering here with faces you didn't see in the cavern. It gradually becomes clear that they are Aions in the same state you were prior to your rebirth, lost and wandering this stretch of the cosmos with no idea what's to come. Maybe this is your chance to ease the confusion of their arrival, or maybe you'd simply like to scope out what kind of people are on their way. It's also possible for you to run into Aions already in Horos, wandering just like you are. Unfortunately, things are a lot less neutral than they are the last time you shared this realm.
No matter what you do, eventually the cosmos above will begin to burn out, just as it did the first time you were here. As darkness swallows reality itself, you will wake with the visceral memory of your world corrupting and breaking apart.
SEARCHING (OLD CHARACTERS)
Soon after the dreams begin, it will become clear that the Aion NPCs of either sect are also aware of what's happening. For those in Achamoth and Greentruth, the imminent arrival of new Aions will become a matter of official discussion. All able Aions will be called upon for their aid, in whatever way they can offer. Getting to the shrines themselves will be easily accomplished via teleportation. What's would be more complicated is ferrying any new arrivals back to a secure location. Thankfully, it seems this is something both sects have already prepared for. All characters will have the opportunity to acquire a 'returning stone'. In all cases, this will amount to an amulet made of the same shimmering material as the shrine monuments, though the stylization differs between the Pleroma and the Kenoma. While regular Aion teleportation can bring you to any of the shrines you know the sigil and location of, a returning stone is magically programmed to bring its wearer back to a specific destination to which it is attuned. Normally, these stones will only be able to store enough energy for one 'return' a month, but it turns out that the ambient power created by the shrines being active will temporarily super charge them. Though it's not guaranteed, this means they may generate enough energy to perform multiple returns for TDM purposes.
Spare returning stones will be issued to all Aions so that they can be used to bring back anyone they collect, as it's possible to bring someone alongside you if they are also wearing a returning stone. Where your stone leads will depend on your sect.
❖ PLEROMA
Tehri will be the one to supply returning stones, based out of Greentruth. She will not travel to Godsblood to deliver returning stones to those that have not visited Greentruth, but it can be assumed that Greentruth's visitors can pass them along to anyone who has been staying in the city. The returning stones are apparently set to bring them to a secure location beneath the water of Godsblood's coast. From there, new arrivals will have to be allowed to rest and then brought up into the city when they're ready.
Greentruth is limited in its resources, but it will attempt to send troops to the Innocent, Seeker, Wanderer, and Firebrand shrines, all of which are close to the forest. Meanwhile, while no formal affiliation with the new Aions has been made, bands of guerilla fighters, most likely from Godsblood, will turn up at the Artisan and Sovereign shrines. Whether they have any affiliation with Greentruth will not be clear, but they do seem to have a beef against the Achamites. These reinforcements will struggle against powered Aions, but they might be able to delay any troops sent by Achamoth.
❖ KENOMA
Xishen will be handing out returning stones to all Kenoma the day after the dreams begin. She'll explain how to use them, and state that the Regent expects for them to head to the shrines once they become fully active. The Kenoma will have whatever mundane weapons or supplies they need at their disposal for this mission, along with some modest Achamite reinforcements. She'll warn not to rely too heavily on them however; after all, only the Aions are able to quickly move between the shrines and at the Citadel. The Achamites will have to be deployed by river or by land, and mobilizing them will take time. They will feasible be able to reach all of the shrines to some degree or another, but will more easily populate the shrines of the Martyr, Celebrant, Lover, Champion, Visionary, Sovereign, and Firebrand.
The Hylicians will apparently not be helping this time around, as the capture and holding of the first batch of Aions was already a lengthy venture. Xishen herself says she will be travelling to the shrines, however, while another Aion named Dionys remains in Achamoth to 'keep watch'. All Kenoma Aions will be given a familiar vial of black sludge, and are instructed to feed it to any Aions they capture at the shrines. It will cause the same effects it did in the cavern, though it will resolve in a few days rather than a week.
RETURNED (ALL CHARACTERS)
New characters that are found a the shrines will be brought back to one of two lodestones, depending on which sect they are taken by. This will be accomplished by their escort putting a 'returning stone' around their neck that will enable them to be teleported to a secure area in their sect's territory. It is advised for your character to be taken by whichever sect you'd like them to end up in.
❖ TO THE PLEROMA
In a dazzling flash of psychedelic light, you will find yourself brought to the Pleroma's lodestone: a monolithic rock set in the center of temple-like ruins. The entire cavern is hidden away beneath the ocean waves, just outside of Godsblood, and the ceiling itself is comprised of nothing but a barrier of water, as if held back from filling the space by some unknown force. The waters surrounding the lodestone are exactly body temperature, with swarms of tiny, violently iridescent fish darting through it. Crabs that look as if they're made of pure, clear crystal wander the sparkling, sandy shores.
There isn't much here in the way of accommodations, but it's comfortable enough that the new arrivals brought in by the Pleroma can take a moment to catch their breath. Some relatively plain but assorted new clothing will have been brought to the cavern to make sure they are actually clothed, as well as blankets and basic food items. It's a good time to ask your questions, or if you are an established Pleroma, to help out your freshly arrived peers. After all, their welcome at the shrine may have been a confusing one.
New arrivals will be permitted to leave the lodestone's temple when they are ready. Unfortunately, the only ways out of these place are through your choice of either swimming through pockets of water that eventually lead to the surface, or by spelunking through a series of tunnels to make your way the cliff faces near the city of Godsblood. More information about the city itself can be found on the setting page, though it would be preferable to keep TDM interactions to the lodestone area. As characters emerging from the shrines will start our as Untouched (more info about attunements here) they will not be permitted entry into Greentruth until they have attuned to Pleroma.
❖ TO THE KENOMA
As your returning stone activates, you will feel yourself thrust into a suffocating void, only to emerge just as quickly somewhere else. The most pressing thing on the minds of anyone taken by the Kenoma will be the vial of pitch black sludge they are forced to drink, whether it is before or after their arrival. Maybe their 'escort' from the shrine gave it to them, or perhaps another Kenoma does soon after they arrive. If not, one of the Achamite cultists wandering around definitely will. Dedicated servants to the Regent's will as they are, they are not afraid to gang up on the vulnerable new arrivals and force it down their throats.
Once in your mouth, the potion will slither down your throat as if it's a living thing. The effect takes hold quickly: as this darkness creeps through your insides, it will embolden your darkest and most despair inducing emotions, plaguing your thoughts with the worst sorrows of your life. What's worst, it simultaneously seems to awaken some form of enhanced psychic empathy within you, both projecting your thoughts for others to hear, and allowing you to receive those of the others around you in kind. Black ooze will begin to seep from orifices, or the space around your shard. The effects of this contamination bring out your worst, and its recipients will be forced to live with these effects until they accept the force corrupting them into their souls.
This world is not good enough, a voice speaks to your through the Kenoma. This suffering you feel, the cruelty that has birthed this darkness in you... it is simply the rot that is consuming this existence. A better universe awaits, one forged by your own hand, and all you need do is first bring about this broken reality's end.
How long this goes on will depend on how long the characters is able to fight it. Acceptance of the Kenoma can come as quickly as immediately, if your character is inclined towards it, or it could be drawn out to take a few days. In the meantime, they will have to stay in the barren halls surrounding the Regent's lodestone, and will not be permitted to exit into the greater Citadel as the current Kenoma are. All that will immediately be offered to them down there are stone slabs that can be used as beds and formless white robes that reach down past their knees.
Of course, that doesn't mean the characters that are already of the Kenoma can't do something about that. If they desire it, they will be able to bring food or other supplies to those suffering with their Kenoma infections, and it will be equally within their power to try anything from bullying them into accepting to lovebombing them. Once a character accepts the Kenoma and attunes to it, they will be permitted to leave, but for the sake of the TDM interactions should be kept to the lodestone area.
❖ TO THE PLEROMAIn a dazzling flash of psychedelic light, you will find yourself brought to the Pleroma's lodestone: a monolithic rock set in the center of temple-like ruins. The entire cavern is hidden away beneath the ocean waves, just outside of Godsblood, and the ceiling itself is comprised of nothing but a barrier of water, as if held back from filling the space by some unknown force. The waters surrounding the lodestone are exactly body temperature, with swarms of tiny, violently iridescent fish darting through it. Crabs that look as if they're made of pure, clear crystal wander the sparkling, sandy shores.
There isn't much here in the way of accommodations, but it's comfortable enough that the new arrivals brought in by the Pleroma can take a moment to catch their breath. Some relatively plain but assorted new clothing will have been brought to the cavern to make sure they are actually clothed, as well as blankets and basic food items. It's a good time to ask your questions, or if you are an established Pleroma, to help out your freshly arrived peers. After all, their welcome at the shrine may have been a confusing one.
New arrivals will be permitted to leave the lodestone's temple when they are ready. Unfortunately, the only ways out of these place are through your choice of either swimming through pockets of water that eventually lead to the surface, or by spelunking through a series of tunnels to make your way the cliff faces near the city of Godsblood. More information about the city itself can be found on the setting page, though it would be preferable to keep TDM interactions to the lodestone area. As characters emerging from the shrines will start our as Untouched (more info about attunements here) they will not be permitted entry into Greentruth until they have attuned to Pleroma.
❖ TO THE KENOMAAs your returning stone activates, you will feel yourself thrust into a suffocating void, only to emerge just as quickly somewhere else. The most pressing thing on the minds of anyone taken by the Kenoma will be the vial of pitch black sludge they are forced to drink, whether it is before or after their arrival. Maybe their 'escort' from the shrine gave it to them, or perhaps another Kenoma does soon after they arrive. If not, one of the Achamite cultists wandering around definitely will. Dedicated servants to the Regent's will as they are, they are not afraid to gang up on the vulnerable new arrivals and force it down their throats.
Once in your mouth, the potion will slither down your throat as if it's a living thing. The effect takes hold quickly: as this darkness creeps through your insides, it will embolden your darkest and most despair inducing emotions, plaguing your thoughts with the worst sorrows of your life. What's worst, it simultaneously seems to awaken some form of enhanced psychic empathy within you, both projecting your thoughts for others to hear, and allowing you to receive those of the others around you in kind. Black ooze will begin to seep from orifices, or the space around your shard. The effects of this contamination bring out your worst, and its recipients will be forced to live with these effects until they accept the force corrupting them into their souls.
This world is not good enough, a voice speaks to your through the Kenoma. This suffering you feel, the cruelty that has birthed this darkness in you... it is simply the rot that is consuming this existence. A better universe awaits, one forged by your own hand, and all you need do is first bring about this broken reality's end.
How long this goes on will depend on how long the characters is able to fight it. Acceptance of the Kenoma can come as quickly as immediately, if your character is inclined towards it, or it could be drawn out to take a few days. In the meantime, they will have to stay in the barren halls surrounding the Regent's lodestone, and will not be permitted to exit into the greater Citadel as the current Kenoma are. All that will immediately be offered to them down there are stone slabs that can be used as beds and formless white robes that reach down past their knees.
Of course, that doesn't mean the characters that are already of the Kenoma can't do something about that. If they desire it, they will be able to bring food or other supplies to those suffering with their Kenoma infections, and it will be equally within their power to try anything from bullying them into accepting to lovebombing them. Once a character accepts the Kenoma and attunes to it, they will be permitted to leave, but for the sake of the TDM interactions should be kept to the lodestone area.
QUESTIONS
Is this TDM canon?
Mostly! It's part of an in-game event. However, only threads with new players that app and are accepted will be considered game canon. Threads between old characters will all be canon, but threads involving new characters that don't apply or aren't accepted will either need to be tweaked to remove their involvement or made non-canon. New characters will also be able to decide TDM threads aren't canon if they end up changing directions.
Who can toplevel on this post?
Anyone, whether they are a new character or a current one. However, we do ask for current players to do their best to tag new characters. If you are bringing in a new character and want a current character to bring them into your sect of choice, post your request here! ICly, current characters are fighting to claim new arrivals, but it's up to the player of new characters where they ultimately end up going.
When is this TDM taking place chronologically?
The last few days of April. The shrines will be active and forming Aions during that time. The dreams will start around the 24th. All current Aions will be able to sense when it's time for the new arrivals to start emerging.
What are the shrines like?
Every shrine is comprised of the crystal-filled cavern character emerge inside and then the massive statue symbolizing the relevant Legacy built on top. More information about each shrine can be found in the "Aion Shrine" section of the setting page.
Are everyone's homeworlds really gone?
That's a complicated issue, and while the fate of their world is not without hope, they may certainly get the impression its been destroyed from the dream they had. Alternatively, they may refuse to believe what they felt and attempt to dismiss it as only a vision. More about this situation will be revealed as the game goes on.
Can I only experience one end of the dream sequence prompt?
New characters may experience one ending, both endings, or neither. If they experience both they will struggle to recall which came first or which feels the most 'true' to them, as both will simultaneously be the thought they are reborn with. If your character refuses to pursue either path they can simply linger in the middle until the infinite worlds above them start being extinguished one by one, eventually expelling them into darkness in a similar style to the light prompt. Which dreams they experience will not dictate their initial sect affiliation.
Is it possible to pull another character back from the end of the light or darkness dreams?
Yes! If your character is able to resist the pull of either end, they will have the chance to try to pull another character back from the edge of the abyss or the edge of oneness. Whether or not they succeed is entirely up to the other character, though.
Do you come out of the chrysalis wet?
For most intents and purposes it's the same experience as hatching out of a real butterfly chrysalis, so yes, a bit.
How does attunement to the Pleroma or Kenoma work for new characters?
More information about sect attunements can be read on their dedicated info page, but in summary: when new characters are brought to Horos, they will be in the state of being "Untouched" meaning they are not attuned to either sect. By the end of their first month in game it is expected they will either attune to Pleroma or Kenoma, though for those taken by the Kenoma's forces, the transition will be forced within the first few days. If taken in by the Pleroma, it may take then some time to attune to Pleroma, depending on the strength of their spirit, but it could also happen almost instantly if they are allowed to. How quickly it happens will depend on how strongly they align with the Pleroma's traits. Characters who have been taken by the Pleroma but that remain Untouched will not be allowed into Greentruth until their attunement to Pleroma is complete.
Can a character taken by one side end up attuning to the sect of the opposite one?
This is theoretically possible, yes: a person taken by the Kenoma could potentially resist the Kenoma's call, and someone taken by the Pleroma could end up falling to the Kenoma while staying with them. Generally, though, we recommend that you have your character be taken by whichever sect you want to end up in, as doing a switcheroo will cause narrative complications that might bog their introduction down in plotting that will need to be done with the mods. It can happen, but it is not to be done lightly!
Mostly! It's part of an in-game event. However, only threads with new players that app and are accepted will be considered game canon. Threads between old characters will all be canon, but threads involving new characters that don't apply or aren't accepted will either need to be tweaked to remove their involvement or made non-canon. New characters will also be able to decide TDM threads aren't canon if they end up changing directions.
Who can toplevel on this post?
Anyone, whether they are a new character or a current one. However, we do ask for current players to do their best to tag new characters. If you are bringing in a new character and want a current character to bring them into your sect of choice, post your request here! ICly, current characters are fighting to claim new arrivals, but it's up to the player of new characters where they ultimately end up going.
When is this TDM taking place chronologically?
The last few days of April. The shrines will be active and forming Aions during that time. The dreams will start around the 24th. All current Aions will be able to sense when it's time for the new arrivals to start emerging.
What are the shrines like?
Every shrine is comprised of the crystal-filled cavern character emerge inside and then the massive statue symbolizing the relevant Legacy built on top. More information about each shrine can be found in the "Aion Shrine" section of the setting page.
Are everyone's homeworlds really gone?
That's a complicated issue, and while the fate of their world is not without hope, they may certainly get the impression its been destroyed from the dream they had. Alternatively, they may refuse to believe what they felt and attempt to dismiss it as only a vision. More about this situation will be revealed as the game goes on.
Can I only experience one end of the dream sequence prompt?
New characters may experience one ending, both endings, or neither. If they experience both they will struggle to recall which came first or which feels the most 'true' to them, as both will simultaneously be the thought they are reborn with. If your character refuses to pursue either path they can simply linger in the middle until the infinite worlds above them start being extinguished one by one, eventually expelling them into darkness in a similar style to the light prompt. Which dreams they experience will not dictate their initial sect affiliation.
Is it possible to pull another character back from the end of the light or darkness dreams?
Yes! If your character is able to resist the pull of either end, they will have the chance to try to pull another character back from the edge of the abyss or the edge of oneness. Whether or not they succeed is entirely up to the other character, though.
Do you come out of the chrysalis wet?
For most intents and purposes it's the same experience as hatching out of a real butterfly chrysalis, so yes, a bit.
How does attunement to the Pleroma or Kenoma work for new characters?
More information about sect attunements can be read on their dedicated info page, but in summary: when new characters are brought to Horos, they will be in the state of being "Untouched" meaning they are not attuned to either sect. By the end of their first month in game it is expected they will either attune to Pleroma or Kenoma, though for those taken by the Kenoma's forces, the transition will be forced within the first few days. If taken in by the Pleroma, it may take then some time to attune to Pleroma, depending on the strength of their spirit, but it could also happen almost instantly if they are allowed to. How quickly it happens will depend on how strongly they align with the Pleroma's traits. Characters who have been taken by the Pleroma but that remain Untouched will not be allowed into Greentruth until their attunement to Pleroma is complete.
Can a character taken by one side end up attuning to the sect of the opposite one?
This is theoretically possible, yes: a person taken by the Kenoma could potentially resist the Kenoma's call, and someone taken by the Pleroma could end up falling to the Kenoma while staying with them. Generally, though, we recommend that you have your character be taken by whichever sect you want to end up in, as doing a switcheroo will cause narrative complications that might bog their introduction down in plotting that will need to be done with the mods. It can happen, but it is not to be done lightly!
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(his is a naive, bleeding heart at times.)
his hand takes hers, and he's shaking it very gently in formal greeting. ]
Miss Akua-- Abel, Father Abel! At your service, um-- insofar as there are services I can provide you, here! [ his smile is a tad lopsided but no less good-natured. ] Though 'water-bearer' does make me sound rather fancy and important. Professional. Maybe I'll take a liking to it...
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What kind of parent names their child Father? [ She asked, a hand to her lips. Or was it a title? She couldn't help but enjoy the change of subject, as it was, to something more lighthearted. She didn't mean to jest at him, but something nagged at the back of her mind, like Cat whispering into her ear, telling her to be careful about the pattern.
As if she wouldn't have her own ways to step through the grooves of creation now, but of course, they weren't here, so she would need to find new patterns to be cautious of. No redemption stories, or patterns of three to be found in a place like this, so who would call themselves a "father"? The followers of the House of Light called themselves Brothers and Sisters, and certainly followers of Below had no such priests. Those who followed Night had First under it, and there were little other options.
Curiouser and curiouser. ]
no subject
N-no! No no, my sincerest apologies-- 'Father' is a title for priests in my world, Miss Akua! I'm a Catholic priest, though... I suppose that won't mean much of anything to you if 'father' doesn't, that's... likely completely unhelpful erroneous detail--
[ g... goodness, ]
--Please, you're more than welcome to call me Abel. Old habits die hard, you see-- that's really all there is to it, it isn't as though I'm especially attached to the pomp and ceremony of titles an the like! And we can be casual as friends, right...?
no subject
[ Akua's eyes narrowed, but only slightly. She had no concept of Catholicism, or what it was, but priest certainly brought a few things to mind. The brothers and the Sisters of the Light, of course, forever elucidating on the evils of those that followed the Gods Below, as if their own compatriots didn't create their own sorts of evil.
Perhaps he was different, Akua thought. At least different enough that he'd be less... Stiff. In his convictions. She smiled, instead. ]
Of course we can be casual friends, Abel. [ Her smile morphed into a smirk, at that. Almost salacious. ]
I'm afraid I must confess, however. [ She leaned, a touch conspiratorially. ] I'm not particularly religious. I hope that wouldn't be a bother, would it?
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it's water under the bridge as soon as the smile slides easily on her face, though-- and Abel fidgets ever so slightly, leaning in to meet her, ]
--Oh, no! No no, not at all...! I can reassure you I'm not the zealot sort, if that's what you're worried about! Not about to condemn you as a heretic or get all stiff and preachy, I-I ah. I tend to find that bit rather distasteful, personally... [ a nod. yes, definitely not his style. ] Especially here... it's a bit outside my usual purview by leaps and bounds. But I do wonder, um-- it doesn't bother you, does it? I know faith is a rather... contentious subject at the best of times, and some people feel quite strongly about it one way or another. I can only imagine that's truer still when the two of us come from entirely different places, Miss Akua...
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Even still, it was reassuring to hear that he wasn't going to be throwing out the heretical titles, although she wasn't the one who'd been called the Arch-Heretic of the East. ]
Oh, don't worry about me. [ She said, her tone a touch teasing. ] I may be...directly opposed to those that follow the House of Light, but that hardly means that I can't work with, or even like those who do. Don't fret too much, Abel, I won't take offense, as long as you don't worry about my...alignment with the Gods Below.
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Then-- would you mind if I asked you a bit about that, actually? Out of curiosity more than anything, admittedly. The 'House of Light,' is that a church or religious faction of some kind?
[ terribly ironic considering the 'light' and 'darkness' of this world are the Pleroma and Kenoma respectively... and here she sits, bathed in that proverbial illumination. ]
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It is both, I suppose. For many years, there was only one religion on Calernia -- at least in...most areas of the continent. [ There was of course, what had been trapped in the Empire Ever Dark, within the Gloom, and who knew what the elves within the Golden Bloom worshiped. The dwarves and Gigantes also had their own religions. Akua looked thoughtful, and then clarified: ] Among the human lands, actually. There are far too many qualifiers if we expand to the rest.
The House of Light professes the teachings of the Gods Above through the Book of Light. It's a popular religion throughout most of the west among many, and most Heroes tend to follow the teachings closely.
[ Her smile was amused, then. ] It's made the past few years interesting, as we've worked together.
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[ immensely interesting... intriguing, even! while 'darkness' and 'light' in concept are oft tied to the age-old tradition of dividing things into 'good' and the 'bad,' Abel doesn't necessarily believe things are so cut and dry. even so--
this is fascinating, isn't it? 'heroes' and their alignment with this so-called 'house of light,' yet... Akua, a Pleroma, attached to the 'Gods Below'... very, very curious... ]
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[ That was so gauche, compared to the pomp and circumstance of the house of light, after all. ]
However, I do follow the...methodology of the gods below. Which means I have little qualms about many of the things the House of Light finds abominable. [ She ticked a few off her fingers. ] Sorcery in general, human sacrifice, Villainy...
[ Well, if the Heroes followed the Gods Above, it would be expected that Villains would follow Gods Below, wouldn't it? ]
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the longer she speaks, the more the idle curiosity becomes an outright befuddlement - and then a quiet anxiety. A... Akua...? ]
Human sacrifice...?
[ the words escape him subconsciously, echoed in a very quiet, soft exhale. he is, perhaps,
Concerned, ]
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Yes. Oops. Cat had always been uncomfortable with it as well, and the... weight of it felt different to Akua these days. She was certain it would have been banned, if the Liesse Accords saw the light of true day -- before the destruction of the universe. ]
Yes? How else can we make our crops grow enough to feed our people? Unfortunately, my people do not posses enough magic power to make great workings without a...battery. Of sorts.
[ The funny thing about weather magic is that it requires a great deal of life force. Many great workings did. ]
Don't worry, dearest, I don't do that anymore. [ She reached up, as if to pat him on the cheek. Her smile, however, was a touch saddened. It was a great crime, she'd committed, to do it. But she was talking of her people, not of herself, right? ]
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Abel's bewilderment only increases as she reaches out to pap him on the cheek like she was consoling a child the milk they spilled was nothing of worry. this, is...
... ]
Miss Akua...
[ ... ]
Can I ask you something? Something-- personal?
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Of course you can, Abel. [ She said, with a smile, it's innocent, but the affectation is false. She remembered those days, when she'd joined the Woe early on, playing as if she was one of them.
It may be time that she used those skills once again. ]
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[ the question is rather blunt, he's aware. perhaps there are kinder and more roundabout ways to ask it, but he feels that it's important to state it in such a way.
it isn't accusatory as much as genuinely curious; there is a probing, patient expectation in Abel's blue eyes as he watches those of burnished gold. her ideologies, her way of thinking... what she believes, where she's from-- there are so many things he would like to better understand.
but this answer, he thinks, will help him get to those that are most critical in helping him absorb the rest. ]
...Not in Horos, or the ruins. But-- here, with the Pleroma. You've made a choice, haven't you?
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She understood, of course, the implication. That there is light, and dark, hope for continued existence and utter destruction. It would make sense, wouldn't it? That she would choose destruction? Perhaps if it were the villains of old; or heaven forbid, Dread Empress Triumphant -- may she never return. ]
I have, yes. [ She hedged, before -- ] Why wouldn't I be here?
The other option is the full destruction of the universe, yes? I understand that perhaps there are those of my ilk that would...do such things, but... [ The coin spins. ] I will admit, that perhaps had I been younger, I would have chosen the other side. However... I just spent a great deal of time and investment in fighting that outcome. It would be rather ironic to give into it now, wouldn't it?
[ She'd given everything to leash the Bard, and become a part of that pattern of creation herself. ]
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so he leans a bit further forward, resting elbows on his knees where he's perched beside her on the rocky surface of their make-shift bench. ]
'Those of your ilk,' [ he repeats those words thoughtfully. ] Do you mind if I ask what you mean by that?
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The arrogance, the pomp, the curl, the slight show of teeth, and her eyes very nearly flashed with the pride in her look. ]
You can ask, but I think you already know the answer. I'm a Villain, dear. I thought that would be obvious, by now.
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...how much is 'Akua,' really? ]
Then... my next question might seem predictable-- maybe even silly, but... I have to ask it all the same, so I hope you'll humor me.
[ she's been kind enough to do so, thus far. ]
What is a 'villain' to you? I promise you I'm not being facetious, either, it's just... a woman who is willing to spill blood for her lands and her people, and who wants to protect the world around her-- neither of those things seem like the sort of 'villain' I'm familiar with, that's all.
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It's a good question, Abel. It's a title that is in...transition at the moment. [ A pause, and her lips tightened. ] Or it should have been. The Age of Wonders has passed, and... I believe the Warden called it the Age of Order, is what she wanted to start.
Perhaps it is...unreasonable to believe, but we Villains are not without hearts. We're simply... there to serve balance. After all, the great wager is a shatranj board, and we have our parts to play. We do evil for a multitude of reasons, because we enjoy it, because we must... it doesn't matter to the grand scheme, why it is committed. It is the fact that it is that makes one a villain.
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There's something I definitely understand in all this-- though, admittedly... some of the finer points might go over my head. [ 'shatranj board,' the 'wager,' the 'Age of Wonders,' the 'Warden?' all things he doesn't quite grasp. ] That 'Villains' are people-- and people so very rarely fall so neatly into definitions like that one, right? People are complicated creatures... you are a complicated creature, aren't you, Miss Akua?
[ not so black and white, and not someone Abel would qualify as a 'villain' by his own definition - though it's possible she might not feel the same. ]
Proof of where your heart stands is here.
[ he places his hand over his own breastbone in mimicry of where she had demonstrated her Shard to be. though he cannot see it.. it is not tainted by the Kenoma, he's willing to bet. if anything-- maybe it has already begun faintly shimmering with the light of the Pleroma. ]
Whatever you did before-- whatever you were before... this is a new world. I'd like to think that heart of yours has brought you to the right place in it.
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It's a nice thought -- kind. Akua hadn't seen much kindness in her life -- more than some from Praes certainly -- and more in the past few years than she had any right to. Catherine had been right, that there was little for her to be redeemed. If she was to do good for forgiveness's sake, then it wasn't truly good. It was still selfish, at its core.
At some point, Akua had stopped doing good because it would give her freedom. She wasn't certain when, it had been so subtle, but she suspected that Cat had... perhaps not forgiven her -- for what she had done was truly unforgivable -- but... perhaps there was something close.
Here, in this world, had she chosen to do something good? Was it enough? Without those to forgive her, or redemption to be had, was it truly enough? ]
I hope you are correct. It is...complicated, I think. This new world will have a new... story within it, new patterns to feel out. I like to think this is the right place -- I do think it will be for me, and... the path I chose to take.
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[ there's some dichotomy to Akua that Abel finds both interesting and more than a little painful; part of her radiates some sort of enigmatic elegance, a charm and confidence that could easily compel a man to believe everything she were to say, to convince any observer she was someone to be treated with respect-- perhaps even treated as formidable despite her 'newness' here.
but there's also something... sad, and vulnerable that lies beneath it. it's subtle, quiet-- but those little slivers that peek through her immaculate presentation-- they feel far more real than the rest, somehow. ]
...I'm glad you're here. It won't be easy-- but you said it yourself, didn't you? It's 'complicated,' as life tends to be, mm? Complicated and messy-- though it sounds like you're more than equipped and used to dealing with both those matters...
[ her life has already been difficult. he wishes he could say Horos would offer a respite from that - but maybe it could offer something she needs more instead. ]
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It's extremely serious, and Akua can't help but feel a little touched, even if she did truly believe she was beyond... redemption at this point. Something about him, this Abel, although he was clearly some sort of priest... he should be her enemy, just by merit of being a priest -- she didn't know what Catholic was, but she'd suspect that they didn't follow any teaching of the Gods Below -- he was kind.
Kinder than she'd thought she could experience from someone like him, certainly. Her smile is sad, in response. He's not incorrect, that deep beneath the refined, cultured exterior lies a woman who's...done grand and terrible things. She had, after all, murdered hundreds of thousands of people. She'd done so for the sole reason of making her point, to create a weapon so destructive that creation would tremble before her, when she became Dread Empress.
But instead, she'd burned the tower down to the ground. Here, she'd chosen...light. Over darkness.
Even now, it burned, down to her core. She could practically hear the rumbles of the gods below, certain that she'd turned away from their teachings. Would she -- could she still be Calamity, now that this choice had been made? ]
I thank you for your words. It should reassure you to know that I've never lived an easy day in my life. I think such strife should be...expected. By now.
[ It's not nearly as serious as the words, but the way her eyes doesn't meet his, it's obvious, he's given her a great many things to mull over, in this moment. The most important of them all, of course, is her choice in this. ]
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[ his smile is tentative, rueful; she's wrong. it doesn't reassure him to know her life has been one fraught with hardships, but it was her life, and she has already lived it. her pain, her experience, her guilt and pride, her sins and redemption, are hers and hers alone. they brought her here.
they are why she made this choice.
and though the gesture seems a bit personal for someone he has just met, and he hopes she won't take offense to it - he is lightly resting one of his hands at hers as he straightens his shoulders, some. ]
But we're here, and we're together-- which I sincerely hope you won't regret, Miss Akua. I'll be making it a personal mission of mine to see that you don't, mm? If it means I have to bring you something tastier than water to get you to drink with me next time we meet-- so be it.
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