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Aion Mods ([personal profile] aionmods) wrote in [community profile] aionooc2022-07-30 12:18 pm
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TDM #3

TDM #3
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.

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, this is something both sects have already prepared for.

All characters will have the opportunity to acquire a 'returning stone' if they don't already have one. 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. More information about returning stones can be found on the powers page.

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 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. Compared to the last attempt, these troops are a bit better armored. Meanwhile, bolstered by recent events in Godsblood, bands of Resistance members and guerrilla fighters will turn up at the Artisan and Sovereign shrines. The Resistance members will work willingly alongside with the Pleroma Aions, but the guerrilla fighters seem to have their own priorities and that is mostly that they have a beef with the Achamites. These reinforcements will struggle against powered Aions, but they might be able to delay any troops sent by Achamoth or Hylici.

KENOMA
Xishen will be handing out returning stones to all Kenoma the day after the dreams begin for the Aions that don't already have one. 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 minimal Achamite reinforcements. Due to injuries and death in both Godsblood and Venera, many are in recovery or on their return to Achamoth. She'll reiterate not to rely too heavily on them; after all, only the Aions are able to quickly move between the shrines and at the Citadel. The regular troops 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 be called to fill in the ranks of the diminished Achamite troops. They follow the orders that they are given but are very standoffish otherwise, even more than usual for them. Xishen herself says she will be traveling to the shrines and the Kenoma will be expected to communicate their movements to her as they work. 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.

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 beginning of August. The shrines will be active and forming Aions during that time. The dreams will start around the 29th of July. 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!

horniness: (069.)

ii-b;

[personal profile] horniness 2022-07-31 07:05 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Being reborn again is as disorienting as it had been the first time, as Malleus had relived the strangeness of chipping his way out of his egg in his youth, covered in goo, new to the world, his eyes fighting to crease open. He's still struggling from the remnants of his hazy dream and the fact that he's apparently no longer in his dorm –may not even be in his own world any longer– that he doesn't immediately register his own state of undress. The cold air barely fazes him, but the question posed in his direction does bring the matter to light.

His gaze flicks from the one who asked him to his own body before he shifts just enough for his large draconic tail to take shape behind him and wrap around his own lower extremities, providing himself with some modesty. Were his magic in working order, he'd simply summon one of his usual garments from his closet onto himself and fix the matter quickly for himself and this human(?)-like creature so he doesn't continue to pester him about it, but Malleus has been feeling a strong block from accessing his magic reserves since he'd awoken, so this is the next best alternative. ]


...I am afraid my only means of cover is strictly bound to my own body. This immodest reception had not been expected. Normally, one would greet their guests with food, music, and celebration, yet they have chosen this type of arrival.

[ He has a feeling their presence here is more akin to imprisonment, which does not bode well for the one who orchestrated it. ]

Take comfort in the fact that your bare state means little to me.
lachtara: (Help)

[personal profile] lachtara 2022-07-31 07:08 pm (UTC)(link)
....Clearly. [ It's said flatly, unimpressed. Maybe this voice is not trying to be so enigmatic. ]

Traveling the path to darknesses kind embrace is a battle hard-won, fraught with peril and difficulty. Are you sure?
galdorleod: ([blond] hidden smile)

[personal profile] galdorleod 2022-07-31 07:17 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Howl is similarly unmoved by the stranger's nudity, having experienced this scenario enough times already. This one hadn't turned out to be female, and that alone keeps it from being awkward for Howl.

After tossing him one of the thing gowns from the basket, he keeps his eyes respectably averted while the man gets dressed, but not so averted that he doesn't remain in Howl's watchful periphery.
]

It's the least we can do for new Aions. Which is what you are, by the way. [ seeing that he's dressed, he looks back to him and walks closer, closing the distance. ] My name is Howl. I'm sure you're filled to the brim with questions... I'm here to answer them, and to bring you back with me.
dendritic: (a walking study in demonology)

[personal profile] dendritic 2022-07-31 07:18 pm (UTC)(link)
[ thieves will commit thievery when they can. deprived of her own sword, she takes the next best thing without care. zero has no idea what the interest is in this one, and continues inspecting it for a moment longer. something about it takes her to another moment in her memory: of laying on the ground in the rain, and looking over to see a beautiful flower.

when she raises her head to level her one eyed gaze at him, the flower is rooted in her eye socket and there forever, now. for a moment, suspicion waves along her face before melting away easily, back into a nearly impassive stare. of course he doesn't know jack or shit about intoners. zero balances the blade over her shoulder and shrugs. ]


Never seen a fight between sisters, then.

[ she snorts, and steps closer to the door— still with the confidence of a thief. ] Horsemen, siblings, giant sentient blobs of mud... if they want to end the world, their goal is the same and it never changes. They never change. You already know that, don't you?
heavybreaths: (Thinking)

[personal profile] heavybreaths 2022-07-31 07:30 pm (UTC)(link)
[Vader's masked face turns. If such a mask could look bored, it would, but alas it is as unmoving as ever. There's no reason to reply, yet some part of him wants to anyway, simply because this is a novel experience.]

Perhaps. Or perhaps not. You'll find glib words and mockery to be...less than effective...in answering that question.

[The threat of 'continue at your own peril' is implied, no need to waste breath on that.]

If it is attention you seek, you have it. Is this a request for an audience?
undertheweight: (Default)

[personal profile] undertheweight 2022-07-31 07:33 pm (UTC)(link)
"I have not tried."

Wrathion hadn't tried to leave the shrine, yet. On Azeroth, he knows what the sight of a dragon would likely do to the local populace, especially a black dragon. Even with Deathwing's passing, his flight was so sparse now that such an appearance would make others take notice.

"I suppose I ought to, though," Wrathion grumbles. Nothing ventured, nothing gained, as they say. And if he's about to be disappointed by being unable to gain the sky, better he knows that now, before he's well and truly embarrassed by failing in front of humans.

Wrathion carefully maneuvers himself out of the shrine, a bit daunted to note a few of the shrine's researchers within his line of sight. They are, prudently, well out of reach of any draconic shenanigans he might get caught up in. However, they'll be disappointed for the moment, as he steps further away from the shrine's entrance and starts to beat his wings, and then leaps up to (hopefully) gain the air. When he actually succeeds, that is a sigh of relief that escapes him. There's that, at least.
eightfoldfiend: (Mulder it's raining frogs.)

[personal profile] eightfoldfiend 2022-07-31 07:34 pm (UTC)(link)
Tsk!

[Yuber snorts and stares ahead at the abyssal shadows.]

I am not afraid of battle.

[After all, his a veteran of a thousand wars...

That the disembodied voice might be referring to a more metaphorical or internal battle doesn't occur to him.]


Besides, what other options are there?

Let the light consume me? Become one with the cosmos?

I won't let that happen.
dendritic: (Default)

[personal profile] dendritic 2022-07-31 07:34 pm (UTC)(link)
omg seiko after talking about it w a bud i decided i want to try kenoma this round and since zero is all about destruction ... gimmie

also i miss childe PLEASE 🥺
cutlery: please do not take! (there's green on your pizza)

[personal profile] cutlery 2022-07-31 07:39 pm (UTC)(link)
[ As he listens, it strikes him most that there's a deep and amusing irony, though not even a hint of it comes to his expression or tone. In fact, it slips to one that looks serious and concerned as he listens more sharply. He's inclined to believe Ryunosuke, but that makes his kindness all the more ill-fitting to be given in the first place. The exact things that he's concerned about are something of his profession, after all.

Though it does make his being here feel all the stranger. If this Regent wanted his loyal service, he simply could have asked. Properly summoning him would have certainly given them much more than what he is at the moment, and he doubts that simply accepting the vial would bring him to heel more than a Contract would. Though in part, he can't really be that surprised. A proper summoning was costly, and anyone that knew that also tended to be the sort that would do whatever they could to try and get out of paying the fare. It's a little impressive that something had managed it, actually. ]


...I see.

[ He sounds suitably grave, then shakes his head as he looks between them, but his attention ends up settling more on Kaeya. He had chosen it, after all. ]

Then what does this Regent want? Did you accept their will for strength alone?
vapour: (Default)

[personal profile] vapour 2022-07-31 07:43 pm (UTC)(link)
Oh so she's gonna Kenoma?? Hot damn, I'm down for this. A destruction buddy.

I'm glad you miss him, because I'm really so excited to see you on here, hehe!
chronosynthesis: (Default)

[personal profile] chronosynthesis 2022-07-31 07:47 pm (UTC)(link)
And I can have Syr save! o7
cutlery: ('stralian etiquette)

[personal profile] cutlery 2022-07-31 07:52 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Sebastian makes a light noise of polite surprise as the draconic tail catches his eye, and it's quite genuine. Despite what he is, he's actually never run into anyone obviously inhuman, at least outside of his realm. But his glance is quite brief, though inwardly, he half-scolds himself for the slip of politeness. You know, the important things to be concerned about at the moment.

...Except, no, clearly it is? ]


Allow me to give my apologies all the same for being in such a state. It may be one shared, but goodness...

[ Since the other man's response actually resonates with him much more than he would expect, so he sighs rather heavily. At least he seems to be a similarly unaffected sort, he won't bother to pretend with modesty, since it's inconvenient. ]

A proper reception would be much preferred, naturally. Certainly less jarring.

[ Clearly the idea of such a lavish greeting isn't one he's unfamiliar with, which might give the impression that he's from a similar social status, but... Not exactly. When Sebastian is thinking about it, he's thinking about working as a young Earl's butler. ]
zauneyete: (heh heh)

you know he had to do it to him

[personal profile] zauneyete 2022-07-31 07:53 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Maybe some would respond to those cries, but Silco is less inclined. He tipped his head, measuring a two-tone gaze at the man, with rimmed eyes, looking deeply saddened by what he can only assume is the knowledge that his world is gone. Tragic, yes, and Silco had his own bouts of malaise and fury at the mere prospect of it, but...

But Silco got mad, and furious, and then he wanted to burn the world down, not simply sit here and cry.

His lip curled, just slightly.
]

Yes, it is difficult to predict the outright destruction of the world. [ He says, not understanding that this may be personal for Bruno. ]

However, that doesn't mean one must be stuck in their grief. There... is a way. To make it better, in the end. Soothe the wound.
wolof: I craved the taste of it (A poison so sweet)

[personal profile] wolof 2022-07-31 07:53 pm (UTC)(link)
we hashed this out on disc but Akua is down!
wolof: (Kneel)

rebirth b

[personal profile] wolof 2022-07-31 08:02 pm (UTC)(link)
[ She cannot help, but hover at the entrance of her own shrine, just having been reborn mere days earlier, from her previous death. Akua feels a strange...kinship with the place now, like she'd only returned home, in a way, and now she was here, looking for others.

Her hand touched her shard, through the cloth that covered the heart-shaped gem against her breast, and she watched someone new emerge. Golden eyes peered, at the...odd frame, like something the Dwarves -- or heaven forbid the gnomes -- had concocted. The breathing truly gives it away. She'd seen flying fortresses and castles, she'd made an entire city fly on the backs of hundreds of thousands of souls, and she had never seen something like this.

And then he spoke, a tone of authority with it, and Akua smiled, unphased.
]

This, dear, is the Shrine of the Sovereign. This... place, is on a world called Horos.

As for what's going on... [ Her eyes took him in, and she paused. ] You have been reborn, but I think, before I explain further, would you like to sit?

[ She gestured, and offered a heavy, homespun blanket. ] Something to cover yourself up with?
Edited 2022-07-31 20:03 (UTC)
leicesters: academy (136)

[personal profile] leicesters 2022-07-31 08:03 pm (UTC)(link)
[Claude struggles to his feet again and half-stumbles closer, peering at the Shard. He's right that it's not a Crest Stone after all, and doesn't bear any kind of marking, but it also looks like it contains some kind of power. More than that...]

For something that's not supposed to be there, it's stuck pretty tight.

[To test if it moves at all, he reaches up to poke it. For science.]
rosethorns: (07)

[personal profile] rosethorns 2022-07-31 08:03 pm (UTC)(link)
Dorothea realizes now that after five years of war, she had much the same thought lingering in the back of her mind, lying in wait to be acknowledged. What was the point of it all? At the time she could see the justification of it—believed in it, truly, even as it pained her to play such a crucial role in it. Only out here did it finally seem right to give it voice, this stranger’s own words serving to help spur it on.

Less of a stranger now, as he introduces himself. “Doctor,” she says, clasping her hands in front of her and offering a slight nod of her head in greeting. Enough of the tension has drained from her now that she sees no reason not to return his politeness in kind, though it is somewhat strained. “Dorothea Arnault,” she replies in kind.

She eyes him, taking in his curious appearance once more. One thing he has mentioned sticks out in her mind. “Immortality, hmm? Such a curious thing to seek.”
rosethorns: (02)

[personal profile] rosethorns 2022-07-31 08:05 pm (UTC)(link)
[Those priorities are certainly in line with Dorothea’s own, and it proves to be something of a boon to fall back into old habits of dreaming up fanciful scenarios. A simple and fun distraction is just what she needs after the upheaval her life has taken in bringing her here.

Dorothea nods along as she adds more delightful scenarios to consider, smile bright.]
I like the way you think. [She laughs, short and joyous, before adding another to their growing list.] Makes me think of these fabulous gardens in Enbarr, not far from the opera house. A delightful place to take a stroll with a sweetheart or friends.

[Dorothea has been doing her best not to dwell too much (at least for the moment) on what may have become of her friends while she was spirited away here; things in Fódlan had been tumultuous even before she’d had that ominous dream upon awakening here. Blessedly, there is plenty enough to provide a distraction here until she is ready to confront it.

She glances back up to the impossible dome of water overhead. Her cheerful tone takes a slightly more contemplative turn.]
I wonder what other sort of delights this world has to offer.
rosethorns: (12)

[personal profile] rosethorns 2022-07-31 08:07 pm (UTC)(link)
Maybe. [One word, clipped and curt. Dorothea studies him for a moment, suspicion still dancing in her eyes. Then that defensive exterior of hers seems to deflate slightly and she sighs. When she speaks this time, much of the previous hostility in her voice has given way for bitter-tinged uncertainty.] Not really.

[She crosses her arms over chest and joins him in examining the surrounding void. The longer she remains in the proximity of such emptiness, the more it seems to beckon to the lingering doubts hiding in the dark corners of her mind. What better place to acknowledge them than here?]

Sometimes I wonder what the point of it is. [Fighting back, fighting for safety, security, an idealized future. Could any of that really be achieved? And if so, would it even be worth the cost?]
rosethorns: (05)

[personal profile] rosethorns 2022-07-31 08:10 pm (UTC)(link)
[It spoke volumes of just how rattled this day has left her that she hardly realizes just who it is she has approached until he turns and that familiar voice hits her ears. She pulls back slightly in her surprise, one hand shooting up over her mouth. Though once the initial shock wears off, she can’t help but laugh.]

Claude! Thoughtful as ever, I see. [A smile is paired with her playful tone.

She certainly hadn’t expected to see a familiar face here—especially not one that seems… somewhat younger than she last recalled. Though perhaps it is best not to dwell on those circumstances for the moment.]


Goodness, I must say, it’s… well, something of a relief run into someone familiar in this mess.
rosethorns: (Default)

[personal profile] rosethorns 2022-07-31 08:15 pm (UTC)(link)
Dorothea can be found here at the Celebrant shrine, if anyone from Pleroma would like to pick her up! PVP just fine if folks want to take it in that direction, since I believe that shrine is closer to the Kenoma side.
fallingsand: (37;)

[personal profile] fallingsand 2022-07-31 08:21 pm (UTC)(link)
Everything ends eventually. Bruno wasn't sure if he would call that the worse of the two paths, although he would consider it the more final of them. He didn't want to end anytime soon himself, thanks.

"Mm, well," and Bruno's gaze wandered away from the dark path and Wrathion, taking in the endless cosmos spread out all around them. "I usually have nightmares, so, I. Don't know? I mean, also, you're, like, a dragon, and, uh, those aren't really. Real? Meaning, yeah. Yeah. This could just be a dream."
Edited 2022-07-31 20:21 (UTC)
affal: (default)

rebirth

[personal profile] affal 2022-07-31 08:23 pm (UTC)(link)
( ooc: since you're wanting to go pleroma with her, i can maybe find a pleroma to fight makoto for her and win later if you want to keep this thread canon in that way! )

( the demon isn't standing within the shrine when yet another new soul threads its way into the contentious tapestry of horos and its Aions — no, he stands just outside, scanning the blasted area surrounding the shrine to the martyr. he had briefly taken to the air to get a sense of what it looked like from above, and it was some sight. it was as if the fist of God had descended from the heavens to impact the land, disrupting all of the life therein for some distance radiating outwards. quite the different vibe from the harsh magnificence of the shrine of the firebrand, cut into the cliffs high above a rampaging river, the faces so sheer that you had to walk up a treacherous switchback to make it to level ground. for just a moment makoto turns and regards the monument of the Martyr, knelt with cupped hands outstretched. he tries, and fails, to keep his mind empty of thoughts he would rather not be troubled by, and then he glides into the relative dark of the shrine's interior.

after all, it seems as though fortune smiles upon him today — he had heard something. the tell-tale sound of life breaking through one of the crystalline chrysalises, and therefore an opportunity.

the state of undress is something one gets used to, both having arrived in the same way nearly half a year ago and having greeted many newcomers in much the similar way since. for what it's worth, the strange young man does seem to be as respectful as he can be, pale eyes like two chips of ice floating in pools of blood remaining impassive and fixed to her own gaze as he approaches. before he answers, he reaches up to sweep the coat off of his shoulders — a heavy, rich-looking thing, thickly fur-lined at the collar. it would have been a fine thing to help keep the bite of ursus' winter chill at bay for perhaps anyone else but the white rabbit.

he offers it to her without a word, seemingly heedless of what might become of it.

makoto has met many newcomers, but he finds himself fascinated by the young woman. she is so calm. even he himself had come into this world biting and clawing, seething and irate, but she is just as severe and serene as the landscape he had found painted across the skyline. so he respects her with honesty. )
In my experience, it's actually quite idyllic. ( shockingly, demons in the hell he is familiar with have similar sensibilities to humans in what they find comfortable and fashionable, though perhaps a little more austere. but that's neither here nor there. ) Though I would be remiss if I didn't say, miss, that we do not find ourselves in Hell here.

( regardless of what she thinks or expects, so it seems. )
fallingsand: (54;)

[personal profile] fallingsand 2022-07-31 08:30 pm (UTC)(link)
[ At least Silco's misunderstanding drew a new sound out of Bruno. A bitter laugh cut through the sobbing and he finally began to uncurl, at least enough to push himself up onto his knees, although his head remained bowed and back bent, hands still pressed flat against the stone floor. ]

Easy for you to say, you aren't... you aren't meant to see the future. What was the point of all that? Making me suffer through that. That gift. If it didn't help?

[ It might still mean nothing to Silco. It might come off as simply more inane rambling of a deeply bereaved man, struggling to accept this new reality. Whatever Silco thought, it meant very little to Bruno. ]

Ha, make it better. [ Another hollow sound, laughter devoid of any joy or happiness. He shifted his head, turning it enough to squint at Silco once again through the long locks of thick black hair. ] How? How do you make... any of this? Any of this better?
wolof: (modern)

rebirth... fellow sovereign

[personal profile] wolof 2022-07-31 08:31 pm (UTC)(link)
"Watch yourself," a voice said, high and imperious, but there's no malice in her tone. She's lurking there, in the shrine, looking about as if to find those that she shared a sect with, as if she could make the transition into this new world easier. Oh, if they could see her now, those from her world, what she was doing now.

She had a blanket in her hand, but did not offer it yet, not until she took a few steps closer, to take stock of him. Some would lash out, from the shock, and Akua did not want to get her freshly remade form struck a second time.

"Would you like something a little warmer? It's not much, but... it will help with the..." Her eyes do not drift, but...most prefer a bit of modesty.