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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.
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.
❖ 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 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!
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!
Vaden Tharys | Elder Scrolls Online | Artisan | Pleroma
1. Dreaming - Crossroads2. Rebirth - Artisan3. Returned - Pleroma4. Wildcard
returned
Hythlodaeus perks up as he's spoken to- admittedly, with them both sitting within speaking distance of each other, it was only a matter of time before he spoke anyway.
"Most certainly it is beautiful, however... I have never seen anything quite like it."
Noting how Vaden pets the crab, he tilts his head.
"Have you done that before? I've never seen a crab enjoy such a thing until now."
no subject
He didn't have much to say on the water. In truth, it reminded him of the housing in Betnikh that he had toured at one point. He likely would have bought it if it weren't for the fact it was in Betnikh.
"Yes - all creatures have things they like. I had a mud crab back at home and I learned what it liked. That particular crab had a fondness for taking things I was holding so we had something of a game, too, where I would hold things and it would take them from me and scuttle away." He continued until the crab started to scuttle away, at which point he let it and he let his hand come to rest in the sand. He looked at the stranger properly, large eyes examining the stranger.
"I like to collect odd things others aren't so fond of," he eventually admitted.
no subject
He watches the crab make its way further towards the water, before turning to meet Vaden's eye.
"What other odd things have you collected?" He's intrigued at what the stranger would find odd.
no subject
"Oh, I've had numerous mudcrabs, an assortment of spiders, and insects over the years. My pride was a cobalt sep adder. Those are quite rare, which is to my taste. My preferred mount is an amenos ornaug. They not so unusual where they are from but to those not used to them they can be quite off-putting."
He looked down to the sand and idly pinched some between his fingers to feel its grit. "If we mean people, then I happened to collect a great many of those as well. I worked often with an odd band of mercenaries. Very capable in combat but not much else."
no subject
He does chuckle at the mention of the people he 'collected' though. "Were they your friends? Surely they were good for something besides combat...?"
He doesn't know anyone who was only good at combat. They always had some other special qualities that Hythlodaeus could admire.
no subject
"An ornaug is a strange beast, Anemos being where mine was from. It's four-legged much like a canine but it is covered in scales and fins. Its head is covered in a hard, white, bone-like tissue. I have been told that they tend to stick near water in their native habitat. They are carnivores and pose a real threat to travelers. Or so I have heard."
He fell silent as he considered the question. Were they his friends? He certainly never really considered them so - he wouldn't stoop so low to call some of the them friends, would he?
"No, I would not consider them as such. It would be - ah - untoward for me to be friends with such... Colorful characters. We simply work together. That is all."
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If only he could judge it based on its merits and faults, to see if it would have been a good fit for Etheirys... alas, he doubts the beast is here.
"Well, I suppose if you simply work together you may not know them very well. Mayhap some day they will surprise you!"
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If he could get his hands on some tools and wood he could even carve one to better illustrate it for the stranger but, alas, that was not the case right now. A trouble for another time, if at all.
In truth, he knew them all quite well, and, in some cases, better than he wished he did. He didn't want to admit it but there were a couple he maybe wished he knew better. That thought he pushed from his mind.
"I somehow doubt that is the case. Regardless, I would need to return home to Tamriel for them to ever have the opportunity," and he just wasn't confident in those odds.
"And what of you? What interesting critters have you seen, then?"
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"Ah, so many that it is difficult to articulate. In my line of work, I was presented with a great many. Ah, some examples... giant carnivorous plants, a shark with eight legs, a walking snake with three heads..."
He shrugs, chuckling. He had declined the last two concepts, but the first one- the Malboro- had seemed fine to him!
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"If I may ask - what line of work were you in that you would see such fascinating creatures?"
It sounded like the work of rather enterprising mages, really. Such studies, he imagined, would be met with constant discussion of ethics and the like where he was from - he already had to suffer through so many people saying to his face that his own topic of study was something only evil men would do.
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He smiles as if it's completely normal for man to populate their world in such a way. And it was, for him. He had loved his job, too- as much is apparent in the wistful way he talks about it.
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"By creation magicks - do you mean conjuration?" He was rather confident that wasn't what he'd meant - conjuration didn't create anything new, only summoned it from elsewhere - but he had no other context of what that could really mean. Vaden was not so stupid that he couldn't extrapolate based on the name on the tin but, well, such a thing didn't exist where he was from.
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He supposes to someone who couldn't create, this is complex. And for someone from an entirely different world, who likely didn't even know what aether was... well, even worse.
"We simply had to picture the concept clearly in our minds. Of course, it could go wrong should we get distracted."
Rebirth
"Its just rock. Nothing to get worked up over."
The voice's source makes no effort to conceal itself as a tiny slip of a girl steps into view. She walks with a confidence unfitting for her size, and approaches without hesitation. "And you must be one of the newcomers. Hmph. You don't look like much."
Now the scorn seems to have been replaced by disappointment. "Oh well. I suppose you'll do. You can be cannon fodder at least. But we'll need to move quickly. I made it first, but I'm sure someone else will be here soon. You don't want to be here when they get here. They'll start filling your head with lies right from the start. Its what they do." She waits approximately four seconds for a response before getting annoyed. "You HEARD me, right? Get a move on! I'll explain on the way."
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"I look like more than you, child," he hissed back. His hackles were thoroughly raised - though that was never particularly hard to achieve. When her scorn seemed to dissolve into disappointment he almost seemed to grow smug in it, though his voice still retained a sharp bite to it.
"And how am I to believe that you are not trying to fill my head with lies? Moreover, I don't take orders from a child. If you're part of some regiment and meant to be some welcome committee, then surely your commander is not far. Bring me your commander so the adults may speak."
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"You look like a scrawny, naked fool. Didn't I tell you we're on a schedule? You don't have to trust me. Its not like I trust you, either. I don't even know you. But if I meant you harm, you'd have never even seen me. I'd have had you dead before you ever heard my voice. Don't bother trying to tell me you'd have stopped me. I came out of one of those things, too. I know just how you feel. And more importantly, I know anything at all that makes you special? You don't have it right now. Prove me wrong if you can. After you've failed, maybe you'll listen to sense."
Again, she doesn't wait long before speaking again. "But I'm tired of looking at you like that while you think. Bring it in!" Apparently, the girl isn't by herself at all, as a man, significantly taller then the girl herself, steps into the shrine with a large bag in one hand. The man doesn't look like he's her commander. In fact, he doesn't look well at all. His eyes seem to hold no spark, he moves them without seeming to see at all. His skin looks quite pale as well. He strides across the chamber without words, hurling the bag near Vaden but intentionally not anywhere close to where it would hit him. He then turns and, just as wordlessly, walks away. He seems unwilling to explain whats in the bag, but the girl steps in to do so.
"There's a robe and some food in that bag. Maybe once you're not so uncomfortable you'll come to your senses." Without knowing what sort of person she might find, the clothing may be too big or too small. The food is little more then a hard loaf of bread and a small skin of water.
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He snapped back to attention when a man entered. Vaden reflexively felt his body tense, readied for combat. He was not particularly useful when it came to a physical fight but he would be damned if he didn't at least try. When the bag landed at his feet unceremoniously and the man left he felt himself only slightly relax. Whatever that man was it wasn't alive - it could be the thing was a fresh body raised by a necromantic spell and this girl was like he was, or it could have been a vampire thrall with how the skin was pale enough to match his. It was hard to tell.
Regardless, he kept an eye on the girl as he fished the robe out of the bag and clothed himself. It was a little big - for as much as he had degraded her for her height, he wasn't exactly tall himself. He also specifically avoided the offered food and water - food and drink were worthless to him so if he were to waste the effort on it then he should have food and drink he really enjoyed. Hard bread that was who knows how old and water weren't even worth the consideration.
"Thank you for the clothes," he said tersely. It was clear he didn't mean it but it was something that he had been drilled into saying. He was a rich boy once, with expectations weighing heavy on his shoulders.
"But if I am to be quite frank, I was doing fine up until the moment you showed up and started acting like I am some fool that will listen to the first person who crosses my path. Unless you can give me something more concrete than they're liars, I imagine they will give me more respect than to call me canon fodder to my face."
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But any authority she believed was hers was indeed being questioned, and it was obvious that annoyed her greatly. She is not used to diplomacy, there was no need for it in the might makes right world she came from. You 'won the debate' if you survived your enemy's attempt on your life. To say she is not used to using words to solve her problems would be an understatement. Should she even bother? It'd be a simple matter to overwhelm a powerless man. In the past, she wouldn't even question the choice to do just that. But if this is to be an 'ally', it made sense to use a lighter touch, as against her nature as it was.
The girl closes her eyes, and sighs in an overly dramatic way that makes her frustration even more obvious then it already was. When she speaks, her voice is a carefully controlled tone. She SOUNDS like she's trying to speaking in a pleasant tone. Her clenched fists give away just how much she wishes she could simply resort to violence, however.
"All right. Fine. I was hoping to leave the explanation to someone else, but I guess if you're going to be stubborn, its up to me after all. The dream. You saw a dream while you were still inside that thing." It is clear that she isn't asking a question. "We all saw similar ones when we first woke up here. You saw some pretty horrible things, didn't you? Don't think I'm going to sugarcoat this, wherever you're from? Its gone now. Anyone you know, anyone you cared about? They're gone now. Any hopes or dreams? Forget them." The almost happy smile she wears on her face definitely seems to give off the impression she was enjoying herself.
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He, on the other hand, was more than used to diplomacy - it was what he was bred to do and how he'd been raised, even if he was the most useless of all of his family's brood. No matter his position in the hierarchy of the Tharys family he was still one of them and he had been taught all of the things low nobility were and, well, over the course of his travels he'd met so many people that had challenged his own prejudices he'd learned quickly to keep his mouth shut in many situations. It was a lesson this irritating child before him clearly needed. He'd run into plenty of children who hadn't had the rearing he'd had and they were all much more pleasant than this.
Regardless, watching her try to struggle though the attempt of being the absolute worst example of nice someone could muster was amusing to him. He couldn't help the quirk to the corner of his lips that formed a cruel little smirk as she forced her way through her explanation, though it didn't last and his face soon returned back to its usual hard expression. His discontent was clear enough, though he wouldn't give her the satisfaction of wailing and throwing himself into grief (if that was what she hoped for).
The news was bothersome - he'd gone through all of that hard work to create a temporary alliance between the three warring factions so that they could stop Molag Bal and the planemeld and all of that had been, apparently, for nothing. Not to mention his friends acquaintances were now supposedly gone, and that made him feel a certain way. He believed her in this, at least, and wouldn't push back on it.
"I rather doubt that things are as bleak as you make them sound," he started. He wouldn't be brought down by this revelation - not when there were so many kinds of magic that existed. Besides, no matter how he felt, he wouldn't give her the satisfaction. "There are a myriad magicks out there; one will surely restore such lost worlds." Or rewind time enough that he could warn the Mage's Guild and they could work to stop this happening.
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But for some reason, her smiles changes a little at the responses. Sure, there was some minor annoyance at how calmly he responded, but there seemed to be something else, too. Something a little more genuine. "Of course there is. Do you think I'd be bothering to come here at all if everything was hopeless? But enough wasting time, I'll get straight to it. There's a war going on here, between the people that want to see worlds restored and those that think everything is fine just the way it is. I'm with the first group." It was a very sanitized version of the actual conflict going on, but she saw no reason to fill in all the details. Besides, in her mind, she was not lying. If Vaden were a good judge of character, the genuine way she speaks of it would seem different then her flippant, angry little tantrums from earlier. If what she isn't saying is true, she at least THINKS it is.
"Remaining neutral isn't going to be possible. Those of us brought here from other worlds are too important." She taps at the soul shard at her collarbone, its vaguely skull-like shape giving hints to both her nature and abilities. "Besides, these making hiding next to impossible. You could try concealing it, and it'll work for a little while, but the moment someone sees it, it'll be over and both sides will be after you."
Her smile turns sour. "That means the rebels know you're here, too. All of us feel it when new souls arrive. The fact that no one else has shown up yet is just dumb luck that I'm sure won't last. That's why I brought guards with me. Not that there are many of the rebels I need to be scared of even without them." She couldn't resist throwing in a bit of bragging. Its just how she is.