TDM #3

[aionmods]

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!

Comments

[kablams]

[ as is so frequent in times of duress, part of her mind is somewhere else; it is always spinning, always moving. it makes her unpredictable to enemies and allies alike - but it also means she is always engaged, always absorbing and ruminating, even if someone else might mistake it for distraction or negligence. (Silco doesn't.)

'been here' he said. he didn't come around wet and naked like she did ('reborn,' reborn--); he had already been here in this place without her. how long had she been out? dreaming? no, it's too long for that.

--later; she'll worry about it later. someone -- something -- is coming. she's over it.

she's taken it in - the changes in him that go more than his wardrobe - and she's putting things together. Jinx is pulling her hair up, tying it off best she can while it hangs wet and heavy to avoid it obstructing her movement - and she's closing fingers more tightly around the jagged rock in her hand. ]

Do you even know how long it's going to take to fix my hair? I am SO mad right now.

[ the twitchy, nervous energy of 'hatching' has been replaced by genuine anger. why does she feel like she's being jerked around?

and she's kind of ready to smash someone's face in (--gone. taken. everything is gone. everything they worked so hard to prove, it can't just be... gone, can it?--)

yeah, she's shaken it off. now she's just pissed. ]

[dragonmount]

[ in the not so far distance, a fire lights the space.

more like a torch than a conflagration, though both assumptions would be wrong. it's a blade made of pure fire, shaped by the Light, held in the hand of a boy whose footfalls become louder the closer he comes. this is foolishness, truthfully; it's only the power wound around his leg that keeps him from limping too obviously right now. but in the end, he couldn't keep away from the shrines completely, not with everything happening. not with his long-held vow to be the person going out to find new arrivals when the time came. not with the mixture of rage and fear that shivers under his skin and makes it hard to be still.

he calls, ]

What do you think you're doing?

[ ...crashes into this father-daughter reunion like an asshole ]

[zauneyete]

We'll fix it --

[ When we get there is what he meant to say, but Silco, in all of his paranoia, noticed the change of the light down the cavern, deeper within, before someone stepped out. Silco recognized him from the Regent's address, one of the fools who'd tried to attack the Regent' wasn't it?

Silco did look intimidating, turned toward Jinx, reaching out to her, his hand almost on her shoulder, about to teleport them back to the lodestone, where they would be safe. Strapped to his back, very obviously was a wicked, curved blade, and with the mismatched eyes -- when he looked over his shoulder, even he dwarfed the teenager girl he was with, who very obviously had just emerged from a crystal. He looked... like a villain. ]

This doesn't concern you, boy.

[ He said it, derisively, over his shoulder. Even so, his eyes slid back to Jinx, and he rolled his eyes, as if to ask her: "can you believe this fucking guy?" ] Stay here.

[ He said, unwisely. He should know better than to just tell Jinx to do something, but... Silco was a fool. He turned around, and slid the knife from its sheath, and flipped the grip in his hand. What was he going to do with that? He literally has a flaming sword? ]

[kablams]

Stay here? Stay here? Are you kidding me??

[ as if he had just told her to go and paint her nails while daddy goes and deals with the crazy flaming sword guy, she's taking an indignant step closer as the normal, un-flaming blade is drawn. Silco doesn't do his own dirty work. it isn't that he can't. it's that he shouldn't have to.

this is what Jinx, and Sevika, and like, a bunch of incredibly stupid and usually really fucked up goons are for.

guess they don't have any of those on hand, and guess Jinx just hatched out of a crystal cocoon which, admittedly, isn't her average Tuesday last she checked, but this is still ridiculous, right? is anyone seeing this? (--no? no, of COURSE she isn't going to let him handle this. he isn't-- undermining her. he doesn't think she can't do it, he's just... he's protecting her. he said it himself, she was shaking it off, she's--) ]

Hey! Fire stick boy.

[ Jinx, leaning up and over Silco's left shoulder to gesture past him for Rand in the distance, points toward the sword. ]

Fair's fair, we get one of those too or you forfeit. C'mon, fork it over!

[dragonmount]

[ silco does look like a villain.

and it helps that rand vaguely recognizes his face, too, from the regent's address. they hadn't spoken, of course, and silco hadn't done anything as dramatic or flashy as rand's attack on the regent. but he'd also had a lot of time floating around to do little more than people watch, so you know. he's pretty confident that this is one of the kenoma, here to whisk away a young girl to achamoth.

...a young girl who does not. seem very distressed by her circumstances. who in fact seems hostile to rand's arrival? he blinks, because this is already tilting sideways into one of those this may as well happen moments of his life. ]

I'm not here to hurt anyone, [ he says, despite the obviously lethal weapon in his hand, addressed mostly to jinx...though he keeps his eyes on silco, too. maybe a knife can't match a fire sword, but it can do damage — to rand or this girl. ] I want to help. Do you have any idea what kind of place this man wants to take you? What they'll do to you?

[ there's the question of the vial of kenoma, after all, that silco surely has on his person. ]

[zauneyete]

He isn't here to hurt anyone, the boy says, holding a flaming sword.

[ His tone is acrid, and sarcastic, mean to a fault, Silco mocks even while he stepped away from his daughter, but offered her a look over his shoulder, just for a second, as if he was trying to tell her -- maybe even plead with her -- that he'd explain later. Do to her, the boy had said, as if Jinx wasn't strong enough to handle the essence they all had to drink.

As if she was weak. Jinx was so strong, stronger than him, he didn't doubt for a second that she would pass with flying colors, and probably accept it faster than him, even.

He tried to reach his power, instead of saying anything else, even though he doubted it would work. He tried to vanish from sight, and he was sure that it would have been... Bad, if it has happened, but close enough to Rand, close enough for everyone to see him, he isn't able to vanish from sight. He shrugged, gloved hand tightened on the knife. ]

Shame.

[ He said, to nobody in particular. He's not even that fast, but it's sudden, when he moved away from Jinx and toward the boy with the sword. He's no practiced swordsman, and Silco has done little to make himself more adept at such things. He preferred to find other ways to be of use, but... The more this boy talked, the more he was going to confuse Jinx before Silco has the chance to tell her himself. He couldn't have that.

So with three quick steps -- human quick, not aion quick -- to clear the distance, he tried to swipe him with the knife, at that leg he'd been keeping his weight off of -- Although a practiced hand would be able to deflect. ]

let the record show that i give the people what they want

[dragonmount]

[ silco is really throwing an incredible amount of shade for a man who looks and sounds like he walked off the pages of a penny dreadful.

anyway.

rand is true to his word, lethal fiery weapons of death in his hand or not: he doesn't make a move until silco does. it doesn't surprise him, of course. he's become increasingly sure that any kenoma will take the opportunity to attack, given one, that trying to talk or treat with one is likely a fool's errand. but he does wait until silco speaks, and then comes at him with that knife.

he might have known, too, that the man would notice and go in for his bad leg. so he does move his sword down to deflect, stumbling backwards gracelessly, though the knife does catch and slice off a button from his white shirt. sword in his hand or no, this isn't quite a situation where his next move is to stab a man at close range with this thing, so he gathers his energies to channel — ]

ah, if only the knife sliced across his shirt...

[subsist]

[ it made sense to split up so that they could cover more ground inside the shrine. there's no harm in making sure every area is checked, after all, just in case someone decides to hatch further away from the exit. this turns out to be an issue if only because a member of the pleroma arrives to hassle them while they're simply doing their job.

something compels kaeya to move faster than he ever has. he's the last one who wants a repeat of being late to arrive for help so he's on the move as soon as he's wandered close enough to hear an unfamiliar voice in the mix. he shows up just in time to see the pleroma stumble backwards, button flying from his shirt. he's channeling something, and that's when kaeya decides to step in.

a frozen spike is sent flying to cut through the aion's line of sight, mostly to break focus than do much else. he follows up with a water ball that's aimed right for that flaming sword — because seriously, he is so tired of seeing them — in hopes that dousing it will be enough of a distraction for him to place himself in between silco and rand. ]

That's not how you say hello.

[ it isn't going to do everyone any favours to start a fight here, but a sword made out of ice manifests in his hand anyway. just in case. ]

😳

[kablams]

[ she had been irritated, before. angry.

but Fire Sword Guy is turning that into something else - something closer to pissed the more he opens his mouth. it's probably for the best that Silco moves in when he does; surely when he shot that glance over his shoulder, he saw it - the light of a lividity in her eyes that usually came before Jinx went and did something incredibly impulsive and shortsighted out of vitriolic rage.

as if she needs to be looked after and protected? as if she needs some man who has no idea who the hell she is telling her what is and isn't in her best interest?? the GALL of Fire Sword Guy, honestly???

Silco is moving in to bridge the distance between him and his opponent - and then there's a sudden, unexpected rise of ice, the crackling hiss of it as it coalesces right from the shrine floor, accompanied by a splash of water. another player is on the field, another face Jinx doesn't recognize, and all of this is making her increasingly agitated and anxious and SO frustrated her usual bag of tricks isn't here. Silco is having to fight for her. Silco. with a blade.

...

among all of the dramatic flourishes of magic and ice and fire and showmanship,

the chunk of crystalline rock goes hurdling toward the group to peg......... Silco, in the back. it isn't exactly a hard toss and won't injure him, mind you, but-- ]

HELLO?? [ she could not sound more Done if she tried, ]

Is someone going to tell me what the hell is going on here? --Now THIS guy's got an Ice Sword. Can I please have SOMEthing?!

damn kids can we keep this PG

[zauneyete]

[ Silco had really no chance against Rand. That was obvious. He was small, didn't have a flaming weapon, and frankly wasn't going to be of much use. He would fight him, because the alternative was...

Jinx reminded him of her presence after Kaeya arrived, and while Silco had been just about to say something --

A rock hit him, square in the back. He stopped, his shoulders tight, and up, and he turned around, to look at Jinx, complete with his coat pulled around her shoulders, complaining about not getting to participate. Yes, that was indeed Jinx. ] Jinx -- [ He said, a touch sharp. ] We'll talk about it when we get out of here.

[ It was, as Kaeya would notice, odd. The way he said it. Sarcastic and mean were Silco's two most used tones of voice, but occasionally he was serious, with business. This was none of that, and about as exasperated as a... parent would be. He stepped back from the fight, his knife still held out, but with Kaeya there... He turned to look at him, and offered a nod. ]

Think you can buy us time to get out? He's even already injured. [ Back to that sarcastic, mocking lull, like flipping a switch, as he took another step back toward the small girl wearing his coat. ]

i don't know, can we? 😘

[dragonmount]

[ the frozen spike catches his attention, of course.

rand reaches out to catch it with the Power, clenches his hands into fists as the spike is crushed to shards of ice that fall around them with a clattering. which means, also, that he is completely unprepared for the second attack of water. he'd doused his own sword just a second before the water lands anyway, to better handle the ice, which means he really catches the full brunt of that watery orb and is completely drenched.

later, he'll consider how easily he could've been hurt or killed if kaeya had gone for more offensive magic in this moment.

but right now he's bewildered, between this and the growing realization that this girl — jinx — and silco don't act like strangers who just met. he blinks water out of his eyes, pushes hair back from where it sticks to his face, and says to kaeya, ]

I didn't realize they were teaching you manners in Achamoth.

[ wryly. his attention is more on that frozen sword, though, flicks between kaeya and silco, mostly — the more immediate threats in this moment. he frowns at silco's assessment, at the ask as if he isn't, you know, right here. maybe it is stupid, but he wants to tread carefully. he doesn't want to hurt this girl, new as she is here, whatever relationship she might have with these people, and attacks with fire are dangerous in this small space.

but kaeya isn't the only one who can wield water, and maybe the element of surprise will help. so he pulls a wave straight out of the nearby lake, summons all that water inside the shrine to him — and then throws it at kaeya. ]

that depends... 😳

[subsist]

[ kaeya is also coming to the same realization as rand. the newcomer, jinx, is someone who means something to silco, and that's so telling because... it's silco. the man rarely shows any shred of emotion, preferring to remain composed no matter how tense a situation is. jinx manages to frazzle him just by being here and by wanting to get involved despite the obvious disadvantages.

it's a mistake to turn and try to pass over his sword to jinx, saying something along the lines of how he'll make sure it won't be cold for her to touch, because this gives rand an opening to throw that wave of water right at him. thoroughly drenched, his white shirt leaves little to the imagination, and he doesn't look entirely too pleased either.

there's a smile on his face that's sharp around the edges. ]

I'd say we're more well-mannered than the likes of you.

[ while it's all too tempting to take advantage of the pleroma's injury, silco asked him to buy time, and he isn't that interested in making a mess within the lover shrine himself, so he does the next best thing: he's going to be an annoyance. he won't allow rand to get another hit in by blocking his path with an ice wall that builds itself from the ground up. the immediate drop in temperature is going to be noticeable right away, but he glances at silco soon after. ]

I'll keep him busy if he decides to try something funny. Go.

[ he'll follow after them soon enough. ]

on... what 👀

[kablams]

[ being completely disregarded by Fire Guy is Pissing Her Off - even more than she already was, and it's only Silco's acknowledgment that is keeping her from flying off the deep end and probably over-complicating matters further by involving herself. excuse you? don't discredit her just because she doesn't have a flaming ice sword magic-y thing too?? UGH, misogyny is so real.

but she can see the Ice Guy is someone Silco recognizes - an ally? how had he been here long enough to make allies Jinx doesn't know, someone willing to come to his defense? someone who is offering her an ice sword??

her time has come.

but before she can successfully think about reaching out and taking it... Fire Guy is morphing into Water Guy (????????? what is going on) - and Ice Guy has retracted that delectable offer to arm her - wait, what the fuck?! to his credit, he's moving with speed and efficiency to erect a massive barrier that freezes the air - and water - that has goosebumps prickling at her skin, effectively dealing with the threat of drowning rushing in from the shrine entrance.

a more sensible person might dwell on the fact she is newly reborn from a crystal and could've probably died at least six times in circumstances way above her head. that Zaun - that everything - is gone. that the dream she had might be real; that she's still shaking off the effects of that rebirth, and that people are using abilities that should be good as impossible as if it's second nature to them.

the thing she dwells on as she casts Rand a scathing look, one that suggests she is murdering him at least fifteen different ways in her head, is-- ]

Anyone else getting there's something seriously wrong with this guy? Can't be just me, right? He totally saw you were trying to give that to me, right? He saw that!

[ Rand has no idea how ironic this is coming from Jinx, but like,

man. who does that?? ]

yeah on what... 💦

[zauneyete]

[ When Kaeya reached out to offer his sword to Jinx, he actually smirked, a twist of his lips and scars that was half gruesome, but... He didn't say anything, or he couldn't because the boy was already summoning a vast wave that would have drowned them. He didn't quite get in front of Jinx when he pulleder. Enough so, that Silco can sigh, out loud, as he turned away from Rand, outright ignoring him now that Kaeya was here to make sure they could get out, and he spread his hands. ]

If you want an ice sword, we'll find a way to get you an ice sword later, Jinx.

[ Has Silco given anyone anything other than alcohol or a shot of that drugged touch from his gloved fingers? Never. Would he figure out a way to get an ice sword for Jinx? Of course he would. It's not like Silco could deny her every whim that she had, after all.

He stepped a little closer to Jinx, and pulled something out of his vest pocket, a little necklace, with a small stone on it. He held it out to Jinx, fingers quick this time, to make sure that they made it out before the boy moved to attack them again. They weren't safe yet, despite the fact that he had backup. If he could call a wave, then he could do other things that could be even more dangerous. ]

Put this on, Jinx. We're leaving. [ A pause. ] It's like...portable hextech.

winks saucily

[dragonmount]

[ not that this isn't a serious situation and all, but at jinx's OUTRAGE, he can't help reflexively starting to say, ]

Of course I didn't see —

[ HELLO? HE WAS BUSY CHANNELING? the water didn't move itself! (well, technically) but then there's a sudden wall of ice between him and the rest of them. and the truth is,

he isn't sure how much he wants to fight for this. more recruits being taken to achamoth can only be a bad thing, but separating a ??? and a ??? seems — mm. and besides, he isn't interested in taking anyone anywhere, kicking and screaming. this jinx clearly won't want to come with him, and he isn't going to force her. he's not kenoma. so he doesn't try to melt the wall, or tear it apart. but he does step backwards and watch them go, mostly because he isn't interested in turning his back and finding a knife in it. ]

it depends on prince apping, obviously 🥰

[subsist]

[ maybe it's a good thing that rand realizes it probably isn't a good idea to separate jinx from silco. that allows kaeya to relax, glancing over his shoulder to look back at the pair. he shrugs casually, but his words agree with what jinx is saying. ]

They're all like that— shoot first, ask questions later.

[ all pleroma are turning out to be the same, but at this point, that hardly surprises him. he's sure silco will explain everything to her once they're back at achamoth.

while he waits for father-and-daughter pair to go first, he will be keeping an eye on rand from beyond the ice wall. just in case. you can never be too careful with the trigger-happy types, after all. ]

ok well. guess it's time to bribe me with reeses,

[kablams]

[ Silco's offers - to get her an ice sword and the necklace - are both ones she grudgingly accepts; she winds the necklace around her wrist like a bracelet, doubling up the loose chain and looking at the bauble curiously. like hextech, but it isn't.

it seems apparent that Ice Guy is going to stay back and hold the line for their escape; there's something familiar enough in this - Silco's muscle doing work - and she doesn't question it, assumes that's the relationship that's unfolding here. then that just leaves one last person to deal with.

...so she maturely sticks her tongue out as she leans a little to the left of Silco's shoulder, making very pointed eye contact with Rand. ]

Not so hot now, are ya?

[ lol lmao gottem ]

https://www.myamericanmarket.com/9089-large_default/reeses-peanut-butter-heart-xl.jpg

[zauneyete]

[ There's no snort, but does Silco smile? No, of course not. He never smiles, but he took one last look over his shoulder, to make sure that the boy wasn't trying to blow or melt it out. He wouldn't put it past one of them, but perhaps some of them weren't quite as driven as Estinien, or worse -- The Thing. Silco held his own returning stone in his gloved palm -- like he would wear a necklace -- and slid a look to Kaeya, before he set them to activate. ]

I'd recommend to be quick. We don't know how many of them are going to come to his rescue.

[ Because they would, wouldn't they? Silco knew it. He activated his and Jinx's gems, to send them out of the shrine, and toward the Lodestone, where at least he could get his coat back, and explain a few things -- before he gave Jinx the Vile Drink.

He knew well enough that his daughter wouldn't just take it, but Silco knew he could convince her, at least. ]

Brace yourself --

[ Because it was a violent transport, out of the shrine. ]

🍫🍫🍫🍫🍫

[dragonmount]

[ silco is making some incredible assumptions about how much rand tells people about where he's going and when.

but he doesn't respond to any of the (deeply rude) provocations verbally anymore, or at all. his jaw is clenched tight and, as they prepare to activate their sending stones, he slowly starts to back away. there are other shrines to check, after all, other people to try saving. there are those at pleroma's lodestone who could use looking after.

and let them think they have to hurry, or a swarm of pleroma will descend on them. and let them think this is the extent of his power too; see how surprised they are the next time they cross paths. in any case, he won't try anything else, won't stop silco or jinx or even kaeya from leaving. ]

https://www.hersheyland.com/reeses - everything here can be yours

[subsist]

[ the annoying thing about the five-minute minimum when it comes to using the return stones is that it leaves you with the awkward situation of staring at the other party while you wait to warp away. at least kaeya tries to be more productive, committing to memory every little detail he can about rand and what he's capable of. he suspects that isn't everything the pleroma can do, given that they're aions, after all, but it's always good to take note.

his parting gift is a quick snap of his fingers, the ice wall between them both shattering into pieces. he'll be gone by the time it completely collapses.

until next time, fire boy. ]

🥰🍫🥰 i feel loved,

[kablams]

[ Silco isn't wrong: the transport from the Lover's shrine to the Lodestone sitting within Achamoth is... disorienting. it seems to be the theme of the day - disorientation, being thrown outside her element and made to flounder among whatever the hell happens along the way. Jinx has been in Horos a total of what - twenty minutes? half an hour?

and her nerves are frayed, patience fraying with it when they coalesce at their destination, her knees giving a little unsteady wobble and her grip on Silco's forearm tightening. it really is like Hextech - yet beyond it. individual teleportation--? the Council would eat their heart out.

but she's already forgotten about it by the time they've arrived. Jinx tears her flighty gaze away from the man in front of her, eyes sweeping over the interior of the Lodestone's hall; she wants to know how it works. she wants to know what just happened. she wants to know where she is, why Silco is doing Silco things with people she doesn't know; she wants a bath and some clothes and (is it all really... gone?)

...the tension in the sit of her shoulders says it all. she's been a (relatively) good girl so far, but if he doesn't start talking quick -- her distracted obedience is going to turn ugly real fast. ]

you SHOULD bc we adore you

[zauneyete]

[ It's still disorienting every time he used these stones. It's always more violent than Silco expected, and sharper. He wasn't used to traveling by hextech gates, but he always felt like the violence of it was similar, that womp of motion, and then they were at the lodestone. It's familiar, but in the light of the lodestone, the crystalline halls, Silco feels as if it is...

Perhaps not different, but he feels like he can see it all differently. He watched Jinx, more than the rest of the attendants, or anything like that. One cultist swooped in, ready to present her with the vile drink, but Silco waved them off. Jinx wouldn't take that from them, and if they tried... There was no way that it would last.

When she stopped looking around, when the frantic pass of her eyes slowed, he took the opportunity, and led her to a seat to the side, where the benches were. He sat down, and and ran a hand down his face, fingers across his lips. How did he even begin to describe...what had just happened. ]

Runeterra is gone. [ That's as fine a start as any. ] I don't know how, but with it Zaun, and...everyone who didn't arrive here. [ Silco stopped, then, the dead air said all it needed to. He had thought she was gone. ] I've been here for around five months.

[ Silco didn't reach out, of course -- Silco never reached out, but he ran a hand through his hair, almost ritual in the motion, as if the fact that Jinx was here was enough to calm most of the tension and the hate from him. ]

it's true 🥺

[subsist]

[ kaeya arrives at the lodestone not too long after. using the returning stones is no different from waypoints, really, but going through the suffocating void and the sudden snap of reappearing elsewhere never fails to make him all tense. he only relaxes once he sees that silco and jinx made it back here without a hitch. at least that's one less thing to worry about.

when silco runs his hand through his hair, kaeya wonders if he should step in or if he should leave them be. he doesn't need to know the relationship between the two to realize that his presence is only going to cause more problems if he stayed, so the latter option wins out.

announcing himself doesn't happen until silco finishes talking. ]

... Silco. I'm heading back out, to see if there are others.

[ it wouldn't hurt. after all, leaving fire guy behind at the shrine meant that the pleroma have a better chance at picking up any new aions who will hatch there, so he can't exactly let them keep that advantage for long.

he turns to jinx next, and when he holds his hand out, a new frozen sword manifests in his grip. it's cold to the touch, but there won't be a threat of frostbite. not if he doesn't allow it. ] Here. Since you were meant to have it, before that man interrupted us.

[ he'll leave once jinx takes the sword from him. no need to stay much longer than that, he thinks. ]

...slides my app in and passes around my bounty of reeses, 1/2

[kablams]

[ she's still shaking off just how out-of-body this whole experience has been when Silco waves off the attendant with not-at-all suspect-looking vials of black, viscous fluid inside them - this place screams kinky, cult-themed bordello or something?? not okay - and she shrinks a little further into his coat, feeling rather suddenly very unnecessarily exposed for the prying eyes on them. (no one is especially prying, but she feels it. staring. they're staring at her. they're watching, like they know that she's--)

'Runeterra is gone.'

it's enough to get her re-focused. she needed to be. even so, it isn't like she knows what to do with what he's said, regardless - because it seems so absolutely abstract a thought: even if, at the same time, after that dream... ]

[kablams]

[ suddenly, Jinx is aware she's holding a sword made entirely out of hardened, frigid ice (but it doesn't burn where she grips its handle) without really being sure how it got there. there is a lot happening right now? there is SO much happening and she's really having a time of it, blue eyes turning up to find Ice Guy.

Ice Guy, who just handed her an Ice Blade.

... ]

Sevika looking different these days, or is it just me...?

[ it's meant toward Silco, even if her eyes linger on Ice Guy; Kaeya sure reads like hired help - and pardon her, she'll be grateful about the sword later (SHE HAS AN ICE SWORD, PEOPLE??). she'll make sure to interrogate annoy terrorize thank him later once all of this is taken care of. ]