open | a merry meri mingle

[sterngaze]

Who: Meridians new & old!
What: Cookout mingle
Where: Alenroux
When: Mid-March, after Vander's rescue
Warnings: Potentially alcohol consumption and violence, for the rowdy

After the initiation of Springstar's invasion plans for Alenroux, tensions among the Meridian-aligned might be a bit strained. The move comes as a surprise even for many of the shard-bearers within the faction itself, to say nothing of those whose livelihoods depend on the farms here. It's not yet clear what Highstorm's response will be, but one will certainly be coming; when that happens, someone is going to come out on the bottom, and their blood will be at least partially on Meridian's hands.

At times like this, the importance of maintaining morale can't be understated. A call goes out to the newest generation of those harmonized with Meridian's light: it's time to have a party!

PREPARATION:

Those who can are invited to help with the set-up. There are drinks to procure, foodstuffs to acquire and prepare, canopies to erect for shade, entertainments to organize. It's not meant to be a grand affair — the gathering is private, intended to foster camaraderie among the shard-bearers after long days and nights of work — but it will be a comfortable one, with edibles and enjoyments to offer to those taking solace in the company of their fellows.

It takes one of Alenroux's long days to make all the necessary arrangements — and then, late the following morning, after the night's monsters have slunk back into the woods, things are made ready. All that's left is for the guests to arrive.

THE EVENT:

Spring is still in the midst of taking hold over Alenroux, so a tall bonfire at the centre of the gathering place offers a toasty place to linger and chat throughout the day. Hot drinks and a variety of fire-roasted foods are on offer, including an entire deer helpfully supplied and prepared by Liem. Logs and stumps provide simple seating, and nearby canopies provide shade around the tables of food and drink. A little further away, sturdy tents provide more private gathering places for those wishing for a break from the hubbub.

And there will be hubbub. To break the ice between unfamiliar faces, a variety of contests have been set up over the course of the gathering. These range from simple arm-wrestling competitions, to three-legged races, to friendly sparring matches for those so-inclined. Gathered Meris are encouraged to spectate and bet amongst themselves on contest outcomes — and better yet, to volunteer to participate themselves during the next round.

For those who have already had a chance to relax and let off some steam, the gathering is a perfect opportunity to get to know one's fellow sect-mates a little better, and to reaffirm why Meridian called to them in the first place. Those gathered are encouraged to take the chance to tell a few tales about the place they came from, and to share the visions inside their Sunbeam with those from other worlds. A favourite place, a cherished person, an unkept promise, even an old enemy: all could be worth revisiting for a moment with new comrades in arms.

Comments

[redsoil]

[ Time, and souls. Time, and souls. The Blight on the Isles affected time itself.

What a curious array of elements, and the Shard-bearers currently unable to connect them to form a cohesive design, an answer to their network of questions. He assumes Aetós to be a third party, functioning independent of Meridian and Zenith, for their own ends; a threat that unites both factions, and will continue to do so until such a time that they are dealt with. ]

Creating souls.

[ The topic is a haunting one. It rises in Set's chest like revulsion, like sickness — a memory that overtakes him briefly and has him turning pale and grey, casting his expression in shivering, faint horror before he must duck his head and compose himself. Sweeping his fingers through his hair, carding through it as if looking for non-existent knots ( some guys have all the luck ). ]

Only goddesses have the ability to create souls, where I hail from. I have come to realize this is not the same for other worlds, but it is what I know. Souls can be — destroyed, changed, moved from form to form, though. I am less interested in the how of Aetós's work, as I am more interested in the why. Why would they want to create souls?

[ He thinks. ]

Why would creating souls benefit them? Or anyone? Perhaps they lost someone. Perhaps, they seek to create weapons of these souls — untethered souls are easier to apply. Nobody would miss them, or seek them.

[exhound]

[It truly is an unsettling thought, one that seems to affect even a wildcard like Set. That expression of his before he averts his gaze to recover himself is somewhat surprising, and Vander knows to give him that moment he needs without further scrutiny. So he busies himself with pulling a morsel off one of the kebabs, chewing thoughtfully as Set begins thinking through the important question out loud.

Why. It really is the key to this whole thing, and perhaps the one question they know so little of how to answer. There were clues about what Aetós is up to, both given freely and inferred from what people have stumbled upon. (Or gone through.) But if they could figure out why they were going to all this trouble to find an answer to such a typically out of reach question…]

My first assumption is that it’s a power grab. [So, weaponizing the souls fits that.] Nothing about their approach to this, at least from what I saw first-hand, made it seem like there were personal stakes. Calm and clinical.

[Could be that Aetós is just good at compartmentalizing, especially if they’ve been at this as long as they implied. But it still feels off.]

But if that’s true, that leads to the question of what they would need such power for.

[To make a move against either or both Zenith and Meridian personally? To use it as a stepping-stone to reach the Oracles’ power, as nebulous as that seems to be?]

[redsoil]

[ Souls are a cornerstone of Egyptian culture, after all. He is bound to them, as a self-styled psychopomp in Kenos and a ( former? ) corruptor of the natural order to life and death; thousands of souls still rest within the curse, born upon his wrist in the form of a dark, miasmatic bracelet made of heavy beads. Sometimes, they even scream!

So. Why? How could creating souls benefit Aetós? For what purpose, would they create and manipulate them? If souls were formed from the Tree of Life ( or captured, brought forth to the world of Kenos ), then... ]

To create them independent of the Tree of Life, could be a method of fashioning a third "faction" — souls, that do not resonate with either Meridian or Zenith forces, but instead a third. Perhaps Aetós has uncovered information that has lead them to seek a different way of obtaining what they want. If we knew what they wanted, it would inform much of what they are doing.

[ This is why Set enjoys learning about people's convictions! It informs how and why they do things, and helps him interpret and pre-empt their next actions. ]

[exhound]

[The idea of another faction springing up is a troubling one. Not so much just on the surface, but things are contentious enough with two sides vying for a singular power to fuel two very opposing goals. Maybe it would provide the opportunity for more than just outright strife between the existing forces, but… there’s really no way to guarantee it. Especially when, as Set concludes, it’s hard to know what their plans are without knowing what they want in the first place.]

I doubt they’d be sloppy enough to leave anything too revealing behind in that lab of theirs after seeming to willingly give it up, but I can’t help but wonder if there’s anything to find in there that might give us an idea of it.

[At least it’s a place to start from, even if it might not be a very fruitful search. But whatever is motivating Aetós to dig into this sort of work, it’s gotta be something big.]

Otherwise, we’re stuck sniffing out any hints to where they’ve gone with no idea of what they’re really after.

[Which would be the case regardless, but it just feels all the worse to come out of this with even more questions to replace the incredibly few answers they might have gained.]