The Seeds of Unrest: the Iconoclast Oracle

[beleos]

RUNNING OUT THE CLOCK

The situation is bleak.

The Blight - and the massive labyrinth of roots tearing both cities asunder, spreading deadly flowers wherever they penetrate - have progressed to a point beyond catastrophe. People are dying in rapid numbers. Bearers are having difficulty keeping up with the spread of infection - even among one another. The collapse of Kenos seems inevitable; a cure will not come in time. You can do nothing but watch as each new day brings further disaster, ticking down the seconds until it all falls apart.

And then, you feel something seize your Shard. As if physical fingers have wrapped around it, as if it is being clutched through you by invisible hands, you feel invaded. You feel wronged. But before you can panic, a voice enters your mind through Communion.

“Excuse the dramatics, but there isn’t much time for pleasantries. The Trees are about to hit the point of no return. But there's still work to be done. The Tree of Life will take you where you can find it: the Oracle and the creature causing all this mess. Fix this when you find them. However you'd like.”

Have you heard Aetos’ voice before? Perhaps it is the first time; perhaps it is familiar to you. Either way, the last thing you will remember is a confusing jumble: a spell of immense and incredible power, one utilizing the Tree’s strength to shelter you. The sensation of every cell in your body coming alive, yet seeming to break apart and render you into billions and billions of tiny pieces, all hovering in different times and places across all the different iterations, timelines, and realities in which you have ever existed. A voice that speaks not through words asking your forgiveness, unspeakably sad.

And then, there is nothing.

AWAKENING

Your eyes open, gritty with the feeling of a long, deep slumber.

Perhaps it takes a moment to shake off the heavy veil of exhaustion, to recollect what you were doing before you fell into this state of hibernation - but as soon as you do, you feel an immediate sense of foreboding around you. It is thick in the air, oppressive and pervasive, and you aren’t left long to wonder at its source. You lay beneath the branches of the Tree of Life, but as your bleary eyes focus… you see it. The Tree is all but bereft of life. Its bark has withered down to gnarled wood, the soft lichen dried up, and the grass that should be alive beneath you is long dead and gone. There is not so much as a single leaf on its decaying branches.

It has been this way for a long, long time... you realize this with a feeling of intense dread as you see it - the beautiful expanse of stars, of the cosmos, of universes scattered like starlight above the tree's boughs, gone. In its place hangs a sickly, ominously low-hanging, and dying sun ready to sing the end of everything.

You can't help but wonder how long Kenos has been in this state, but a sense of gratitude fills you as you realize that the Tree expended the last of its energies to protect you, the Bearers, during your state of rest. Had Aetos worked with the tree to see you sent here?

The next question comes quickly: how much time do you have left…? And can you find the Oracle before that time expires?

ABANDON HOPE (DAYS 1 & 2)

The cornerstones are still active and will take you to whichever city you wish to see.

Highstorm and Springstar sit like empty monuments to the cities that were once filled with life - yet the first thing you will notice is they are strangely absent the signs of the Tree’s overgrown roots, the Blight, the catastrophic damage that you can recall all too easily. Instead, each city sits as those they were summarily abandoned overnight, leaving nothing but their shells behind. There is a stillness in the air that is unnatural and unsettling. Despite the lack of any sign of the citizens of either city, you cannot help but feel… watched.

Something terrible happened here. Best you find the Oracle before something terrible finds you, instead.

The burning of a dying sun beats down on you wherever you go, unbearable heat sending waves off the aged cobblestone streets. Perhaps it is your instinct to seek refuge in the shade - but linger too long about the shadows and that feeling of eyes on your back, of being unable to breathe, of your world closing in around you will grow untenable and drive you back into the light. If you hope to explore the ghostly shell of your city in search of the Oracle - or to sate your curiosity, some problem-solving might be in order.

And while you acclimate yourself to your circumstances, you cannot help but note you feel wrong inside, somehow…

EXPLORATION

• If your characters choose to explore previously unreachable areas, please use THIS TOPLEVEL to report when they get there in the thread! We will get back to you with what is discoverable in that location.
• The following areas are off limits for exploration: below Yima’s Manor; below the Church of Heliopolis; Alenroux; Kowloon.
• The Great Trees of both Highstorm and Springstar are in a similar state to the Tree of Life and will not respond to Communion.
• Generally speaking, items will be of poor quality. Most will look as though they’ve aged thousands of years. Others will be in half-decent shape, but sparingly so. Oddly enough, it doesn’t seem like the whole city has aged at the same rate, so especially diligent rummagers can find worthwhile supplies. Please consider this should be rare and don’t go overboard!

NOTES

Here are some prompt reminders - see the full thing at the OOC Summary!

• Characters will have a diluted connection to the Zenith or Meridian.
• There will be periods powers are weakened or non-functional during days 1-2 (up to player discretion).
• The sunlight results in scorching; the shadows cause claustrophobia and fear while outdoors.

THE RITUAL (DAYS 2+)

The place you started your journey to Kenos is also where it seems it will end. As soon as the first Bearer makes contact with the Iconoclast effigy, you are collectively drawn to the roots beneath the Tree - like a pang sent through your Shard. Your objective has been found. The Oracle awaits.

Trusting Aetos seems like a fool's errand, but you must put your hope in the Tree. What choice do you have left? It's time to find what lies at the end of this.

Bearers descend, your steps echoing in the dark, cavernous space. Once brimming with life and vitality, the roots are now dried and brittle like the bones of some ancient leviathan that died long ago. As you make their way deeper into the earth, the deadened roots twist, leading you to a vast chamber deep within it; the air here is thick with the smell of decay, and the faint glow of luminescent fungi and mosses barely illuminates the space.

To your left, the Bearers will notice what has drawn them here - and the object of their search.

An effigy sits on the ground between two darkened tunnels. The effigy is made of gnarled, dead branches woven together in a humanoid shape; its hollow, empty eyes are sightless, yet you cannot help but feel it is watching your every move. Branded on its forehead is the Iconoclast symbol carved into the rough wood.

Once all Bearers are present, the Ritual will begin. Your means of exit have been sealed off, and you are trapped, slowly deteriorating together…

NOTES

• Bearers will have access to the Ritual Chamber which is a very wide, open space with the effigy situated against the far wall from the entrance. Several smaller tunnels off-shoot from the Ritual Chamber. They all run to dead ends; some are very small or narrow. This may afford you meager privacy away from the group.
• Once a Bearer steps into the Chamber, they can no longer head back out the way they came. They’ll find themselves automatically walking back into the Chamber as if of their own volition.
• For brevity’s sake we won’t list them out again here, but the complete description of effects Bearers will experience days 2+ is available in the OOC Summary.
• The effigy is impervious to damage.
• It Is Watching You.
• In a dead-end root tunnel attached to the Iconoclast’s Chamber is the Blighted statue of an Otter that may be familiar to some… Please see THIS TOPLEVEL for more information!

THE PURGE (DAYS 5+)

The sap has festered in your veins for what feels like days. It’s impossible to tell how much time has passed; this place has no sunlight. The effigy watches as you remain trapped, huddled together around it, unable to leave as you find yourself sick with the affliction of the Meridian, Zenith - or both.

And then… something finally gives.

Though it does not move and speaks no words, you feel the effigy offering you guidance. Knowledge. Much like the Tree speaks to you in impressions and feelings, you are conveyed wisdom you did not have before: a way to take what you want and rid yourself of what you do not. A way to make your convictions known to all who would hear them. A way to be known. To write your path in blood, be it yours… or theirs.

When all is said and done, only one force - Zenith or Meridian - will gain its favor.

Show it who you are. Show it what resolve looks like to you - and what you are willing to do to attain it.

NOTES

Here are some prompt reminders - see the full thing at the OOC Summary!

• You can Purge your alignment through various methods: Trading, Corrupting, or using the Effigy itself.
• All characters will understand the end goal is for everyone to Harmonize; the alignment with the higher rate of Harmonized Bearers alive when time’s up wins the Oracle’s favor.

NOTES

• A reminder that the Harmonization tally will take place on Friday, the 19th and be open through Monday, the 29th. The results will be released on Wednesday, the 31st OOCly.
• Don’t forget to submit any deaths to the Death Tracker, with a gentle reminder characters will remain dead until the event conclusion!
• Reminder to fill out the SETTING POLL ASAP if you haven't already!
• Have some MUSIC if you'd like. LYRICS here!
• HAVE FUN!!

CODING

Comments

MR. TIBBS

[beleos]

At the end of one of the tunnels branching from the Ritual Chamber, the statuesque figure of an Otter sits dejectedly, Blighted and frozen in place. In your heightened state of Communion, you might be able to pick up stray feelings coming from this figure - and snippets of images that paint a picture in your mind, however much it seems obvious he doesn't want to share with you.

You gather that Mr. Tibbs' fate was recently set in stone (pun intended). He had fled with the Oracle at the end of time, using the last of his powers as Mimsy's familiar to do so - but time comes for us all, so the saying goes. And he had reached the end of his. His selfish desires have led countless people to their painful, horrible deaths, and for what? To keep you from claiming the Oracle and undoing Mimsy's spell keeping the Scorching Isle frozen? You may never see Kenos as it was for all you know...

The last wrenching thought you sense from him is a bitter, angry outburst as he curses you for coming here and his hopes you all die in this Chamber. Much quieter is his conscience and his lament.

Do you destroy Mr. Tibbs? Do you spare him?

The choice is collectively yours...

[NOTE: This thread is for Bearers to decide Mr. Tibbs' fate. If you would like to coordinate this on an OOC level or make this a dialogue-heavy Manon debate-style thread is up to you! Just report the end result any interested parties arrive on to the Loremoms.]

+1 SPARE.

[redsoil]

[ Amidst all things, is the damnable otter.

At least now they know who brought the Blight to them, and poisoned the land. ]

Force him to repay Kenos, for his crimes. His knowledge of the Blight, and of Mimsy's [ gag, that name ] magic will prove vital. Make him toil, struggle and rue his decision — make him assist in righting his wrong.

[ Set adds, in case anyone thinks he's being MERCIFUL: ] And when he is done, imprison him until the end of his days in service to all of Kenos. For however long it lasts.

+1 MURDER

[sharmat]

If you feel that he has vital knowledge of the Blight and of Mimsy's magic... (voryn starts, already winded. not eating for fucking days and being sustained by treebark and sheer will takes its toll on a person's stamina.

whew. okay.)

... Then I believe we should interrogate Mister Tibbs, thereby manually exhausting his usefulness.

Keeping this creature alive would give him opportunities to escape or for others to free him. If Mister Tibbs is crucial to us, Mister Tibbs may be crucial to others—we cannot let him live.

[redsoil]

Believe me, what I actually desire is nothing more than to eradicate him in your honor, Voryn.

[ And John Gaius's. Maybe Kaeya Alberich's, since y'all kind of make up the Tree Gang that he's mildly aware of.

Though. He might not know Kaeya's connection, so take that with a grain of salt. ]

My advice remains to render him penitent. Perpetual service is, [ sighs ], a way to truly extract what Kenos is owed. Death is so very final. Besides, are you saying we are incapable jailers?

[vapour]

Really? Unless he knows the cure for the Blight and will speak to us, leaving him as is may be the best we can do if you don't want to destroy him. Seems neither here nor there at this point.

+1 SPARE

[hyperpotamous]

I agree; whatever he knows is sure to be valuable. I'd be very interested in ensuring every useful bit of information is extracted.

[ he doesn't mean that he necessarily needs to do it himself, but john will be a voice in favour of holding nothing back when it comes to the methods employed. ]

I do think there needs to be a stronger punishment than community service in the long-term, though. Even if it's a nebulous amount of time until the end of the world, let's not give the little bastard any more opportunities.

When all is said and done, just extract his soul and attach it to something a little less mobile. The sky's the limit after that.

[ conveniently, he knows an expert in perpetual torment. ]

+1 SPARE

[sterngaze]

I have to agree; he should be required to do penance for the suffering that he caused.

[Liem's addition is quiet, but firm. The judgement of criminals is an area in which he has much experience, at least by mortal standards. He feels no hesitation contributing his thoughts.]

Perhaps, with the power of the Oracle, his assistance will not be necessary to suppress the Blight — but his actions made the Scorching Isles inaccessible to us. His cooperation may allow us to return there as well, and claim what we already paid for.

+1 MURDER

[zauneyete]

Why not just extract it and kill him?

He dared to try to damn us all, he should pay the price.

If you want to torture him and extract information before we do the deed, far be it from me to stop anyone, but he should die.

+1 MURDER

[baltimores]

What the fuck is wrong with you?

[ Like, he already knew Set was a freak, but goddamn, that addendum. ]

Just kill him and be done with it.

+1 spare unless they can eat him.

[vapour]

...oh hou, is this what you ultimately have give on and achieved with that sand of mine? [he knows it has nothing to do with this, but clearly the otter ultimately squandered the gift since he's now here and Blighted. ]

Yikes.

[ bummer. he's going to take out the stones he got from Tibbs at the Scorched Isle that he has kept in his pockets since he got them and will just very carefully place them down in front of the statue. No use keeping these things if it's a bad little dude with no morals that gave them to him.

He was going to give them to Zhongli for a rock garden with the Blight flowers they've been growing,
but looks like that opportunity went up in flames. ]

Well, at least none of the failure here should be too upsetting for you if you were doing what Mimsy would have wanted you to do, right?

If that's not the case... you will have plenty of time now to reflect on it. Or, at least until this place is swallowed by that looming sun in the surface.

Here you go. Maybe Mimsy will ultimately be less disappointed in you, but I really doubt it.

[ Childe sighs, and gets up from his crouch. can't believe the apocalypse is going on because of a selfish babyface otter and it didn't even have the decency to die normally so they could at least eat it as emergency food.

yeah they don't need food to survive, but Childe wants some B( ]

+1 murder

[diversionist]

[ okay he wasn't here for the scorching isle but like, ]

Leave him alive to do what? Betray us, kill others, again? If you, [ general you, ] think you can get information from him, fine, but there's no reason to trust him.

[ long-term, that is, but even now. ]

[sharethememory]

[ This guy gets it. ]

Agreed. I do not believe we have the luxury or methods of rebuilding trust with one that would choose to do something as rashly as this considering our current situation.

+1 murder

[vallt]

[frankly, jyn couldn't actually give two shits about this; she's just bored. and because she's bored, she offers, with an offhand shrug —]

Maybe we could eat him.

[vapour]

[ YES FINALLY SOMEONE ELSE THINKING ON THE IMPORTANT THINGS. ]

Plus one.

+1 spare

[zenwhoberi]

[gamora doesn't have the experience or the facts — just impressions and conversation — but still, she considers all of it; she listens, and considers. it'd be easy to say that a traitor deserves to die, because that's the logic that comes readily to one who's so often played executioner.

but she isn't an executioner; chances have let her be something else. they've given her a sister in more ways than she could've ever imagined, and much more in addition that even five years ago she could've never fathomed.

and so, with time, she decides to weigh in.]

He deserves a chance to answer for what he's done, [she agrees with the others. that isn't all she has to weigh in with, though. after a beat:] And a chance to make different choices in the future.

MILDLY HERE.

[redsoil]

[ ✔ choices

✔ chances

✔ gamora ]

+0 who knows

[gravings]

I saw him recently... um, relatively speaking. He was at the Scorching Isles and looked unlike himself, almost like he was possessed. I wondered if he was somehow undead.

I think it would be worth trying to speak with him again, if we can. But if we can't... I think it might be kinder to end things for him.

[sterngaze]

You saw him, Miss Gray?

[This is curious news, given that travel to the Scorching Isles became impossible after the Oracle battle there — at least, to Liem's knowledge.]

After we were returned from the Isles? How is that so?

[consolation]

After all things, do you still wish to be kind?

[She'll just let that philosophical question linger, like dew that's seconds away from evaporating in the morning sun. The fate of the damn (and damned) otter is going to have be dealt with sooner or later]

Possession can take many forms, but whether he has a viable soul is still up for debate. Why did you think that?

+1 SPARE

[dawnlord]

My my, my.

[ oh fuck is that Actual Cheer from him ]

I would like him spared. I do need a retainer, after all. And he is so very fluffy.

+1 spare

[leicesters]

If there's even the smallest chance he can help us out of this mess, it'd be a waste to destroy him now. We're doing a good enough job of that amongst ourselves, so why toss away another resource?

Let's keep our options open and keep him around.

+1 SPARE

[helloween]

Kill Mr. Tibbs? Nah.

[ Dark is not blind to see that this apparently evil, atrocity-committing otter is adorable. Frankly, he also does not care about the severity of the otter's crimes because he, self-absorbed as he is, wasn't here for them. It was probably just NPCs that died anyway. Dark Schneider can't bother to listen to his peers because the idea he's cooking up is vastly superior to anyone's: ]

We'll break him out of there and train him to do cute little flips and tricks like those shows in theme parks back from the Old World. There was an infamous one called SeaWorld™ in the high ancient records left behind. This dude would fit right in, bahaha!

[zenwhoberi]

[dark may think this is funny, but gamora very much doesn't. even if, yes, their vote is the same, and, no, she doesn't know what a seaworld is, she's going to make that known.]

Your solution is to enslave him for your own entertainment? [as she rounds to face him, her hands are on her hips, her eyes are narrowed, and her tone is ice.] I don't care what he's done. No crime merits that.

+1 MURDER

[sharethememory]

[ Perhaps in kinder times, Zhongli would find a way to come to a logical conclusion of mercy for Mr. Tibbs. Unfortunately, once death and suffering of civilians is tossed into the mix, he becomes quite less generous. ]

He is an intelligent creature who made his choices and now must face the consequences of his actions.

Unless some new information reveals why he should be spared, I see no reason to offer him the mercy he denied so many. Seal him away or leave him here when you are finished if you are opposed to killing him outright, but fostering further resentment within him will only put others at risk in the future.

[zenwhoberi]

[she hears zhongli; she does. if this mr. tibbs is as dangerous as they say, there's an easy temptation to eliminate the problem at the source.

ten years ago, five years ago, maybe, gamora could've found herself following that logic, when it had been all she'd known for the better part of her life. and maybe, by that logic, one could say that at least some of the people she'd killed had deserved it, but the truth is — at least the vast majority hadn't.

and there's a better way; she's seen it, lived it.]

You could say that about almost anyone who's hurt others, but where do you draw the line? [her question isn't accusatory; it's just a question, quiet and probing.] I don't think it's up to any of us to decide whether someone deserves to die, no matter what they've done.