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Entry tags:
- !event,
- baroque: koriel xii (dextera),
- bastard!!: dark schneider,
- black butler: sebastian michaelis,
- ennead: set,
- expanse (the): amos burton,
- fire emblem: byleth eisner,
- fire emblem: claude von riegan,
- fire emblem: dimitri a. blaiddyd,
- genshin impact: tartaglia (childe),
- genshin impact: zhongli,
- granblue fantasy: eustace,
- jinba: hayame,
- legend of zelda (the): link,
- made in abyss: bondrewd,
- magnus archives (the): the archivist,
- marvel: gamora,
- oc: liem talbott,
- star wars: cassian andor,
- star wars: jyn erso,
- trigun maximum: vash the stampede
The Seeds of Unrest: the Iconoclast Oracle
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.
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?
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…
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…
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.
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!!
no subject
It’s hard.
[ obviously it’s hard, and he knows it’s going to invite more scolding, so he keeps going before gen has the chance to get angry with him. ]
Aren’t you one of us, too?
no subject
Tellingly, though, he doesn't really answer that question. ]
I don't really belong on this side. [ It's said bluntly. A statement of fact, rather than a guess. ] I always knew that.
[ And then, just as Dextera had done, he forges on without giving any chance to refute his first point: ]
-- why d'you care so much about saving your world, anyway. It looked like a shithole.
no subject
It’s not.
[ he doesn’t know why he would defend his world against the truth, but he does; maybe because it’s not the world’s fault that dextera ruined it. ]
…it wasn’t always like that. I have to fix it.
no subject
And yet, here he is, talking about fixing his own goddamn world. Even if he knows that Dextera, like so many others here, isn't a normal human being with normal human concerns ... the scale of it still feels all wrong. ]
Must be exhausting, having to care about so much.
[ That one's rather lacking in edge, said more as a gripe than a barb. It's only after Gen heaves a sigh -- shoulder rising and falling gently under the weight of Dextera's head -- that he offers a proper rebuke. ]
... d'you actually want to do it, or d'you just feel like you have to?
no subject
[ the question is one he’s struggled with for a while, and although he has an answer that satisfies him now, it wasn’t an easy road to get there. he’s not sure how well he’ll be able to hold on, with the connection so tenuous now. ]
I didn’t want to. Not at first. I just wanted the pain to stop, so I did what I was told.
[ these are things he used to be more cautious about telling gen, but after everything… gen has earned some insight, even if dextera will always be cautious about the whole truth. ]
I’ve changed. Being here.
no subject
[ His words immediately gain a sharper edge, and Gen whips his gaze over to fix squarely on Dextera. ]
You know how this place is -- always fucking with your head, forcing you to think about weird things. Like this shit now. You really think it's a good thing that it's made you change and want to go back to take care of everything on your own?
[ He ends up leaning forward as he speaks, inadvertently letting Dextera's head slip from his shoulder -- and instead grabbing at Dextera's arm with one hand. His fingers squeeze tight for emphasis. ]
How d'you know that's what you really want? ... or if it's what's best for you?
[ The latter question is more important. By far. There's no question of it, in his mind. ]
no subject
gen’s resistance to the forces of this world isn’t anything new, and dextera even has context now for why he might bend the way he does on certain matters, why he might not feel the same loyalty to his world that dextera does to his. still, to be questioned on it with such intensity—dextera is left briefly stunned by the realization that gen has likely been dwelling on this. ]
…
[ his lips are parted like he’s going to make a verbal response, but his mouth in fact closes when the answer comes through communion. he’s hedging; it has less to do with meridian and more to do with the fact gen is the one asking. ]
…I don’t know. [ he wants a better answer, but he’s coming up short. ] It’s just what I have to do. It’s all I have.
no subject
[ That frustrated outburst comes first, bristling and sharp both out loud and across their Communion, accompanied by the vicious dig of fingers in Dextera's arm, before Gen catches himself.
He knows that Dextera is his own person, that he has his own reasons for being so indecisive about this. But he can't help the way his thoughts are dragged back to memories from before he'd been ripped away from his own world --
maybe Dextera sees it too. A flash of the young man he's seen before in Gen's thoughts. Hollow-eyed and apathetic, voice low and flat as he asks, 'what should I do?' If not, Dex will surely at least feel the terrible heartache Gen tries to smother as he thinks for a moment. ]
... hey. Living here isn't so bad, is it. When we're not getting dragged into this shit. [ This is stupid. Even as Gen speaks, he knows what he's getting at is stupid -- it's why he keeps his gaze ducked aside as he continues listlessly. ] ... if someone you cared about asked you to give up on going back, could you do it? It should all be the same to you, shouldn't it? If you don't know.
no subject
dextera wonders who gen is really talking to when he makes that request, and then he just as quickly decides it doesn’t matter. ]
…
[ he has to think. he wants to give gen’s question the answer it deserves, and he does understand what gen is really asking without setting himself directly as the subject of the question. dextera does care. he does. and he does like living here, when the world isn’t turning against them and they aren’t forced to fight. if he were just a person with no stake in the future, he would be happy to stay.
unfortunately, he is a god—but he’s a lonely one. ]
You could come with me.
no subject
But only for one moment before he claws back that own desire of his. Pushes it back down to the deepest, coldest, darkest corner he can, then locks it into place. ]
... even if I get in your way?
[ It's part deflection when he turns that question back on Dextera, but it's also partly out of the genuine desire to know the depths of Dextera's devotion to his cause. Reiji would have buckled at this point, he thinks. Reiji, too spineless and warped, would have long given in. But maybe Dextera will be different. (He's not sure whether he's hoping for or against it.) ]
What if I'm just a hindrance to your job? What if I make that duty of yours harder? What if you can't save your world if I go with you? -- would you still be asking me that?
no subject
the only thing that could go wrong is that he would be too satisfied to fulfill his duty. that’s hardly a failure. ]
…I don’t care about all that.
[ the original offer had been hurried, the equivalent of grabbing gen’s arm before he could get away. this answer is more measured, but obviously honest in the careful way he presents it. ]
I wouldn’t be alone. That’s all that matters to me.
no subject
That's all that matters, huh. [ His grip had been tight around Dextera's upper arm, but his fingers slowly loosen; the weight of his palm drags down until it's Dextera's forearm that his palm rests upon lightly. An uncharacteristically gentle weight, only a reminder of his presence instead of a demand for anything as he continues. ] So it doesn't really matter who, then.
[ And a question lingers on the very tip of his tongue -- 'would you rather stay here with me, or go back with anyone else?' But as badly as he wants to voice it, he doesn't dare. Just like back at the masquerade, the way he'd danced around the issue even with Dextera's weight seated in his lap, Gen doesn't dare broach the matter so directly.
He's not ready to relive the sting of rejection again just yet.
His fingers snag against Dextera's sleeve just before his hand falls away entirely, and Gen looks at Dextera's face in silence for a moment. ]
... you've never given any thought about going to the other side, have you?
no subject
[ dextera doesn’t know what to do, when caught between the realization that he’s hurt gen’s feelings—over the same matter, no less—and the acknowledgment that he was only being honest. it’s not something he can apologize for, and something that he knows he shouldn’t. on a personal level, he can stand not to apologize for his own feelings this time… and on an interpersonal level, he knows gen would hate to have attention called to it.
this manifests as dextera chasing his fingers when gen lets his hand slip away, but the practical outcome is that he brushes gen’s palm without grabbing it. he withdraws only when it would become too obvious for him to linger. ]
…
[ there’s silence from dextera too, when he looks up from gen’s hand to see gen looking back at him. the question, expecting an answer. ]
I don’t know. I like how this side makes me feel.
no subject
Especially since it feels like they're a crossroads right now. ]
Hey. Dextera. Look at me.
[ By this point, Dextera must be accustomed to the way Gen often bosses him around. Though -- the cadence of his voice is just a little gentler this time. There's a sincerity to it that's usually lacking, befitting what he's about to say: ]
Promise me something. [ Gen maintains eye contact as he continues. ] Think it through. If you really want to do so much for that shitty world of yours. But -- if that really is the case, then ... do it properly.
[ Because he can accept that Dextera is meant to stay on that side, unlike him. It seems fitting. He just wants it to be done properly, with conviction. Just so long as he isn't being looked upon with hollow eyes once more, being asked what to do. ]
no subject
as long as he can hold onto gen personally, the forces that sway them don’t matter. ]
I am. I will.
[ then there’s a beat of tension in him. they’re close, the communion allowing dextera to lean in without crowding gen’s mouth.
he was looking at gen as asked, and he still is—but inevitably, a memory of a night that should have been anonymous between them both has him glancing down at gen’s mouth for just a moment. just a breath, one he inhales and holds. ]
no subject
Dextera isn't Reiji, someone hollow he needs to keep close by force, because otherwise he'll simply drift away. Dextera, at least, will look at him -- look at him properly -- even if their paths diverge. ]
Alright. [ They're close, he realizes only now, as he sees the shuttering of Dextera's lashes as his gaze shifts. It feels only natural to let his head drop forth until their foreheads touch. ] You promised.
[ Maybe the next time this insane places throws them into another mess, it'll be as enemies. That's fine. So long as he knows Dextera is where he's meant to be, and will face him properly, he can tolerate that. Probably.
But maybe he'll be forgiven for extending this moment just a little longer, before he has to let go. It isn't even an entirely conscious gesture when he leans in -- uncharacteristically tentative, pulsing a desperate neediness from his very core -- to kiss Dextera on the corner of his lips. ]
( 1/2 )
luckily, he doesn’t think he has to. it’s enough that he already feels how important this is to gen; without consciously acknowledging it, he’s comforted by the knowledge that anything kinder than outright rejection is enough for someone like gen.
it’s enough for dextera too, after all. ]
…
[ dextera softly exhales. gen would be forgiven for thinking that it’s a sigh. ]
( 2/2 )
[ he repeats it back, and if gen allows himself to look, he’ll see a rare sight; a smiling dextera with his tired eyes, uncertain of but committed to the path ahead.
there’s someone on his side. there’s someone on his side. there’s someone so wholly on his side that the factions don’t matter. ]
Thank you, Gen.