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

[erbe]

If you wanted to stay that way I'd help you, but if you're just procrastinating on doing what you really want — then I'll have to scold you.

[She wants to say so much more. To yell at her for what she felt over their connection when Gray died. To insist that she harmonize with Zenith so that Rin (or Mordred) can keep an eye on her. But Rin isn't the type to get clingy or override the decisions of others like that. If Gray doesn't want to be Zenith, then Tohsaka is going to chide Gray about dragging her feet.]

[gravings]

[ There's a healthy spot of silence as Gray considers her options, followed by a slight lowering of her shoulders as she decides that resistance is futile. ]

I think you'll probably have to scold me.

[ For any number of things, actually. Gray feels like she hasn't been getting a lot right lately. She can feel that Rin is restraining herself, thanks to the invasive Communion that haunts them all. ]

[erbe]

[With Gray making her wants (mostly) clear, Rin grabs her. Fisting her hands in that beaten cape as she rises on her knees to loom over Gray.]

Then I shall scold you. Won't you regret it? If you lose after having done nothing? Would you rather passively accept the fate that threatens to consume you, or will you stand up against it? Tell me!

[gravings]

[ She did literally ask for this, but Gray still manages to be startled by Rin's enthusiasm on the matter. One hand automatically hangs onto one of Rin's wrists to keep from tipping backward; the other hand goes to her hood to keep it from slipping off as she looks up at Rin. ]

Ah— um— yes, I'll stand up against it! P-Please trade with me!

[ Though she feels like she's being coerced somehow... ]

[erbe]

[That's much better. A smile cuts across Rin's lips when Gray responds. To favor Gray's request she sits back down on her legs and releases the fabric she was grasping on.]

Very well, I'll do so since you asked. Would you like to go first, or shall I?

[They're not strangers to this ritual. After all, they traded to dispel Blight before. Rin has no hesitancy with Gray in this regard, and in fact welcomes it. She knows she can trust Gray with it, at the very least.]

[gravings]

[ Such a cute smile really oughtn't follow up such blatant bullying. Rin is giving her an option, but the peer pressure feels strong in this one, so Gray feels she has no choice but to volunteer. ]

I can go...

[ But she'll pull out her Shard anyway for the sake of equal measure. She reaches into her hood and plucks her Shard out from just below the nape of her neck. It's a "shard" more in name than in shape: a whirl of emerald to match her eyes even though people keep coloring them blue, with swirling wisps like a ghostly flame.

As far as a means of drawing blood, she simply bites her thumb hard enough to draw blood and waits for Rin to present her Shard. ]

[erbe]

[Tohsaka plucks the shard from the hollow of her neck. Like pulling a pendant off a choker. The gem's size and shape resembles the jewel her father passed down to her. Triangular in shape and... well, it used to be a brilliant ruby color. Right now it's clouded. Reflecting her discord and uncertainty. The dark of an ocean roiling and dangerous from a storm.

The shard is presented in her open, upward facing palm.]

[gravings]

[ Gray looks at Rin's Shard, less brilliant than Gray remembers it being. Maybe it says something that Gray's Shard is entirely comfortable being suffused with Zenith energy. Regardless, Gray very gently touches her bloody thumb to Rin's Shard, fingers soft on the back of Rin's hand, allowing that Zenith energy to flow into Rin's Shard. The process feels similar to when Rin helped her with her Blight before: an opening of a gate, a sharpening of the emotions already loose in the air between them. Gray's muted gratitude, her comfort with such a vulnerable process with a supposed enemy. Having her soul contained to a single chunk of stone has become second nature to Gray, and the intimacy of touching someone else's Shard isn't insignificant to her. ]

[erbe]

[At this point Gray may be familiar with some of Rin's most defining features as feelings. The overwhelming sense of loss and abandonment. The isolation. The upholding of someone else's legacy...

And Rin is familiar with hers. Yet despite how intimate the rituals have been Rin still seems to treat poor Gray like they're only casual acquaintances. Though, perhaps the more Gray touches upon her soul the more she'll understand it's from fear of loss rather than distaste. Tohsaka shudders when Gray finishes up. The calming resolve, cool and steady, washes over her.]

If you're ready, I'll begin.

[Rin returns her shard before tearing open a somewhat fresh scab.]

[gravings]

[ Since becoming accustomed to Communion, Gray has felt many foreign emotions bleeding into her, oftentimes without intention. The common etiquette is to pretend that you haven't noticed the other Shard-Bearer's emotions, and it's doubly true when it comes to someone as proud as Rin. Yet Gray is a bit nosier than she ought to be in that regard; she hangs onto the clues she's given like they're a mystery to be solved even if she considers herself a poor detective.

She finds no condescension or impatience as she might have expected from Rin's forceful commandeering of the situation. Contrary to Rin's penchant for straightforward action, it feels like there's a lot she's holding back, vulnerabilities behind a curtain that shrouds their definition. But it's enough to give Gray an idea that the measured distance between them is a product of worry more than anything else, which in itself comes as a surprise.

Wordlessly, Gray presents her Shard for Rin to bloody. Still devoid of Meridian energy, her own emotions are more mellow than they otherwise would be. But a knife sanded smooth still retains a point; beneath her usual layers of quiet warmth and self-deprecation, beneath her real gratitude and curiosity toward Rin, lies a bump of shame and anxiety that colors her like a bruise. ]

[erbe]

[Hovering her open wound over Gray's shard, Rin squeezes her hand into a fist. Forcing a little droplet of red, irony liquid to splash upon the beautiful emerald-like surface.

The first thing, aside from the usual insight to Tohsaka, is a gentle wave of relief that touches Gray. Knowing that she'll be getting what she wants rather than just wallowing in what she has. As everything floods out between them a gentle, reassuring warmth will permeate their connection. The evidence of Meridian flowing out of Rin and into Gray.]

[gravings]

[ The warmth that touches Gray is relief she didn't know she needed, like sun breaking through winter clouds. She blinks, basking quietly in that warmth as the connection between herself and Rin clarifies to a depth that makes it difficult to tell where her feelings end and Rin's begin.

Regardless, gratitude hangs in the air between them. Even if Gray isn't sure which side is more "right" than the other, the Meridian that's returned to her doesn't feel wrong. Absently she closes her hand around her Shard, rubbing the droplet of blood smooth into it. ]

Thank you. It always feels like you're helping me.

[ A bit of confusion mingles with the gratitude. After all, Rin has more than repaid the "debt" she claimed to owe Gray, at least in Gray's opinion. ]

[erbe]

[Tohsaka smiles, but tired exhaustion hangs about her eyes.]

It never hurts to have a cute girl who knows her way around a fight in your debt. Don't you agree?

[Playfully she taps Gray's nose.]

[gravings]

[ Gray blips back in surprise. People call her cute often enough that it leaves her with only a faint dissatisfaction now rather than the active misery or yore, but the nose tap takes her off guard. She's lost for words for a moment, but she eventually decides to accept Rin's logic, which sounds suspiciously like an excuse to be friendly and helpful. Gray considers saying that she'd be happy to help Rin regardless, but decides not to; if Rin wants to put up a veneer of magely utilitarianism, then Gray will politely pretend that the veneer is a castle wall. ]

I see... though, um, I should let you know that my fighting capabilities have gone down a bit since the last time I helped you. I've lost the weapon I usually use.

[erbe]

Lost? Something that strong? How'd you lose it?

[Rin you are asking questions that it may be dangerous for you to know the answer to.]

[gravings]

Someone took it when I died.

[ Plain and simple. Though Gray's expression remains the same, Rin may be able to feel a rare anger passing through her like a ripple on a lake. ]

But I can use normal weaponry, so I can still fight if you need me to.

[erbe]

[By the time Gray's anger reaches Rin she has already developed her own. It amplifies it, and soon enough her fists are clenched enough to show white knuckles.]

I am sure your skill is just as impressive, but to think they'd steal even after taking as much as your life...

[Tohsaka grits her teeth.]

[gravings]

[ Gray's anger quickly becomes subsumed by Rin's, surprise taking its place. Rin's been very careful about appearances up until now... ]

Miss Rin?

[erbe]

[—Oh. The calling of her name snaps Rin out of it pretty quick. Tohsaka's hands release, and her expression falls away from its severe twist.]

Ah, sorry. I suppose our connection when it happened made me a little more sensitive to being frustrated about it.

[gravings]

Oh... I should be more careful about how I feel, then.

[ And indeed, she can feel Rin's anger loosening from the air between them. How tricky. After a second of visible thought, Gray attempts to broadcast a soothing vibe at Rin to smooth over the bump of emotion. ]

[erbe]

[No.

Tohsaka flattens out her hand and bonks her gently with the side of her palm. The most careful of karate chops.]

Don't be ridiculous. It's not about being sensitive to your feelings in this moment. We were connected when it happened, remember? Your death was nearly like my own. It's a bit personal.

[gravings]

[ Ah. The gentlest of bonks elicits the gentlest of surprised noises from Gray. ]

That's right...

[ As shameful as it is to admit, she completely forgot that Rin would've been able to feel the explicit misery of her death when it happened. A floodgate opens, letting loose a deluge of guilt and embarrassment at Rin. Gray's hood flops forward as she bows in apology. ]

I'm so sorry. That's an awful thing to have to feel.

[erbe]

[Immediately Rin grabs Gray's shoulders and shoves the other girl into an upright sitting position.]

Don't apologize! You're the one who actually died, didn't you?! It's the person who killed you who is at fault. Don't you dare apologize for someone else's mistake!

[gravings]

[ Gray obediently sits up ramrod-straight. She turns over an attempt at a defense in her mind, but gives up straightaway. ]

Um. Then at least let me say I wish you didn't have to experience that...? People should only have to feel one death per lifetime.

[ As morbid as it might be, Gray wishes now that she'd died a faster death. At the very least, it could have been a more heroic death... Instead, it was (in her mind) as slow and pathetic as could be. The belated realization that she had an unexpected audience burns at her cheeks. ]

[erbe]

[The grip she has on Gray's shoulders tightens before Rin ultimately lets her go. A sigh escapes her lips, but she doesn't intend to keep fighting Gray like this.]

Just consider yourself a little more. I'm sure plenty of people were upset to hear you were hurt. A nice girl like you probably has more people worrying over her than you realize.