kenoslogs | NOVEMBER EVENT | THE HARBINGER ORACLE

HEDGING YOUR BETS

Bearers feel it. Similar to when the Scorching Isles was opened, there is the same tug, from somewhere in the distance. Those who are in springstar feel it from closer, like a blossom of warmth in your heart, you feel the Oracle spring to life. Those in Highstorm feel it too, but distant. Far away. You remember Cyrus’s words, that it would come to life in Springstar, and you know, just from the relative distance, from how far away it feels – He was probably right.

So bearers must make their way to the center of Springstar’s residential district. Finding one’s way to Springstar will be difficult, in fact. Preparations have been underway since Cyrus’s announcement, and Springstar leaps into action. The Legionnaires are already marching by the time the first bearers start moving throughout the city. In addition to any of Meridian’s own preparations, the Legionnaires establish choke points and start organizing evacuations. It will be difficult to make your way through Springstar, but the closer bearers make it to the hedge maze, and what seems to be the oracle at the center, the warmer their chests feel. Throughout the city, it feels warm, like small wicks of heat. The closer bearers become, the more it feels like a torrent. It is burning them to their center and igniting them to their cores. Like the fire of drive, is what it feels like. Like the hunger for something more than just food, or anything else, like the anticipation of victory.

The maze itself is where it is the most intense as bearers start to make their way through the hedge maze. Vines and brambles lie within a neat hedge, and it looks like it is safe to jump, or scale, but the moment a bearer tries to jump it, cut through it, or even go beneath it, roots, brambles, and vines lash out to entrap bearers, and start to drag them down and into the hedges. You will have to figure out a way out – lest you be stuck for seemingly the near future.

Of course, when Dimitri’s hand touches the stone statue in the middle, it all goes dark, and wherever you were, whoever you were fighting –

Every bearer collapses at the same time.

YOU'D BETTER BE A-MAZE-ING!

In the dark, there is that fiery impression of the Harbinger. Competition, drive, disdain for even those that best them. It is clear, in the dark, with your eyes closed, that the Harbinger does not see the Bearers as worthy to obtain it. You feel ghostly hands on your mind, into you, as if it is delving for more, trying to pluck and pull out the right memory. It looks for victories, triumphs, defeats, or betrayals. Something that shows the mettle of the bearer, what it is looking for. When it finds what it is looking for – or is this just a dream? – after the bearer experiences the dream, they will get the distinct impression that it is not enough. That the Harbinger wants more. It wants to see what this bearer can do. It wants to see you rise to the challenge, bearer! Will you do as it wishes, and show it the scope of your mettle, or will you capitulate and let the Harbinger know that it was right – you aren’t enough?

The Harbinger wants you to prove them wrong. Can you do that? Will you use spite to convince it that it is wrong? The Harbinger at the center of this labyrinth imparts to bearers, that it will not allow the weak to succeed, that nobody who cannot reach it, would ever be able to protect them. They look down on bearers, and it is up to you, to convince them that you are worth their attention.

When bearers wake, they will be stuck in a foyer. The walls seem blank, and there is a door, leading further into the maze. It is not… fully dark, everything here seems to be lit just enough to move around without trouble, but it is not bright. Bearers can look left, and right, and see others beside them. They are not alone, but nor are they with others of their faction. No, you can feel it, between all of you, gathered here in one space. The humming of your shared aspect fills the room, as if all of you together in one space feels right.

You will not be able to stay. The foyer lasts only until the last person leaves, and if any try to stay behind and stationary, they will find that eventually a door appears, and the room begins to shrink. You had better get moving!

You must move further into the maze. You will find that grouping up for long periods of time becomes impossible, and moving from one door to the next can find foes, allies, or even neutral parties. Every door you open within this maze, leads to new and unusual locations. You may both walk in, from opposite ends, only to find that the doors are gone when you turn your back. Do you end up on a precarious path over spikes, lava, or even water? Do you walk into a room with your greatest desire, a hunger that can now never be sated? Will you do anything to find your way through the corridors? Will bearers help each other, and resist the call of the Harbinger, or will you push over even your treasured ones to win?

MADE IN THE SHADE

And even further in, as you start to catch sight of them, patches of darkness seep into the corners, into everything. They may be hidden, at first. They may lurk underneath patches of leaves, or in shadowed corners. But the longer bearers are within this labyrinth, the longer the shadows seem. They start to reach out, to pull bearers into their shadowy depths. You may feel malaise, or an unwillingness to continue, once you first step within these patches. The longer you are there, the harder it is to get out. You will need help from your friends or dear ones, or sheer strength of will – but can you fight on, as you start to lose the things that motivate you?

And then there are the visions. People you know, love, or trust, they round corners, just ahead. They seem just out of range, and at first, it is difficult to tell if they are there or not. But they happen to reappear, and then disappear around a corner. Try and chase them, if you dare. When your fingers touch their arm, or grab their clothing, or heaven forbid, if you pull them into a hug – it seems impossible to pull away. They were treasured, weren’t they? There is a reason they appear here, to you. Why would you want to pull them away? Why would you –

They reach out, their fingers seem long, as they reach toward your shard – they will not be deterred by clothing or armor, their fingers seem to bend and twist around the junctions – before they find purchase on your shard. They rip it from you, and it feels like you are being separated from something. It’s painful, it hurts, but the last thing you see, as they hold your shard in your hand, is someone you care very deeply for, placing the shard in the same place on their own body, and your own face smiles back at you, and it all goes black. You are gone. Into… nothing.

NOTES

Here are some prompts to set the scene and foundation of the Exalt Oracle! Please refer to the ooc post for more details about what’s happening in the labyrinth! Feel free to direct questions here.

If your character gets killed by a shadow-copy, please let us know in the reporting post that goes up on November 20th if they touch the effigy. If they do not, please let us know on the deaths page! Don't forget to report any dissipations as a whole! Please also let us know if your character is saved by another bearer, or if your character’s shard is taken by the shadow copy for the entire duration of the event. This will not result in any permadeath, but you might get some cool lore! Teehee! If your character defeats a shadow creature, please let us know [HERE]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Yeah and you're here with me, so you're not any better off, are you?

[ Maybe they're both stalling. ]

Shut up.

[Tohsaka kicks at Senti's shin.]

I already know what I'm going to give up, so why don't you hurry up? Maybe it's because you're a coward?

If you know, go ahead and do it! No point in stalling, right?

[ She chooses to ignore the coward comment. ]

Or do you think it might make you look bad?

I simply don't want to give something up and have you piggyback off of my sacrifice.

[AS IF THAT WOULDN'T HAPPEN THE OTHER WAY AROUND? Rin would argue that she at least has her pride.]

Oh, and you want me to trust you won't do the exact same thing, huh?

Of course. As a Harbinger myself do you think I'd stiff my own Oracle?

[Come on!]

From what I know about you? Yeah.

[ Blunt. ]

As if you can even claim to know me!

[Senti's right, though.]

I know enough.

[ She folds her arms with a scowl. ]

Why should I trust you? Or do the work for you?

Because we're the same faction, and I'm not going to risk losing this Oracle because I want to one-up someone on my team?

[Meanwhile Tohsaka pinches the bridge of her nose like she's warding off a headache.]

And you think I would?

[ Well. She might. But she's still insulted by the idea. ]

You've been here... what? A couple months? How do I know you're not like some of the wishy-washy people who try to obtain some stupid ideal of balance between the factions?

[Like John. Ugh.]

I think you're trying to cover for your wishy-washiness by accusing me of that kinda bullshit!

[ How dare you, Rin. ]

Very well, if you're turning this into a cyclical argument worth nothing at all, how about I tell you what I intend to sacrifice. Will that get you to make your move?

Sure. I can call that an even trade.

[ Small victory for Senti! ]

Very well. I intend to offer my ribbons and my blood. Both contain magical energy, and will serve as a sufficient offering without hampering myself if any further trials seek to take from me.

[One cannot win the long game by putting it all to bet on one hand.]

Huh. Fine. Easy enough.

[ She folds her arms with a sniff. ]

I did it before, so I can definitely give up a little bit of blood. That's easy enough for me to handle.

[ She doesn't exactly have a lot of material possessions to give up anyway. She's not copying, shut up. ]

—Wait. You're just copying me.

What else am I supposed to give up? I don't exactly carry around a buncha stuff! I'm not giving up a finger or an arm or whatever!

Your clothes, a weapon, perhaps a skill? You know it's people like you who are the reason we failed last time. We're outnumbered and you're under-prepared.

Under prepared? No one said we had to give up more than one thing! If you don't like it, figure out something yourself!

[ She seems a little dismissive of the whole thing, honestly. ]

If it's not enough, I'll figure it out when I have to. No point in giving up more if you don't have to.

At that point why even bother? You're simply trying to hide the fact that you're trailing after me. Unable to carve your own path and unable to prove yourself as useful. Perhaps you're better off deharmonized.

[Rin decides she doesn't have time for this anymore. Her hands raise and she begins untying her ribbons.]

You're a real piece of work, huh?

[ Senti rolls her eyes at Rin and then materializes a blade int oher hand. She holds her hand out for a long moment and then slowly makes a cut on her thigh to let blood start to run down her leg.

It's not a pleasant sensation, but... hey. She said she'd give blood. ]

[Tohsaka stares with clear judgment on her face. The thigh? Really? And what if there are further trials? Will she have to run with a fresh leg wound that's bound to chafe? Ridiculous.

When her hair is finally down, all dark waves in an impressive length given its thickness, she gathers the ribbons and tosses them to the effigy. Her blood will be next, but... she'll wait for Senti to start cleaning herself up before doing that.]

[ Senti doesn't bother to look at her. She's just waiting for this farce to finish up so she can go on her way, ignoring the blood and the wound. She just wants this to be done.

But her clean-up is finished and she stands back to watch. ]

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