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abraxasooc2022-05-20 09:54 am
abraxasmods) wrote in abraxasooc2022-05-20 09:54 am
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TEST DRIVE MEME #7
TEST DRIVE MEME
Welcome to the seventh test drive meme for Abraxas! This meme is run a little bit differently than most in that you'll be asked to choose one of the three different arrival scenarios below for your character to take. If you have any questions about this mechanic or anything else related to the TDM, please take a look at the questions below or ask one of your own under the Questions header below. For general game questions please still use the FAQ.
Our Setting pages are full of information on the world of Abraxas, and an overview of the story so far can be found on our Game History page! Anything on that page - including information about the Horizon and the Singularity - can be assumed to be told to newcomers after they arrive, no matter which faction they are received in. For more information on Ambrose and the apprentice mages, Marlo, and Rowan, please see our NPCs page.
You can also find answers to questions asked on previous TDMs in their respective questions threads.
For characters who arrive in SOLVUNN: Recently, following the events in which some of the Summoned received visions of each other's past, locals in Solvunn have begun to approach the Summoned with a sort of awe and respect. Those who arrive in Solvunn will find themselves treated much the same way and may be asked for advice or given gifts that seem like offerings such as wine, harvest bounties, or some incredibly delicious goat cheese. Your character is free to turn these down and should they turn down enough people, they will not be bothered further, out of concern of offending the Summoned.
Arrival
You awaken suspended in the abyss, silent darkness stretching out in all directions. If you try to yell, you'll find that the sound doesn't carry. If you try to move, you'll find it's impossible to tell whether or not you're actually getting anywhere. If you reach for an item you were carrying last time you remember being awake, your hand will only touch bare skin.
You're naked and floating helplessly through the void, and what little air you have in your lungs is running out.
There's a pinprick of light that almost looks like a faraway star but as it grows it becomes clear that it's actually quite close. Through the opening you can see a bright room, but it's hard to make out any individual objects, as if you're looking from beneath rippling water.
Scenario One: Welcome to Thorne
A hand plunges through and you realize water is just what it is. Whether you take hold of the hand or not it will grab you and yank you up through the surface, lifting you out until you're sprawled on solid ground. Once you catch your breath, you can get a better look at the surroundings: tall trees and even taller stone pillars surround the platform you're laying on. Behind you is an ornate fountain, the base of which is so deep and so dark you might be compelled to scramble away from it lest it suck you back in to that endless abyss. Ahead of you are the walls of a large castle with several tall towers reaching up towards the sky.
If you had any powers, they feel unusually weak. Attempts to use magic or enhanced strength or powers of any sort fizzle out without any effect, but they don't feel completely gone, either.
Set into an indent on a marble slab behind the fountain is a card bearing the image of one of the arcana.
An apprentice mage - the one whose hand lifted you out of the fountain - brushes the water off on their robes and runs back to join a group of three others, who all stare intently at a mage with highly decorated robes and a large, heavy book. He peers up at you for a moment and starts flipping through the book.
"One moment," he says, not bothering to look up from the tome. He looks tired. "I am Ambrose Rhett, the High Mage of the Kingdom of Thorne. We’ll explain everything in a moment, but for now, please calm down. You’re completely fine."
Regardless of your response, he keeps flipping through the pages, until he stops on one specific passage, stares at it for a moment, and then sighs with relief:
"Finally!"
Ambrose's expression brightens, relief visible across his features. He waves one of the apprentices over with a fine silk tunic, pants, and some basic sandals and with a wave of his hand they reshape to fit you perfectly.
"Oh, thank heavens," he says, closing the book and approaching you with a sort of worn-out relief. “I was beginning to believe we’d never get it exactly right.”
Now that he's not hunching over the book, he doesn't seem quite so stuffy and inapproachable. The apprentices all seem to visibly relax, and the one that handed you the tunic stops to take the tarot card down from the marble slab. If you show any curiosity about the card, they'll let you take a longer look, but won't let you touch it.
"Please, come with me," he says, motioning for you to follow him towards the castle. "As promised, my pupils will explain your current situation. And, ah - if you had any magic of your own, or other special abilities you can't access right now, fear not, they'll return within the week. The summoning takes a lot out of you."
One of the apprentices steps forward and rattles on and on about the castle, Thorne itself, the names of a bunch of royals and nobles, and of course, your reason for being here. The Kingdom and the world itself is in great peril, and tales of your exploits have reached far and wide across universes. If asked about these exploits, the apprentice will simply smile and shrug. The High Mage was happy to see you and that's good enough.
Once inside the castle you're taken to the North Wing, which has been set up as living quarters for you and your fellow newcomers. There are four people to a room, but each generously-sized bed has opaque curtains that can be drawn around it. You can meet your roommates here and discuss your shared situation (those who were previously brought in may have a great deal of information to tell you), or you can wander around and meet the others.
There's also a dining hall stocked with a rotating 24/7 buffet in celebration of the new honored guests. Somehow, your very favorite food is part of the rotation (or at least an attempted recreation of it given the limited technology available to the Thorneans). The town surrounding the castle is all abuzz as well, with most shops and services willing to give free samples of their wares to the new arrivals.
You may also notice that your sign is embroidered on your tunic: the same image you saw on the card from before with the name of the sign itself beneath it. If you ask the castle residents, they'll tell you a little bit about your sign (and will mostly stick to the positives, although some might point out the negatives).
Last (and, if you ask anyone else in the castle, least) there is a worn stone staircase leading underground to the dungeon. You can go there, if you wish, but all powers are restricted in the dungeons and most of the cells stand empty.
Scenario Two: Welcome to the Free Cities
You find yourself pulled from the water by a pair of strong hands. Dry warmth hits you at once as you're set on a warm hard floor. As your senses return you realize you're on dull ruddy stone and surrounded by strangers. Men and women in unfamiliar uniforms of brown and red leather stand in a semi-circle around a small pool of water. The very pool you were just pulled from. The water is still now, rimmed in pale gold tiles with odd symbols etched into them. Across it on the far side is a raised pedestal with a card propped on it. The card bears an arcana symbol.
You feel weak. Drained. Any abilities or magical powers you have seem far away and impossible to access. You're in what looks like a cave lit by dozens and dozens of torches set into the wall. There's no furniture or decoration to be seen besides the pool. It's almost uncomfortably warm and there's the sound of rushing wind somewhere in the distance. Flickering shadows obscure the faces of the guards. A robed woman stands off to the side, looking at you anxiously and then to the authoritative woman standing before you. She's grinning, dressed in a fancier uniform than the others. There's a sword at her hip. A guard covers you with a blanket and returns to their place in the semi-circle.
The woman with the sword gives a nod of approval and smiles warmly.
"Sorry about the circumstances."
She gives you a good hard look before standing again.
"Take a minute, catch your breath, you've had quite a shock. Take it nice and easy. I'm Prime Minister Marlo Reiner and you're in The Free Cities. That nice lady over there will explain everything to you and get you settled." A nod to the robed woman off to the side.
Marlo Reiner steps back and the robed mage approaches to help you up.
"Come with me, please." She brings you out of the cave through a corridor that angles upwards until you emerge in what looks like some kind of storage facility. Shelves of wooden boxes and cloth bags line them, unidentifiable parts of what might be machines are tucked into corners and propped against shelving units. "This is one of the Free Cities' outposts," the mage explains as she leads you. "We're honored to have you with us, I'm sure you have many questions but please save them. You need to recover!"
You'll learn you're in the Cadens Desert Outpost 003, a military outpost on the outskirts of Cadens city. You're brought to a room in the barracks that's been prepared. Each barracks room is rather sparse and utilitarian. Six simple beds set against the wall, three on each side of the room, each with a trunk at the foot of it. You're told the world is in a delicate and dangerous times and you're needed to help. You're important, you're told, and they're very grateful you're here.
You're asked to stay close for the time being, but to make yourself at home. The outpost is more a proper military base than the name implies, with full facilities. The barracks have a communal bathing room at the end of the hall, with curtains that can be pulled around the individual raised round tubs for privacy. There's a mess hall that has food available from sun up till a few hours after sundown. You're even encouraged to make use of the training grounds, if you'd like, with non-lethal training weapons available for use and obstacle courses set up. And the city of Cadens is only a couple of hours away by wagon - though you're asked initially to please be back at the outpost within a few hours of the sun going down.
For your own safety.
Scenario Three: Welcome to Solvunn
The feeling of floating is the first sense that comes to you as the edges of unconsciousness start to ebb. Sunlight filters through the rippling water as you open your eyes, making you squint. Before you have the chance to panic and inhale, firm hands grasp your arms and pull you to the surface of the water. Moments later, soft warmth is wrapped around your shoulders as you're guided on unsteady legs out of a pool of water. You're lowered to the soft grass. Men and women in simple garments with lavish embroidery stand by, waiting with bated breath, glancing seriously at an old man in an ornate robe. He holds an old leather-bound book in one hand and in the other is a card bearing an arcana symbol. His eyes move quickly over the page, and he mumbles idly to himself.
Any strength you may have possessed feels as though it has slipped through your fingers. Any abilities or magical powers you have don't come to the surface no matter how hard you try. You're in a grassy clearing in the midst of a circle of large stone slabs stacked to look like doorways. In the middle is the same glimmering pool you were just pulled from. A gentle breeze blows through, carrying the scent of flowers and herbs from an ornately decorated altar set off in front of one of the stone doorways. The mage closes his book and steps out of the water, addressing a matronly old woman. Behind her are two younger people, a rough-looking man, and a meek young girl, both of whom are also watching the mage.
“I detect no ill will from the gods, it seems we've been blessed with success.” Those that had gathered all breathe a sigh of relief and now seem pleased.
The old woman smiles and steps forward, offering to take your hands and help you stand. “Any gift the gods give us is one we will happily take. I'm certain you have many questions, and they will all be answered in time. For now, rest and know you will be taken care of.”
She pats the top of your hand and steps away with a serene smile, letting one of the others come forward with some clothes that seem to fit you perfectly. Once you're dressed, someone approaches to drape a delicate-looking charm depicting a butterfly with too many wings on a thin chain over your neck. The rough-looking man from before steps forward once you're decent and motions with his head outside of the stone circle. His speech is informal, his consonants harsh.
“Hold your horses, I can see all those questions coming about! Rowan March, at your service. I'm one of the council members of Solvunn. There's a lot to discuss, but it's best talked about over a hot meal.” He leads you to a horse-drawn carriage and helps you up into the back. He talks the entire ride to the settlement.
You find out you are in the Primary Settlement, the first of three that make up Solvunn's great territory. The settlement is situated between two lakes and is humming with life. You're brought to the center of town and escorted to an apartment above one of the establishments in town. Rowan explains that the living conditions are temporary if you'd like them to be, that local families would also be happy to host you in their home. That there are others like you who have also taken up residence within the three settlements. You're told that the world hangs upon the brink of disaster and that there are those in this world that are happy to see it fall to ruin with their meddling.
You're important. The gods have graced them with your presence. They're delighted you're here. Welcome to Solvunn.
Everything you need has been provided in this humble apartment, and if it hasn't, there are shops that line the streets and a marketplace in the center of town. Owners of some establishments or stalls are more than happy to give out samples or barter with your time for their goods. Babysitting can be a very lucrative business. You're told of the other settlements, that they'd like you to stay here for now, but if you can find a family to host you, the secondary and tertiary settlements are best to get to with an escort.
There are tales of travelers visiting the secondary settlement without invitation disappearing without a trace. The gods are as hungry as they are protective, young traveler.
You’ll find that there are more than enough activities to throw yourself into to better settle into your new life in Solvunn. Work is done in the first part of the day so that families can spend the rest of it together in leisure and work on their crafts - whatever those may be. For those children who are not of school age, they need nannies or storytellers, and there’s always a gaggle of them running about unsupervised. Families with livestock can always take a spare hand, especially since farms are so spread out, they have a tendency to wander. Whatever skills you may possess can always be of use to the community or to honor the gods.
If any of these options are no good for your lifestyle, the main roads between settlements can always use a bit of monster clean-up… just make sure you don’t go alone.
How many slots are open?
Please check the Taken page for how many player, franchise, and canon slots are available. Activity check will be processed before applications open, so the count may change between now and then. Existing players can apply for a second character without restriction.
How do I choose a scenario for my character?
Pick whichever situation appeals to you most. Which faction your character is drawn into has nothing to do with their personal morality, beliefs, or how highly they regard themselves and their own accomplishments. Anyone can be put into any one of the situations.
Can I try out more than one scenario?
You can! But please keep in mind that only the one you eventually choose can be game canon, if you decide to keep any of your TDM threads.
What happens if my character refuses to comply with the NPCs?
They will be forgiven for their moment of panic or anger if they have one, and the faction leaders will try to calm them and persuade them further. If they put up too much of a fight and/or start actively attacking anyone, they will be warned once that everyone is willing to put them back in the well where they came from (see below), and if they continue to fight they will make good on that promise.
My character intends on causing a lot of trouble (destroying parts of the cities, murdering the NPCs, etc.), what would happen to them?
Characters who make too much trouble for the mages and other NPCs would be thrown back in the well (which will mean drowning in the void, not returning home). Brawling with other PCs and causing minor damage is fine and will be greeted with a cranky attitude and intervention from various NPC guards, and there will be plenty of opportunity for destruction and murder later, but for now the Abraxans have no desire to keep huge liabilities around.
I want to wildcard a prompt or use one of the prompts from an earlier TDM that isn't on this one (eg. the library), can I do that?
Yes, in terms of the settings. As Thorne is no longer imprisoning any newcomers, that option is no longer applicable.
Is the power loss for characters permanent?
No, but it does take a week or so for their powers to be back in full, and certain powers (determined on a case-by-case basis) may require nerfs. If your character has world-breaking powers, please discuss with the mods what modifications may be necessary.
Can my character leave the bounds of the faction?
In Thorne, characters can leave the castle but not the city. In Cadens, they can take a trip from the outpost to the city. In Solvunn, they can explore the entirety of the Primary Settlement.
Can my character eventually change factions?
Yes. While the faction borders are currently closed, there will opportunities in the future for characters to relocate. For the time being, they are stuck where they are.
How much will my choice of scenario affect my character's plot later on?
This choice will determine where your character initially lives as well as the bias of the information they receive from NPCs (although other PCs can and most likely will give it to them a bit more straight). This decision - and every other major decision you make in game! - will also be used to flavor some mod surprises that will be coming down the line.
Don't get too anxious about this choice, though; this is just one choice you'll get to make in a game that has a lot of them, and every character in every scenario can work their way towards many, many individual goals and outcomes. You're not locking yourself out of anything in the future via the choice you made on the TDM. It will primarily impact the immediate future with the far-reaching effects being up to each player.
Are TDM threads mandatory for my application?
No, you may use other samples, but we encourage you to post to the TDM and get a feel for this game and its mechanics before you join. If you do not have a TDM thread you will still need to choose one of the three scenarios on your application.
What if I haven't settled on a sign yet?
You can ignore sign-related prompts if you're undecided (or try out different signs in different threads).
Can my character go to the Horizon?
First time visitors to the Horizon must be taken there by other characters, through either shared meditation or a physical journey to the Singularity, and all first-timers experience memory loss. For the purposes of the TDM, we suggest against using the Horizon.
What about making use of the network?
Much like Horizon they would need to be introduced to it by another PC, as no NPCs would be aware of the network or be able to access it. Because of this we would advise against using this mechanic for TDM top-levels.
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barracks. gestures vaguely around the 'not canon' sign.
that's the thought that catches him first, as he steps through one set of doors into the barracks where some of the guards have pointed him. he's a familiar enough face, a welcome enough presence - when there are new summoned, sam wilson will generally make his way out twice, possibly three times, just to get around the barracks a bit. and it's worked for him so far, finding faces and people he recognizes and quite a few he didn't. he was pointed this direction because they said some new faces did get pulled through, that they'd be right through there, and side, easily thrown comment of good luck. sam had shrugged it off, comments and tones and jokes were usually thrown around soldiers faster than anything else, if only to break up the monotony of the job. and sam knows that the sorts of people pulled through could range from...well. all over the place.
he knows. he's done this enough. he's got the experience. but here's the thing about experience - as much as you think it'll help you, as much as you want it to firm up the foundation beneath your feet, all it takes is one moment, one word, one...
well. one set of blue eyes.
here's the thing, too - beyond just the fact that sam knows how this place works. beyond the fact that he knows at least the basics of these rules. beyond all of that, he's lived it. bucky's come through twice now, stephen and tony too, and sam just chalks it all up to the multiverse. to whatever fucked up reality they now all live in - at any moment, he might be faced with infinite versions of the people he always thought he knew. of people he does know, down to their very bones. and just as quickly as they will appear, there is the chance for them to disappear once again. to leave him here, month after month, over a year, now, swallowing back just how screwed up this all is to know and expect that it might happen again.
and yes, okay, sam is being dramatic. there are worse things and have been worse things than his current situation. than watching the few people he thought he knew best come and go, to lose track of how long it's been, how long they've known each other. to keep track of when this happened and that, who knew what, when. to look tony stark in the eyes and in no uncertain terms tell him he doesn't survive the next five years. there are worse things, and there are more important things, wars and battles and lives and deaths that he needs to be responsible for. account for. keep on his mind.
except that sam steps through that doorway and slides on an easy smile and is ready (because he is, he's ready) to give a welcome speech he's still working out the kinks to, and then he just. stops.
because steve rogers lifts his head from the barrack beds to look at him, and all it takes is the connection of those blue eyes for sam to freeze to the spot.
it hasn't been long, relatively, since he caught sight of steve in these very barracks. not that long ago that he gave him the whole (or at least, most of the) rundown. when he'd taken him back to the inn and got him a room and thought oh, okay, i can do this. steve's been gone for months and this steve doesn't remember anything, but i can do this. and then weeks, barely a handful of days, later he was gone again and that was that. the feeling at that time had been familiar (sam's already lost steve once, hasn't he? what's once more?), the dark hole in his chest he still found himself learning to breathe around. a truth he had forced himself to come to terms with, alongside every other lost he's swallowed back and pushed through over the last few years.
but this? this?
sam's chest is tight, but he's not sure if that is because he hasn't really taken a breath over the last couple of second or if it's because he is simply coming to terms with just how much he should have known better and yet he doesn't. hasn't. isn't prepared.
it's one moment, and then another. he's sure steve gets up, pushes off the mattress to stand, and sam feels a rush of relief and pain and something a lot more complicated that he's not entirely sure he has the words for washes over him. ]
Took you long enough.
[ sam does manage to say, his tone and voice a lot cooler than he feels, his smile too easy given the weight of this moment. of this exchange. ]
doesn't have to be canon for us to have a good time 👀
They insist that his lack of strength is just a side effect of being brought here, and that it will return within a few days, but he's not convinced. It could just as easily be another way to control him, to keep him under their thumb as they decide what to do with him. While they insist that they know about his triumphs from back home and want him to put his talents toward helping their world now, he's not sure he buys it.
If they know anything about him, they would have known it won't be that easy.
He does think of Carol, of her insistence that there were plenty of other planets out there who were suffering just as much, if not more, than Earth. She'd felt a duty to them as well, and truthfully, Steve can't begin to imagine how she managed all that weight. It's not that he doesn't believe that these other worlds might need help, but it isn't right to just abduct someone and expect them to be okay with you putting a gun (or sword) in their hands.
It's as he's thinking through all this that he hears the door open and glances up, half-ready to start in on another barrage of questions for his captors, until someone walks through—
And inexplicably, it's Sam Wilson.
There's a moment (or maybe multiple moments) of shocked silence between them, both of them trying to configure what they're seeing: a good friend standing in a place so foreign, so unexpected. Steve's only just seen Sam again after five long years, years when he'd not known whether he'd ever be able to get him back despite all of their efforts. With the fight, with the funeral, with everything else, they'd barely had time to really talk.
Yet now, here they are.
Steve's up and off the mattress before he even realizes it, halfway to Sam before he's extended that greeting. Took you long enough.
What? How long could it have been? ]
What do you mean? [ He takes a few more steps. ] Sam, when did you get here?
[ Sam had been dust barely a week ago. Is time playing tricks on them again? Did it not like the fact that they'd messed with it, and now it was messing back? There's so many possibilities that Steve feels his head spinning, but Sam also doesn't have that usual smirk on his face, the tell for when he's joking. No, there's something sad and tired in his eyes instead.
(Had Sam seen something similar in Steve's eyes, when they'd reunited?) ]
YOU GOT ME THERE 👀
there is a small part of him that tries to see if it's written in the way steve stands. if there is something in his steps, his movements, that will give him some sort of clue as to the last thing he remembers, the last thing he did. except...would it matter? would it change anything, even if steve didn't know?
when did you get here?
at least that strikes down one possibility. he doesn't remember. ]
That's...a complicated question.
[ no matter how many times he's faced with this moment, sam's still not sure what to do. the first time steve was here, sam had told him all that he's asked, but hadn't gotten to everything. he'd figured there was something to say about the future, about what you have or haven't left lived through. but the issue with that is as soon as steve had left, sam had only felt guilty. like he'd lied (which, by omission, he had) and lost the only opportunity he was going to have and that the moment he'd let slip would be it.
with tony, the second time he'd showed up, he told him everything. all of it. dumped in a short span of time in the best way sam knew how to say it because what good did keeping secrets do? for anyone? but now sam knows he's never going to be able to forget the way tony had looked at those realizations. those moments. his death, his daughter, his life that he now knew had a much shorter limit.
with stephen it had been easier. bucky even more so. peter and wanda both already knew, when peter re-arrived and when wanda showed up. but now? now that he doesn't even know what steve is coming back from? where the last moment they might have seen each other? for sam, he's edging on a year and a half, though some of that is hazy. but there's no telling where steve is from. or if they even have the same memories to share at all.
( but yes, if steve did want to wonder if that's what sam saw, himself, when they'd been reunited...the answer is yes. something similar, something probably a lot closer than either of them would feel comfortable it. )
sam hangs onto that semi-tired smile and chooses, then, to take a few steps of his own. to close the rest of the distance and - as long as steve is on the same page with this, too - go in for the hug. because for all the things that might be different, there are quite a few that remain the same. ]
It is good to see you, man.
no subject
Well, Tony Stark would have begged to differ on that point, but Steve shoves that thought away. It's over, they made their peace with each other while they still had the chance, and he can't go down rabbit holes like that right now.
The point is, he's pretty sure that Sam will get around to answering properly once the initial shock of all this has worn off. Steve will do his best to be patient, even if he feels the exact opposite right now. He's already clocked the tiredness, not just on Sam's face but in the set of his shoulders. There's more going on here than he knows — a lot more.
For Steve, it wasn't so long ago that the two of them shared a hug, but he isn't going to turn this one down. He spreads his arms to either side of him, the silent indication that he's open to what Sam's bringing in. As they hug and he's suddenly got Sam's warm, solid presence so close, Steve lets out a breath he'd only half-realized he was holding.
There's still a whole lot he doesn't understand. There's still a host of questions he needs answered. But Sam is here, and knowing that much already has him feeling a lot better than he did a minute ago. He knows it isn't good that they're both here, but all of his greatest triumphs he's pulled off with the help of others — of his people. And Sam tops the list by this point. ]
Yeah, same to you.
[ Steve steps away from the hug, holding Sam at arm's length for a moment before he releases him. ]
So... how complicated are we talking?
[ He glances to the barracks beds, indicating that they can sit here and talk if need be. Not that it's the most comfortable place, but he isn't convinced this outpost is going to have anything better. Maybe Sam knows a better place. ]
no subject
but he's also not going to talk about it all here - regardless of the good terms he's on with the guards. living life on the run taught sam at least that, and while he can tell that steve is confused at the fact sam avoids a direct answer, he knows steve can wait a minute longer.
he goes in for the hug, and while it's only been a few months for sam since he last lived through this exact moment - in the barracks, that confused expression, a moment where sam almost isn't sure of himself and what he'll find going in for the hug...and then, just like before, and again now, the tight embrace. the feeling of breathing for the first time in some time. of steve, solid and whole and as sam remembers, squeezing back. if the embrace lingers for a moment or two longer, well, sam has a good feeling steve won't call him out on it.
sam sees the glance steve backs back to the beds, to the room they're both standing in. soldiers, back in the depths of it all, back into war. sam supposes in many ways it's almost poetic, how he and steve had initially bonded as soldiers without a war, and how they've - against all odds - found themselves back in one, together. sam gestures to the door. ]
Let's take a walk. [ not here is what that means. and while there isn't exactly a safer place to talk around the barracks themselves, outside near the stables, out of the building itself, is at least better. sam won't feel entirely safe until they're back in the city, in his own apartment, but that's a day's ride and he doesn't think he or steve have the patience for that.
so, when steve does follow him (because he will, he knows the man well enough to know that), sam does start talking. eases into the answers he knows steve will want.
as they pass guards, sam will wave, might make a small comment, and they will call back. he's well known around here, on friendly terms, and each time one of the guards passes by sam will lower his voice just enough until they're gone again. ]
I've been here about a year now- in Abraxas, this...world, I guess you could call it. When they brought the first of us here, it was in another country - Thorne - on the other side of the continent, but the last six months or so the different countries have started summoning us themselves. This- [ he gestures around them, to the hallway they've just about made it down, the doorway they pass through to make it out into the grounds. ] Is how the Free Cities are bringing people through. Did they mention a war to you?
no subject
But they'll get there. If Sam's been here for a while, and it sounds like that's the case, then Steve can get the information he needs from the most trusted of sources.
It's all too easy to fall in at Sam's side as they walk. On his left.
(That phrase had been music to his ears just a few days ago, when he finally knew that all of their efforts to collect the stones from throughout time had not been for nothing.)
Sam has a friendly rapport with the soldiers posted around the outpost, and it's yet another testament to the fact that he's established himself here and that he's had the time to do that. Steve is positive that Sam's opinions about this war effort are complicated (as his own will be, once he has the full picture), and yet he's gone to the trouble of remaining on their good sides, of not making enemies or burning bridges.
Then comes the answer to his question. Sam's been here a whole year, and Steve can't stop his head from whipping to glance at him as they walk. It's not five years, but it's still a year, and at this point it feels as if they'll constantly be out of sync, never quite on the same page.
He's heard mention of Thorne, mainly in dark tones among the soldiers here, but doesn't know much more than that. So different countries are performing these summonings, arming themselves with people they think will be able to contribute their knowledge or strength. This is on a wide scale, and it isn't just about them — about the Avengers. It's bigger than that.
As they step through the door and outside, Steve draws in a breath, but it's not particularly refreshing in this dry desert heat. At the question, his mouth quirks wryly and he nods. ] Yeah, not that they really needed to say much for me to get the picture. [ The barracks, the training grounds, it's not particularly subtle. He gives a quick scan of the area, then turns back to Sam. ] So is it Throne they're at war with? How'd you cross the border?
[ And why, which might be the even more pertinent question, but Steve's trying not to bombard Sam with too much all at once. ]
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he says his greetings to the passing guards, quick comments of half-conversations they tend to share. it's familiar, it's mostly presentation, and the guards nod at sam as they pass without really giving steve too much attention. another one, eh wilson? meanwhile, sam can feel the casual way steve watches it, the way he picks up on what little information he can gather. for brief moments, sam tries to put himself in those shoes - of seeing this all from that perspective, of what he's picking up on and what stands out.
when he starts to explain, he doesn't have to be watching to know how steve tenses at the mention of it. a year. sam feels it because he has thought the same, how out of sync they really are, when everything is taken into account at once. but sam keeps walking, keeps them moving away from the barracks themselves and further into the open grounds. away from the ears of the guards, though he still isn't convinced of their safety for privacy. steve's wry smile pulls a kind of smile from sam too, a huff of a laugh to break through what had been threatening to be continued building tension. ]
The war hasn't broken out yet, but the main players around here - Thorne, The Free Cities, and then Solvunn - they've apparently been at each other's necks for generations. It's mostly about ideology around the Singularity - Thorne studies magic, the Cities prefers science, and Solvunn...honestly, I'm not entirely sure what's up with them, but they give off a lot of religious cult vibes.
[ should he be saying more about the singularity? about the whole point of destroyed worlds? but steve is already jumping on the information he has, asking the logistical questions, and sam's hand lifts to rub at the back of his neck. how'd you cross the border? ]
Two people showed up with portal magic, more power than anyone in Thorne could combat, and they gave us all the option to leave. [ it feels like so long ago, but when sam really thinks about it, it wasn't really that long. the execution, the frozen bodies, the urgency of getting as many out of the dungeons as possible. ] Some stayed, some didn't. Thorne was imprisoning a few they brought over claiming that some of them were accidents and possibly dangerous - no idea if that was real or not, but it left a bad taste in a lot of our mouths, so we bolted. There was also some other shit going down but- [ he glances to the barracks, a quick acknowledgement that there are some things he's being careful about sharing and doesn't necessarily feel safe saying this close to active, on duty guards.
still, once they're a bit further out, sam does slow to a stop. glances at steve for a brief moment before letting out a breath and turning to face steve a bit more fully. here the movement seems to say. we can chat here. ]
They were welcoming enough when we showed up, let us stay and get settled as long as you pull your own weight. But then Prime Minister Reiner started pulling through Summoned of her own, and now. Well.
[ here you are. ]
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It all comes back to the Singularity. It's what brought them here, and it's why the people of this world are on the brink of war. This isn't really news to Steve. It's always about power and how that power is harnessed.
The religious cult vibes, as Sam puts it, does set Steve to frowning, jaw working as his teeth clench together. Too much blood has been spilt over religious beliefs — none of this bodes well.
Two people with portal magic, Sam mentions, had been their saviors. Steve suspects it's something similar to Strange's abilities. At least the people here in the Free Cities haven't actually imprisoned him the way that Thorne did with Sam and others, but Steve still looks around this place and sees a cage of sorts. The fact remains, they're not supposed to be here.
Steve has so many questions, but Sam is still taking care with how much he says in earshot of the soldiers here, which is fair. They both know plenty about keeping a low profile by now, and so he's as patient as he can be, following Sam further away, kicking up dust and sand as he goes.
Then Sam turns to him, some of the tension in his face having cleared. Not entirely, but they're far enough away from prying ears now that they can be a little more open. Steve nods along as Sam explains, letting a breath out slowly. ] So they turned around and started doing the exact same thing. I guess they thought they had to, if they're gearing up for war and knew that Thorne was summoning people like us into their ranks. [ That doesn't excuse it, not for a second, but Steve sees the logic. Strategically, it makes sense, but they're still bargaining with people's lives. ]
The two people you mentioned who helped you out of Thorne, where are they now? Are they on our side? [ Or was it just another political maneuver? ]