EVENT #12: INVOCATION - COORDINATION POST (PART 2)

[abraxasmods]

Event #12 - COORDINATION ( 2 )

go to the OOC Plotting Post or IC Event Log

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This post is for coordination while the event is ongoing, to prevent the IC Event Log from being overrun by OOC mod and player communications. The comments section will contain applicable comments and forms for you to reply to as needed.

Use this post to:

◎ Coordinate event plots with the mods
◎ Request a mod dice roll
◎ Investigate or interact with a plot point
◎ Submit noticeable actions
◎ Write rapid IC exchanges

If you have any questions, see the Questions thread on the OOC Plotting Post.

Available Forms

For details on each form, see the sections below.
Be sure to reply under your assigned category if applicable.

Mod Communications / Randomization

If you have something you want to do related to the event plot, you can communicate and coordinate with us here. This includes NPC meetings, requesting large resources, destroying the environment, or anything else that may require mod permission to proceed. If we can't accommodate a request for any reason, we'll do our best to offer an alternative!

You can also use this section to request a randomized mod roll.

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Interactions

Several interactions are available. For Part 2, there are fewer mysteries to uncover, but plenty to interact with to see what happens. You can interact with something as many times as you want, as long as there's a reasonable explanation for your character making their second attempt. Note that interactions might carry IC consequences, though we'll try to telegraph when characters are at high risk of triggering something. To interact, fill out the form, then comment under the corresponding item.

Interact

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IC Exchanges

Use this option if you have an interaction you'd like to play out, but setting up a standard IC thread would be impracticable. For example, if your character wants to speak to several people about an event they witnessed together, you might want to do an IC exchange.

Treat this like an informal IC network thread done in person, where character reactions, snippets of dialogue, and other details can be quickly played out and concluded in-game without committing to a full log thread. Exchanges are game canon, and can count towards Activity Check under the category of a Network thread.

Start an IC exchange

Using the provided form is optional. Begin a thread freeform if you prefer.

<b>Where & when:</b> (Where and when is this exchange taking place?) <b>Purpose:</b> (What's the reason for this exchange?) <b>THREAD START</b> (Write the scenario, your character's actions, and any dialogue as usual)

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<b>Player Name:</b> <b>Character Name:</b> <b>When:</b> (Approximately when is this incident taking place?) <b>Where:</b> (Where is this incident taking place?) <b>What:</b> (Describe the incident) <b>Link:</b> <a href="urlhere">Thread</a> (If applicable. Actions can be submitted without a thread if they're minor, for example if your character snores loudly every night.)

Comments

[techmaturgy]

Well. Actually. I think theoretical physics is fun.

[gynvael]

[ He squints at the writing briefly. Where the fuck are the hot springs. Perhaps hidden somewhere? ]

We're coming.
Wait there.

[ He increases his pace to fall into step next to Aloy. Good to know they've found something warm. ]

You see any hot springs around?

[ He presses southward, still following the trail he can see, haphazard but there. ]

[gynvael]

[ The boy's familiar voice distracts him for a moment. Somehow, in his head, he'd assumed Steve never made it out. Last he checked, Steve was arguing with Nero inside the pit. A part of him had felt...not responsible, but regretful. One of those things he knows he could only do so much, yet still wishes he'd done more.

His hand lands on Steve's shoulder, a genuine greeting, before he nods to confirm Aloy's statement. ]

They'll have to leave it. [ Can't stay here forever, tempting as it might be. ] We're northwest. Two, three hours. [ Perhaps longer depending on the strength of the group. ] Stay close, you'll be fine.

[ As for the vampire—he doesn't question it. Seems Louis takes after the vampires of Ikorr, avoiding the sun. If Louis says he can catch up, Geralt takes his word for it. Could likely follow their scent well enough if his senses have returned. ]

If you're last to follow after dark, you can disguise our tracks.

[princessvegas]

[ There's two of the escaped kidnapped dozing in piles of pillows right now, with Julie having imparted as much as of healing warmth inside herself as she could before leaving them to get a bit more rest. Their time here is limited, given the conditions, but both Geralt and Ciri are with them on the outside, watching over them. Sending them to her.

Steven is also present, along with most of her tiny pets and Geralt's wolf. Julie is helping Steven replenish the table of food and drinks, but she stops when Jaskier appears. She smiles, heads to sit in one of the further away cushion piles. Duke trots behind her, clambers into her lap, while the wolf parks itself next to Jaskier instead. ]

Thanks. Thought it should be nice for 'em.

[ They're all on a time crunch, so it's not surprising that Jaskier immediately wants details, but her brow furrows a little. The problem with what she can do, she has found, is translating things that aren't really translatable. The Singularity's thoughts and emotions, what it's like to navigate that space as a human. These strange planes she's not sure humans were ever meant to see.

She sighs. ] I don't know that discovered is exactly the right word, but. Okay, y'know that god that they worked out was used in the spells? Nikodaemus or whatever? Supposed to be the god of mirrors and illusions, I think is what they said. Well, I asked the Singularity to look for him 'stead of the folks that'd gone missin'. Just for a minute.

[ Steven helpfully comes by to supply two large glasses of wine. Julie takes a drink before she shakes her head a little, rewinds a second. ] Actually, first I asked it to find Josselyn Creed for me, but I don't think it really understood. I know that the native folks can draw on the magic, but I guess the Singularity can't really... feel 'em. Not like us, it feels us. I mean, usually it don't reach for anyone 'cept me, but it feels all of us. It knew they were missin' 'fore I even got here, back at the beginnin' of all this, around when Geralt disappeared. It asked me where they all went.

[ She suddenly seems to focus on Jaskier, like she's realizing that she's diving headfirst into the deep end before he's ever even dipped a toe in the shallows. ] I'm sorry. This is all a lot, I know. You can stop me whenever, and I can try to explain better. It's hard.

[princessvegas]

Yeah. We've been able to communicate with 'em a little. Whatever's blockin' magic where they are, it's not able to completely stop 'em from blippin' in and out of the Horizon. Some of their messages get through, too, even though they're real hard to read.

[ And Julie does have a sort of folksy, flowery way of speaking that can make things sound more detailed than they otherwise might. Easier to picture. Even without the knowledge she shouldn't have. ]

Oh. So y'all just get real fuckin' high. [ She blinks. ] I mean, that makes sense. In my world, people did that too, tripped balls on peyote and 'shrooms and whatever to have visions. It was like, a religious thing for some folks. We didn't turn into nothin' else, though. But maybe that was what they meant by "commune with the gods"? That they're meant to have a vision.

[ Her face screws up a little with concentration as she tries to think of a non-offensive way to word her thoughts. ] I know most of us, the Summoned, are human. But we're... not like the regular humans here, neither. We're kinda our own thing. And maybe that's why they wanted us. I mean... sorry, I don't know how to say this without soundin' like a dick, but. I believe that we're sort of in-between y'all -- Abraxans -- and the gods. Not that we are gods, and not that all Abraxans are the same, just...

[ She trails off with a sigh. She is aware that she sounds like an asshole, but it's true. This is what she believes. And so far, none of the contact they've managed with the kidnapped Summoned indicates that any of them have died. But there are a lot of bodies in that pit and around that altar. That means that the non-Summoned kidnapped must be dropping like flies. ]

I just think that maybe these cult psychos think along that line too, and that maybe they believe it makes us more like to survive their weird jelly ceremony and whatever else they're doin'.

[assembles]

The feeling's mutual. Thanks for coming to get us, and for finding us in the first place.

[assembles]

[ At that, Steve quits with the mental messages and just glances over at where Nero's standing a few feet away. The smile he's wearing is barely there, a ghost more than anything because he's too exhausted for much more, but it is there. ]

Thanks for being a friend to him while he was here.

[funbreaker]

I can assure you I left it precisely as I found it. It will be as if I never was there at all.

[theidlemaiden]

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘢 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘢𝘺. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘴 𝘐'𝘮 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵.

[ofthesword]

[Ugh. Nero wrinkles his nose back at him. But maybe there's a shade of a smile when he looks away, hucking the mace onto his shoulder as they look out at real fuckin' sky. Fresh air. It's so easy to get lost in it. To think it's over.

But it isn't. They're still stuck on this stupid island.]

I'm not a complete dick. [He can't help but wonder what Steve would think -- or if he'd believe Nero'd made one -- about the shrine with Thor's name in the woods. All gods deserved one, right?

It was mostly a joke, but. He does miss him. The farms really need more guy energy.] He'd probably say I was, though.

[ofthesword]

[Hmmm. Well, Thancred might look a little like Dante, and unfortunately he might hang out with him, but at least he's nothin' like him. So far.]

All right, fine. But watch out for the lizards.

[cointosser]

[Oh, my. Perhaps Hilda has even managed to flatter the unflatterable. Or he's simply vulnerable right now. (Much more likely.)]

Oh. You've heard of me.

[Well, of course she has. But it is rare that someone knows him for things a bit more personal than his penchant for song.]

I am the very same. I'm afraid we have not had the pleasure to meet prior to this... event. Hilda, as your signature would suggest?

[cointosser]

[It is. For all her crassness -- and don't mistake that he doesn't appreciate it -- she has a very gentle, admirably feminine side to her. The more time he spends with Julie, the more it makes sense that Geralt took to her so quickly, when he hardly takes to anyone.

Well. Beyond a night.

Jaskier gives the familiar unicorn a little wave of his fingers as they pass, and without thinking, his hand falls between the wolf's shoulders, the white fur soft as it is familiar. It's been such a long time he spent time with the wolf he accidentally created, but he can admit that... he's very grateful it still roams. And that it has become so fashionable as of late.

He nods to her question; though the overwhelming amount of information has been exactly that, Jaskier has done everything he can to stay on top of it, to the point of recording what flies across his eyes when it does. There are books in his domain that contain extensive notes, and what he has discovered himself, as he found it out.

And after all that, the wine is sorely needed. He gives Steven a quiet thank you as he drops it off, and a wink -- if only so he feels a bit more like himself. The bartender is a very good kisser, after all.

He takes a heavy swallow from it. Then another.] You know, if anyone else said such a thing, I would accuse them of being rather self-absorbed. [But after his conversation with Rhy, and their search for Julie in the missing nothing, it is clear to him that she has a special connection to this monolith, the same way Ciri is connected to the others. Not the way Rhy is connected to the Singularity, either; it's as if the Singularity has been waiting for someone to come who speaks its language.

Thank god it's not Ronan instead That man seemed unhinged, and the last thing Thorne needs is an advantage involving the Singularity.]

No, no, you're doing wonderful. [He reaches to place a hand on her knee.] These are things I... well, suspected in some ways, and have gathered from others. And while I definitely would like to know how you became so close to it... that can be a discussion for a later day, with more wine. [Perhaps some shots.] Then, if I am following, you learned whatever you have learned from the Singularity itself? Or, rather, from the fact it could not find this woman?

[princessvegas]

[ A large part of the complexity has been created by Julie herself, spending so many months bonding further with the Singularity in secret. So many of the other Summoned, people she cares for and deeply respects, had told her to stay away from it, but she couldn't. She kept all those nights to herself, throwing herself deeper and deeper into the consciousness of a godlike being, learning all of its language and idiosyncrasies and moods. None of it was anything she expected to have to share like this.

But, like always, here she is, in a mess that's not of her own making but that she undoubtedly made worse for herself.

(Duke, forever sassy, sniffs in Jaskier's direction before he curls up on Julie's lap, his head lying on her thigh.)

While what she said was simplified, for a few reasons -- the Singularity also reaches for Rhy, but she's not sure if Jaskier is aware of the extent of Rhy's connection -- the truth is that there's a lot of it she doesn't understand on a much deeper level herself. ]

Well, it not findin' her was just a dead end that made me ask if it could find Nikodaemus. I already knew it could find us, 'cause that's what I've been doin' for two fuckin' weeks. Helpin' find us. That got me some messages people sent, and I was able to see things. [ Her lips purse tightly, as if images are flashing through her vision now. ] Askin' for a god was just a shot in the fuckin' dark. But... that got me somethin'.

[ There's a deep inhale, and she rolls her eyes to the sky for a moment before she tries to explain what she saw. ]

It was like, a whole different place. Like where I got stuck, 'cept it didn't look the same. I was in a desert. This was like... the ocean. Not the beach, the ocean. And it wasn't water, it was -- do y'all have mercury? Like, liquid mercury?

[ The only thing she can think to do is create a very, very old-timey thermometer, with a mercury core. She tilts it from side to side, makes the mercury slide around inside to show him. ] This stuff. Back home, we used it for a lot of stuff, but mostly to measure like, temperature and pressure. A whole ocean of liquid mercury is what I saw. And these big, silvery statues pokin' out of the water. A face with a lady comin' outta the mouth, both stabbed through with a sword. And a man, sittin' on a rock. He was holdin' his face in his hands, lookin' at it. There was a sort of coppery shield on his face. A fish skeleton, mounted on a display, but lyin' flat on a little sandbar thing.

[ Much like the desert she'd been trapped in, it's almost impossible to fully describe, and she knows it doesn't sound relevant. But -- ] Anyway, I think... I think those places, all the different ones we've seen, are where the gods live. They all have an arcana in the sky -- Nikodaemus is the Moon. I saw another place, a real long time ago, that had the Magician in the sky. The beach Rhy got stuck in had the Magician, too. [ The desert hadn't had one that she was able to find. ]

I'm not sure how the arcana plays into it, but I think that the illusion is usin' Nikodaemus to create a sort of bubble around the place they're in. A bubble that's reflectin' outward, like one-way glass.

[assembles]

[ When they're successfully able to move past the other acolytes to the secret path out, Steve feels like he can at least release one of the breaths he'd been holding. As the tunnel narrows, he gestures for the injured woman to come over and heaves her up into his arms without making much of a sound. Now isn't the time for it and she thankfully isn't so prideful to refuse his help.

They follow at a distance after Nero, with the acolyte between them so that she can keep an eye on both of them. So far so good, and when Steve hears Nero climbing up and out ahead of them, to say nothing of the beam of daylight streaming down through the opening, he can hardly believe it.

The acolyte climbs up next, and while Steve can't see her after that, he assumes she's keeping a wary eye out. ]

Got it. [ He steps up to the opening and gives the woman a boost up, asking her to tuck her legs in just in case so that she doesn't end up scraping against the cave wall too much as Nero grabs her from above. ] Up you go. [ He holds her up by the waist so that Nero can grab for her arms and pull her out the rest of the way. ]

[techmaturgy]

This is anecdotal. Any good experiment is repeatable.

[techmaturgy]

See? It's contagious.

[aquaveiled]

Graceful plummet?

[ She will relent that much because he's had A Time. ]

You think you can hold off on another until we make land?

[theidlemaiden]

𝘜𝘨𝘩 𝘩𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬? 𝘍𝘪𝘯𝘦, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐'𝘭𝘭 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶'𝘳𝘦 𝘧𝘶𝘯.

𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘢 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘢𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘱𝘰𝘰𝘭 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘰𝘭𝘭 - 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴! 𝘞𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘑𝘢𝘺𝘤𝘦.

[theidlemaiden]

[ (Aw, come on Jaskier, give her some credit!) ]

𝘚𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘵'𝘴 𝘎𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘢 𝘥𝘦𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘳 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶'𝘳𝘦 𝘢 𝘣𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘵, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘏𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘢 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘴.

𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦! 𝘠𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘷𝘰𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘺, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶'𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘈𝘭𝘶𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘥'𝘴 𝘣𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘯𝘦𝘳. 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘢𝘺, 𝘐 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘯 𝘵𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘴.

[takeatrip]

[Jayden is tuned out of the conversation for several seconds, focusing only on making sure he doesn't drop the woman and calming himself down, and so Urianger's last question is the first one he hears. Castiel answers it, but Jayden adds a half clarification, half question of his own.]

She had to have... She had to have been in there the whole time, right? At least since we've been stuck in this room.

[But probably even before that.]

[techmaturgy]

Jayce doesn't count. He's not my friend.

[hextechhead]

Don't listen to him, we've been friends for almost a decade, he just has a weird way of saying "we're in a romantic partnership that supersedes friendship."

[funbreaker]

Wanda thankfully kept them under control during my stay.
In any case, we should be there shortly to collect you and then you'll be able to see the state of your room for yourself. If there is aught amiss, feel free to take it up with me at that time.

[theidlemaiden]

𝘏𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘭𝘺, 𝘐 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘣𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘵 𝘰𝘯 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱𝘴! 𝘑𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶'𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘤 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴𝘯'𝘵 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘱 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴.