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
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Comments

[cointosser]

[They may have mercury but those on the Continent have not come to understand the experience of using fish nailed to boards as decorations. To him, that only portrays a sort of foul, permeating stink... and madness.

Jaskier breathes very deliberately, then nods.] Yes, that would be what I think, too. There are plenty of worlds, after all, and my own world has had the convergence of many. If their world is pushing into this one -- perhaps where the wall is thinnest, if it is as such in the Horizon -- those more sensitive to such things can begin to perceive it.

[Or, the more terrifying idea is these gods want someone like Julie to see it. Or the Singularity itself does.

This is so fucking far over his head at the moment, when all of his energy is going towards finding the lost, not thinking about gods. But he wants to dig his fingers into this, as well. Another step closer to understanding anything about this world.]

A black hole? That -- [Wait, Kylo Ren explained this to him once.] That which swallows light? I don't know. Would reality not be the opposite? The thing that the mirror reflects? Though finding a "god of reality" sounds a bit like a madman's errand.

[funbreaker]

[ Thanny? What kind of nickname is that? Between that and the implication that he can't jest with the best of them, he should be offended. But for the most part he's just relieved that Nero is in good enough spirits to have a conversation like this. ]

My day job is to be dashing and come to your rescue. We'll see you shortly.

[theidlemaiden]

𝘉𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘭𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘬𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘰 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘧𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵'𝘴 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘰𝘰 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘺 𝘥𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦.

[ They're far from delicate but that's neither here nor there. ]

𝘐'𝘥 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘳𝘰𝘣 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘴𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘫𝘰𝘺. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶'𝘭𝘭 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘪𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘯 — 𝘴𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘰 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰𝘰 𝘴𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘪𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶'𝘳𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘮𝘴, 𝘰𝘬𝘢𝘺?

[assembles]

[ Since the acolyte doesn't seem to be questioning her decision and the other captive is taking a moment to catch her breath after everything, that leaves Nero to get to his plan. Which turns out to involve him trying to fly.

Sure, Steve had heard about the wings when they made their plan to catch that monster in the tunnel. He hadn't really had the chance to see them, but he'd known about them in theory. The fact that Nero's immediately going to try and spread those wings to fly after they just got out here is a choice, but 1) he doesn't really give Steve a chance to protest, and 2) they are in a desperation situation and need as much information about their circumstances as they can get. ]

Can do.

[ But then Nero's off, wings spreading as he rockets up past the trees. It's an impressive things to watch, though Steve's seen Thor do it enough times that he's not all that perturbed by it.

Unfortunately, it doesn't seem like their powers have returned completely. That or something else happened, maybe he clipped a tree, but what matters is that Nero is now hurtling back toward the ground. ]

Shit—

[ Steve races forward, eyes locking on Nero's falling body as he calculates where he needs to be to safely catch him. He manages to get into position just in time, but all of Nero's weight catapulting into his arms sends him falling to the hard ground. If his full strength was back, maybe that wouldn't have been the case, but they both end up in a messy pile of limbs, wings, and a tail.

Steve takes a moment to catch his breath, but then asks: ] You all right?

[assembles]

[ Whether or not Wanda finds out probably depends on how closely she's monitoring the network. You're not out of the woods just yet, Nero. ]

And betrayed him, and tried to take over Earth one time...

[ He could go on. He glances over at Nero, brow furrowing. ]

You also have a brother like that?

[ He's yet to get an answer about how Nero is not exactly human. Maybe now is the time. ]

[ofthesword]

"Dashing?" I'm not saying you're ugly or anything, but you might be barkin' up the wrong tree here, prince.

Totally flattered, though.

[Nero's near crazed enough after the last month it's impossible to say whether he's joking now or not.]

[ofthesword]

[Nero's gaze tightens. Not Steve's fault that some of that shit falls far too close to home. So he's not the only one with bad blood flowing through the family, huh? They had more in common than he'd first assumed.

Nero tchs, lugging the mace onto his shoulder, stepping further into the dead plants as they crumble underneath his steps. His boots, at least, aren't completely fucked; he'd been spending his time walking around the pit barefoot when it became obvious they weren't getting out fast. Now they're in good shape for escape.

Though he'd had to chase a few rats off from chewing the leather.]

To be fair, he only tried to kill me once. [Telling Credo how wrong he was hadn't stopped him. And led to one of the worst moments of his life -- when Kyrie looked at him with horror, with fear, for the first time.

He'd just been wrong. But Credo realizing he was wrong hadn't saved him.] But I know other people who tried it. Taking over the world. Always makes them look fuckin' stupid.

[ofthesword]

[That landing is sure to leave a mark. A lot of marks. Actually, he's pretty fucking sure he really regrets this, because the moment his body crashes into Steve's arms, it's like all of him jostles like shaken jell-o, bruised on every stretch of open skin.

For a second, he sort of just lays there. On top of him.

Tail flopping.

He only gets up because the thought the tail might slice through Steve's skin when they need him in good, working order pops into his head. He grabs it with a hand, bringing it to the front, hauling off of him with the other. Then he offers Boy Scout a hand up.]

Yeah. Thanks. [He bends over at the knee, hands on his legs, catching his breath. Sweat trickles down his brow, over his cheeks, face flushed.

Do not throw up. You do not throw up.

And... he's. Good.]

Nice catch. [He rolls his shoulder with a groan and a wince.] Bad news is I feel like total shit. Good news is, I already did -- and I think I see a beach where we can head down. Something is heading this way. Something big. Like a... okay, hear me out, but I think it's a turtle.

[cointosser]

Delicate? Well, I haven't seen such shoulders, but I do already believe you could handle it.

[And he's a very good reader of people. Even through... mind... text.]

Only if you promise the same, my dear, wherever your heart may lead you.

[funbreaker]

[ Oh, Nero. Some people flirt just to flirt, it's fine.

Either way, Thancred has to focus on the ship docking and the trek they'll need to take to reach Nero and Steve, so he leaves their little exchange at that. ]

[godshattering]

[ No uplifting speeches are given by the time Claude makes it back to where those are waiting farther back in the cave looking warily towards the entrance. Conversation must have echoed, but when it's mentioned that this is a good thing to move, it's mostly easy enough to convince those with (relatively) less injuries and wounds to head forth to meet the Summoned getting ready to set out.

There's some back and forth when it gets down to the last few people like he'd expected, since while this cave isn't exactly ideal leaving known shelter behind is a big ask. But it'll be easier for the rescue efforts to locate them, which is what he keeps repeating to the man he's escorting to the front who's still protesting even when they come to a halt. ]

See? People headed out to meet up with the other group just as promised. Follow behind them and keep the leaders in sight.

[ It's less a suggestion than a command disguised in a friendly voice as he stops halfway to the cave's entrance to send his complaining companion on his way. If there's other Summoned leading out the Abraxans, he'll stay there to guide them towards where they need to go before bringing up the last of the group to depart. ]

i think we can wrap here? 💕

[theidlemaiden]

[ Mind text = reading people, right? ]

𝘐 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘦. 𝘈𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘸𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘢 𝘫𝘦𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘳𝘺 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘬𝘦𝘦𝘱!

[assembles]

[ Given how catastrophic that could have been, the fact that the two of them are back on their feet within moments is pretty impressive. It wouldn't have been the case if both of them weren't more than human in one way or another, but that's part of why they're the two who were picked to make the trip out here. ]

Yeah, don't mention it. [ He gives Nero a quick nod, dusting himself off, though confusion immediately floods his face at the mention of... ] Wait, what? A turtle?

[ A turtle large enough that Nero had seen it with that brief glimpse he got above the trees. Steve's brow knits as he puts two and two together. ] That one that washed up in Thorne, maybe? [ Natasha had mentioned something to him about how she'd volunteered to distract the birds away from the massive turtle, with others working to push it back into the sea. ]

Well, let's hope it's friendly. Let me also see if I can send a message out. If we're lucky, the rescue team should already be on the way. [ His eyes lose focus for a moment as he delivers the message, though if Nero starts heading in a direction Steve will follow on semi-autopilot (after telling the two others with them what they're doing). ]

[assembles]

Right, only once. [ Steve raises an incredulous eyebrow at that, but he will admit that it's not much compared to what Thor had gone through with his brother. Still doesn't make it anywhere near the realm of okay, but then again, his best friend tried to kill him multiple times, so it's not like he can talk.

Still, he'd maintain that was different. ]

Anyway, that's... not something I'd want to share in common with anyone, but it ended up being a pretty frequent occurrence back home. Necessitating the whole superhero team.

[ If Nero knows Wanda well and knew Thor, Steve's going to assume someone mentioned that little detail.

He crosses his arms over his chest then, adjusting his lean against the tree as he gives Nero another once-over. ] Hey, so, can I ask you something?

[lightkeeping]

[Seeing as neither she nor Geralt want to give any uplifting speeches, she decides to leave that to Claude. Her version of swaying people to leave the warm cave will probably not be well received, so she's content to wait patiently while someone else does the convincing.

She waits patiently for Claude to do what he needs--and it's heartening that others seem to find them, their group steadily growing until it seems the job is done.]

Is this everyone?

[ofthesword]

[He makes a circle with his hands and expands it as if to signal big fuckin' turtle. Which normally he would just be like, whoa, hey, a turtle, this turtle seemed to have, uh. People on it.

He tips his head.]

Wait, the one from the ship? Admiral Chuck?

[Was he that big? Nah, no way. But he can't help but think... there's gotta be a connection between two weird-ass turtles, right? Or is Abraxas just full of 'em?]

Yeah, go for it. [Nero checks on their escapee friend, offering her an arm as they start testing the ground past the exit. The acolyte's on their own, for all he cares. Until they get down from here, they're still as stuck as he is. But the woman is wounded, and he still has enough in him (thanks to the balance of having a tail) to test the ground before she starts following him, slowly down an incline. He only had a glimpse, but he's got a feel for how far the beach is, and the route they can take. With all the foliage dead, it's a hell of a lot easier to get through.]

There's a beach down a bit. Should be the best place we can meet up with... whoever. [Himeka promised she was coming, and he can trust her, at least.] And I've gotta see this turtle, man.

[princessvegas]

[ Then that is Jaskier's loss. Some fish can sing from their mount, buddy! Don't worry, be happy.

She looks at her hands, not seeing them so much as simply fixating on a point. Her voice is staccato, actively working things out even as she speaks. ] Okay, so. The Horizon is in Abraxas, 'cept not really. Right? 'Cause we still wind up back there, so even if they're not exactly the same plane of existence or whatever, they must be linked. If not, we'd wind up other places when we try to go back. So the Horizon and Abraxas -- [ She links her fingers, as if to illustrate the concept of being entwined. ] And we're all linked to the Horizon. That's why, when we do end up in those other places, we eventually get pulled back to here, our own version of it. And the Singularity is linked to everythin'.

[ It feels like she's trying to do algebra in her head, which sucks because she had trouble with algebra when she did it with a calculator in school. She exhales sharply, frustrated and confused. ]

I don't know. I feel like we're on a wild goose chase. Maybe it's just better to hold off on that part 'til everyone's back. We just need to think about this one god. He's -- Maybe reflection isn't the right the part. He's the god of reflections and illusions. And the opposite of an illusion is... clarity, maybe? There could be a god of clarity. Like, a god you'd ask to help you see the truth?

[assembles]

Yeah, sure.

[ Steve sounds a little bit distracted, especially as replies begin pouring in. He doesn't completely lose sight of where they're going or what they're doing, though, and does manage to do a decent job of multitasking. When all he has to do is think the messages, it's actually easier than texting. Now that he's used to it. ]

No, not... that was the one on the ship, right? No, there was a massive one that washed up somewhere in Thorne. We got a jellyfish in the Free Cities.

[ Thankfully, the terrain is not too harsh, and with the sun on his face and something approaching fresh air (better than the musty, stale air down in that pit, anyway), he's starting to feel marginally better. ]

Anyway, it sounds like they're not too far off. [ There's a pause before he lets out a scoff from somewhere in the back of his throat. It's not quite disbelief, but... ] We're doing it. [ They're almost home free. For a relative idea of home, that is. Hell, he'll take it. ]

[ofthesword]

[Nero, inexplicably, looks almost sheepish for a moment.] You guys got a giant turtle?

[That sucks. Why didn't Solvunn get a turtle? Instead of the stupid, shitty, screaming shark? Turtles are way cooler. And the reason he's sheepish is remembering his whole plan for the shark had been punching it in the uvula, only for the fucking thing to sneeze him out like a wayward booger.

Nero helps the survivor down a little ledge of rock, pausing to turn back to Steve.

He huffs, too.] Yeah. Surviving. S'what the Boy Scouts are all about, right?

wrapping here!

[assembles]

[ Nero is lucky in that Steve is still a few steps behind him, meaning he doesn't quite pick up on that sheepish reaction. ]

No, not me. I'm in the Free Cities, so I had to deal with getting stung by the jellyfish. [ Not that it had been a huge deal, especially with the gloves they'd been provided, and even then it wouldn't have bothered him too much.

He follows the two of them down the rock, drawing in a breath as he realizes he can smell the sea. More than that, he can smell something other than must and decay and rot. That surreal feeling persists, but he nods to Nero. ]

See? Maybe being a Boy Scout isn't so bad after all.

[ They continue onward. ]

[cointosser]

[Now is not the time to be happy!

As Julie goes through her clockwork machinations, he inputs a "yes" or "right" as she moves along. He's trying just as hard as her to connect all these random bits and bobs that feel as if they should combine into a one singular, working machine. Surely she's about to --

Not lead up to anything in particular.

Jaskier sighs. The master of all seven arts, but alternative planes of existence are rather far out of his understanding, beyond theoreticals... and those mainly surrounded specifics on the Continent, such as the monoliths, or the Convergence.]

Clarity. Yes, actually! Yes. I mean -- not that I know of, but surely that's the sort of thing that has a god. [Well, probably. The Continent also had gods of specifically themed animals, so who fucking knows?] I have mages I know rather well, though they're not in the Free Cities. I can contact them and see if they have heard of something similar. It may not go anywhere, but at this point, I have taken every lead I can find.

wrap?

[princessvegas]

I wish I had more for you to go on, but. [ She trails off and glances at the Singularity. It doesn't seem to know anything else she can use either, which is somewhat disappointing for an all-powerful entity, but Julie has begun to deeply suspect that all-powerful entities are really just as dysfunctional and fumbling as everyone else. Just at a much larger magnitude. ] I'll let you know if we find anythin' else worthwhile.

[ Reaching out, she takes his hand. They're all a mess right now; the absence of their people seems to ring so much more loudly than the presence of those left. It's lonely, even when they're all together. But they are together. ]