abraxasooc | EVENT #20: ADVENT

Event #20 - OOC Plotting

Two years ago, the strife between the territories gave rise to the Heralds of War: Koth of Festering Lands, Adlewyrd of Poisoned Tongues, and Sannleikr of Many Faces. Their arrival brought a dark affliction over the land and the Summoned themselves.

Now, as the territories march towards war, the same three Heralds have returned...along with the fourth and final of them.

While fighting will be occurring in the Badlands throughout this event, the focus of it will be on the impact it has on civilians and innocents, represented by the four Heralds. Characters may also take diplomatic action with a sufficient Influence rank.

If your character wants to join in on the fighting actively, you may ask us individually and we will determine how your character may fit into the scenario, as well as any limitations we might ask you to keep in mind regarding powers and so forth. However, we want to stress that a large-scale battle is not the emphasis.

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The Heralds ⦁ The Summoned ⦁ Horizon ⦁ Notes ⦁ Questions & Answers

The Heralds

Although multiple Gods carry the title of Herald, only four are the Heralds of War. Those in Solvunn may have noticed that these four Gods are seldom worshipped or sought after with offerings. Rather, their shrines are visited only in times of strife to appease them. Most will tell you that the Heralds of War cannot be invoked and there are no recent records of a pact being made with them. Any pacts described are from so long ago that they may as well be myth.

The initial three Heralds of War (Koth, Adlewyrd, and Sannleikr) will be assigned to a territory. Unlike the previous event, the Heralds will primarily be afflicting the native population rather than the Summoned. Characters' goals will be to assist the natives and the land as bloodshed begins. However, there will be some opportunity for characters themselves to experience an effect, as well.

In all cases, the Heralds can only influence behavior in people who are already prone to or are considering said behavior. Though the Heralds prey on the darker impulses within, they cannot create desires that don't already exist. This applies to both the native population and the Summoned.

Territory Assignments

Territory assignments will be as follows. Each territory will undergo a specific effect as a result. The fourth Herald will be a unique occurrence and will affect the entirety of Abraxas as a whole. You can also read more about three Heralds here and here.

◎ Koth will arrive in Thorne. Her presence will interfere with crops and food stores, causing grave concerns for the autumn harvest. She will also cause great fear in some natives, especially guards and soldiers, who begin to dream of their deaths or claim they see their deceased loved ones visit them. Magic begins to "rot," causing spells to falter or backfire.

◎ Adlewyrd will arrive in the Free Cities. Their presence will corrupt both spoken and written word. People might misinterpret or misread instructions, or forget to relay crucial details, causing fatal errors across multiple tasks such as operating machinery or dosages for medication. They will also instigate venomous thoughts within the individual or towards others, resulting in cruel words and callous actions. Disruptive rumors circulate, sowing mistrust towards the government and fueling conspiracies.

◎ Sannleikr will arrive in Solvunn. His presence will turn benign creatures into dangerous versions of themselves: sheep sprout sharp teeth, birds grow wicked talons, and bees swarm. He will also twist the territory's sense of community as neighbors begin to see only strangers around them and even label friends as enemies. Mistrust will begin to run rampant and many despair in their isolation while domestic animals and pets may cease to recognize or trust their owners.

The Fourth Herald

Like the other three, the fourth Herald is seen as a portent rather than looked to for blessings or protection. Elders in Solvunn will claim he has not been seen since the early 19,000s, following the rebellion that birthed the Free Cities and resulted in the execution of the Almachs, who ruled Thorne before the Galdwins.

The fourth and final Herald will be introduced in full on the IC Event Log. A brief overview of what to expect has been outlined below.

Effects on the Land

Animals and beasts across Abraxas will grow anxious or aggressive. Some may gain a taste for flesh.

◎ For domestic animals (pets and livestock), the more loved and happy an animal is, the less susceptible they will be. They might only become slightly unruly or prone to growling. Stray or neglected animals, on the other hand, can become more dangerous, easily provoked into biting or attacking.

◎ Predators and naturally aggressive wildlife will grow more so. They may go into a feeding frenzy or others that normally avoid humans will now actively hunt them.

◎ Herbivores and passive animals will start to seek meat in their diet. Horses and deer may be spotted feasting on carcasses or other carnivorous sources. This does not appear to make them ill, but it is disturbing to witness.

Effects on the People

Natives across Abraxas will become similarly influenced, but the effect will be more dependent on a person's natural disposition and current state of mind.

◎ Soldiers may lose themselves in the heat of battle, resulting in greater incidents of friendly fire or civilian casualties. Meanwhile, among civilians and soldiers alike, tensions are heightened as personalities grow more combative. Teams fall apart and projects stall or fall apart as disagreements brew. Arguments or brawls frequently break out on the streets or in households.

◎ Several will say they've had haunting dreams or visions drenched in red that show them harmful acts soon to be committed either by their own hands or by another - usually someone close to them but sometimes a sworn enemy. When found or caught after a violent act, they may claim that a "voice whispered to them."

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The Summoned

The Summoned's experiences will differ from the native population. Some characters might recall being afflicted by the Heralds in the past. In particular, those characters might remember being able to turn an affliction ability onto others, having gained a subtle power from the Herald that they chose.

This time, older Summoned residents - especially those who underwent the emergent reality - will find themselves highly resistant or entirely immune to the three assigned Heralds. Newer arrivals might still be susceptible to the specific Herald that visits their territory, but the effect would be intermittent and may not be as intense or last very long.

Characters will instead be focused on the circumstances around them. They'll also have the opportunity to take actions related to the war itself, such as diplomacy or running supplies.

Choosing Your Actions

Characters will have to make a personal choice in how they respond to the Heralds. This choice will impact how the next event affects them individually, but will not have an overarching consequence on the world or towards other characters. You won't need to formally submit your decision. Just keep it in mind for the next event!

Understanding the Heralds

Characters will have the opportunity to learn about the Heralds' motivations through the fourth Herald of War himself. This conversation is optional and will not be NPC'd individually. It will occur in a dream. He will give roughly the same details to everyone.

To help players plan how their characters will respond, we'll outline what will be said below. The IC Event Log will contain additional details for flavor. Please hold your questions regarding this part until the IC Event Log is up unless the answer is vital to your OOC plotting.

Some might assume the Heralds themselves are the agents of war. However, the Heralds only arrive after fighting has already begun. There are no records of them being the original source of conflict.

The Heralds see themselves as a balancing force, performing their duty to ensure that any war that begins will also end. According to them, heavy losses and spent resources are the main reason a conflict eventually resolves. One might even argue that the mediation which followed the conflict two years ago came about in part because of the damage to the crops, land, and waters. With each side desperate to rebuild their losses, they had agreed to meet. The Heralds don't pick sides nor do they have any interest in swaying outcomes. They affect all territories equally.

Deciding Your Role

Whether characters realize it or not through their conversation with the fourth Herald of War, they have the power to help or hinder. Each character must decide whether they will counter the effects of the Heralds, enhance the effects, or decline to intervene either way. The Herald will not attempt to sway the Summoned towards a particular action. He will only explain his side. How characters respond is their decision.

This decision will have an impact on each character individually in the next event. However, it will not impact the world or others around them.

You can decide which category your character falls under any way you like. If your character countered the Heralds only once but it was a significant moment for them, you can say that this was their ultimate "choice" even if they spent the majority of the event doing the opposite action. Alternatively, you can base the criteria on how often your character did one action versus others. We will not moderate this aspect, so just pick what feels right to you.

You do not need to determine the choice until the upcoming event in October, so there will be lots of time for you to progress your threads and decide what fits.

◎ Countering Force

Characters can counter the afflictions caused by the Heralds by replacing it with their own influence. This influence can be based either on your character's AU assignment in Event #18 and/or a core aspect of their personality. This influence should be subtle and can only affect one person or "item" at a time. It will also open the character up to becoming more vulnerable to the Heralds' influences in return.

Characters do not need to act deliberately, to begin with. They may simply attempt to help and, in doing so, realize that they are exerting a certain influence of their own. It is also possible that they will not always be successful. The more they attempt to counter the Heralds, the harder it will be to maintain their strength.

While we'll leave the details up to you, some examples would be: a soothing melody that drives away visions of death, a healing power that "heals" a rotting tree, or restoring someone's memory of a loved one. Abilities must be relatively minor in effect and visuals. It can be enough to overcome an affliction, but it should not overtake any NPCs or other characters.

◎ Enhancing Force

Characters can enhance the afflictions caused by the Heralds by encouraging the effects. They can do this through existing abilities or magic they already possess (either learned through Abraxas or from canon), or they can take actions that are not magical at all, such as perpetuating rumors, agreeing with a person's despair, or giving someone a weapon to use.

Their enhancement may not always be successful. Additionally, each time they encourage a Herald's affliction, they will become more likely to inadvertently emanate the same afflictions towards others nearby, either through touch or words - including any vulnerable Summoned.

◎ Neutral Force

Characters can simply allow events to unfold in front of them without interfering.

Diplomacy & Other Options

Characters can participate in the usual manner by delivering supplies, protecting the vulnerable, and cleaning up the streets. The IC Event Log will have some prompts for each territory.

Any character with sufficient influence or actions taken can speak to NPCs, petition government bodies with letters, or similar. We will not be writing specific prompts for these scenarios since what your character can do and how will depend on their actions in-game up to this point. For logistical reasons, it will not be possible to stop the conflict in the Badlands during the event, but characters may still make an impact moving forward.

Players are encouraged to reach out to us during the event to request a particular action. We will have a form in place to guide you in doing so and will do our best to respond to all players promptly. If you have something in mind before the IC Event Log, you may ask us under Questions or reach out to us in Plot Engagement if it requires more planning.

The NPCs page has been reorganized and updated to reflect new NPCs and changes in power. Please take a look if you like!

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Horizon Effects

As before, the Horizon won't be spared from the strange influences spreading across the land. This time, however, the influence comes from the Summoned themselves.

While inside the Horizon, characters' domains will undergo instability. The instability can be any of the following varieties:

◎ Reversion: The domain will revert to a previous form. This reversion can be complete or take place only in a portion of the area. For example, if a character once had a mountain before replacing it with a forest, parts or all of the mountain might reappear.

◎ Emersion: If characters participated in Event #18: Emergence, the same effect as above can happen but instead of it being a reversion, the domain will take on aspects that were created only in the emergent reality.

◎ Transference: Any aspect of a character's domain (whether affected by a reversion or emersion, or unaffected) can begin to appear or "grow" over another character's domain. The two domains can be any distance from each other. You may decide with each other what parts of your domain will overtake another's.

When a portion of a domain is "transplanted," it will vanish from its original source. For instance, if Character A's bookshelf is transferred to Character B's domain, the bookshelves will be missing from Character A's domain. Players can use this to expose private secrets that they normally keep hidden in their domain or just to cause some chaos. For example, parts of a spaceship could grow in someone's garden or a character might enter their room to find it full of someone else's farm animals.

Please be sure to communicate before impacting another player's character!

Instabilities can worsen based on how open or vulnerable a character has made themselves. Other characters can help restore or reshape someone else's domain, but they must be familiar enough with the domain to do so with some accuracy or they may accidentally make things more unstable.

Restoring a domain to its normal state will help knit the character's vulnerabilities. The degree of its effectiveness is up to the affected player to decide. Ask first before intervening!

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Notes

Ability or Transformation Gain

Characters will receive a gain of either one physical alteration or one new magical spell/ability. While this gain can be anything, we encourage people to consider a gain that suits their experiences throughout the event. Gains should be minor and not overly powerful. See Reward Gains to learn more.

To request your gain, submit it as usual on the upcoming Activity Check form.

Event Schedule

To allow room for players to get things started, the event post will be going up before the actual in-game date the event occurs.

The IN-GAME EVENT will ICly begin AUGUST 16. The conflict itself will have started earlier in August.
The EVENT POST will go up AUGUST 15 for players to participate in.
The WRAP-UP POST will go up AUGUST 30 for players to view.

Plotting Form

You can use the plotting form below to make plans.

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Questions and Answers

If after reading these you're still unsure about anything, or your question wasn't covered, please feel free to hit up our Questions thread below!

So characters can only discover their countering ability when explicitly countering the affliction effects?: Yes. Characters cannot use this ability outside of this event nor can they use it on someone who isn't afflicted. They must be attempting to counter an effect to activate it.
What does "using" the ability entail or look like?: This is up to you! The aesthetics are your choice, but as stipulated, they must be reasonably minor and subtle. Please do not change forms or sprout wings. Characters may have a glow or sparkle, feel a power inside them, or anything along those lines to ICly realize they are the ones doing something. Reaching for the ability can be done on instinct, similar to characters using magic accidentally for the first time or discovering a new power.
My character arrived after Event #18. Can they still have a countering ability?: Yes! In this case, just base it on something that's a core part of your character's themes. These themes do not have to be based on a character's canon magic or abilities. For example, a character who has strong values regarding family could help family members recognize each other, which would counter Sannleikr.
My character arrived during Event #18, but I'm having trouble coming up with a counter ability based on it. Can I base it on something else?: Yes, you may base it on your character's themes as noted above! As long as it's drawn on something significant to your character's personality or behavior, you may use it.
If my character has become vulnerable, will they only be affected by the Herald assigned to their territory?: Yes, only the fourth Herald and the Herald assigned to a character's territory can affect the residents there, including the Summoned. A vulnerable Summoned in Thorne can be susceptible to only Koth's effects, but not the other two. The fourth Herald of War can affect all territories.
What scenarios will characters face during the event?: We will provide specific prompts for characters to respond to or incorporate into threads, but we encourage players to come up with their own scenes based on the broad descriptions provided as well!
Is there a minimum influence before my character can speak to an NPC or participate in a diplomatic action?: Yes and no! We'll judge on a case-by-case basis and do our best to determine what path forward would be most reasonable for your character narratively, as well as what we can accomplish logistically OOC. Generally, if your character wants an immediate audience with a high-ranking individual, they should have an influence of 5 or above. However, a lower influence character who holds something of value may also be granted an audience. so the circumstances involved will play a part.
Why have the territories kept the Summoned from the fighting?: The conflict in the Badlands is important, but it can and has been fought by regular soldiers many times before. The Summoned are too valuable a resource to be sent as fodder on the battlefield.
Can characters meet in the Badlands if they're from opposing territories or sides?: Not for this event! Battle lines will be drawn and crossing over to the enemy side would not be possible. Cross-territory interactions will need to take place in the Horizon. However, for diplomatic purposes, Nocwich may be open as neutral territory for discussions or meetings. Something like this would need to be arranged and plotted with the mods.
Will we learn about the impact of Solvunn's decision from the last event here?: Yes! We'll describe it in the IC Event Log. What it means for the Summoned in Solvunn moving forward will be addressed in the Wrap-Up.

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Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Character Name: wanda maximoff
Territory: solvunn
Rank: 7

Afflictions: sannleikr. i'd like wanda to be immune to this herald for the most part, given that she's in "a good place" as opposed to event #10, and her strength in what is mind control and bending what is and isn't real will allow her to keep her wits about her. open to having her saving others and/or offering them reprieve through her magic from sannleikr's influence to whatever extent would be considered fun to be played out.

Horizon: open to working with reversion and having facets of this taking place again. while wanda in the waking world is doing okay, her inner workings... not so much. it's august but i'm doing for spooky shit, too. her currently shared horizon with matt of hell's kitchen/manhattan is likely to have a more abstract or watercolor quality to it as she divests her energy elsewhere. additionally, also open to transference—either having things from her domain land elsewhere or someone else's things landing in her place. if any of the spooky-witch aspects are something you want to play with, feel free to implement them in your character's own space!

General plans:
heralds 2 spooky...i'll be tossing wanda around when the event drops, so just holler at me if you want her anywhere

Edited 2024-08-15 00:04 (UTC)

EVENT #20: ADVENT - OOC POST

wanda maximoff • solvunn