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expiationlogs2023-05-19 08:15 am
{EVENT #2} ADVERSITY 168518.2092
| MOD NOTES: Please direct any questions to the corresponding comment below. Note that characters can be involved in multiple prompts (whether you choose to thread that out or not), and that character decisions and actions taken on these prompts will affect future events, storylines, and relationships with other peoples of Expiation. You can find the OOC poll here. Please pick from the corresponding options with the appropriate character journal. If you use a personal journal or a journal not part of Expiation, your votes will not be counted. Remember that if your character did something different than what is in the prompts given, leave a comment in the OOC poll entry and link to your comment in the option made available. Our State of the Game, which will include results of this event and changes of the world, along with some future goals and events we would like to work towards will be posted 1 week from today (May 26, 2023). The various prompts are, of course, optional. Consider that taking part and not taking part both have their potential effects on the world and how Expiation moves forward in terms of overarching storyline. |
A FAMOUS DISAPPEARING / REAPPEARING ACT
Those who were plagued by nightmares and visions after venturing into the forest awaken to find that a mark has appeared somewhere on their body. It’s unclear what made it, but its function quickly becomes clear. Upon discovering the mark, whispers begin to sound in their minds, beckoning them to a secret clearing in Pessiria Forest. Something awaits them there.
After some time, a faint image of an unnaturally tall, lanky man appears in the mind. He wears a hooded robe that bears several runes resembling the strange marks and is surrounded by acolytes wearing identical robes. Raising a single hand, he calls the afflicted his Branded, and presents them with a simple offer: “Pledge yourself to my glorious cause, and you shall be granted overwhelming power to twist this world into your personal paradise.”
The offer repeats itself in the minds of the afflicted, slowly intensifying over time. It's clear that this man will not relent unless he gets what he wants. Those with strong willpower, however, may be able to reject his dark offer.
I. A TEST RUN FOR NEW POWER
For whatever reason, you have chosen to accept the whispers’ offer. Some may have been overwhelmed by the mental link that demanded your fealty, while others found the offer of overwhelming power appealing. Regardless of your reasons, this decision finally brings you a strange peace, as the intense demands are replaced with your promised reward. Now, the brands start to feel like a blessing as they begin to spread across your body. They feel good and natural—almost as if you have found a missing part of yourself that you had never known.
You begin to feel an unknown power coursing within your body, but you aren’t entirely sure what it is. Some will gain powers associated with the mind, allowing for psionic powers ranging from telekinesis to possession. Others will gain a mysterious power to cast elemental and blood magics that they had previously never been able to use. Once you reach the secret clearing, its nature and usage will become clearer to you.
Things are odd at the place you’ve been summoned to. In the clearing, you’ll find strange stone monuments and tablets containing text in an indecipherable language. At the centre of this collection of monuments, descends a pit-cave with several winding paths, each containing cells with bruised and battered prisoners. The more perceptive among you may notice that these are the people who have gone missing over the past few months.
You and your fellow Branded are free to do as you like. Will you make these prisoners into experimental pawns to test your new powers with? Or will you try to resist the power you’ve accepted?
II. ABDUCTION
Unlike your possessed fellows, the brand doesn’t take. The whispers intensify with each passing hour, demanding that you give in. Still, for some reason, you never accept their offer. Perhaps somewhere in your heart, you know that this is wrong and have managed to hold on through pure force of will. Maybe your latent powers managed to hold the brand’s influence at bay despite their constant demands. Either way, the hooded figure knows that it has been denied a thrall, and it does not take rejection lightly.
A piercing shriek can be heard from the forest before all hell breaks loose. Shadowy figures emerge from its depths and press into Aldrip. If you are claimed by the shadows, your character will be enveloped in darkness and pulled back to the hidden grove. This will take you out of the action for the duration of the event, only to reappear in Aldrip sometime after the chaos subsides. However, others may choose to flee from the shadows and seek help from other Chosen. This is optional, primarily for those who need a reason to be absent from the event for a portion of the time. For characters who are present and unbranded, consider this an opportunity to interact with those who are, and to be susceptible to their abilities, or experience an odd desire to serve or otherwise demonstrate loyalty toward them.
SPEAK NOT OF THE OLD ONES
Unfortunately for those who were marked, their struggle mostly goes unnoticed in those critical first moments. For most people, it just seems like just another day. Some strange people are rising at strange hours of the morning to venture into Pessiria forest, but for the most part, life goes on as usual. While some of the Chosen may find themselves struck by a sense of unease, the locals go about their normal lives, unaware of what is to come.
However, that quiet was only the calm before the storm. After some of your fellow Chosen venture into the forest, a piercing shriek can be heard across the entire region as a gargantuan creature emerges from the earth a mile away from Aldrip. At first, all you see is a giant tentacle made of dark crystal. However, the abomination’s upper body soon emerges, flailing its limbs in an absolute frenzy. Golden tendrils course across its frame and into the ground, draining the life from the surrounding land and leaving rot in its place. Meanwhile, its many tentacles could fell a tree in a single swipe.
This unnatural event causes Aldrip to erupt into absolute chaos. Most of the Aldrip locals take to the street, taking anything valuable they could find in their homes before sprinting away. Others cry out for some kind of divine intervention to save them from their trial. However, there is no order to the escape effort, leaving most either trapped at the city, or at risk of being trampled in an onslaught of fleeing locals.
III. TAKING ON THE UNKNOWN
If the Chosen are to have any hope of dealing with this impending crisis, they need to act soon. For now, the strange beast flails about clumsily, almost as if it is unaccustomed to its corporeal form. However, there’s no telling how long this will last. The golden tendrils emerging from the creature’s body seem to be sapping the life out of the nearby land, strengthening the monster as it prepares to finish climbing out of the ground and destroy Aldrip.
Several opportunities seem obvious at first glance. Brave Chosen may choose to take the gargantuan creature on directly, banding together to bring it down before it can reduce Aldrip into a lifeless husk. However, those who are not as proficient at fighting may instead try to do something about the spreading golden roots that are sapping the life from nearby area. It might not be as glamorous, but it will buy valuable time, nonetheless. Either way, this is not a one-person kind of job. You will need help from your fellow Chosen if you want to see this through.
IV. WHEN CHOSEN CLASH
Characters who have accepted the brand’s offer will hear a call in their minds. It’s the hooded figure that granted you the power you’ve been gifted. His order is clear—the creature’s rebirth must not be disturbed. Protect it at all costs. This will give you a fantastic opportunity to show off your new powers. Band together with your fellow Branded to cause a little mayhem or face off against the unbranded as they struggle to stop the behemoth.
Fighting against former comrades will not be easy for the Chosen. Those bearing the brand have all gained strange powers based on their personalities. They include possession, mind control, elemental and blood magics, the ability to create areas of silence, life draining, or even the ability to capture others in shadowy grasps. Worse yet, the Branded are becoming stranger by the minute. As the Brand spreads across their body, their behaviour becomes increasingly violent and erratic, drawing out the worst of their personalities.
Some of the Chosen may discover a strange quirk about the new abilities that have appeared among the Branded. While the abilities may be powerful, Chosen who act selflessly to help their enthralled comrades will discover that they have become entirely immune to their influence. It won’t remove the mark itself, but it will equalise the playing field for those who want to convince their comrades to renounce the hooded figure.
THE ONE WHERE THERE’S A WILDCARD
V. LEADING—OR BENEFITTING FROM—THE SITUATION
As the creature’s scream resonates across the nearby area, residents of Aldrip begin to panic and flee from their homes. Unfortunately, such processes are often messy. In fact, plumes of smoke are even emerging from a few houses that were left just a little too hastily.
Whether you decide to assist in the process or decide to take advantage of the mayhem is up to you. The evacuation effort could almost certainly use some people to arrange the panicking mass into an organised exodus. Alternatively, you could try and attend to people who can’t get out on their own. Whatever you choose to do, people rarely forget the faces of those who personally come to their aid, and the villagers will almost certainly feel indebted to you if you ensure their safety.
Chaos can also bring opportunities. With everyone leaving their homes, there’s almost certainly plenty of unattended valuables left in the town. If thieving is up your alley, the opportunity to loot to your heart’s content is ripe. Just make sure that no one is watching. It would be a shame if one of your more justice-minded Chosen saw you doing something naughty, after all.
VI. FUCK IT, WE BALL (WILDCARD)
Just because there’s not a prompt for it doesn’t mean that your character’s actions aren’t acceptable. If you wish to do anything that hasn’t been directly addressed by the prompts, leave a message for the mod team to say what your character would do. If you choose to go down this path, note it as a comment on the OOC poll when it goes up, and leave a link to your threads so that we can take all actions into consideration for the next State of the Game.
A
She catches sight of Młynar out of the corner of her eye and starts trying to fight her way towards him--as she's making her way through, she hears the scream, and the thud, and the crash of a body hitting the an unforgiving object.
She ducks and dodges, sheathing her sword in favor of her staff--it's Młynar at the base of the tree, barely able to stand and doing so anyway.]
Wait! Stop! You're in no condition to continue!
no subject
I’ve dealt with worse. I’ve taken on Seaborn abominations after being impaled, this should be no different. Besides, that thing needs to die.
[The knight closes his eyes, focusing his Arts into the sword to make it ignite into light once again, only to quickly lose focus as his leg gives out and he makes a rather unglamorous faceplant into the desecrated earth beneath him. It’s an unkind reminder that he doesn't have the same superhuman capabilities he had back on his home world of Terra.]
I stand corrected. It seems I will be following that directive to stop for the moment.
no subject
He's a big, solid man, and so all she can do is try and catch at his clothes to slow his fall--not very successfully. But at least it puts a stop to his arguing.]
Good. Don't try and get up yet. [Kneeling beside him, she wakes the magic in her staff. The green orb in the end glows, and so does the air, suffusing him with healing energy. It will stop bleeding, and help to mend sprains and minor fractures, but it can't make him as good as new without more work.] How does that feel?
no subject
Good enough to stand and hold a sword, so good enough to fight.
[Naturally, Młynar had to resort to the best medical test his knightly experience could bring- the pat down test. Bit by bit, the knight ran his hands over his body to make sure that everything was in place, and that there were no obvious holes in his body. It was definitely tender, but the knight had a feeling that he would be far worse off without this woman’s help.]
What even was that, though? Not even the best of Rhodes Island’s medkits can get a soldier up so quickly.
no subject
[That she will be needing to use it on others instead of spending it all on one reckless knight is, she hopes, implicit in that sentence. Yes, the staff was designed for exactly this use: getting soldiers back into the action. But she always tries to ensure that anyone she has to heal doesn't throw themselves right back into the front lines.]
no subject
[The words were spoken with a conflicted voice. Młynar was still getting used to the idea of magic as a concept. While he had his Originium Arts, they operated under the rules of science. A rather fantastical science that made use of strange rocks, perhaps, but it still followed rules. The idea of staves that could just restore people without any real cost was nothing short of a miracle to him.]
Blast all these strange requirements. Fine then, I’ll hold on until you think I can head back and keep you safe until then. I can get you places easily enough too. Would that suit you well?
[The words are spoken with great reluctance. In truth, his plan had been to do exactly as she was anticipating and throw himself back into danger as if he had not just faced a grievous injury. As far as he knew though, the magic would go away if he did that, and he decided to keep by her for now. Or worse, he could end up cursed. He had no way of knowing, given how strange it was to him, anything could happen.]
no subject
Well, if it keeps him from hurling himself face-first at the foe for a while, she'll kep any reassurances and explanations to herself. Maybe it's a dirty trick, but it'll keep him alive.] I'm going to be looking around for others who have run foul of these roots. I'm not going to bother trying to get to the stables--I'm quite sure that any horse who sees this will try and get as far away from it as possible.
[Which is probably a reasonable decision.]
Can you walk around a few paces before we begin? I just want to check that the healing took.
no subject
Well, I’m certainly not feeling broken anymore if that’s what you mean.
[The horse-man takes a few steps around, before letting the process evolve into full footwork. After a short while, he’s kicking up small masses of dirt as he hops around at superhuman speeds- all thanks to his Kuranta agility. While this world may have made him vulnerable, his unreasonable strength is still unimpaired. Despite this, he is still wounded, and the little display does earn him a twinge of pain.]
Good enough. [The words are spoken as he grits his teeth slightly, trying to mask the unpleasantness.] Though, if it’s transport you need, it might be faster for me to carry you around. It’s the least I can do if I’m not allowed to fight.
[Not that he’s thrilled to be made into a makeshift ambulance. Still, he hates the idea of being idle in these circumstances.]
apologies!! this got lost in my many tabs
[Młynar has certain horselike features, of course, but Ethlyn has never presumed to think that meant he was content to act as one. But seeing him jump around so agilely after just being healed from quite serious injury--that's new to her as a healer. She does note that twinge across his features once he's done, though. Not as impervious as he'd like to be, clearly.
She's also not sure about the prospect of being carried around town. But she can't ride an actual horse because it would spook and flee immediately, she's sure.]
You're much faster than I expected. Are you sure you can manage it? [It might be the best way to keep him relatively out of danger, and she certainly understands not wanting to sit out what's going on. She never would.] Is that something you typically do?
All good! I'm always happy to get an Ethlyn tag.
[Młynar sighs as his mind goes to an earlier encounter, where he had chided Aerith for asking to ride on his back. Now he was offering it. He had a feeling that he would never hear the end of it if evidence of this ever came to light. Between this, and the people who wanted to touch his ears and tail, people just couldn't be normal about this sort of thing.]
As for whether I can manage it? Well, I suppose there’s only one way to find out.
[In truth, the knight is probably a lot worse for wear than he lets on. He’s also just very good at hiding how bad his injuries are. If Ethlyn touched his ribs, the Kuranta man would almost certainly be doubling over in pain from it.
Still, what she doesn’t know won’t kill her. Instead, he simply takes a knee, giving her an opportunity to hop on up.]
You’ll want to hold on tight. We Kuranta are a slight bit faster than you humans are used to.
no subject
[She slings her staff on her back and climbs up--very carefully--onto Młynar's back. This goes against her better judgment, frankly. But she's not sure she can keep him from haring off and aggravating his injuries.]
All right, I'm ready. But tell me immediately if it's too much. It's my job to keep you in one piece, you know.
no subject
[The knight braces himself, trying his best to ignore a persistent pain in his side before he kicks off, leaving a small cloud of dust and dirt in his wake. As ever, Młynar is someone with absolutely zero chill when it comes to actual battlefield maneuvering- almost a polar opposite to his cooler disposition.
At first, the vines start to rear up, as if they’re about to strike the now-moving duo. However, he’s long gone before they can slam down once more, leaving them far behind.]
Is this too much for you?
no subject
N-no... [no it's fine she's just very surprised.] How can you maintain such a pace? Even when you're hurt?
no subject
Still, knightly pride is one hell of a drug. He’ll never admit how bad it is.]
It’s nothing. A basic skill, really. We learn it early in training, controlling explosive levels of tension for fast bursts of speed.
[It’s said like it’s the most natural thing in the world. Some people he had met were practically able to disappear on the spot by dashing, especially if they used their Arts while doing so. Simply put, some people on Terra are just built different.]
no subject
[She's not going to encourage him to treat himself worse than he's already doing!]
Ah, there! [She lifts her hand long enough to point to a townsperson, trapped under a wall that's been broken apart by the spreading roots of the beast.] We've got to get them out!
no subject
You say that, but your own healing is just as miraculous to me. Still, consider a demonstration in order.
[The knight skids to a quick stop as soon as Ethlyn points out their new destination, kicking up even more waves of dirt as he changes direction to quickly arrive at the trapped victim. Getting the rubble off should be easy enough for someone with his brute strength, but he quickly spots blood seeping from beneath the stones.]
Ah… should I do that sort of thing? Will everything stay in if he’s bleeding like that?
[It’s a genuine question too, as stupid as it may sound. Młynar is a soldier, not a doctor, and he’s from a civilization where burning things or putting on leeches used to be the answer to 90% of all medical issues. Recent technological advances from foreign countries changed things a little for his countrymen, but its hard to teach an old horse new tricks.]
no subject
It's better than everything getting crushed if he stays under there. [Still, they're going to have to be careful in getting this poor man uncovered before Ethlyn can heal him, or there may be nothing left to heal. She examines it carefully--it looks like a garden wall that was pushed over when the creature's roots came seeking the plants, a largely wooden construction. She gets on her hands and knees to peer under what space there is so she can figure out how he's positioned beyond that outflung arm.] Start from here--this is where his head is. We mustn't let that get crushed as we lift.
no subject
As you say. You know far more than me here.
[Given that he was by far the less medically knowledgeable of the two, Młynar was happy to leave the specifics of healing to Ethlyn. Instead, he simply takes a deep breath as he kneels by the debris, trying to take care of the heaviest chunks of rock so that the rest can be cleared out easily enough by his smaller companion. In terms of strength, it’s no issue, but the knight does feel a small flare of pain in his side as he proceeds. He only gives it up with a small flinch, but he keeps on regardless, realizing that there’s a greater priority at hand.]
He’s lucky that you’re here. Back in Kazimierz, my comrades would have probably sent him off with a painless death. On the battlefield, our idea of medicine was burning wounds shut.
no subject
[Such desperate doings are not unknown to medieval soldiery, but avoiding that is her whole raison d'etre.
She also wouldn't consider herself a very good healer if she didn't notice Młynar's flinch as he shifts the rubble--he's hiding it well, but evidently he's still feeling the strain. She does her best to help him shoulder the rest ouf the way to uncover the unfortunate townsperson.]
Thank you--that should be enough. [Crouching beside the man again, she casts her healing spell. His shallow breathing becomes more even as the worst of the internal damage begins to knit, and with some help from Ethlyn, he's able to start getting to his hands and knees.] Easy, now... and that applies to both of you.
[She gives a pointed look to Młynar.]
no subject
I assure you, I’m… [The knight pauses as he speaks, sizing Ethlyn up. If she’s so magical, she must know if he’s lying about such things, right? With that realization he visibly deflates and sits back on the ground, simply watching the healer at work.] …going to take your advice on the matter.
[He isn’t the grumbling type, but Młynar absolutely does brood in the moment, cursing his inability to be of greater assistance.]
You seem used to giving these kinds of orders. Were your comrades from your world similarly eager to throw themselves into the fray?
no subject
[Ethlyn isn't entirely sure why Młynar, with such stubborn and spartan personal sensibilities, is so quick to take her advice--but she isn't going to question it, just be grateful that he's doing so.
At the same time, he's absolutely not happy about it, so there's likely some good to be had by keeping both her patients occupied by sitting and talking for a short while. She'll have to trust that the others with a healing inclination and her people in the Arztenritter will be running around themselves, picking up any slack.]
Oh yes--my brother especially. He's always rushing into things without thinking, so I had to learn how to keep up with him so that I could keep him on his feet. [She smiles a little at some of those childhood memories.] I always knew I would be a swordswoman, but Sigurd taught me how vital it is to have someone who's strong enough to pull back a knight even when he doesn't want to stop for anything.