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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.
Abe no Seimei | OC | branded
[ Let me in. As someone familiar with many different monsters and spirits, Seimei knows the sound of a deal when he hears it. A soft, too pleasant whisper in his head, promising all manner of things in return for obedience. Just a little aid in a greater fight. Seimei doesn't care about overwhelming power, and he's certainly not an expert in paradise of any form, but the lure itself is its own appeal, because the fox has done some possessing himself, but he's never been possessed.
How else is he going to know the limits of their power? Or his own?
He initially notices the fire ability suddenly waiting in his mind, granted by the strange voice directing him. When he reaches the monuments, he lingers, poking his head down a few of the paths to confirm what is at the ends. And then, when other Chosen happen to notice him, perched on one of the monuments, he waves. ]
Hello there. I thought things would never get interesting.
ii. Playing with psionics (Potential possession if people want.)
[ When unbranded start to fight back either to defend the prisoners or themselves against the branded, Seimei starts fighting back more seriously. He starts by using telekinesis to grab weapons and throw any available projectiles--including tablets and perhaps people. And for some, he reaches out with the voices of the hooded figure, letting them pick out the people and memories that matter most using them as leverage to convince others to follow him and yield to possession. He can't let them interrupt the coming birth. ]
iii. What was I doing?
[ Once the strange creature starts to rise, Seimei defends it, using his new fire abilities and some minor illusions of his own, and maybe even some of the psychic compulsions to way the unmarked and defend the monster sucking life from the ground. ]
It's beautiful, isn't it? Why would you want to hurt such an important creature? Don't be jealous. You can join it too.
[ ooc: I'm here for any Branded teaming up/competing, playing with powers if anyone wants to see Seimei's more feral kitsune side, or if anyone would sacrifice for him and break the curse. If you have other ideas, lmk! I'm open to whatever plotting. ]
what was I doing?
[ Marianne agrees as she steps forward to join him. She looks different than usual, and not just because of the black curse marks over her body. Accepting the call had brought her clarity, relief. She's eerily calm as she greets him with a smile, all while the creature continues to feed destructively around them. ]
It's good to see you. It pains me that the others won't accept our friend.
no subject
[ Marks and promises of power aside, Seimei moves closer to Marianne. His promise to look out for her trumps anything else, because that is a word he gave personally. It has nothing to do with changing the world or defending the creature. It's as important as defending his own life to him. ]
What should we do to convince them? Or do you think that they're hopeless? Should we just get rid of them all now?
no subject
I want to protect this child. It can't speak nor explain itself, which means it only has us to be its voice.
[ The people just haven't seen the light. Like the preachers who spread Seiros' teachings, it's up to her to make them see. ]
Will you help me gather the people together? I don't want to give up on them without trying.
no subject
Except that Marianne cares, so for some reason that even he can't explain, he cares too. Smiling, he gives an exaggerated bow at her feet. ]
If it's what you want, I'll bring them to you. You really want them all alive?
[ He's probably joking? But when he gets up, Seimei is grinning. ]
no subject
[ Marianne chides with an uncharacteristically light-hearted laugh. Whether he's joking or not, she seems to think he is, and his grin is met with a smile of her own. Perhaps the first one she's ever given him. Sadly it's under the most unfortunate of circumstances. ]
Let me talk to them. I just know they'll come around.
[ She clutches the good luck charm around her neck. Usually Marianne doesn't ever feel so confident, but this time, she's got a good feeling. Just like the hooded figure beckoned to them, she, too, must beckon the others. ]
iii
What would I be joining, exactly?
[ He sounds calm enough, if you ignore the way every inch of him is tensed for a fight. ]
no subject
The birth, of course. You like celebrations, don't you? We should celebrate!
[ Seimei leans forward, perhaps just a ripple of something invisible moving around his head and behind him. ]
Do you want to play? I think we should.
iii
He's silent, briefly, with indecision.]
What makes that thing so important to you? Explain it to me.
[Five minutes. That's all he's giving this.
Then he'll beat Seimei back to his senses if he has to.]
no subject
[Seimei looks at Ritsu with a light tilt of his head. His voice is relaxed, but his eyes are fixed on the man like he's measuring some complicated equation.]
It's not important to me. We just happen to be alike. Why is it that people can never appreciate things that aren't exactly like them?
[He sighs, the feeling of weary disappointment coming through with just the hint of pain behind it. Maybe it's just an illusion, but his features look a little more fox-like than usual.]
We all need to eat. Is letting this creature suffer and starve so important to you? You don't owe anyone in this world anything. Why can't you let us be?
no subject
Though, Seimei is right about one thing: Ritsu doesn't owe anyone in this world anything. He isn't here out of some misplaced sense of duty or camaraderie, and he couldn't give a damn what happens to anyone here. They're little more than his jailers, so why should he begin to feel protective of them?
It's why Seimei's line of questioning doesn't make him hesitate even slightly.]
We all need to eat, so the prey should just accept their place and let themselves be eaten? Is that what you're saying?
[His mind keeps going back to, this is a waste of time. His fingers twitch slightly, curling as if around invisible guns.]
Step aside.
no subject
[Still flippant and somehow cold beneath his smile, Seimei watches Ritsu's movements with a calm stance. He might stand between the man and the creature, but even the deal he made doesn't produce any feelings of compassion or love. His instinct is to hunt, so he's hunting, playing with puzzles like it's all a game until he can devour his prey. Although, just as Ritsu says, he finds he can't allow the man to pass.]
You're not invited. Just because it's not like you, you want to kill it? How cruel.
[He sees the twitch, and in response he raises his hand to attack first. A cluster of small burning orbs form in the air and fly toward Ritsu, raining down like a shower of hot rocks. His smile fades as he focuses on the threat Ritsu poses.]
It's important to them. That's enough.
no subject
When the dome dissipates, Ritsu is smiling.]
Say... You just made a serious attempt to kill me, didn't you?
[His tone is light, almost as if he finds the situation humorous.]
Since that's the case, you won't have any complaints no matter how much I injure you... right?
[Is it an attempt at frightening Seimei into backing down, or is he serious? Either way, he considers this Seimei's last chance to walk away from this confrontation.]
no subject
He grimaces, and the way he bares his teeth show fangs beginning to bare against the threat. The borrowed power pushing through him is enough to fill his normally depleted cultivation, bringing the ghost of a fox to the forefront, angry and wild.]
If I were trying to kill you, you wouldn't be standing there. Anyway, shouldn't that be my line? You're the one that's come to kill, aren't you? They know you want to kill them. That's why they asked for our help.
[With the confrontation bringing back old memories, Seimei's demeanor shifts to something echoing more authority and weight. He draws his hand fan, pointing the closed end toward Ritsu.]
What do you gain from this? Is it worth killing something that doesn't want to kill you?
no subject
As far as he's concerned, he's given Seimei more than enough opportunities to stand down. That's why his only answer comes in the form of his guns materializing in his hand. He raises them and, without any hesitation, fires a hail of energy bullets Seimei's way.
His expression is completely placid, devoid of any signs of upset or anger, but there's also no trace of the smile he'd been wearing just moments before.]
no subject
[That definitely sounds more like a light complaint than anything serious. It's a flippant comment that he throws out because Ritsu refuses to entertain him. He has to dash back, flicking his fan open to cast a barrier spell. It should be familiar, especially with the power being granted to him, but for some reason Seimei is still driven back and has to hold the shield up tightly against the barrage.]
Does it only matter if you say it does? The followers of this being want it to survive.
[He brings up his off hand, summoning a blast of flame that arches through the air like a stream toward Ritsu. Fire is not his strong point, but with the foreign magic behind it, the flame seems to do what it wants, targeting Ritsu because he's in its path.]
Will you kill anyone that opposes you?
no subject
Are they all so desperate to validate themselves? Are they all so desperate to be understood by him? It's unpleasant. Disgusting.]
Why? Are you volunteering to be my first victim?
[It's delivered dryly, practically boredly. If Seimei is trying to emotionally manipulate or guilt trip him here, he's clearly unmoved by it. The barrier forms around Ritsu once more, flickering slightly as it blocks off Seimei's flames.]
1
Quite. You were called as well, were you?
[ Disembodied voices are nothing new to Emet-Selch. Whether it's his own god or something closer to home, such whispers follow even into his waking hours. Guilt, admonishment, reminders - they serve as well as any lash upon his back. After so many thousands of years, he's numb to the pain.
THIS voice grants him the power he should have always had. The shadows are his to call once, but that's not the only gift he's been given... ]
no subject
[ He's still playful, but now with an edge of hunger. Even with another Branded, Seimei is eyeing his companion with a questionable amount of eagerness. ]
It's exciting, isn't it? We could do anything if we really wanted to. Are you going to test your strength on the world that is waiting out there, or were you holding back for someone special?
no subject
Would that I could direct this power at those who truly deserve to fall. For now I will content myself with seizing this land and remaking it. Then perhaps, I can pursue a way home to my star and wrest it back into my brethren's care.
[ He raises a hand before him and lets dark shadows play about his fingertips, staring intently. This isn't his own power but he has no qualms about using whatever is available.
After a moment, he seems to remember Seimei is still right there and glances back up. ]
What of yourself? What do you plan to do?
no subject
[ That... does sound familiar. For some reason, not in a good way. Seimei hesitates, feeling something in him push back against the idea of using this new power to take control. Gods should not be used to conquer. ]
I don't want to disappear.
[ It should be a simple goal, and yet even with the power gifted to him, it might not be escapable. He instinctively knows this despite everything telling him what he should be doing is catching the stray unmarked prey and bringing them to serve or be sacrificed. His personal drive for existence still leaks through that. ]
You shouldn't change this world. We shouldn't.
[ It's hard to say that, but he pushes it out. ]
no subject
[ Not a single one. Emet-Selch doesn't believe in gods anyway. None save his own, and even then...
Well, Man has always found ways to save himself, hasn't he? One way or another. ]
You're here, aren't you? You accepted that offer. If you don't like the terms, you ought to leave.
[ Sometimes sacrifice is necessary. Emet-Selch knows this far, far too well. ]