first verse Augury: Ten of the Void

[Archer]

“Tricky business leveling cities,” Tion mumbled. His words became incomprehensible for a moment, then normalized midsentence. “-and then they’ve seen, see? All the little humans know the secret. The ones that survive run out and try it for themselves. City after city falls, until…”

His head snapped up, and his voice buoyed with sudden exuberance. “And what’s the fun of godhood if there’s no one left to rule, eh?”

The diety grinned toothily, his white molars gleaming. Very intentionally, he raised his hands, leaving them in the air above his shoulders, which shrugged, as if to say I’m harmless. For now.

“You raise some good points, sentinel!” he continued. “I could easily escape this room.”

He winked cheekily at Sagitta. In a flash, he disappeared, then reappeared behind her and Price in the hallway. “Over here now, please keep up! Full credit to Thomas for that idea.”

The god skipped forward to lean in between the two of them and stage-whisper conspiratorially. “But that’s just a parlour trick. You’re right that’d I’d like something from you.”

“All of you, in fact! I can escape at any time, but when I do, I don’t intend to leave alone.” His excitement was palpable. “I have friends now! Friends being a word for people who you find easy to manipulate. And I’d like everyone here to join our movement! Simply submit to me and we can march into the light together.”

[AonEne]

10 hours ago, Ookla the Paramount said:

...always adopting the habits of the rabbits that scurry... 

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Archer, are you reading my mind? Because I know you have my soul, but it’s rude to go looking at someone else’s character development before they give it to you  

Gati completely ignored Tion, but said to Sagitta, “My life would be a lot different if I went around tearing buildings down on a whim. I’ve never been ‘tested’ before. I’m curious.” He didn’t go on, though there was another reason he was sticking around - he was increasingly convinced this was all playing into the Augury. Somehow. 

[+Sorana]

Sagitta jerked back when Tion appeared behind her, her hand changing it's grip on her weapon when she drew it. "I won't pray to you." She hissed at him. "I won't serve any of you anymore. Not now, never. You are gods!"

She heard her voice shake from anger, for disappointment and she only shook her head at Gati. "I don't care if you're curious. You should leave - both of you. Go back and stop interfering with our lives. Take your problems with you!" She took a deep breath and then continued, wanted to get rid of all of it. "I probably said this already, but there are people dying in your names. They die for you and for your legacy. Children learn how to pray to you and you pay it back, by destroying what the three of us had. I know that we found some kind of truce and you just ripped it apart. Because it doesn't fit you. Because as long as there is war, people have more reason to pray -"

She stared at Tion again. " And like you said, it's great when you have a person to rule. But what do you give back? Only pain and fear. You are real, you could have stopped all this slaughter. You could have helped the innocents that die daily, but instead you decide to spend time with testing, because it might be interesting. You stroll around at night, because hey, why not. It's not like the whole continent is covered by war and blood, let's take a walk." She realized she was breathing heavily, angrily lifted a hand an wiped a tear of her cheek, and yet she didn't look down. For once she wasn't afraid of her tears, wore them like an armor. Let them see, let them see and even if it changed nothing - at least they had seen.

Edited November 29, 2019 by Ookla the Dreamer

[Archer]

16 hours ago, Ookla the Roleplayer said:

Archer, are you reading my mind? Because I know you have my soul, but it’s rude to go looking at someone else’s character development before they give it to you  

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*adds telepathy to Dark Tion's list of powers* 

“I'm disappointed that you feel that way,” Tion said, a hard edge creeping into his voice. “You’re starting to learn, soldier, that I am only as real as you make me now.”

“And yet, you still cling to fabrications. As mighty as you make me sound, I am only one god, and my agency’s restricted by this humanoid form. Do you really believe that I have a hand in every quarrel on Hopearaa? That every argument is the result of my influence?” He clenched his fist around his own sword’s hilt, and roughly yanked it out of its sheath enough to expose six inches of its dark metal blade. “You do this to yourselves. Every time you square off against an ‘enemy’, you have the choice to call a ceasefire and and talk it out. It’s your free will to fight these wars.”

The blade began to glow with a faint orange light. “You’ve been complicit, you’ve killed before. I can see it in your aura! You have the heart of a hardened fighter. Don’t try to blame your past on me, child.”

The glow turned to sparks, tiny flames that danced along its surface. “Come with me. I can help you relive those moments of violence, recreate them, if you need proof. But you already know I’m right.” His eyes seemed to darken, better reflecting the flickering firelight.  

“There is an army rising below us, oppressed souls like yourself who think they’re victims of circumstance. Once they escape their dungeon, they will do what humans do: break stuff. Would you like us all to stand down, let them run amok? They’ll like that. In their rage, they’ll destroy everything in their path. When tribes don’t stand their ground, those with the worst impulses are empowered. Its natural selection! When the crazies attack the social order, attack you, you humans can either defend against them and destroy each other or sit back and let your world fall into to chaos.”

“If you have a problem with that, don’t complain to me. It’s not my government preparing for war here. What do you think Price is testing us for? Do you think he has a noble goal in mind when he ponders how to weaponize our powers? Maybe I should kill him for you. Start stopping the bloodshed here and now by crippling the Empire’s military research division, or whatever his job title is.” Tion’s knuckles whitened, but instead of attacking, he shoved his sword back into its sheath, extinguishing its flames. “But that’s more your specialty, Sagitta, isn’t it? Put that battlefield experience to good use, if you really feel so strongly about it. None of us here will stand in your way.”

[+Sorana]

Sagitta listened to his words quietly and then she sighed. "You really don't care." She looked at him for a moment, tried to wrap her thought around the fact that she had lived a lie. And then nodded to herself. A lie, so be it. She knew how to rely on her own skills.

"My people get slaughtered. They burn down our houses and kill our children and you ask me to stop defending them." Bitterness crept into her voice. "You don't need to care, you don't need to understand. I see, that you don't and in the end you are right. Why should I expect our gods to help. It's obviously too much a bother to care for your people."

She lifted her hand from her weapon and displayed her open hands. "I don't kill without a need." A strange calm settled on her and she shoved all the pain aside. Fight her own fight. Rely on herself. She could stand up for her country and she didn't need a god to think she did good. This was about herself, not about him.

"I know what I did, and I know what I've done. You can drag it out in the open, I'm not ashamed of them. I am proud to fight for my country, and I will protect those in need."

She looked into his eyes. "If you think this is wrong, then you should leave. I don't care if you're here or not."

[I think I am here.]

“I care,”

Price interjected, from his position at his desk. He needed the gods here, in this room. Only then could testing really be done. And if curiosity and interest was the only thing keeping them from exiting, then so be it. He’d have to play to that advantage. But for now, there was a verbal sparring match ensuing, and he needed to take a page from his boss’ book. Establish authority.

Sharply he looked to Sensation.

“It’s Research and Development. And frankly, I think you’re bluffing. Because the truth is,” Price looked at his ledger, flipping through notes scribbled into the corners.

“You’re Sensation. You control feelings. According to what I’ve observed, your unparalleled control over feelings is your own ability. So no, you wouldn’t be able to kill me as easily as you make it sound. In fact, I don’t even think you could lay a finger on me with guards around. Because in the end, all you do is make illusions. And illusions are harmless.”

[Archer]

Tion was used to insults. Over the years, the god had developed a thick skin, verbal barbs barely registered any more. But in past, the people who had attacked him had targeted the part he was playing, whatever disposable persona he’d adopted for the day. These humans knew his true identity. And they were unimpressed.

He was thankful when Price gave him an excuse to avert his eyes from Sagitta’s unrelenting gaze. The scribe seemed easier to intimidate. “I don’t just control your feelings, I can read them. That’s what sets me apart from my protégées. I can tell what scares you, I can see when you’re in love, and I can sense when you’re lying. I may bluff sometimes, but when I do, I am very, very good at it. My magic is precise. In comparison, all of you are fools, stumbling around in the dark.”

“But I’ll let you in on a little secret.” He punched at the wall beside him and his hand passed right through it, disappearing up to his elbow. “I don’t think I’m real right now. But just because I’m an illusion, doesn’t mean I’m harmless.”

Tion looked a little surprised at what he had just done, as if only just appreciating the full implications of his present state. He looked at the wall and raised an eyebrow. Then he looked at the empty air in the hallway a few feet to the side of his arm. A look of realization washed over his face, then a childish glee.

“Illusions only hurt if you believe in them. But I can make you believe in mine. When we touch, your fingers will think they’re feeling flesh. When I punch you, you will feel pain. And if I decide to break your neck, your throat will actually constrict because that’s how your body reacts when you think you’ve taken damage, whether its ‘real’ or not. I control your senses, and that means I control your world." He pulled his arm back out and cracked his knuckles confidently. "And I control you."

[I think I am here.]

16 hours ago, Ookla the Paramount said:

He pulled his arm back out and cracked his knuckles confidently. "And I control you."

“Don’t flatter yourself,” Price said, looking pointedly down at his ledger, looking up, then down again as he wrote more, tried to get the logic out of his head. He was beginning to see the implications of what infinite sense-control could offer. And with these gods, it really did seem infinite.

But, it’s not. Their power fluctuates. They said so themselves. But why?

“There’s a limit to what you can, and can’t do. You can touch me, make me feel pain from an attack that isn’t there, but you said it yourself: the only damage will be that which is done by my reaction.” He stood up from his chair.

“If you ‘punch’ me, and make me feel like I was actually punched, I wouldn’t fly backwards. I would feel pain, but you can’t create energy out of nothing. Same way that if you kicked me in the ribs, I wouldn’t break a single bone. Because there’s only feeling there. No actual impact. My body won’t break its own ribs even if it thinks they’re getting broken. Very painful, yes. But not as dangerous as it first sounds.”

Looking back down Price paused when he saw he’d written something else down Sensation had said. He said he could read emotions? But that’s not something regular people with the Instincts can do. But, the Instincts are just supposed to be smaller versions of the gods’ powers themselves.

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Hey Archer, do you think if a regular Sensation Instinct trained hard enough knowing what to look for they could read emotions in a similar way Tion does? Obviously at a much smaller scale, but would you say it’s possible?

 

[+Sorana]

Sagitta frowned. An illusion. The god claimed to be an illusion. Maybe. Maybe not. She had no idea what to think of all of this anyway. The he proved to be an illusion - it only added to her confusion and she frowned, wondered if things would ever be the same again soon. Price talked back to the god and while she saw the merrit behind his words, she wasn't sure what to make of them. It was a god. Illusion or not. And it was Sensation.

She felt a stale taste in her mouth when she considered asking about the stars, but she knew the answer already. It had been a lie. Just like everything it had been a lie. He would have reacted in a different way to her appearance if it weren't. He would have said something else, something more. Sensation. Sagitta closed her eyes and tried to force herself to face the truth to accept it, but instead she only felt like tumbling down a long, dark road.

"You have no intention to do anything productive here." She stated finally, hoped to clear things up and get Sensation to leave. "And honestly, I doubt this conversation will lead us anywhere at all." She had told him, that she would prefer it if he left already, as he had chosen to ignore it. Sagitta carefully stepped to Price side. Sensation had no intention to leave. In contrast. Suddenly she felt as if all of this was just a stage for him. An opportunity to show off and present his powers. And if he crushed a human or two - well they had already seen that he didn't care at all.

[Archer]

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For the record, Tion’s hanging around to lead the prison break and possibly reclaim a certain rapier from a certain captain, but while he’s stalling for time, he’s going to be concerned that Price’s observations are spot on. Tion’s madness has unlocked abilities he’s never had before, and he’s less restrained by morals when using them, but he’s limited by his lack of solid form. He can only influence, manipulate, and encourage others to act on his behalf, the illusionary him can’t physically affect any change beyond what he can convince people to do to themselves. His perspective is also limited. He’s like a man in the dark wearing night vision goggles who can interact with people because their heat signatures tell him where they are, but would be unable to do any finessing with non-sentient objects. For example, if Price showed him his notes, he would be unable to read them.

As for his Sight, its narrative purpose is to make it easier to visualize what the god is doing when he uses his Power. It also separates him (a god) from humans (with instincts) in terms of something other than sheer strength. While he’s exaggerated how exact a science it is, because at any given time people are a mess of emotions of varying strengths, and their dominant feelings are the result of not just one, but combinations of different emotions, his vast experience has given him a talent for reading the trends in people’s auras and tugging on the right strands to alter their mood in a precise way. A side effect is that it also lets him see people who ordinary couldn’t be seen, like those in the dark, by peering at the outlines of their souls.

Thematically, I think a human developing that skill would be fitting. There’s been a lot of talk about forging your own destiny and worthiness, and Tion’s been specifically concerned about the notion that as the gods lose their powers (in his case, both how perceptive he is and how well he can use magic), the humans gain them. It hadn’t been something I had originally intended to be possible, but I’m open to it. Perhaps there’s some kind of divine power leakage going on, and those with Sensation’s instinct who are close to the god have their abilities enhanced. Interestingly, that would seem to confirm the idea that humans’ powers do come from the gods, but that’s something to be debated later. My other suggestion would be to have the unlocking process be both a reflection of how well they can read people with just their practiced, unsupernatural skills and how in-tune they are with their instinct: it should be a somewhat spiritual process, since it’s not a commonplace occurrence, that you have to work at to achieve. One such person would be a prime candidate for who Tion thinks is his successor, so fair warning, he’s going to feel threatened by them if he finds out.

“I have seen a soldier crawl three miles with a broken leg, just to throw himself back into a skirmish so he stab his foe one last time before he was cut down for good.” As he spoke, the God of Sensation seemed to shrink a little shorter. Maybe he was just slouching, maybe it was his confidence waning. “In that same war, I witnessed the execution of an entire battalion for their refusal to fight. Well-trained and well-equipped men decided they’d rather face the wrath of their own officers than risk meeting… well, let’s just say I’m very good at spreading rumours.”

“When one’s will is strong, the flesh can often be persuaded to go along with it. And when, by proxy, it’s my will calling the shots-” He blinked, noticing the remnants of the tear on Sagitta’s face for the first time. “Huh. That wasn’t supposed to happen.”

 He walked into the room and reached out his hand to grab Negation. “You must come with me. Apparently, these humans here have nothing to offer us after all. My apologies for misjudging you all. Fortunately, I have willing replacements nearby.”

Edited December 1, 2019 by Ookla the Paramount

[AonEne]

14 hours ago, Ookla the Paramount said:

He walked into the room and reached out his hand to grab Negation. “You must come with me. Apparently, these humans here have nothing to offer us after all. My apologies for misjudging you all. Fortunately, I have willing replacements nearby.”

“Where are you going?” Negation asked, unmoving. 

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I’m sorry for the simple post! 

 

[Archer]

"To embrace my destiny," Tion declared. "And possibly find some lunch. Are you hungry? I'm ravenous. I've been having hunger pangs ever since-" 

He glared suspiciously at Price. "Never mind that. It would be prudent to stop advertising my, our, intentions so brazenly. Count yourself lucky that humans are short-lived creatures, with even shorter memories."

The god nodded his head towards the door, obviously eager to get going. 

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Tion wants to leave, but has decided to first and foremost stick close to Gati for the time being (and thus avoid splitting the party). He may stay in the room if the other god doesn't budge. 

Sad news, it's officially exam season for me now, so my presence here will be severely limited for the next two weeks as I prepare and take tests. :/ 

My apologies for the inconvenience, I realize this complicates the flow of the rp. 

 

[AonEne]

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Don't worry about it! I'll probably be posting slower too. 

I'll edit something into this in a sec, class will most likely end before I can get something out 

As two gods and three mortals conversed in an underground military base in Fel, there was an earthquake in the eastern lands claimed by the nomadic peoples. 

Earthquakes weren’t common in this area; they usually happened more on the other side of the Great Lake, as it was known to many here. And this quake was enough to bring down a few buildings, even causing a couple deaths. It lasted ten minutes exactly, not that anyone counted. There was much talk about it, but in the end nothing could be done but rebuild. The technology to predict earthquakes had not been invented yet, much less the technology to create structures that would easily withstand them. 

Yet even if it had existed, it might not have been able to predict this one. The earthquake hadn’t been caused by a shifting of tectonic plates but a shifting in something none of Hopearaa’s inhabitants could define...and yet something all of them knew intimately. 

If a god had been in the vicinity of the natural disaster, they would have felt - perhaps with more than one sense - the onrush of change as it zipped through the magic inherent there. Mainly, that housed in the nomads. And even as it was, the shifting made itself known to every deity. Made itself known well. It swept through them like a hard wind, so hot it could have come from a volcano, yet not painful in the slightest. It was less the feeling in and of itself, but more the sense of urgency that accompanied it, that struck the gods and goddesses with the intensity - if a pun could be pardoned - it did. 

Every one of them was rattled. Most stumbled or fell. Gati dropped to his knees with sucked inhalations of air, feeling as though every particle of his body was vibrating. 

And this sensation, if another pun could be let go, did not stop at that point. The brunt of it taken by those with the most of this world’s power, it traveled through threads connecting them to the populations of instincts, each spiderwebbing out from their respective deity to every person with that power. In one flickering heartbeat, the world felt the urgency as a shiver through their bones, which then dissipated. 

For a select handful it pulsed within them for five or ten seconds more. There seemed to be nothing that they all had in common. Izzy was one of these, and she held very still in surprise as it happened. 

Then it stopped for all of them; except the gods. For them it merely changed from a vibration to a pulling, as if their very muscles desperately pled them to move. The urgency remained for them, and it now took on an intentional cast, an obvious relation to this pulling...in the direction of the nomads. Specifically - 

“Tiska,” Gati whispered, looking up at Tion. “Did you feel - of course you felt it. I think all of us felt it. Maybe everyone felt it. But you’re right, we have to go, have to go right now - we’ve all got to go to the nomads.” He looked around at the mortals, eyes panicked in a way he hadn’t shown in decades, and jumped to his feet. The tugging inside him wouldn’t let him do anything else. “We need to get moving.” 

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This is a chance for anyone looking for a way into the action, especially if your character is a god, to do so! If your character isn’t, there may be a god close to you, or if you want to start RPing you could do so in Tiska, the site of the quake. 

The second verse will be starting after people react to this, and with it a new thread. Get ready!  

 

Edited December 9, 2019 by Ookla the Roleplayer
Post

[Archer]

You must fight the rise to power, One Who Sees Spirits.

How? He’s stronger than me, you know that. And he has allies now.

Friends collude. Question them all.

Obviously. But even the disloyal can be tools of destruction.

 See-

You’re even more useless than last time. I don’t know why I bother. Just tell me what to do. Please.

SEE. Storms break and monsters wake.

Wait, is that noise you? Our heartbeat? Oh, Tho-

The God of Sensation felt like he was swimming in honey. His movements seemed sluggish. He could hear voices in the distance, but they were muffled and distorted. When he opened his eyes, all he saw was shades of golden light, shining in his eyes. In his dream-like state, he had long since lost all sense of time.

He felt it in his fingertips first: a rhythmic pulsing, like someone was splashing in the same waters as he, sending ripples through the pool. As he attuned to it, the slow beat coursed up his arms and into his chest. Unconsciously, he began to breath in time with it. He would have thought about the sensation, but it was hard to string ideas together. And he was exhausted.

The rhythm intensified, and so too did the god’s breaths. It quickened, faster and faster, unrelenting as he hyperventilated. His body shook. Panic overtook him.

“GaaaAAAH!” he screamed. Pain flared in his knees. He hands felt cold. And the air was stale and acrid. The god opened his eyes to blink away tears.

When he did, he realized that the honey was gone. He was somewhere unfamiliar, a hallway lined by industrial stone walls. Figures stood in front of him, some of whom he recognized, particularly Gati. Everything hurt, and some supernatural force was pulling at the pits of his stomach, like a relentless hunger.

Tiska, came a thought, unprovoked, but once he acknowledged it, it was an earworm, commanding him to go.

*****

Dark Tion watched with curiosity when Gati suddenly fell to his knees, overcome by a mysterious power. Two seconds later, he too felt the urge to spasm, but he fought it down, maintaining as calm demeanor as his half-soul received the signal.

“Fascinating,” he said. “But you mistake…”

He trailed off as outside of the room, Tion’s invisibility dropped and the god collapsed to the ground, in full view. Dark Tion looked sharply at the others to confirm that they could see him too, then sighed. “Well, it had to come out eventually. Alas, that means it’s my cue to leave. Tiska, you say? I hear that’s nice this time of year.”

He boldly unsheathed his sword. Five-foot flames erupted from it, blindingly intense. This time, they let off an palatable heat too, and whipped up strong winds, although strangely, the papers on Price’s clipboard continued to lie still, unaffected.

“ONE LAST THING!” he shouted over the gale. He raised an open hand in Tion’s direction. It trembled with obvious effort, then closed into a fist. From his place on the floor, Tion’s spine arched sharply. He let out a gasp.

“THANKS!” Dark Tion called with a smile. “I OWE ME ONE.”

The illusion swung his sword down, creating a swathe of flames that obscured him from view. As it fell, the fire flared, then faded away, revealing only empty air where the man had just stood.  

Tion winced as he began getting to his feet. His head turned gradually, from where Dark Tion had been, towards the wall, then further to the left, tracking something unseen, but after a moment he scowled and stopped. Instead, he turned his focus to the others present. His words were strained and slightly slurred.

“Negation. I fear that I have killed someone.” The god’s eyes grew distant as he spoke with prophetic certainty. “But it is nothing compared to what that monster is planning.”

*****

Lantern light splashed along the stone walls of the stairwell as the heavy boots of three of the compound’s guards clambered down to the lowest level of their dungeon.

“Hurry up, Theod!”

“I’m trying- hey, you! Stop!”

As the men barreled around the final turn, their lights converged on a spindly man dressed in rags. He screeched when he saw them, scrambling backwards and shielding his eyes. That made him bump into the pitch-black metal door behind him, which was hanging from one hinge, forced wide open from the inside. It rang with a low gong-ong-ong that echoed throughout the vast chamber of darkness beyond it.

The lead soldier drew his mace, but before he could approach, the air next to the madman shimmered. A thin flicker of blue electricity crackled through the air, splitting open a rift that suddenly popped- marking the entrance of a woman with the Reality instinct, dressed in flowing violet robes. If she was surprised to have company, she did not show it. Her dark lips merely pushed her porcelain-white skin back to form a toothless smile as she set about her business.

“Be still, warrior,” she hummed softly, placing a hand on the prisoner’s shoulder. He flinched at her touch but complied.

The first guard raised his weapon threateningly. “Don’t even think about it,” he cried, jumping towards them.

The woman hissed. Her free hand struck out from her robes, revealing a row of pointed, two-inch fingernails that clawed at his eyes. However, before either of them could connect with one another, her form shimmered once more, then disappeared, along with her new companion. The guard fell right through the spot where she had been, and onto his knees in the doorway.

His two friends rushed up behind him. “Are you alright?”

“No, I’m not! We need to find him. And her!”

The third soldier had raised his lantern to peer into the depths of the pit beyond. He coughed to get their attention. “It’s not just them.”

His light swung along the floor of the abyss, some thirty feet below. Where once had been a mass of writhing bodies lay just old bones and rocks. Near the doorway, a great pile of them had been made, creating a ramp that led to their position. “Lieutenant, I don’t know how, sir, but… the pit is empty.”

[+Sorana]

Sagitta listened to the gods, observed them, tried to understand, to grasp, slowly realizing that she couldn't. There was no way to understand this, no way to grasp it and to make it real. It was something she needed to accept and even that knowledge didn't make things easier. She turned to Price when she felt it, an urgent, tugging sensation that ran though her bones, as if she had jumped into an half-frozen river. It scared her, but what scared her even more was the name Gati uttered, the way the gods reacted, as if they were swatted down by an unseen power. Tiska. She had heard of Tiska, had heard of the nomads of the place - and the gods wanted to go there. It was too good a chance to let it slide.

"Price." She adressed her friend quietly. "Let's go along with them. To Tiska." He could study the gods and she, maybe she could learn about their enemy. If they knew more about them, it would grant them an edge in the upcoming battle. "Let's fetch some equipment, weapons for both of us, so that we can train, and preferably some armor too - we might need an animal to carry food and water - but we should go." Her voice sounded urgent, reflected the urgency that only slowly let go of her. They needed to go, to see with their own eyes. They had to.

@Ookla the Maybe-Existent

[I think I am here.]

6 hours ago, Ookla the Dreamer said:

Her voice sounded urgent, reflected the urgency that only slowly let go of her. They needed to go, to see with their own eyes. They had to.

“But, Sagitta,”

Price said, stood from his seat. Tiska. A nomad city.

“I have responsibilities here. I have a job. I can — maybe get some leave, but why? Just to follow the gods on another one of their missions?” He paused. Let the gods go now, and it was possible he would never be able to see them again. And without proof, no one would believe him.

“How will we travel?” He asked.

[+Sorana]

40 minutes ago, Ookla the Maybe-Existent said:

“How will we travel?” He asked.

"Can you organize horses?" She asked. "That would solve who carries the food an equipment. I had a pack, but -" It was lost when she had been kidnapped. It had only been a few weeks, a few days since she escaped and yet it felt far, far away. She was free, and she had found a friend.

"We will need torches, some rope. Blankets, maybe a sleeping mat to place on the ground. Cloaks and a second set of cloths to change into." She tried to remember the contents of her pack back in the camp. "Something to sharpen your weapon, soap, maybe a razor for you and definitely a bowl, mug and a spoon. If we want to cook a pot." Falling silent she considered the situation, the urgency nearly completely gone.

"It's strange." She said after a while. "I don't even know why it was so important to leave, to go there." And yet she knew, knew that it had been important. And if the gods went, maybe they should go with them. If she showed them, that they were worthy, that humans were good, that they would profit if they took the time and cared for them. Maybe she could show Sensation that it was a mistake to discard all of them so easily.

[I think I am here.]

On 12/12/2019 at 10:26 PM, Ookla the Dreamer said:

“It's strange." She said after a while. "I don't even know why it was so important to leave, to go there."

Quickly Price wrote down all of the things she listed, ordered them down on a separate page on his ledger, which he tore out, folded and stuffed it in his pocket. He could give it to one of his subordinates, have them organise it.

“It’s... a lot of stuff, Sagitta. The department-heads will ask questions. They will wonder what work we’re doing.” Clicking his tongue he tapped his pencil against his ledger again, thinking.

“Of course, I know the importance. But we can’t just say we’re following the gods, going to the Nomads’ land. No one will believe us... unless we show them results.”

Results, like... new abilities? Price’s mind drifted back to Sensation’s ability to read emotions. Supernaturally. Something, that hypothetically, any Sensation Instinct would be able to do, if they knew of it.

[+Sorana]

Surprised Sagitta looked at him, a frown creased her forehead. "Don't you plan to tell your superior about the gods?" She asked astonished that he thought it would difficult to get the neccessary ressources. He had been so excited at the prospect to meet and to test gods, if his organization paid him to test normal instincts, of course they would give him a pair of horses to follow some gods. "Don't you think they will see the potential behind this encounter?" She tried to look at the situation from his perspective. "They know things far beyond our understanding. If you proove yourself worthy, maybe they will share one or two tidbits with you."

"Weapons." She added as an afterthought. "I can't train you with a butter knife. And preferably some armour as well. I am sure the journey will be dangerous. If the nomads act, like I know them, we might have to try to move past their sentries, secretly move deeper into their territory." Pausing she tried to recall what she remembered. "I think they travel, so there shouldn't be a force controlling their borders. But still, we have to be careful. They aren't known for their mercy."

@Ookla the Maybe-Existent

Edited December 16, 2019 by Ookla the Dreamer

[I think I am here.]

21 hours ago, Ookla the Dreamer said:

Pausing she tried to recall what she remembered. "I think they travel, so there shouldn't be a force controlling their borders. But still, we have to be careful. They aren't known for their mercy."

Price nodded. With gods, the risk seemed muted, but he had to keep in mind the gods weren’t on his side. They were on their own side, which meant that any moment they were able to abandon Sagitta and Price. Looking to Sagitta and back to his ledger he shook his head and clicked his tongue.

“I plan to tell my superiors. But, they won’t believe me. Why would they believe a single person, saying they’re following the gods? Unless we have proof, and the gods themselves don’t seem too keen on being tested again.”

[+Sorana]

38 minutes ago, Ookla the Maybe-Existent said:

“I plan to tell my superiors. But, they won’t believe me. Why would they believe a single person, saying they’re following the gods? Unless we have proof, and the gods themselves don’t seem too keen on being tested again.”

She hesitated, she would simply have told their superiors, and then leave the rest to them. He's no soldier. She reminded herself, don't treat him as one. "Why don't you tell them, that you've got information about other applications of instincts in the north?" She suggested. "Ask for the ressources to take a closer look. Worst thing to happen is that you find nothing, and if I look around, " she made a sweeping gesture with her hand, " lots of money goes into this research. There is no reason, why they should disagree. You could mention the powers of the gods as examples?"

It would be close to lying, withholding information, but again - not her superiors, not her country. If she claimed to follow the gods, Sagitta swallowed and looked over at the two. Her mother would have bought the horse herself, so that she could follow them. "I don't know, Price." She added quietly. "I know nearly nothing about your country, about what you respect and what not. I, I don't know what to tell them, but I still think we should follow these two?"

[I think I am here.]

“Yeah,” Price said, shook his head from his doubts and nodded.

“Yeah, I think so too. They are gods, they are bound to be near right important things. Especially with their tone.” Glancing at the torches that lit the halls he sighed.

“It’s alright, I’ll think of something. Something, I don’t know, bureaucratic to say. Add some scientific words.” He grinned, distracted himself from his worry and look to Sagitta. “You can fool most of them that way. You know who leads this division, not who’s my direct superior, but who’s their boss’ boss’ boss? The right top of the hierarchy?”

He chuckled a little bit. “A general. Someone who knows nothing of the research we do here, but they are a soldier and so they are trusted with this entire division.”

[+Sorana]

1 hour ago, Ookla the Maybe-Existent said:

He chuckled a little bit. “A general. Someone who knows nothing of the research we do here, but they are a soldier and so they are trusted with this entire division.”

Sagitta laughed at his words as well, more out of comradie, than because she found it funny. She knew that the fact had to hurt Price. "I am good, Price." She told him quietly. "Give me some time, and you will be better than most of your soldiers here."

Looking around the place, she tapped her fingers against the handle of her weapon. "A general. In that case, you should find arguments that convince him. Speak of the war, of new abilities. Like the -" Her face twisted at the memory and she had to take a moment to compose herself. "The Nomads know how to cause explosions. Their shamans, they are entropy instincts, but I have never seen an entropy instinct cause an explosion that large. They use other substances to help their powers along, combine alchemy with magic. If you gain that knowledge-" She lifted a hand, dragged her fingers through her hair, when she recalled the screams, the smell. "It's devastating on a battlefield." She said quietly, avoided his glance, wondered if the price to travel there had just grown into a region she didn't want to pay. If Tühine knew, Cahaya would know as well. And then they all would blow up soldieres, rip them to pieces. She repeated her gesture, but didn't take her words back. It was no option to let the gods leave on their own. They had to come with them.

[I think I am here.]

Price paused, listened to her talk and quickly wrote it down in his ledger along with her tips.

“Yes,” he said. “I will tell him that. I’ll take a short moment, but yes, hopefully it will be enough. You have no ideas the amount of funding they give research and development, almost as much as the actual soldiers themselves. Tühinine is desperate to win this war, but then again, they’ve been ‘desperate’ for a good 60 years now.”

He stopped, looked to Sagitta. Her quietness at talking about the nomad strategies.

“And no doubt you’d be a good teacher,” he said. “I’ve seen you fight. Even with an injured leg and makeshift weapons, you’re magical with combat. Maybe Tühinine should adopt some training regimes from Ta’e’ilo.” He tried to cheer her up, but they were true facts.

Edited December 18, 2019 by Ookla the Maybe-Existent

[+Sorana]

33 minutes ago, Ookla the Maybe-Existent said:

“And no doubt you’d be a good teacher,” he said. “I’ve seen you fight. Even with an injured leg and makeshift weapons, you’re magical with combat. Maybe Tühinine should adopt some training regimes from Ta’e’ilo.” He tried to cheer her up, but they were true facts.

"Thank you." She replied quietly, and then shook her head. "We were no peaceful nation before the invasion. Clans always preyed on each other, but it was different. We had the same weapons, we had the same technology and we understood each others motifs. But now? They ride on horses, and we don't, they fight with different weapons - " She shook her head, sorrow written all over her face. "We lost many, only to learn how to fight them, and we are still loosing. Every single battle costs us lives and a little more of our country."

She smiled sadly at him. "Of course I am good. If I weren't I would be dead for years. I just wish it would stop. that we could start to rebuild, as long as there are people left to do it." With a shake of her head, she pushed the memories aside. "I can come along for your report? Or is there something I can do, so that we are ready to leave, whenever they are?"