first verse Augury: Ten of the Void

[BringerofShadows]

“I believe I’m early, as I can see by the attendance.” Victoria put her arrow and bow back in her sheath.  “And I think your just upset because the game ended,” Victoria smiled, and crossed her arms. 

[overlord stick]

Truth sighed loudly. "Enough of this, we have more important matters to discuss. Victoria, why have you brought humans here? This is a meeting for gods, not mortals."

[BringerofShadows]

“Because my trust has has become hard.”

Edited July 13, 2019 by Inklingspren

[Archer]

Tion grumbled something under his breath, the words impossible to hear, but his tone unmistakably condescending. He narrowed his eyes at Entropy, shaking his head. He paused for a moment, choosing his next words carefully.

“You could have been a paragon, General Victoria,” he said, spitting out her title mockingly. “But relying on others? Humans? That’s a low, even for you. A god is nothing if they lose their independence. You could have been the most powerful among us, but now I see that you’re just a... lame bureaucrat. It’s repulsive.”

He threw up his hands to underscore his disbelief.

“Tell us why we’re here, please, Truth,” he asked, his voice softening as he pointedly turned his body away from Entropy dismissively. He pulled his flip phone from his pocket and clicked some of its buttons awkwardly. The pale light of the screen illuminated his slightly confused expression as he tried to operate it.

“There,” he declared happily once he got the device to do what he wanted it to do. “I think everyone that’s gonna be here has already arrived. I’ve group-called the others, they can listen in if they want. We've all come a long way to be here, I think you owe us an explanation.”

He held the phone in his hand at his side, pointing it in Truth's general direction, and cocked his head attentively to listen to what she had to say. 

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If the other gods show up, they can have listened to the start of the conversation on their phones. If it's better that they didn't, they can have rejected Tion's call. I don't know if everyone's supposed to show up or not, so this can allow us to get started. 

 

[overlord stick]

"I suppose that'll do. So, the reason I have called you all here is that, well," He hesitated for a moment. "The Augury has started."

Edited July 13, 2019 by Emperor Stick

[Archer]

Tion dropped his phone, stunned. He made no move to retrieve it. The god’s face paled, and his lips began moving almost imperceptibly, but no sound came out.

After what seemed like an eternity to him of unadulterated shock, he finally pulled himself together.

“You can’t be serious,” he said, his voice cracking on the last word. “No, no, no. It can’t be true. It can’t be. I’m never so fortunate.”

He glanced in Probability’s direction, considering the implications of their presence. When he spoke again, he had regained his unflappable persona.

“Hey, Truth, can you do me a favour?” he said, moving to stand in front of the other god, placing his hands on the other man's shoulders so that their faces were mere inches apart.

“I’m going to need to know everything you know,” he said, his voice deadly serious. “But first, I need you to tell me something. Three little words. But you have to mean them, okay? Real quick, I just want you to say to me ‘I can lie’.”

He watched Truth’s expression attentively, taking note of every twitch and colour change. Nothing had ever seemed more important to him than Truth’s response did to him now. He had to know.

[overlord stick]

Truth was silent, thinking what to say. Did Tion really think he was making this up? "Look, It's started, and we can't stop it, and we need to figure out what's going to happen, because my powers won't tell me. Now, are you just going to be sarcastic, or help me figure this out?"

[BringerofShadows]

I will laugh the day you get hanged by humans. Victoria thought. He didn’t understand, humans were just as valuable. Just how the oppressed topples the oppressors, the same would happen with the Gods, if they weren’t careful. She was still one of the most powerful, even if Victoria didn’t express it. 

She was snapped out of her thoughts by Truth’s  comment.

[Archer]

Tion flinched at the other god's rebuke. Coming from Truth, that comment genuinely hurt his feelings. He realigned his perception of the situation using his Power to soften the blow.

“Yeah, whatever,” he said, backing away disappointedly, suddenly intent on finding where he had dropped his phone. “The magic’s messed up. I got that.”

He finally found it in a small patch of weeds. It seemed to still be transmitting fine.

“We need to find Neggie. They’d know what to do.” He looked around the group. “Facet, Truth, you two are the best at finding people. Victoria’s about as useful as a sack of highhorse tails, so she’s out, but if you two work together, do you think you could figure out where they're at? Otherwise, one of us is going to have to actually come up with a plan. Unless you’ve got some power preservation tricks up your sleeve, Truth.”

He kicked his boot through the weeds, wondering if Entropy's soldiers could do anything to serve them, but he intentionally refrained from acknowledging their usefulness. 

Edited July 13, 2019 by Archer

[BringerofShadows]

“Well, I best be going, as I have an army to run and a war to win.”  General Victoria left, dissatisfied. Unless…That could work. 

 

 

[I think I am here.]

6 hours ago, Sorana said:

“You just explained to me, that riding back to my homeland is difficult."

Sagitta raised an eyebrow and shook her head. He'd made a mistake here.

"And now you offer it to me, just like that? How can I know, that you'll ever let me go?"

Price looked down at Sagitta, and when his glasses began to slide down he pushed them back up.

“Well, to put it shortly, you’ll need to trust me.” He pulled over a stool and sat across from her.

“There’s no way to guarantee it, except maybe the consolation that  you’re not our enemy. Tühine would find it unwise to keep a Ta’e’ilo soldier within custody like a prisoner. It would raise a lot of questions we could do without.

“Because this isn’t like a prison. It’s a... voluntary trade. Help us, and we can maybe disguise you, and send you to one of our ‘travelling merchant’ spy groups in Cahaya to get to your homeland. It’s difficult, but not impossible. You helping us just makes it worth the risk.”

Price had to give credit though, this one was smart. He’d have to make sure not to reveal too many military secrets to her.

[xinoehp512]

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Unfortunately, I may not be able to get on for a week. This could be problematic.

Thwack. 

The pieces of log fell to the sides, falling off the stump Thomas had set it on. He grinned, wiping the sweat off his brow, then picked up another log. He held the axe in front of him, judging the position, then swung.

Thwack.

He paused for a moment, leaning on his axe for support. It was backbreaking work, splitting firewood- and this was only one of the chores he'd had to do today.

Of course, he could just use his Power. Then it would all be done in an instant. But he hadn't chosen this life for comfort.

He stood up again, rest over, and raised the axe to swing again- when he felt something.

He froze, ax still in midswing, then turned to look at the house.

Somewhere inside, a phone was ringing.

@Blessing of Potency

 

Edited July 14, 2019 by xinoehp512

[Lunar Blessing]

Samantha hops down from the tree she had been climbing, “are you gunna get that or should I?”

@xinoehp512

Edited July 14, 2019 by Blessing of Potency

[xinoehp512]

Thomas stared at the house for a long moment before responding. "It's yours... I think. Mine shouldn't be ringing..."

He trailed off, still staring.

[Lunar Blessing]

“I’ll get it then.” She replies, clapping her hands twice to try and get some of the sap off. She gets into the house as it goes to voicemail. With a sigh she walks over to it and notes the voicemail. She Plays the voicemail and listens. “Uhh... Thom, you might wanna come in and listen to this.” She calls out the open door.

[xinoehp512]

"No," he whispered, eyes unfocusing slightly. "No, I told them. Don't bother me. Leave me alone..."

He shuddered.

[+Sorana]

7 hours ago, I think I am here. said:

Price looked down at Sagitta, and when his glasses began to slide down he pushed them back up.

“Well, to put it shortly, you’ll need to trust me.” He pulled over a stool and sat across from her.

“There’s no way to guarantee it, except maybe the consolation that  you’re not our enemy. Tühine would find it unwise to keep a Ta’e’ilo soldier within custody like a prisoner. It would raise a lot of questions we could do without.

“Because this isn’t like a prison. It’s a... voluntary trade. Help us, and we can maybe disguise you, and send you to one of our ‘travelling merchant’ spy groups in Cahaya to get to your homeland. It’s difficult, but not impossible. You helping us just makes it worth the risk.”

Price had to give credit though, this one was smart. He’d have to make sure not to reveal too many military secrets to her.

A... voluntary trade. It wasn't. It was an option, the journey home nothing more than a carrot he held in front of her, something to keep her in line. She had no realy choice. He played it nice for the moment, gave it a beautiful wrapping, but in the end nothing would change it. She needed him, and he could charge whatever he wanted.

His mercy. The thought felt bitter and she swallowed.

"What do you want to test?"

She asked instead, somehow expecting his tests to hurt.

[I think I am here.]

3 hours ago, Sorana said:

His mercy. The thought felt bitter and she swallowed.

"What do you want to test?"

She asked instead, somehow expecting his tests to hurt.

Price’s face lightened up.

“So that’s a yes?” He said, getting out a ledger hidden within his coat. Taking out a pen that was secured to it he began to write something, organising his timetable immediately.

Intensity Testing (Ta’e’ilo Subject)

Finishing he looked up to Sagitta to answer her question.

“Nothing dangerous,” he said, reading her face. “Remember, you’re a Ta’e’ilo citizen. Hurting you would be bad for politics.”

Standing up, he heard soliders approaching, probably for their lunch. Training must have been over.

“Come,” he said, gesturing to the door. “You’ll be briefed when we get to your staying quarters.”

[+Sorana]

6 hours ago, I think I am here. said:

Price’s face lightened up.

“So that’s a yes?” He said, getting out a ledger hidden within his coat. Taking out a pen that was secured to it he began to write something, organising his timetable immediately.

Intensity Testing (Ta’e’ilo Subject)

Finishing he looked up to Sagitta to answer her question.

“Nothing dangerous,” he said, reading her face. “Remember, you’re a Ta’e’ilo citizen. Hurting you would be bad for politics.”

Standing up, he heard soliders approaching, probably for their lunch. Training must have been over.

“Come,” he said, gesturing to the door. “You’ll be briefed when we get to your staying quarters.”

Sagitta felt even sicker when she saw his face lit up. This was bad. As in really bad. But she had to go back, had to find a way home. She had to defend her country, had to fight for her country. If it meant, that she had to do what he told her - maybe she could get to know some people, try to find a way of her own. Politics. accidents happened. Ta'e'ilo wasn't strong enough to fight two enemies. If she died, someone would officially protest and then nothing would happen. Politicians never had the guts to do uncomfortable things. They had soldiers to take up a sword and to fight their battles. Who would care if a soldier vanished. She was good, but she was just one of many. Quietly she took the water and the bread and followed him, feeling lost in the base. Soldiers were approaching and he wanted to get her out of the way. Keep their secrets. while he expected her to spill everything. It felt wrong, something was utterly, and completely wrong. Silently she sent a prayer to intensity, that they stayed with her and protected her from whatever she was getting into right now.

[AonEne]

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On 7/12/2019 at 8:52 PM, Archer said:

Instinctively, she reverses time to before the attack. Instantly, all of space goes back in time by, say, two seconds.”

Archer, I love this post so much I could cry, but I do have to say that Negation doesn't reverse time - just the action(s) that took place during that time. The same amount of time will still have passed. It's also not a world-wide thing unless they specifically want it to be (and if there was hypothetically someone with the instinct, they wouldn't have nearly enough power to do the whole world).

On 7/12/2019 at 10:05 PM, Truthless of Shinovar said:

Appearance: Ghaln is a proud old man, never slouches, looks people straight in the eye. He’s about 6’3, has a white beard and hair, grey fading out of it. Few wrinkles, but still enough that you can tell he’s an old man.

Instinct: Intensity

Family: Forgotten.

Nationality: Hopearaa

Backstory: Forgotten

Personality: Stubborn and proud, but at the same time, kind and giving. Like a kind ruler. He has an air of Intensity about him (see what I did there?).

Whether you want to be a hero, villain, or neutral, which will affect which lines of the prophecy and which plot points involve you: Hero

Great! Adding it to the OP now. They're Intensity, not just someone with the instinct, right?

On 7/13/2019 at 5:30 AM, I think I am here. said:

...what is your Instinct, if you have one?”

Everyone has one (in a simplified sense - there are exceptions to this rule, e.g. the gods, but for now we'll just say everyone has one).

On 7/13/2019 at 11:42 AM, Archer said:

He dropped his invisibility

Tion is altering their sense of eyesight, correct? Because otherwise I'm not sure how he's doing this.

On 7/13/2019 at 3:37 PM, Inklingspren said:

General Victoria left, dissatisfied. Unless…That could work.

Wait, does that mean you're doing the thing now? I thought you were doing it in a verse or two.

On 7/13/2019 at 9:13 PM, Blessing of Potency said:

“I’ll get it then.” She replies, clapping her hands twice to try and get some of the sap off. She gets into the house as it goes to voicemail.

WHOA WHOA WHOA, are Reality and Infinity married? First, yes, the Space-Time Continuum ship is sailing, second, this has majorly interesting implications for your kids. I may have to PM you two about that.

Breaking-Talent-like powers works for me, BoS.

I love all the writing that's happening! Your characters are all great.

I'm very sad to say that I'm being ousted from the computer right now, but I'll put this on the top of my list tomorrow. Negation and Izzy are walking into the meeting. (Everyone is supposed to be at this meeting, by the way - all the gods, at least, but we can make up excuses for the ones who don't have writers yet.)

Lastly, may I have a volunteer for something? Someone whose character isn't a god. It's not going to hurt your characters or anything. I just need someone to witness things occasionally.

@Lunamor @Sorana @I think I am here. @Jaywalk

[I think I am here.]

26 minutes ago, AonEne said:

Lastly, may I have a volunteer for something? Someone whose character isn't a god. It's not going to hurt your characters or anything. I just need someone to witness things occasionally

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*Raises hand*

Price led her into the indoor section of the base, staying to her side but a little in front, so he could lead the way but also keep an eye on her. As they walked through door after door, some people gave Price and Sagitta looks, but he ignored them and walked deeper down a flight of stairs and past a large set of bunker doors. Beyond them was the large research department, secure from any spies who’d want to steal Tühine’s secrets.

Here, Price ranked among the highest. Passing some more halls and grabbing a set of keys from an accountant he approached one door, one of many in the hall. The door stated the number 668 in simple metal letters, and Price opened it. It was small, a bunk bed tucked in a corner and a desk in another. It would have looked eerily like a prison cell if Price didn’t hand Sagitta the keys shortly after entering.

“Bathrooms are at the end of the hall, food and and water are in a smaller break room next to it. You can talk with some of the other people here, if you want, or you can stay in your room. We have some board games in the break room.” He looked around. “Other than that, you should be back in your room in about 2 hours. Someone will transfer you to your first tests.”

He smiled. “Make sense?”

@Sorana

Edited July 15, 2019 by I think I am here.

[+Sorana]

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Feel free to use my character, if you need her.

@AonEne

===================

31 minutes ago, I think I am here. said:

“Bathrooms are at the end of the hall, food and and water are in a smaller break room next to it. You can talk with some of the other people here, if you want, or you can stay in your room. We have some board games in the break room.” He looked around. “Other than that, you should be back in your room in about 2 hours. Someone will transfer you to your first tests.”

He smiled. “Make sense?”

"Yes, thank you."

Sagitta replied, stared at the small windowless cell. She knew he was watiching, but stil she walked to the door, tried the key out needed to see, if it was working. It did. He had handed her the right key. Someone would take. So no he himself. And he hadn't asked anybody, so he was probably a higher-ranking officer of some sorts. She looked at him again, recalled how he had moved through the base, how people had looked at him, how he had talked to those living here. the way he had never been afraid, although she was obviously stronger, how it had never been a question for him, if he got his answers. The only questions had been the why, if she would the keys in her hand, or if he would hold them in his.

"Where can I get a new set of cloths?"

She asked to cover the fear that started to crawl through her, at her line of thoughts, at the conclusion that waited at the end of them. Spy. he was a spy, a higher ranking one. Intelligence. Brutal people, without and scruples to kill for information. she had simply exchange one death threat for another, a more sublte one, but another none-the-less.

[I think I am here.]

2 hours ago, Sorana said:

“Where can I get a new set of cloths?"

She asked to cover the fear that started to crawl through her, at her line of thoughts, at the conclusion that waited at the end of them. Spy. he was a spy, a higher ranking one. Intelligence. Brutal people, without and scruples to kill for information. she had simply exchange one death threat for another, a more sublte one, but another none-the-less.

“Oh,” Price said, remembering. He took out a ledger and wrote something in it. “I’ll have someone drop by some clothes.” Putting the document away he looked up to Sagitta one final time.

“Don’t be scared,” he said, feeling a little bad for her. He handed her a note with some neat writing marked on it.

“These are what we’ll be testing. Nothing dangerous, I promise.”

The note read:

Spoiler

 

Intensity Testing (Ta’e’ilo Subject)

- Fall Testing (limits)

- Impact Testing (limits)

- Propulsion Prototype Testing (note: require seat)

- External Effect Testing (possibility test)

- Gravity and Wind Testing (theoretical)

- Interaction Testing (theoretical)

 

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OOC: Just some ideas of how to observe how the magic might work. Some of the tests might succeed, some might fail, interesting RP potential 

 

Edited July 15, 2019 by I think I am here.

[+Sorana]

1 hour ago, I think I am here. said:

“Oh,” Price said, remembering. He took out a ledger and wrote something in it. “I’ll have someone drop by some clothes.” Putting the document away he looked up to Sagitta one final time.

Sagitta took the sheet of paper and read over the words. Sounded painful, to test the limits. What was he expecting, that she could negate the forces completely?

“See you in two hours, I suppose?”

She moved past him, her hand still holding the key. She needed to escape him for a moment, clean herself up, and then she could face him again. A bathroom. More food. Torn between the options, she decided for the food. No use to clean herself and then put some dirty cloths on again. The break room was small, and empty at the moment, but there were some pears and even some warm porridge. She helped herself, ate greedingly, without even sitting down, did nothing but eating, until she was sated, until her stomach felt like it was going to explode any time soon. Then she drank some water and there was even some cold tea. She placed her dirty dishes in a bowl standing to one side of the room and headed back to her room. Fresh cloths. The style was different from what she was used, and while they were simply, they were warm enough for the current weather and the cloth was soft to her touch. She took them with her and headed into the bathroom.

The water was cool, but it was warmer than the rivers she had used on her way here and she grabbed a sponge, scrubbed the dirt and the dried blood of her skin. Her leg was better, in a week or two, she wouldn’t even feel the injury anymore. Changing the dirty water for fresh one, she started on her hair, carefully washed it with some soap, dried herself, dressed and sat down on a stool with a comb in her hand.

Entangling her long strands was almost meditating, it calmed her down, gave her a moment belonging to herself, unobserved. She had escaped. She had escaped. And the spy had told her, that she wasn’t a prisoner here. She was free. She would do, what he wanted her to do and then she could leave. Gently she loosened another knot, and then another one, concentrated on nothing but her hair. She forgot about his tests, about the frightening base she found herself in. Forgot about her time with the nomads. For a short moment she did nothing but comb her hair, until it was falling in long strands to her back again, until she felt like a woman again. She missed the weight of her sword on her back, the stiffness of her gambeson, felt vulnerable without them, but for now she was sated and clean and that was more than the previous days. Carefully she cleaned the comb and the sponge, changed the water again and then walked back to her room. She had no way to measure the time, but she had taken a while, had enjoyed the loneliness. If they killed her, they would, but at least she had a chance.

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Go ahead, I'm fine with whatever you have in mind. In the end I'd like to rp a corruption arc with her anyways

 

[Truthless of Shinovar]

7 hours ago, AonEne said:

Great! Adding it to the OP now. They're Intensity, not just someone with the instinct, right?

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Yep!

 

Edited July 15, 2019 by Truthless of Shinovar