first verse Augury: Ten of the Void

[overlord stick]

30 minutes ago, AonEne said:

“I did,” she mumbled. It hurt saying it. For centuries, she hadn’t had a single problem, and now this? “I think we know what caused it, though, don’t we? It has to be the Augury!” She snapped her mouth shut, looking at the Tühinine. His recollection of past events was untouched. He would know what they were saying. 

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Yeah, seems I just needed to post here to get it going again.

"We can't be sure about that." He said quickly. "Look, either way, we need to go or you're going to have to reverse their memories again."

[AonEne]

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Cahayans can canonically have a British accent if you want  

Gati sent a scared look at Zura. Anderson was right. They should get Sensation, get out of there, and not look back. But on the fringes of her panic, something like humiliation was beginning to creep in. She had gotten them this way; maybe she should at least go with them to the capital like they wanted. “I want to see how they react,” she said quietly, waiting for the scene to play out further. 

[Lunamor]

1 minute ago, AonEne said:

 

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YES PLEASE 

 

[+Ark1002]

2 minutes ago, AonEne said:

Cahayans can canonically have a British accent if you want  

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Only if they also speak in shakespearean english

 

[Lunamor]

4 minutes ago, Ark1002 said:

 

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Zura would probably punch you in the knee if you tried to make her speak like that 

 

[AonEne]

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Deteca fought a Cahayan in the tunnels confirmed?!? 

Aaarrrrrrrk come join us  

 

[+Ark1002]

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ugh howwww

 

[+Sorana]

Sagitta felt Negation look at her. It was as if everything lost it's meaning, everything lost its purpose when for a moment she hung admist this powers. And then Negation was gone. Truth was gone. For the blink of an eye she knew that there were things that she should understand - then Zura jumped to her feet and brandished a knife at Price and she lost her trail of though completely.

Instead she jumped to her feet as well, finally let go of Price' hand, slightly confused by the fact that she had held it, but then she remembered their conversation. Gods. They had talked about gods. There was a hole there, large enough to stumble and fall into it, but she instinctively focused on the situation at hand. Quickly she drew her own knife and straightened.

"We fought once and you lost." Her voice was calm and cold when she concentrated on the impeding fight. "And if I remember correctly, you sat down in peace with us just a few minutes ago, talking about the stars."

A trick. Maybe it all had been a trick and she had used them. Tried to lure Sagitta to sleep to kill them both.

@Lunamor

[I think I am here.]

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This has made me wonder what a Tühinine accent would be

Negation looked at Sagitta and Zura, and then looked at Truth, discussing something about going too far, having a hiccup with their power.

“What did you do?” Price asked but his answer was already evident, coming in the form of an angry Zura, knife flashing in the air with such seething hostility it made Price wonder if for a second she had been keeping her feelings down this whole time, of her whole interaction with Price had been orchestrated.

He stared at Negation. “What did you do?”

As Sagitta stood he did too, nodding when she explained what they had been doing.

“Then the gods came. I think they were the ones that made you forget.” He pointed to Truth and Negation, stepping back so he wasn’t so close to that glinting knife of Zura’s.

[Lunamor]

The Ta’e’iloan woman said something about peace, about her losing. Zura frowned slightly. That was unlike her- she rarely ever lost a fight, and she would certainly never make peace with a Tühine. And the man she supposedly had made peace with was claiming that her memories had been stolen by gods. Internally she groaned. These strangers were likely to never tell her the truth. How had she been so careless to allow herself to be captured? 

”I was unconscious a few minutes ago. Why are you lying to me? And why do you claim that these people-“

Another knife flashed out of nowhere to gesture in the direction of the odd looking people.

”Are gods?”

Her eyes never left the Tühine man, not even when the woman spoke to her. Until she could determine what his instinct was, she wasn’t taking any chances.

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I’ve decided that Zura has unlimited knives in the way that Legolas has unlimited arrows. 

 

[+Sorana]

Confused Sagitta listened to Price claim that the strangers were Gods, but as they weren't acting in an agressive way, she only tried to monitor them out of the corner of her eye. Instead she focused on Zura. She acted strangely, as if they hadn't talked, hadn't - the stars. That was it. In awe she slightly lowered her knife, but made sure to stay between Price and Zura. Unconcious. Zura claimed that she had been unconcious, but she hadn't been unconcious. Not as far as Sagitta could remember.

"Sensation blessed you." She whispered and could see the stars on the sky behind Zura. The stars. There was a new one, somewhere above was one with Zura's memories. "She took your memories to the sky."

Could she try to solve the situation? Should she fight Zura again, show her her place? Her hand moved to the handle of the Tomahawk, when she considered what it might mean. If Sensation had taken her memories, then there had to be a plan, a reason. Maybe it was a test, a test to see if they were able to look past their cultures past their different ideas and remember what they had just a few minutes ago. No friendship, but enough trust to talk without holding a weapon in their hand. A smile touched her lips. Remember. Make sure some things stayed in the present. She could do that. Had done it so often.

"Your name is Zura. You came from a village that way." She pointed in the general direction Zura had earlier. "You kill Tühine soldiers, although you don't like to do it. You believe that it is right, because they kill for a living. Your instinct is probability."

 

Edited October 4, 2019 by Sorana

[Lunamor]

Zura narrowed her eyes slightly. This stranger seemed to know an odd amount of accurate information about her. Did she have a Truth instinct? Or had they been spying on her? The chances of that were very low, but it was a possibility. Facet instincts were rather annoying about that sort of stuff, and finding one of them to hire was fairly easy. If you had the money. 

It was just then that she noticed the destroyed carriage behind them. They definitely had had enough money at some point, with a vehicle like that. But how had it been grounded like that? It show have had a full team of horses attached. Quite a few corpses surrounded it, all with gruesome injuries. They could have only been dead for a few hours, based on how they looked. And was that blood over there, away from the dead? Odd. Was the devastation the cause of a person or monster? Or both? She itched to ask all of these questions, but she held her tongue. Cahayans never showed weakness- especially in front of their enemies. 

The woman had moved her hand to the handle of her weapon, like she was preparing for a fight. Zura tensed even further, unsure what such a fight would even be like. She had so little information... she didn’t usually need too much, with her luck and all, but now that she was deep in hostile territory she needed all of the advantages she could get.

”Are you working with the Tühine?”

She asked Sagitta, almost spitting out the last word. 

Edited October 5, 2019 by Lunamor

[I think I am here.]

“She’s a contractee, you scraping flatlander,” Price said, animosity in his voice.

“Was a contractee,” he corrected himself. “Now we’re all just trying to get back home. As you notice,”

He gestured around. “We are without a carriage. How do you not remember this?” It was the gods, he knew it had to be the gods. Playing with their minds. Erasing Zura’s memory, erasing the peace she had made with Price. Price shouldn’t above been angry, it wasn’t her fault that she couldn’t remember, but yet, the way she spoke, brandished that knife, only reminded him of all the other evil Cahayans in his life. The one ‘good’ Cahayan he’d met had just had her memories erased by the gods themselves.

Maybe the gods want the war, Price realised. It made sense, no better situation to breed religious fanaticism than war. And that would be why they had approached Price, Sagitta, and Zura. Not just because it was odd, but because they didn’t want the three different nationalities making peace.

And Sagitta... she had her mind erased as well. She was talking of Sensation’s blessing, the stars. As if she had forgotten about the gods not caring about their existence, forgotten her discussion with Price.

“Don’t you remember our conversation with Sensation?” He turned and asked her quietly, because it had all gone downhill so quickly. And him... well, Price didn’t know what memories had been erased from him. Maybe lots, maybe none. But he at least remembered the gods, the evil gods that wanted this war.

The tips from a bunch of twigs around Price burst into small black flames.

@Lunamor

@Sorana

Edited October 5, 2019 by I think I am here.

[+Sorana]

Sagitta shook her head without looking away from Zura. Remember a conversation with Sensation? No, there was nothing. They had talked about the gods, about the way they cared and - she lifted a hand to her head, knew that there was something but couldn't pinpoint it. Something had - happened.

Price hand. She remembered taking it, because it was important, because she had wanted to make a point. But why? What had been so important, that she's crossed that line?

So many things she didn't know, that confused her. So she went with those that she knew for sure.

"If try to harm Price, I will escalate the situation." She stated calmly. "We all fight for our countries, and I can respect that. I can respect what you do, and what you believe in. I can understand. But I won't let you harm-" Sagitta hesitated and then finished, "a friend."

@Lunamor

[Lunamor]

Zura growled when the Tühine dared to call her a flatlander. Apparently the woman had been contractee. That made some sort of sense, at least. The Ta’e’ilons didn’t have a clear side in the Cahayan war. But shouldn’t she have been back in her own country, fighting the Nomads?

He claimed that they were trying to get back home. Zura raised an eyebrow at that. Did he really expect her to call anywhere in Tühine home? What sort of world was he living in? A world where missing carriages were apparently enough to make blood sworn enemies allies, she supposed. She hoped that false world view lasted until she could escape. His display of Entropy had set her on edge. It was a powerful Instinct. Her eyes flickered between the black flames and his face. She could probably take him in a fight, but as information starved as she was, she didn’t want to risk it.

He whispered something to the woman and she strained- unsuccessfully- to hear what it was. Were they making battle plans? Deciding on how best to destroy her? Then the woman said that she would fight for the Tühine, that he was a friend. A friend. What self respecting human being would ever make friends with a Tühine? A contract could be a conceivable idea, if the contractee lacked a certain amount of morals, but this was just madness. Didn’t she know of the horrible things the enemy did, how he would kill her as soon as she turned her back? Did she even care?

She decided to answer the enemy’s question.

”I do not remember whatever happened to the carriage because I wasn’t there.”

She had to restrain herself, keep her voice from shouting. Her grip tightened on the knife until her knuckles were white on the last few words.!She was tired of their lies. Keeping the venomous edge out of her voice was getting harder and harder. Why hadn’t they given up yet? The only thing keeping her from stabbing the Tühine right through the heart was the woman’s threat. 

[+Sorana]

Sagitta frowned at the words, then she inclined her head in acceptance. Without the threat of the animal, without the blood shed together - whatever they had was lost. The gods had taken it away. It had been a good feeling to find some peace in their world controlled by war. But if that wasn't the path meant for them, then it wasn't their path. Did the gods like the war? The bloodshed for their nations? She cut the thought off. It was stupid. The gods cared.

"You can leave." She offered Zura calmly. "You are by no means a prisoner."

"In contrast, I think I have to ask you to leave, if you aren't able to spend the night here without bloodshed."

She made no move to put force behind her words. If Zura left, it might be her death. Price had warned them clearly, but they couldn't spend the night like this. She couldn't. And she suspected, that without her presence, Price and Zura would already be fighting.

@Lunamor

Edited October 8, 2019 by Sorana

[I think I am here.]

A friend. Price stepped back and kept his eyes trained on Zura. By Entropy’s sword, where were his soldiers? He already knew the answer, dead by Zura’s hands. But still, he felt so defenceless. He knew without Sagitta, he would surely be dead in moments. Price hated being vulnerable. When they went back to the cities, to the military bases, that’s where he’d be powerful. Not here, in the forest.

I should probably stop swearing by the gods, he thought. They’re evil. He wondered whether to tell Sagitta, about the truth, about Sensation and his words, Negation’s necromancy or Truth’s appearance, but wasn’t this what they’d been talking about anyway? Did Price really want to make Sagitta pain as she had when Sensation had revealed the truth. Or was it better to let her live the pleasant lie, that the gods cared for her and countless numbers of her allies hadn’t died for nothing, that Ta’e’ilo really had been founded with the gods’ own help.

But... friends told the truth to each other, right? Or was happiness more important than truth?

“It’s one of the two,” he said. “Either you calm down, or you leave, and go shout your case to the Forestlynxes.”

[AonEne]

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So by the way, I rescind my statement that I want to make The Unnamed Cahayan Boy Whose Life Keeps Getting Screwed With my character. Not right now, anyway. It'd be great, but I'm trying to change my habit of wanting to write more characters than I have time for.

Izzy closed her eyes. The insistent tugging of her instinct had ceased, so she assumed Gati was safe, or at least that Truth was, since that's who it had been warning her about anyway. Okay. Stuck in a clearing with a bunch of gods who seem perfectly content to do nothing. I can let this shatter my worldview even more than Gati already has these last days, or I can try to find him/her, because that's the one person who's seemed willing to do something about the Augury. She jumped up from the log she'd found and marched over to the nearest god, one who was pretty interesting-looking. She wondered if he ever went out in public, and if so, if he looked like that when he did. "HEY. Do you have a way to contact Negation?"

@Ark1002

[Lunamor]

Zura sucked in a shuddering breath when the Tühine mentioned Forestlynxes. She had heard stories of them, of how they ripped their victims apart, greedily tearing everything in their sight to pieces... She hated to put her trust in the enemy, but it gave her a slightly higher chance of surviving this mess. She was still a little tempted to throw her lot in with the lynx, though. The thought of spending another second with the Tühine was revolting.

But another thought started to grow in the back of her mind, so quickly that soon it was too big to easily squash. The question grew deep roots and refused to budge. Getting rid of and uprooting it would cause irreparable damage. Why was she still alive? Had she been in the man’s position, she wouldn’t have let the enemy survive for more than a few minutes. The least she would have done was throw him out in the wild. So why was he sparing her? For information?

The threat of violence kept Zura from nervously spinning her knife in the air. That could all too often be interpreted as something much more sinister, and with the man’s Entropy and whatever Instinct the woman had, she couldn’t afford to make any careless mistakes. She instead wordlessly sat on the ground, keeping her distance from the Tühine.

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I am so sorry this took me too long, things have been weird irl so it might take me a little longer than usual to respond to things.

 

[AonEne]

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Take as long as you need Luna 

 

[I think I am here.]

On 08/10/2019 at 11:24 PM, Lunamor said:

The threat of violence kept Zura from nervously spinning her knife in the air. That could all too often be interpreted as something much more sinister, and with the man’s Entropy and whatever Instinct the woman had, she couldn’t afford to make any careless mistakes. She instead wordlessly sat on the ground, keeping her distance from the Tühine.

Price watched her silently, and slowly he sat down as well. He looked in he direction of the gods.

“I know you’re plan,” he said. The gods wanted a war. It was the only reason they’d come to him, Sagitta and Zura and immediately erase memories of comradeship. But, for now, he was confined to silence. Back in the cities, spouting such nonsense about not only meeting the gods, but also that they were evil? It could cost him his position, no matter how many discoveries he’d made.

Price liked to humour the idea he’d keep increasing through the ranks. That one day, he’d wake up from his bed as the lead researcher in Tühinine. Privy to all secrets, all research and all inventions to help in a war effort. But he knew, that by the end of his life, what would he have achieved? Nothing except make more weapons for the nations to destroy each other with. He knew the truth, that the world would end before the War did.

He noted something in his ledger.

“We’ll talk in the morning,” he said. “Because there’s only one way we’re getting out of this forest, and we can’t afford to waste time bickering with each other.” He couldn’t believe he was being less fanatical one in the situation. But even if they were at a temporary truce, that wouldn’t stop Price from handing Zura to the authorities when this was all over. Maybe before, he would have hesitated, but now? She was just as extremist as she had been when they’d met.

[AonEne]

I know your plan, Price had said. Good for you, can you tell me what it is? thought Gati. Because I have no idea. But there was something in the back of her head. Three to send you... 

She looked up at Truth and said quietly, “I want to go with them, whatever city they go to. You can come or not.” 

[+Sorana]

Sagitta followed Price example and sat down as well, although his words to the strangers confused her. Had she missed some kind of introduction? She made sure she sat between Price and Zura, despite sitting ready to get up, should Zura attack Price, but now her attention shifted to the strangers.

Price claimed to know their plan, so she had missed something. Maybe she had been knocked out - no, they had talked. She Price and Zura had talked, about the gods, about the world. About the stars. She had told them the story of how Ta'e'ilo had been named. Then the strangers had arrived and then had continued to talk. About the war, and... about travelling? She was sure, obviously she had been so preoccupied with making sure that noone killed each other, that she had missed a part of the conversation.

"I am sorry, but I have to admit, I forgot your name. I am Sagitta T'Sora, would you mind telling me yours again?"

She adressed those that had joined their group.

@AonEne @Archer

[AonEne]

15 minutes ago, Sorana said:

"I am sorry, but I have to admit, I forgot your name. I am Sagitta T'Sora, would you mind telling me yours again?" 

“I’m Gati,” he said politely. “It’s nice to meet you, Sagitta.” 

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Don’t mind me switching pronouns at random. 

 

[I think I am here.]

Gati. So the god had chosen a fake name to fool Sagitta. Perhaps they too knew that blissful ignorance was better than the harsh truth. If that was the case, then why leave Price with his memories? To torture him? Or had they really just been travelling merchants, and he’d imagined the whole interaction.

These past few days had been stressful. And besides, he was the only one who even remembered the talk with the gods, Sensation causing the weather change, Negation bringing the boy back...

The boy. If Sagitta didn’t remember the talk with the gods, she would definitely remember the Cahayan boy who she had mercy-killed herself. And yet, beside Negation, there was the boy. Alive and blankly staring into space. Vivid proof of the gods, but maybe not to Zura, she didn’t seem to remember everything.

“The boy is alive,” he said to Sagitta and pointed to the boy. He didn’t say more, she could make her own conclusions. He didn’t know what to do, because he knew that any proof of the gods existing would most likely lead to disappointment when one realised they didn’t care about the world. Quietly Price cursed the gods for putting him in this situation, though they likely controlled that as well.