first verse Augury: Ten of the Void

[AonEne he/him]

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Not at all, you can totally keep RPing here. 

 

[Archer he/him]

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*timeskip noises*

Two Hours Later... 

"And then I spotted a puppy! But the Captain didn't want me to pet it. But I stopped anyway!" Tion sat on a long wooden bench, waving his hands expressively as he recounted the story of the party's journey to the police station for the middle-aged scribe standing in front of him, jotting notes on a clipboard. They were in what served as the processing chamber of the building, a large front atrium full of desks and loudly chatting people: soldiers, the recently arrested, and a dozen clerks bustling about. At the back of the room, several well guarded doors led to the rest of the compound, either up the stairs to the offices and storage rooms, along ground level to the marshaling area and barracks, or downstairs to the cells.

"I just need your name," the scribe groaned. He caught the arm of the Captain who had brought Tion in as she tried to slide past. "This is your nab, why is he like this?"

She sighed. "Someone told him he could have a free tour of the city. And he's a little harder to wrangle than he looks, in case you hadn't noticed. He enjoyed it way too much."

"Noit. After I'm done the paperwork, I have permission to send him to the basement, right? Please?"

"Absolutely," the Captain grinned. "Jom's done the files on the others, I'm going to take them out back for a chat, but could you ask the Underground guys to leave a few cells open, just in case?"

The scribe nodded, and pointed to where the Captain needed to sign the form. She did, then squeezed past him, pressing her rapier to her leg to keep it from hitting anything. Once she was out of the main crush of people, she strode purposefully to the small open space next to a crate of confiscated food that served as the unofficial snack bar. There, the unlikely group of gods and mortals was being watched by two of the guards from her patrol. 

"C'mon," she said, nodding her head at one of the doors. "Follow me. And put that sandwich down, Bo! How are you supposed to stab people if your sword slips from your greasy fingers?"

Meanwhile, the god of Sensation was rambling about the beheading he happened to see on their walk. "...which is why he shouldn't have eaten chocolate before the event. That reminds me, I noticed you guys don't have an execution yard around here. I thought those were standard, what's up with that?"

The scribe, excited to get a word in edgewise, was visibly excited to answer that. "Well, sir, we don't need one. I'm not supposed to say this, but that's what the basement's for."

He smiled, checking a few boxes on his page. "Speaking of which, I think we're done here. My associate here will now give you another tour - of our splendid lower levels. Enjoy!"

Someone grabbed Tion from behind, pushing him towards the most heavily guarded door along the back wall. Tion didn't resist. 

[I think I am here. he/him]

Price stood in the old base, made in the decade following the beginning of the war, whenever that had been. The rock making up the wall was a variety of shades of grey, with metal highlights as supports, signalling the many renovations that had occurred over the years. The lower levels had a more uniform construction, though they too hadn’t been built long ago. Cobwebs hung from ceiling corners and torches lined the long hallways with eerie light.

He watched as the captives were all led to their rooms. The wards were all next to each other, so Price could keep an eye on all of them. He already had stated he wouldn’t Zura get damaged too much, and the gods were far too interesting to let someone else take over their tests.

“You will be getting new overalls,” he said, walking beside them. Sagitta has already heard these things before, but it was likely she wouldn’t be returning to the same level of confinement she’d been in before. “Mess hall is that way, common room over there, and you’ll be getting you’re own rooms and beds, of course. Don’t try anything too cute. I suspect testing will be fun with this group.”

[Lunar Blessing she/her]

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Well I’m lost so...

 

[I think I am here. he/him]

5 minutes ago, Blessing of Potency said:

Well I’m lost so...

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Sensation and Negation met Sagitta, Price and Zura, and they were teleported to a Tühinine city by Reality. Truth was also with the group but Truthless didn’t post so he sorta was just there. To get your character with the group you could say you followed them. Lots of cool applications for boundless time-travel 

 

[AonEne he/him]

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

“You will be getting new overalls,” he said, walking beside them. “Mess hall is that way, common room over there, and you’ll be getting you’re own rooms and beds, of course. Don’t try anything too cute. I suspect testing will be fun with this group.”

Gati walked calmly with the rest of the group, making no attempts to do anything, whether ‘cute’ or not. The one thing he did do was check his Power levels. It’s coming back. It was a relief - it would take a few minutes, but he suspected he would be back to normal soon enough. 

[+Sorana she/her]

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

“You will be getting new overalls,” he said, walking beside them. Sagitta has already heard these things before, but it was likely she wouldn’t be returning to the same level of confinement she’d been in before. “Mess hall is that way, common room over there, and you’ll be getting you’re own rooms and beds, of course. Don’t try anything too cute. I suspect testing will be fun with this group.”

Sagitta followed Price through the base, limping when her leg hurt with every step. She had a headache and was tired, the night's sleep had been close to non-existent. A servant stepped up to her, asked for her to follow her and so she did, trusted that Price influence would keep her save. The servant ld her to another doctor, who took a look at the torn stiches, and the crude ones they had placed on top and sighed. "That will be quite the scar." She stated and took a closer look, sniffed the wound. "I will clean it as good as possible, add something to ward off an infection. You have to try to keep it clean and you have to keep your weight off the leg."

Sagitta grimaced when the woman removed the dried blood around the stiches, it hurt and contrasting last time, she obviously didn't have a fitting instinct to lessen the pain. She tried to stay quiet, to take the pain and push it into a small ball in her stomach and wait it out. "It will take at least another week until this is healed. You have to go soft on that leg, or it will stay open, get infected again and the damage to the surrounding muscle and flesh will be even worse." Grimly she looked at Sagitta, then handed her a crutch. "Use that. And don't use your instinct. The pain is a warning, so heed it."

It was embarressing to take the crutch and figure out how to walk with it, but Sagitta did as she was told. Maybe it meant, that she wouldn't be climbing any ladders again soon. That would be relief. She followed the servant to her room, it was a little larger and the bed looked more comfortable. Same as last time there was a set of fresh cloths and she felt distached from herself when she repeated the same routine as yesterday. Head to the bathroom, clean up, dress in fresh cloths, return to your room, lock the door. And finally, finally she had a chance to sleep.

[Archer he/him]

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The way I’m picturing it, most of the party has been led a ways into the compound to a ground level hallway lined with doors, each of them leading to a modest, windowless, private chamber. They aren’t cells, more like guest rooms for visiting low-level officers and bureaucrats. Down the hallway, the facilities used by the employees (common room, canteen, the room where that doctor works etc.) can be found. The implication is that the party are technically welcome as guests, but their freedom remains limited to public areas within the building, and they may be monitored as the commanders of the facility see fit.

A lone soldier, a bearded man in his mid-thirties, unarmoured and wearing the overcoat of his uniform half unbuttoned, strolled down the hallway soon after Sagitta entered her room. Her paused to listen at her door, closing his eyes and pressing his ear up against the wood. After hearing her movements inside, he seemed about to knock on it, but a then noise distracted him. A rhythm of deep thumps, like the beat of a massive drum, could be faintly heard emanating from underground, gradually increasing in speed and volume.

He cursed under his breath and stepped away from the door. Hurriedly, he started jogging back down the hallway, buttoning up his shirt as he did so. “Never get a day’s peace, I swear…”

Meanwhile, Tion was being half-dragged down a spiral staircase. A goliath soldier had a hand on the back of his shirt and was pulling him along as they descended. They hit a landing, and the God of Sensation was afforded a brief glimpse of a row of dimly lit, barred prison cells, but his escort quickly pulled him to the next set of stairs.

However, as they continued, the sounds of metal tapping against metal wafted in from behind them. Voices murmured in the background, and soon the noises began to bang in time with one another, creating a slow, steady beat. Ting. Ting. Ting.  

By the time they reached the second landing, the prisoners there had already picked up the beat. Stomps and suspicious thuds added to the chorus. As Tion was led past and down a third flight of stairs, the pounding suddenly doubled its pace. Thump, thump, thump, thump.

Ahead of them, guttural chants started up: deep male voices, singing in a language the god didn’t recognize. Wild screams punctuated them, and insane, hideous laughter. It was almost deafening when they reached the bottom of the stairs, where a black metal door blocked their progress. The soldier grunted, sliding the deadbolt on it to the side.   

“Welcome to the basement.”

He pulled the door open. It screeched against the stone floor, barely audible over the cacophony of chanting, which had increased its tempo once more, becoming almost a single, drawn out scream. Nervously, Tion looked beyond the doorway.

There was nothing. Only thick, impenetrable blackness.

He drew on his Power, using his Sight to search for the glow of men’s souls. Strangely, he saw none – until he happened to look downwards. Twenty feet below him, a mass of writhing forms lit up, pressing against what he presumed to be the vertical walls of a deep pit which the doorway he stood in opened up directly in front of.

He felt a shove on his back. It sent him tumbling forwards, immediately into a freefall, headed straight for the grabbing hands of the mob of feral prisoners as their cheers assailed his ears.

[I think I am here. he/him]

A few hours later, a knock came on everyone’s doors.

“Testing!” The guards said. One of them opened Sagitta’s room, clanked their sword against the stone wall to wake her up. That one probably wouldn’t be doing much physical testing, especially with the way the testing leader had tried to make sure she wasn’t harmed much. That any of the captives weren’t harmed much. Even the Cahayan.

“Rise and shine! You all have been chosen to be tested together!” Opening Gati’s, Zura’s and Tion’s doors he was flanked by two other guards, with spears. Different from the patrol guards that had escorted the group here, these guards seemed less imposing. Still dangerous, but not carrying the natural toughness the night patrol officers back on the surface had. But that didn’t matter, with a spear or sword they were stronger than any captive.

“Testing!”

[+Sorana she/her]

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

“Testing!”

Sagitta jerked awake when her door was opened, tried to remember if she had locked it or not. Tiredly she rubbed her eyes, looked at the guard without understanding what her said while waking up completely. Her leg throbbed slightly and she groaned when she pushed herself to her feet, hoped they didn't expect her to jump down any ladders today. She wasn't sure how to test her instinct without physical activity, but she pushed the thought away for the moment. It was something for later. She would deal with the situation as it came up.

Lifting her arms she braided her hair back out of her face and then stood up, grabbed the crutch the healer had given her. It was embarressing, but she knew that the healer was right. If she got another infection in her leg she risked loosing it permanently and she definitely wanted to keep it. Limping out of the door she had to suppress a flinch every time the crutch hit the ground, the hard noise echoing strangly in the small room. It seemed loud, too loud, and she straightened her back, stared at the guard defiantly, until she finally looked away. In the hallway she stood, strong and straight while she waited for the others to exit their rooms as well.

@Lunamor @Archer

[Lunamor she/her]

Zura awoke to the sight of two Tühine guards looming in her doorway. Instinctively she reached for the knife she always kept in her boot but realized that all of her weapons had been confiscated. She swung her legs over the side of her pitiful excuse for a bed- hardly more than a wooden slab- and bent over to retie her shoelaces. She felt a flash of pain down her back and abruptly straightened. Her head jerked towards the guards, thinking that they had thrown something at her, but they hadn’t moved an inch. When had she been injured? Looking at the narrow confines of her musty cell, she decided that was the least of her problems. Warily she rose and attempted to pat her wild hair into shape. She quickly gave up once she realized that it would be impossible to fix without some sort of comb.

Walking so carefully that she was practically on her tiptoes, she advanced towards the door. She half expected to be stopped, but the guards just stared at her menacingly as she exited. She paused just outside her door, unsure what she was supposed to do. She fully expected that a careless step placed incorrectly would earn her a terrible punishment such as torcher or worse. She knew the horror stories told by former Tühine prisoners, and she intended to break out of there before any of that stuff could happen to her. She noted that Sagitta was also in the hallway, with a crutch. It didn’t surprise her that the enemy would test even the severely injured.  

@Sorana

@Archer

[AonEne he/him]

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

Opening Gati’s, Zura’s and Tion’s doors... 

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But isn’t Tion in a pit of crazy people? 

Also, I officially think I’m awful at writing a gender fluid person. In the hopes of not offending anyone or getting anything wrong, I’m going to retcon Negation to be male. Sorry for any inconvenience. 

Gati walked calmly out of his room when asked, smiling politely at everyone. Throughout his life, he’d never been a Tühine prisoner; this was new and interesting. “What will we be testing today?” he asked one of the guards. 

[Archer he/him]

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Tion is indeed in a pit of crazy people. I need to put this B-plot pot on to boil for the next post or two, then he’ll probably rejoin the group while it simmers. Apologies for the inconvenience.

Meanwhile, Three Levels Below the Compound. 

Tion stood in total darkness, watching the souls of broken men dance wildly around him. To his eyes, they were lit up like jack-o’-lanterns, as if someone had placed a flickering candle in a translucent human shell. Something, he thought it was an arm but it lacked distinction, grabbed at his face and channeled a blast of dark energy at him. He let it pass through, hitting the figure behind him who was wailing into a flute made of bone. Above Tion, the air shimmered, then a pair of likewise glowing prisoners dropped down on him, pinning him to the ground, which was littered with sharp debris and loose, cold rocks.

The pack of assailants closed in, clawing at his body, but their scratches failed to break his skin. One smashed a stone into Tion’s shoulder, then, seeing that it had no effect, growled and waved his hand to make it float back into the air then crash into his arm a second time. Others simply stomped and punched and screamed to try and break him down.

“Enough,” the god barked. “Enough!”

He inhaled slowly through his nose. As he did, it seemed to suck the energy out of the room. Around him, prisoners stopped rioting and started poking at their ears in confusion. Tion exhaled, and their shock turned to pain. They twitched frantically, grinding their hands into the sides of their heads and moaning.

Tion, now on his feet, had to shout to be heard over the sound of their gnashing teeth. “My dear friends, you have been cursed to dwell in this forsaken realm! It has driven you mad, quite mad. But rejoice! For today is the day your lives gain a new clarity: me.”

The god’s skin began to glow, his body emitting a soft, violet light, just a few shades lighter than the shadows. The madmen gaped in disbelief as Tion then started floating, ascending ten feet into the air to hover, looking down upon them all.  

“Fear me, my subjects, for I have powers beyond your comprehension. But fear not! For I shall use them to lead us all to freedom.” He held out his hands and a flaming sword appeared in his grasp, illuminating the upturned faces of his feral army. “There we shall wage a glorious war on those that dwell in the light, and seek retribution for the centuries of suffering they put us through by locking us away.”

[+Sorana she/her]

On 10.11.2019 at 5:17 PM, Lunamor said:

Walking so carefully that she was practically on her tiptoes, she advanced towards the door. She half expected to be stopped, but the guards just stared at her menacingly as she exited. She paused just outside her door, unsure what she was supposed to do. She fully expected that a careless step placed incorrectly would earn her a terrible punishment such as torcher or worse. She knew the horror stories told by former Tühine prisoners, and she intended to break out of there before any of that stuff could happen to her. She noted that Sagitta was also in the hallway, with a crutch. It didn’t surprise her that the enemy would test even the severely injured.  

"Good morning, Zura." Sagitta forced a more or less friendly smile on her face. Zura wore a dark expression, as if she expected to be hurt or tortured any moment. "He is different." She told her softly, remembered her own fear. "He cares, and he won't hurt you, not willingly."

She suspected, that Zura wouldn't trust her words, wouldn't even try to understand, to change her opinion and added "I know that you never wanted to end up here. But you heard his earlier order. I won't tell you to trust him, or myself, or Gati, that is a decision you have to make and it's something you have to come to a solution for yourself. You can stay here, expect them to cut you into pieces any moment and honestly, I can understand if that's what you think they'll do. But maybe you can find some peace in the fact, that you aren't chained, and that you had a room to yourself, free food and a place to clean up as well."

@Lunamor

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I've been thinking about some reasons, why the Noamds should attack Ta'e'ilo. Ene, is there anything you have in mind in that regard?

@AonEne

[AonEne he/him]

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No, I don’t really have anything along those lines, so feel free  

 

[Lunar Blessing she/her]

On 11/2/2019 at 8:58 PM, I think I am here. said:

Sensation and Negation met Sagitta, Price and Zura, and they were teleported to a Tühinine city by Reality. Truth was also with the group but Truthless didn’t post so he sorta was just there. To get your character with the group you could say you followed them. Lots of cool applications for boundless time-travel 

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I mean, that helps but I recognize maybe three of those names... I need a place to put Infinity in where she also has no idea what’s going on. 

 

[+Sorana she/her]

7 hours ago, AonEne said:

No, I don’t really have anything along those lines, so feel free  

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So I would really like to maybe rp that conflict a little more.

I thought that maybe because of the Augury the Nomads have to leave their home country, because something changes there/ they can't get enough food, whatever. That's why the press into Ta'e'ilo, because they have no other choice...

 

[Lunar Blessing she/her]

On 11/2/2019 at 8:58 PM, I think I am here. said:

Lots of cool applications for boundless time-travel 

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Ah yes. Okay. I have a thing in my head that I talked about with Ene

 

[Lunar Blessing she/her]

Sam walks into the city, she'd resumed time for her and Izzy in the tree line as to not draw suspicion from two people appearing out of nowhere. Looking at the city she sighs.

"Come on guys, I go to get pastries for ten minutes." She mutters, then turns to Izzy, "alright, you where able to tell where they where earlier, can you do it now?"

@AonEne

[AonEne he/him]

8 hours ago, Sorana said:

So I would really like to maybe rp that conflict a little more.

I thought that maybe because of the Augury the Nomads have to leave their home country, because something changes there/ they can't get enough food, whatever. That's why the press into Ta'e'ilo, because they have no other choice...

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That sounds good. As for what changes...hmm, maybe there's a drought? Like, really major? 

"Um," said Izzy hesitantly. "I think that way." She looked toward the center of the city. 

[Lunar Blessing she/her]

Sam sighs again, "of course the are. Alright, lets go." She starts off towards the center.

[AonEne he/him]

4 minutes ago, Blessing of Potency said:

Sam sighs again, "of course the are. Alright, lets go." She starts off towards the center.

Izzy followed nervously. This goddess was immensely powerful; if she ever couldn't figure out where they were, would Infinity kill her? But she kept quiet. 

[Lunamor she/her]

On 11/11/2019 at 10:42 PM, Sorana said:

"Good morning, Zura." Sagitta forced a more or less friendly smile on her face. Zura wore a dark expression, as if she expected to be hurt or tortured any moment. "He is different." She told her softly, remembered her own fear. "He cares, and he won't hurt you, not willingly."

She suspected, that Zura wouldn't trust her words, wouldn't even try to understand, to change her opinion and added "I know that you never wanted to end up here. But you heard his earlier order. I won't tell you to trust him, or myself, or Gati, that is a decision you have to make and it's something you have to come to a solution for yourself. You can stay here, expect them to cut you into pieces any moment and honestly, I can understand if that's what you think they'll do. But maybe you can find some peace in the fact, that you aren't chained, and that you had a room to yourself, free food and a place to clean up as well."

@Lunamor

@AonEne

“If he really didn’t want to hurt me, why did he bring me here? There’s no guarantee that he’ll be able to keep me save from the other Tühine officials and guards here. What if some more important Tühine notices that I’m here and decides to get rid of a nuisance? They probably have other Ta’e’lioans with a Probability Instinct to test on. I’m worthless to the rest of them, apart from being an easy target to enact revenge upon Cahaya on.”

She lifted her head and turned to face Sagitta.

”And I find no peace in the fact that I’m here. I may not have any physical restraints, by I’m constricted with with a different sort of chains. I am forced to help my enemies in contributing to their research. They will force me to help them learn how to better kill innocent Cahayans. Real chains would be far more preferable.”

The entire time she was speaking she kept her voice at a level barely above a whisper. She didn’t want to anger any of the nearby guards. She couldn’t afford to let them know how incredibly dissatisfied with her situation she was, so they wouldn’t suspect her to escape.

[Lunar Blessing she/her]

As they near the center of the city Sam steps into an alley, glancing around she makes sure no one is watching them. 

"I'll be right back" she says and stops time, the world around her slowing down to a stop. She steps back out of the alley and approaches the building, whistling slightly. Finding a side door she pulls it in and carefully opens it, and steps through. Making sure to return it to its original position she continues, looking around for someone she recognized. Looking around she spots a guard that seemed to be about her size. Pulling them in she quickly knocks them out and drags them into a nearby room. Donning the uniform she takes the spot of the guard and resumes time around herself.

[AonEne he/him]

Izzy waited nervously for Infinity to get back. She’d just disappeared. Izzy had once had a friend with the Infinity instinct; he had enjoyed stopping time at random and walking behind people, then tapping them on the shoulder. The goddess didn’t do that, though.