Event 1: Gods and Monsters

[letsplayamod]

[Time is a bit difficult to measure in this place. The storms that rage beyond your safe barrier, overtaking the horizon with their shifting lights and shadows, aren't doing it any favors. If you were to ask Athena, she'd say it's been about a week since your arrival. And since then... there's been scant signs of things improving.

Today, you wake up to quiet. No drone of distant winds. Not even birdsong breaches your bedrooms. Like a inhaled breath, the world seems to have paused.

And then, it exhales. The ground under your feet trembles and shakes. Dirt flies. Rocks shower down from the direction of the cliffs.

There, like an open wound stabbed into the earth, was a large crack where there wasn't before, spilling out an oppressive red light. Stranger still, some larger rocks are floating over the opening itself.

...Investigate?]

Comments

1/2

[stringup]

Great, another being out to screw us over.

[ She also has some questions for Athena, though she expects the others will be asking the same ones, so perhaps can hang back and just listen in— ]

[stringup]

[ There is a sudden, unfortunately-familiar pricking behind Velvet's eyes that makes her instinctively squeeze them shut, reaching up to rub at them like the action will do anything to help.

(It does not, and in all honesty, probably never will.)

When she pulls her hands back, they're covered in red. Blood is streaming down her face, flowing from her eyes like tears. ]

Ah, fuck.

[ Said in a tone that somehow manages to be both alarmed and tired. ]

[murchada]

[hey um. what the fuck? never mind being mad at Athena, this seems way more important.]

Velvet?

[stringup]

I know what this looks like, but it's mostly just me.

[ ...Or so she hopes. If she ends up blighting her surroundings now, she swears to gods— ]

[murchada]

Yeah, it doesn't look good. But... I mean, are you okay?

[stringup]

I mean, as okay as I can be considering the whole tears of blood thing.

[ She...probably won't bleed to death, she's reasonably confident in that (and if she turns out to be wrong, well, she'll be finding that out soon enough). ]

Guess it was too much to hope it wouldn't be an issue I'd have to with here.

[cannotunravel]

Velvet!

[Oh, this is not good. When Misane notices there's blood on Velvet's face, seemingly coming from her eyes, she pulls from her, intending to drag her towards Zvei over there]

You'll get healed. Come on!

[stringup]

[ Oh no, now the kids are going to get worried. Bugger her. While she's not going to fight too hard against Misane dragging her, she's not in a hurry, either. ]

Don't bother. I've tried that before, and it just starts again after a bit.

[cannotunravel]

Tell me the truth: did you get injured because I used my power on you? Did it make you reckless?

[That's another reason why she's worried: thinking that perhaps she has some level of responsibility for this situation]

1/2

[stringup]

What, no! If anything, I came out smelling like roses compared to some of us.

[ Yeah, even when she's crying tears of blood, she feels the need to refute that. ]

[stringup]

[ And after that, she just...sighs. ]

This is something from way before we got brought here.

[pariunt]

[Ohh he smells the blood before he sees who it’s coming from.]

That… does not look good.

[stringup]

Oh, definitely isn't great for me. Might not be good for you guys. Tell me if the grass starts wilting or some other spooky nonsense acts up.

[ It isn't happening right now, but the fact she's bringing it up is probably telling in of itself.

And as much as she's trying to play this off as not being a big deal, she is worried something worse will happen. ]

[pariunt]

Well, I certainly could, but I’m not sure how that would help the current situation!

[See, he can be flippant too.]

Is this new or something you’ve been dealing with?

[stringup]

I can at least remove myself until this [ gesturing at herself ] passes.

...It's from before we all got brought here.

[rockymountaindie]

[ In a grave tone: ] What kind of spooky nonsense?

[ He's got his own mysterious bleeding wrapped up and now is taking note of this. ]

[markofnobility]

Velvet?!

[D8]

[stringup]

[ All this attention she's getting is starting to make Velvet anxious. This is why she hates it when this happens. ]

It'll pass.

[markofnobility]

... of course. But please let me know if there is anything I can do to help.

[necromants]

[After dealing with Alex, Zvei will approach to get a better look. He's been curious about Velvet given her equally odd eyes, but she isn't a deimori... Well anyway, the point is the injury(?) first and foremost!]

Do you know what's causing it? Let's start there, shall we?

[But first, here have some bandages to wipe up the blood. He doesn't have anything better, so these will have to do!!]

[stringup]

[ Velvet knows that she can't keep dodging the question forever, but by gods does it still suck to have to address the "what causes this". ]

The best I've been able to tell is that it's supernatural. And it insists on happening no matter what, so the most I've been able to do is just...try to ride it out and keep it from getting out of hand.

[necromants]

[A nod! She'd know better than he would, and even just from a brief look (her legs are fascinating, by the way!) he can already tell that he's fighting a losing battle here. Even at full power he'd have a difficult time pinpointing the exact problem and healing it, because that requires him to be familiar with her physiology and as stated before, she certainly isn't a deimori, nor a human, elf, or sentinel.]

I see. I trust you'll come see me should you start experiencing anything odd with it? I doubt I could fully cure it, but I can offer my magic in whatever means may assist.

[sweetsynergy]

[Just staring for a second.]

You've got a little something right here.

[Vanity gestures to all of her own face.]

[stringup]

[ Dryly: ]

Thanks, I couldn't see the red filling my vision.

[sweetsynergy]

Glad to help.

[she cranky]

Is that normal or is this a new thing?