You have spent the last few days on Thesa Station, taking in the knowledge that your world is no more. Perhaps you've made some friends (or maybe an enemy or two). Either way, you aren't expected to spend all of your time on the Station. El Nysa needs you, after all, and you promised you'd help the planet thrive. Are you ready?
Submit an AC-eligible thread with a new character as a participant for 2 OLYMPIA REP POINTS OR 2 WYVER REP POINTS, respectively, HERE or HERE. THESA STATION
All refugees on the station are called to the hangar where a large-scale teleporter has been set up; everyone will be sent to the planet together. Simply step onto the space between the arrays and wait. Before they depart, all new refugees will be given a starter kit!
 You may have heard about earlier technical difficulties, but don't worry. I promise everything is in perfect working order this time. I'd say I tested it myself, but since that's not exactly possible, you'll just have to trust me! (Please.)
The older refugees will also be there to guide you to ensure no one is left confused... or behind. Make sure you wait for them — I've been detecting something odd so I'll be having them meet you at the landing site. Good luck, refugees! Not that you'll be needing it or anything...
The arrays begin to hum and glow, quickly building into a brilliant wash of light. It creates a column that travels all the way from Thesa Station to the surface of El Nysa. With the night sky as a canvas, the beam can be seen all the way from Olympia and Wyver — a view that has the natives whispering of blessings.
As a sudden but beautiful aurora splays across the sky, the refugees down on the planet receive a message asking them to travel to the landing site — and warning them to prepare for what may come of the strange readings Zasere's gotten from the teleport itself.
Traveling through the light leaves the impression of blinding starlight, a strange sense of weightlessness, and a disorienting moment of total sensory deprivation. The radiance of your teleport hangs bright in the sky above you, a shimmering aurora that reflects off the calm waters below, visible for miles all around.
You've landed on a peninsula to the east of the South Outpost. There's little here — scattered trees on spring-barren plains, with a few overgrown, dilapidated structures poking out of the brush. All is quiet save for the keening of animals and the gentle lapping of waves against the shore. This lonely desolation is hardly the bustling cities and vibrant cultures you were promised back on the station...
BY CAMPFIRE'S GLOW. But waiting for you is a group of your predecessors, and with them, a veritable tent city, with portable stoves, coolers of food and drink, comfortable bedrolls, and cheerful rings of bonfires — all that you need to make merry of the night, courtesy of Overseer Voss, who has, thanks to his interest in blessed meteorological phenomena and refugees, decided to make a holy expedition of the affair.
Settle in, meet new comrades, and enjoy yourself, for you've safely completed your journey. But don't wander too far from the fires — the dark is closing in, and there's a strange, electric feeling in the air, the scent of ozone drifting on the breeze. And what were those odd readings Zasere mentioned?
A SHEPHERD OVER THE FLOCK. The spring sun dawns on a grey morning, already burning away the fog rolling in off the sea. It quickly becomes apparent that Voss and his entourage of acolytes have been up for hours, hard at work. They've set up a brightly-draped stage and a travel pulpit, magically enchanted to amplify his voice, and as the sun breaks over the horizon, Voss is all set to do what he does best: proselytize.
 As our Goddess has sent Her blessing once before to herald the coming of those touched by Her light, so She has done once again! Here you see them, those surrounded by the light of our Goddess, each of them bearing the mark upon their skin of Her holiest of hands! Do you not see? Do none among you bear witness to the righteousness of Her message? Perhaps this is why our people have shamed themselves in front of our Goddess—
[ He continues for another 15 minutes... ]
Nevertheless. See you them before us now! See them as they are, coming to our gates with Her reminder, that these people must be treated with the utmost respect and care. Thesa's divinity is not to be treated with such flagrant disregard! Those who She chooses are not ours to use as mindless fodder, to hurt, to torture — shame upon those who allowed such deeds to shame us under Her watchful gaze!
To those of you who have just arrived here on our doorstep, be not afraid! The Temples of Thesa welcome you to our home with hearts and minds open! Should you ever find yourself in need of solace, seek out the Temples, as there are no greater allies to you than those of us within the Temple walls. You are welcome all to Olympia!
As he steps away from the enchanted podium, he can be heard saying aside to an acolyte, "How was that? Heavy on the shame, but I think it went well!" While he will not leave the area immediately, his acolytes will politely turn away attempts to speak with him and remind anyone interested that they can leave a message at the Temples.
Despite going off without hitch, the new refugees' arrival isn't entirely without incident. It seems that the "blessed" beam of light that brought the refugees down to El Nysa brought something else along with it — a sliver of the Storm. At least the beam was short enough that only a small fraction managed to squeeze through.
But it's enough to wreak a little havoc around the landing site and along the road back toward Olympia and Wyver — and even, for a few days, in the cities themselves.
THE TRUTH IS OUT THERE. The Storm is an undeniably destructive force, and that's proven with this small sliver's effect as it ripples across the continent. While there's no visible sign of its presence, strange phenomena soon begin to appear, corresponding with Zasere's odd readings.
They're innocuous little things at first. A sudden silence, animals going quiet, insects stilling. All technology, no matter how advanced, ceases working. You discover when you check with a friend, the clock on your phone is twelve minutes slow even though you'd swear only a minute had passed — time missing. Walking through the woods takes longer than it should when brushing past one bush leads to brushing past that same bush again — and again, and again, the area looping on itself. It keeps you trapped, going in circles for minutes, even hours, before finally releasing you in a random direction.
Or perhaps you'll feel a sense of deja vu, like you've walked down this road, taken this turn, seen that bird fly from this branch before. This is the second time that cat has crossed your path. The person you're meeting, you already know their name; you're certain you've already met.
WE GOT COWS. The Storm sliver also ushers in sudden, localized weather anomalies — heavy storms, blizzards, strong winds, and more. Affected areas range from just a few feet wide to nearly half a mile. One minute, the sky may be sunny and clear, but the next dark storm clouds roll in, unleashing torrential rain. Small tornadoes surge along the road, kicking up winds strong enough to knock people over and carry objects away. Hail hurtles down from the sky, but only in a ten foot radius. Temperatures fluctuate wildly between one extreme and the next, from heat waves to cold snaps. Soupy fog blankets the area, thick enough that you can barely see your hand in front of your face. Good luck finding your way!
FORGETTING IS SO LONG. The visions come on suddenly and with very little warning. One second, you're carrying on as normal — but the next, you blink and find yourself (and anyone near you) somewhere else completely. You may recognize this place as a moment from the past, one that you lived through. It's a memory, your memory, and it now replays around you in exceptional detail, unnervingly lifelike. Or you may not recognize it at all. It might belong to the person next to you, or to someone else entirely — a memory that the Storm has swallowed up.
Either way, the scene plays out just as it once did, and there's nothing you can do to stop it — or escape it. The memory surrounds you to no end: every door you open leads nowhere, every hallway you turn down continues on forever, every horizon you flee toward hangs just out of reach. And linger too long or turn the wrong corner, and you may find yourself abruptly stuck in a completely different memory. It's almost tempting, then, to give up, to let the past sweep you away...
But this isn't the full might of the Storm. Look closely, and you can see that in the walls of this trap, there are minute, hairline cracks, a facade of fractured glass. Imperfections in the memory where the real world is breaking through. It seems the only way to escape these memories is to find those cracks and break through them — by force, by will, or by some other method entirely.
The time is coming to make a choice — perhaps not a permanent choice, but unless you want to spend the rest of your nights out under the stars, you'll need to pick which city you will initially spend your time in. On the horizon, you will see that people have arrived to help you make that decision...
A FORK IN THE ROAD. Refugees and the hyper-religious wishing to hear Voss speak are not the only ones out and about under the light of the aurora. Citizens of both Olympia and Wyver have flocked to a point on the road midway between the cities and where the refugees have appeared, and they all have the same goal in mind: convincing the newcomers who have just descended in the blessed light of Thesa to come to their city and not the other.
They've come with bribes — that is, examples of what their cities have to offer. If you spent much time at the exhibition up on Thesa Station, you might recognize some of what's being shown off, though the offerings here are markedly more tangible, and shown off by hawkers wearing substantially fewer clothes.
A herd of pegasi accompanies the Olympians, while a line of flying serpents is stabled at a tent bearing Wyver colors. Refugees are given the chance to experience solo flights and are told that if they prove their loyalty, they may have the privilege of owning such fine beasts one day themselves. The Olympians have also brought couture clothing, jewelry, and makeup to offer a taste of Olympian splendor, while the Wyver delegation has brought along fine weapons, sense-enhancing jungle plants, and small vials of diluted dragon’s blood (drinking confers a temporary boost in strength) to demonstrate their might. The Olympians speak proudly of the glory of the Temples of Thesa; the Wyverns speak of the Volkkran Pact and inform newcomers that they can make a pilgrimage to the summit of Namarak Mountain at the next full moon.
This is as good a time as any to compare your plans with others around you and exchange contact information before going your separate ways with people who are going to the city you are not. When you’re ready to go, don’t worry about safe passage — the natives of each city will gladly escort you there in luxury.
OF WHITE AND GOLD. The people of Olympia are ecstatic that you’ve come to join them... So much so that they’ve prepared a grand tour of the city for the new arrivals. You will be introduced to the major businesses in the city, including businesses that they are proud to point out were founded by refugees.
Refugees who have been here for some time already are encouraged to pair up with newcomers to introduce them to the parts of the city they like best. To facilitate this, they’ve made arrangements with many of the business owners: new refugees who visit their shops (and older refugees who escort them) are given discounts!
Just a few examples of many: the Wyvernest offers free desserts to first time visitors with the purchase of a drink, refugees who visit the Silk Wyrms can have one custom (though not exceedingly expensive) outfit made for them for free, and visitors to Shades Darker are offered a half-hour session with one of the prostitutes at half price… or access to a private room, if they seem to have taken a shine to one of their companions on the tour.
Lastly, tour guides will point out that over the course of the next week, the train to Flona Cove will allow new refugees to board for free so that they can experience the seaside for themselves. With the weather finally starting to warm, this is as good a time as any for a visit to the beach, isn’t it?
OF RED AND BLACK. Life in Wyver is typically a sink-or-swim sort of experience — but in light of the valor recently displayed by their predecessors, the natives are now more willing to assist in getting newcomers settled. The entire journey here they have been talking up the virtues of their city… and now is the time to show everything that's on offer.
The well-known businesses in the city are prepared for the influx of newcomers. Some are giving out discounted samples of their products while others are offering a more hands-on experience: in exchange for working a few hours, they will give training in whatever task is being performed.
At the Forged, newcomers can learn the basics of crafting simple weapons (and take one of their successes home), while visitors to spas near the lagoons are trained in the art of massage. Those who wander to Falmi’s Ring can learn the art of pugilism or how to keep (and fix) books if they're more inclined to the gambling that goes on. Newcomers interested in Wyver's dragons can get hands-on experience at the Fields of the Exalted's nursery. While they walk from place to place, a guide may point out a job posting from Highwind Hires, noting that refugees can make a name for themselves outside official channels.
The last stop on the tour is the Undergrowth. The guides speak of the jungle in reverent tones and caution new refugees not to wander too far in. They warn never to explore alone, but also urge refugees to take time to familiarize themselves with it; after all, the jungle is an important part of life in Wyver, and those who are going to be living here should understand it as well as they do.
You've chosen your path, refugee, but that doesn't necessarily make it a permanent one. Watch out for the strange effects of the Storm, which linger still in the two cities and everywhere in between for the next few days before dissipating just as mysteriously as they came, but otherwise enjoy the welcome and make yourself at home — after all, this is home now.
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Brother- [he starts to pace anxiously, not unlike a trapped animal, his steps sporadic around the image of reign holding his brother so carefully-
he wants to scream, his hands moving between pulling at his hair and reaching out for his brother even when he knows his touch will pass through.] Brother- Stop it- [what he's seeing doesn't feel real. even when he knows the limitations placed on them here and the disadvantages his brother was at, he doesn't want to believe this was possible. seeing samael fall apart in the way only he and his siblings ever had was something he realized he never wanted to see.]
Stop it, stop it-!
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[It's hearing Amaimon's desperate voice pleading for it to stop that finally snaps Mephisto into action, throwing his hand out at his side and using damn near ever ounce of strength he has to shatter whatever the hell this illusion is--]
[The world around them suddenly cracks, as thousands upon thousands of fine slices cut through every inch of their surroundings, until the walls holding everything together shatter into nothingness. Even in the real world, the sheer forcefulness of the attack has left a mark, with the ground around torn up and the nearby patch of flowers cut to ribbons. It was a power he learned in this world, but that was the first time he's used it for something like that, as if cutting through space itself.]
[He's panting, eyes wide as he stares first at the ground, and then up at Amaimon. What does he even say? What could he say? Showing him something like that, the worst possible thing he could see, right after arriving...]
...hah--
2/3 I LIED
[This world has been one big joke at his expense since the moment he woke up. Everything he's gone through, everything he's lost, everything he lost again-- and now here it was again, toying with his suffering and dragging Amaimon up into it too.]
[The laughter is familiar at first, no doubt. The cold sort of cackle he might have indulged in when one of his plans was going well. But at some point, it breaks. His voice cracks, and he seemingly loses the strength to keep going, choking out a few more as he sinks down to his knees.]
[And around that point it might become clear just how difficult it is to tell the difference between those forced laughs and sobbing -- because they certainly sound somewhere in between, for all that there are clearly no tears in his eyes.]
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...my, what a cruel joke. I never wanted you to know about that, and yet this world decided I ought to be honest about that too... shall I simply make a vow never to lie again? It certainly isn't doing me any favors anymore.
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his brother is there again, but he's real and he's laughing and... and falling. amaimon thinks that if maybe he had been awake, if he hadn't fallen asleep again, maybe he could have stopped this from happening. maybe, maybe...
as he listens to samael break down from laughing into sobbing into nothing at all amaimon steps closer to him, completely silent. he stops right before him before falling to his knees and reaches out to press his palms to his brother's cheeks.]
Warm... [he says quietly, as if half expecting to feel him cold as death and something that could be relief strikes his chest like a pin.] You're warm.
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[It's something he found himself questioning back when he believed Amaimon had died here all those months ago. How did he really feel about his brother? About his family? When death was impossible, when he could easily go centuries without seeing their faces-- how much did he really care about them? Even at the time, Mephisto didn't know how to react properly to the loss beyond the act he'd put up around Yona, acting the role of a man who had lost his brother.]
[And yet he remembers all too clearly that despair he felt in the jungles outside Wyver. When that creature attacked him and forced him to confront all his fears and the pain of losing Assiah, bringing him to tears... back then, those tears had been for Amaimon as well, hadn't they?]
[Closing his eyes, he lets out a soft sigh before reaching up to rest a gloved hand over one of Amaimon's.]
I am. Just as you are.
[...]
...I missed you.
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but he understands missing. he missed his brother back home, missed him back in gehanna with their other siblings. he missed him in small, unobtrusive ways, but never did he think his brother felt the same about him.
amaimon is quiet again for a long moment and then... lightly knocks their foreheads together.]
I missed you too, brother.
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[Of course, as tender and sweet as this little moment is, when Mephisto opens his eyes and sees Amaimon right there, well-- look, his affection still has a limit. And so, he gives the back of Amaimon's hand a little pat before pulling back, and then once more returning to his feet. Once up, he turns and goes right back to normal -- at least, on a very surface level. He's clearly still affected by what they saw, but unless Amaimon asks him specifically, he won't explain it.]
...I'm not sure what's causing these little rifts in time, but it would be for the best to keep moving. It's possible it may be related to the method the Natha chose for delivering the latest batch of refugees to the planet-- or perhaps even some influence from the Storm.
In either case, I'd rather not wait around for it to happen again.
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he stands up after his brother, still studying him as they start to walk again. he wants so badly to understand what it is he's feeling now as he watches his brother talk and act as if what just happened really meant nothing. did it mean anything? amaimon wants to think that, but something uncomfortable settles in his chest and tells him that no - that isn't normal. none of this was normal.]
It could hit me next. [not that he had anything on the level of what they both experienced, but...]
Brother, I have a question.
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[Amaimon's curiosity was one of the things he liked about him, after all, so he knew it well. Still, it wouldn't have surprised him if Amaimon chose not to ask him anything. But he also knows that wouldn't necessarily mean that he's not curious about... well, everything he just saw.]
Ask me whatever you'd like.
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The Zora girl, Mipha. Is she important to you? [he tilts his head, brows knitting together.] She offered to heal me without question.
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[Which shows on his face, as he actually stops and turns around in surprise.]
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[H-How honest should he be with Amaimon about this? When he hasn't even been fully honest with himself about this??]
[But even if he were, would Amaimon understand? He knows he's not stupid, but this wasn't exactly the sort of thing that came naturally to demons. Hell, most were wired against it, just as Mephisto believed himself to be.]
[Maybe if Amaimon hadn't chosen to ask this right after such an emotionally draining moment, he would have gotten a more colorful reaction. As it is, Mephisto cheeks flush only just a bit, and he turns around again, continuing down the path as he talks--]
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[The plan he alluded to on Thesa station -- though Mipha was only a small part of it. The Natha were ultimately the real bargaining chip in appeasing Lucifer's desire for world destruction.]
She's someone I consider both an ally and a dear friend. So please, do your best to treat her kindly.
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he starts to fidget with a loose string on the edge of his sleeve.] She knows a great deal about us so I thought you must trust her. [a pause] I met another Zora here too although he was far larger than her.
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[Despite the fact that he's like 5 times her size... just don't think about it too hard.]
He's only recently woken up from stasis, so I can't say I know too much about him. But from what little I've seen, he's a bit... much. [He's Extra™ af.] However, Mipha is rather fond of him, so try not to give him too much trouble.
["Basically, don't kill him" is about what that falls under. Clearly he cares very much for his brother-in-law's well-being.]
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... he'll keep those comments away from mephisto's ears for now.] He seems strong, but he's more interested in telling me about lotion.
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Ah. Yes, he had a particularly strong interest in that when I spoke with him as well. [Is it his fetish or something?? Concern.]
I have a number of other allies I'll be sure to point out to you in time... ah, I know!
[And with a snap of his fingers-- he brings out his phone and opens a certain photo album, before floating it over to Amaimon. In it are photos of various people, mostly candid shots, though the grand majority of them seem to be Mipha and Yona... as well as another album marked only with a winky face that seems to be password protected. Shame.]
This should save a bit of time... of course, not everyone in there is someone I would consider an ally, but they're all people I know in some way or another.
[And maybe this will give him a few minutes of quiet... he's faking it well, but he's still pretty shaken up by that memory earlier. But asking for a few minutes to himself is a weakness he'd rather not show to Amaimon after a moment like before.]
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[and it does, in fact, give him some quiet time as amaimon busies himself with mephisto's phone, flipping through the pictures one by one. a few of these people he recognizes - mipha, yona, chuuya, kale - and the rest are complete strangers to him. with one album done he moves onto the next one. the password protected one.
there's more silence as he tries to crack the password and after a few tries finds himself successful.
... not that there's really anything interesting in this album either. just weird pictures of his brother and someone else that didn't show up in the first album. weird.
the silence between them goes on for a while longer until amaimon comes across something that has him frowning and then.
throwing mephisto's phone into the bushes while still walking.]
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[But this means that he doesn't actually notice his phone has been thrown... until he turns and notices it's not in Amaimon's hands.]
...are you done looking already? You could have just given it back to me.
[And he holds out his hand like he expects him to fish it out of his pocket or something.]
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I threw it away. [because he can easily get another one and that phone was already trashed, right?]
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[He doesn't even grab him. Amaimon will feel his body suddenly stopped -- and then jerked around to face Mephisto. It definitely says something that his first instinct was to use his powers -- he'd usually sooner grab Amaimon than go to that much effort.]
You what?
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well he's facing his brother again, nose wrinkling as he avoids looking mephisto in the eye.]
I threw it away.
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[GETS ALL UP IN HIS FACE]
Now why would you go and do something like that to my phone -- one of the last of my precious possessions I have left from Assiah?
[Meanwhile, in Amaimon's head.]
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It looked broken. [it's hard to speak clearly when mephisto has him by the face like this, but whatever.
amaimon points over to one of the bushes.]
I threw it there.
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