lostcarnival | ⇨ EDEN

Who: Everyone!
When: Day 79 - Day 85
Where: Eden
What: Everyone arrives in Eden with their new animals forms - unfortunately, the welcoming party is a bit more intense than expected, with a ritual called 'The Anointment.' Better get this place figured out before anything gets any crazier.
Warnings: Hopefully no ritual sacrifice!

FLAME OF INSPIRATION↴

So it begins. After everyone has been given their new animal form and have had about an hour to readjust to it, the Ringmaster begins the infiltration. You don't see a lot of the specifics of the magic - all you know is that Pru's sword, the Hand of God, is somehow involved. It alone can tear through the wardings of Eden's realm, and once that entrance is made, the teleportation is instant. Everyone will find themselves in an open grassland overlooking a dense forest, with buildings and lights poking up out of the leaves. Behind you, there is a darker place - the barrens, the Ringmaster has explained. It's were the Outcasts are sent after they're banished.

You are scattered across the area as if you've been dropped in with nothing. You've been given specific instructions - act as if you have no memory besides the vague life of being an animal. None of you know each other. You don't know how you got here, you've just been suddenly found yourself enlightened. Hopefully feigning ignorance will be what the residents are expecting, as what information the Ringmaster could find suggests it should be.

Before the beasts of Eden come to claim you, you'll see the Ringmaster once last time, in the form of a giant serpent. With a nod of her head, she slithers away towards the barrens - she'll be in touch.

► THE WELCOMING: It's not long until you're discovered. The first to find you is a pigeon, who seems rather surprised. She'll ask the first few new arrivals she sees a couple questions - 'did you just get here?' 'did you meet the great Lilith?' Regardless of your answers, she'll hurriedly say she's going to go get help, and will fly away back into the forest. A short while later, an entire welcoming party of different animals will have come to greet you, sweeping out to find every straggler and explaining that you are the newest of the chosen. After they are sure that nobody is being left behind, they will invite you into Eden.

► THE GARDEN: Eden is a beautiful place. Every street, every structure, is surrounded by flowers and vibrant plant life - every bit as idyllic as its mythos would imply. The architecture is ambitious and creative, as if the residents have been perfecting the art for thousands of years, which they almost certainly have. There is the sweet smell of perfumes and incense on the other animals are you are led into the city. This is your home now, the locals will explain. You have been chosen by the Creator to serve Her cause. You will become one of the Honorable, one of Her artisans working towards the Divine Clarity. But first, of course, you must be sanctified.

► THE ANOINTMENT: On that first night, everyone is brought to a vast cathedral, covered in unknowable writings in a shining script. You are brought in through several gorgeous hallways lit with shining crystals and blue flame torches, only to emerge in a great hall built around a circular, sparkling pool of water. There are several braziers around its circumference blazing with fire, with sets of tools hanging out of them, like iron pokers. All of the new arrivals are gathered into the grand hall, and scriptures are read in the background that you can't really make out the specifics of.

You will all be made to stand around the outside of the pool, and the local animals will gently explain to you what needs to be done. To become a new Honorable, you must be Anointed with the Flame of Inspiration - that is, they are going to brand you with the metal pokers they have heating up. If you go along with it, they will burn the mark into a highly visible part of your person (they have smaller brands for smaller animals), and then cool it off in the pool of water, where you are encouraged to bask until you are comfortable again.

There are obviously a couple concerns with this. The biggest one is that it's sketchy as hell. The second one is that the brand is definitely made of medium grade iron. While the painful difference it makes won't be super obvious from the outside, long-term veterans and those with superlative fae qualities will find it very uncomfortable, and it will blister for a fair while afterward, which is seen as unusual. If your character refuses, or tries to get around it somehow, please explain in reply to the post down below.

► THE DAYS AFTER: After everyone is branded (or isn't, as the case may be), you'll be given the opportunity to dry off and head back into town. All of the fancy structures here are communal, they will explain, and you can choose wherever you'd like to sleep. There are a few buildings that are mostly empty that newbies seem welcome to hole up in, though the locals assure everyone they will be nearby in case they need help.

In the days that follow, everyone will be welcome to explore Eden and find their bearings, and begin to discover what gifts the Anointment has bestowed on them. Whether or not you were good at a creative pursuit before, you will find yourself filled with inspiration for something - any artistic talent will do. It's like a creative talent will have been born in you overnight, or like an existing talent of yours has been boosted to near perfection. This effect will last as long as the characters are in Eden unless you are told otherwise.

You won't feel the need to eat, but there is breakfast available, if you'd like it. The locals are very courteous, though they seem a bit confused. Something about your entry seems to strike them as different than usual.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

It's apparently hard to get up there if you can't fly. But that's fine, because after watching Yuya try to get up for a while, she move to jump off.

"I'm sure you would," she says, and lands on a bridge of light like the aurora borealis and starts walking on it, through the air, as if its solid. She moves at a very leisurely pace.

Yuya gapes at the bridge for a second before changing direction to follow her, running under the bridge and looking up at her. There's an obvious difference of temperament here, so he dials it back a bit but he's still earnest when he speaks.

"Since you're really good at making things, and Saraquel asks you for help, I thought you'd know the most... sorry, do you get a lot of--us who ask you the same stuff?"

"You know," she says, her tone obviously impatient, even offended, "Me being chosen by the Architects doesn't mean that trying to buddy up to me is your fast track to recognition."

"You want free advise? Then know this... you have to make your own way to the top, and no one is going to do it for you."

Yuya stops right under her, ears twitching. He backs up a little to try and look at her face, his head tilting like he's deciding now to respond.

"What if I'm not trying to get recognition? It's kind of expected of me anyway, isn't it? Everyone's working for the same thing..." At least that's what he assumed, that this was a largely communal affair. Maybe it's more competitive than he thought. "Isn't everyone working together for Lilith?"

"Perhaps," she says, still dismissive, "but only the very best of us will ever have Her eye. Do you think She has time to look at every amateur project Eden has turned out? You haven't even seen the starting line when it comes to the real work."

She lays on her bridge, looking down at him with an unimpressed expression.

Yuya sits down once she lays down, still craning his neck up to look at her.

"Does that include you?" His tone is light, like he already assumes the answer is 'yes'. He's sure at least the Twelve count, but he would believe that actual honorables have caught her eye and faced the mirror.

"Of course it does," she says, looking at her claws. "That's what being Chosen means." 'Chosen' apparently has a capital letter now. "In fact, I'm practically Saraqael's heir."

"Wow," he sounds impressed, anyway. "Heir like you could become an Architect? Do they ever, uh, stop being Architects, like when an Honorable can't make anymore? They seem like they'd be old..."

Is it rude to call immortal animals old? Eh.

"If one of them dies, I suppose," she says, "or when their inspiration burns out. It happens to everyone eventually - they don't have anything left to create."

"That's what I heard." There are probably worse ways to die, he supposes. "But that must take a long time. I can't imagine running out of ideas right now."

Speaking of that--the talents aren't an urgent conversation, but if he's getting Kerubi to talk he shouldn't push offending her. "Where do our talents come from? Did we always have this, and Lilith saw it?"

"They come from the Flame of Inspiration that you were Anointed with," she says, waving her paw. "Though, I suppose each one of us must be unique in the potential we are created with. We certainly aren't all made the same. I just know, I certainly couldn't do any of these things before Lilith enlightened me."

"Oh--so that's what that does." Well, good to know it's more than some painful hazing ritual.

He's not sure if his face really manages happy smiling like this, but his ears perk up. "Unique potential... is that why you think everyone has to find their own way, because we're all different?"

Her ear twitches, showing her obvious confusion.

"Well... yeah?" she says, like that should have been obvious. "And riding on someone else's tail isn't going to get you anywhere."

And impressing at least the Architects is probably the best way to get closer to the mirror. That's what he'll have to do.

"Okay, then I'm going to work really hard!" He stands up again, tail swishing with drive. "Uh, I didn't ask before, but what's your talent? Can I see it sometime?"

"Illusions," she says, from behind him, on the ground. When he turns around, he'll see Kerubi sitting there - and suddenly the version of her in the air is gone. Who knows how long this has been the case.

Yuya stops and spins around suddenly, which with four legs and sitting down just results in him flipping over with a surprised yelp, flailing to right himself again as he stares up at her.

And then it catches up to him and he laughs. "That's--really cool. And a lot different from making tea."

He rights himself, looking over her again now that he's closer, to remember. "Thanks for talking to me. If I make something I think is good, can I come show you?"

"I guess," she says, and then hops to her feet, swooshing her fluffy white tail in his face. "If you can find me."

With that, she turns into clouds and vanishes.

⇨ EDEN

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