⇨ EDEN

[ringleaders]

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.

Comments

childermass aka pravu aka hey look at that dog, ota

[atouts]

sick as a dog; late day 79-day 80, post-anointment

Much to the horror of the Honorables, Childermass passes out at the very end of his branding (which ends up being on his left shoulder in his dog form, burning away black fur and blistering angrily under the iron). It's less a surprise to Childermass himself, knowing full well this would go poorly for him and yet he managed to hold still, stoic until the very end when they had to fish a fainted borzoi out of the water.

He isn't out cold for terribly long, however, waking up to the pain is entirely regrettable. It doesn't kill him like it did the full-blooded-fae-turned-skink in their midst, but it leaves his limbs feeling heavy, his movements sluggish, as if ill, and it's all he can do to stagger his way to the nearest building of the town and pass out again, only this time on purpose, to sleep.

There are times when he will be awake, if indifferent to actually getting up and doing anything. Since he's picked a previously empty building left open for the new arrivals, chances are high he's not in there alone and he'll end up watching the other "animals" from the carnival, eyes open and tracking them but head still resting on his forepaws.

shadow arts (ninjas not included); after day 80

He does recover, however, just in time for inspiration to strike. Childermass finds this annoying because he has better things to do and yet here we are. Seeing how it's expected in this society, he will at least give it a try, to see what he can manage with his shadow constructs, and as it turns out, he can manage... quite a bit. Funny how once you get started, it's hard to stop.

In this case, he's figured out how to use the shadows like ink or paint. Rather than sculptures of shadow, which he could easily do if he wanted, he's flattened the constructions out a blank wall. Where doesn't matter, just that it's blank and won't be hit full on by the sun for a few hours yet. He's up on his hind legs, forepaws braced against the wall, dragging shadows into place as if drawing on a grander scale. What he can reach, he sketches out himself, filling the rest out by will alone, lines spreading out and settling into place like little dark vines.

Feel free to stop by and try to figure out what the heck he's even making this time or, even better, ask why he's wasting his time at all. He's a supervisor. Doesn't he have better things to be doing?

shadow arts!

[periphrasing]

Peridot's top priority when everyone was receiving their animal forms had been to memorize A) what her friends looked like, and B) what the other supervisors looked like. It had come as something of a relief when she'd noticed that she and Childermass had both been placed under the same architect. Even if there's no restriction on animals under different spiritual leaders interacting with one another, the connection makes it easier (at least by her logic) to justify approaching as soon as time allows. That's how you make 'new' friends in a new place, right? You find commonalities with one another and start by bonding over that.

So, while Childermass is in the middle of working, a little raccoon shows up to watch him work. She has to admit, his talent is certainly fascinating, and she gets caught up in observing for a few minutes before she can bring herself to interrupt.

"You're sure getting right into things," Peridot observes blandly.

[atouts]

Chances are Childermass would have been fairly easy to figure out regardless; black-furred dog, the sort with a long crooked nose and gangly as all heck limbs. Gangly limbs he's currently using to sketch out horses in shadow, though he does pause when Peridot finally says something. He had known he had a little audience, he just didn't bother acknowledging her until now.

"Would be a bit odd to ignore it," he replies, looking up at what he's set down to the wall for now, then turning to glance back at Peridot, taking one forepaw off the wall as he twists about to look at her. "Don't you think?"

[periphrasing]

"I suppose so," the raccoon says with a noncommittal jerk of her head. "Personally I've been too busy familiarizing myself with how this place works."

Actually she's been ignoring the call of her talent and it's killing her a bit, but she's trying to focus on the whole reason why they're here and at least try to track down a few leads first. MISTER ACQUISITIONER.

"My name is Salathi, by the way," Peridot adds, looking sort of pained when she says the name. "And you? What name did the wise Saraqael bestow upon you?"

[atouts]

HE'S FITTING IN, MISS ENGINEER. It's a thing, try it sometime.

"Considering how many places around here I can put these drawings up at, I imagine I'll see more than enough of Eden as I go," Childermass replies, sounding flippant about it all. He'll get there, he's sure of it. As for names, his ears perk forward as Peridot 'introduces' herself. Salathi. Better remember that.

"I'm Pravu." Although since Salathi is so busy looking around, he'll add, "Found anything worth looking at yet, Salathi?"

[periphrasing]

Fitting in is for squares.

"Well yeah. In a place like this there's plenty worth looking at," Peridot says, making a vague gesture with one paw. "It's all so... New! New and UN-familiar to me. Just being given a name is weird! I'm still trying to get used to it."

Lean into the awkwardness, Peridot. It'll make the act seem more convincing. Probably.

She sits back on her haunches and cocks her head at the borzoi. "I asked someone about that, actually. The names, I mean. Being given a name where I had none prior is... an honor, of course, but I was curious how that even worked. So I asked this coyote-- A coyote, can you believe that? A natural predator of my species, the raccoons-- I asked, 'How do the architects even come up with so many names for all the animals here?' and SHE told me that the Architects can read your soul and derive the name from that."

sick as a dog

[starseedling]

Steven doesn't take the whole branding thing particularly well, either. He doesn't pass out like Childermass does, but he cries, and he spends a long time in the water afterwards, looking stunned. He was branded on his hip, and even after taking a pretty long time to float, the joint feels inflamed and numb afterwards.

Still, he manages to make himself limp away along with the others, thanking his gem stamina for helping him cope with the injury.

Of course, despite the fact that he is feeling dizzy and ill, he can't help but be worried about the other people taking the branding poorly. Childermass, in particular, is on his mind, considering the things they have in common, and he ends up tracking down his fellow faeblood afterwards, and finds the dog sleeping.

Steven slumps down next to him, and spends a few minutes seeing if he's awake. When he determined he's not, he makes an executive decision - he crouches by Childermass's side and starts licking the burn mark on his shoulder.

[atouts]

For what good healing spit will do a burn made by iron. Childermass might not be awake at that very moment but it's inevitable that the rasp of a lion's tongue over the still painful mark will have him grumbling in annoyance and cracking an eye open. He moves his head, craning his neck just enough to see Steven without lifting his head.

That's... definitely a cat. Of some kind. To be fair, he hasn't encountered lion cubs before, even if he knows what grown lions do look like.

"What..." He starts speaking, though long spats of sleep have left his mouth and throat dry. His voice has always sounded like gravel, sure, but it's definitely worse now. Still, he brings his head up off his forelegs and tries again, "Stop that. You'll make it worse."

[starseedling]

It will at least help with the pain of the fire part, even if it won't be able to heal a wound made by iron as well as Steven would usually be able to. The roughness of his tongue may be balanced out by the gentle pain-numbing effect of his saliva, managing some of the symptoms of the iron poisoning even if not curing the iron itself.

He only licks the wound a couple times before leaving it be, and then impulsively licks Childermass's cheek before flopping down again. He's too messed up to worry about containing his feline urges at the moment. He curls up and stays where he is.

"No I won't," he mumbles, and his voice is Steven's, even if Childermass didn't recognize him before.

[atouts]

That it actually ends up numbing the injury is a surprise. Childermass isn't typically around or conscious when Steven goes around spitting on people, alright? So he does bare his teeth a bit at the lick to his cheek, if only out of annoyance, but that's all once he realizes who it is bugging him.

Of course. The ears and tail match what he has in the carnival, doesn't it? Or at least close enough, if not spot on.

"Not exactly how I imagine being helpful to be," he says after a second or two of silence, looking down at his brand, "But I suppose I was wrong."

[starseedling]

The ears and tail are pretty much the same - the only difference is that they are usually mossy green instead of the warm pinkish tone they are now. Steven is apparently content with being a bit cheeky at the moment, smiling a little, and he lies his head on his paws, stretching out his branded leg to give it some air.

"Yeah, I think most people get kind of surprised when I do that," he says, laughing softly, then sighs. "I wish I could do it to myself right now."

shadow arts, late day 81

[kingsroads]

Well. Strange just had an illuminating conversation with Ignatius. And he told Childermass before coming here that he'd keep him up to date on everything, and so Strange shall do just that. His mood's also calmed down slightly from the utter panic attack that it was for all of the previous day. Granted, he's still nervous and tense because most of the information he's gotten has been shades of 'terrible', but Strange is at least a more capable bird now than before.

He's been flying around Eden (because flying is awesome, and Strange loves it) before he spots Childermass. Strange catches a gust of wind down towards where the dog is doing his artwork and executes a solid three point landing right on Childermass's head.

And then, because it's his turn to be an asshole bird, he lightly nips Childermass on the ear. "I've found something of use." But Strange is briefly distracted as he looks at the wall. "Though hmm! That's new!"

[atouts]

Being on the other end of the asshole bird spectrum is new and, unsurprisingly, unwelcome. Childermass now as a raven on his head and it takes every ounce of willpower to tamp down on the urge to shake Strange off or even take a snap at him. Considering how long his legs are in this form, he figures he could snag a big bird like that out of the air before it could get too far.

But that isn't happening. At least, that isn't happening yet, but we'll see. He does, however, wrinkle his nose and pull a paw down along the wall. It's currently a mural of dogs racing through snow, somewhat stylized by the use of shadows and, with a motion, he has every single drawing turn to stare at Strange. Looks like someone's gotten the hang of this really fast.

"Well? What is it? I'm not a perch, you know."

Yes, yes, the wall is interesting, but what was that about finding something?

[kingsroads]

Right, that's rather creepy the way the shadow dogs look at him like that. He tilts his head a bit as if to get a better look at the shadow dogs before going back to the matter at hand. And sorry buddy, Strange continues to use Childermass as a perch. This time, he leans in slightly towards the dog's ears and whispers some gossip.

"There's a magical cavern somewhere where they take either prisoners or people of interest. I don't know where it is because apparently, someone casts a sleeping spell on you before you enter. The leaders were there and they were talking about the Mirror."

No comment about how Strange got that information. He'll tell Childermass if asked, but the whole Ignatius situation is another potential can of worms.

[atouts]

That may be a bad topic to be overheard discussing but pausing to listen only makes it that much more obvious that "Pravu" is being distracted. He'll give a snort and put the dogs back to looking the way they were before, then begins on a new one, very casually.

"What did they say about it?" He asks as he draws out more shadowy lines, dropping his own voice to match Strange's own whisper.

sick as a dog >> through to naming >> whenever we want

[whattaprick]

When Childermass comes to the first time after passing out and staggers to his feet again, he’ll find a cat close by his side — hilariously small in comparison, the only clue to his identity the golden eyes and striped markings over one eye that mimic familiar scars. One ear is blistered, puffy, but he’s otherwise in good shape.

He doesn’t say much until the dog lays down again. When he does, it’s a simple ‘get some rest.’ By the time Childermass swims back to wakefulness, he’ll find the cat sitting up, tail twitching alertly while his ears pivot at every sound he picks up.

[atouts]

While the memory of yellow eyes and odd stripes do come to mind, they're muddled as he wakes. He turns his head slightly where it lays, staring at the cat, trying to pick out something recognizable. Someone he knows, someone he definitely knows, only 'cat' and 'Lambert' don't quite connect.

Had he been a boar or a polecat or even a wolf, but whoever this is, they're none of those, and his brand new sense of smell is utterly useless when he never knew what Lambert's scent was, to begin with.

So, while he does shift a little where he lays, he doesn't say anything just yet. Watching, waiting. With ears like those, the cat's sure to hear him stir as he wakes anyhow.

[whattaprick]

The shift is subtle, but Lambert can tell. It's like getting used to having sharper senses all over again, all this business, though at least he's figured out it's instinctive to land on his feet. He'll give Childermass a moment or two in case he wants to say something first, but when nothing comes, he'll turn, blinking.

"Feeling any better?" The voice, at least, is familiar enough, though it's a bit funny coming out of a face like that. Catlike mouths certainly aren't made to produce that sort of sound, yet here it is anyway.

He rolls to his feet, arching his back, then settles down again, tucking his paws under him instinctively so he's little more than a loaf of fur.

[atouts]

Very familiar and therefore a relief in itself. As if it's an answer, Childermass will roll over to his other side and use his paws to push himself closer, just enough so he can flop his head down against the cat like he's some living fuzzy pillow. Just better enough to move, it seems, so there's that.

"Could have done without that part," he grumbles quietly, caring not at all for how familiar he might seem with what should be a strange cat. He's a dog, after all. Domestic, too. That should cover for being overly friendly.

Day 80

[psionichax0r]

Hazi, really Sollux in armadillo form, walks by in search of his own blank wall to cover. Cans of spray paint float in the air behind him, in a variety of colors, surrounded by the signature red and blue light of his psionics. He sees the dog that he thinks is a carnival member working, and stops for a moment, looking the 'drawing' over. And then he looks again, and then he looks again.

"What is it?" he finally asks, curious, but also clearly judging Childermass' work.

[atouts]

Childermass pauses in his work to look back, eyeing the armadillo for a bit before confirming that, yes, he was among those getting anointed that same day. Therefore, very likely from the carnival. Still, he wrinkles his nose, since the voice doesn't immediately tell him who.

"Just a stag," he does answer, at least, and it is, roughly, what the shadows form. It's less precise than what he's done previously, a mass of shadows seemingly splattered across the surface in a form that does look like a stag. He looks up at it again.

"A bit messy but I think it works out."

shadow arts

[pipers_son]

Listen, Joker just spent a good portion of his time arranging feathers on pavement, and he's a supervisor too. At this point, he won't question all of it, and instead will chalk it up to the kind of weird nonsense that just comes with being transformed into an animal, given a weird brand, and named by weird mysterious animals in the shadows. It's... Well, it's not fine, exactly, but it also hasn't yet gone completely tits-up-sideways, so Joker will roll with it for the time being. He imagines that will change shortly with someone doing something stupid (shout out to Strange in the future), but, hey.

For now, there is just a very colorful peacock standing by and watching "Pravu" at work. After a few moments, he speaks up. "Could use more color."

This is probably unsurprising considering that, not only is it a peacock giving this advice, but this particular peacock seems to have a rather ridiculous tail attached to him like if someone dipped all his feathers in different colors of paint all the shades of the rainbow and then attached them to his ass while blindfolded.

At last it makes him easy to recognize.

[atouts]

"Pravu" wrinkles his nose and looks back over a shoulder at the peacock. Sounds like Joker and that form sure as well suits Joker, so it must definitely be Joker. While Childermass isn't against color by any means, the suggestion seems ridiculous based on his current medium.

"Could it?" Childermass manages to deadpan even as a dog. "Well, let me just find some red and green shadows, throw a few of those in there."

Admittedly, red and green might be nice to have, seeing how he's drawing some nearby flowers up on the wall, if only far larger than the model he's basing it on.

[pipers_son]

Honestly, if Childermass couldn't manage a perfect deadpan even in dog form, it'd be a little worrying. What would they all do without that sort of talent? Also it would probably mean that something was seriously wrong.

Either way, while it doesn't have Joker smiling, exactly, on behalf of beaks not being so malleable as lips, he does sort of duck his head down to look up at Childermass playfully. It's the best he can manage with things as they are. "If that's a challenge, I think I could probably come up with somethin'~." Because that's what Childermass wants, right. This guy getting up in his artistic endeavors. Definitely.

And if not, well, it's too late, because Joker is twisting around to do his best and start nudging his beak through the various tail feathers he has. "Besides, that's quitter talk, innit? It's just, ah, tricks of light and all that, right?" He's pretty sure that's how it works, anyway. Admittedly, he is by no means a technician, or scientist, or scholar of any kind... It's fine.

[atouts]

"A shadow is typically the opposite of light," Childermass points out. Something blocks light, there's a shadow. It's just in this case he's using magic to put shadows in places. He pushes off from the wall, settling down on all fours so he can turn around and face Joker properly. He eyes the tail feathers, though, wondering just what he's up to with those.

"The best I could hope for is grays."