⇨ 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

[osteothropy]

"Y-Yeah," Sans says to Rita, obviously unnerved. "I think it was one of those things where... she could see pretty much everything I was seeing. She thought she could catch dissenters by tossing me out there and going off of how people reacted."

He's not sure if anyone gave enough information to be a risk, that way.

"After this... I dunno if she's going to be looking for everyone who came to me about mailing stuff or not."

[spaghettimonster]

With Rita forcing some calm on the situation, and 9S and Sans following her lead, Papyrus manages to calm down a bit in turn. It's enough to pause his pushing manic optimism everywhere, and listen.

It's not good news. After all his care and attention to hiding what he was doing from people around them, he'd thrown that dust right in Sans' face, where he and any watchful spiders could see it. In hindsight, he is super suspect. But their friends...? Reira, at least, said she said hello and asked for paper. That doesn't seem too suspicious.

"W-Well... We can warn them, to be careful," he offers. Using the very mailing list that might be endangering them in the first place might backfire, but they can figure something out. "Do you think... she could hear, too?"

[anti_nonsense]

"I was afraid of that..." Rita mutters. "I didn’t give away any specifics, but our conversation this morning probably looked suspicious, especially under scrutiny."

She casts a look around her workshop. It seemed like a nice base for a while, but now? "Maybe I should consider making myself scarce, too..." Stepping lightly, she draws closer to 9S, brushing her tail against his front leg as she turns around and sits at his side. It’s meant as a sort of reassuring gesture. "I'll make another round of reports before I do anything, though. We'd better get word out about this." Particularly to the other supervisors, the militia, and anyone else who ran into Sans today.

[dressedtothe]

He misses being able to hold hands and hug Rita...

"I think I'll be fine."

He's hardly been in contact with Sans or Papyrus, mostly having been seen with Rita. Having seen other large animals in Eden with smaller ones, it seemed like a good excuse to stick with her. But if she's going to make herself scarce...

"I'll contact Lambert." He's also a cat of sorts. It wouldn't look too weird if he just swapped cats, right? "See if we can get an art project going that just happens to give us a good view of the cathedral so we can keep an eye on things."