@everyone (cw: pit shrine related gore)

[unwings]

It’s time we address the behemoth released from the shrines.

For those who weren’t in the pit, we shared the cavern with 4 occult shrines that produced a steady flow of blood. When the exterior of each was removed, a second was beneath - an armored figure with a spiked halo knelt in prayer, bleeding from empty eye sockets. Save for one other - a standing, armored skeleton-like humanoid carrying the upper half of an iron maiden, and wielding a spiked ball at the end of what appeared to be a chain of its own small intestines.

When the last of these shrines were opened, pillars of writhing flesh struck through the pit’s ceiling. Later, it was apparent these were the monster’s legs, and some were crushed underfoot when it began to retreat from its cage.

Proximity to the shrines caused a flood of sinister whispering and visions of a shadowed figure, and those of us succumbed to the ritual’s effects felt a certain draw to them. It’s unclear if the acolytes were hoping we’d interact with these shrines, as they never intervened, but the monster’s escape caused the eventual collapse of the pit and did them no favors.

Did anyone in the rescue team see where it went, after it broke off from the cavern? Best we learn what this creature is and what it’s capable of before we encounter it again.

There will be a cross-faction book exchange and research effort hosted in Istredd's domain regularly. Please come by if you’re interested in helping with this, sharing books not available in your faction, or any other pursuit of this world’s knowledge.


And, if anyone’s seen Dean Winchester - in the Horizon or otherwise - Sam, Jo and I would appreciate a word.

Comments

[unwings]

Does Michael know you're aspiring so much to be like him these days?

[thedevilwhorose]

Oh, can you imagine? I should go full method and see what happens.

[unwings]

Were the in-betweens you hired able to tell you anything more about the acolytes? Did they say anything about why they needed us, for what purpose?

Yes, magic was used, I can confirm that much. They cast intense illusions within the pit as well.

I'll ask about the creature, thank you for your advice. When I do find Dean, I'll let you know.

[unwings]

[ that....................... actually sounds pretty funny, not gonna lie. ]

It's hard to imagine you sticking with that for long without getting bored.

[ bless michael's straight laced heart, but he's certainly not has... eccentric a character as lucifer tends to be. ]

[magicalarchaeologist]

Michael shared helpful information with me in the past, I hope that he will continue to.

[ Yes, Istredd apparently likes angels and they like tolerate him, go figure. ]

It would. If he is alive and I can help you find him, I will.

[unwings]

Michael. The one kindly announcing my involvement with the creature's release to the public.

[ complicated to say the least, but there are still moments where sibling bickering makes them appear almost normal. almost. ]

Certainly. I can do better and pass you memories of him, in the Horizon.

[itookashot]

No, they had no idea what they were doing with their captives. We killed most of them after that, Dean and I weren't in the mood for mercy at that point.

As I told Sam, look for something in Horizon that only Dean could have made. It's one of the ways you know when someone is gone here.

[unwings]

All of us, certainly. The natives and acolytes were not so favored.

If it's counting descendants of the people who imprisoned it, that's still quite a lot of people to be stomped.

[unwings]

That would be incredibly helpful, yes, thank you, Wanda.

Do you know the elders in Solvunn well? Are they typically receptive to questions from other Summoned of other factions?

[familysucks]

Though younger siblings sometimes do.

[Yes, he is going to remind Castiel of the gossamer-thin trust between them despite being the one to suggest his brother's domain instead of his own. He's still holding grudges about acts Castiel has yet to commit.

Michael turns to face Castiel and assesses him too for a moment, then holds out his right hand.]

Let's proceed.

[thedevilwhorose]

Even short-term it'd be worth it.

[unwings]

That may actually be enjoyable to witness.

[ as uncomfortable as he feels telling lucifer any idea he has is a good one... michael's a buttface. ]

[unwings]

Older siblings aren't immune to them either.

[ lucifer certainly loves an ulterior motive, and castiel's certain michael's commitment to playing out the apocalypse wasn't only because dad said so. ]

Fine.

[ With a reluctant, tense inhale, Cas reaches out, taking the offered hand.

Through the bond, Michael sees the interior of the pit, the shrines, both intact and decorated with an odd symbol, as well as cracked open, seeping blood, absorbed from castiel's perspective while the creature trapped below leaks insidious, maddening whispers into his ascension-warped mind. castiel's name spoken in perfect enochian, the kind that would rupture mortal ear drums but sounds like sweet music, like home, to them. from the dark mirror of castiel's memories, the madness clings to michael like quick sand, like drying tar, as if the monster could reach through consciousness alone and pull at him to drag him under. but the flashes don't linger long enough for michael to be lost in it.

he sees the vision of the snow capped mountain, and the dark figure. and lastly, the ritual itself, with all the nightmare fuel and pain of bones twisted and fused with another organic being. cas spares no detail, maybe on purpose, maybe being cheeky, but all the same, certain michael can handle it, and thorough in sharing intel. ]

[mobezon]

I, out of all, shouldn't be judging family dynamics.

{ he'll admit to that, at least. complicated is an understatement and he can silently just agree. }

If that's easier, you're more than welcome to stop by my domain. I’ll know if you find yourself near Storyville.

[unwings]

He often communicates with pop culture references that many here interpret as nonsense.

[ is this helping with the deadpool image? ]

[unwings]

Yes, however several acolytes and natives were crushed underfoot. It's threat may not be to us, but I fear the rest of Abraxas wouldn't be so fortunate.

[ hopefully the monster just wants to fuck off to it's own happy hole in the sea somewhere and live like a kraken, but his worry isn't alleviated. ]

No, even through the gaps in the ceiling, it seems we only saw it's legs. With any luck, the legs were the majority of it's form. I'm happy to provide testimony if you require it, though we had similar views of it from the vine cluster.

[ the legs were huge enough. otherwise, that thing is massive. ]

[communish]

Does he carry a lot of guns, tell a lot of inappropriate jokes, and only seem to have one outfit?

[frontlinetitties]

Fair one. Let us all know if you find anything out, I guess? Rampaging, gigantic creatures stamping all over the countryside are the last thing we need right now.

[unwings]

He’s typically values consistency. If there’s anything I can do, short of interactions with my brothers, please let me know.

[ that clause is even more cemented after their conversation at the execution. They simply don’t mix. ]

He’s alive. Thank you, Istredd, I appreciate it. I’ll come by soon to share the memories.

[unwings]

So I heard. I’m afraid Dean won’t be in the mood for mercy for a long while now.

Thank you, I will. His domain is shared with a lot of us, but there must be something that’s only his.

[itookashot]

Let me know if you find anything.

[magicalarchaeologist]

I'm glad, Castiel, that must be a relief.

[ Lucifer won't be glad and obviously this brings up the same concern about the danger level for both of them, but he is genuinely glad for Castiel. ]

[assembles]

Yeah, it's hard to know what it might want to do now that it's free, or who it might want revenge on if someone purposefully sealed it there.

[ Which seems to be the case, given that they'd had to take very specific actions to open those shrines. ]

I'll ask around to see if anyone else got a different view of the big monster. I should be able to sketch out the shrines and the other monsters with a decent amount of accuracy, though I think you probably got a better look at the one we trapped since you and Geralt had an encounter with it.

[aquaveiled]

He really is. Did he punch it? He likes to do that.

[unwings]

I'd love to see your domain. 'Storyville' sounds rather pleasant - is fiction frequently played out there?

[ is there a library? public plays? why a village of stories? ]