TO: EVERYONE [mid-event #20]

[aquaveiled]

[ This message is sent for all Summoned to see about a week after the dreams and Heralds made their presence known. ]

Hello everyone. I know we're all dealing with a lot right now, but I thought this was worth the surprise eyeball-script.

The Heralds of War likely need no introduction at this point, but some of us still remember when they first arrived a few years ago after a poorly performed ritual in Solvunn. During that time, I'd managed to make contact with Koth and have tried to maintain some communication.

[ Not necessarily advised--Himeka did this of her own accord and curiosity. Those who are aware of her tree-form may have noticed that some of the limbs have been wilting and rotting the more time she's spent reaching out to Koth. But that's neither here nor there. ]

She's not always easy to understand, but when we spoke when they first appeared, one word came through:

"Mission"

For years my friends and I have been wondering what this meant. Now that she's back, I sought clarity. Or...I guess confirmation.

I understand her more easily these days so I reached out to her earlier today and she did confirm that this is that mission. What's happening right now in all of our communities. I'm not sure if war itself is inevitable...but she seems to believe that what she's doing will help there to be peace afterwards.

I know many here have seen war in their own lives and on their own stars before this place. If you'd like to share your stories, I would welcome them. I don't think peace is ever as simple as we want it to be, but as for if this is the only path forward...

I'm rambling a bit. This may not be a grand revelation, but I thought it important to share that what is happening now may have been building for the last few years and mayhaps some time before that as well. Only now, we may have a part to play.

Please take care,

水


[ ooc; This is Himeka's interpretation! So it may not be 100% accurate. Based on the mod response here. ]

Comments

[sophos]

Given our experience with forgetting ourselves, it's probably not like they could tell us even if we asked.

I'm open to it too. It was like that at home - my pantheon has a mix of gods that came into existence as deities as well as those who were elevated to the status by the former.

It can definitely be competitive between them, even for petty reasons, but it's more like they have sway over their specific domains in ways the other gods don't. Like, a war god wouldn't necessarily invite a harvest god to assist them unless their specific skill-set was required. They're inviting us into their 'mission' but it's not like we have a specific element to offer. That's different, from what I'm used to.

[aquaveiled]

Likely not. Though we were able to recover our memories...might it not be possible with them too?

Your pantheon? Were you a god back on your home star?

That makes sense, then. I wonder if we, as we are now, are un-specialized so what actions we take could drive towards that? Or something.

[sophos]

Maybe. But in our case, it wasn't like it was real. We only got them back when were were snapped out of the illusion as a whole.

Gross, no. [ impulsive thoughts to text... ] Sorry, I'm not a full god, but I am related to them.

Good question. It doesn't seem to work the same way as home, and they don't put much stock in gods as Thorne, so I haven't admittedly been keeping up with this world's gods as much as I probably should. If they're inviting us towards a path, I'd prefer to... not.

[aquaveiled]

You're right, it was definitely like a dream. Though I do believe our memories had to be accessible somewhere...

Or mayhaps I have to believe it.

Gross? Related to a gross god? Don't worry, we cannot choose our parents but what we do on our own is what matters.

[ Absolutely took that the wrong way, yes. She doesn't judge you for wherever you came from, Annabeth. This is a safe space. ]

One thing Solvunn does look down on the world at large for is their lack of devotion to the gods. I would say Thorne would be hard-pressed to deny their existence, but devotion is something else entirely. And I cannot say I would exactly blame them for it.

Though if you would like to learn more about them, I would be happy to share what I have gathered in the three summers I have been here.

[sophos]

I don't disagree with that. It was like they were locked away, just kind of waiting to come back when we were finally free.

Ugh, no. Sorry. I just meant it more like I'm not a god and would rather not be one. Like being a god is gross. Half is bad enough. [ despite it all, annabeth is still just a mere seventeen. ]

[ she can sort of understand where thorne is coming from - the greek gods are certainly real, after all, but she's been losing a lot of her own reverence towards them lately with everything they keep putting her through. ]

Thank you, for the offer. I'd like to take you up on it sometime, though I'm not particularly inclined towards devotion towards them. But I'm probably biased. Do you know anything more about the Heralds themselves?

[aquaveiled]

I think that's just how memories work in this place. We just need to figure out how to access the memories that are being hidden from us.

Is it bad? I have met at least one other person who didn't enjoy it...

[ She understands why Julia doesn't, though. A complicated, terrifying thing to have happened to her. And Himeka's only frame of reference as to what being a god is like would be what happened a few months back. She's not so sure he's an expert. ]

Well, they're not explicitly worshiped. I think it would be strange or taboo to do so, if not inviting calamity. To try and talk to Koth, I had to improvise a bit since there was no standard ritual I could find, or at least that anyone would share with me. I get the feeling they're acknowledged when they're here but people hope they will never have to.

Though Koth seems willing to chat if you're willing to put in the time to reach out to her, they feel more...like forces of nature, if that makes any sense. They're not disliked, just accepted. At least that's how it's seen to me.

[sophos]

You think there are... other memories? Or just the memories of the gods here?

I wasn't a big fan of my experience in the illusion, in retrospect. And I don't want to be anything like our gods back home.

[ for so so so many reasons, including the fact that she does not want to transform into any resemblance of her mother right now, or ever. ]

War is a reality, but I can understand why the people here wouldn't want to worship it, especially given how the Heralds function. Our war gods are different, maybe less... primal feeling, I guess, even though war itself is.

I don't really think I'm interested in trying to speak with her right now though.

[aquaveiled]

Oh, sorry, I should have explained. Okay...so! We have found out that sometimes if we leave this place and come back, we retain memories of the life from our own star, but the memories of Abraxas are locked from us while we're there. But it's almost like we picked up where ewe left off once we're back here.

So I was thinking that they are just kind of locked away from us depending on where we are at the time? I'm no expert, of course...I feel mayhaps the gods may be experiencing something similar?

I'm sorry, though. I don't believe what we saw was fate. Your future is yours to shape how you want.

[ That is something she has wholly believed before coming to Abraxas. Something she struggled with as well. But if the illusion was a precursor to what could be, then they can choose a different path. ]

What are your war gods like, then? More personable but rejoicing in the glory of combat?

You needn't if you don't want to. I'm happy to play messenger as well if you do later on, should that be more comfortable.

[sophos]

Oh, I see. That's very strange. I haven't encountered it yet.
I don't like the idea of something that's capable of locking away god memories.

Maybe it was more of a warning. I like that idea much more than it being fate, at any rate.

[ she'd really like to be able to make her own future, so perhaps if she takes anything from this conversation, she'll try to hold that. ]

We have two major ones. It's more like they each oversee different aspects of war. Ares is probably closer to the glory of combat - he's more about the violence and physicality on the battlefield. Athena is battle strategy, leadership, a protector of cities. She's the goddess of wisdom too, and her cults are far more common. But they're both very ancient, and the world's a lot different from it was in their heyday.

Thank you for offering. I don't really have anything I want to reach out for right now either, but I'll keep it in mind.

[aquaveiled]

Yes, it really is. But strange seems to be the normal around here, if that makes sense. You never know what's going to happen next.

[ Very comforting! ]

There are some gods that might want to warn us, I think. So you may not be faro off.

That makes good sense. War is usually more complicated than just putting arms against one another. Though sometimes I feel it would be easier to fix if it were more simple.

[sophos]

I'm used to strange as the normal, so I guess I'm prepared as I can be.

A god trying to be helpful and churning out a heavy handed lesson checks out.

There are a lot of facets to it, I think. Even outside all the pair of them represent. I'm not sure war is something that can be fixed, as much as I'd really like it to be.

[aquaveiled]

Then you're fitting right in, I would say. :)

[ Hopefully Annabeth can feel that was genuine, even if the smiley face is kind of ugly. Himeka is not an artist. ]

Others have suggested it's just a facet of life. Do you think that's the case?

[sophos]

What a relief.

[ and that's not sarcasm, though it's a bit of a joke. ]

I think so. Even in times of peace, there's war in history, and it's important to not ignore what happened.