Event: As the burden grows, so too does my purity

[morrowmods]

as the burden grows, so too does my purity

snow-covered | devotion | flames and ashes | ooc notes

if you think my winter is cold

Snow-Covered In the weeks since the storm, the temperature has remained well below freezing. There have been a series of light snowstorms that blanketed the village in white, with bootmarks naturally creating paths along the areas that see the most traffic. Hoods and mittens can preserve a bit of core temperature, but breath turns into visible smoke while speaking, both outdoors and inside. With no relief in sight, the villagers are beginning to murmur about the omens for a bad winter, and the fears that they've not prepared enough to make it through.

Many lumberjacks are seeking escorts to deal with the wildlife as they venture toward the wooded spaces to the west of the buried farmlands, citing a need to chop lumber while it is most dry and brittle. Those who take them up on their offers will usually hear a talk about the sorts of creatures that sometimes wander through a snowfall this soon after a summoning's finished. Borne from the frost, they lumber about the woods stirring up mini-blizzards and leaving treacherous terrain covered by a blanket of whiteness. Sensible travelers endeavor to pack with the expectation that they'll have to defend against hypothermia, harsh terrain, and monstrous entities alike. It's said that the frost creatures are drawn to sounds, so anyone who accepts an escort position would do well to expect to add "bodyguard" to the job description before long.

even the dead can die again

Devotion CW: fire, burning bodies, body horror and transformation With the weather as bad as it currently is, it seems as though the village is moving up against the limitations of its confined space. Not all natural resources are renewable, and the limited messages with civilizations outside the barrier don't take kindly to requests for aid. The concern rippling through the town has altered the normal large ceremony of the month. Traditionally, devotional ceremonies are lavish events held within ornate halls decorated with painstaking finery. But this time, the sermon takes the form of a procession. The congregation of devotees and otherworldly visitors are hooded rather than masked this time, draped in heavy cloaks and given candles to burn en route to their destination. Once lit, the candles burn with a green glow that gives an uncanny aura to the group as it travels at night in single file.

Their destination is a clear patch of white along the path toward the elders' inaccessible hill. Where last month's impossible patch of green seemed to exist, now the tundra is fitted with materials necessary to build a bonfire. As soon as the clearing comes into view, the sermon begins. This month, the discussion is less of a proof of love than it is an open entreaty. Their community has been wronged, constantly and for generations. These are people who have been unflinchingly devour, and for their energies have been sequestered away with naught but their own faith to aid in their survival. And in this moment, as the winter grows harsher than normal, it is their faith that they wish will see them through once more.

One by one, the devotees are instructed to toss their candles into the growing pyre, bidding the green flames to grow into one another until the little embers meet and connect, until the fire suddenly bursts out in a sudden explosion.

Those unfortunate enough to be caught in the flames' blast might expect to feel pain. It ought to burn. It ought to create suffering. But instead, the uncontrolled fire feels strangely safe, somehow. The flame is warmth. It is a relief from the biting cold. Somehow, it feels something close to love. However skeptical a newcomer might have been before this evening, it feels as if that mindset is burned away, along with what some might consider to be all good sense entirely. The feeling of security creates an unbearable urge to embrace more of the fire, to become part of its kindling, to become one with it.

CWs most applicable in the following paragraph Those who escaped the initial explosion will watch strangers and companions both be overtaken. Flaming bodies, faces charred beyond recognition, launch themselves deeper into the fire, crying out in ecstasy rather than suffering, scrambling for more of the obliterating connectedness. The humanoid bodies seem less so as they melt and dissolve into the flames, which now seem to crackle with dozens of voices singing out in wordless euphoria as they become one with the flames. There is something strangely seductive about the song, a siren calling out to friends and onlookers. It's possible still to be enthralled by it, to be convinced to wander into the flame and join in...

The ceremony continues until the sun rises. Only then do the elders disperse the base of the flames, leaving a tangle of altered bodies in the wake of everything. The Old Ones have seen fit to deliver them elementals to combat the winter, they declare to whoever had the will to resist the flames. It is a glorious day.

you could have been anyone's ghost

Flames and Ashes Those who succumbed to the pyre will find themselves waking pleasantly, as if from a deep, comfortable sleep. Their robes have been burned away, but there is no sense of cold to trouble them. Their bodies have managed to rediscover their previous shapes and the divisions between each separate entity, through their skin is the same ethereal green as everything good and safe ought to be. Their hair is tipped with unkept flames, and their eyes have grown wild with a feral edge. But they are free now, they're told, to return to the village and continue to be its salvation. They'll have to separate from the comfort of their hot-blooded siblings, but it's for the greater good. It makes sense, somehow, even if it means leaving the safety of their current surroundings (of their birthplace? No, that can't be right...).

The unaffected will be left to make certain that the transformed manage to accomplish more than wandering out into the wilderness setting things ablaze. The Old Ones' gifts are overwhelming at times, they explain, and the creatures will likely be erratic and mercurial for the first several days. They may struggle to recall mortal conventions -- table manners and other little things, but what they've lost pales in comparison to what they've gained. They can generate heat without the aid of starting a fire and burning through their reserves of wood. They will be able to heat homes with their mere presence, and thaw the things that were iced shut. They are the answer to prayers.

And so it will maintain, for at least the next several weeks. The fire elemtentals will begin their tenure quite wild, far more monstrous and closer to the occasional beast that needs to be slain. (And should slaying be considered, they do seem to be easily felled by the frost creatures in the woods.) But they do seem eager to follow directions, even then. The cold, shivering things surrounding them seem so pathetic, it's easy to lend them a little flare or a warm hand to hold. Over the next several days, more of their memories will return easily enough. But as they come closer to themselves, they will be far less inclined to blindly follow orders. Normal levels of agency might being different dynamics to the fire-blessed's abilities, for as long as they can enjoy those abilities untilt they too wear away.

ooc notes

Here we are with a winter wonderland to carry us into the new year!

If you're interested in beating up some ice monsters and prefer to have stats for them, feel free to take inspiration from this ice elemental and ice mephit. For visuals, though, the giant in the linked image is probably most accurate. (Weird how that big ol' ice monster seems to be managing to grow some fines in it. Maybe that'll come up again later on.)

If you'll be playing the fire elemental route, it's natural to have questions that I didn't mention or might not have considered! Don't be shy about swinging by the questions thread for clarification or to work out something you're noodling about. But if it's about cosmetics: the design of your fire-character is entirely up to you. Green skin, green fire, go wild with anything else you want to do.

Happy Holidays! Next up on the agenda is our mid-January AC/R check-in meme. Welcome to our new friends, and looking forward to what the future brings.

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[morrowmods]

Poison Ivy | Harley Quinn Animated Series

[greenpower]

Devotion

[Ivy isn't a creature of snow and ice. The cold weather and wind have put most of her garden to sleep, and all things considered she wouldn't mind joining them and hibernating through this cold, dark cusp of winter. She's always considered herself a creature more of spring (always, right...?), so naturally she'd find all of this oppressive.

But being a creature higher than a mere plant comes with responsibilities. There are seeds to tend through the winter and work in her lab, such as it is... and there's this.

While Ivy would prefer show her devotion in private, sometimes needs must.

And the fire calls.]


Flames and Ashes

[The creature that emerges from the coals of eldritch flame still looks like Ivy, for the most part. She's always been green, for one thing.

But there is something uncanny about her, something in the way the vitality of the flame glows through her and teases through her hair that, the green light that smolders in her eyes that seems hollowed out. Like fire hiding in the heart of a tree, waiting to burst forth.

Left to her own devices, she'll mostly be found melting the snow over her flower beds and thawing out groves, with little concern for whether or not the winterbound plants she's liberating might might be flammable, or simply wither from exposure to the heat.]


Wildcard

((Or lets do something else!))

Flames and Ashes

[deusinfortunii]

[Well, this one will wander over to where Ivy is takng care of her plants and settle down next to her. Having had a taste of the eldritch flames himself, he might look a little different from the last time she saw him.]

Do you need any help with that?

[greenpower]

[Ivy looks u from her work, far more tranquil than is usually her habit. She blinks softly smoldering green eyes at him, then nods. All right. Why not.]

If you want to help me thaw them out. The poor things are freezing now.

[deusinfortunii]

[He slowly blinks at her, just this side of dazed, and smiles. A green flame appears in his hands while he tries to help Ivy thaw out her plants, and he might maybe set a bud or two aflame because he hasn't yet figured out how to control this newfound ability here.]

Oh sorry... I think I might have killed this one.

[A pause.]

You seem a little... different?

[greenpower]

Do I?

[Ivy closes her eyes, though the glow from the fire shows through her lids, the light too strong to be blocked entirely.

Normally she'd be angry about hurting her seedlings, but when she opens her eyes again she mostly looks confused.]

That doesn't seem right.

[deusinfortunii]

Isn't there another way to revive it?

[He just knows that she feels different compared to the last time he talked to her, but he can't really figure out what it is exactly.

To be fair, even his memory of how he got here (and when) seems a little hazy, but he doesn't seem to be questioning it.]

Quite a few things don't seem right... But I can't quite put my finger on it.

[greenpower]

[Ivy passes her hand over the singed plant, her frown softer than it would be normally, almost a pout.

Nothing happens.]

It depends on the roots.

[deusinfortunii]

[He'll just look increasingly confused. Not that he wasn't before, but you know.]

Isn't there a potion we could fashion to bring them back to life?

[greenpower]

A potion?

[Ivy makes a small, frustrated sound, but the question does pull something out of the holes in her memory.]

There's a formula that could do it, but we don't have all of the necessary components. But if it's still alive...

[She reaches out her hand and wills the singed sprout to grow, despite the snow and the damage.

Her powers aren't what they were at home, though. At least not yet.]

[wovensecrets]

[ Hibernating is something that this woman wishes she had been able to do during this terrible cold, the most she'd been able to manage was to attempt to blanket-fort in her room and keep busy in mundane ways, at least while the usual time for devotion had come and gone.

In the days after she ventures out, in part because unfortunately supplies were low and another due to the restlessness of needing new scenery. Hard not to be drawn to the presence of warmth in an area when the rest of the world felt so much colder in comparison, of curiosity now that at least the initial danger of being lured had passed, though still with an air of wariness.

She's an observer, it's possible that she's seen Poison Ivy around before from a distance with no introduction, but as person generating that much heat? No, that was the new situation. She observes, for a while, the path that the other woman takes toward the groves. Normally, she wouldn't intervene, but there... seems some reason for concern here. ]

At the rate you're going at... you might want to consider the resources, if you're trying to help them.

[greenpower]

[Ivy pauses at the voice, her head tilting as she processes the meaning of the words. It shouldn't be so elusive, but since her encounter with the fire her sense of focus has been lacking.

As the words sink in, she blinks slowly, eyes glowing through the thin skin of her lids.]

I've never had to try to help them. I just do.

[Except now i's not working.]

[wovensecrets]

[ It's the sort of response that at another time, might have garnered a mocking echo, or the destruction in her wake might simply have been left to take place.

Her irritation is more for the situation than anything else. ]

Well, now you're not doing. Have you even noticed what you've left behind?

[greenpower]

[In those other times, Ivy would have grown defensive. But in those times, she wouldn't have anything to get defensive about.

As it is, the question seems to float to he through the lapping comfort of the flame.]

I haven't left anything behind... have I? Only grown more pure.

[wovensecrets]

[ She does not give in to the urge to roll her eyes, since it was clear to tell the woman had more power than her right now. Instead, she adjusts her scarf, and turns to the side, sweeping an arm to gesture toward the direction Ivy had just emerged from. ]

Not -- you, it's the plants, the trees, did you not smell the charred bark as you left it behind? It'll all burn away and become useless at that rate.

Sorry for the slow responses. It's been a draining winter.

[greenpower]

[A frown creases her brows, eyes narrowing as she looks back along the destruction.

Still, she's not really moved. She's floating in the warmth of the fire.]

The roots still run deep, but they should be growing.

i hear you, no worries!

[wovensecrets]

[ She can tell she's not making much headway here, so she shrugs, shifting to a lighter tone. ]

I'm not an expert, but wouldn't that also depend on the extent of the damages?

Xie Lian | Heaven Official's Blessing

[deusinfortunii]

Devotion

[Xie Lian, while well-acquainted with religious fervor - having previously been a god himself - is more familiar with being the recipient of said fervor than expressing it. That said, when in Rome and all that. He'll follow the procession, curious as to where all this leads, and throw his candle into the pyre. What he does not expect is to be caught in the explosion... and to enjoy being burnt to a crisp.]

Ah... so this is what it's all about...

Flames and Ashes

[When he emerges from the flames, he's looking fairly different from his usual self - not that this bothers him. In fact, he seems a little too pleased with this ability to indiscriminately generate heat and warm whichever place needs warming. The only thing is that he might be a little too indiscriminate with this newfound ability.]

Flames and Ashes

[wovensecrets]

[ With the nature of the procession, she hadn't taken note of who all had gone. Though come morning, someone failing to show for an agreed upon lesson seems... evident that some looking around is in order. In due time, anyway.

His look is different, but the height is about the same... and this area is warmer, for some reason. ]

Xie Lian, is that you?

[ For their lessons, she calls him Teacher, appropriately, but this is a little different. ]

[deusinfortunii]

[When he looks up at her, his eyes have this weird, unhealthy green glow to them. It takes him a little while to focus on her and then, to-- not recognize her, completely. But at least she feels familiar to him, at least.

He raises a hand, fingertips also glowing green, the edge of his robe's sleeves are completely charred, but it doesn't seem to bother him.

He smiles sweetly at her while tilting his head.]

Yes...? Are you cold? Do you need help...?

[wovensecrets]

[ She tosses her head back, before folding her arms across her chest as she assesses him, finding his voice familiar, but those differences all the more evident. Hard to miss the charred sleeves, or the fact that he does seem to be the newest heat source around. ]

You were late, Teacher. Or, has that changed, now, with your evolution?

[deusinfortunii]

[Usually, when she calls him Teacher, he always has a little, privately emotional moment. It warms his heart so much, to have a new little disciple.

Right now though, both his short term and long term memory is pretty much shot. He blinks owlishly at her.]

Late where? What evolution?

[wovensecrets]

Really, you don't notice...?

[ This was more concerning than she wanted to admit to herself. Already, she knew the experience, of seeing others grow so frail to porcelain that they'd only shattered. This was a little different, though she hadn't seen how those who had participated had sacrificed themselves to the pyre, only that there had been something to do with the allure of flame. ]

You haven't come to our lessons, but you seem different... you don't recognize me, do you?

[deusinfortunii]

[He tilts his head, giving her a long, thoughtful look.

Really, the more he looks at her, the more he feels something like a shimmer piercing through the haze of warm fogginess that permeates his thoughts.]

I... should, I think?

[wovensecrets]

Well, that's a step...

[ It's a sigh, but Really, it's an Effort, for her to not lose patience with the entire scenario, but she'll vent that out on a training dummy later. For now this is- a frustrating puzzle to figure out, if this person who had entered her life was now to be suddenly unreliable. ]

My name is Kaori. Have you just been... [ She gestures around their location. ] ... wandering around here?