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cancry2022-10-16 11:37 am
cancrymods) wrote in cancry2022-10-16 11:37 am
Acedia Intro Log
With Lana's blessing and direction it's at last time for the Executors to proceed deeper into Purgatory. Despite the downtime, the sense of unease that settled in you before has yet to wane, even at the prospect of making further progress in your journey. Unanswered questions still linger, as does the possibility that for all the progress you've made there still exists roadblocks that could keep you from fulfilling the duty you've taken on to Purgatory. Strangely, though, you feel your spirits lift as you begin your descent. Part of it is the relief that comes from the drop in temperature but mostly, you feel embraced by a sense of deep comfort and relaxation. As the snowy white landscape and gentle colours of Acedia swim into focus below you, it brins with it a sureness that whatever was going wrong before that none of it matters - you'll figure it out. | |
 ♪♫ Blossom – Sakuzyo A gentle, fluffy snowfall tumbles down ceaselessly over Acedia, the Sloth Layer. In contrast to the layers above, things here are chilly enough to warrant wrapping up warm and an occasional gust of wind seems to blow right through you. With snow blanketed everywhere, all the bustle of the town seems quite muffled and far away and the overall vibe of the settlement is... sleepy. Peaceful. If it weren't for the fact that you know you're in Purgatory, you could almost be fooled into thinking that nothing bad could or would happen in a place like this. Initial explorations uncover the town's purpose - Acedia takes the form of an onsen town, a settlement built and centered around the many natural hot springs that have sprung up in the area. Traditional inns with luxurious rooms and serving all manner of incredible feasts can be occupied free of charge with waitstaff who'll serve you like a visiting king. Even aside from the springs and the inns, the whole town is packed to the brim with the sort of entertaintment you might find in a town in the snowy mountains, but all of it comes at a gentle, relaxing pace as if the very existence of this town relied upon easing your heart and your troubles. More so than the town, though, perhaps the familiar faces you encounter here will be enough to bring you some comfort...
⚝ RESTAURANTS: Feeling peckish? Eateries serving cuisine of any sort line the streets and all of it is free of charge. If there's anything you can imagine wanting to eat, chances are good you'll find it here. ⚝ MOUNTAIN: The town as a whole sits at the base of a mountain with a towering peak. If you squint, you see what you think is some sort of structure at the very top... but surely not. Who would want to live in a place as lonely as that? | |
As discussed on Discord, the Executors aren't the only ones who seem to have found their way down to Acedia. Once they arrive in the Sloth Layer, each of the Executors will come across up to three of their castmates who seem to have been occupying the Layer for quite some time before their arrival. Each of these castmates will tell roughly the same story - they were once Executors too and found their way this deep into Purgatory but have found no way of progressing any further. They have tried every possible way to escape but no matter how long they stay here, they can't proceed any further. Despite the news, all of them seem happy and fulfilled and will encourage the Executors to try and settle here in Acedia and simply enjoy the miracle that is their reunion. It probably goes without saying that these are not actually the Executors' castmates. They are, essentially, a tangible illusion based on their memories of their loved ones. They can be talked to, touched, interacted with and basically treated like any other real person and the trickery is, at first, imperceptible. As time passes, it will become increasingly clear that there are some conflicts and missing spots in the doppelganger's memory of their lives together and confronting them on this will have them respond in confusion. If you continue to confront them on the conflict, they will become increasingly upset and eventually violent. Who is casting this illusion and why, though? Well... that's something the Executors will have to investigate themselves. | |
Arrival - Memoria
Orpheus was gone.
He'd known this was probably coming. She wasn't in his later memories and he was a pseudo immortal - he was going to outlive her no matter what. He could connect the dots, this was just a fact of the life he once lived. Him outliving her hadn't been the upsetting part.
"...Hey Orthrus? There's something important I need to tell you... and you mustn't tell anyone else, no matter what."
A dual prophecy. Something only the most gifted of prophets could ever receive. One where you see two alternative outcomes, and know that one will happen if the other does not.
"In just a few more years... I'm going to die."
In one vision: Orpheus of the Fair dies tragically young. In the other: all of the Fair are wiped out in the far future, with no survivors. She could save herself and live a long, happy life with her dearest companions or she could save her people. A cruel choice but one that while not easy, had been clear.
And he'd always known. He was the only one who knew.
It was like a missing puzzle piece had been given to him, so much suddenly clicking into place. The behaviors in his memory that struck him as strange were all coming from this - hoarding money she didn't need so she could leave it for her loved ones later and make sure they were cared for, hesitating in acting on her feelings for Odysseus knowing she didn't have long left, insisting on building a home for the three of them in the safest place she could find so he and Odysseus would even have a home, teaching him every song she knew so at least in some way she would continue to live on...
In the end it'd been on her own terms - if she was going to die anyway to keep her people safe then she may as well save her beloved as well, giving up her life to protect Odysseus. He remembers holding her and sobbing as he felt her remaining strength fading away, unable to do anything about it, and he remembers holding Odysseus later and comforting her as best he could.
It's the funeral though where the life he once had with the both of them truly fell apart.
"You... knew? All this time... both of you knew?"
It wasn't his place to say anything. Orpheus had made him swear not to. But seeing Orpheus' enraged and grieving mother place all the blame on Odysseus he knew was the last thing she would want and so he couldn't stop himself from revealing the truth.
What a fool he was.
Everything else after that is a blur. Odysseus was hurt and felt betrayed. She ran off. He went after her.
Static.
And then he came back to face their friends. Alone. Haggard. Hollow. Heartbroken.
"Orthrus.... where's Odysseus?"
"She... returned to her own world."
"...You're lying. I know when you're lying, Orthrus. What--"
He ran. Whatever happened he couldn't tell them. He couldn't even face them. He just ran and ran.
And then he slept. And slept. Until one day a Queen appeared before him with her child-- ]
---
[ He wanders Acedia aimlessly, splitting off from the rest of the group as he dwells on this knowledge, reliving Orpheus' death and the fall out over and over again, unable to think of anything else until-- ]
"Ori...?"
[ He stops abruptly in his tracks.
There's only one person who ever called him that.
Cautiously he looks behind him, unable to believe it. But there she is. Her tiny form covered in white, flowy fabric, her green hair tied back in those familiar hair buns, her eyes full of stars feeling like they reflect the universe itself-- ]
Orpheus--
[ He can't stop himself. He throws himself against her, weeping openly as he holds her as tight as he can, afraid to let go and lose her again. ]
Doppelgangers
They're outside today, sitting in a nice little secluded spot. They don't seem to mind the cold at all, Odysseus sitting on the ground with Achilles' head on her lap as he lays there, eerily still. Orpheus sits nearby, playing her own harp. There's something a little off about the sound though - like an overly idealized, impossibly perfect version of something rather than what it actually probably was. A precious memory tinted with nostalgia.
Every now and then Achilles speaks up. Ask if Orpheus wants to hear how he's improved. Ask Odysseus what really happened to her. Ask if there really is no way forward.
"No, it's fine. You don't have to play at all anymore, Ori. I'll play enough for the both of us."
"I went back to my world - didn't you say so yourself?"
"No, there isn't. But isn't this okay? We can finally be together now."
Maybe it is... maybe it's fine to just be happy getting back the happy ending they were supposed to have. ]
---
[ It isn't just his ex-wife and best friend he spends time with though.
Much harder for other people to miss is the... absolutely enormous three headed dog that sometimes stalks the streets with Achilles in his own canine form following closely behind. Even with as large as Achilles is, this dog is even larger, and the horns on its heads even more intricate. It carries itself with an almost regal like poise, like something ancient and wise... something more akin to a god than a lowly beast.
Sometimes though they aren't in their beast forms. Sometimes both of them are humanoid. Like this the other beast takes the form of a beautiful young woman, a few inches shorter than Achilles. The resemblance is even clearer in these forms - aside from the hair and eyes, the same kind of crystal earring always hanging from Achilles' left ear hangs opposite on her right. There's something cold and stand offish about her though. Almost as icey as Acedia itself... though she seems warmer when addressing Achilles directly.
If they're not walking together then they're cuddling in their beast forms, or she's fussing over him while they're both humans. Either way, Achilles always seems sheepish around her... a little more shy and childlike than he usually is. ]
Much later
At some point though, he can be found wandering on his own for a change. But something seems off. There's an almost vacant look in his eyes, and he looks like he's going through motions of what the person who came to be known as Achilles should be doing rather than... actually acting like himself.
...Maybe an intervention is in order. ]
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It's the sort of thing she'd usually talk over with the others... but while they're so caught up with their loved ones, Rei can't bring herself to interrupt them.
When she sees Achilles on his own at last, though, she can't talk herself out of picking up her pace so she can catch up with him. ]
Ah... Achilles, wait...!
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Ah— I’m sorry, were you calling to me just now?
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But that can't be right. ]
Y–yes... it's not all that important but I wanted to... [ She trails off and fumbles a little to get back on track. ] B–but if you're busy, then it can wait.
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So he crouches down like he usually does. ]
No it’s all right. I always have time for young ones like you.
[ But if Rei wasn’t already alarmed before— ]
What’s your name?
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[ A flat, blank look of total stunned surprise wipes her expression clean. She stares at him for a long moment like he's just asked a question in a language she doesn't speak. ]
You... you don't remember?
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Should… I?
[ That thing nagging at him in the back of his head just grows stronger though. ]
Are you sure you don’t have me mistaken for another…?
[ Who else has horns besides you (and fake Cerberus) though ]
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Of course not...! You're– you're Achilles! How could I ever mistake you for anybody else?
[ Nausea churns in her stomach. How could he have even forgotten the name he chose for himself? ]
What... happened to you?
1/?
I’m truly sorry but I really do think—
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He remembers… he remembers… ]
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Done
What… had happened to him? How could he have… ]
Rei…?
[ …How could he have forgotten his daughter? ]
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Y... yes...! [ Her grip on his hand tightens, like she's afraid he might try and pull back even now. ] Did– did something happen to you? You didn't encounter a Revenant, did you?
[ What else would have made him forget if not being attacked? ]
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[ He grimaces a moment ]
I was just spending time with them, but that shouldn’t have…?
[ They were no different than them right? ]
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It doesn't bear thinking about.
Tentatively: ] C–could it be... because they aren't Executors anymore? I–I mean... we haven't seen any of them use their powers, have we?