hadriel_ooc | Event OOC: Prisoner Exchange

THE EXCHANGE

It's time. You all voted to attempt the exchange - to take Delight to the Null and hand her over in return for Tranquility. The gods have been preparing in advance of the exchange date, but can anyone really be prepared for something like this? Besides, how can they even prepare when only Fear and Delight are supposed to go?

On February 23rd, all characters who volunteered to go along in Fear's post receive messages from Fear asking to meet at his temple the next day. (All characters involved have been contacted privately by the mods.) Upon arrival, they will be given some time to prepare themselves... and then Fear brings Delight out of her prison and teleports everyone to the meeting place.

Some characters suggested in Fear's post that Delight should be asked what she wants, or at least told about the trade. The gods took that into consideration, and told her. What they didn't expect is that she does not want to be traded, which she's since made very clear to them. While imprisoned, she has had time to think upon her choices and her interactions with the Null, and she believes this is nothing but a trap, that this is not a good-faith trade, and that none of them will return.

Upon arrival at the designated meeting point, Delight tells all those who accompanied Fear that the Null are surely intending to kill or capture them all. Instead of a trade, she proposes that they band together and attack the moment the Null appear, free Tranquility, and immediately teleport away.

Needless to say, this results in intense discussion, disagreements, and conflict among the accompanying characters. The discussion is cut short by the arrival of the Null earlier than expected (so perhaps Delight was correct, or perhaps the Null are just incredibly punctual). With no time left for discussion, Delight attacks the Null alone. Her surprising, instantaneous attack shatters Tranquility's prison, but the Null rally almost instantly. Fear, being Fear, prudently decides to get the fuck out of there - but he is a moment too late.

The Null hit Delight with one of their god-killing weapons. While Fear is able to transport himself, Tranquility, and the people who accompanied them back to Hadriel, he isn't in time to save Delight. Her essence is shattered into millions of particles, and Fear, already in the process of teleporting, only catches some of them. The force of their return scatters them across the city.

THE CITY

Delight is dead, part of her essence scattered across Hadriel, part still in Null territory. Her temple is shattered, crumbling in the moment of her death. Hope will be unable to resurrect her - but that isn't the only thing that's about to go wrong.

Just after Fear and his party return on February 24th, everyone within the city will feel a sudden surge of pure happiness. This is stronger, more intense than anything they've felt before. It's the definition of happiness, the ideal, perfect and pure and feeling as if it will last forever. Nothing in particular sparks it, but while in the grip of it your character may think of the one thing that makes them most happy, even if they weren't aware of it themselves. A person, a place, something that they love doing. Delight's parting gift, unintentionally.

But of course, it can't last forever. After only a few minutes, this feeling fades into a more normal kind of happiness, then disappears, leaving only the memory of the feeling - and a deep sense of loss. Something is gone, and in this case that something is expressed by the emptiness left after that overwhelming feeling of happiness. And you're ready to do just about anything to get it back.

That means it's time for Bad Decisions: the Event. Sure, normally small things might make your character happy - hanging out with friends, a good meal, a stiff drink, a kiss from their sweetheart. But that isn't enough anymore, not when there's this aching void within them. They need more, they need to go harder and do more.

Your friends make you happy? You don't want to leave their sides. A good meal? Now you're gorging. A stiff drink? Nah, a bender that lasts four days sounds better. A kiss from your sweetheart? Uh... just remember to take snack breaks sometimes, guys. Whatever it is that normally makes you happy, you'll be doing it to excess in a fruitless attempt to feel anything like you did in that one sweet moment. And if there's not much that makes you happy, you'll be searching for anything that might fill that hole inside you - drinking, breaking stuff, fighting, anything that will give you a moment of joy.

And speaking of fighting, there's one god who cannot control her own reaction to Delight's death. For the duration of this, anyone going anywhere near Rage's temple (basically, anywhere from the edge of the river to Love's temple) will be affected by intense miserable rage that cannot be ignored or control. You'll want to fight, to destroy things, to kill. Your need to recover the happiness you once felt will be replaced by the certain knowledge that the only way to feel even a little better is to destroy as much as you can, whether that's a person or a building or something else entirely. And of course, with the armory right there, it's easy. Once you're far enough from the temple, the anger will fade - but you'll still have to live with what you've done.

This will all last until March 3rd, after which everyone's emotions will level out. It's not easy living through the true death of a god.

THE OVERVIEW

► February 24th: The exchange
► March 3rd: Emotions level out, for now

Event OOC: Prisoner Exchange

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