Asteroid 276: Conclusion

[savmods]

Who: Everyone visiting the asteroid
When: April 30, day to late night
Where: Asteroid 276, Thisavrou
Warnings: Disturbing imagery, nightmares (?), descriptions of blood and vomiting.

event log

Over the past month, relations with Asteroid 276 have transpired peacefully. Many visitors observed the self-proclaimed recluse of improvement. Some spoke with the Greeter. Some pursued modifications. Some shared stories of their lives. No effort was made to breach the commune's privacy, harm its inhabitants, or break its rules. In turn, the asteroid's inhabitants provided examples of their work.

As a result of your actions, negotiations are successful.

Asteroid 276 is to become a long-term trade partner of Thisavrou. Its universal signature will be saved on file, with trade representatives visiting every quarter-cycle. They will bring a steady supply of resources and requests, and the commune will turn their skills to any of the problems that face the twin planets, whether in curing plagues or helping individuals.

To celebrate this alliance, a gathering is held in the welcome wing of the asteroid. All who participated in the assessment are invited, and if some might find the lack of bar brawls disappointing, certainly the meal can't be faulted. With a full month to refine their produce to the preferences of visitors, the commune offers tables full of dishes to suit a wide array of palates and digestive tracts. The vegetables and meats may not come from the sources you're used to, but they certainly taste close enough-- taste better.

Mild intoxicants are available for those who choose to partake, and crowds of researchers proudly show off some of their projects around the edges of the room. A near-transparent insect flits up and down on gossamer-thin wings, appearing almost to teleport with its speed. A limbless expanse of furred green membrane encases a sick rodent... only to expel it moments later, with all trace of disease gone. The creators prefer to show rather than tell, but the Greeter makes her rounds around the room: to explain to the curious and draw out the shy. And most of all, to express her gratitude.

"Centuries of isolation. Millennia of fear. And you have given us a chance to move forward."

"Truly, I cannot thank you enough."

The night ends. All parties return home. There's a hum to the Ingress, a strange bout of nausea, but it passes quickly enough. So does your ride across the EN-Line. All guests, even those who partook lightly, will find a sleepy fullness settling upon them. Perhaps you sleep?

Certainly, you dream.

You dream of a wide emptiness, a place with neither up nor down but joy and kin and kindness all around. You dream of poisonous fury, of vengeance and loss so complete that you could scream forever and not vent a fraction of the pain. Of blood, blood, blood, thick enough to paint your skin and hide. You have to. You want to. You rip it from them gleefully, but there's so, so much you find yourself drowning. It's filling your lungs, surging up through your throat--

(Some of you may dream of slightly more.)

Wherever your dream takes you, it ends with nausea. With retching. You come to consciousness to find your body already reacting: you're outside, upright, purging the contents of your stomach over the nearest balcony or into a trash chute. The world is still twisting before your eyes, and it may take a moment for reality to settle. A moment longer to realize you're not the only one outside. Maybe you take some time to talk. Maybe (eventually) you realize you need to go clean up the mess.

There is no mess.

Maybe you dreamed it?

Still, the hunger in your belly persists-- for days, in some cases. And with it, an odd quiet, an emptiness in the back of your skull. Like waiting for an echo that won't come. Thisavrou's physicians can find no symptoms worse than mild indigestion, and only those who work around the Ingress are likely to hear the other strange occurrence of that night. The rumors are unsubstantiated--wild, and those who chatter too openly about them on shift are encouraged to take some time off. Still, the words carry: Asteroid 276 is gone.

What that means? Interpretations vary. Feel free to do some research, or come up with your own.

[[ooc: Check out the OOC post if you have questions! More information, especially on the dream portions, will be inside.]]

Comments

[dirth]

Something beyond our knowledge, then. Perhaps something native to this world, or at least belonging to the asteroid we were so eagerly encouraged to visit.

[ It makes sense for someone to prey on others with kindness and a gentle hand rather than cruelty. He may not ever admit it but he had done much the same when he had first allowed himself to become part of the Inquisition; he had tended for Sahlin and become a member of her inner circle even as he had guided her towards an outcome he desired.

It's different, but a similar tale, and something bitter bites at his heart. ]

If it was blood magic I fear we would be more certain. [ But Solas is not convinced, especially not by the musings of a man who knows nothing at all about how magic truly works. ] I'm not sure if we can rule out the theory of it being magical at all, however.

[ A frown mars his features, but then he softens. He knew, after all, how much this meant to Neriel. ]

Speaks with the scientists, if you can, and see if anyone else has suffered similarly. It would be pointless to act in haste.