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wilderlogs2018-06-01 11:29 pm
wildermods) wrote in wilderlogs2018-06-01 11:29 pm
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THE LAST HOMELY HOUSE ※ RIVENDELL ※ LOG 2
THE LAST HOMELY HOUSE
The group is told to take a week of rest in the Last Homely House as the injured and sick among them heal. The Elves promise them that at the end of that week, there will be a great Council, with representatives of several peoples in attendance.
Until then, they can wander the peaceful halls of Rivendell, which are filled with travelers from all over the Wilderlands who are making a rest stop while they travel through the lands of Middle-Earth.
The most notable part of Rivendell is the Hall of Fire, a great feast hall where people can eat, drink, and be merry. This is the great social hall of Rivendell, where the Elves and their visitors share news of lands far beyond, tell stories, or perform music. The music here almost sounds divine, especially when the Elves sing and play, but they're just as eager to hear songs from other lands, so if any of the squad decide to share, they'll be glad to listen.
Some of the hall's guests are a touch more lively than the others, like a party of dwarves staying at Rivendell. Their stories are a mite more adventurous and if you get in their good graces, they might be willing to share some of the beer they brought with them. Listening to their stories or their talk about their craftmanship is a way to get into their good graces.
The Elves love learning, so there are libraries the group is allowed to browse, though they mostly only contain tales of Middle-Earth (for now), though the Elves seem to be collecting what books about other lands they can. These libraries often have viewing stations with telescopes pointing at the sky. The Elves have been almost delighted by the changing skies, enjoying the challenge of trying to understand how the sky has been knitting itself together with the addition of new worlds.
There are also beautiful balconies here, overlooking the gorge and the waters below, and terraced gardens filled with flowers, bushes, and flowering trees. Their rooms are open to the outdoors and have beds that seem grown into the shape of bed-frames instead of carved. The bathrooms actually have running water. The Elves have figured out how to direct the clean running waters of the gorge in primitive indoor plumbing. Water for hot baths has to be heated first in brass cauldrons over coal braziers before getting dumped into the bath.
It's time for the squad to rest, eat, and regroup. If a great Council is going to be called involving them, it might be a good idea to make sure they go into it as a united front, lest decisions about their fate be made for them.
✦ Joint log: Since this camp period won't be particularly long, everything will take place in a joint log. Players can post starters with prompts for others and tag into other players' prompts.
✦ Post in actionspam format. Plots and mod-run events in the game are meant to be in actionspam format to keep a brisk pace.
✦ Cursed Weapons/Powers: So they know about how they'll be treated: those with cursed weapons and dark powers will be tolerated by the Elves after entry. While they'll get the same general treatment, the Elves around them may at times seem uncomfortable. Those with cursed weapons will only be distrusted a little, as the weapons themselves will seem more suspicious than their bearers. Those with dark powers or some kind of dark nature (such as being a vampire, Necromancer mage, werewolf, etc.) will be treated with the greatest distrust.
✦ Fairy Swaps: The Elves may be slightly alarmed by the Brugh fairy swaps but get over it easily. However, if the character swapped in is one of the "dark" characters, the swap might be extra cause for alarm. (A potential prompt idea).
✦ Npcing: There will be two npc threads. The "Random Encounters" thread is for characters to have a totally random encounter with an npc. These npcs will be fellow travelers from lands beyond. While they can't give much information about the group's status as Chosen Ones (that will happen during the Council) they can provide info about events in the Wilderlands beyond that may come to affect the squad in their travels. The "Specific Requests" thread will be for more specific issues your character might want to discuss with the Elves. While they'll push any Chosen Ones discussion off to the Council, they're willing to discuss issues with the characters, like if they have questions about having received magic, about being bound to their weapons, etc. The Rivendell Elves have heard a lot of gossip from all over and can potentially provide info based on things they've heard.
✦ Clothes: The group will not yet be fully equipped for their travels (that will happen upon leaving) but everyone will at least be given new clothes since theirs are dirty and sometimes torn. Characters without appropriate travel footwear will also be given light and sturdy boots that will somehow be in their size without their size being asked. They'll also be given basic toiletries like scissors that can be used to cut hair and beards. There are no razors, however, because the Elves don't need to shave so they don't keep them on hand.
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More like gathering information. [He says with a bit of a smile that doesn't quite reach his eyes because he wishes he could share a bit more.] I come from an extremely scientific world, and I guess part of it is in my genes still. I've always loved taking notes, keeping track of things... [He motions at Dixon's drawings.] But I've never been an artistic type.
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Neither have I. [Dixon grins at his own joke. It's clear he's in a way better mood than he's been, all banter and smiles. He looks and feels ten years younger.] So when are you going to change out of that outfit and into real clothes.
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[He grins, giving him a one-shouldered shrug and looking pretty unapologetic. But he gladly takes the paper, making a mental note to know if the elves would be willing to give him some more. Maybe some sort of notebook, if he’s lucky? It’d make note-keeping easier.]
And last I checked, these are real clothes. No emperor’s new clothes situation going on here. [He looks down at his suit.] But I… think you’re right. The cape looks good, but it is kind of bothersome on my day to day.
[He may not be ready to be Clark Kent again, not when he isn’t sure who could be watching and when he has Lois’s identity to protect as well as his, but maybe he doesn’t have to. Maybe Kal can wear casual clothes as well.]
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I'm surprised your cape made it out of that fight with the witches in one piece. The elves said they'd see if they could salvage my jacket any but the t-shirt's done for. [Good thing it didn't have any sentimental value.] The elf clothes ain't so bad. Breathable, I think that's the word.
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I may not have my powers with me, but the suit is still made out of pretty durable stuff. It will take more than a few spells to rip them. [His mom made that suit for him, it’s definitely staying with him even if it does have a few scratches here and there. But he does need another set of clothes at some point.]
Were you hurt during the battle? [He seems okay, but the elves probably did a whole lot of healing just like they did on Kal.]
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I got mangled pretty bad. Knife to the back. The elves just took pieces of it out when I got here. [He taps the tip of his pen against his lower lip, then his teeth, looking disconcerted. There's a flicker of twin emotions through him, guilt and anger, the two in their usual lockstep.]
I was most worried about some of the teenagers. I was too slow to help a few of them. [He chews the corner of his tongue, sighs and starts scribbling again.] But I guess we all made it out alive, and that's all anyone can ask for.
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[Kal gives a quick glance at his shoulder. He doesn’t have his powers anymore so he can’t use his different visions to see how it’s healing, but he wouldn’t do it anyway without asking for permission- he does respect people’s privacy, and this is hardly an emergency situation.]
I’m sorry to hear that, but I’m glad you pulled through until the elves could take care of you.[He tilts his head. He doesn’t want to intrude or distract him if he’s finding peace scribbling and doodling, but...] Do you know what kind of medicine they used in you? Was it magical?
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[Dixon doesn't mind Kal giving a quick glance, and actually reaches out to tap his side in the general vicinity of where the injury was. He shrugs, like now that it's on the mend it's not bothering him at all. It's been a rough ride these last few weeks, between healing from the burns that scarred up his face and neck, then the hiking up a mountain, then the stab wound; compared to all that he can't complain at all.]
Had to be magical. It was one of those wraith blades and it didn't heal from normal healing magic. I just felt like I was getting shanked by an icicle and like I needed to lay down every twenty seconds the whole time. [He did his best to trudge on, trying not to fall behind the rest of the group or draw attention to how inept he is compared to superheroes and Jedi and all that. It's embarrassing, being the slowest, most out-of-shape, least able member of the team; at least when he was back in high school flunking everything to do with smarts he could always count on sports as a refuge. Here he's pretty convinced that his best use is as a human shield.]
Hey, can I ask your opinion on something? [He gives Kal a bit of a furtive look, like it's something personal. And it is, really, which is why he'd trust Kal's feedback more than someone else's. Superman's got a reputation for being forthright and compassionate, heroic and good. It's kind of the brand.]
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And if it helps ]
I’m sorry. But I’m glad we got here in time for you to get heal, from what I heard being hurt with those blades… [He grimaces.] It could be pretty nasty.
But of course, what do you want to know?
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In the meanwhile he doodles on the paper absently enough that the tip of his pen drifts off the edge and he scratches ink into the stone beside it.]
Do you think there's anything so evil someone can do that'd mean they might as well not even try to be an upright person anymore? I mean, since I figure you've seen a lot of sh- stuff. [Probably shouldn't be cursing in front of the person you're asking for moral direction.]
whoop copypaste fail up there, sorry
So he raises both eyebrows at Dixon’s questions, and tilts his head- but he takes the question seriously anyway, since it seems to be important to him. And at least it has an easy answer.]
No.
[He says quickly as he shrugs one shoulder.]
I mean, never say never obviously. But I truly believe that once a man wants wants to change for the better, really wants to and not just talks about it to get people on his side [Looking at you Luthor], then he deserves as many chances as he needs.
But it has to come from the heart.
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So would you say there ain't nothing someone can do that they'd deserve to die over? [He sets his pen down, giving Kal his full attention. At some point someone's probably going to ask Dixon what his deal is, and then he'll probably have to scramble to gather up all the loose ends and try to make something presentable out of them, but two of the threads running through it all are the fact that before coming here he was on his way to kill a stranger, a stranger who did worse than Dixon ever did. And that Dixon's done some pretty despicable things that might be worth death in some state laws too.
There's a place for ambiguity and for forgiveness, but Dixon's not built for it. His native blueprint is for clear delineations, direct structures, and merciless, uncaring vengeance draped in the garbs of justice. Everything's in flux for him right now, and on some level he feels like a body rejecting a kidney transplant, something that's supposed to help but throws the systemic protections into riot.]
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Personally? Yes, I would say that. And I’m not- I know it sounds naive, and like I said never say never. I have had to make… tough decisions, in my life.
[He had to kill, before. Kill Zod, once he had killed an entire world back home and was ready to kill Kal’s. Once he had destroyed an entire universe. There was… really no other option for him, at the moment, and yet it still haunts him. It’s not a decision he’s going to take lightly.]
And I am of course going to let justice run its course. I’m not a fan of the death penalty but if that’s what the jury decides there isn’t much I can do about it. [There is actually a lot he could do, considering his powers and his reputation back home. But that’s a line he isn’t going to cross.]
Why are you asking?
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Truthfully, Dixon hasn't had to make hard choices either. He could have just kept going on with his life, but he has made several active, highly-unnecessary decisions to completely trainwreck it. All scenarios self-created, all self-imposed, and, naturally, self-destructive.]
No reason. [It's a completely hopeless lie, and he knows it. He sighs.] I was making some decisions on that question earlier, is all. Before I got here. And since then it's like I don't know which way is up anymore, or maybe I didn't to start with.
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I think we’re all going through that, in this place, more so if you were having to make that kind of decisions back home.
I haven’t known you for that long, but if you ask me… if you’re wondering what the right decision is you’re already in the right path.
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He smiles back, but it's a bit wan. He would have appreciated the squeeze, if he'd known the thought crossed Kal's mind. There's only a thin veneer of self-control between how he's presenting himself now and the abject neediness underneath, the desperate desire for approval from someone like Kal, someone he's cast as a higher arbiter.]
You're saying it's probably not a great idea to just do stuff without thinking it through, huh? [Dixon laughs - it's a joke, kind of, not really - but it sounds a lot easier than it is. His impulsivity has been his worst enemy. Revan had him pegged right: any time he runs into a difficult emotion he darts towards the nearest way to anesthetize it, either through explosive anger or alcohol.]
He gets so preachy oh my God I'm so sorry
But I’m also saying follow your heart, really. I believe people are good at the core, I believe… that if you listen, really listen to what your heart is telling you instead of trying to rationalize it and let hatred suck your soul bit by bit your moral compass will eventually find north.
[A tad naive, maybe, and Kal’s aware of it. But he’s never let things like that influence him. That’s what he believes him, and so if it makes him stupid or naive then so be it. He can handle it.]
So think things through, indeed. But don’t just listen to your mind when making moral decisions because I have seen very, very smart people be able to rationalize and explain just about every evil decision they could come up with.
I think you know, deep down, what’s good and bad. You just need to listen to that little voice in your head when it’s trying to guide you.
never apologize, he's great!
[He wants to agree with Kal. He very dearly, very sincerely wants to think that just listening to your heart will be enough. He wants to think of the human heart as like someone you can call for guidance, like a hotline you could phone to for a straightforward answer. He wants his heart to be a power on high instead of a part of him. He wants clear, incontrovertible rules so that he doesn't have to sort through messy grey areas.
He wants to believe people are good at their core, too, but for a moment he wants to protest, because he knows people do evil things. He doesn't believe there's anything good at the core of whoever burned a teenage girl to death, a teenage girl who became nothing but autopsy photos on his desk for nine months. He doesn't believe there's much good at his core, either.
But he doesn't protest it, because some of the little acts of kindness he's benefited from have lodged themselves in. Back home, people he wronged ran to put him out when he was on fire, stopped him from being beaten to death, gave him something to drink when he was in a hospital bed. Here, on this quest, people have carried his things when he couldn't keep up hiking the mountain, have healed his injuries, have encouraged him to succeed instead of mocking him for ineptitude. And he's gone from kindness to kindness like a stray dog going doorstep to doorstep for offerings of food.
So maybe there is good.]
You aren't the first person telling me not to hate. I think it's kind of a shame that hating is so damn easy.
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[Kal sighs, looking down. He may be stubbornly naive, and he does tend to look at certain things in life with rose-tinted glasses, but even he knows hatred comes way easier than love. It’s easy to hate what you don’t know, what’s different from you… and it’s always easier to assign blame and call yourself executioner when you’re bringing down vengeance.]
But that’s why I think it’s people who still look at the good side of things, people who refuse to let life bring them down after they have been hit over and over, people who still believe there’s good in people when they’ve seen the worst humanity has to offer…
Those are the truly strong people.
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Just give up. He knows, deep down, that that's nothing like what Kal's saying. But that's what he hears.]
And everyone else?
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[He shrugs one shoulder.] I really don’t think it’s people who are strong versus everyone else. I think… some people have managed to find their strength, and some people still haven’t. Some still haven’t found that one thing that gives them strength, that one thing to fight for.
I… can’t tell you much about it, but I wasn’t always Superman, I didn’t always know what to do. I spent a long time hiding away, in my own particular way, because I felt like I wasn’t strong enough to really fight for what’s right, to really fight for what I believed in.
It’s not something you’re born with, I believe. You just have to take it step by step, and if you need to rest at some point, or if the steps you take are small, but in the right direction, that's alright as well.
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He tilts his head at Kal's confession that he wasn't always Superman. It's not what he expected to hear. Sometimes, when you look to someone for guidance, it's painfully easy to forget their wisdom wasn't something that was born at the same time as them, created in tandem.]
Does that mean you won't judge someone if they fuck it up along the way?
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I don’t think I know anybody who’s never made a mistake, actually. Being a good person- or simply making the right choices- is not about never making mistakes or never doubting yourself. Personally, I think it’s more about recognizing your laps in judgement or miscalculations and owning up to them.
Learning from them, you know? And trying to do best next time.
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It'd be a lot easier for someone to just reinvent themselves when they get here, probably. Except you, you came in with a cape. [He smirks to himself as if that's funny.] But they'd have to start day one. Just leave all the mistakes behind so no one could ever call them on it.
[Except that just because you don't admit to and own up to your mistakes doesn't mean they don't exist. They just sit there in your guts.]