MEMORY SHARE: 12 OF BEETROOT EVENT (May)

[voidmissions]

JEMA'GRETHY MEMORY SHARE

The caves of Jema'grethy will allow for a few different ways for memories to be interacted with. But for most, such as those entering in bonds, it will be seen like a vision in their head, putting them in the position and perspective of whose memory it is.

For people sharing bond memories, and also memories being shared while moving through the Memory Cave, this is the spot to place said memories! It's not necessary if you'd like to write it during the thread, but hopefully convenient for others. Just make a toplevel with your character's name in the header, and remember to include any content warnings thereafter for each memory, as applicable!

Comments

Hellmaster's Jar

[redprayer]

The light goes away first.

Every other sense dissolves away after that; the ambient scents and sounds, the feeling of the ground beneath your feet and the clothes on your back, the sense of up and down and this way and that way. All of it’s gone.

There’s nothing here. Not a breath, not a heartbeat. At least, not from you.

You can feel him pulsating away, however. Even as Shabranigdu sleeps, his presence is overwhelming. You know with utter certainty that if he awakens he will swallow what’s left of your spirit whole. It’s a thought that is both repulsive and tempting, like the urge to pick at a scab.

There’s no sense of time left. It’s as if the two of you have always been like this and always will be, a single moment stretching out behind and before you into eternity.

Throb.

Throb.

Throb…

Somehow, in the midst of eternity, a voice cuts into the darkness.

“Red Priest Rezo, I seek your knowledge.”

It’s a woman’s voice, with the refinement and arrogance of an aristocrat. You struggle to arrange your sluggish thoughts and focus on a response.

“Gioconda,” you manage to say. “What do you want?”

“My, what a curt response. I would have thought a Great Sage would have better manners. But fine, I’d rather cut straight to the point myself. The chimera prototypes haven’t been doing very well.”

So she’s still working on those. You don’t know if she has any personal intentions for them or if they’re meant to go up for auction after the magic tanks, but Gioconda goes on to explain how the prototypes- the ones that survive the chimerization process- have been puny creatures, coming out weaker than their component parts.

When she finishes explaining, you remain silent. You can think of a few reasons why the prototypes might be turning out badly. It does not feel worth the effort of explaining.

You can sense Shabranigdu’s pulsations resonating on an astral level with Gioconda. If you trace the path, you can almost taste her thoughts as if they were your own.

(A powerful beast could be worth a fortune- and it’s thrilling to own something capable of destroying entire villages, and such fun when you get to see it happen! But it’s not yours yet, so frustrating…!)

If you still had a physical form, the unnatural three way connection might make you feel ill.

Your silence lasts long enough that Gioconda becomes impatient. In a clipped voice, she speaks.

“Have you forgotten that I don’t keep your jar around for decoration?”

Ah. This threat again.

As always, there’s the temptation to just go ahead and let her do it. Destroying the jar means destroying your spirit, and maybe there’s the chance that Shabranigdu will dissipate alongside you.

Or maybe the shock would be enough to wake him up- and as an astral being, Shabranigdu doesn’t need to be bound to a physical vessel the way a human spirit is.

“Red Priest Rezo.”

Whatever.

“When constructing a chimera,” you pronounce, “One of the first considerations you must make is whether the component parts are compatible and in which ways. For example…”

Once you start on it, it’s easy enough to focus on the practical problems of chimerization. The two of you keep up a back and forth with Gioconda asking technical questions and you providing data and suggestions. Eventually, Gioconda is satisfied, and you can feel her retreat.

You settle back into the darkness, Shabranigdu’s essence surrounding you within and without. He laps away at you, gently and gradually wearing down your thoughts.

You suppose this is how it feels to have your soul rot.

There’s not a thing you can do about it, so you think back to the one good thing you can focus on, and resume dreaming of the light.