#aevum campaign: omerta nostra

[drunkelreporter]

He'd chased the fleeing form of Astarion through the streets, calling a few times as he ran after his lover. But the elf had only glanced back with a stricken look full of grief and fear before continuing to flee, dodging around what few people were out and about. The reporter cursed and growled under his breath but continued on. If he couldn't catch up, maybe he could corner Astarion wherever he ended up trying to hide. He didn't realize that he'd never be able to catch a vampire if he wasn't being led, only continued to chase in desperation.

The abandoned looking building Astarion slipped into made all the hairs on the back of Roberto's neck stand on end. Warning vibrated through his bones, the same sort of animal instinct that had sang in his blood when Wolfwood had first gave the group his predator's smile.

This is not a place for a human like him.

'You should have waited for Wolfwood, he could have handled it for you.'

The voice is kind, as Vash always is. Kind to a fault, even when there's a hint of something a little condescending about his tone. He doesn't mean it, not really, but it's probably hard to feel anything but superior to a normal human, unenhanced and past his prime. Ants, Roberto thinks, we are ants to him. But the words do cause him to square his shoulders and head inside the building.

He can't rely on the kids, he needs to find Astarion himself.

The inside of the building is not as he expected it to be.

It's metal plating, sleek and clean, lights much brighter then the twilight of outside. The corridor before him goes on and on and he doesn't see a single indication of Astarion's passing. Where'd he go?

"Star? Sweetheart?" He calls, derringer clutched warily and ready for a fight. Slow steps echo with each impact of his boots, ringing louder then they had any right to.

He... doesn't know how long he'd been walking. The corridor keep going and going, until--

'Oh look, it's you again. Did you not have enough the first time?'

The girl that's appeared behind him makes his blood freeze in his veins. It doesn't matter that she's so much smaller then him, it doesn't matter that her appearance is the very definition of innocence. She's a bloodthirsty monster in a vaguely human skin and his side pulses with agony at the sight of her. Roberto doesn't even entertain the idea of standing to fight; he turns and tears down the hallway as fast as he can. Breath wheezes in his lungs, terror and pain siezing the air he needs, but he keeps going, bolting deeper into hallways that twist and turn and double back and around.

Childish giggles echo behind him.

'One, two, what will you do, three, four, when we go to war. Five, six, I know all your trick, seven, eight, open my gate. Nine, ten, kill you again.'

'You can't fight her, all you do is run. All you ever do is run.'

"Nico-"

'He's right you know, all you did was try to run away from everything. You tried to make me run too! I'm an adult, I can do this!'

"Meryl!" He reaches out but her coat slips through his fingers and she runs away from him, determined to put herself in danger again and again. He can't stop it, can't seem to impress caution onto her, and when he lurches after her the stone beneath his boots crumbles away. She falls, he falls, down into depths he doesn't know.

Ice cold water closes over his head and his scream gets swallowed by the tide, Meryl vanishing into the pitch darkness.

'You can't save them, not a single one of them. You are not enough, not nearly. Perhaps, if it was you instead of young Nicholas on my table, might have gifted you with the resilience to guide them to survival. As it is, you are beneath even I, less then an ant in the presence of gods.'

A glow lights the water, cold and white, flashing and reflecting off of the impossibly sharp edges of a million blades. Stone parted like butter, the sides as sharp and smooth as glass as Roberto scrambled for purchase and only succeeded in slicing his hand open on the edges.

'You couldn't even protect us against human threats, why would you believe you had a chance to save them? Come on, father, you should have known better. I thought you'd accepted you couldn't save anyone a long time ago.'

He's drowning in every way, literal and metaphorical, and he couldn't breathe under the weight of accusing eyes if he had the air to draw in. It's a blessing when the water sweeps him away and spits him out on a jagged shore, coughing and choking. Even more of a blessing when he can't get up and darkness edges in around him. He should just lay here, let the place claim him. He's already dead, there's nothing left for him and if he can't protect his kids, if he can't save his boyfriend, why bother getting up? He'd tried to drink himself into a grave before, but this would be so much more simple.

All he needed to do was just lay here, accept his fate. Weary eyes drift closed, in this deep corner of the Coda he'd ran right into, and Roberto doesn't push himself up again.

@fangsanddaggers

[chaoticclaybomber]

The sounds of woodworking surround him, the smell of sawdust and the sealant that Sasori uses to keep his puppets protected against weather mingling with the scent of weapon oil and metal shavings. Tobi is leaned up against the side of the bed Deidara is stretched out on, sharpening a stack of kunai and shuriken as he fills the lazy, warm air with idle chatter. His voice fades into the background with the sound of Sasori's carving knife working at a small block of wood, the puppet master for once working at a silly little project rather then a new or improved puppet. His legs are stretched over top of Deidara's, and Tobi's head is right at Deidara's elbow, all three of them content with the arrangement in a way that speaks of long hours working together and trusting each other with their lives. Deidara is mostly asleep, entirely relaxed.

For shinobi, especially missing nin, this is the highest form of trust possible.

Warm contentment that he's never quite managed to grasp before rests in the center of Deidara's chest. He wouldn't move for the world.

So, of course, that is when the world moves instead.

The door bursts open, and the blond shoots up, finding himself caught entirely off-guard. Wasn't the door open already? Hadn't he just seen Kisame and Hidan amble past? Who had managed to get into the base without alerting everyone else?

The ashy haired young man in the door looks tired but determined, and it takes a long few seconds for Deidara to remember he knows him. Steven sighs at the scene before him, at both Sasori and Tobi standing warily, before focusing squarely on Deidara.

"Hey. It's time to leave. It's a dream, comfortable as it may be, it's still just an illusion, and you know that. I thought you told me you hated illusions more than anything?" Sasori sneers, and Tobi gives a high pitched giggle that's somehow awfully menacing despite being so childish.

"Senpai isn't dreaming, this is very real. But you're invading our space, so now we have to kill you! Tobi is terribly sorry." Steven doesn't even look at the towering, masked shinobi as he lunges, but suddenly Tobi is being flung across the room. Smoke and mist explodes from him at the impact, and he doesn't so much as cry out as he staggers up.

"See? They're not real. Just like that Sharingan thing you told me about, right? The one that makes you see things that aren't there? I'm real, Deidara, they aren't. They're smoke and mirrors, and you need to wake up." Both Sasori and Tobi are thrown away as Steven steps up to Deidara, pressing the handle of the largest dagger he's ever seen into his hand. Then Steven does something absolutely insane and grips the blade, letting it slice into the palm of his hand to draw blood. Deidara is so taken aback that he can't focus on the mist in his peripherals or the lack of his partners.

"I bleed, I'm real, I'm not part of this dream. I came to get you out, you need to come back to reality and leave this place, okay?"

".... They're not here at all, are they, yeah?" He knows the answer, he's known it the whole time. Steven's face shows he knows that, and knows that Deidara needs an answer anyway. It still hurts when Steven shakes his head.

"Come back and stay with Ito and I for a while. It'll be better for you, I think." Steven glances behind him, and his expression goes tight. "Listen, we need to go. My ambitus is... well. They're both going to try to kill us right now, and mine might be a tad stronger than yours. So don't let go of me and keep running." In a flash, Steven has his wrist in an iron grip, and they're bolting through hallways and doorways, and it all blurs between underground passages and halls of shining metal. Deidara... doesn't remember most of it, not past the blur of movement and the screaming of voices he knows and one's he doesn't but Steven does. All he knows is that even once they get out, they don't stop moving, and Steven doesn't let go of him.

He thinks there's a door involved, maybe a dog? Honestly, it's nothing he wants to pay attention to when it feels like something in him has snapped apart, and he's filled with a rushing noise and pressure. It's worse by far than the moment he'd realized he'd nearly killed himself because of Itachi's Sharingan. The horror and fear and anger that had filled him then was nothing to the cascade of... of something that twisted and screamed in his chest like some creature had woken up and was trying to tear him apart.

Sasori was gone, dead, torn apart, and stabbed through what remained of his human form. He was gone, and it was Deidara's fault for having left him to fight alone. His arrogance had gotten Sasori no danna killed, and there was nothing that would bring back the real person.

Tobi was the same, likely no more than dust and atoms floating in a breeze in the miles of desolate emptiness that his final explosion had left. He'd killed both his partners, the ones he'd grudgingly liked, the ones who'd kept him sane in the cage Akatsuki had put him in. They were gone, he was gone, but here he was, still finding himself caught in illusions and cages like a gullible idiot. Because he wouldn't admit that he missed them, that he was alone and it hurt and he hated it.

"You're not, you've got me, and Ito, and Badou, and Uriah at least. You're not alone, so just breathe, okay? You're okay now." Who knows when he said any of that out loud, but Steven keeps up a steady litany of nonsense and soft chatter, and it gives him something to focus on, something to cling to.

The last time he felt like this... he was probably only four or five, being reassured by an older kid in the orphanage. What a miserable reminder of how far he hasn't come at all. But Steven came after him and dragged him out of his cage of his own making, and if he didn't trust him after something like that, what the hell would it take? So he cracks and shatters and Steven lets him scream and cry and get out everything he's been bottling up since Sasori died, just sitting back to back so Deidara can feel the warmth of him there but doesn't feel watched and judged.

It's not better, not really, but it is a little bit. At least he can breathe when he's done, exhausted and more drained, then he's been in his life.

"Get some sleep. It'll look better in the morning when you're not so wrung out." Deidara isn't sure if he really believes that, but what does he have to lose at this point? The room is comfortable, and Steven doesn't seem inclined to leave any time soon, so Deidara supposed he can let himself have a proper sleep. Maybe Steven will be right, and things will be better.

That would be a nicer dream then the illusions anyway.

[ttauriwanderer]

Omerta Nostra - Notes

Steven journeyed to Sonare Isle purposefully, in order to look into the disappearance of the young student girl and other Echoes. Following them when they'd vanished might not be the wisest choice, but what other option was there, besides waiting for them to appear again? He took his time to study Sonata Station as well as he was able at the Archives before journeying inside, leaving him able to reach Sonare without having any real knowledge of music or musical terms. It takes an embarrassingly long time for the music theme to dawn on him. Admittedly, he's distracted by the place itself.

Steven can be found at any major place on Sonare, exploring every nook and cranny he can get himself into with Bip along for the ride.

Allegretto Circle

Steven makes his initial "home base" in Allegretto, though he is quick to find a better spot to strike out from. He frequents the area though, keeping an eye and ear out for anyone he recognizes and the people he knows that he's looking for in particular. He's quick to note the starccatos, and quick to consult them once he works out what they're doing.

Pizzicato Road

Like others, Steven can be found exploring the road and watching the other travelers and the neobop terriers. He doesn't spend as much time here as he does other places, especially since he isn't looking to leave until he figures Sonare out. If he ends up being shown a Medley, he won't take it but will direct others looking for a way back to Arcanus on how to find them.

Ragtime Way

Steven will frequent Ragtime Way likely more then anywhere else while he gathers information on the city, its workings, and the guilds running it. He sheds his fancy clothes and tucks all his things away, slipping into unobtrusive things scrounged from the area and melting into the populace. Born as a street orphan who survived for sixteen years by pickpocketing and petty thievery, Steven easily slips back into his old persona of 'Pick' and in amongst a similar setting. This is how he will spend most of his time investigating, popping up to people he knows to share what he's found by listening in on the locals and otherwise acting like he's one of them.

Rubato Square

Only when Steven is sure of his information or is moving as a team or group will he move fully into investigating the Square. He has no intentions of making his movements easy for the Guilds to track or indeed of making any movements they might feel they need to track. Subtlety is the name of his game though if he feels it will get him more and better information he may end up making overtures (ha) toward the Nocturne Guild. He still practices his thievery even as a Captain after all, though usually his practice focuses on rearranging things when no one is looking rather then flat out stealing. Still, he's not adverse to getting his hands a little dirty if he can also learn things he wouldn't otherwise. He can make up for whatever gets taken later if he must.

Steven's desires mostly involve knowledge, learning, mapping, exploration, and discovery. Helping others, maintaining the balance of life, those sorts of things. Not overly obtainable in the immediate but also goals that can go hand in hand with staying on Sonare. Fears on the other hand, those involve himself, his powers, and the extent of his potential to be a terrifying force for evil if he ever bent his mind toward it and a terrifying force for sheer accidental hurt if he doesn't always mind what he's capable of.

His Ambitus will likely take the form of people with information, whispers of knowledge, etc when trying to tempt him into a Coda, though it will take the form of himself when stronger and more malicious in order to force the issue of him giving chase.

Once corporeal, it will not hesitate to cause harm to himself or those around him. In the event he has to fight it, it's likely he'll lose without backup or more power to work with.

Bip will be able to tell immediately that Steven is seeing things, and he will consult the little robot to check if what he's experiencing is real once he realizes this.

On the plus side, Codas will not be likely to prove too difficult for him. Steven is adept at working out spaces that aren't as they should be and puzzles delight him. He can't help but be a little enthusiastic, even in the midst of a serious situation.

Lastly, Steven will be very likely to go jumping in if someone else needs help dealing with their Ambitus or gets lost in a Coda. Whether he knows the other person or not, he is not afraid to risk his own life to help someone else and will do so with very little hesitation.

[chaoticclaybomber]

Deidara, as distracted as he is with Sasori and the thoughts and emotions tangled up in his head when they're meant to stay in their neat little boxes, starts and actually takes a couple of steps when he's grabbed and tugged. For half a second, he can almost imagine that hand around his wrist is Sasori's rather than a stranger's. That's probably why he doesn't resist at all, though he's startled by it.

"I..." He doesn't get a chance to respond, words stuck in his throat. He knows this isn't real. He knows Sasori is dead and gone, that Tobi has to be too. It's fake, it's a lie, an illusion just as much as any the Sharingan can make. He hates illusions more than anything other than cages, and isn't this just a cage too?

Deidara is almost listening, almost absorbing the truth of the other's words. Hadn't Badou been just as against him staying here?

You're going to abandon me again, brat? You left me to die fighting my grandmother and that pink bitch and now you're going to leave based on the vague hope that you'll see me again at some point? Idiot. What happened to living in the moment, hm?

Deidara takes a step back, away from the other man.

"You... you're no more real than they are, yeah. You're not even alive, are you, un? Like Sasori, but at least I knew he was alive before he changed himself, un. You're even more fake than this is, and at least here I'm not just some violent outsider, yeah! Fuck off, un!" He snarls and tears away, turning with a swish of blonde hair and leaping back onto the bird they'd ridden on.

Sasori doesn't follow him, has disappeared entirely, but he knows he'll be back. Or Tobi will find him, and that's okay. He doesn't want them to go away, not really.

There's still something building in his chest, and he wants to scream and rage and blow up everything he can get his hands on but running is all he can manage right now.

Fool boy, you're a shinobi, and shinobi don't run.

For once, it's an internal voice and not the ambitus, but Onoki was right sometimes. It's just that this time, there's nothing in Deidara that wants to acknowledge it.

He listens to the other talking to air, leaning up against it like it's actually supporting his weight... so the phantoms are solid.

As of yet, none of them have tried to reach out and touch the puppet. He can't tell if he likes this knowledge or not. On one hand, maybe he really can have the satisfaction of tearing the Doctor apart over and over again, four hundred times for four hundred years of vengeance. On the other hand...

He feels a slight tugging sensation at his back that sends a jolt of pain shooting through his body. He ignores it without so much as a wince.

This could potentially lead to some complications.

"What I may want and what is within my grasp are two different things," he says cooly. "Sometimes, trying to reach for something unobtainable only leads to more pain in the end."

He crosses his arms, leaning against the wall with one foot propped up against it. These phantoms... no, these manifestations are going to be a handful, aren't they? They want to keep them here... so what tricks will they play? And why...

The other doesn't seem very interested in finding out. He seems content to live within this dream... and maybe the Wanderer should just leave him to it. After all, why should he interfere? Why should he care?

Ah, damn it.

He straightens up, then reaches out and takes hold of the other's wrist, tugging him away from where it seems the manifestation is-- there's no warmth of life within his hand, though it is as soft as skin it feels more like porcelain to the touch.

"Want it or not, are you really satisfied spending the rest of your life controlled by these whispers and reflections?" he hisses. "Just because you might think you want something doesn't mean you really do. Sure, you might not care that it's not real, but I know you don't want an illusion. They're dead. You're here. Listen..."

The harshness in his voice fades away, and he sighs, shaking his head. He releases the other's hand.

"I've been studying this world. Those that come here... they're not always from the same time, even if they're from the same world. Here, you have illusions. Mist given form. But maybe, back there, the real ones you've lost might show up someday. If you stay here, who knows if you'd ever find them."

He shuts his eyes. "All I'll tell you is that it's not the choice I'd make. I spent long enough controlled by the strings in others' hands, I'm not going to let some illusion take their place. But I mean what I said. If you want to stay, I'm not going to force you to leave. The Aercon here are just as human as the ones on Arcanus, from what I can tell. Even though this place reeks of corruption, it shouldn't pose any immediate threat to you. If you really want to make a life here... it's your choice in the end."

[unluckyuncle]

Omeerta Nostra 𓅭𓅭𓅭𓅭 Open

Oh no, oh no, oh no, oh nooooo... he was really in too deep this time.

He saw there was a girl missing. Poor kid got snatched by some creeps, and well he couldn't just sit on his rear end and do nothing about it. That wasn't the duck family way. There was no danger too scary, especially when innocents were at stake.

Except... he didn't exactly have his family to count on this time. It was a stroke of luck that he managed to get down to the train ( though it may have been bad luck, considering he wasn't even sure what the path out was. but he wasn't really the thinker in most adventures. he had simply tumbled down the staircase without much rhyme or reason. )

And now here he was wandering around the streets, looking for any sort of clue that could help him find this girl. He'd lost track of how many days it had been, he knew it rained once... maybe twice. But he couldn't give up. Especially not if there were others down here.

The duck was lost. Lost and alone too.

[aevumisles]

EPILOGUE.

As the Echoes traverse through Sonare Isle, their wits and constitutions are tested through thick and thin. Eventually, they may find their way out through a MEDLEY, or perhaps on the back of the great SONATA RAYS.

Those who sought after the lost girl, SANDY TYLERSEN, will find her trapped within a coda, and not particularly keen on getting out of it. Her ambitions of fame and fortune fulfilled, wrapped inside the arms of her own dream, it takes great fortitude and a sobering countenance to remind Sandy that she has a family waiting for her back home....

Those who sought after the MISSING ARTIFACT within the grasp of the highest bidder, a member of the general populace of Sonare Isle. It can still be recovered and returned to the Arcanus Museum in due time...

"Conductor, if I may," said Octavia. She awaited his acquiescence before continuing. "It seems that the young Arcanus girl managed to escape from the Coda. No doubt it was the work of the Echoes who were searching for her." The Conductor glanced up from the silver goblet bowl at his desk. "Well, I can't say I'm really surprised," the goblet sloshed with his broad gesture, and the tinkling of small bells sounded. He let out a dry 'tsk'. "Ah, well. I'd say we'd welcome her back but the conceited ones always get a so dull." "She did seem rather taken with the prospect of such glory ... but are you certain we should have let them find her?" He clucked his tongue and wound his arm around Octavia's shoulders. "You miss the forest for the trees, my hyper-scrupulous friend. After an Ambitus like that? She's going to have the most miserable time going back to ordinary life. And is that not a downfall worth watching?" "Well. I do suppose when you put it that way—" "—That I am absolutely diabolical?" "Positively dastardly." Beat. "...What about the Echoes, sir? They now know Omerta lurks in the shadows." The Conductor nodded. "And now they are never going to forget it," he grinned, then downed the last remnants of silver in the goblet. "In the very least, I would love to see them try."

INTRODUCING: THE VICES.

As activity across the isles stir alongside the summoning of the Echoes, it seems that the Isle's own powers have been set in motion as well. The Aevum Isles are filled with Aercon of all creeds, but none are as dominant as THE VICES, four powerful Aercon with special abilities unique to each Vice, and the heads of the infamous OMERTA NOSTRA. As of the Omerta Nostra Campaign, The Vice of the Mind, THE CONDUCTOR, is now available for implementation in-universe.

(YOU CAN READ MORE ABOUT THE CONDUCTOR HERE.)

THANK YOU FOR PARTICIPATING!

All Echoes who participated in Omerta Nostra will accrue the following benefits:

Aevum Isles awards 500 Emblems for participation in Campaign Events. 

In-Universe, Echoes who assisted with the MISSING PERSON'S CASE will be rewarded 5,000 keys.

In-Universe, Echoes who assisted with the MISSING ARTIFACT QUEST will be rewarded between 1,000-10,000 keys.

NOTE: You MAY write epilogue drabbles concerning the two Omerta Nostra quests and/or your Echo's escape from Omerta Nostra. These must be tagged accordingly. The MISSING ARTIFACT QUEST will be available for non-campaign threads until 09/07.

[windsofcourage]

OMERTA NOSTRA : STARTER CALL ! / CAP : 3 ! (castmates exempt !)

You can find Link's Campaign details (HERE)!

[drunkelreporter]

"Not if he was kidnapped from home and dragged here. We're going to look into getting some better locks or something, some kind of better security. This isn't fucking happening again." Roberto is still growling his words, too angry to keep his tone regulated and calm. The fact that Astarion was snatched directly out of their home pisses him off to no end and he's going to be fixing that as soon as they get home.

"I think I know how to get out. You need to ask the terriers how to get to Aevum, they'll take you. Might not keep us there once we arrive, but at least we can get home again." If they can be taken from home so easily, they might be snatched again. But at least they can get away from here first of all.

"I think the rain's going to do it's best to make us feel--" He jerks his attention to the side, where a flash of white hair and leather armor turns a corner. Without thinking about it, Roberto turns and breaks into a run.

"Star, Astarion-! Hey!" His attention has zeroed in, laser focused, and he's determined to catch up. Wolfwood is not so much forgotten as simply ignored, focused as he is on catching up with his lover.

The fierce animal that Roberto became was both shocking yet familiar. He'd sort of seen it in the way he'd hauled Meryl around against Elendira. What little he'd caught of it anyways. What a shitshow. Swift as he was, he was no match for the freak she was, even Wolfwood's been skewered by her many times.

He thought it over. Why would he be in a love hotel? Obvious reasons aside, he didn't like the ideas that came to the surface at all.

"Could be a cover. But... Judging by the scraps I could gather, he's not exactly here nor surviving entirely on his own terms." The idea that Astarion was forced into anything for survival had him shouldering the Punisher a touch to ease himself that she was still there.

"Whatever isn't pulp when your done will be puree when I'm through with them." He tracks through the city again, this time no longer alone. "Though, I suggest getting out as soon as possible. Best not hunt when we're all seeing shit." They'd need to find a way to protect against the rain if they want to get revenge.

"Last thing I need is the rain making me feel guilty for killing assholes again." Two years... It had been two whole years since he'd taken a life.

Now he'd destroy the entire island if he had to.

[magnusmodig]

OMERTA NOSTRA : CAMPAIGN DETAILS .

When Thor and Loki descended to Sonare Isle, it was by choice, and in an investigation of all that Aevum has to offer. In the spirit of dividing and conquering, Thor has split off from Loki, with the intent to regroup with his brother come midday. As Asgard was once also bathed in twilight he may be one of the few individuals still able to tell the time. You may be able to catch Thor as he investigates the area, and he will absolutely do what he can to keep tabs on his friends, protectees and allies.

Ragtime Way Thor thrives when he is amongst the people. So, to the people he shall go. Thor has a fair amount of keys to his disposal, and so he may be more inclined to purchase whatever goods are necessary of him from the locals. (Though he will not take a squarely unfair deal.) His encounters with NPCs will largely revolve around trying to get information on the isle itself, with a focus on Omerta Nostra.

Rubato Square Once Thor gets to Rubato Square, a majority of his time will be spent investigating the various guilds. He will be wary by the Nocturne Guild, deeply repulsed by the Smorzando Guild (especially once he realizes their dealings), bemused by the competition in the Etude Guild, and intrigued by the Omerta Nostra Guild. Most likely, he's going to try and visit each Guild's hall to learn more about them. Especially their leaders.

Pizzicato Road Thor can be found investigating the Bell Rain water towers sprinkled across Ritardando City. Eventually this will lead him to wander onto Pizzicato Road. He may be in lockstep with a Neo Terrier or seeking out a path back to Rubato Square. Either way, he's probably not taking shelter from the Bell Rains in the slightest. Thor is most likely going to discover on his own the scrying power of the Bell Rain, and will use it to check in on his close companions.

Forte Seas Thor is intrigued by the Sonata Rays and the Bell Rains and has every intention of discovering where the waters lead. He might dive into the depths himself. Notably, he does have a slight tolerance for the song of the Sonata Rays, able to withstand the sound for longer than he otherwise should be able to. (It does still give him a migraine.)

For the most part, Thor can ignore his Ambitus and press forward. This is done primarily to help others in need rather than to dignify the Ambitus with a response. (Easier said than done.) More details under cut:

Thor will predominantly see his loved ones as Ambitus. This includes the following members of his cast:

Odin

Frigga

Jane Foster

Heimdall

The Warriors Three

Sif

While Frigga, the Warriors Three and Sif will be predominantly passive figures, the Ambitus will use these forms when trying to get Thor's attention. They may strike up conversation with him, give commentary or advice as he's speaking with another person, and generally have the intention of getting Thor to step inside a Coda.

Heimdall will be more of a guiding figure for Thor, but make no mistake that Heimdall's visage will be used to get Thor into tough situations, including but not limited to: diving into the Forte Seas, staying out in the Bell Rains, and digging a little too deeply into the business of Omerta Nostra. Ultimately, Thor misses his dearest friends, his mother, and his herald dearly, and they are manifestations of his desire to see them again.

Jane Foster and Odin are the real dangers for Thor. Jane will only manifest once Thor has been in the Bell Rains for a long period of time, or has spent more than 3 days in Sonare Isle. Thor misses her incredibly, and will follow her into a Coda with very little hesitation. (She also brings him great pain and anxiety, so he may be able to snap out of it if only because... Thor knows a vision when he sees one.)

Odin is the primary manifestation of Thor's Ambitus. He will show up in Thor's eye even as early on as day one. He is everything Thor wishes he was, knows he was, and fears that he is, and much of Thor's time will be spent deliberately ignoring him. Regardless of Thor's efforts, Odin is large, imposing, domineering, and every bit as strict and critical as Thor has ever perceived him being in his youth.

[drunkelreporter]

It did not take Roberto long to figure out that this place was wrong. Things moved, very little was where it should be, and the people were just as shifty as the locations. Thieves and sneaks, thugs and knives, this was more of an underbelly to the Isle then Rosewood District ever could be.

Roberto was almost, almost tempted to relax in the face of a more familiar setting. These were people he knew how to deal with; the rough and rowdy, the wary and watchful. The people in Arcanus Isle were nice but... that wasn't what he was used to. He was used to the fight for survival in an unfriendly place and this felt far more natural then what he'd seen in Arcanus.

Sonare Isle was alright, for someone who knew how to keep his valuables tucked away, how to appear less then he was, and how to blend in. Or mostly, with the last one. Somehow people still marked him as an Echo, and gave him suspicious looks. No matter, they wrote him off almost as quickly as the people from Arcanus did and didn't stop him from poking around a little.

Or getting lost, which was the most annoying part. As if navigating a city wasn't hard enough, try one that moved.

And had weird, loud, silver rain. He'd been caught in the stuff before he had a chance to take cover and had been rather drenched but rain wasn't a mystery anymore, he could deal with being wet.

What he couldn't deal with was the lack of train back at the station, even as he caught sight of more Echoes here and there. No amount of hanging around brought a train and no amount of calling Astarion or Wolfwood brought an answer. He may have miscalculated.

Why was everything a struggle here? Not the things he was used to either, all the things that seemed simple weren't. What a pain.

And then things got weirder.

Voices that he knew by heart, flickers of movement from the corners of his eyes. Things that made no sense, that couldn't be, but somehow were. He'd caught the smell of familiar perfume once or twice and had shaken it off as thoughts about the past seeping into the present. Nothing more, nothing less.

He stopped telling himself that even after he swore he saw Meryl with her camera and had to double check that it was just a young boy with a very different model. The click had been the same, up until it wasn't.

Something was going on here and he didn't much like it.

Wandering the Pizzicato Road wasn't much better, but it was movement, which was preferable to sitting in one place. The kid with the camera had (for a handful of keys) told Roberto where the road lead 'reliably' and that it otherwise went "wherever Pizzicato wants to go", so he'd decided to explore a bit. Apparently the neo-terriers knew the way, if you were asked nicely and had a treat for them, so he wasn't worried, exactly. But the little map he'd been trying to make in his notebook made not a lick of sense and he'd just resolved to give it up when he saw someone else who looked distinctly lost.

A young man, bit pretty and meek looking, not at all the kind of person, at least by appearances, that would fare well back home.

"Hey there," Roberto said before he thought about it too much. "I've been told the neo-terriers will lead you around if you're lost out here. Here, I got some treats for them before I started exploring." The reporter sticks his pen behind his ear and digs into a pocket for a couple biscuits, stepping over to hold them out for the guy.

It's now physically impossible for Roberto to pass up a younger person who looks like they might need a bit of help. He's going to be very cross with his kids for this later, he's sure.

@bloodicdfeathers

[chaoticclaybomber]

Omerta Nostra - Campaign Details

Deidara found his way to Sonata Station not of his own accord, rather he woke up on the train after having sleep-walked his way through the station. As this has never happened to him before he is initially extremely disturbed and wary of the place. Not enough to see rain as a threat though, unfortunately.

Deidara can be found wandering and exploring most areas of the new Isle:

Pizzicato Road - Deidara is no stranger to winding, strange, confusing streets but these ones take the cake, even for him. He can be found on rooftops most likely, or with a small, clay animal he's using to scout. He's trying to keep his abilities and presence on the down-low, so acting as though there isn't more to his constructs then meets the eye and hiding the ninja abilities he's had returned to him.

Ragtime Way - Once he reaches the residential sector Deidara will feel right at home. Scum and villains are right up his alley and he's not one to be swindled or stolen from or misled easily, not with his training. He's fairly at home here and will likely be calm and content to exist in this new location for some time, observing those Aercons who clearly prefer the less civilized life with amusement and interest.

Rubato Square - Here is where Deidara will start to stand out, on purpose this time. As a long-time criminal himself, he's been rather bored and settled in Arcanus. Having legitimate criminal guilds around to interact with, possibly contract with, maybe even join.... That's something he's been missing. As much as he disliked Akatsuki, it was never because of the people, just the method of his joining and the chains that Leader's strength and authority represented. A guild he could join of his own accord? Now that is a much more appealing prospect. In all likelihood Deidara will attempt to join the Smorzando Guild, unless someone convinces him away.

Deidara's fears and desires are held away from himself, rarely acknowledged beyond his superficial goal: being acknowledged for his mastery of his art. Anything deeper and more personal then that has been buried in response to his environment; both before and during his five years in Akatsuki. Mostly they involve his freedom; finally being able to live without the constraints of his village or Akatsuki, or now the AIPD getting in the way. His desire for freedom comes hand in hand with a terrible fear of capture and containment; powerlessness in the face of stronger enemies whose goal is to use him and his abilities for their own ends, to take his will away and make him a puppet. In the same vein, he is secretly terrified of the prospect of Sasori finding him wanting somehow and simply turning him into one of his human puppets and trapping his consciousness inside.

Other, less deep desires include an ache for companionship he's yet to truly find here and this would be a much easier desire to exploit.

Deidara's Ambitus will likely take the form of other members of the Akatsuki, the higher-ups to scare him, or either of his partners to lead him away, possibly to a Coda. He can see through some illusions due to his left eye but when these specters don't change between his eyes, (since they're hallucinations) he won't be able to tell the difference that way. As someone who does not suffer from visions and hallucinations normally, and someone who isn't likely to ask others if they're seeing what he is, he would be hard-pressed to tell they're false.

Once Deidara understands what the thing is, he is unlikely to fight it or resist it. Why should he, when he has every intention of staying here and joining a Guild? As a corporeal Ambitus can be directed and used when not fighting with it's progenitor Echo, it will likely become a companion of sorts, probably mimicking Sasori, filling a void Deidara refuses to actively acknowledge and leaving him less and less likely to wish harm on it.

If left alone too long, Deidara will fight attempts to separate him from the Ambitus and remove him from Sonare Isle.

[drunkelreporter]

Follow the Notes, the Etude Begins

It had been some time since Roberto had gotten the chance to unravel a proper mystery. Back before his work with the Bernadeli Newspaper he'd been one hell of a slueth, detective, information broker, whatever one wished to call it. He'd enjoyed finding out things that others didn't know, and then using that information for his own and other's benefit.

It hadn't always worked in his favor. In fact, it had ended in more deaths then Roberto could carry while still keeping that job.

Still, the desire to search, and find, and know, had never really abated and it was now, here, in this new place and second chance that he decided to take up the job again.

Someone had gone missing in an old train station and several other someones had stolen an artifact related to the trains that once ran there. The old reporter had seen far too much to write it all off as a fluke of coincidence so, despite being one of very few Echoes with no powers of his own, and despite the AIPD likely looking into both events themselves, Roberto set out to the train station.

Alone.

He'd left a note for Astarion and Wolfwood, and taken his phone he was still getting used to carrying, his derringer, the dagger he'd bought, and the pouch he kept his healing stones in. A notebook and pen, along with a decent portion of keys, joined his equipment scattered in the deep, inner pockets of his jacket and he set off from their house with sure steps. Some things he just wanted to do himself, and investigation was one of them. Sure, having a vampire with magic as a partner (in both uses of the word) and a super soldier experiment as an unofficially adopted son was helpful but... he'd been doing this alone, the human way, all his life. If he had difficulties he could always call home and have Astarion or Wolfwood join him, right? It would be fine.

The station was, predictably, deserted and full of flora looking for a foothold in the man-made structure. Roberto wandered around a little, trying to read the signs that were faded and worn away by time, noting the 'E' next to the one light left glowing on the train board. Humming to himself, he noted it down before descending the stairway.

It took a good bit of exploring to figure out that he was looping around. Irritated, he stepped back out to the main hall and looked around, figuring there was some trick to the place. Why wouldn't there be, magic was everywhere in this place and he'd read through the last posts the student had made online before she'd vanished. The sign hadn't changed letters for him, no matter that he'd gone into various areas labeled Platform E. He was missing something.

The shadows at his feet caught his attention and he glanced up at the ceiling.

Wait.

Sonata. Music? He cocked his head, studying the form of the glass ceiling. It had been a while since he had last read any music but he remembered the way it looked, the lines and notes between them. It took a moment for him to dredge up the memory of which note was what but if that was a music staff then one of those notes was, indeed, an 'E'.

Hmm.

He went back down, working his way through each platform labeled 'E' and noting the number before looking back at the board. Methodical as he was, it still took some time to change to change to 'G', after he'd tried 6, 8, 2, 12, and 4. When 4 did the trick, he looked back at the ceiling. Four... quarter notes? They were all quarter notes and 'G 4' did nothing special. Not that. The lines?

Fuck, how were the lines noted again?

'G 2'. Bingo, the lines it was.

After that, the other two were easy.

'E 4, G 2, D 4, A 6'.

Finally, he was somewhere else, a deserted train platform with the echo of a train whistle sounding from the track before it slid obligingly into view.

The apparently abandoned compartments and the pristine state of the train amid the abandoned station was unnerving, but not enough to put Roberto off. He snapped his notebook shut and stepped onboard, settling expectantly into a seat.

As soon as the single passenger was settled, the train slowly pulled away from the station, leaving Roberto wondering what he'd gone and gotten himself into this time.

Maybe his kids weren't the only ones who got themselves in trouble.

[aevumisles]

What would each guild do if an Echo killed one of their members?

Each guild will have a different cultural response compared to the last, but all in all, the ending result will be no good.

NOTE: The following descriptions will assume that an Echo attempts and successfully kills a low-to-mid ranking Guild NPC. Attempts on the four guild leaders can be attempted, but may not always be successful.

All murders and attacks on guild members (including their leaders) should have an in-universe news report submitted to @aevumdaily so that a response from the guild can be posted there.

THE NOCTURNE GUILD.

The Nocturne Guild has a complex series of checks and balances to ensure no member gets caught or killed. (Certainly not with any incriminating evidence leading back to the Guild.) As such, Keen-eyed Echoes who become enemies of the Nocturne Guild will find themselves stalked for a couple of months before action is taken. Once the Echo's threat capacity has been thoroughly investigated, the Nocturne Guild may offer the Echo a summons from none other than Libretto Fortismo himself. He will give the Echo two options: atone for their transgressions by way of owing the guild a favor, or receive a debt the Echo may have no chance of wiping out. (Generally the debt would be a debt of 10,000-100,000,000 keys or various important items to the Echo. This payment will be taken from the Echo in ways of keys and material possessions.) Refusing either option will put you on the "Hounds List", in which the Nocturne Guild will commission the Smorzando Guild to hunt the Echo down. If the member is of high enough rank, the Echo may even be spoken about with the Dal Segno Guild. (see: Dal Segno, below.)

THE SMORZANDO GUILD.

Getting on the bad side of the Smorzando Guild is an extremely foolish endeavor. Guild members are highly volatile, impulsive, and prone to acts of extreme violence. They are also capable trackers and huntsmen, and a large-scale hunt of the offending Echo will ensue for about a month before the Smorzando Guild will bench their witch-hunt. This is true of the murder of any Smorzando Guild member, no matter the ranking. (However: killing a high-ranking member may result in the guild leader, Tre'bel Cleft, making the Echo his personal target. Cleft does hold a fierce grudge.) The Smorzando Guild will rarely result to murder as their immediate course of action, preferring to prioritize making Echoes they deem enemies suffer immeasurable amounts of pain and suffering. This can include beat-em-ups, torture, hazing, etc. Echoes can go under cover and work around the Smorzando Guild, and once their witch-hunt has been benched, they will become a lesser priority for the guild to go after. Tensions can be rekindled with fervor if the Echo's identity is revealed, though.

THE ETUDE GUILD.

The Etude Guild has a curious relationship amongst its members in that they all mutually dislike one another. Typically speaking, anyways. If a low ranking member of the guild were to meet an unfortunate end, chaos would ensue, resulting in in-fighting amongst the scholars in order to take their work and build upon it. If the member is popular enough (which isn't impossible), then the Echo would find that security has been increased around the Etude Guild hall— though noticeably, not by way of the Smorzando Guild. The Echo would be put under surveillance if their actions had been seen, and Etude Guild members would attack on sight. Revenge and murder would not be a priority so much as getting the offending Echo away from Etude Guild property and premises.

THE DAL SEGNO GUILD.

Killing a Dal Segno member will prove the most difficult as these members are largely elusive Aercon. If a member is killed by an Echo... nothing will happen. (At first.) But it doesn't take much longer than two weeks of having "gotten away with it" for seeds of a much larger revenge begin to take shape. Your Echo may find themselves waking up one day deep inside a Coda, having been transported there against their own will. Inside would be various personalized traps, enemies, and other methods of inducing whump onto an Echo revolving around fears that, most likely, the Echo hasn't spoken a word about. Suffice it to say: It's best not give the leader of Omerta Nostra any reason to have an Echo on his radar.

— Mod Leillis  🌸

[aevumisles]

Omerta Nostra question: if a muse would already, naturally be inclined to stay on Sonare Isle, would their Ambitus still try to trap them in a Coda? Is the goal to get them in a Coda or just to stay on the Isle itself? Would the Ambitus (when corporeal) then attack those trying to remove the muse from the Isle instead?

Yes. The Ambitus would do whatever it can to keep the Echo on Sonare Isle. If that means shifting tactics towards manipulating the mind to further entice the Echo to stay (e.g., impersonating friends, commenting on how great Sonare is, digging into the Echo's likes and reasonings for wanting to stay in Sonare at all) then that is what the Ambitus will do. The Ambitus is a manifestation of the Echo's inner workings, so whatever reasons the Echo would have for wanting to stay - be they innocent, temptation, fear, longing, etc. - would be what the Ambitus plays to in whichever way might be the most effective for that Echo. It's not 100% evil or 100% good; just the purest and most baseline of an Echo's thoughts, worries, concerns and cares.

Even when corporeal, the Ambitus can only do so much to other Echoes who cannot see it. Remember: Echoes can only see another person's Ambitus when having ingested an Esper Potion, inside of a Coda, or having a castmate bond. Currently, Esper Potions can only be stolen from the guild halls. If a neighboring Echo cannot see the Ambitus, then the Ambitus can only cause mild interference. It cannot harm the other muse. What it can do is blot out the other Echo's voice, push the Echo away from its manifestor, and cause some mild sensory effects like winds, static, etc. If both Echoes can see the Ambitus, then and only then can the Ambitus attack the neighboring Echo. It can cause the same amount of harm to that Echo as it can its manifestor. It will get aggressive and attack if it feels like the neighboring Echo is interfering.

— 🏵️ Creo

[chaoticclaybomber]

"Oh yeah, Ito mentioned that, something about helping out if I ever managed to open a shop, yeah."

With what money, brat? You need something to start with to do that and you're a terrible civilian.

His expression shifts to annoyance and he huffs, glancing over at the shadow of Sasori. He's got a point, as per usual, even if Deidara doesn't like it much, again as per usual.

"Yeah, yeah, way to be a killjoy, danna, un. No money no starting any kind of business, yeah. Susanoo probably wouldn't take it too well if I started making even more bombs in the house, un." Sasori snorts and Tobi giggles at his dramatic eye roll.

"Sasori no danna's here, he can keep me company while I figure out settling in somewhere, yeah. It'll be fine, un."

Ohhhhh god this is maybe getting worse. He does not want to hear about Deidara, someone he knows pretty decently, selling his body for cash. And to be the first thing he thinks of--

Badou tries not to let it show on his face. "I mean not work. You like doing art, don't you? Fireworks and shit. You can do that to kill people, true...but you could do it to entertain people too."

And even more and more, the dread in his belly has risen up to take him by the throat-- stay with who??? There's no one else.

"Where is this Sasori, then?"

[aevumisles]

So it says that people can't see the ghostly creatures, but because they are ghosts would Luna be able to see them?

Safely assuming as well that she'd be able to locate the train as well ? (WAS too lazy to retype :D)

Sonata Rays are ghostly, but can be seen by anyone inside of the Sonare Isle dome. They do not require true sight to be able to be seen.

Even Echoes with supernatural abilities would still have tame the Sonata Ray, which includes ingesting an Esper Potion to withstand its melody.

The Ambitus, on the other hand, cannot be seen by any form of true sight. The Ambitus are not ghosts. They are hallucinations manifested by an Echo's greatest fear or deepest desire. Even characters with True Sight would need to follow the prerequisites to see another Echo's Ambitus.

The listed prerequisites include:

Ingesting an Esper Potion

Being trapped with another Echo inside of a Coda

Being a castmate of another Echo, who specifically shares a strong bond, or similar fear or desire.

The train can be located entirely without supernatural means! A GUIDE has been posted and can be found on the Sonare Isle page with instruction on how Echoes might get to the boarding platform.

— Mod Leillis  🌸