Event | Landfall | Death

[ironwood]

Characters: Any and every!
Date: August 10th - 31, 2013
Location: The realm of Death as accessed via Sinbrilee
Situation: Death is the third of the realms; characters that wander here are subject to their worst fears and nightmares.
Warnings/Rating: Please place content warnings in subject headers!

Sinbrilee | Dreaming | Death

Life. Dreaming. Death. Three realms overlaid upon one another and yet each distinctly their own. They dwell in Life and do so live upon the back of the great turtle as those of Sinbrilee did upon the shell of his sister. However, there stand numerous arches of marble throughout the ruined city that are inlaid with runes beyond understanding. Those that live and breathe which step through those whose runes have crumbled round the etchings slowly ooze a black goo find themselves entering into the realm of Death.

Those expecting the malleable invitation of Dreaming are met by disappointment and decay. Death is final and unforgiving, having no mind or function to share its control or plan. Unpredictable to when it strikes, this realm is in a persistent state of flux of decay and regrowth. The is but one constant here: Fear.

Fear permeates the air and the mind, carrying with it misery and extreme temperatures that may shift from frigid to desert-hot in seconds. It is everywhere in the ruins that represent Sinbrilee here and it is everywhere in the city that rises at random, enjoying the height of its glory before crumbling with the eerie screams of thousands dying. Graves emerge here and there, frosted by the cold -- then suddenly, the tombstones are cracked from the wear of time.

Malicant's taint seeps into all things here and Death flourishes for it, stirring up visions and stags of one's deepest fears and the darkest parts of their lives. It holds its own parody of life, sensing intruders and acting to inspire the most terrifying heights of fear that it may. Sometimes it ebbs for a few minutes, only to renews its assault of nightmares with redoubled effort.

Fear and misery; the landscape and events play out without mind to the peace of these visitors. And yet, for every terrifyingly real detail, nothing here exists beyond this realm; 'constructs' simply fade if taken through the archways and even the greatest scientific minds or tools will reveal nothing of its source. This is an ancient magic of an ancient realm, too malicious to allow any to walk away with some trophy of it.

Note: Due to the fluid and highly individual nature of Death, no official subheaders will be provided in the comments of this post. Feel free to post and thread however you like, so long as the rules of Death are adhered to.

Comments

[wingedwarrior]

[Fear has always been something Shayera has kept buried down deep, to ensure it would never show. It's not something she likes to let out, much less around people she knows. But here, the walls she worked so hard to keep up, to keep her fear in check and out of sight, have come crumbling down. Her darkest fears made real, for her to experience, to witness, not just think about.

There's a crushing sense all around, as though something is try to push down on people, to make them unable to stand. Every time Shayera tries to stand, the pressure becomes to much, and she's forced to stay seated on the ground. Her face is blank, eyes hollow and glazed over, as though there are no emotions other than sadness within her. It wouldn't be too terrible for her, if she wasn't locked in a cage. There was no key, no lock, no way out of it. Just Shayera with tattered and unkempt wings, the cage, and a sign in front with the words "FILTHY HAWK" on display. She's been put on display, branded as a traitor, made to mock everything she's tried to fix in the past. Curses are shouted out, objects are thrown, glares like piercing daggers on her heart are given to her. Familiar Thanagarian figures are nearby, Paran, Kro, Kragger. All of whom say "this what a traitor like you deserves, to be a disgrace", and soon they fade out. The founding members of the League replace them, looking down as her as though she's beneath them. A They turn their backs on her, walking away, as they recite her punishment.

Exile from Earth.

The cage is lifted, hurled into space, the endless abyss of nothingness. Of loneliness. There is no place for her now, no friends, no family, no home. Just a bird in a cage, unable to do anything as her life goes on.

Her fighting spirit is broken. Her will to live is gone. Shayera Hol is nothing.]

[purpledaggers]

[She may not recognize him considering he is in full Panther gear at the moment. But through the endless despair that is the Death realm, he does happen to stumble upon her bird cage. The way he approaches is subtle. He walks over to the cage, his suit masking most of his visible expression.]

Ms. Hol...

[wingedwarrior]

[She slowly raises her head at finally being called her name, no hint of malice or scorn to be heard. Her eyes are cold, hollow, without any desire of having life breathed back into her.] I'm sorry, I don't know you. But I know I must've let you down, too.

[purpledaggers]

[He pauses for a brief moment before reach at the material of his mask and sliding it over his head.]

I believe you do indeed know me, but perhaps your mind is simply too clouded to remember.

[...]

In this place I do not have the ability to break through steel. You will have to free yourself of the cage...

[wingedwarrior]

[She squints a little to get a good look at him, before her eyes widen.] You're... T'Challa, right?

[Free herself. Like that could happen. She lowers her head again, shaking it slowly.] I can't. I have no strength to break free with.

[purpledaggers]

Yes. We have talked over the network once before.

[He had seen a lot of things since coming here and despite the horrific images he's seen, this one was rather subtle. A normal steel cage. Sometimes torture didn't have to be complex.]

Considering where we are, I have a feeling this cage is more mental than physical. [He's going to take a seat on the ground, his legs crossed in a sitting position.] Tell me. What is it that is troubling you?

[wingedwarrior]

When you first arrived. [Her memory is fuzzy, muddled over by thoughts of the warm, leaving the Justice League, the scorn, bitterness from the people of Earth. All her fears were causing too many confusing problems, fearful ones at that. She gestures to the people around her, cursing, yelling, ostracizing her.] You tell me.

[andaway]

That wasn't me, Hawkgirl.

[Kal hovers to land in front of her cage as it lifts up, reaching to place his fingers around the heavy bars. He isn't sure if he can force it open, and for now he isn't going to try. Not util he figures out what's happening, why Shayera is afraid of this... this situation.

He's all too familiar with the fear of not belonging, of the people on Earth being afraid of oneself. But Hawkgirl... Hawkgirl had been among them for ages, in his world. Had been one of them, had been one of them in plenty of different lives actually.

Why this? Why now?]

I wouldn't let them exile you from Earth. I wouldn't. [Because no one deserves that.]

[wingedwarrior]

[Her head is raised so she can face her friend, however different from her Superman he may be. But it's the name that does it for her. So many lies and betrayals are attached to it, and it gets to be more than she can bear. She visibly winces at the name, honestly wishing she had the strength to tell him not to call her that.] Please just call me Shayera.

[It was the only sort of protest she could muster up, and even then it was a weak one. "Wouldn't let them exile her." All she can do is shake her head.] You wouldn't say that if you knew what happened.

[andaway]

Shayera.

[The name is out without even a question. Those will come later. There's obviously a lot different from this Hawkgirl to the one(s) in his universe but it's still her, and he's still going to protect ehr.]

Tell me, then. Prove it.

[wingedwarrior]

[She gestures to the enraged faces behind her, though they keep their distance around Kal. She knows he's the one they like, and wouldn't dare do anything against him.] All these people? I lied to them. Betrayed them. The League, most of all. I imprisoned all of you, and my people enforced their own laws on the people of Earth. Because of me, Earth was almost destroyed.

[andaway]

[Kal has to pause at that, process it. Take a while to even start to believe it. He doesn't really pay attention to the enraged people around him, his focus on Shayera.]

If you're anything like the Shayera in my world was, you'd have a reason for doing so. What was your reason, Shayera?

[wingedwarrior]

[Her reason. This isn't going to end well. She wraps her arms around herself, as if to offer herself protection for what's to come.] To win the war against the Gordanians.

[bridgetothemyscira]

[Diana had not known her for long, not enough to tell that they hadn't gotten along in the past. It wasn't unlikely, of course. Artemis and Shayera had very similar traits, and there was always a rivalry there, so it wasn't like she couldn't picture it.

But seeing herself exile someone from Earth? One she considered closer to a friend than anything else caught her off guard. There were similarities in their outfits, but she could tell they were not exactly the same. The Wonder Woman of their world, perhaps. She could only cast a glare at her before she goes to chase the cage. She didn't have flight, strength or anything special. Not in this place. All she had was willpower and determination, and that's what gets her slamming the cage, trying to get it open even as they end up in space.]

Shayera, get a hold of yourself!

[wingedwarrior]

[Ah. Diana. If there was one person Shayera wouldn't be too surprised about enforcing the exile, it's her. They got along... decently. Theirs is a strained relationship, they aren't about to become friends overnight. But this Diana was different. She actually seemed to care on a level different than that of the one on the Justice League.

She can only muster a sad, bitter smile as she watches her... half friend try to open the cage. Of course, even in space they can still breathe here, because it would be far too easy if Shayera simply died not long after exile.] Never thought I'd see the day where you of all people try to rescue me from this.

[bridgetothemyscira]

[She's certain that there were going to be others who will stop her from this mission, and she could already hear sounds of movement, but nevertheless it doesn't deter her from trying to rip the cage open with her bare hands, strength or no strength. If she could get at least one handle bar...]

What do [Clang! Bang!] you [Bang. No good.] mean?

[wingedwarrior]

[Princess Diana od Themyscris, Wonder Woman, was really trying to bust her out a cage. The world, even the mental one, is full of surprises, isn't it. God only knows what will happen next.] You and I aren't exactly friends in my world.

[bridgetothemyscira]

Are you not also a part of that league? [Okay, randomly hitting it won't work. Diana starts looking at the cage a little more, trying to see if there was some other method she could work with to break it open. What a time to lose powers.] Are you not one of my sisters? I see no reason not to help you.

How do you open this cell?

[wingedwarrior]

[Sister. Diana just called her one of her sisters. Sure, she did that with practically any female in the world, but she hadn't called Shayera that in months.] They're calling me those names for a reason, I hope you know.

[She simply shrugs.] Beats me. It just... formed around me when the people came.

[imaginate]

[It takes only a look, a step, for him to realise where he is.]

[Death. The stench of fear seeps into him, and he reacts to it instantly, fighting the feeling, and outnumbered, a child taking on a gang of bullies. But he's always been a fighter, and the mind - is familiar. He's with a friend. A close one.]

[And it takes only one more look, for him to understand what Shayera's fear is, and it's not the other Thanagarians that invite his fury, it's the League.]

[Green light pours everywhere, and the cage turns to ash within seconds. His powers don't work but this is a metaphysical plane and a Green Lantern conquers fear - crushes it beneath his boot, as Kyle does, standing in between her and the League.]

I'll say this once.

[His voice is icy, sonorous.]

Leave.

[wingedwarrior]

[She can tell instantly, that someone has entered her mind, and a small surge of strength washes over her. She knows who it is, without even having to lift her head. You don't enter someone else's mind and not sense their presence in your own. She knows Kyle is in here, and for a brief second, there's a crippling fear that he'll judge her based on what he sees here.

But that vanishes soon after, as he's proven many times before he doesn't care what she's done. He likes her for who she is, and that is the source of what little strength she has now, and for a moment, she almost feels as though she can push it all away.

Until she feels the cold metal of the cage disappearing, the light tickle of ash falling on her skin, giving her goosebumps. She looks up slowly, at Kyle standing up to the League, doing what she should have been able to do herself.] Kyle?

[The League members stand their ground, ready to go on the attack and Shayera is filled with a crushing sense of dread for what's to come. John steps forward, ring raised for attack and glaring at the two of them.] She needs to face the punishment for her crimes against Earth. You know what'll happen if you help her. [She pushes herself up, ignoring the pressure against her and putting her arm in front of Kyle. He's the one thing here she can't afford to lose, the one thing she swore to herself to never give up.] Leave him alone, he's got nothing to do with this!

[imaginate]

[He's Ion. The universe is in the palm of his hand and all he has to do is flick his wrist. The power surge makes his limbs tremble (he's only human, restraining the force), but he holds firm, completely unyielding.]

[He takes one look at Shayera, to see she's all right, and he spots the broken wings. The intensity of the light surrounding him increases, and he looks at John.]

Remember Xanshi. You, of all people, should know better.

[wingedwarrior]

[It's all so much to deal with, Shayera has trouble keeping up. Something shifted in Kyle, made him unlike what she's seen of him before. She knew there was a darker side to him, one she'd never seen before, and coupled with dealing with her fears personified is making her a mess.

The League doesn't budge, as if they're frozen in place, not even flinching at the light. John simply gives a curious look to Kyle, the name unfamiliar to him. Shayera has to cover her eyes, yet still turning around to face Kyle.] ... Kyle? [The trembling is all too visible to her, and despite herself shaken up by her nightmares, she puts her hands on his shoulders, as if looking for something to ground the two of them.] What's going on?

[imaginate]

[He's too angry to completely register the implications of the look John's giving him, but the light does dim slightly, and more when Shayera questions him. Kyle turns towards her, floating where he is, and when he speaks, it's gentle, and calm. Harps, not vengeance.]

You okay, sis?

[wingedwarrior]

I... [I'm terrified. Her shaking hands should give away her true emotions, but for now, she'll feign her composure. She's done it countless times. Lie. Pretend. Simply play a part for the Thanagarians.] I'm fine. But--

[The League took a step forward, interrupting her before she had a chance to say anymore.] Yeah, lie more, why don't you? What's one more upon the thousands of tales you've made?

[Her fingers clenched in Kyle's shoulders for only a few seconds, before she simply hung her head in defeat.]