ORIGIN - [Chaos Forge] INCENTIVE

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Open to all members of the Chaos Forge and the Palace/Aethril's Entourage, if she'd invite them.
This thread will lay out some new IC punishments... but reveal some new incentives.

- THE LEVIATHAN -

This meeting had been a long time coming. Vargas had gone over the details in his mind dozens of times. The lists. What he was going to threaten, promise, offer. Punishments. Little mercies. Rewards. He'd checked and double-checked the growing chrysalises over and over again, before this meeting, and he was ready: ready to lay out the shining trophies that he hoped would draw all those Gembounds in the caves here. To gather loyalty and respect. To gather cooperation, willing cooperation--willing contribution--even from outsiders.

A united cave was less a threat than a divided one, after all, so long as it was united behind him. And without knives at his back.

And it was time, as Overseer Cain had suggested, to point out that he could offer more than knives, as well--and threaten far more mild things. That "death" was not the only answer he could bring forth as punishment.

"CHAOS FORGE," he bellowed, striding for the Black Spire. He'd hold the meeting underneath, in its shifting shadow--for dramatic effect, of course. "CHAOS FORGE. COME TO THE SPIRE. IT IS TIME FOR THE MEETING," he called.

He'd told Aethril of the date--would she come? Who would she bring? Who of the Forge would show up? -All of them, if they were wise.

He had much to say.

@V-Chaos-Two (Kethri?) @Esther @The Sentinel @Aethril (and Obieth maybe? Pollen?) @Vander @V-Labradorite-One @Garnet-Epsilon @Garnet-Delta (& Zoisite?) @Khavur @V-Selenite-One (orthoclase-alpha?)

Chaos-Two had been waiting for the meeting, anxiously pacing around their little nest. Eventually Vargas' booming voice echoed around Draco and they perked up, moving to grab their spear before they trotted towards the Spire.

They arrived as soon as they could, standing before the Master and the Spire, though far enough away that they didn't feel the aura that surrounded the black structure. They didn't really want to be corrupted. They'd seen what it did to Draconua and the others... no thank you.

Silently they stood, nearly as stoic and silent as the Sentinel, hands on their spear and posture as straight as they could get with their aching muscles, though they couldn't keep their fluffy little tail from flicking with anticipation.

Kethri swooped in soon after Chaos-Two, alighting atop a rock and waving a wing in front of her face, coughing weakly. She looked like something had blown up in her face, soot clinging to her white feathers. Clearly whatever experiment she'd been conducting had gone horribly wrong.

Too bad she wasn't dead, though.

She began to preen after a moment, cleaning herself off bit by bit, half-listening to whatever Vargas had to say. She had nothing to contribute, whatever it was. She just wanted to get back to her experiments.

~~Vander~~ Desert Rose didn't particularly like how Draco shifted, and it made him almost seasick over time, watching the walls slowly sift and creak, the Spire twisting and churning. It was something he got used to, at least. He had to.

He'd started making his own small nest- just a place to sleep, to store this things, not anything permanent. He was used to sleeping on Tunnel P's sands- and then the soft grass of the Refuge- this hard surface felt strange, and it was certainly not easy to create a nest without much foliage in the cave. He'd perched up on his wing-paws, picking apart some leaves and discarding rotten ones to the side, when the call went out.

His ears perked up immediately. The meeting- finally. Shoving up, Desert used his wide wings to raise up and glide into place, landing with a soft 'whump' in Vargas's extended shadow.

Lowering his head, he stared up to the Master, pupils expanded to take him in in the dark light. His edges had glowed from the void-backlighting, and a ripple ran down Desert's scales. What was it like, to be that powerful? To have that presence?

Desert narrowed his eyes as he sat down. He sat up straight, and watched, ready to hear what Vargas had decided on.

It was about time.

She was wearing armour for this particular event. Glittering, gold plating covered her collarbone, chest and arms. There were plenty of dress-like drapery, and a cloak of deep blue that sparkled like the night sky. While some might have grimaced at so much to blatantly grab onto, this was, partially, not only Aethril's intention, but her hope. That little nagging voice of Chaos in her head was waiting with bated breath, already anticipating the relentless destruction.

Obieth was coming with her. Obieth was always going to come with her, but an invitation was extended to Pollen in case if she'd like to-- verbatim --attend a meeting that is 'going to be very boring and will be full of, potentially, the worst people I will ever meet.' For some reason, she'd agreed.

She told her little entourage to be on their best behaviour, and then they were off.

So, as usual, it was the clicking of heels that announced her presence in Draco long before she was ever seen. She entered with Obieth and Pollen in tow, ears flicking against the thrumming bass of the Black Spire. The sight of Vargas-- the Senior Weenie himself --was some kind of twisted relief, though not entirely in a different vein to seeing a colleague doing well for themselves.

It was the small gathering he'd amassed so far that caught her interest, too. An owl-- just a little Earth owl --left a bad taste in her mouth considering Cain's words to her, but the other two she was watching with sharp eyes. One was a Minotaur kind of deal, the other a small, fluffy dragon.

Very nice. Very cute.

Noisy heels took her in a slow circle around the room before she came to a stop close to Vander and Vargas, offering a placid little smile around the creatures that did not meet her eyes. She clasped her hands in front of her and shifted her weight to get comfortable.

When Esther caught wind of a meeting, they were prepared to attend. It's not every day that the whole group gets brought together to listen to... Whatever Vargas has planned. Esther has no idea - only they hope it's something good. The group also doesn't get nice things too often, but Esther supposes it's because no one does. Not from their experience anyway - most of them would make good for themselves. When Vargas' call finally goes out, Esther moves.

It doesn't take but a few minutes for the gembound to land in the building group here to listen to what the master has to say. Their eyes shift around to see who's come so far, and it's not that many. How big is the Chaos Forge anyway - ? They've not met... Any of the gembound here (or valkhand) except for V-Chaos-Two the one time when they first joined the group. They've not spoken since then. Esther has no idea who the other two are, but if anyone sticks around after the meeting they suppose they could ask. Or not, maybe.

The tips of their ears glow a bright purple, but it's faint enough that it shouldn't drag everyone's attention. If they were trying to be showy, Esther would have put mystical patterns across their entire body, but this is an important meeting and if they can't entirely control the bioluminescence then that's kind of a problem. Still, they sat and watched - folding their dragon-like wings close to their body to not take up too much space.

The Overseer had been waiting for this moment for a long time coming. It hadn't truly been that long, in the grand scheme of things, but when it knew the meeting was coming... Well, it had been counting the days, and growing-- ever so slightly-- impatient.

When the call came, Cain considered flying up to Master Vargas's side, to loom proudly at the Master's right-hand side, but... Well, it didn't feel like its presence particularly added to the whole effect. It was better on the sidelines, watching and observing. So, although it normally would sweep in, today it simply walked among the crowd, whiskers twitching and nodding to the others.

"Kethri," the winged feline spoke fondly, "good to have you in attendance. Have your experiments been doing well?" It nodded, and spotted Desert Rose also among those attending. Had Vargas found Hemlocke and asked for its attendance as well? If he had, Cain saw neither tail nor beak. (Was that disappointment, tinging its well-hidden heart? What a shame.) Ah well.

However, Aethril's entrance caught more than the Overseer's eyes. A few glanced away-- as was appropriate when it came to a Hand-- but the Overseer barely contained itself from sprinting over and mewling for milk. A shutter went down Cain's spine as it sank its claws into the stone, and it regarded Aethril with acknowledgement, nodding when her gaze met its own.

It also nodded toward Obieth, considering briefly if it should reach out with its magic to say hello-- but it decided against doing so. Obieth didn't need to be distracted; the large, armored cat was on the job, as it was, protecting her Hand.

As she should be.

Cain found a spot to sit by itself, off to the side where it could watch the rest of the proceedings with keen eyes. Should any others glance its way, it would certainly acknowledge them with a nod, or a hello, but otherwise... The Overseer was hungry to hear the announcement.

@Kethri (for visibility)

The Sentinel came in slowly, the Valkhound sword in his hand seeming to join him in examining the gathering. Too-many eyes ranged over the group, examining them dispassionately--gauging strengths, weaknesses, threat levels, with an impassive gaze. He was not experienced enough for all of his assessments to be correct, of course, but he made mental notes here and there (if... vague ones) and then took up a sentinel's position.

He stood between the group, and the tunnel exit: attending, but alert to the somewhat distant Aperture nonetheless. He had been ordered to attend, but he did not like leaving his post unattended.

Mirac was raised so that he would be able to see the meeting, and there the Sentinel stood, watching in silence--listening, waiting, ignoring the few moments where everyone vanished and he was left with vision plunged into the Void. When it returned he was still stoically silent, waiting for Master Vargas to begin.

Nidhogg--fully grown and barely on the leash--struggled to scramble over the boulders he'd initially leapt onto. Claws scrabbled for purchase, and then he was over them: above them, staring down at the meeting below. He skittered higher, his chaotic madness--apparent in his gaze--giving him no real time to absorb the sight below. His eyes, instead, ranged only cursorily over the individuals--over the big ones, the small ones, the furry ones, the tall fucking blue one, the ugly ones with horns--and he hissed, hissed at them all.

Jaws agape, spined tail lashing behind him, he crawled along the boulder and hissed down at them. His maw gleamed acid green.

He hissed at Vargas. He hissed at Aethril. He hissed at the Sentinel and, in particular, at Kethri and Vander. They were small. Small things should be eaten.

He started to scramble down, but he made the mistake of not noticing Vargas close by his path, and the Leviathan was not an idiot--at the hissing he'd turned.

"Sssssssssss!" was his only vocalization as the massive, purple arm shot out and pinned him down by the neck. There Vargas held him--and ignored him, Nidhogg writhing fruitlessly as the meeting swelled to a beginning.

Obieth was, to put it mildly, suspicious. Aethril had outright expressed doubts about Vargas's loyalty--Obieth's attention had been half-elsewhere at the details, but she'd gotten that foundational thought, at least.

And now they were walking into a whole nest of Vargas's creatures, without a single bit of protection past Obieth herself-? She'd made her decision the moment she'd taken her first paw-step alongside Aethril in the palace: forget politeness, she was going straight for the throat. Or in this case, the Master's mind.

The gathering itself, however, was almost overwhelming to her senses. Flashes of color and texture filled her vision--fur and feathers, smooth skin, armor and scales and quills in hues of black to brown and white, vibrant (violent) violet, reds and golds... And the sound: quiet voices of those attending, the murmur here, the brutish hiss over there; the booming address of Vargas. The constant, grinding background groan of the shifting Black Spire. The scents, too, were overpowering--some snakelike musk, the strong odors of fur and feathers, of the bodies of a dozen different beasts. Beneath it was the faint rot that she recognized from her own body odor, when she failed to wash--the rot of Oil. Add to this the brush of fetid air across her whiskers, and she had to pause before she could even register the Leviathan's presence: had to half-close her eyes and simply bask in her own senses for a few long seconds, taking it all in. Never had she seen so many creatures in one place, bar the sameness-herds of Hellswans and Ivory Deer in Cepheus.

When she did reach out her mind, nothing came--her magic faltered, striking the wall that was the Master's power. It was an irritant, but she knew she could push past it--would he notice? Would it get her killed, or get Aethril in an awkward position?

Better than letting her die to an ambush, she thought grimly, staring up at him.

But... Overseer Cain was here, weren't they-? They belonged to Vargas, and they posed--she was fairly sure--no threat. The Hand's suspicion, though, had to come from somewhere... right?

Obieth slunk alongside Aethril, hovering protectively too-close, her teal eyes cutting to each of the other attendees in tense-bodied wariness.

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