sorser: (Default)
𝐃𝐑. 𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐏𝐇𝐄𝐍 𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐍𝐆𝐄 ([personal profile] sorser) wrote2021-12-10 12:14 pm

HORIZON.

THE GROUNDS
Somehow, impossibly, the Himalayas press into the skyline. The buildings are tall and silent, of sturdy stonework and slanted rooftops. The space between them is ample, as though they’ve drifted slowly apart through the ages — but the clearance is calm, quiet, cool. It is ancient here. It is peaceful here. The air invites meditation, reflection, and a sense of knowing that you can push past your limits and improve yourself. That you can learn.


THE EXTERIOR
The building sits amid the open area surrounding it, demanding focus upon the bold, upward-chasing lines of its Western architecture. It looks like a townhouse, singular because it lacks any neighbors to match. How many stories is it? Two? Three? It’s hard to tell at first glance, even if the circular skylight adorning its facade never wavers, but trying to suss it out is a pointless endeavor, anyway. The sidewalk leading to the porch stairs leading to the door is positively metropolitan. The door is open if you’re expected, or maybe even if you aren't. The interior inspires curiosity even in the disinterested.


THE FOYER
A large staircase is a centerpiece, but there are places to sit, end tables with scattered books, a fireplace unused unless someone wills it to life; then, it casts a warm light across the dark, earthen tones of the foyer, somehow accentuating the depth of space. The flooring shines, its odd patterns bordering (but not quite) on non-Euclidean. This place looks lived in, and planks of sunlight sneak in through a hole in the roof that— No, wait, there's no such thing. Eyes playing tricks, probably.



THE LIBRARY
Books. So many books. The shelves are myriad, and they are lined up neatly like soldiers ready to march off to war. Reach out to one and pull out a tome by its spine. It’s any title you want, it’s knowledge that’s been tucked away somewhere deep in your (or maybe Stephen’s) memory. The subject matter is aplenty, but upon closer inspection there’s a clear inclination towards magic, or medicine, or… music? Wait, is that a book or vinyl in an old slipcase? Well, it doesn’t matter.

Somedays, the books can’t stay put — literally. Grasping one is a feat of physicality, for how they fly about like birds flitting from branch to branch. It adds to the novelty.


THE OTHER PLACES AND SPACES
This domain changes when you aren’t looking, rooms moving, doorways switching places, corridors winding for far too long. But one never feels trapped, only as though if they are taking the scenic route from point A to point B.

The upper floors, though it’s impossible to tell which, harbor strange old relics. Carved from stone or wrought from metal, oddly warm to touch, placed on pedestals or behind glass or just in a corner, lying sideways. Glance up, and the strange, circular skylight hovers above in places where it makes no sense to put a skylight. But the sun refracts through it all the same. The warping design of lines across its face move, sometimes, indefinable.


THE CITY STREET
Sometimes, you’ll hear the bustle of people from outside, and they always sound like they’re in a hurry. A car horn honks, a siren blares by. How does that even make sense? Look out any old window and when you hear these noises, the outside has changed into a city. One particular street. It’s alive, and it has a pulse, and there are so many places you could go visit if you walked even just a block down.

The Metro is always in sight, no matter where you stand, like it’s been nailed into the horizon line. It looks too far to visit any longer, but you know it’ll always be there.

CODE BY MARWOOD
unwings: (z9tliWR)

[personal profile] unwings 2021-12-18 11:02 pm (UTC)(link)
[ the view of the himalayas is stunning, and for the first twenty or so minutes Castiel's lingering in Stephen's domain, he sits near a heavy, bronze bell on the Kamar-Taj training grounds, watching the skyline, parsing through his long memory.

over the eons he'd watched over earth, exploring forgotten places was a calming pastime for him. cas remembers when they'd been full to the brim with life - spiritualists, philosophers, pilgrims, humans searching every corner of their consciousness for the divine, for deeper meaning, for peace. in later centuries, they were half-abandoned, whispers of life long extinguished clinging to the rounded corners of stone where hands once brushed in passing, leaned against, decorated in times of celebration. what the world forgot, the earth remembers. some things remain, tucked away and hidden, small surprises in a cracked ceramic bowl, a once-beloved bracelet forgotten in the corner of a bedroom, a few stray beads perhaps broken off ceremonial robes now stuck in the cracks between intricately patterned stones of the courtyards.

this place, in the horizon, isn't uninhabited, it isn't a ruin. someone who remembers a time these grounds cradled vibrant life must've constructed it, and cas ponders on who, while watching the distant, snow-peaked mountains towering over and protecting the holy site. the central building with the westernized architecture, he imagines, is where he'll find the keeper of this domain.

not wanting to arrive unannounced, cas lays a hand against the thick bell, and gives it a push, just enough to have it ring out clearly once or twice, before its weight slows it to a gradual halt. works well enough as a doorbell, and cas makes his way towards the building's open entryway. ]


I've been trying to place this monastery. [ cas begins while pacing into the foyer, eyes on the strange flooring, expecting whoever's home would hear him. if not, he's perfectly content to talk to walls. ] Of all the ancient sacred places protected by the Himalayas, this one escapes my memory.
unwings: (pic#14232327)

[personal profile] unwings 2021-12-20 05:00 pm (UTC)(link)
[ cas paces to stand at the base of the staircase, looking up to take in the red-cloaked man that answers him, head at a curious tilt, before he turns back to the open doors and training grounds beyond them. ]

Yes. [ a pause settles, and it seems like that might be all he offers as an answer, but after a long moment of cementing Kamar-Taj into his memory once more, he adds, ] Most I've seen at least once.

[ Castiel's rolling the name around in his head, digging through the catalogue of memories, through what he knows and what he'd witnessed of human history, but can't find a single match. Perhaps it's specific to this man's world, and not his own Earth. Fascinating, regardless. ]

Kamar-Taj, the name isn't familiar. Who built it?

[ turning back to address Stephen directly, his eyes lower to the empty, hover-space between his shoes and the stairs, a pensive wrinkling of his brow. welp, cas teleports outside of cars in lieu of using door handles, so he can't really judge the dude for levitating down a staircase. sometimes walking is just overrated. ]
unwings: (pic#14232315)

[personal profile] unwings 2021-12-20 06:12 pm (UTC)(link)
[ when stephen lands, cas is wholesale leaned to the side, attention focused on the magic cloak more than the man wearing it for a solid handful of seconds. interesting piece of enchantment that is, and he holds in the urge to reach out and touch it. don't, cas, it's weird. he does, eventually, find stephen's face, and the conversation, again. ]

Both.

[ cas answers the question prompt and short, though not impolite. he's assuming that straight answer is sufficient. awareness of when context is expected has not historically been a skill he possesses.

stephen's answers, the names he invokes, ping all the intrigued bits of his angel-brain, and castiel's eyes become laser-focused on the man, doing that unsettlingly intense eye contact habit he has, like he's staring past a person's eyes and directly into their brain. thankfully, after dean's advice (and a very unfortunate experience with a stripper), he's sworn off using the telepathy cheat on humans. the unethical and uncomfortable nature of it was made clear, though dean failed to mention that staring people down like you're trying to freaking soul-gaze them is another big factor in the uncomfortable vibe. it's all a work in progress. ]


Is that your coven, the Masters of the Mystic Arts? [ not a term he's heard before, and magic user typically means 'witch' in his world, thus - coven. ] Your Sorcerer Supreme must be quite powerful to so thoroughly avoid detection this long.
rinwell: Rinwell smiling at her pet owlet, Hootle, who is perched on her shoulder. (Besties)

Horizon Wandering~ Early december-ish?

[personal profile] rinwell 2021-12-22 08:06 pm (UTC)(link)
[ There are a number of mountainous domains, Rinwell's noticed. In the very least, the borders of her slice of Cyslodian range run close to that of the witchers who showed her how to enter the Horizon, and she knows others are dotted around in the distance.

Kamar-Taj is new, though. She's never seen anything quite like it before, and there's a pang in her chest as she steps quietly into the territory; the style of the buildings and the layout of the temple grounds is appealing compared to the heat and dust and steampunk supremacy she's had to deal with in Cadens.

In this place, she's once again dressed in clothing from home, touched by the Magician's mark she gained in Abraxas, with the tarot symbol running along the edge of her cloak rather than replace the central butterfly clasp. She stands out, to be sure, and from the depths of the voluminous hood, a small owl pops up his head, with a soft coo as she looks back at him with a smile.
]

Maybe there were places like this on Dahna once upon a time. What do you think, Hootle?
unnecessaryflourishes: (Ί moments of consideration)

let's call this... early-to-mid December?

[personal profile] unnecessaryflourishes 2021-12-29 07:39 am (UTC)(link)
[If there's one thing Emet-Selch has found, in his wanderings, it's that there are very few spaces that are built for people the size of the form he takes in the Horizon. This is not a surprise, precisely, given how matters are even on the world he might otherwise call his own, but it does mean that he is often forced to either adjust his own height or abandon the idea of exploring all together.

Today, he has opted for the former, or rather, had right up until he'd found himself in a very spacious library with conveniently tall ceilings and had promptly returned to his proper size, with nary a thought as to what the owner of this particular domain might think to find a veritable giant of a man standing in the middle of their library - and giant he is, given that he stands some 15 feet tall.

The fact that he's dressed in long (if simple) robes and has long pale hair besides are not nearly as eye-catching in comparison to his absolutely ridiculous height, but even so, he cuts a very odd figure, as he peruses the shelves, apparently not so much looking for any one thing as simply seeing what sorts of things the shelves might contain.]
Edited 2021-12-29 07:39 (UTC)
rinwell: (Steady)

No worries at all! RL gonna RL c:

[personal profile] rinwell 2021-12-30 11:23 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Perhaps she shouldn't be surprised that there's another person present. It doesn't stop Rinwell all but jumping out of her skin, however, Hootle flapping to retain his balance as the girl spins about. She doesn't quite hunch her shoulders — there's surely nothing to feel guilty about, right? — before brown eyes find the stranger who addressed her.

There's definitely a sheepish air when she replies, however.
]

Ah.. Yes. That's the name of my world. The place I grew up is cold like this but, otherwise, very different to here. And to, well. [there's a vague gesture with one hand; the world outside the Horizon is clearly implied]

Is this your home?
unwings: (castiel00104)

[personal profile] unwings 2022-01-02 04:54 am (UTC)(link)
[ it's impressive this man is so familiar with the multidimensional nature of their wider realities, though witches— sorcerers would be better acquainted with the concept, wouldn't they? an intriguing man from an intriguing place, nonetheless. ]

Ah. [ cas nods, under the impression he completely understood that sentence and definitely didn’t miss some subtle humor. ] Ego’s a dangerous element in those possessing immense power. Nor a quality exclusive to humans.

[ this is where his stare cuts off, eyes snapping away from stephen in favor of examining the rest of the foyer. castiel’s never been great at concealing truths, and if the sentiment sounds personal; it is. Alien as he is, some mannerisms Castiel's picked up strike surprisingly human. there’s a subtle tinge of guilt or perhaps shame in stepping away out of the closer proximity and observation of the conversation. ]

Yes, of course, the various dimensions we're summoned from. [ his hand drifts to one of the antique vases, gingerly lifting it to turn in his hands, idly inspecting. ] It can be dangerous, opening doors between realities. One can never be entirely certain what crosses over with, or behind them. Once a door's open, closing it can become much more complicated.

[ He still finds the means of bringing them here suspect, and Cas isn't entirely convinced it's as safe as Cadens, or the other factions, believe. But that's neither here nor there, and Castiel's more curious to learn about Stephen's sect, as he returns the vase to its home on the mantle, and moves on to peering into the fireplace. ]

Does your order often cross the multiverse?
rinwell: (Joy)

[personal profile] rinwell 2022-01-05 06:46 pm (UTC)(link)
That's okay. I'd be too, honestly. My place is.. [she turns then, trying to figure out the direction. She still hasn't quite worked out how all the pieces fit together here, only that they do.] Out..that way? North west, at least. More snow than here, or most other places.

[ The gesture of welcome seems out of place on the rather serious looking man, but Rinwell gives him a smile anyway, and Hootle bobs his head in acknowledgement. That smile gives way to something that is both amazed and perhaps delighted, when he mentions sorcerers and training. ]

Kamar-Taj.. It's beautiful. [Aside from...well. The slice of New York that sticks out like a very sore thumb, thanks to its very different architecture.] Are there many who can use magic where you're from?
rinwell: (Considering)

[personal profile] rinwell 2022-01-05 08:20 pm (UTC)(link)
Really?

[ So, present there, but not uncommon. Or at least, no top the point that things have reached on Dahna, anyway. ]

It is, though we call it astral energy. [did the spellbook at her hip give it away? or the magician tarot on her robes? Rinwell doesn't seem to realise she'd relax enough to talk about it - but it's surely safe to talk about magic here, in a mindspace magic place made of the stuff!] It forms the world around us, and we— well, it can be tapped into if you have the ability. Though I can only use five of the elements, being Dahnan.

[ Said so matter of factly - because it IS fact, at least on her world. Not so on others, that she's learned, however, which is why she follows up with: ]

What kind of magic do you do here?
unnecessaryflourishes: (Ί moments of consideration)

[personal profile] unnecessaryflourishes 2022-01-06 07:41 am (UTC)(link)
[For all that he may not have been able to see Stephen out of the corner of his eye, he'd been aware of another presence in the room. Enough to be aware that he hadn't been entirely alone, at least, though it isn't until he speaks that Emet-Selch turns to look at him... and in so doing reveals one last surprise. A pair of yellow eyes that seem to almost be glowing.]

Can I not simply be curious? It's hardly every day one sees such a faithfully recreated library. [A pause.] I presume it is a recreation?

[He knows that things need not be, here in the Horizon. But as his own domain is a similar recreation, he feels the need to ask.

More interesting, perhaps, is the fact that despite his size, his voice is no deeper than any other man's. Indeed, it isn't even a voice that would be considered particularly deep were he not several times a normal person's height. Nor does he object to the obvious once-over - and should Stephen have the ability to sense it, there is definitely a sense of magic about him. And a not insignificant amount at that - whoever, or whatever, he is, he has the power to be quite the sorcerer if he isn't already.]


More advanced spells would be further along, yes?

[This too, is largely idle curiosity for the moment. But it's still something that is loosely relevant, and it never hurts to know more about the places in which he has found himself.]
unnecessaryflourishes: (Ί moments of consideration)

[personal profile] unnecessaryflourishes 2022-01-10 06:06 am (UTC)(link)
[Not a cosmic entity as Stephen likely knows them, at least. But more than a mere mortal nonetheless, even by the standards of his own world - and his own people. He does, however, appear to be somewhat less than inclined to make an active threat of himself. Instead, he nods at the explanation of where they happen to be standing, and though the names mean nothing to Emet-Selch, the idea of it being a place of study and training is something that he can understand.]

Why not indeed?

[His own domain might not be such a mingling of bits and pieces from various places, true. But that is neither here nor there at the moment, and instead he simply shrugs at Stephen's question.]

As I am familiar with neither the texts of your world nor what would be considered commonplace among sorcerers of any caliber therein, perhaps it would be easier if you were to show me what you would consider more advanced spellcraft? Though your assumption would not be incorrect. The vast majority of my people had at least some ability with spellcraft.

[And he likely more so than most, for all that he has not yet directly admitted to such.]
rinwell: (Observing)

[personal profile] rinwell 2022-01-12 09:35 pm (UTC)(link)
I don't know too many others who use artes like I do. [true, and earnest, if understated by quite a bit] But when you say 'multiverse', you mean— beyond just this world?

[ Well. The approximation of it, Stephen's slice of home.

Her eyes widen a bit to hear the mention of portals. That... That sounds amazing, but not at all what her people were capable of. (Had they been, once? Who knew how much had been lost..) Conjured weapony, too. Her left hand falls over the book at her hip, the well worn cover brushed by fingertips.
]

Light astral energy can't do that where I'm from. Portals, I mean. Knocking over relics? That part's easy.
unwings: (castiel00119)

[personal profile] unwings 2022-01-24 06:24 pm (UTC)(link)
[ suddenly, fire. not always so welcome a surprise, but pleasant in this case. the hearth flares up with light and heat, cas jerking back slightly with surprise and a soft "oh". well, you are in a sorcerer's house, cas, probably should've seen that shit coming.

attention taken back from the scenery, he's soaking in the claim of responsibility for the protection of his reality, and cas finds he's growing to like this not-witch. it's rare to find a sect of human magic users more focused on aiding their world than personal gain. such is the case with power, he supposes. ]


A noble mission. Your dimension's fortunate to have your Order.

[ whether they know it or not. if dr. stranger's world is much like castiel's, probably not. those who sacrifice so much of themselves in service of protecting the whole often go unnoted, but it's never been a task for people seeking gratitude. the winchesters have made that clear enough. ]

Certainly. [ cas brightens, turning to face stephen properly, a (relatively) open book. ] What would you like to know?

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