Psychic Bridge II to everyone jauntside

[neverfeltthatway]

It's Armin.

[The text is somehow bigger and bolder than usual when the network is like this, attracting your attention even if you'd usually try to filter it out or ignore it.]

Yes, I'm dead. Well and truly dead, not just a ghost, but I can still access the network. I'm not really sure how. I'm broadcasting to both sides right now, so this connection will only last about half an hour. But everyone, please listen - this is important. Before she tortured and killed me, I recognized the being inside Bernkastel.

It's Nyarlathotep.

Nyarlathotep, the Crawling Chaos. One of the outer gods. I think the ghost Bernkastel was in is essentially his overlay now - merging with her didn't give him access to the network, at least. Don't approach the lakebed - not yet. You don't stand a chance on your own, any more than I did.

But I have a plan.

I can teach the living to make talismans that will repel the god. If we have groups to distract and repel him, there's a brief ritual that can separate him from his host, and do to the witch what they've been doing to other ghosts, stripping and consuming will and power.

Doing that should leave him adrift - as long as he's being repelled, he'll have no choice but to return to where he came from. If he's not being repelled, he'll be free to do as he pleases. This is all if there's someone ghostside willing to lend me your form in order to perform the ritual.

It will be hard, and incredibly dangerous. We'll need to coordinate and work together, and I can't promise we'll all survive. But it can be - it must be done.


[ooc note: in game, this post takes place after Malik will have reported Armin's death to everyone lifeside, even though Bix hasn't thrown it up yet.]

Comments

[neverfeltthatway]

We just need enough to surround them with talismans to repel the chaos, and keep them distracted for... maybe a minute. Two at worst.

[He doesn't say it, but he knows how long a minute is in a situation like this, just how much it's asking.]

[itsananimalthing]

I think we can do that. There's enough of us, and we can buff up the protections on everyone. Plus there's me-- there ain't much they can do to me that'll stick, and I've got eldritch backup.

[He's sure the demon will help them. It's gotten all possessive, in the presence of potential rivals for Riddick's personage. It may not be a lot of use, but you never know.]

[neverfeltthatway]

Nothing physical, maybe.

[Does his mind regenerate, too? Plus, what they do to him doesn't need to stick - it just needs to take him out of the game for a minute. Not even that, if they can get past him to Beatrice and Armin in that time. He doesn't say that part out loud, though, recognizing it's not going to help.]

[itsananimalthing]

I made it through liminal space getting taken over by the last monster without losing my shit, and I've learned more about keeping my brain intact since then. Just worry about what you gotta do, and let me worry about me.

[neverfeltthatway]

...All right.

It... it's hard not to worry, at the moment. I don't have much else to do.

[itsananimalthing]

I bet. Gotta be pretty boring. Can you get to your own mind palace? Could at least maybe entertain yourself in there, a little.

[Seeing as Riddick's made himself a whole library in his own brain, he's sure Armin has done something similar.]

[neverfeltthatway]

[There's a long pause as Armin hesitates before he responds.]

...I can. But. Well, I don't have a very good sense of time right now.

[It's an unfortunate middle ground - there isn't much to do, isn't much happening at present. But if he lets his attention waver, missing something important would be only too easy.]

[itsananimalthing]

[Something which Riddick can hardly fathom. He's always had a pretty good sense of time passing, but then, he's never been utterly without a body, either. He won't question Armin's own experience of his abilities, either way.]

Well, however you wanna do it, kid. I'll keep an eye out for ghosts to pester you with if I need anything or run into anything you oughta know, and I'll see whoever you get for a ride at the planning meeting thing.

[neverfeltthatway]

[Armin has also usually had a good sense of time, which is part of what makes this so disorienting. He's not sure how much of his trouble with time is the lack of context, the lack of a body or surroundings to see and feel and judge the passage of time - and how much is what the crawling chaos did to his mind.

Somehow, it seems unlikely he'll find the answer anytime soon.]

Yes. I'll see you there.