westwhere | Curse with(out) a cure

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Curse with(out) a cure

WHO: Xie Lian and mostly Wei Wuxian, but open to people who want to chat up a half-naked god.
WHEN: After Xie Lian is let out of the brig
WHERE: on the deck of one of the ships
WHAT: Cleaning up after the brig will bring some... revelations about Xie Lian, of the visible kind
WARNINGS: Curse explanations might delve into explanations of why they were put on, which include war, genocide, and Xie Lian basically being really awful to a lot of people, and killing a whole lot.

[A day in the brig was certainly not the most uncomfortable Xie Lian has been in his life - he could have called it downright cozy, to be quite honest. But still, once he's out, he's happy to finally scrub some of the grime off.

A half cut barrel full of questionably clean, non-salty water is all he needs, and he shrugs off the top of his robes to wash off with a cloth.

Now, you may not all know Xie Lian is a god, but some people have seen him fight and literally punch through things. He is, after all, a martial god. And while his frame is still mostly slim, because his body is still that of a teenager, it's easy enough to see he's pretty buff and packing at least some muscle on that frame.

And then, of course, there's the mark around his neck, the one usually hidden with a bandage. To most people, it will mostly appear as slightly incongruous tattoo. To people sensitive to these things though, it becomes quite obvious what this is : a curse mark.

And a very powerful one, given that it's constraining the rather enormous amount of qi Xie Lian has, cutting it off almost by half.]

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Cooking.

[He has the good grace of actually looking sheepish about that.]

I told them it was a bad idea, but they wouldn't listen, so...

[So some people got half-poisoned, and Xie Lian ended up in the brig.]

This isn't much, but I've gone without a bath for longer before. The salt water makes everything sticky though.

( he laughs at the admission, shaking his head and flapping a hand at Xie Lian. )

They were mad over their own chosen disaster, how sad, how sad!

( he can't hold too much pity, because... there's a worth in believing someone when they tell you it's a danger. most people aren't fit for a ship's galley, ah? )

Salt leaves the worst itching, I won't disagree. Though seeing you like this, hmm...

( He leans to the side, canting his head further so his hair's dangling down and he's regarding Xie Lian from an extreme angle. )

Why are you wearing curses? That's what I'm sensing, isn't it?

[Xie Lian's hand goes to touch the mark around his neck, reflexively. usually, in the past he covered it not out of shame, but because it made other people uncomfortable to see it. It was gone, and now that it's back he covered it again on reflex, without thinking much about it.]

It's.... a long story. And complicated.

They shouldn't be here anymore. I had gotten rid of them, before I arrived here. but for some reason, when I woke up on the ship back then, they were there again.

[Yes, he said 'they', even though only one is visible right now.]

It's not much of a hindrance because by now, I have spent more time alive with them than without, so I'm used to it, but I don't know what here could have the power to restore them.

( he cants his head, considering that oddity. )

How many?

( of the marks, in total. to weigh against the statements: more time alive with than without, and what might restore. questioning, but hesitant in that he doesn't make it sound clinical when he asks: )

Are they such that only those who put them on you might remove them, or was their removal back home achieved by other means than the death of the initiator or a sudden attack of what must be centuries long conscience?

Two. The other one is around my ankle.

[Hence why it is not visible right now.]

I assume they would have gone away if the person who put them on me had died, but as it happens, I did break them before I killed him. Mostly through brute force.

[Which, knowing Xie Lian, should not come as much of a surprise.]

Someone lent me enough power to break through them.

( a pause, and he eyes Xie Lian speculatively. )

Huh. Wonder if a breaking mirror full on its own energies might not be waylaid for that... or if you might ask our old friend for that energy, should he be so inclined.

( not knowing specifics of how Xie Lian interacted with Anurr these days, but recalling who went on what missions into bars and then out again. )

Leaves me wondering how much power it was that ended up being lent. Brute forced through? Then they don't respond to altering the marks themselves, as far as you know? Have tested?

[Well, he already owed Anurr a big favor for the volcano thing so... he's probably not going to go and ask for another one just yet.]

It was a lot of power. It took him a year to recover enough that he could manifest a body again.

[But he did recover and all is well.]

I... never tried altering them or removing them, before that moment. You see, originally, I asked for them to be put on me.

[He gives a small sigh.]

I told you, it's a long story. Much of everything is, when you've been around as long as I have.

( nah, wait another three months then hit him up saying, we helped your lady friend, ssssooooo... )

Manifest a... he's a spirit? Fascinating, he had to be immensely strong before, and incredibly tied to the world to manifest all over again!

( also not bent on destruction, apparently, but he holds off saying anything about that. too many different variables in different worlds, and so on. instead, he hears the rest, and blinks in surprise. eventually he laughs, shaking his head and waving a hand before him. )

You can live a far shorter life and still have nothing but long stories, ah? No, no, I'm happy to listen, but I'm even more... hm. Would you mind? Someone trying to modify or remove them?

He's... a ghost. A Ghost King, to be precise. One of the Four Calamities, in fact.

[So yeah, immensely strong is indeed a thing. And tied to the world? Well, he was tied to Xie Lian himself and his ashes were safe so...

It's kind of funny to see the interest and enthusiasm in his curse marks from Wei Wuxian, though.]

I don't mind but... Your friend? Lan Wangji, he has a look at them and he couldn't really do anything.

The person who put this on me was... very, very powerful. I think I might have been the only one who could compete with him in terms of power.

Haven't heard of anything like that! Really, you should tell me more.

( open invitation, without decided to press for it particularly. more information would better inform him, but...

he smiles when Lan Zhan's mentioned, shaking his head. )

My husband is a gifted exorcist and swordsman. Curse breaking is... anyway, as I can't force my way through, I look for other ways.

( power being faced head on is one thing: finding ways to come at it from other angles, to wear down its effectiveness, that's more his way these days. )

If nothing changes, then so be it. Still, worth trying!

In my world, there are several legends about Gods and Ghosts. The Four Famous Tales among the Gods, and the Four Great Calamities among the ghosts.

Ghosts can have different ranks, but the most powerful among them are called Supremes. And four of the most powerful ghosts are the ones who always give trouble to Heavenly Officials, so people started calling them the Four Calamities.

There is a the Night-Touring Green Lantern, Qi Rong, the only one among them who isn't a Supreme. Black Water Submerging Boats He Xuan, the one people barely ever see. The White No-Face Bai Wuxiang, who it was rumored was killed by the Heavenly Emperor. And the last one, who is the one I was telling about. Crimson Rain Sought Flower, Hua Cheng, the master of Ghost City.

[Unconsciously, Xie Lian's hand closes around the shining, crystal-looking ring that hangs from a chain around his neck.]

It was him who gave me all his energy so I could break through the curse, and kill the one who put them on me.

... You're free to try what you want, but just as a warning... It was Bai Wuxiang who created these. He was the oldest and the most powerful of all the Great Calamities. At least five thousand years old, if not more, and extremely malicious.

( Wei Wuxian listens without interrupting, taking this information in that is wildly out of any world context of his, and finding it does... somewhat align more here, minus any concept or awareness of Heavenly Officials to be a supposed balance to what the dead and not worshipped were up to.

What he ends up saying is: )

You had one of these Calamities give you curse markings, and accepted the assistance of another to break them, and kill Bai Wuxiang? Who couldn't have been killed by the Heavenly Emperor, based on what you're saying. What drew Hua Cheng to deplete himself so wholly?

This is ... Ah, I guess I need to explain a bit more.

[Xie Lian gives a small sigh. How do summarize 5000 years of heavenly court politics?]

At the time those were put on me, they were given by the heavenly Emperor, Jun Wu, the God who was said to have killed Bai Wuxiang, or at least hurt him enough that he never reappeared after that. But... He didn't. Not really. Because in fact, Jun Wu was Bai Wuxiang, and no one in the Heavenly Court knew it.

Somehow, a long time ago, he basically just... destroyed the Heavenly Court entirely. then he came back under a disguised appearance, that of a powerful Martial God, and he rebuilt it entirely, with no one realizing that they were ruled not by a God, but by the greatest of the Calamities.

Even I did not realize, and I was... quite well acquainted with Bai Wuxiang. He tried to turn me into the new White-Clothed Calamity.

He was the one who made me ascend, too. He chose me, personally, to become the new Martial God of Xian Le.

[As for Hua Cheng, the question... brings a bit of color to Xie Lian's cheeks.]

Well, he's... he's my husband now, but also, for a long time, he was my only believer. he's probably one of the main reasons why I didn't simply dispel and disappear, because strong belief makes a god strong.

( his brows raise as he listens, more for the first than the last. the last elicits a surprised blink and then a genuine laugh out of him: )

You married your biggest believer? Now, now, I'm starting to feel some bizarre kinship with you! Though in the minds of most I know I'm sure I'm far more akin to your husband.

( not for power, not remotely, but his wry smile is a joke in and of itself: he's a man who died while living, then lived through death. complicated things, and so steeped in death and the resentful energies of those who died violently as to be draped in their hauntings as unhappy vestments.

what he does not say is: this jun wu sounds like he believed in you too. negative belief, in its sense, does not equate to support. it is nothing akin to worship. twisted mirrors are poor reflections of themselves, and ah, he can't help but think of Calamities as holding greater resentments of some kind, too keyed into what he's known through several lifetimes. fallacy, and so he doesn't speak it. )

All that, and I'm only the more curious to try. Ascending seems like a very... ah, hahah, manipulatable event if others are arranging it.

Ah, well... a lot of things happened and...

[And really he doesn't have to justify himself! And in fact, Wei Wuxian doesn't seem to be judging him at all, so...]

It's possible to ascend on your merit alone. In fact, the third time I ascended, that's how it happened, I never actually planned for it or anything. But sometimes, yes, another God will see you perform a great deed and petition for you to ascend and it can eb granted that way. I also got permission to bring two of my followers with me, so they ascended at the same time and now they're full Martial Gods as well.

My first Ascension though... Since I've learned the truth, I've started to question everything. I'm pretty sure all of it was staged, from the start.

( a half smile: )

The problems with politics when we're young and blind enough to believe there's only merit and good faith in what we encounter head on.

( but he waves a hand, dismissing the inevitable joys and calamities of youth. )

Such an interesting thing, for there to be a layer of Heaven that can, on its own, ascend or descend people of note, one way or another. Glad there's nothing of the kind that we know about back home. Sounds long term messy.

( he claps his hands, eyes dropping to Xie Lian's neck again. )

May I see your ankle too? To get a sense for the patterning this poor faith actor used.

I was very young and very spoiled. I absolutely believed I had earned it all on my own merit, because of my great deeds.

... Although to be fair, I did kill a demon. Probably set on my way on purpose, but still.

And the heavenly Court is... well, you know how a human Imperial Court is? Exactly like that, except people have hundreds of yeas to hold grudges and plot against one another, basically. And compete about who ahs the best temples and the most believers.

[He'll get back into the top of his robes, although not cover the mark for now, and then have a seat so he can remove his boot.

The mark around his ankle is of similar design as the one around his neck, just smaller to fit around the joint.]

We call them Cursed Shakles. They seal a good amount of my spiritual power, more than half. [So yeah, whatever you have witnessed him doing so far? less than half of what he can actually do at full power.]

They have additional effects too. The one around my neck makes it so I can't die, not matter how injured I am. The one around my ankle seals my good luck.

( he pauses, regarding Xie Lian with serious eyes, and a more neutral face. )

Those were asked for too, or done without awareness?

I didn't ask for those specific things, if that's what you're asking, but I knew they were there from the start.

[So, the person who put the curse on decided about the specifics, but he kind of agreed and didn't object.]

The fist time one was put on, I didn't really get a choice, it was an actual punishment. The second time... The second time, he actually managed to make me ask for them. I really believed it was deserved then. I did... I did a lot of things I'm really not proud off, and to be honest, being away from the Heavenly Court for so long ended up being a relief, even if it wasn't always easy.

Having never dealt with a true empire or imperial court in my life, and only the collective council of several large clans overseeing a set area... I can imagine, but not quite. It's mortal in a way we weren't, in the lands I'm from.

( stated as observation, without weight behind it. that a man, or a god, can be manipulated into believing this or that about themselves, especially when they've done wrongs? oh, he can understand that too well. )

It's a long, involved history, and I'll just add my little part to it, shall I?

Well, all Gods were once human where I am from. So they have all the good qualities and the bad habits of mortals, multiplied by a thousand.

And there's an over abundance of kings, queens, princes, princesses, and generals among them, too, so I'll let you imagine how that works out when they all have to live together.

[Did he mention he is a prince? Probably not. And he probably won't unless asked.]

You can tinker with them if you like. I can't die anyway, so there's not much risk to hurt me.

( where is anyone familiar with the Greco-Roman pantheons right now )

Powerful people by birth or achievement, used to being listened to or at least entertained for their opinions? I'm amazed if anything ever gets done.

( there's a reason Lan Zhan was stuck as chief cultivator, and why one was ever brought into being as a position in the first place. at least that one was more elected... more. )

Ahahaha, that's not as comforting as it sounds for me or you, but thank you, I will. Would you have time tonight for me to try and sketch out both your curse marks?

I don't think they'll ask me to cook again, so unless they find another chore for me, probably.

[It's mostly, true, though, nothing really ever gets done in heaven because there's only like maybe five people who actually do anything.]

I take it curses are different where you're from?

Great! We can meet next to the lifeboat aft of the main mast.

( to the not quite question, he nods, tossing a hand. )

Yes, in cost, and effect. You'd wear the signs of any curse you cast, with a number killing you in the process of enacting the curse itself.

Which is.... which one?

[Sorry, Wei Wuxian, he doesn't speak boat.]

Hm, that makes sense if it's a mortal casting the curse. Depending on what you want it to do, the price can be steep.

There's a balance in many things.

Anyway, you can take your time to look at them. I don't really have that much else to do.

(And who knows, if you by any chance find a way to break them, it might help.]

It's a bit weird maybe, but it doesn't bother me so much having them back. I'm so used to them.

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Curse with(out) a cure

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(spoilers for TGCF if some people would rather avoid)

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