Kyle (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
ushiri) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
abraxaslogs2023-06-12 01:49 pm
ushiri) wrote in abraxaslogs2023-06-12 01:49 pm
Entry tags:
closed
Who: "Kyle" and a wizard
When: What is time?
Where: Horizon
What: Talking about current and past events
Warnings: Possibly discussing parts of Kyle's home world, see full list of content warnings here!
[ A quick exchange sets the meeting up. Kahlil meant for it to be earlier than this, but the approval of his meeting with the king set things back.
His domain is difficult to miss. There's a sense of welcome when the guest steps foot on the grassy ground, the towering statues beckoning from two directions: one with calm serene and the other in manic revelry. Fruits hang heavy on the bushes and trees, and hidden behind their leaves one might sense something watching with curiosity. An observant person might catch a small shadow, either in thee shape of a large dog or a small skeletal child.
The doors to the temple are open wide to a single, circular room. It's surprisingly bright in here, thanks to the glass dome adorning the ceiling that paints the dark floor with crystal patterns. It smells of pine and incense, and at the center is the tall iron tree stretching to the glass sky. This is a place of worship, that much is clear even if the symbols are foreign.
Kahlil sits comfortable at the base of the tree on simple pillows laid out for visitors, one leg tucked beneath the other. He's dressed in his priest robes, the dark black cloak over the grey cassock. Little moons are stitched into the high collar that match the symbols on the grand doors. The Hanged Man is patched on his shoulder. There's a small, metal lockbox on the floor next to him with more foreign symbols etched into it, along with the usual tea set.
He cocks his head to one side in greeting. ]
Do you mind sitting on the floor, or would you rather walk?
[ Not that it matters for the body in Horizon. But habits carry over sometimes. ]
When: What is time?
Where: Horizon
What: Talking about current and past events
Warnings: Possibly discussing parts of Kyle's home world, see full list of content warnings here!
[ A quick exchange sets the meeting up. Kahlil meant for it to be earlier than this, but the approval of his meeting with the king set things back.
His domain is difficult to miss. There's a sense of welcome when the guest steps foot on the grassy ground, the towering statues beckoning from two directions: one with calm serene and the other in manic revelry. Fruits hang heavy on the bushes and trees, and hidden behind their leaves one might sense something watching with curiosity. An observant person might catch a small shadow, either in thee shape of a large dog or a small skeletal child.
The doors to the temple are open wide to a single, circular room. It's surprisingly bright in here, thanks to the glass dome adorning the ceiling that paints the dark floor with crystal patterns. It smells of pine and incense, and at the center is the tall iron tree stretching to the glass sky. This is a place of worship, that much is clear even if the symbols are foreign.
Kahlil sits comfortable at the base of the tree on simple pillows laid out for visitors, one leg tucked beneath the other. He's dressed in his priest robes, the dark black cloak over the grey cassock. Little moons are stitched into the high collar that match the symbols on the grand doors. The Hanged Man is patched on his shoulder. There's a small, metal lockbox on the floor next to him with more foreign symbols etched into it, along with the usual tea set.
He cocks his head to one side in greeting. ]
Do you mind sitting on the floor, or would you rather walk?
[ Not that it matters for the body in Horizon. But habits carry over sometimes. ]
no subject
Nowhere that exists in reality. [ Many people bring entire acres of their homes with them, recreating them in exact detail within Horizon. Beyond a single area hidden away, this place isn't like that. ] It's a temple, of sorts. [ He shrugs, which might seem like an oddly dismissive gesture toward a place held so sacredly, but that's just his way sometimes. ] Maybe an idealized version of the places I remember from home.
[ Without all the bad memories as baggage.
He sets one cup of tea down for Stephen and pours another for himself. ]
I'm a priest for a priesthood that rightfully no longer exists. [ When you steal daughters and wives to cut them up, when you burn your enemies alive, when you take from the people more than they can live off of. Kahlil failed the Payshmura, but the world hadn't ended like they told him it would. They don't hold any power over him now.
There's a hardness to his voice. ]
I've done terrible things for my church, because I thought it was what my god wanted. [ Because he was a child, and it was all he knew and all he could do to survive. Those are excuses he doesn't see worth saying aloud. ]
I know better now. [ He's trying to be honest. He's trying to do better. Stephen is getting the cliffnotes. He'll answer details if he really wants, but all of this is the truth (Wanda can confirm much of it), and he's trying to get straight to the point of asking him here.
Kahlil pauses for a second to study his reaction before continuing: ]
Your name comes up a lot around here. Along with Ambrose, and the Singularity. [ His brow furrows. ] What do you believe it is?
no subject
It's beautiful. [This place, temple-like, all the pieces of what he assumes are nice fragments from his home, his experiences -- he hasn't known anyone to make their domain distinctly unpleasant for themselves, after all.
And as the other Summoned continues with his explanation, he basically affirms his assumption. Whatever these terrible things are, whatever this church truly is, none of it seems reflected here. And of course Stephen wonders -- he can't tamp down that innate curiosity, and his gaze sweeps over him, as though that might reveal a bit more. But he can follow the line of conversation, too. This obviously isn't what he wants to linger on, the desire to move on to the next subject coming swiftly.
Duly noted for later, either way. Stephen just nods, unspoken questions in his gaze, then tends to the one asked of him.]
Now there's the million-dollar question. [Everyone has their theory, don't they? He can only speak from his own best judgment, and what experiences he's garnered since his arrival here.] When I visited the Singularity for the first time, and this was a while ago, I did get the sense that it was somehow connected to the multiverse as a whole. Like a beating heart, pulsing out some kind of magic, or energy, outwards. I don't know how deep those connections run, and I can't exactly test them from here. But to say that whatever happens to it in this world might have unseen consequences elsewhere? I don't think that's a stretch.
no subject
There are things about his world that connect to these questions, and Stephen's answers. The multiverse. It's a new term for him, but one he's becoming more and more certain is adjacent to his own experiences.
So few of them have visited the Singularity. Istredd is one. He's not surprised to confirm from the man himself that Strange is another.
He continues to study the other man for a moment. ]
My people once had use of gates that connected to another world. Smaller than the Singularity, but also made of stone. Water was another part of the passage, along with a ritual and key. Protections were needed too - I guess you would call them warding. The body, the mind, the soul - all are at risk during travel, and even under all the right circumstances... time can be flexible. [ Components and maybe also consequences that overlap with the Summoning ritual. Not only that, but the Kahlil needed to be bound to the Rifter to pass through the White Space to Nayeshi. The space between worlds. The Summoned are connected to the Singularity, and must stay that way to stay here. ]
Many, many lives were sacrificed to control the Great Gate. If the rituals were done wrong, if it were tampered with by those who didn't understand its power - it could mean mass destruction. [ Like idiots playing with an entire tower full of god's hammers. He pauses, then continues grimly: ] I'm worried it's more than a stretch. I'm concerned about what Thorne would do if it ever gained control of the Singularity. And I'm equally worried what might happen if Thorne were to fall to the Free Cities, and they were to destroy it.
no subject
The potential for mass destruction if an anomaly reared its ugly head. His alternate selves paid the price for such follies, too.]
...Do you believe Thorne wants to do more than just protect the Singularity? To make sure the magic in this world stays strong and balanced?
[There's more to remark on, of course, but he wants to lead with this first. Getting the other's opinion on the political workings of the faction will set the true tone for the rest of this conversation.]
no subject
I believe there must be some in Thorne who only want that. I wonder about Ambrose, about his sister. [ Whether they land in a more neutral category than their rulers or not. He's spoken to neither, only the king. ]
The king speaks of it being Thorne's duty to serve the Singularity, to make the world more stable. He's made it clear he is willing to go to war for this cause, and to protect Thorne from those who have already threatened it. [ What does stability look like to the King of Thorne, though? A pause. ] But I don't trust many of the powerful figures around him. I don't trust the queen after everything she's done. I don't trust her uncle, who stands to inherit if the royal couple remain childless. I wouldn't want either of them seizing control of the Singularity.
[ Is this enough of an answer? ]
no subject
...I do think the High Mage wants to protect the Singularity. To understand it further, too, yes, but based on our conversations? I'd hazard his main concern is its continued health for the sake of this world and all other worlds it's connected to.
[Stephen feels like Ambrose is a bit like himself—to the point where it’s a little weird, actually, but he’ll not linger on that—and that their interests and concern towards the monolith align quite evenly. However, the High Mage is also loyal to the kingdom, and those that lead it, or may lead it in the future, could harbor less than peaceable plans if given the opportunity.
This, he suspected was probably the case, churning about in court politics. To hear it confirmed by another is— Well, it’s not a comfort, but it is an assurance that he’s not just worrying for nothing.]
Because seizing control over the Singularity means they could be dealing with something they don't actually understand, causing exactly what you're worried about: mass destruction.
[And as the ex-Sorcerer Supreme, and simply a sorcerer of the Mystic Arts, Stephen is obligated to not let that happen. If only it were so simple.]
I agree with you there. But I also think unless we can prove that they'd be dealing with a ticking time bomb, they're not going to see it that way.
no subject
Kahlil nods, a frustration briefly coloring his features. ]
Or - they already understand the danger better than we do, and they believe it worth the risk anyway.
[ They are kept in the dark about many, many things. The crown treats them like guests, but they're assets. In any case, Kahlil isn't suggesting trying to influence Ambrose or any others. Not at this point. ]
no subject
He spies that frustration. Stephen shares it in kind.]
Worth the risk of multiple worlds?
[He says it incredulously, but he knows how likely it is. Out of sight, out of mind. Why worry about a multiverse when the conflict is here, and real, and now?]
Then the narrative needs to spin in the other direction. They need to understand the risk it might pertain to them. To their ambitions, to their safety.
[God, he hates politics.]
no subject
If you've got any ideas for accomplishing that, I'm all ears.
[ Because he's coming up empty, other than continuing to try getting close to the king's circle.
Back home his powers could allow him to plant false evidence, place blame where it needed to be despite actual guilt. Murder. All sorts of things he's not proud of, but is willing to do. Here, with his powers limited by the whims of the crown itself, he's a little hamstringed. ]