EVENT #15: THE NETHER - IC EVENT LOG

[abraxasmods]

Event #15 - The Nether

OOC event plotting | settings info

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After a Conclave vote earlier this month, you're prepared to accept the formal request from the Nether for your assistance. By now, you'll know who the delegates are and that the dragons have suffered an illness from the rifts that opened this summer, due to the unfortunate actions of one of your fellow Summoned. Whether or not you agree with your Conclave's majority rule, the decision has been made.

The expedition will begin on October 16 and last 10 days. If you need to return home sooner, you can activate your portal stone at any point during the trip, but there's no going back once you do.

Though mysterious, the Draconae - or daemons, as others call them - are not elusive like the Fey. Anyone who's been to Nocwich will have seen a handful of them amongst the population, and some reside in the Free Cities or the outskirts of Thorne. The only nation they aren't found in is Solvunn.

Into the Heart

Your arrival to the Nether is a frosty one. The northern island is barren, save for a thick layer of snow, a few birds, and some hardy insects. Massive skeletal remains can be seen as you walk over the ice. Every few minutes, the ground trembles. The Draconae warriors greet you at the base of the volcano, including Orion, The Warden herself. Though they appear intimidating, they're grateful you're here and will clap you heartily on the back.

Entering the Obsidian Heart requires nerves of steel, but appearances aside, the narrow walkway is sturdy. As long as you're brave, you'll make it down without a problem. The less sure-footed are encouraged to ask for a hand. If they do, they'll be assigned a Draconum warrior who will cheerfully carry them down the winding path. You can also help each other, of course! Any Summoned who are capable can carry their friends, too.

As you venture down, the oppressive heat intensifies...until suddenly it stops. The moment you reach the fiery gates, the smell of brimstone fades from the air and the temperature eases into that of a pleasant summer's day. If asked, the Draconae will tell you this is how it is - a blessing from the two remaining dragons. Without them, the air would suffocate all life within.

Although the main purpose is to aid the dragons, the Draconae will invite characters to take breaks, participate in recreational activities, and explore the Nether. They want their guests to be comfortable, especially as the Summoned have arrived to help.

Around the City

At the center of the volcano lies the Obsidian Heart, where the Draconae reside. Made of stacking homes and stone bridges that spiral downward, it's a wonder how anyone finds their way. There are no maps, signage, or any form of direction. Their ability to navigate appears inherent. The most dangerous beasts lurk beneath the lava, so unless you intend to go swimming, you're unlikely to run into anything aggressive.

Doors and furniture are heavy and are made of iron, bronze, or steel. You might need to push or pull furnishings and doors with both hands and extra effort. Luckily, citizens are happy to help - as long as you ask. If you don't, they won't interfere out of respect for your autonomy. In fact, if they see you huffing and puffing, they might stop to watch and will sincerely cheer for you should you accomplish your objective by yourself.

Watch your sticky fingers. While petty theft is a minor offence in other places, the Draconae are highly protective of their belongings and treasures. Hands and heads have been lost over stolen trinkets.

The Hieran Wing

As a guest, you'll be invited to stay at the Hieran Wing. Named after Hierus, the oldest living dragon, the Hieran Wing is located in the eastern section of the Citadel. The rest of the Citadel is under heavy guard and inaccessible.

◎ The rooms are carved into the stone itself. Bedding is comfortable, if simple, with room to store your belongings. A curved stairwell grants you privacy even though many rooms have curtains rather than doors. The few rooms that have doors contain no locks. Your safety is assured, but if you're nervous, you can ask for a guard to watch you at night.

◎ The dining area consists of open-fire grills, pots, and raw ingredients - including spices and fiery hot peppers. As great believers in self-sufficiency, the Draconae will leave you to make meals to your taste and liking. You can hunt and fish your meat, as well. There are numerous lava pools where one can net jumbo shrimp, crabs, and flaming fish. For larger game, you can go after the Erymaes Boar or Petran Bison. Feel free to share your catch with your friends or offer to cook for the culinarily challenged.

◎ The library contains only fiction. You'll recognize several titles from your faction or Nocwich, suggesting they've brought back their favorite stories to read. Other titles are new, written by the Draconae. Novels and poetry span all genres, but the most common ones seem to be adventure, horror, and erotic romance - some of which contain surprisingly detailed illustrations.

Magma Pools

Outside the Hieran Wing, unusual cerulean magma pools are provided for bathing. Despite how they look, temperatures are equivalent to that of a steaming hot spring. The magma bubbles naturally from within the volcano and provides soothing effects. No soap or cleaning agents are required. These magma pools contain tiny frogs that leap and jump around. The Draconae consider them a tasty live snack. Don't be surprised if you see a local munching on them.

The Foundry

The Foundry has expanded over the past two centuries. A marketplace now circles the ancient forge. Observing the tradespeople inside and their secrets are off-limits. However, you can browse a selection of tools, clothes, accessories, and potions. Healing potions are common due to the Draconae's lack of healing magic.

You'll have the chance to request custom-made jewelry and purchase glass ornaments that are blown for you on the spot. Merchants won't sell the large weapons on display, but daggers and other small weapons are available. They'll also modify any pieces you own by adding jewels, altering the fit, or repairing nicks and faults...for a price. The Draconae deal in Abraxan currency if you have any, but they'll accept a vial or two of blood or saliva as payment.

Negotiations & Meetings (Rank 5+)

The first order of business is to present your Conclave's terms to the Inner Sanctum, the Draconae's governing body. If you've been voted as a delegate, you'll be greeted by the NPC meeting you (and your partner, if you have one). If you haven't been selected, you can still speak to some of the NPCs available.

A Place at the Table

Negotiations will take place in The Solar on the second day, a hall lit with a fiery orb of light. This is where the Inner Sanctum conducts all of its business. Tightly guarded, you're the first outsiders allowed inside in centuries. Here, you'll have the chance to present your terms and convince the Draconae to accept. You'll also have the first day of your arrival to gather a few details about the NPC you'll be meeting.

Only one meeting is required. The Nether will give you their final answer the following day.

Be sure to reply with the terms before starting the thread. Mods will approve or ask for revisions, so try to submit your points by OCTOBER 17.

Once approved, please TAG IN with your character under the correct faction heading.

Meeting the Inner Sanctum

Members of the Inner Sanctum who are not involved in diplomatic affairs are Aster, The Guardian and Anneth, The Flame. Additional descriptions about the two NPCs and where they can be found will be in their character comments below.

Characters who are Rank 5+ (negative or positive) and who are not acting as delegates can speak with one of the two NPCs above.

To do so, TAG IN with your character under the NPC you want to meet.

Runaway at Pyritean's Rack

Abraxan outsiders will whisper that Pyritean's Rack is a nefarious torture device created by the Draconae for their victims. This is true if the victim in question is delicious meat. The Rack, in other words, is a giant cooking area filled with grilling racks and pits. Shelves of ingredients and spices line the perimeter. Its most striking feature is the primary heat source, which uses magma rather than fire. Ingredients and meat unique to the Nether result in dishes and flavors not found elsewhere. Hot peppers are a popular feature.

The Draconae cook and share their food each night at the Rack. The station is always occupied. Locals take turns hunting and fishing, preparing ingredients, and cooking. Consequently, food is provided without cost. You only need to lend a hand.

Not everything goes smoothly, though. An escaped hatchling has infiltrated the Rack, and Khloris, the baby dragon, is eager to snatch and steal food throughout the week.

Earning the Torch

Impromptu competitions are frequent. They usually begin when one cook sees another outdoing them and makes a challenge. You can either issue a challenge or receive a challenge. Challenges can be between you and the natives, or you can face off with another Summoned. Judging is done by the crowd, which can be chaotic.

Not to worry! There's no downside to losing except your pride. Though the competition can grow fierce and heated in the moment - including vulgar insults and much jeering - once all is said and done, there are no grudges when the food hits the table. Sore losers are looked down on as being thin-skinned.

Winners will receive a jar of spice mix or marinating sauce from one of the many talented cooks. We won't be modding this aspect, so just be realistic with your character's cooking skills. Be sure to work things out with your thread partner if the competition involves another player character!

Escaped Hatchling

One young dragon has escaped its sanctuary at Dragon's Glass. Curious, it's drawn to the smell of food at Pyritean's Rack. As a result, it's disrupting competitions, breaking equipment, and stealing ingredients or even chunks of meat off people's plates. Desperate to get the dragon back before it causes more trouble - or worse, injures itself - the Draconae have asked you to catch the hatchling.

Of course, you'll need to contend with the dragon's unique abilities.

Khloris, the runaway in question, leaves behind small patches of grass. Its pollen dust coats nearly everything it goes near. When eaten or touched, the pollen causes flowers to sprout in your hair for a day or two. It can't fly far or very high, but it's prone to swooping down to snatch meat off the grill. The Flame informs you the dragon can be lured with gold trinkets or bright colors like red and yellow.

To see if your character can catch the dragon, submit for a roll HERE. Submissions will close October 18 at 11:59 ET. Results will be posted on October 19 so players can account for their success or failure.

Ailing Dragons

The two ailing dragons are Hierus, the Obsidian Drake, and Kruos, the Glass Serpent. Mated to each other, they're the only remaining adult dragons in the Nether and have been for decades. When you visit them at Dragon's Glass, their condition is worrisome. The dragons' scales have lost their luster and are grown over with painful white patches. They appear lethargic.

Those researching can offer the dragons healing potions or ointment to aid their symptoms while a cure is worked on. If you're not much of a healer or a scientist, you can feed them or simply spend time with them. The dragons are intelligent and appear capable of understanding you, though they can't communicate directly.

Characters have 3 avenues of participation, depending on their interests and strengths: gathering ingredients, researching the cure, and looking after the baby dragons and eggs. They'll have time to do all three throughout the 10-day excursion.

Finding a Cure

At first, you aren't sure where or how to start. The Draconae suggest the Ashlands may be a place to explore. It's dangerous, they warn, but they have a potion that'll help keep you safe. Due to the hazards, you're told not to go alone. As you travel through the deadened land, you notice an odd phenomenon: where you walk, the air around you clears, and the ground beneath your feet springs to life. You realize you don't need the potion to protect you.

The changes are temporary, fading behind you as you walk. Curiously, the effect you exhibit is similar to what the Draconae claim their dragons are capable of - though to a much smaller degree. Still, you have to wonder if you and the dragons share a similar magical connection to the Singularity. You can't help but notice that those of you who regularly interact with the Horizon and have been doing so for a while seem to affect your environment more. Your aura may be a little larger and the vicinity restored around you lasts a bit longer rather than melting away immediately - maybe even up to a minute or two.

Restoration and Gathering

Your ability to restore the land has unlocked a vital element. Ingredients once thought lost can now be gathered by the Summoned such as yourself, and they may hold the key to curing the dragons. Bring back these ingredients to your peers waiting at Dragon's Glass. The more you gather, the more they'll be able to research and experiment, so don't be shy about making multiple trips.

There are three sections for you to explore. Each one has its dangers and a specific ingredient to collect.

Due to its circumstances, Aetherie is only available on Day 9 of the event, shortly before the cure is finalized. The Draconae will seal the area once more when they realize what's happening. Cinder's Core and Featherhive are open for the full duration of the event.

◎ Cinder's Core

Filled with petrified trees and fossilized bones, the area that restores around you demonstrates its previous life as a flourishing rainforest: the humidity grows, the grass turns lush, and tropical flowers sprout under your fingertips. Although its sulfuric air won't affect you, you'll need to brave dangerous heights to reach the tops of trees and dried-up waterfall cliffs to retrieve the kydros fruit. The fruit smells like citrus and is surprisingly light despite its size.

Vines brought back to life can help you climb, forming ropes for you to climb and bridges that weave beneath your feet. They'll wither once more behind you, so you'll want to move quickly to avoid losing your footing. Height isn't the only danger - the ground below is littered with sharp skeletal protrusions and jagged trees. Beware of dangerous thorn bushes that will come to life in your presence and try to crush you in their spiny embrace as you ascend.

◎ Featherhive

The air here is too toxic for the Draconae to breathe in for long. Luckily you're unaffected. Scattered across the ground are the remaining husks of birds' nests. A dragon's skeleton curls under a rocky overhang. Use your restorative ability to journey deep into Featherhive's heart. Pushing aside the thick overgrowth reveals a small clearing covered in bright crystals for you to harvest.

Although Featherhive poses no physical danger, the land is haunted by shadow birds, ethereal spirits connected to the dragons - and you. As you pass through, they flutter around you and parrot familiar lines to each other. Their movements are jerky and strange. Quickly, you realize the birds are mimicking your memories. They might replicate an entire scene or echo a phrase or two that's plagued you all your life. Or, if you're lucky, they're merely repeating your grocery list. Shooing them will cause them to dissipate into smoke, but they'll soon return.

◎ Aetherie

The loss of a dragon released a noxious gas through this village without warning. Escaping villagers were forced to leave behind those they could not save and seal the doors. The Oblivion is a painful moment in history for many, and none have set foot near the area since. Near the end of your stay, the Draconae request you use your ability to venture where they can't and gather Anoix pods, powerful healing seeds from a plant that only grew in Aetherie. They believe the abandoned huts will contain pouches of the pods on shelves and cabinets.

Entering the village, you expect a tragic scene of corpses. Instead, you find something far worse. The dead have mutated into grotesque arachnids, limbs fused to bulbous abdomens. They show no signs of recognition or awareness and attack you on sight. Hidden in the depths of the purple haze, rat-sized spiders scurry forth. Their venom causes painful sores that will fester and spread if left untreated. Multiple bites may result in temporary blindness or paralysis of a limb. Luckily, this will clear up within 24 hours to a few days, depending on the severity.

Grab the pods if you can or flee if you're overwhelmed. When word reaches The Warden, she'll rapidly send her people to reseal the abandoned village and come to aid any who need it. If you're injured, The Flame and her apprentices will tend to you at Dragon's Glass.

Research and Magic

Dragon's Glass is a glass-domed temple said to be forged from the fires of Kruos. It's located in the Spiral, which is outside the Obsidian Heart. Here, the two remaining dragons reside while ill, along with their clutch of eggs and a few precious hatchlings.

Anneth, The Flame, will invite you into the temple's alchemy labs, where you can apply your skills and knowledge to create the healing elixir that cures the dragons. Doing so requires you to experiment with key ingredients found in the Ashlands. You'll have access to basic alchemy books and apprentices at the temple. Use any additional tools, supplies, and knowledge you possess, and take advantage of the resources donated by the factions.

How you approach your research is up to you, but each ingredient comes with a set of risks - so be careful while you work!

◎ The kydros fruit contains seeds that will explode when heated, causing a chain reaction like popped popcorn. The explosions aren't large, but they might scorch your supplies. Crushing them in the open air results in a similar chemical reaction. However, soaking them in water makes them soften into mush, allowing you to turn the seeds into a paste that could be useful. The fruit is similar to grapefruit and is excellent for a sore throat.

◎ The crystals come in three colors: red, blue, and black. Extended contact will dye your skin that color. The stains are extraordinarily stubborn, so your clothes may not recover. These crystals resonate with a strange hum that suggests they respond well to magic spells. Combining them with a liquid will give off a foul-smelling smoke, so you may need to find ways to neutralize the stench before combining it into an elixir.

◎ The Anoix pods must be used sparingly, as no more can be gathered from Aetherie. They possess strong healing properties, but each pod is very delicate and must be split open with care so as not to damage the soft seeds inside. In addition to researching the cure, you can also attempt to help the Dracaone grow new Anoix plants using the preserved seeds.

The final cure will use all 3 key ingredients. Don't worry too much about continuity! As long as your character participated, you can assume they made a valuable contribution.

However, to assist with coordination, we've provided a RESEARCH DISCOVERY section where you can present any findings your character would share with others in-game.

Hatchlings and Eggs

While curing the adult dragons is a priority, the hatchlings and eggs aren't to be neglected. Baby dragons are active troublemakers, and without their parents to keep them in line, they've become especially unruly. The apprentices at the temple can only do so much. The Keeper has even made rare appearances in Dragon's Glass to lend his assistance.

Meanwhile, the eggs are beginning to show signs of affliction. The shells are beginning to weaken, and the feathery growths appearing on them will suffocate the hatchling inside if left untreated.

Babysitting the Dragons

If you have a spare moment, you can look after the baby dragons. Keep them out of trouble by reading their favorite stories, singing songs, and playing with them. They'll also need to be fed, watered, and their bedding changed or fluffed. The hatchlings are mischievous but friendly. They're eager to bond with the Summoned for reasons unexplained, as if they feel something resonating within you.

Many are attracted to shiny objects and bright colors and will attempt to steal them. Conversely, they might gift you a trinket that they've pilfered from someone else. The local Draconae would appreciate it if you returned any missing tools or jewels.

Hatchlings you'll encounter in Dragon's Glass are:

◎ Okenus spouts water instead of flame. Bearing fins instead of wings, this sea dragon is vital to bringing lakes and rivers back to the Nether. Currently, it can only make tiny puddles and rainclouds. Watch that your belongings don't get wet. Standing near the dragon might cause a small storm cloud to spawn over you and rain down on your head. A simple spell will make the cloud disappear, but if you don't have any magic, you might have to bring an umbrella.

◎ Epeius can form miniature gusts of wind beneath its wings, but it doesn't have firm control and frequently spawns them when excited. These small dust devils and whirlwinds will follow you around. Though they aren't powerful, they can be a nuisance, knocking over cups, blowing away hats, and sending papers flying. The other hatchlings will find your misfortune a source of amusement.

◎ Ledas can help salt deposits form in the shape of large salt crystals. Salt is important to the Draconae, which the hatchling is aware of and thus takes great pride in its abilities. The crystals can be eaten as is or crushed into granules. Ledas will strive to impress you with the largest crystals that it can make...which occasionally results in the structure collapsing, littering the ground with salt. You might find yourself sweeping often around this dragon, but at least you'll never be short on seasoning.

◎ Anthusa is a very special hatchling that creates bioluminescent algae. The algae grow on its scales, forming a symbiotic relationship. Unfortunately, without a proper habitat for this algae in the Nether, its glow has dimmed in recent years and the hatchling has become languid and sickly despite its youth. Nonetheless, Anthusa is friendly and curious even if it struggles to keep up with its siblings. You can help Anthusa play by lifting it to heights it can't reach, and carrying it back when the dragon is too tired to walk.

Weakened Eggs

As noted, the eggs demonstrate signs of suffering, too. Three eggs are waiting to be hatched. Whether all of the eggs survive is dependent on the decision that each faction Conclave made regarding resources found, as well as the help provided by you and your fellow Summoned.

The eggs can't be cured until the dragons are cured, but you can help slow the growths by gently scraping them off and wiping the eggs regularly with a clean cloth. They must also be kept heated, so check the magma frequently and refill any magma basins. The growths can be donated to those researching for additional study if you wish.

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Comments

[ushiri]

Within the past few years. [ He nods. ] The last recorded Summonings before that were over two thousand year ago. The history is available but... lacking details.

[ As is most sources of printed information they have access to within the Kingdom.

His brow furrows, and he eyes the bandaged arm again. A permanent wound, cursed then? Curses spread through a wound through the entire body if not treated properly, not unlike a physical infection. In Basawar, at least. Not just the body, the curse could infect the soul. He's been in Abraxas long enough to know such afflictions differ between worlds, though. The Singularity healed his own fatal wounds by the yasi'halaun.

He blinks, taking a moment to understand what Dion is implying with that, and then lets out a short huff. He takes no offense. These are the least of his scars, and he's never been particularly shy about them. He cocks his head to one side, then looks down at the tattoo: ]

That or a serpent. [ He frowns at it, and then adds almost dismissively: ] It's from another life.

[ Literally.

He glances back up at Dion, studying his face again before deciding to offer: ]

If you're not against learning magic here, there's other ways to avoid disturbing people. [ With that he waves one hand in front of his face: his features remain the same, but there are more scars and tattoos on his face now, including one that extends from the sides of his mouth nearly ear to ear - the kind of scar that immediately invites both assumptions and questions about him. He quickly does the same motion, returning to his earlier face. There's a ghost of a smile on his lips. Enough people have seen his marked face now that he is less concerned about showing it. ]

[princeofruin]

[There is no hiding the genuine surprise that crosses his face. A two-thousand year gap? How could that possibly be explained? A loss of knowledge on the summoning itself? A lack of power? Or has some wave shifted in the world, necessitating their summoning?

So far, Dion has not had any official in Thorne approach him. Not for conversation, nor requiring his... abilities. There is some relief in the knowledge, but then: why was his presence so sorely needed here? He has yet to learn it.

Perhaps he should not look a gift horse in the mouth, so to speak.]

I see. [Then it is doubtful he venerates the beast on his skin if he cannot call it any particular name. A shame, he thinks, but nonetheless unsurprising.

What is is the shifting magic that changes the man's features. It is not only the casual usage of it, but that it should be used for vanity -- unheard of from most who could use magic. To waste aether on such a thing would get a Bearer beaten, or worse, and a Dominant -- there would be no use in it. A waste of life. A frivolous extension of his curse... because Kyle is right about that. It is very much a curse.]

I hesitate to learn magic. [It is painfully truthful. He cannot indulge that part of his soul. He simply... cannot.] Even if it should make life in Thorne more complicated. Though I appreciate the demonstration... I am not sure such a thing would work on me.

[ushiri]

[ The truth of his current face is more complicated than a simple glamour, only a very small handful of people know why. This body, this unscarred face is his default now, but it is not how he originally remembers himself. His botched passage through the White Space had changed him, given him the body of the man whose timeline he landed in, he's come to suspect.

A man who was not brutally marked by his - their mentor a decade ago.

When Dion explains himself, Kahlil nods - though the answer has him looking both thoughtful and curious at the other man. That he doesn't think it would work at all makes Kahlil think the wound must bear some sort of curse. He won't pry that far, but he does end up asking: ]

Is it forbidden where you come from? [ Magic. He frowns slightly. ] It was that way in my home world.

[ Thorne had been a shock to him, too. ]

[princeofruin]

[It is not an unfair question, given his response. And Dion is not entirely hesitant to answer it, but he does allow a moment of quiet, with only frogs and the frothing waters to fill it. How does one explain all of it? An impossibility, really, even with enough time in the world. Dion had lived in such a land his whole life, and still only came to know the truth of it some weeks ago.

It was never forbidden to him. Of course not; his magic was to be celebrated. Greagor's hand reaching directly to Sanbreque, once again granted their goddess's favor. He was to be celebrated, and then honed, his magic used to protect his lands.

The Hideaway was akin to having his head forcibly pushed into glacial waters. How he thrived in a system that so often took from the very peoples it should have held up. To see even his father fall into vile, selfish temptations... to see those who could bear magic beyond the Dominants as tools. Founts of power.]

It was not forbidden. Not as you mean it. [He slides deeper into the waters, nearly forgetting to keep the bandages free of the pool.] But it was granted to few peoples in the world, and those without were not willing to live without. [It leaves him feeling a dark hypocrite himself to be the one to explain it. He may have been a tool of the empire, but he was never a slave.

It's not a full explanation, and he means to add more, but it sticks like rotting food in his throat. Instead, he continues:] I have seen magic harm far more than it has ever helped. I do not wish to contribute further to such wounds.

[ushiri]

[ He almost feels a bit sorry for the man for landing in Thorne, and not for the usual reasons. Dion's isn't a perspective he hears often. It's only Wanda who Kahlil thinks truly understands the cost of arcane powers. Others, like Viktor, come from worlds where the cost isn't readily apparent, or possibly even negligible. People come from worlds where it is only a boon, an intangible and renewable supply of power, not a source of destruction, as difficult as that is to believe at times.

Or maybe this isn't at all what Dion is speaking about, and he's only projecting. ]

Here, they say everyone is born capable of using magic. They say the Singularity is the source not only for this world, but all worlds. Some will even say it is the birthplace of all gods. [ He watches the small ripples in the wake of a frog swimming the surface. ]

In my world, there was once an entire kingdom of witches. They warred with my people, who used God's power to destroy their kingdom so completely that nothing grows in those lands anymore. [ He traces a circle in the liquid-like pool, watching it slowly expand until it fades. ] I was born with power. I was sent to train at a monastery with other boys and men who received god's blessing - there were never more than maybe eighty of us at any one time. If you were a woman, you were lucky to burn. That's how greatly they still feared witches, even after so long. [ There were much worse fates for witches in Basawar. He says all this in a detached manner, then peers at Dion almost self-consciously before his features smooth over again: ]

These factions use us as pawns. They don't care about the powers or burdens we came here with, only our connection to the Singularity. No one will force you to learn, but you'll have a difficult time avoiding magic completely, if that's what you hope.

[ Look at the Nether, where it is like life's blood to this land. ]

[princeofruin]

I admit, when I first saw its ease in demonstration, it felt impossible. [Not only because magic was so deeply entrenched with its use through crystals, and not only because seemingly everyone here was capable of it... but because that usage was encouraged, the very opposite of the world he had left. Or the world he had tried to create before he had --] And I find that it should be the source for every world difficult to accept.

[It belittles so much of what he learned from the Phoenix. Of the very nature of their world, and of Ultima, and the purpose of their existence. The Singularity, as he understands it, is powerful indeed. But for a singular monolith to be the origin of all power?

Dion watches his companion silently. Another world, it seems, where magic has led to needless death. Not for want of it, but fear of it. In the end, is it really any different? It leads both peoples to the same outcome.

Dion's hands curl into fists where they rest, his face impassive except for the smallest snarl to his lip. It is what he has been waiting for. Not for the knowledge of it, but for his summoners to admit it: they are here to be pawns. To be soldiers.] I will be no one's weapon here, with or without magic. I do not fear it. I only fear --

[He hesitates. That for which I cannot be forgiven. Even if I should beg for it.] I fear what the powers that be shall want with that connection, should they learn to wield it.

[ushiri]

[ Kahlil won't argue against Dion's disbelief. He has no proof but his own belief (and fears). And it doesn't matter enough to him to convince someone he's only just met, even with how much else Kahlil has already divulged.

His gaze flicks from Dion's fist to that twitch of his lip. ]

Men can't be trusted with its control. [ The Singularity. Powers meant for gods. All men are fallible. Most will fall to greed and fear, destroying themselves along with their enemies. He glances up for a few seconds, then back at Dion. ]

It doesn't do anyone good to sit in around in the castle. They don't encourage us to leave, but we can visit other cities in the kingdom. [ He raises both eyebrows. ] When we return, you should come find me.

[ It's an offer to show him the rest of the kingdom, at least where they are currently allowed to travel. ]

🎀

[princeofruin]

[That is the problem. Men can be corrupted, and men can care about nothing more than greed. But then who should ever be trusted with control? The edifice is only stone; it cannot control itself. If it has power, though, these factions shall seek to control it.

Or destroy it, if it cannot be controlled. Such is the way of man. Such is the way of war.

But the gods have proven they are no better. If humanity was made in any god's image, than clearly there was little alteration in their creation.]

No, they cannot. [He agrees with that, at least. Dion takes a breath, relaxing his grip. He rises from the waters, letting the water -- magma? -- drip from his body, the bandages still miraculously spared. The invitation is a well-received one. He cannot very much spend the rest of his life in one castle, whether the rest of it may be short or long-lived.] I will take you up on that when we return. [Gathering his clothes, he gives Kyle a short bow. At least, while he is here, he cannot relax for too long. Not while the dragons require more aid.] I should like to learn as much of this world as I can.