abraxaslogs | september catch-all; open

Entry tags:

september catch-all; open

WHO: "Kyle" and you
WHAT: Monthly catch-all, including errands and quests
WHERE: Castle Thorne, Nott and Horizon
WHEN: Post-Libertas and Thorne farmland attacks
WARNINGS: General talk about war, violence, mention of sex work. The farmlands prompt has mention of handling animal remains. Additional warnings in thread subjects.
OTHER: Will match brackets or prose!

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[ That wry smile returns at Kyle's assessment since it perfectly describes his own thoughts while standing within the wreckage. The lack of being able to go, no news, imaginations running wild - all of it made it impossible to dwell on anything but the worst possible outcome. And horrible as it is: the results of acts of war can always, always be worse.

Claude listens as Kyle explains the state of things in Thorne, the crease back in his brow as he absorbs this information and sifts through it to examine it from all possible angles. So Thorne is not approaching this from a militaristic view as it seems the leadership in Cadens is; what's said sounds less like relying upon a leader's instinct and more like their emotions. Something that certainly adds another volatile undercurrent. ]

The element of surprise is a rather effective tool. One I used plenty myself to get the upper hand as a strategy to line up an attack. The other benefit is that now the Free Cities prime minister, Marlo, has a nice point - if you want to call it that - about how they showed restraint by not going to the level Thorne did. But in the end, the leaders aren't the ones suffering.

[ In other words: nothing more than a rallying point that sounds better on paper, something that makes a speech moving and masks the reality even when it's supposed to be referencing it. Claude takes another sip of tea and considers the state of the castle based on the Queen's actions. ]

A leader who suddenly removes those they'd trusted from their ranks that haphazardly... it doesn't bode well for those of you in Thorne. Are you also supposedly honored guests there like they've told us we are in the Free Cities? Not that I buy that for a second nor do I believe we actually have freedom if they change their minds, but so far it's allowed us to do whatever we'd like. It does, at least, keep us from being targeted like it sounds you may be if the Queen changes her mind about you as well.

[ They're of a similar mind. There's something about their talk that reminds him of conversations with Alidas - but the more he thinks about it the less similar it seems. Alidas relied on Kahlil for certain information, and more often than not sent him to act on that information. Alidas was by all intents and purposes his superior, even if Kahlil rarely thought of him in black and white terms like that. There was a shared understanding between them that Kahlil could disappear one day if he wanted to - he just never had a reason to.

Talking with Claude right now, there's a more level ground between them. Kahlil has no one he will pass this information to after they leave, he's free to do with it what he will on his own. Maybe it's the same for Claude, though he won't make that assumption blindly - he does like the man. Maybe it's Claude's level-headedness that's reminding him fondly of the captain. ]

We're still being given fancy quarters and better meals than the average citizen. [ But there's been no talk of weaponizing the Summoned of Thorne yet, or tossing them all in the dungeons at a whim for that matter. His brow furrows slightly, his mostly untouched tea should've started to go room temperature by now, but it remains at the perfect level of warmth. ]

What do you make of Marlo? I haven't heard much about them.

[ There's a wide berth of possibilities in what Kyle answers about their accommodations and what's of particular note to Claude is that it sounds like that's provided regardless. Unlike in the Free Cities where that offer comes with "voluntary" enrollment into the military, and with it only. But of course, that also comes at the expense of Thorne's Summoned being relatively trapped under high surveillance and in the midst of all the unease.

When the conversation turns to Marlo, Claude shakes his head. ]

I've only seen Marlo a handful of times. She was there when I was summoned and greeted me somewhat personally which seems to be true for each of the other Summoned I've met. Or I should say those from my world who I asked about it, and they arrived after I did. Other than that, the other times I've seen her is giving speeches at various events and nothing ever one-on-one. She was speaking to all of us after our return from Nocwich when Libertas was attacked. [ A pause for a sip of tea while he considers his impressions of her. ] I'd describe Marlo as... a rather talented politician.

[ A safe answer from a former politician, but without more trust established: there's only so far Claude's willing to go. He's assuming that works both ways, but it also won't prevent him from asking: ] Do you see the Queen about that often in Thorne, or are there others in power that comprise the court? Or were, before that purging happened since I assume some of them were likely to go.

[ Kahlil is not a politician. Some of his skills run parallel, though. He's good at reading people, and he's good at knowing what people want to hear. He's learned how to bend, which took being broken to finally understand what that really meant. More than a few of his scars are permanent reminders of those lessons Dayyid taught him.

He cocks his head at Claude's answer, a silent is that so? acknowledgement of his tact without pushing beyond that. To his question he shakes his head again. ]

I haven't seen her often, but I also have zero standing in court. The purges weren't of anyone particularly importance either. The only other person in some position of power that I've briefly interacted with is a mage called Ambrose. He gathered us Summoned to explain what happened during the Nocwich ceremonies. His interpretation of who was responsible sounded more open to reason at the time, although [ a soft shrug ] I haven't heard anything from him since.

[ As with the Queen, he doubts he'd be able to get an audience with the man even if he had a good reason to. ]

[ With each reveal of information (or lack thereof on Claude's part), he has the sense of a cautious circling. From them both, as if they're following an invisible map of steps not unlike what goes into wielding a sword and staying on guard. If he's not imagining it on Kyle's part within those deliberate questions and answered: well, the skill of walking that tightrope is one to be admired.

To that description of Thorne's court - one that as is, is still more detailed than anything else he's been able to learn from others - Claude nods slowly. It doesn't take long for him to find comparisons from what to what he knows. ]

Sounds like most of the courts I'm familiar with, both in how they operate and how removed leaders can be. Or, in this case: both. [ Something that could change now for Fodlan, what with Teach in charge, and something worth working towards for himself. ] Curious that the Summoned wouldn't have some kind of... elevation in it, for lack of a better word, but monarchs do so often not want to risk anything or anyone challenging their power.

[ Which, fortunately, brings him to another point. One that's possibly less loaded than sorting through the intricacies of Abraxan courts, rules, and the delicate balance they're all caught in; thinking of home now and then brings other areas worth comparing. ]

Do Thorne's ways or those of the Free Cities resemble anything from what you're used to at home? Hopefully Thorne is slightly closer with some luck. [ A rueful smile, one that potentially betrays more than Claude intends about how a court can go awry from personal experience, accompanies that statement as something else slipped in between the lines of what else is said next even if the rest of his expression stays nonchalant. ] I wouldn't envy anyone trying to navigate what sounds like a treacherous one for the first time.

[ A soft snort. ]

Considering how badly things seemed to have went for the family that had the crown before them...

[ No, not surprising that the king and queen wouldn't want anyone challenging them, or making them seem weak. There's a bad history there with the Free Cities coming into power. And then there's how poorly the Summoned were treated at the beginning.

He thinks on the question for a moment, then shrugs again. ]

I grew up in a monastery and trained as a priest. In my world there were many noble houses vying for power. I became indebted to a man who worked for one of them. He was a good leader, and I respected him. He showed me what it all looked like behind the curtain.

[ There's the faintest touch of something wistful in his expression. He claimed no loyalty to the Bousim family except through his loyalty to Alidas, even though his last act in that life had been to go against the captain's orders.

He watches Claude, eyebrows raised. There's no need to ask him the same, but there's a part of him that will always prefer to be a little blunt: ]

Who were you in your world?

[ The family that held the crown before them: that's something he hasn't heard before, and he raises an eyebrow in lieu of asking what Kyle means by that. Something to look for in Cadens' libraries since he's sure there's an account about it somewhere, given the animosity between the nations and how if there's any way for the Free Cities to write something negative about Thorne it'll definitely exist.

Either way, it's not nearly as interesting as listening to Kyle describe his life. A monastery, and a priest. Two things familiar to him after his time at Garreg Mach at a literal monastery (now conveniently also in the horizon by Sylvain's doing) and around clergy though neither had been something he'd grown up around. He nods slowly and takes another short sip of tea. ]

Sounds rather familiar, and not just because I attended academy at a monastery. There were several noble houses across the former nations of Fodlan, all of which believed they either were the most important or deserved to be. Thanks to my grandfather naming me his heir I was able to see behind it all myself in more ways than one, which it sounds like you may have had happen as well.

[ For a long moment Claude simply studies the other man while making no attempt to hide this is an appraisal. It's less the question asked - considering he sensed it was on the way eventually - but that there's numerous directions he could take to answer that. He could say precisely who he was, leave no room for misinterpretation, and perhaps say it also for the first time rather than in the bits and pieces he's told those in the Free Cities. Because, Claude thinks, perhaps there's also a difference in telling people you see every day versus someone who you can only meet like this.

Or maybe that's overthinking it, a bad habit of his he's never unlearned. In the end, he decides on truth of the non-specific variety said evenly to not betray his thoughts on those statements in any particular way. ]

I was a high ranking duke and as a result of that, also a military commander during war. 'Was' not just because I'm no longer at home, but actual past tense because I resigned my titles when the war ended. I would assume one or the other is part of the reason the Free Cities decided to bring me here.

[ The longer this conversation has gone on, the more he's begun to suspect Claude held some rank or power in his home world. It's in the way he speaks and carries himself, those careful and shrewd answers that have reminded Kahlil of Alidas. But Alidas was born to a common family, he'd risen through the ranks of rashan'im to become a captain. To be born into nobility is something else, as is being named heir of a family.

The revelation gets a slight frown, his gaze scanning over Claude's face in an re-assessing way that gives away his surprise to a degree. I resigned my titles when the war ended. ]

I hope that wasn't a dangerous decision to make in your world. [ In powerful families heirs were chosen for the survival of the entire house. To give up those titles could at the very least cause rumor or scandal, at worst point out weakness or division in the house to their enemies.

He sets his tea down with another shake of his head. ]

Did the Free Cities make it sound like they knew much about your past? In Thorne they tell us we were Summoned because they'd heard of our 'exploits', but if that's true, then I got the sense very few people within the castle have any actual knowledge of our history.

[ If at all. ]

Oh, it certainly wasn't a very popular choice. But it was the right one for many reasons, and I don't regret it.

[ Too many reasons to name for ridding himself of those titles: that it wasn't his place for others to look to his continued guidance as Fodlan reforms as a united country, that he was a divisive enough figure who would only detract from the new ruler's reign, that he'd felt they were not his to keep - intricate details that may or may not interest Kyle in the end.

But. Claude has the sense the other man would find some of it interesting, which is intriguing in its own right. Trained as a priest, he'd said, and once more Claude wonders what all that entails. Certainly the ability to read people, as he doesn't move or look away from Kyle's careful scrutiny as they trade slips of information to lay out a clearer map of it all between them both. ]

Upon arrival, I was told the world was on the brink of a dangerous time and my help - [ a raised eyebrow to punctuate his next words - ] was needed. That I was important, and they were glad to have me. All very standard diplomatic language meant to earn goodwill or play upon one's better nature to lend assistance.

But I've heard of Thorne's... initial summonings from others who have been here much longer, and how some but not all of their arrivals were treated. Though the Free Cities hasn't said much more than what you've been told by Thorne, I have to believe they know much more about us than they're willing to say. I don't believe it was an accident each of us were called to where we arrived.

[ Kahlil has a middling to low opinion of the noble families in Basawar. Too many of them care little about their own people, and the things that the sons of lords from their grand houses will squabble over are often petty.

There's open curiosity in his expression when Claude talks about his decision, his lack of regret. It should tell him something that this whole time Claude has reminded him of Alidas instead of the little lordlings he protects. Nanvess Bousim never would have willingly given up his power had he lived and been named heir. And a weak heir who would've shrugged off any responsibility would quietly be disposed of. Claude had said he was a commander in a war. Kahlil doesn't sense that the man is talking himself up. ]

I've heard similar things about the initial arrivals. [ From Julie and Geralt. Neither of whom he knows all that well yet, but given the way Thorne operates it's not all that hard to believe. ]

I don't believe our summoning was an accident either. But... [ Another frown. ] In Thorne we're in a gilded cage, and all of our tasks so far voluntary. [ A far cry from the way things used to be, it sounds. ] We're not being told we must join their army. We're not being questioned or studied - as far as I can tell, for our connection to the Singularity. They clearly don't trust us when we arrive, but they keep bringing more of us to their world.

[ It's just... odd. There's something else going on. He lets his gaze drift to the tea kettle for a moment, then lifts to Claude's features again. He thinks of his most recent conversation with Julie. ]

Do you expect to go home one day?

We might be in a slightly larger cage in the Free Cities, but I believe the bars are still there as they are for you. Before it seemed like it was only a matter of time until they would conscript us, but with everything going on now?

[ Claude will let that thought go unfinished when it doesn't need to be for it to have the same impact. What transpired after they arrived back from Nocwich upended whatever balance was there in ways they likely can't see coming. All of them will end up as weapons before too long.

Kyle's next question does catch him off-guard ever so slightly, fortunately covered up by being timed with taking another sip of tea. He contemplates the other man over the cup's edge and yet another eyebrow is raised mostly to himself as he lowers it after. ]

I think that's the question we're all asking ourselves, isn't it? [ Some light stalling to think through that a little longer, but it doesn't bring him any closer to something concrete. ] If I'm being honest, I have a difficult time imagining any situation in which they let us or reveal any way to get home. Others have told me that occasionally those who arrive here can vanish and then aren't seen around again. There's someone in Thorne I knew through the Horizon but I haven't seen him in some time. His domain seems to have also disappeared. I can only assume he's among those who are no longer here.

[ It's not much of an answer, is it? Claude's not sure he has anything better to offer there, besides gently fishing for whether Kyle knows of this seeming phenomenon of those being brought here disappearing without a word. But - he also has something else to ask of his own. ]

Out in the hunting grounds. When you... [ He trails off. Hm. What kind of description can he use for Kyle seemingly appearing out of nowhere when they'd met, and then again during their fight with the beast? Might as well go for it. ] Your ability, to choose whether to appear. Is that something you trained in?

[ When Claude speaks about Summoned vanishing Kahlil's eyes narrow. It's not something he's heard of very often, maybe only once but the person he'd been speaking to had made it clear that they didn't want to talk in detail about it. His mind had immediately gone to assassinations and the like at worst.

The disappearance of a Domain too is an interesting detail.

There's another part of that question that Claude doesn't give any indication one way or another to, whether he desires to go home. It's something he's curious about with all of the Summoned. He leaves it without asking the question directly, as Claude moves them on to another topic...

He listens as the other man tries to describe how his use of the Gray Space must've looked in the dim light, out of context, a wry smile pulling at the corner of his mouth. ]

It's considered a blessing in my world. The priests search for those of us who have the blessing, and they teach us how to use it without accidentally killing ourselves. [ Raising both eyebrows, there's a cavalier edge to his tone. ] It's too easy to reappear without an arm or a leg, or in a wall if you don't know what you're doing.

[ He shrugs. He had seen... horrific things at Rathal'pesha, but he'd endured it and is still living - if only by the grace of Parfir, and perhaps the Singularity. ]

I have to be able to see where I'm going though, and there are protections around Thorne that keep anyone like me from moving around like that.

[ Make it very, very difficult, anyway. The part about needing to see if true enough too even if he's leaving parts out: with the way the currents narrow within the Gray Space around Castle Thorne he can't see into any of those places locked behind specific wards. ]

[ Some part of him doesn't really expect to get an answer to his query. It must be something worth keeping secret, to not reveal in too much detail. If the situations were were reversed, Claude can't say he would share. When a brief explanation follows, he listens but raises one eyebrow at the concept of reappearing without a limb, or trapped somewhere one doesn't usually find themselves. ]

So it's not magic, then. Based on the blessing you mentioned being present, I mean, and that's something I'm assuming you have to be born with. [ Maybe? That's somewhere between a question and a statement since Claude's still not certain on what exactly this consists of, really. ] In my world, magic can be picked up by anyone so long as you study texts and with an instructor. Not everyone will master every spell - there's lots I wasn't particularly good at myself - but there is something with blessings, kind of.

[ Crests don't matter here, Claude reminds himself; it's not like they'll be a secret if anyone else from Fodlan decides to share theirs. The nice part about the Horizon is that he doesn't have to wait for his Crest to decide to activate itself for a demonstration. After a moment, he holds up a hand: in front of it a crescent moon appears in a circle of light, glowing just as it would if he was injured. Only now it lasts for longer than a second, thanks to holding this illusion. ]

Part of what where I'm from believes is that the Goddess there bestowed blessings upon several bloodlines. The nobility, of course, used this to exalt themselves even though they show up mainly by chance these days. Fate decided I got the one in my family tree.

[ Claude closes his fingers to his palm and the projection disappears as he drops his hand back down to his lap, and he shrugs like this is all very average. It is to him, in some ways, but what Kyle had said about Thorne is still on his mind and feels important to get back to - ]

Protections to keep you from moving around, you said? It sounds like Thorne has some experience with others being able to do much as you can.

We are born with the ability. [ He nods. ] Portal transport seems to be relatively common here. I'm not surprised their wards would be set to keep any unwanted travelers out.

[ All three factions had used portals to get to Nocwich. But he also shouldn't be surprised to find out that others can move in a similar way even if it's not through the Gray Space. ]

Do you believe in your bloodline's blessing?

[ Kahlil's had his gaze on the sigil Claude conjured right up until he dismissed it. The gaun'im didn't try to claim any divinity in his world. The church and the nobility were allies of convenience against the Fai'daum. A pause, and he ventures: ]

You mentioned an ancestor of yours that was resurrected...

[ There's yet another pause on Claude's part while he considers that question about blessings, and then an implied one about his ancestor. For a second he blinks since that feels like it came out of nowhere in what's clearly a piece of Fodlan knowledge, and - ah. Right. Now he remembers his own comment. ]

I don't know if Crests are blessings overall, for all the trouble they've caused past and present, but I don't have any choice but to believe in what this one grants me. Not titles or anything like that, but there's another benefit that comes with this Crest in particular. This one grants a healing ability but nothing I can call up on my own as it activates when it feels like it. It'd be a lot nicer if it could spare me from stubbing toes, though.

[ Claude also picked up on the implication that portals outside of the ones granted to them, which is something he hadn't considered before. It's true he's been through several courtesy of the Free Cities, and Thorne's wards make much more sense in that context beyond paranoia alone. Curious that it would restrict even those that live there, or those with the ability to traverse where most cannot. ]

As for my relative. There was a civilization who resurrected several of our ancestors, and one... man... in particular in an attempt to tear down Fodlan as it existed. They had tried this centuries ago and failed, and had orchestrated several incidents meant to upend society in the years prior to Fodlan's war. I ended up staring down my ancestor, theoretically, but he couldn't talk or do anything but serve as a weapon.

[ It's not an entirely satisfying explanation, probably opens the door to more questions rather than providing answers. Claude knows this, and communicates as much with a shrug of apology as he takes a sip of tea. ]

[ It'd be a lot nicer if it could spare me from stubbing toes, earns a grin from Kahlil at the thought. But the ability to heal, even if it's out of the man's control, is a sign of something. Kahlil can bear wounds, act as a conduit for a real healer - but he doesn't need blessed bones for that, anyone can do the same. He doesn't have the disposition to be a healer, though, and that's not what Parfir chose him for. That Claude was chosen for such a power is a blessed sign, he thinks. Adds another color to the overall impression of Claude.

As for the rest... ]

That sounds... horrific. [ He grimaces. To resurrect the dead as mindless weapons, that sounds like the power of demons. He imagines bodies without souls. The Payshmura could create the living bones, but the oracles had a purpose in keeping order... ] But you were able to stop these people?

Yes. [ Though he's still sitting poised casually with tea in hand and an appropriately even look on his face, Claude studies Kyle carefully yet again after speaking. Horrific is an understatement and the truth; living it and so many other oddities in close order sometimes numbs this reality out of his mind. Having to be the one to keep morale high and everyone unified during it probably hadn't helped either. ] We did. The society that resurrected them meant to destroy everything about the world. There was no option but for us to succeed.

[ War leaves so few choices, doesn't it? There are things he regrets and those that he doesn't, and most days it blurs together. But as he's thought to himself before: he would make all of his same choices over and over again should time repeat itself on a loop. Unfailing, each and every time.

To dwell on that is tiring, a exhaustion which runs bone deep and one that doesn't get easier to bear. And won't be, now that they're all carrying the weight of it while Thorne and the Free Cities square off against each other with them and everyone else in the middle. Perhaps it wouldn't be the worst to change gears to something lighter, if only for a moment. ]

You'd mentioned earlier this tea is common in your world. Does it have a name?

[ There was no option but for us to succeed. There's a grim look of understanding across his expression again. That had been his own thought when he threw his body into the gate, with no guarantee that he wouldn't be torn apart body and mind.

Claude shifts the topic again though, and he tips his head toward the kettle. ]

Daru'sira. [ Even details like these could potentially be dangerous to give away, were someone like Fikiri to arrive and overhear a familiar word - he would know someone else from Basawar was in Abraxas and seek to find out who it was. He doesn't fear meeting Fikiri face to face again, but the other ushiri is clever and treacherous. Kahlil would be better off being the first to know of his arrival instead of the other way around.

There's a part of him that's annoyed at having to consider Fikiri at all, though. ]

I can bring something stronger next time. [ He raises an eyebrow, amused. ] Have you tried alcohol in Horizon? I feel like you shouldn't be able to feel the effects, and yet...

[ It's all in the mind, isn't it? ]

Daru'sira. [ Claude's quick to repeat this to himself, something else learned which feels like a valuable piece of information even if he lacks the full context of not knowing someone else's world. The same as he's done with everything passed to him by someone else. This in particular he'll remember, both because of the tea associated with it in a familiar ritual common to his own home, and all that they've talked about.

And speaking of that: Kyle's next question gets a genuine smile of amusement from him. Something stronger indeed. ]

I haven't, no. What with how everything else is so realistic here, I wouldn't be surprised to find anything stronger is every bit as effective. [ Claude goes to take a sip of his tea and then blinks upon realizing there's none left. Hm. They've talked for quite a while, haven't they? With that he'll set his empty cup back down. ] How about this - if you bring the tea next time, I know something also of the stronger variety that'd pair well with it. Or with the teas I have from home, if you'd rather try something else. Either or.

[ There's another couple seconds where Claude considers something else to himself: the conversation, everything about Thorne and the Free Cities, where to go from here. Too much to figure out all for now, but - it's not lost on him that now there's someone else to consider it all with. That'll do. ]

I should likely return in case someone needs a break from watch while we camp, and I've taken enough of your time. For now. [ This is added with a slight grin as he stands with a nod. ] Until next time, with stronger things in hand for it. And be careful in Thorne, until then.

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september catch-all; open

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we can wrap here!