Kyris/Kayel: End goals? That's... I... *glances nervously at Davian.* I don't know... Jefrye: I do. I want to put all pirates behind bars where they belong. And on a more private note... There is a certain someone I hope will come to realize just how much they truly mean to me. Hopefully, that person will then be willing to give us a second chance. Davian: Well, good luck with all of that. I for one do not intend to go down easy. My goal is to get my hands on much money as I can and then retire someplace. And since the topic was brought up... Someone to share it with would be nice, too... Tiny: *still chasing Alpha Ball.* Ball!! Ball!! Fun!! Fun!!
Ayana: Oh, we’re overthrowing the government. Katsumi: Ayana! You cannot simply— Nithara: Calm yourself, Princess. None of these people can do a damn thing about it, remember?
Fosimah: I don't...understand not worshipping the gods, but...okay. Ilsona: It seems like they're trying to die to me. Fosimah: *hisses* Tolerance. Ilsona: Right. Fosimah: Well, to be entirely fair, our gods don't necessarily smite either. They can't get over the barrier to our world, after all, so it's impossible. However, disobeying them does have consequences. If you don't love them, why would they want to live with you forever? You're sent...down. Ilsona: It's really not the best long-term decision. Ilsona: Oh, the people trying to kill us. Fosimah: Right. The Gapag. Fosimah: Why wouldn't they be able to have children? Are they all infertile? Ilsona: They might choose not to. Fosimah: So demigods are chosen by the gods. Like the nupru, then? Ilsona: The nupru are followers who dedicate their lives to the religion. They don't have to focus on the religion, as all divine beings are removed from our world, but I suppose the closest thing I could think of would be the clergy of other religions - though we don't necessarily think of them as clergy. Fosimah: I'm afraid that the possibility is near impossible. We do have a previous relationship with these people, though it's not exactly...good. Ilsona: Yes, it's horrible, actually. Our religions have developed at the same time in a similar area. There's a theory - though not many believe it, as there's not much proof - that a variation on their religion that condemns ours and our people with no chance to convert, and that variation caught on, and their country invaded ours. Fosimah: Of course, it's just as possible that they simply view us as barbarians because we're not them, and think they are above us. Most of us try to take a more tolerant approach and understand why they believe the way they do. Ilsona, however...well... Ilsona: I think they should all be killed. Fosimah: Yes. We shouldn't get into it, because it gets very messy, and we have to preserve the relationships we have and not allow this strife to drive us apart. Ilsona: We've sort of agreed not to talk about it until everyone is safe, because that's what we have to focus on right now. Fosimah: How nice it must be, to have a completely peaceful life. Even before the massacre ten years ago, we've never known that. Ilsona: It sounds...incredible.
Sapphire: So they hate you for what they are and believe that they are superior, and they take your homeland and slaughter your people because of this belief. (She shakes her head.) Kahras, some things are the same everywhere.
Adra: I'm afraid I don't quite understand, Ayana. Why would you want to overthrow the government? I know that there are those in power who use their status to hurt and undermine the commonfolk, but you should remove the rotten board, instead of throwing out the whole house.
Fosimah: To be entirely fair, nothing is for sure. But that seems to be the most likely reason, yes. Ilsona: It doesn't matter what their reasons are. They slaughter us even though we've done nothing to them. They all deserve to die, if you ask me. Fosimah: We're not talking about it. Remember? Ilsona: Right. *to Sapphire* Something similar happens in your world? I'd hoped these things didn't transcend these universal boundaries. Fosimah: I hope they have more of a hope of surviving, at least. Our population was very small before they invaded, so now that they live in our nation, they're the majority while we're greatly in the minority - and our entire population lives in our homeland. If they succeed, they wipe out our entire people. Ilsona: Yes, it's a hopeless situation. I hope you're having better luck?
Sapphire: *to Ilsona* It was long ago. It was a war, at first, between humans and elves. But after the humans took all of our kingdoms save for Lethania, it could hardly be called that anymore. Nithara: We surrendered, because we had no choice. Had we continued to fight back, the elethni surely would not have survived. They allowed us to keep Lethania—some small mercy, I suppose, though it hardly felt like that when my parents taught me about it. Sapphire: The elves in the kingdoms they took were reduced to second-class citizens. We are subject to harsh, unfair laws and treatment. I suppose compared to you we are having better luck, though, because we are not actively being slaughtered. Ayana: Well, Adra, how do you propose we “remove the rotten board?” I am a common foreigner, as is Nithara, and she is an elf, at that. Sapphire is an elven servant. The only one of us with any power is Katsumi, and even she could not singlehandedly remove a line of corrupt rulers. We have no power to simply remove the one board, and besides, so many of them are rotten that we may as well just throw away the house.
Seeker: I do not require belief to exist. I Am that I Am. When humanity transcended and returned to the Eternal Creator, I was recognized by the Eternum as Self-manifested. I was then inducted into the Eternum, to exist beyond Time, in The Void with all The Eternals Though some Eternals may benefit from belief or worship, The Eternum does not require it. We Are that We Are. I may allow my expressions to become realities, through The Eternal Creator if the Eternum agrees. I do not yet feel a need to do so. I now explore and move through all realities. I may affect any reality expressed by the Eternal Creator unless prevented by the Eternum. I may affect any reality if the Eternum wills it. Any reality directly expressed by an Eternal may not be affected by another Eternal. This place is an intriguing phenomenon, in that it seems to have been expressed by the Void itself. I seek other such phenomena. Truman: *rolls his eyes* Whereas I enjoy the simple things; a single malt and a fine cigar! Alpha-ball: *as it gets chewed it bulges obscenely with each chomp* eeeEEEk! eeeEEEk! *as it escapes and jumps around* Eee hee! Alpha-dog: *runs after Alpha-ball and plays with Tiny. They catch it and fling it, and it bounces between them. It jumps on Tiny's back and rides him!* Eeeee hee heeeee!
Fosimah: That's horrible. I am so sorry. Ilsona: If we had had this talk a few months ago, we would've been in the exact same situation. For ten years, we were second-class citizens in our own homeland after the Gapag invaded us. It was only before that they suddenly started to slaughter us. That's another hole in the idea that we've been able to gather - why would they wait until now? Fosimah: No one can be sure, and no one has the energy to think about why. We're all too busy trying to survive. Ilsona: Why did the war start? From what you've stated, they simply thought themselves better than you. Do you have any idea why? Fosimah: It might give us insight into our own situation.
Sapphire: It has been centuries, so I doubt we could help you much. Human history claims that the elves were arrogant, isolationist, and hostile, and that we struck the first blow. Nithara: But elven history claims the opposite--that it was the humans who attacked us, because they wanted control over everything. It was so long ago, even beginning to get concrete answers would take a master necromancer.
*Tiny stops and begins to shake himself.* Tiny: Dumb ball! Not fun!! *He keeps shaking until Alpha Ball gets of. Then he goes over to a corner and curls up.* Kyris/ Kayel: *listening to the others’ conversations* It does seem that our reality indeed might be the most peaceful among the ones represented here currently. I mean, we don’t have conflicts big enough to endanger entire species or planets. Although, there are a current minority that does have problems with the survivors from Hermes. Who knows what that might lead to in the future... If the three of us who are here now will still be alive then, well that is a different story. Jefrye: Yeah, the pirates are a serious issue in our reality right now, but in comparsion to what others here is going through it is a minor problem. Davian: *to Ayana* Good luck with your endeavour. I personally might not have anything against the rulers in our reality, but I do see where those who does are coming from. But I don’t know anyone having so much problems that they are planning to go beyond talking. In current times, that is. No one can tell the future, after all.
Adra: Well, Ayana, I might not be speaking from experience, but I would- Pel: *A tallish man with his hair tied into a ponytail seems to appear from behind Adra* Assassinate. You break the rotten boards and replace them. In the end, a board is still just a board, and any man will fall when an arrow is stuck in his chest. Adra: Pel, we've discussed this. You cannot just kill the corrupt; that would only make you as bad as them. Pel: True, but at least the rot is gone, even if some of it got on you in the process. Adra: *To Ayana* You must simply expose the rot. No one would live in a house that's built with spoiled wood. If none live in a house, then it can no longer be called a house. A nation is nothing without it's people. Most people are good, and most will side against evil.
Jefrye: First Matra, now this guy. Seems to me that you have trouble in your ranks, Adra. Might be something you need to be more careful about. Davian: I agree with Pel. I might be a pirate, but I do have morals. If the ladies present excuse me for bringing up the subject - I forbid rape and unneccessary blodshed. However, if a member of my crew dares break my rules, then their lives are forfeit. Rot as you call it needs to be permanently removed or it will spread.
Pel: Don't even compare me to Foolheart. He has no morals, I simply believe that people should get what they deserve. Especially those high horse-riding Councilmen. Adra: *To Jefrye* They aren't all bad, despite their... harsh approach to problem-solving. They actually are heroic and fairly selfless. Why, Pel used to send all of the money he made from jobs to his sister to pay for her scholar training, and Matra has saved my life more than once. Besides, they're more likely to try and kill each other before they kill anyone else. Pel: *To Ayana* If you aren't up for assassination, there are other avenues to take. you could rile up the mob, or publicly expose and shame them as Adra said, or you can even supplant them and fix your nation from the inside. Although, I wouldn't really try that last one, never really works out.
Valyan: It's really more that the armor is what keeps me alive. I have this death curse, basically, but the armor constantly regenerates my body. It also gives me limitless stamina and negates my need to eat, sleep and breathe. Which would all be great if I could actually take it off once in a while. Raxa: What's an "eieye"? Ellen: A gestalt mind, more or less. Raxa: Ah. Alvis: I suppose we don't have much a goal aside from making a living and stopping the occasional dangerous maniac from making a mess of things. Well, finding a cure for Valyan's condition would be nice, but that's part of why we're in the artifact hunting business in the first place. I'd also like to find out what's up with the weird ghost lady who's apparently living in my head. She doesn't do much, usually, but I can't shake the feeling she's very important somehow. Valyan: I'm afraid I don't follow. Why would you think they're trying to die? Sram: While I can see a certain logic in that, shouldn't the deciding factor be whether or not they love you? You can still care for and want to be close to someone who does not reciprocate those feelings. Don't take this the wrong way but your gods sound rather demanding, like they'd punish you for not praising them enough. Even the Prince of Knives didn't treat his followers like that. Raxa: Marya definitely wouldn't have approved, I can tell you that much. Sram: You knew the Mother of Magic, Raxa? Raxa: I met her a couple of times. Let's just say she was very passionate about this sort of thing. Made an impression, even for a goddess. Alvis: Bad guys, I take it? Ellen: More like they have no need to reproduce, meaning they have no drive to do so. After all, they don't age, don't get sick and only die in very extreme circumstances. By human standards they're all pretty much naturally asexual. I don't think they even really understand the concept of family except in a very academic sense. It's possible they could create offspring if they really wanted to and went out of their way to try, but since they have no real interest in that sort of thing they don't bother. Valyan: Even fertility gods who specialize in childbirth are usually just interested in how we do it. Raxa: Well, we're definitely not priests. Alvis: Goodness no. More like... holy warriors? Divine agents? Raxa: Something like that. Except both of our gods are dead, so we can pretty much do whatever we want. Alvis: I'll be honest, I still don't really understand much of how religion is supposed to work in our world.
Jefrye: I was just making a observation based on what I’ve seen and heard here. I am aware that I do not have the whole picture, so to speak. Kyris/Kayel: Oh, now I get it. We have something similar. Not death curses or magical healing armors, but we do have medical tanks and medical substances that can prolong the life of someone suffering from uncurable deseases.
Sapphire: People know the house is rotten! Nobody is fooling themselves that Fraulia and its “allies” are good places to live. There are riots in the streets of Sovelka because they know how bad it is! This is not a matter of exposing them, it is a matter of making them face consequences.
Davian: *to Sapphire* Well, the more I hear about your situation the more I am convinced that you are doing the right thing. Jefrye: I... am ashamed to admit it, but... I am starting to agree. Kyris/Kayel: What? Really? Although, I suppose that given the pieces of information we have it actually does make sense. Not that I have much to compare to personally. Growing up in a rather peaceful world doesn't exactly make you want to go and change it on such a grand scale. Davian: If you don't mind me asking... How exactly do you plan on accomplishing your little coup d'état, girls? Too bad I can't come over to your world and help you. Jefrye: Really? You want to help them? Davian: It does sound like it could be an interesting adventure. Not to mention an opportunity to make some profit. Jefrye: Of course... I should have known it was all about the money...
Sram: Take it from someone who was trained since childhood to be an assassin: If you could make a better world just by killing a few people, we would all live in perfect worlds.
Pel: *To Sram* Of course, I agree. Being a hero isn't about making the world a better place, it's about making an individual's life better every day. Change the world, one by one, and your goal will be closer than you thought. Adra: Glad to see you actually took that to heart, Pel. Though, I still disagree on the assassination. *To Sapphire* I admit that I might be an idealist, but there must be some way to achieve your goals without uprooting an entire system? Flawed as they may be, the ruling powers at least provide structure and safety to those who would not be able to take care of themselves, speaking from experience.
Sapphire: Perhaps they provide structure and safety for some, but for my kind, they do nothing but oppress us. Ayana: Our method of overthrowing is the part our author has yet to quite figure out. She promises she’ll get to it. Eventually.
Fosimah: Ah, I see. I'm glad we know what's happening at least. Ilsona: We may not know why, but we don't doubt which side is in the right. Ilsona: Just...speaking badly about the gods. Fosimah: Personally, I do not think you're trying to die, but Ilsona subscribes to a more...strict version of our faith, shall we say. Fosimah: It's never been a question of whether they love us. That's such a given, I suppose we just didn't think to mention it. Personally, I follow a less demanding version, but I am in the minority, so... Ilsona: I'm still not convinced you didn't change versions just so you didn't have to marry Ihuzo. Fosimah: It's not a crime to want to marry someone you love instead of someone your family chose for you when you were a baby. To more fully answer your question, there are...different interpretations, shall we say. Our faith only has a few concrete writings, meaning the core is the same, but there are differences regionally. Some regions don't even wear the iras - our veil. Ilsona: Not to mention that there's so much change going on in our country right now. We're in the middle of a transition from tradition to innovation, and some people are pushing back against it. Fosimah: Like you? Ilsona: It's not a crime to want to preserve the traditions of our people. Fosimah: It's not a crime to have any opinion, but you shouldn't resist change. Ilsona: I thought we weren't talking about it? Fosimah: *sighs* We're not talking about many things. Fosimah: Very...we think. Like we've said, we can't understand much of what they say. Ilsona: There's no 'if' about it. They're actively trying to kill us for no reason. Ilsona: Asexual? That word doesn't exist in our language. Fosimah: I assume it means not wanting to get married or have children. Why would there be a word for that? It's just...not wanting to get married. Ilsona: I don't get it either. Fosimah: Gods can die? I thought... Ilsona: I thought they were immortal? Fosimah: Aren't gods immortal by nature? Ilsona: ...Apparently not.
Jefrye: *to Ilsona and Fosimah* So your culture has arranged marriages too? It is very common among Gaean nobility, but because of how we are born noble families tends to be rather big so future spouses being chosen at birth is not that common. Davian: That is one of the reasons I left Gaea. I refused to accept the wife my father chose for me so he disinherited me. Kyris/Kayel: *to everyone* Yeah, we haven’t talked about that, have we? Truth is, Davian was born into a noble family. Jefrye: It is pretty obvious if you know where to look, though. Kyris/Kayel: *to everyone* Allow me to explain... Look at Jefrye. His hair is all done into a fishtail braid. And it is extremely rare to find a Gaean noble, whether they are men or women, not wearing their hair like that. Now, look closer at Davian. His hair might look like all of it is hanging loose, but there is a small fishtail braid at the back of his head. Clearly he hasn’t put his upbringing behind him, like he wants you to believe.
Valyan: Oh! I thought you meant... Well, nevermind. At any rate, our gods are not that easily offended and certainly don't demand that anyone worship them. If anything they like to encourage us to think for ourselves and not rely on them too much. They do value rational thinking very highly. Raxa: That and the war was a humbling experience for them. Valyan: There are different versions? Raxa: The more I hear about this the more confusing it sounds. Valyan: Yeah, we don't really do arranged marriages, at least not where I'm from. It's considered bad form to treat ones own children as political resources. We nobles are still encouraged to marry within the aristocracy and matchmaking does occur, but ultimately we can marry whoever we want. Not that I'd have to worry about that sort of thing anymore, since I am technically disinherited. Ellen: Riiiight, I'm just gonna say "close enough" and move on. Sram: I doubt that is true. Alvis: Yeah, I don't think genocide is the sort of thing you commit to for no reason. Sure, they can be stupid reasons, but still. Ellen: They're immortal in the sense that they don't die naturally. They can be killed, however, but not easily and it's very rare. Raxa: Even they weren't sure they were capable of dying until quite a bit into the civil war, since none of them had ever died before then. Razan and Artiros did manage to kill each other, though, probably through sheer stubborness. We still don't know exactly what happened to Marya but nobody's seen her since the war ended so it's possible she died too. Sram: The Prince of Knives is said to have killed himself, somehow. I suppose if anyone could figure out how to do it, it would have been the god of assassins. Alvis: Axeon was already dying when I met him. He'd spent all his power keeping his sky fortress in orbit for centuries. He disappeared right after giving me his Attribute, I think that used up everything he had left at that point. Ellen: Basically, gods only die when they are weakened to the point where their egos disintegrate, which normally doesn't happen. In theory they would die if you'd drain them of magic faster than they can replenish it, or if you somehow destroy their minds, but neither option is very realistic. It's possible a god might also die if they somehow lost their name, but I'm not sure. Also, Alvis may be able to kill a god, since her Divine Attribute is very damaging to magical and supernatural beings. Alvis: I don't really care to find out, though. Valyan: Ah, you as well? I know well the pain of being cast away by your family, ostracized by your former comrades, cursed by fate... Alvis: Dude, your parents still totally love you, and I'm pretty sure even Aryon and Razanza care about you more than they let on. And, like, half of everyone we meet think you're really cool, even if they're a bit scared of you. You have lots of friends, and you're on speaking terms with the Arch Princess, for crying out loud. Valyan: An outcast knight errant, doomed to wander the dark path of penance with only my own guilt to keep me company!
Davian: While I am not entirely convinced you and I are as similar as you seem to believe... It isn't as though I have no family. I have the members of my crew and they are all just as important to me as any blood-relative. And regarding arranged marriages, I do agree that people should not be used as political pawns, but I'm afraid it is not that easy to change traditions. Kyris/Kayel: We Gaeans are very proud of our culture and our heritage. Thus long ago laws were made to prevent it from being lost among our technological discoveries. The result is that there are now some outdated traditions that live on because not even the Emperor himself has the power to change them.
