( video ) [ BACKDATED TO LATE ON 4/9 ]

[heelies]

[ What broadcasts over the network is the picture of a peculiar pair: Achilles and Helga, serious of countenance both, as is each's modus operandi. The metallic shell of the submarine's curved insides serves as their backdrop. ]

I should like to call to assembly the members of this crew, and I understand that this is the best means by which to reach the ears of all men, although it is more to my liking to see those to whom I give these words. It is Achilles, son of Peleus, who wishes to speak to you: I have journeyed, with a crew led by gold-clad Gilgamesh and fair-haired Kida, to the darkest reaches within the sea, which lie beyond where the imagination of men can fathom. I shall tell of that to which we have borne witness.

Down there dwells Ryba, the goddess of the sea, who is Nalanni's sister. She knows not to where Nalanni has gone, for her eyes cannot see beyond that over which she presides - but we have her reassurance that Nalanni who delights in volcanoes has not vanished in full from this land, for she would know if such a calamity has come to pass. We are told that sea and rock are anchored one to another, as life is to death: either both must make this land, or nothing at all remains. Therefore, hope has not scattered to the wind.

Wave-ruling Ryba soon grew weary of our audience, and although she welcomes supplications the price she demands is steep. It is imprudent to test the generosity of the gods. Thus we parted with little solved: still, the answers she granted ought to be shared among all.

[ Helga looks as if she would have loved to interrupt him a fair few times already, but she kept quiet in spite of herself until now. Achilles, for his part, looks none too thrilled at having to share the floor thus. ]

Ryba has not been straightforward in her answers.

[ Surely, she hasn't shot a sideway glance at Achilles when she said this. ]

What we gathered from her is that the Dakal have been driven to (or near) extinction by the Nalawi during the war between them. They had been "sent to the bottom of the sea", either literally or figuratively. It checks out, if I'm allowed to hazard a guess: on our way to Ryba's lair, we came across plenty of wrecked submarines, none of which seem to fit in with the near complete lack of technology on Komo and the other islands.

The goddess mentioned one specific Dakal, who sold her soul in order to return to the surface world. In the process, she may have been granted powers by Ryba herself, but we do not know what became of her, what those powers were, or if she did anything with them.

I have been told by the Nalawi innkeep that minor gods exist alongside Nalanni, albeit no one worships them here. Ryba proves that they are tangible to the point of concern, so I urge all of you to take great care during your exploration.

Comments

VIDEO. UN: LOKI

[selfimage]

[ he has his arms folded over a driftwood desk, leaning forward slightly. ]

Good to know that the monotheists haven't taken over yet.

Quite the domino effect, isn't it? Favored gods and all. [ Loki knows that song and dance. there are forces that sweep in and brush all the mythology under the rug, making new gods in their wake. ] Some gods seem to get forgotten among the worship of a single one.

Curiously enough, it seems that the locals, while hesitantly accepting of their fate, see this more as a drain of energy rather than a removal of their gifts. [ a faint shrug. ]

It seems that we have direction now, don't we?

Text; un: Silk

[blacksilk]

It would be a disappointment if an overall decline in worship were the cause of this.

It's still unknown if natural or unnatural causes are behind the entrapment of power, but the shift of power from one deity to another would make sense if that was how this world's powers flowed.

What sort of display of faith or worship would be sufficient to tip the scales in that event?

VIDEO.

[selfimage]

I doubt the worship thing is the case, though there does seem to be a certain amount of pigeon-holing in terms of a single deity. [ for him it's less about the worship itself. while it was flattering where he was from, it was also a waste. mortals did as they would. ]

Though, since you asked ... I haven't a clue. It depends on ontological nuance, rather than anything concrete. Who knows what types categorization these deities fall beneath, let alone what defines their existence.

[ he tips his head, thoughtful. ]

Text; un: Silk

[blacksilk]

We're only somewhat aware of the beliefs and motivations of the local populace within these surrounding islands. A withered and wary group of people won't garner much conviction.

There's also little to nothing to say about the outside world, save for the losing side of the Nalawi's war.

[There were enough holes in their information to resemble where they were. They were small facts floating on an ocean of unknowns--and, they were facts that may as well have bordered on rumor.]

Our questions should motion to motivation. Maybe our approaches have been too concrete.

VIDEO.

[selfimage]

History is written by the winners.

[ it's said almost off-handed, easy and casual. no matter where you were in the multiverse, there were some things that didn't change—and that was certainly one of them, especially in terms of a timestream. ]

This is a rather good example of that, isn't it?

[blacksilk]

It speaks immensely of how overwhelming that victory must have been.

It had either been so long in the past that age stole the gravity from it or it was such a quick and all-encompassing victory that one could lose sight of it in a few generations.

Genocide, after all, isn't easy for people to forget.

[selfimage]

That depends on the people. [ Loki says, cooly. there had been types of genocide all around the Ten Realms, Odin had locked off Heven and everyone had all but forgotten of its existence. he wasn't about to wrap that one up, not yet. ]

Sometimes there are those that have the uncanny ability to remake something in certain histories that are easier to swallow—easier to believe. Who's forgetting, and who's remembering, and from what perspective?

[blacksilk]

Precisely. If it was a particularly harsh victory, then the victors had complete control over the stories that were told afterward.

Yet, we don't have official accounts. What information we've gotten has only been speculation and rumor.

Either it's all poorly retold, forgotten or--someone's made it an issue to prevent stories from being told in the first place. Have you managed to speak to anyone of the local councils?

[selfimage]

[ if "speak" he means "eavesdrop." ]

I've heard enough of the same retold jabber. Everyone's more concerned over the loss of their goddess, rather than a war that's been long forgotten.

[ there's a moment where he pauses at that though, thoughtful. ]

Hm ...

[blacksilk]

I'm not particularly surprised. I've tried to speak with them, but they were obsessing over personal duels.

It was a little sad, given how depleted their abilities had gotten.

[He added, purposefully--]

The locals are fairly belligerent, aren't they?

[anteil]

It's a hint, at least.

| She shifts her weight, frowning slightly. |

We don't know how the gifts proper work. The innkeep had not made it sound as if the gifts ever fainted beyond regular exhaustion. I suppose we will know more once we set off the "bomb".

| There are no airquotes, thankfully, but she does emphasises in the word in a way that indicates that she doesn't consider it a proper bomb. |

[selfimage]

[ that's rather curious. Loki's dark brows go up a little bit at the whole "how the gifts work." ]

Energy and magic never really decline—if we're talking about them separately. As the mortals would say: the total in the universe is always zero.

Though I suppose that there's something to be said of different rules. We may not gain much back in terms of Gifts, but we may catch someone's attention.

Which may be better.

[heelies]

There is reason to your speech: we learned from wave-ruling Ryba that Nalanni requires no supplications in return for her succor. Hence, the cloven-footed Nalawi have not observed such a practice. And while it may once have seemed that this is an act of fickleness, that as easily as she once gave her blessing she revoked it, as often the gods are swayed in their tempers thus, we might now believe that it was not by Nalanni's choice that she abandoned the Nalawi.

It must be that something prevents her from granting benison as she once did, but I know not what could possess power such that could overcome a goddess.

[selfimage]

Ah—well, speaking as a god, I can say that there are a handful of those sorts of technicalities that could bring the divine to a halt. None are so pleasant, not for us, or not for what we represent. Divinity differs from place to place, and the details could be different, but—hm ...

[ Loki chews on his bottom lip, thoughtful. you can almost see the gears in his head turning. ]

Perhaps the drain of energy has taken its toll on her, part of an effect rather than the cause. If there are others around, perhaps inquiries to the specifics of their nature may be beneficial. They haven't exactly asked me out for lunch.

[heelies]

[Loki will have to hold the reins on that line of conversation for a moment, as Achilles words imbibe a reverent tone.]

It is a god who now speaks before me? To think that among this crew could be one of the far-seeing immortals, when I had before believed that in this strange land flung so far away, my prayers would reach the ears of no god, nor would my supplications reach their hearts. O glorious immortal, I know not your form - have you taken a disguise to appear before us mortals, as the gods will often do? Over what land do you watch? If truly you are one of this crew, then how came you to circumstances as wretched as these?

[selfimage]

Whatever form I choose, I'm always who I am—I'm always me.

[ and that's all he'll say about that. aren't you lucky, Achilles? you got the shapeshifter.

a little smirk plays on his lips, as if it's a break in what seems like an all-too-serious situation. he tosses his hands back and forth in a long gesture. ]

Well, I wouldn't call myself omniscient. That's more of my dad's thing. We're not really the prayer type—well, I'm not, anyway—others ... mm, perhaps. My brother used to like to answer the calls of the mortal realm upon his own will.

Though if you're asking about ALASTAIR's means, it's more that I'd rather not leave, rather than it being in their power to hold me.

[ may as well be somewhat honest, says the god of lies. though, to be fair, he hadn't tried his hand. he figures if he does, then the whole thing would be rather concrete, wouldn't it? ]

I'm of Asgard. Some floating city atop the World Ash, no big.

[heelies]

God of Asgard, will you tell me what name you claim? I cannot understand why an immortal such as yourself would wish to remain under the dishonorable command of the dread sons of Alastair. Surely there is greater pleasure in your own land, where you receive honors from the mortals over whom you cast your eyes. To be revered as a god, or to be yoked to the life of a migrant - the choice is as clear as the water in a shallow stream which covers nothing from sight.

[selfimage]

[ this was the mortal-iest thing that anyone's ever said to him. dark brows knit at the center, and there's a curl of his lips into a smile. it looks interesting on his already scheming-type face. ]

The same old things get boring. This or that, or this and that. Sometimes hanging around with the humans in an interdimensional space is loads more fun.

[ there's a pause, and he meets Achilles' eyes. ]

Gods are tied down by the weight of myth and story. The universe wants me to be a certain something, and I'd rather be my own certain thing, no matter how revered I am.

I'll take freedom over worship any day.

[heelies]

You are not the first to speak to me of freedom found where I see little more than shackles. But still I cannot understand such a sentiment, which seems to turn all reason on its head: what freedom there is to be enjoyed in the robbing of rights, I do not yet know.

Furthermore, just as it is not for men to shuffle off the weight of fate, so too are immortals bound by its absolute rule. If you know the path that has been laid out before you, then how can you who see so far ignore such workings? No, even the gods must carry out that which the Fates have decreed.

[selfimage]

You have to be a little more creative—it's not about our captors, it's about opportunity.

[ but that was something Loki found everywhere. ]

See, "fate" and "destiny" are just fancy words for narrative constriction. "Fate" isn't dictated by one person as a million stories would have you suspect. It's dictated by a mass of individuals. It's called resonance.

So, tell me, what weight of a million choices before dictates what we do now?

[heelies]

Long have I been of two minds, caught by such a question as this: is not fate as certain as the sinking of the sun into the sea, and is not its reach endlessly wide? Yet here I find myself, where neither of my two destinies promised to lead me. For I have heard it from my mother, the silver-footed goddess Thetis, that were I to fight in Troy, there I should fall and lose my homecoming - but were I to remain in fertile Phthia, there I should ebb away ripe of age but lose the glory gained in battle. So wield my spear for Atreus' son, lord of men, I did. Then gone was my chance for homecoming the moment I vowed in my heart to claim revenge upon Hector, son of Priam, for soon after his death would come my time to be hurled through Hades' gates - by both mortal and immortal hands, as has been foretold.

More than a fortnight I've passed in this land, however, and the cold blade of Fate has not yet cut me. What then am I to believe?

[selfimage]

That's the one million gold question now, isn't it? No one wants to get caught on a technicality.

When you're the one running across alternate dimensions causing certain events, aren't we the ones causing certain fates? Think about it ... [ for the moment, Loki looks at his nails, his voice still mildly interested in what they're talking about. ] We're from different parts of the multiverse, fate is dictated by resonance, we're strangers here—hm—anomalies.

What about keeping the timestream together needs an outsider's touch?

...

Curious ...

[heelies]

Then do you truly believe what little the sons of Alastair tell of their goals? I will tell you what seems right to me. That of which you speak, and that which Alastair would have us believe, is the work of the gods: to know the course of fate, and to uphold its will that it may come to fruition. A god you may be, but not so with other of this crew, nor the cowardly lords we are made to follow. Such matters are not for men to dip their fingers in.

[selfimage]

I believe that ALASTAIR believes in ALASTAIR's goals. They don't tell us anything because they don't know anything beyond that. They're given their orders from another source.

[ there's still the whole thing with the mechanical room that leaves a sour taste in his mouth. not even his sorcery could break into bindings woven around that place. adding insult to injury, his hands had been painted red for a week (three days, but it felt like a week) for the attempt. ]

It's easy to paint an impossible bubble around the things that the divine don't want mortal hands to touch. It goes a few ways—elder gods and gods, resonance and gods, etcetera etcetera. Sometimes people just don't want you to know things, and they place some clever, convincing rhetoric to surround it. It's ontologically subjective, really, and when you try to turn something subjective into being objective, we run into a few problems.

You're beyond the fingers now, just dip your hand down to the wrist.

[heelies]

I know not what to think. Here speaks before me a god, although not one from among those who answer the pleas and supplications of the Achaeans - still, any immortal is worthy of fear and respect, and so it is with you, god of Asgard. Here is a god who protects not the order of the world, who condemns not the sons of Alastair for interfering with the workings of fate, if indeed that is their intent. Whether it is their wish to uphold fate's course or to divert it, I know not, nor does it matter, for such a claim seems to me preposterous.

I believe, however, that Nalanni must return, for mortal death is not for the gods to suffer. It is for this reason, and not the designs of any man else, that I seek answers to the Nalawi's plight.