We Are Our Avatars X (Closed, Ended)

[ShindoL Shill]

Veketta - Day 6

"Very well."

The clan leaders looked away from the group, and began discussing among themselves what to do, with the citizens present also adding their own thoughts to the matter in a process that would take a while and probably be very boring.

[hr]

Pelanna - 18:12

Anik would be able to hear a few mentions of merchants that had passed through, along with an explanation that they were the source of the rumours of the sudden storm.

"Most of what lives between here and the glaciers are fish, seals and bears." the man replied. Timea estimate the Ketra'Rah to be less heavy than the average polar bear, but likely not that much lighter.

 

[Chungus]

Pelenna - Day 6 - 18:14​

"I see. That's all I needed to know. Thank you for your time." With that said, Timea turned around, and began walking away from Pelenna again, saying, "Let's go, Anik", as she walked.

Once some distance away, Timea said, "So, then. I don't know what a seele is, but a bear should make for a decent meal. Now, you don't have to match my pace, but you should still come with me, Anik. It would make for an inconsistent story if I went along on my own."

 

[Gearhead mk2]

Robin, if he was allowed, decided to sit in on the meeting, listening but not talking. He offered the same option to Cybil.

 

[Silence]

Pelenna - Day 6 - 18:14

Anik followed Timea, without saying something in Pelenna.

When they were a little ways away, she answered Timea: "I don't really know what a seal is either. I mean, I have heard the word, but ... books had illustrations. And I know nothing. Apart from ..." she thought for a bit. "Something with lots of fat, I think? Well, I guess you will realize if we come across some."

She took off her veil again, to better keep up anyways. "An inconsistent story, huh? Alright." she said, and chuckled a little bit.

 

[Chungus]

Pelenna Area - Day 6 - 18:15​

When outside of Pelenna, Timea began heading further north, staying off of the ice sheet. As Timea theorised what a seal was, Timea licked her upper lip with the tip of her tongue, the description sounding appetising. "I do like the sound of that."

A short moment of later, Timea let out a "hmm" then paused for a brief moment before continuing. "I have been thinking. The clan leaders meeting to discuss war, it doesn't add up to what we know, does it? If they're really beholden to the goddess... --" Timea trailed off for a moment, thinking she should practice pronouncing the goddess' name. "--If that's the case, should a mandate to go to war not come from Her, then? And if it's not what She wants, why keep quiet?"

 

[Silence]

Pelenna Area - Day 6 - 18:15

Anik briefly thought about what Timea theorised, then answered:

"We don't really know how much the leaders are beholden to the goddess ... and if she only communicates like she did with me, there is lots of room for interpreting it in whatever kind of way you want. So, I would not really think of the goddess as the battle commander, if you want to describe it in this kind of way. She did not do what the sun god did, after all, walking on the earth in human form.

If she wants an attack? I don't know, really. But she does seem to give the Vesh'Rah the freedom to decide.
... actually, you might be onto something there. The Vesh'Rah do not seem to have their state build on the will of the goddess - in difference to the Calibethean Empire. Just seeing that they have different leaders, there probably is disagreement, as well."

She scratched her head. "in what way the religion is tied to the state, that is something we do not know ... probably could have asked the priestess at the shrine.

Well, our best bet is still trying to talk to her more directly ... if this is possible."

 

[Chungus]

Pelenna Area - Day 6 - 18:16​

Timea listened to Anik's own theory, finding some things made sense, while other points raised more questions than it answered. With there being no point in continuing to theorise, when answers could be close by, however, she didn't argue anything.

"Maybe we won't be able to speak to Her directly. Why, She could be mute, for all we know. But, something important has to be where we're going. Time will tell, what, I suppose. But, until then, it couldn't hurt to go over the things we know for certain, so we can ask about all the things that don't quite have an answer.

So, starting at the beginning; What do we know?"

While talking, and moving further away from Pelenna, Timea began looking for traces of large animals, aided by sniffing the air.

 

[Silence]

Pelenna Area - Day 6 - 18:16

"Well, we and other people arrived in this world, without really knowing why. Or how, for that matter. That's the first thing.

Then, the gods are real, and mighty, in this world, but they can die. Every country has their own gods, but they might be the same, just with different names. And there is one old Calibethean goddess ... or god ... nobody knows anything about." Anik said, counting on her fingers by feeling them.

She then waited for Timea to continue, or to tell her she was doing it wrong.

Anik tried to listen to sounds of big animals as well.

 

[Furioso]

"So you're not satisfied with this new leadership?" asked Yeager curiously

 

[Drakmorg]

Seeing that her part was pretty much done, Cybil left the meeting hall as quickly as she could without making a scene or seeming rude, not being terribly eager to see if any of the people she was forced to associate with started picking more pointless fights with diplomats.

 

[ShindoL Shill]

Femesh Daer- Day 4

"Well, some people don't like the fact that our leaders are so detached and far away they barely know anything about our religion and so on. But that also means we're as close to independent as we can get, while being part of the empire. And if we were independent, we'd probably be like Vesh or Kaisir; constantly worried about getting invaded. Trade with the south would possibly be limited, too." the guard replied. "So, all in all, I can't say I'm dissatisfied. And, I wouldn't call it 'new' leadership. The conquest happened decades before I was even born."

[hr]

Pelanna Area - 18:14

As Timea and Anik left Pelanna, they wouldn't find any signs of large animals nearby, since they were still on the road. However, Timea might smell animals in the direction of the glacier, on the opposite end of the frozen lake.

As they moved north, Timea would start to see green- and blue-coloured bands of light moving across the sky. The bands would seem to be originating, or converging, in points over the glaciers. If she focused her attention on the light, she would begin seeing images and shapes moving through them. These images would range from scenes of combat, to people summoning storms and seas of fire and huge ships sailing across endless oceans.

 

[Furioso]

"Right, vell thanks for indulging my curiosity." said Yeager as he went to leave and return to his work.

 

[Gearhead mk2]

Robin quickly decided to leave with Cybil, motioning to the others to follow.

 

[Chungus]

Pelenna Area - Day 6 - 18:16​

"Adding to that, people and things appearing from other worlds is rare enough that it's not widely known. And very even like this happened on Kaisir, with the earliest known occurrence happening a month before the rest", Timea chimed in. "We also know all the lights in the sky are gods, and when they die, they fall to the ground as a lump of sky-metal. A god may also come down in a more recognisable form, and walk amongst the common man. Death for a god is not the same as it is for you or I."

Timea paused for a moment, glancing up at the sky as the streaks of light became apparent, but not looking to the focal point, yet. "We know Calibeth and... uhh... Atarakka-Sula'Rah are the brightest lights in the sky, and said to be the most powerful. The two have been warring since before man walked the earth, said to push one another back, but never claim victory. For half a year, the sun didn't appear over Vesh, and for an unspecified amount of time a year, the moon didn't appear over Calibethan lands... ."

Recalling what she knew fairly quickly, save for Atarakka name - which she mentally went over several times before mentioning it - Timea continued walking north, moving more slowly once her gaze moved to the focal point of the lights, leading to her starting to see images in them.

 

[Silence]

Pelenna Area - Day 6 - 18:16

"Wait, do the moon and the sun look similar? I thought they were completely different." Anik said, wondering. "Would a moon goddess not be the odd one out, then?" She noticed Timea slowing down, but thinking she might have spied a bigger animal or something, did not ask about it.

"The older god ... or goddess does not really fit in this system. But she was revered by humans, in Calibeth. And her rituals were the same as the ones for another god, Faotar. How do the other gods even fit into this war? Or do they not care?"

 

[Chungus]

Pelenna Area - Day 6 - 18:20​

"Their light is sort of the same, but other than that, you're right, they don't look very alike. But still, they're the brightest things in the sky. Stars are just are just tiny dots", Timea explained. "And, yes, the part other gods play in this is a mystery.

We know gods form alliances, seen in the Calibeth, Avinah, Faotar trinity. We also know the Old One had a following before at least Calibeth, until Calibeth seized power, and had whoever refused to convert branded heretics, and killed.

But the reason behind this alliance isn't very clear. We also know that before Atarakka-Sula'Rah turned the wildlife of Vesh into the Vesh'Rah, but did not create said wildlife as it originally was. We know Faotar's domain is the hunt and nature, the latter involves the birth and death of animals. And some Vesh'Rah still worship Faotar. This may be a reason why at least Faotar allied with Calibeth."

 

[Silence]

Pelenna Area - Day 6 - 18:20

"Do you know that they actually formed an alliance? I did not know that. But it might explain a few things." Anik said. "But if Faotar was allied with Calibeth, why would Vesh'Rah still worship him?

What I also do not understand is that the priestess said that the moon goddess created the Vesh'Rah to defend against Calibeth. But what was she protecting? Just herself? Why does she need to create people, then?"

 

[Chungus]

Pelenna Area - Day 6 - 18:21​

"It's most likely. If they weren't allies, why didn't Calibeth outlaw their worship, as he did with the Old One? And on Kaisir, I met two Faotrine hunters, tracking down fugitives, using Faotar's miracles instead of any weapon. If Faotar doesn't approve, why grant the enhancement? So, no, I don't know for certain, but assuming they aren't allied requires more conjecture than assuming they are.

As for why Vesh'Rah would still worship Him? To pay tribute their original creator, maybe? We don't have a hard answer for this", Timea answered, stopping, and looking to the other side of the lake, sniffing the air a couple of times more, catching the scent.

"We also don't know why the goddess created the Vesh'Rah. But we do know she also created the Kaisiri people, out of the sea water."

 

[Silence]

Pelenna Area - Day 6 - 18:21

Anik stopped behind Timea, saying: "These are a lot of complicated things. I'm starting to forget what we don't now ... anyways, she created other people? But why? ..."

"Are you picking up something?" she asked, finally, hearing Timea sniff.

 

[Drakmorg]

Cybil ignored the fact that people were following her. She went about wandering around the town, looking for some way to kill time for a few hours.