khuioduan | Video | August 16th | Locked to Dreamfolk

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Video | August 16th | Locked to Dreamfolk

[The room is mostly dark, but there's enough light to see that Valdis is sketching and almost not even paying attention to the camera.]

Ban Om. Kaka'i. The Sabonile. Tariku. Tifaut. Tia-Cheal.

[The six major religions in Aifaran had recently drawn her attention, but for less than ideal reasons.]

Organized religion is usually something to be wary of on some level, and while these may operate in the light of day, what of the ones that don't? Any summoning of powers based in the sensation of death, on harnessing the final moments of life, in consuming the moment the soul breaks...this is dark magic. Dangerous magic.

[She makes a few notes then goes back to whatever she is drawing.]

With the current state of Konryu, meaning the collisions between the planes, it is prudent to wonder about the darker side of things. There's an underworld to every religion. Parts that break away to interpret texts differently. Pieces that twist and morph and remake themselves. It is not exactly hard to think that at least one of these six has potential for darkness.

[She flips the book around to show the details of her sketch. Faceless figures wrapped in shadow, all surrounding a bound animal. But the animal isn't alive, its skin and fur are rotting off, leaving a half covered skull with gaping, empty eyes. To those who explored the depth of the Narrakra, they may recognize the animal to some extent.]

I just want to know which one.

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[ Sheena's expression is calm, but there's no hiding her bitterness when she responds. ]

You have two options: The largest and the smallest.

Ban Om is the largest, I do not discount them, and in fact they are my biggest concern...Their history is fraught with the remnants of death.

[She hums and makes a note, not over Sheena's bitterness, but of her advice.]

And from my observations, the remaining religions do not condone violence and in fact desire life and wellness.

[It is not difficult for her to imagine a sect of the Ban Om that leans toward Death. They may not even realize what they are playing with.]

Edited 2018-08-12 22:44 (UTC)

Then you want to look at the one small religion who is very vocal about life and wellness.

That usually means they're hiding something.

[ Experience is a wondrous thing. ]

You mean the Tifaut?

[Another note]

Acts of kindness will heal the world and all that jazz...If repair is what they seek, then consulting the Death Plane for answers would not necessarily be out of mind.

That's -

[Trahearne pauses and sucks in a breath, steadying himself from his initial surprise.]

Where did you see this, Valdis? Do you suspect that the people here are practicing some form of necromancy?

[ Sheena believes in letting people live and worship the way they want, but she has a problem with those who run the religion. ]

Heal the world? As in make it perfect for everyone--or only a select few? Yeah, keep an eye on them.

Groups like that will do whatever it takes to get what they want. And time is usually no obstacle.

[Valdis blinks, Trahearne had mentioned necromancy before, why didn't she think of asking him?]

I saw it when I walked through the memories of the dead...on the Narrakra.

[She held up the drawing again.]

It died very painfully...I do not know why, but I can guess.

You certainly seem to have an experienced bias against religion.

[ Sheena gives a crooked smile. ]

That obvious, huh? Yeah, you can say I have a little experience with this.

In fact, my world has about 4000 years of experience with this.

Four thousand years is no joke...I'm guessing it wasn't a happy religious experience.

The Narrakra? Interesting...

[He's leaning in closer to his yimo now, peering intently at the picture.]

If you could provide me with details about that ritual circle, I might be able to glean something about what they were trying to accomplish. Assuming that it matches what I know, of course.

It wasn't necromancy as I know of?

[She flipped the drawing around to look at it.]

It was definitely some sort of ritual sacrifice. This drawing is a compilation of what I saw through the eyes of the creature...

[Minus the faces of those she knew had been involved.]

Usually such a sacrifice is meant to appease something...an offering to gain something else.

Edited (typo) 2018-08-13 01:25 (UTC)

Ah, I see. That's unfortunate. I don't know that the creature would have keen enough eyesight to have seen any of the details.

[He briefly falls silent, holding his chin in thought before speaking up again,]

What bothers me about this tableau is that I thought that the practice of magic here was rather limited in scope. No one aboard was of the Dreamfolk, were they? How did they know enough about that sort of magic to do it in the first place? And did their ritual even have the effect they were hoping for?

... Did we ever find out exactly how the crew returned?

I didn't explore the vessel until after I'd seen the crew, and they've been whisked away somewhere. I haven't been told the location and I don't want to raise too many waves at work.

[She considered the drawing]

He said 'It has to be done right'. So they did know what they were doing...that's why I was going to look at the major religions on the turtle. I'm not a fan of the alternative method of learning...

They still haven't been released? This is becoming a true mystery, isn't it?

I'm not willing to judge their actions until we know exactly what they intended to do. Dark magic or not, they may have been desperate to find a way to return home. As to where they learned such a thing, I'd look just as closely at the Dreamfolk that have been here longer than us.

I, for one, haven't taken on any apprentices. [There's only mild humor in his tone, because it's really only partially a joke.]

[Valdis looked down to keep Trahearne from seeing the fear in her eyes.]

I'm less worried about what they did than what they were making the offering to...

[Despite the seriousness, his joke did draw a smile.]

Well, my magic is inherent, even if I wanted to teach it, it would be impossible.

[Thank goodness for that.]

I understand desperation, but...there are some things that shouldn't be done.

Making an offering doesn't mean that it was noticed by another being. It might not be all that bad just yet.

Either way, if you learn anything more about the ritualists themselves or the magic they used, I'd be quite interested. If my knowledge isn't adequate, I can at least provide a different viewpoint.

But they are here...They escaped the shunt that devours other shunts...That wasn't luck, or skill.

[The power of the Death Plane had lingered in that place, how else could she have walked through something dead for so long. But how long had it been from the sacrifice to the return? The bones had been old and bare.]

It would be helpful, I suppose, to have someone with another point of view...that kind of magic worries me, so having someone else who can balance that with logic when needed is much appreciated.

[Her affinity for chaos could use a counter. She'd been missing one since her arrival.]

[The Fool is presently at work on a carving of some kind, the details of which are well hidden. He has paused in his work to watch this update to the network, and now wears a pensive frown. He has seen religion's darkest aspects in his own world, a prophet tortured and tormented by an imposter; what Valdis proposes is not implausible. And yet,]

What would an Ioduanese faith gain from turning against its own in such a way?

[the sound of a chisel on wood follows; he distractedly works upon his carving.]

Considering they went from being lost in another land to being back on their ship to arrive home, it does seem like they knew it was coming.

I'd just like to help in this matter however I can. That death magic is popping up where it shouldn't be doesn't sit well with me, either.

My own experience with religion is limited to my observations in Aifaran, which are from a distance at best. How would you recommend investigating your accusations?

[Though the shock of the moment had worn off, the bitter reminder of the ghosts whose souls had been lost to dark magic left Valdis both paranoid and furious. She couldn't allow it to happen again.]

It is...quite disturbing. If we're lucky, it won't go beyond animals.

[Yet the concern that it would still remained.]

Edited 2018-08-14 19:20 (UTC)

Conflict is an intrinsic part of being alive. People will agree or disagree on a whim. Start wars over a differing translation...

[Years of experience taught her the folly of organized faiths, she never trusted them, even knowing what she knew of the Heavens and Circles.]

People often act out of fear. They desire power to conquer these fears. It can appear as anger, or calm...The crew of the Narrakra no doubt acted out of desperation, and desperation can make even the most moral man fall to his knees. But I am less concerned about the why and more with how they learned this ritual.

[Valdis decides to overlook the word 'accusations', no point in riling Rutile any more than she already has. She'd be quite happy to be wrong about this in some ways.]

We can't just walk into a temple and ask if anyone has been practicing Death Magic lately...But I can sense the power behind death, if there have been any rituals within a certain radius of my location. If I searched every single temple, I might be able to figure out if someone has been using death magic. But with the Death Plane breaching at random, it's not a foolproof method.

I've had my fill of religion to last me a lifetime.

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