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Post by Brian on Mar 5, 2023 6:29:02 GMT
OOC: This Conversation takes place after Events in the Armory.
ICL I take a moment to offer a Cigar and Beverage to Ovid.
"I owe you a story. By your reaction its one that might be of interest to you. I have been given an impression that some or all of my memories are suspect. But this is true in my heart right now.....and even if its not true in my head this effects the man I am in my heart."
I take a long draw from my cigar.
"My father...or at least thats who I thought he was then. And no matter what for 13 years he was. At least as I remember it....Commander Kane. He was an Operations officer for Naval Special Forces Operations. He saw to it that command worked as it was supposed to. Coordinated the officers in command of the teams and all that. The old tales of Ireland on earth....those served me in my journey to Ayalos. Ayalos in the old tongue of the Ayalosians means "The other place." Brian takes a moment with a Brandy. " Those tales helped me be able to Navigate the path that made me High King of Ayalos. Slayer of the False god....savior of the people." There is a momentary sour look on my face before I continue it. "There was a Girl. And if on my return to Earth with my lady wife for our Honeymoon Journey was any indication she's now become a mother. She has her own kids. She taught me Tarroka. Which helped me on Ayalos as well. " I smirk "Sadly not as it is done here. That would have been far more useful. But she broke my heart because she had to break up with me. Her Dad was being reassigned to Japan. In our military in America this story is utterly ordinary.....but I was VERY 13. And I spent money to buy her a locket. A very nice Silver piece. I could have paid more but it had a nicer artistic quality. We were going on a family vacation to the Yucatan. I dreamed of Dio while I was going on that trip. I dreamed of the Cenote as well..... We were hiking towards an ancient Ruined city. And there it was. Out of the corner of my eye. And with all the passions of a 13 year old the idea to chuck the Silver Heart of my first Love into there seemed to make all of the sense in the world. And then I lost my footing and I fell. First I hit the water.....there was some sort of pictogram I saw on the floor of the Cenote that was rapidly approaching my head. I praced for impact. And then I was falling again. I wasn't falling through water but through air. And I ended up in a scorching desert. I was found by slavers. I was bound in chain and sold into service in a mine. I knew the language they spoke wasn't a language of my Earth. But the people in that region were not literate as a rule then....I had made good progress on changing that before the current crisis. But the guards were. And while I labored I came to learn their language and speech. I was plotting my escape. I dreamed of Dio then as well. " I sip the Brandy. "And then I was brought into the house of my master, Old Kane, who saw to train me to be one of his House Guards. Dio came to me in my dreams then as well. He freed me of his service.....and I was a mercenary for hire. An Adventurer.....till I got in trouble with a Princess. I decided I was going to save her from some magic gone wrong. A cult wanted to purge Wizards from the land. And thus I took my oath as High King for the first time. It took me a Year and a Day to uproot the problems of the land. My Lady Wife then asked me to continue the Marriage." I take a moment trying to simulate her speech "Brian, my dear boy....did you finish the job if you don't restore them to what they are?" I nod for a moment. And her advice brought me to Amber when the castle was still smoldering and Benedict was on the throne as Regent. I had only a simple request....and all i've found myself becoming is stuck in the pull of this place. " I refill my drink "Barring my questions that I came here being answered.....I plan to go home once we have things Stable. Clean up the mess in my home and continue my work there."
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Ovid
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Post by Ovid on Mar 5, 2023 13:12:13 GMT
Ovid had made several requests at the armory including fitting an armor more to his frame. Picking out a good heavy crossbow, a bevy of bolts for it. Some throwing blades. A grappling hook. Other items he will get from elsewhere in the castle or city. Having these things dropped off at his room in the morning.
He listens to Brian's story.
"That is quite a story, and you say your memories might be clouded in some way ? Is this by some herb or drug, or do you believe by magic or power ? I know I was told by Gerard that the Pattern clears ones mind of such things and you must have walked the thing upon coming here. I guess it did not clear your memories. You mentioned a cenote, do you recall the pictogram you saw? It sounds like a strange shadow path though matching with some myths of my homeland. The Cenote's some of them connected to other worlds. Places of the dead, in the Yucatan as you say it would lead to Xibalba but that place is not a desert."
Ovid drunk the brandy and lit the cigar.
"So, you and Princess Katernia have kingdom's out there among shadow. I knew she was real and not just some vision."
Ovid pulled out an ornate hammer and set it down. "When I was a child, through a shined piece of obsidian she passed me that, proof at that time before I knew of shadows and Amber, that other worlds and people existed. I had tried to find Eshanta after walking the Pattern but always got sidetracked by events in shadow or found twisted reflections that I somehow knew were not the real place. Damn I wish I had known several of my brethren were there. I would have searched for them and maybe finally been able to help her myself not just some tactics of a jungle demigod who knew nothing of so many other facets of war."
Smoking for a bit.
"Slavery, well at least I am glad you were able to work your way to freedom and a better position. You know, you are not the first to mention seeing Dionisia in your dreams. I wonder if she does not have some power to visit people in them. If that is so, perhaps she could seek out and speak with people. She seemed sad that she couldn't contribute and yet she already has apparently. As to you I hope you do get those questions answered. Amber is in need of people. When I first got here it was more alive, more vibrant, even the colors were brighter then in shadow. There has been a slow decline with these storms and the events some of which you just mentioned. I know it can be that bright place again and if it is, then your shadow will be touched by that change as well. A gloom has settled on Amber and it sits like some slumbering beast above shadow. I am glad people at least listened to me about trying to restore Amber. Though I don't understand this dislike for Princess Regent Florimel. Can you explain it ? I mean, I can understand Dirk not wanting to be thrown into an arranged marriage. Though it seems others feel similar misgivings under her rule. Why ?"
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Post by Brian on Mar 5, 2023 14:02:47 GMT
"Some of it has returned ....there are also moments of odd thoughts. I wonder if the clearance doesn't come all at once. Or something particular knocked out my memory....Maybe a blood curse? Or a blessing?" He shakes his head " But I remember her now and a couple of other things that don't fit. " I tap my glass. "And when I came here....I was very angry. I went to bloodys and lingered there for a while. I could have found my path earlier but....I was so very angry and I couldn't put my finger on why."
Brian looks at his glass for a moment. " We were written upon the pattern and the pattern was written upon us. It gives us access to great power but I wonder if it doesn't bind us to larger events. Event were between you and Kat because the path of the pattern put things between you.... it's hard to say. "I take to my cigar for a moment " I wish I knew how to place the chain of events in time. The more I have to deal with Time in shadows the more I become unsettled by the man I think of myself as. I think of myself as the sort of man like the people who raised me. But.....my wife when I first went into Shadow suggested I see my parents on earth again. I know it is them in my heart but....my heart could have led me to shadows that have the people I remembered on Earth. Not the Earth I was from." I shake my head "I try not to think of that. My soul needs more peace."
I smile a bit "I also broke the Institution of Slavery when I started rebuilding my Kingdom. That wasn't easy nor was it popular in the beginning. " I eventually move to the hard question "We have a saying on Ayalos. 'A throne is made to be filled', and 'a King either fills the throne, or he sits on it.' Flora is trying to fill the throne. And Amber has a lot of work that needs to be done and the people she should rely on are missing or dead.....So she is making hard choices. The others likely don't see the wisdom of her Choices. I can say I may not agree with her choices.....But I have filled a throne. I understand you see things differently. She bribed the Nobility to keep them from causing trouble, She is enabling the church to keep the poor from rising up, She replaced Julian and Gerard with help who.....I liked Rinaldo from my one meeting with him but folks likely view him as an upstart. Calvera is like a Tiger currently kept in a cage by Flora. And the rest of us are unproven qualities. And she treats us accordingly.And she is doing all of these things while the Sting of Gerard and Random's deaths are unanswered......the way people at this level act is odd. But as I said I've filled a Throne and I understand the magic needed to cultivate that power and make it all be seamless. I may think Flora is making the worst choices but I don't know if other choices were on the table for her."
I sip my drink slowly.
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Ovid
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Post by Ovid on Mar 5, 2023 15:28:14 GMT
"Shadow is a strange thing, I hear you about the pattern influencing us. Perhaps it is so between us. The conversation I had with Princess Katerina was about how we were different from the people around us and now hearing about how she may be a foundling. She possesses great power with mirrors and can change her form. She is a being of power if not family. My meetings with others, Gerard coming across me. Yes the Pattern places us in each others path I am sure of it."
Ovid finishes off his drink and refills the glass.
"As for Florimel, It was Benedict who placed her in charge I am sure that was intimidating enough. She wants to get things right but she is also her own person and does things in a way that we can't comprehend. She was always a socialite, Gerard has told me she was the best though Eric was close. So she is working with all forces as you said to keep things working here. I wish Bleys and Fiona had stayed but the fact they are not here is perhaps they are saving their own skin. What with family dying so much. I think she gave the Nobles probably too much but I hope she got a great deal from them in return. The church, I have a very odd relationship with religious people. I don't know if I envy or pity you being a saint. I was a demigod for much of my youth. You have a great responsibility on your shoulders, use it wisely."
"I agree with you about Florimel lining things up, though she needs more then just the things Amber had in the past. This place needs people to handle the problems plaguing it. I hope everyone doesn't really cut and run on her. You said people are returning which is good. Though so many of us couldn't hold a shadow means there must be monumental forces allied against us."
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Post by Brian on Mar 5, 2023 15:46:43 GMT
I grimace " My wife was a goddess, she told me that I shouldn't lower myself to being worshipped as a god." I wave my hand " But I had to help the Druids restore their faith. So I imagine that experience will be helpful."
I sip my drink slowly " My father taught me the legends of old Ireland. The secrets of the legends are woven into the Fabric of Ayalos. My Wife being part of that Fabric. The legends speak of a mysterious place where the gods were made into gods. Where they learned the secrets of being gods. And Ayalos has 4 sacred temples which connect to facilities on our four moons. And their power all funnels into a central machine. That's where I slew the false God tyrant of Ayalos. And that lead me to the pattern the first time. " I sip my brandy " or that's how I remember it. But I rebuilt a religion and I destroyed one. I hope I can help do the former and not the later."
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Ovid
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Post by Ovid on Mar 5, 2023 16:00:06 GMT
"Well Brian, you have friends now to help you and I hope you are able to use your newfound influence to repair things. I know they worship the Unicorn here and family too, so I don't know where a sainted member of family stands. Too bad the library is no more they probably had someone in the past who was in your shoes but now." Ovid shrugs.
"That is why sometimes it is better to put some things in stone then in paper. This Ireland mythology of Ayalos sounds very interesting. With moons and temples but a machine, what was this machine all about ?"
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Post by Brian on Mar 5, 2023 16:13:39 GMT
" Ayalos lost its past. The church of the false good was a part of that. There are legends of different people who came to Ayalos in the past that came together to form the people of Ayalos. People who came from under the sea, people who came from under the earth, and people who came from the air.....The way things are it sounds like people from Rebma, Amber, and Chaos came to Ayalos in the past and intermingled with their people who were in Ayalos. But its legends there....The machine was forgotten....But when I was in its center it knew because I am part of the family I could fix it. But since the False god misused the machine....killed lots of magic users.....over 500 years I can't imagine how many he killed. I erred in the side of caution. Perhaps I was overly cautious. As I remember it....it sent me to Amber the first time. But that memory is one of the ones I know clearly to be not quite right. " I shake my head. " All the work I put into rebuilding my home and the troubles in Amber lead to the storms. The Storms have savaged my land....so the only way I can do my duty as King is to serve here." I finish the Brandy before pouring another "There isn't drink enough to ease that sting."
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Ovid
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Post by Ovid on Mar 5, 2023 16:44:04 GMT
"That is most interesting, that must have been in the distant past. All those people coming together in this Ayalos. I think, Chaos or reflections of it must have influenced my home. The gods were decidedly bloody minded requiring much sacrifice. Few broke with that perhaps that is when my parents came along to toss me to the people. A burden and blessing. The people were divided on that point." A small smirk played at the corner of his mouth.
"I tried to do good by them, my world was small then. Shadow, Amber, even the rest of that world were but distant unknown vagaries. " Ovid shakes his head slowly.
"Now the world does not end at one world it stretches ever on, yet what you said is why I am here. The storms here effect elsewhere. Something needs be done, you said you wished to look for the Shaman, Dworkin. If you find him try and find out more about Coral and how we can stop these storms. Until then getting food into people's bellies can't hurt. There are many basic things to an Empire, Maeve was wise to realize this."
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Post by Brian on Mar 5, 2023 16:53:33 GMT
" Yes....people with empty bellies do odd things. But we have to put in work. Both the men who raised me taught me that virtue. We are blessed with more so we serve others. I only hope whomever sired me from this place believes the same sort of things....or believed if he is no longer with us."
I frown " Something else that doesnt fit in the pattern of events yet....I found an explosion in shadow after Dorian stabbed me...."
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Ovid
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Post by Ovid on Mar 5, 2023 17:05:25 GMT
"Why was an explosion is shadow so odd? I find it odd that there have been explosions here in Amber. You must have reasons though. Let's hear why you found that curious." He looked to Brian to continue.
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Post by Brian on Mar 5, 2023 17:10:02 GMT
" The explosion is growing. Growing very slowly. Leonil made the castle explode and I wondered if that was a case of ' As above, so below.' A cult was encircling it...and it was a tourist attraction. I met characters I knew to be fictional from earth there. And I was snatched from the edge of death to go look at it. My mind being as it was then....I reported that to Flora. My mind where it is now....I would have tugged at the string. I was thinking more Conservative then."
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Ovid
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Post by Ovid on Mar 5, 2023 17:19:22 GMT
"Add that to the list. Perhaps a reflection of the explosion here, perhaps not. We should get a more mystical member of the family to look into it, and hopefully they are not behind it. Fiona would have been a good one to look into that, now I don't know. It is something that bares looking into, what did Florimel have to say about it ?"
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Post by Brian on Mar 5, 2023 17:36:20 GMT
"I believe she sent Fiona or Llewella to investigate it...I did not get a report back. I will see what I can do with that. It is vexing. Having the puzzle pieces....thinking you see the picture....but so many pieces are missing. And every pause in completing the picture means people will die." I shake my head. "And of the times I was on the edge of Death that was what followed my second worst experience. Worst was being exposed to the vacuum of a moon. The poisoning wasn't TECHNICALLY lethal where it was.....but I was at the point if crawling to where I could die was an option I would have considered it. I ended up having to pretend to be betrothed to one of the Vassals of the false god. I will say waking up a saint was probably the least dignified of the 4."
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Ovid
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Post by Ovid on Mar 5, 2023 17:47:31 GMT
"We need some wins Brian. Too many losses, too many more puzzles before we even get one put together."
Ovid sets his jaw for a moment. "Well, I know we are trying. I don't blame anyone, hell some have given their lives. I just want those sacrifices to not go unanswered. You think that explosion you saw was connected with whatever artifact was being searched for ?"
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Post by Brian on Mar 5, 2023 17:59:17 GMT
" Or the power Leonill used in the castle....would be my guess. " I huff a bit " which took out much of the Library. So it's more difficult to track it. And I'm credited with Killing Lady Vada. Flora sold that as a win. But the truth is I regret not being able to get information from her. The clustetfuck in Eshanta makes that worse. You know I asked Flora not to lionize me......and now I'm a saint." I shake my head. " Then another piece...key to these events are Leonil, Hammett, Kat, myself, Dio, it seems likely Dante, Coy, and his sister all of unknown blood are in the mix of things here. " I sip the Brandy " Commander Kane once called the bar just base as ' break in case of war.' And my mind wonders. If we are being dealt into this game late were we set where we were for a reason?"
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