Amdirlain’s PoV - Outlands - Xaos
When Amdirlain entered the suite, she found Nomein and Ras looking over a collection of items on the dining table. Most were gold coins of assorted sizes and mundane artwork, but there were also a few objects with faded enchantments.
“Looting and pillaging going well?” asked Amdirlain.
Nomein snorted. “Acquisition and undead purging, thank you! It’s been fine for combat, not so much for acquisition. The outskirts haven’t been the simple hunting grounds Ras expected; we’ve run into strong undead casters.”
“The city might have been a centre for magical learning or something for there to have been so many of them,” commented Rasha.
“Whatever the reason, it’s making the clearing take longer and we’re provoking intelligent responses. So we’re being extra careful to keep detection spells in place so they don’t manage to ambush us or block our exit. Undead have a distinct advantage against detection through Telepathy.”
Amdirlain nodded. “Sticking to the plan of keeping the outskirts as your path of retreat?”
“That’s the plan, but plans don’t always work out,” responded Nomein as she mentally flipped a few coins across the table. “We had one horde swarm the building we were clearing. A Lich tried to use them to keep us busy while it hammered us with spells. Things got a little exciting until Gemiya spotted him and exploded all his bones. No shield against Psionics, but we’re sure he’ll be back since we had no way to track him.”
“I wasn’t sure if I should offer it, but I’d like to put in place a safety net. It won’t stop you from getting killed, but it means you won’t stay dead,” suggested Amdirlain.
Nomein’s brows lifted, and her spine went ramrod straight. “What? Reversing our age, plus giving us Protean and Inventory, wasn’t enough?”
“I provided a resurrection beacon for Gail to use with her team. I want to link you all to one,” advised Amdirlain. ”I know your culture tends to be restrictive on bringing someone back from the dead, but you''re not facing the challenges of Limbo. Permanently dying against these foes might mean you’ll never move on to your next life.”
Nomein’s lips pursed sourly. “Soul traps?”
At Amdirlain’s nod, Nomein pushed two coins together with a sharp clink. “Not continuing the wheel of life isn’t normal, but I’d prefer your option than being trapped among the undead. Resurrection spells extract a price, don’t they?”
“Lost levels,” confirmed Amdirlain. “It puts you at the start of the previous level in all current classes. If you run out of Class levels, it damages your natural health.”
“We’ll have to ensure we don’t need it, but to me, it’s still better than being undead,” declared Nomein. “I’ll have to see if the others will take the same view.”
“Where are the others, anyway?” asked Amdirlain, having already taken in the suite''s quiet.
“They wanted to explore this suspicious-looking alley in town to check out the tale of a strange new building,” replied Nomein, her expression utterly still.
“Yeah, they need to be careful of the owner; I hear she’s trouble,” agreed Amdirlain.
“Utterly, but I wouldn’t say that to her face; she might take offence. Then you’d end up fighting rematches every year,” remarked Nomein.
Amdirlain blew a raspberry. “Now you’re picking on me; Liran? and I both had fun.”
“All the torment poor Liran? had to endure for those draws. Your mental protections didn’t let her use a fraction of her abilities,” laughed Nomein.
“I was restricting myself as well, thank you. I didn’t make use of any spells,” countered Amdirlain.
Nomein snickered. “Tragic. Are you planning to set up a monastery?”
“Just a little academy. I’ll have to keep it smaller than a dormitory for the foreseeable future,” advised Amdirlain.
“Wouldn’t want it becoming unmanageable,” quipped Ras, and he set aside a few pieces of armour with frayed enchantments.
“It’ll be a fine line. I enjoyed teaching when I was Mortal, so I’d like to teach, but I’ve got heaps on my plate,” agreed Amdirlain.
“What’s your next piece of fun?” asked Ras.
“The next big piece is isolating all of Sage’s older worlds. Once I isolate the planet from the planes, the incorporeal undead will wither away,” replied Amdirlain.
Nomein paused with her fingers atop a coin and blinked at Amdirlain. “You can isolate a world, and you’re not currently a Deity?”
Amdirlain shrugged. “I’m not a Deity, and I won’t allow that to happen again until I get rid of my Fallen status.”
There was only a brief silence before Ras changed the subject. “Why only the older worlds?”
“It stops the undead from tapping into the Negative Plane, but they only wither if there is no life left to feed off,” explained Amdirlain. “Also, I’m unsure if the physical undead will decay as fast, so I’m scanning the planet for them first. I may have to see to their destruction first and harvest the experience—I’m greedy.”
“Some of the physical undead will include casters,” cautioned Ras.
“Yeah, that’s why I have to destroy them first,” acknowledged Amdirlain. “If they were strong enough in life to retain casting abilities, they might be able to open personal gates or know spells to identify the Planet’s new name—I’ll have to time it carefully.”
Nomein tilted her head and frowned at Amdirlain. “New name? Wait, you’re cutting it off and renaming the planet? How do you rename a planet?”
“I have my ways,” quipped Amdirlain.
“Fine, don’t give a straight answer,” grumbled Nomein, and she pinched the air. “I''m sure it''s something like how you gave us those powers, but not even a little clue? Or a layman’s explanation?”
“I can hear the planet’s song, part of that is the name, and I override that name,” explained Amdirlain. “That’s the simple explanation.”
“See, was that so hard? I understood that—it’s magic—enough said,” retorted Nomein playfully. “Well, if you steal all the experience from the physical undead, do we get to play in your tower?”
Amdirlain frowned in confusion. “Who told you about that?”
“Lots of loud minds,” explained Nomein.
“You can train in it if you want, but the only threat the constructs will pose is the weight of numbers,” said Amdirlain. “It won’t be enough to get you an achievement.”
Nomein shook her head. “They don’t have minds, which limits some of the techniques we can use as you did to Liran?.”
“Go right ahead if you want to,” allowed Amdirlain. “But you’ll have to teach magic lessons in exchange.”
“What!”
“I’ve got a bunch of garrison members to teach, and I was going to offer magic lessons to the mousekin in the burrow,” explained Amdirlain.
“Oh, I’ll teach the Mousekin; they’re cute,” squeed Nomein, and she gave an excited clap of her hands.
“You are so not the reserved young lady I remember,” laughed Amdirlain.
Nomein gave her a haughty look. “Know that I do not know what you mean.”
Amdirlain smiled and reached out to tap her chin. “Didn’t you tease Lezekus about her grammar slipping?”
Playfully pushing Amdirlain’s hand away, Nomein gave a grin. “That was because my parents were paranoid about my grammar growing up. After I left the monastery, I realised there are more important things in life than sticking to formal sentence structure.”
“So, what’s important to you right now?” asked Amdirlain.
“Right now, a good clean fight with constructs sounds nice after all today’s undead. I’m going to drag the others into your tower,” laughed Nomein. Sweeping coins from the table, she had barely straightened before teleporting away.
“You rushing off as well?” asked Rasha.
“Not straight away; I’ve got a bunch of people I’m going to contact to see how they’re going,” replied Amdirlain.
* * * * *
After an hour of talking with Gail, Isa, and others, Amdirlain opened a Gate to the world she’d isolated. She had to admit the name she’d chosen wasn’t the best—Terra Nidus, or earth nest. That got her thinking about all the other worlds she’d need to rename.
Where’s a planet name book when you need one? Should I use a bunch of elvish or dwarven words, or do I go with the style of ‘new new new earth’ or ‘Earth XXIV’?
The Gate’s threshold framed a broken and battered landscape that made pictures of the no man’s land between trenches in World War I look enticing. The deaths she knew lay hidden beneath the surface drew an eerie parallel that made her wonder at the desperation of those species that had died defending their home. The planet’s dirige prompted Amdirlain to brace herself even before she crossed the threshold. The system’s yellow sun hung high in the sky, filtered in places behind greenish-tinged clouds.
The smell and sludge of the environment were horrible, yet it was an honest, natural state compared to the Abyss’ foulness. Taking flight, Amdirlain picked a direction and flew until she encountered a large body of liquid. The chemical sludge might have once been an inland sea, but now its crusted surface bubbled with a sulfuric stench.
Memories of documentaries about the lifeforms found clustered around volcanic vents in the ocean''s depths stirred her imagination. Threads of those memories dragged up chords from within True Song Architecture. Amdirlain tried one theme after another to create them from scratch, but each time too much Power flowed into the music, the elements burst apart.
Scouring the barren landscape for landmarks to aid in targeting Teleport, Amdirlain laughed and opted to make her own. When she’d finished, an obelisk of True Song Crystal, tinted black, stood rooted in the mud, casting a long shadow across the blighted landscape. Presently it had no purpose but to help focus her teleporting, but ideas and memories started to bubble up faster than the sea’s sulfuric stench.
An idle thought had Resonance and True Song Architecture assemble pieces from the world’s environment. Amdirlain hesitated, since she expected to need True Song under tight control to achieve success below a cellular level; yet, this world was devastated without a living thing to risk.
The tune was short—barely a dozen bars—and, within the song’s reach, countless molecules shifted and stirred only to burst apart, sending a wave of steam from the lake. Even having stretched the transformation effect across a score of square kilometres of the sea, the energy in her voice had disrupted the effect.
With Gideon’s teasing words in mind—it''s easier to destroy than create—Amdirlain persisted. The simple rearrangements into amino chains kept failing even after tweaking the song for eight hours straight. Making what seemed the millionth subtle adjustment in pressure, Amdirlain finally received a notification.
[Achievement: Primordial Chef
Details: You made some soup!
Note: If only the hygiene of your cooking site wasn’t so bad. I suggest a gas mask.
Note: You’re a messy girl, but trying to clean up someone elses mud pie is a bonus challenge.
True Song Genesis [Ap] (18->20)
True Song Architecture [S] (97->98)]
Amdirlain rolled her eyes at Gideon’s notification.
The simple material had provided no experience—unlike the tower or the academy’s other buildings—but it had given Amdirlain progress that she considered more important.
Teleport skipped her along the desolate shoreline, and Amdirlain repeated the exercise of seeding the world with the chemical chains. On each repeat, she drew in the expanse that the song covered, straining her control to create the delicate material. After another hour of mixed success, another notification showed.
True Song Genesis [Ap] (20->21)
The countless chemical chains she’d created hadn’t come close to the microflora saturation she’d examined on Votari—a world whose Formithian incursion she wanted to block before it got out of hand. The thought was a reminder, and she checked on the orbital surveyors above this world, glad all four seemed to still be in stable orbits. If they stayed in place another week, creating a temporary set for Votari to locate the Formithian seemed safe enough to Amdirlain.
I should experiment and see if I can cause them to Planar Shift and keep their momentum. The kinetic strike from hitting Moloch might cause some damage since True Song Crystal isn’t a mundane material.
Setting the idle thought aside, Amdirlain got back to work.
* * * *
Amdirlain appeared in the prison’s outer corridor, and the prisoners’ minds flared into alertness from the pressure of her auras. Hours of work trying to create simple life had let slip the concealments, and they readily made their presence known through the protections designed to keep them contained.
Amdirlain considered leaving them alone today, yet she hadn’t checked on Cuiniel since the close call. After resetting her concealments, Amdirlain turned the walls of Cuiniel''s cell into a two-way mirror.
Cuiniel’s teal skin no longer showed any sign of injury from the close call in Amdirlain''s last session of cycling her energy. Unexpectedly, her once solid black eyes showed tiny veins of white running out from their shattered ruby starburst pupils.
“My apologies for the energy surge last session,” Amdirlain said, allowing Cuiniel alone to hear the words.
“Odd words from a torturer,” retorted Cuiniel. “Are you back to have more fun pouring fire beneath my skin?”
Amdirlain shook her head, wanting to be out in the sunshine, not in this prison. “This isn’t my idea of fun.”
Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.
“Whatever, just get it over with already, so I can go back to watching all the pretty pictures you show on the walls. When I get out of here, I’m going to go to every spot you’ve shown me and destroy everything in sight,” advised Cuiniel.
“In that case, I’ll start showing you images of the Abyss instead,” quipped Amdirlain.
“Do you think I’m joking?”
“It''s quite likely how you feel now, but I’m not going to tell you what to do or feel,” Amdirlain replied. “Hopefully, by the time I’ve treated what I can of your wounds, you’ll at least be over that urge.”
Cuiniel scratched her nails along the circle’s interior. “Not going to tell us what to do? Other than telling us to stay put and beg?”
“Unfortunately, medical restraints are sometimes needed to stop patients from hurting themselves and others. If this makes sense, consider it like flushing toxins from a Mortal’s body. I’m sorry this is needed at all, and there are thousands of things I’d prefer to be doing,” explained Amdirlain. “It''s about to begin, and I’ll do my best not to let the energy surge the way it did last time. I don’t expect forgiveness, and I’m sure you hate me for all I’m putting you through.”
Without further warning, Amdirlain started cycling and sent a filament of Ki down Cuiniel’s Oath Link. The Ki skimming across the surface of Cuiniel’s essence stirred up ash and dust in its wake. Cuiniel flinched as if hit by a live wire and smashed her fists ineffectively against the barrier. Flares of flame showed where the force of impacts squeezed flesh tight between the wall and bone. The light roiled around, fading in and out but peaking brighter as the cycling continued.
An hour into the process, a flare of light beneath the surface of Cuiniel’s skin caught Amdirlain’s gaze; within it, two flames flickered momentarily like beating wings, and its symbolism staggered her. Rather than lose control again, she hurriedly brought the cycling to a halt and pulled back her energy.
As she withdrew her Ki from Cuiniel’s essence, the ash and dust settled, obscuring the last traces of the flames behind dust clouds. Released from the energy’s pressure, Cuiniel slumped to the ground and drew her blood-red wings around her naked form.
Amdirlain’s skin showed hints of burning feathers and, after hopping planes, Amdirlain ended up in Foundry’s central pavilion. Ignoring the dwarven work crews, she perched upon a bench and poured the accumulated Ki and other energy into the crystal until the hollowness made her ache.
With her awareness adrift on the empty feeling, Amdirlain realised Erwarth had sat down across from her with a quizzical expression. Just as Erwarth''s presence threatened to pull her free from the looming wave, the former Succubus’ gaze tipped her towards an unseen edge. Lifting a finger to ask her to wait, Amdirlain teetered on the edge of the nearly empty pools of energy within her and started cycling again. Rather than cycle Ki alone, Amdirlain twisted Ki, Mana, and Psi as one through the nodes of her Phoenix sigil.
The pattern flared to life upon completion, but it wasn’t Erwarth’s gaze that came to mind but Livia’s instead. Not grasping for meaning, she left the image to drift around in her mind’s eye and continued to cycle. As the Phoenix’s body neared completion, Klipyl’s gaze joined Livia’s floating in that emptiness. The Phoenix flared again when she completed the nodes among the sigil’s flames. A man’s face with white eyes shone in her mind before a rush of faces joined them—the initial women of the Cadre appeared. Each woman rising from their darkened state towards healing and a new life.
Holding to the strange state, Amdirlain didn’t reach for any meaning but let the revelation cascade. Harmony linked her to the energy looping within herself as the faces spun through her mind. Dozens of faces became hundreds and then thousands. Ebusuku floated in the darkness, her wings transitioning from the leather membrane to bright white feathers.
The Lóm? Succubus Sírdhem appeared, then Fainil in slow procession to N?r, then the sigil flared again. More gazes were revealed when they rose to join the healed Cadre’s faces. The cloud of them was obscured by the flash of light, only for more to rise from the darkness when the flare ebbed. Again the bright light drowned them out and swept them away, the ashes of their demonic existence giving birth to solars.
As the sigil cycled towards another completion, Sidero’s chain-wrapped form appeared. Their sulphur-yellow gaze shifted in the sigil''s flare, and her draconic red eyes took their place. The ash of another realm rushed through the rift in the darkness of space, and compressed by that passage, matter’s strained bonds ruptured into pure energy that raced to fill the framework they’d laid.
The sigil flared again, and Amdirlain felt the flames burning through her, breaching through the obscuring curse even without her intervention. The force loomed higher, and her grip on the entwined energies that surged within her threatened to fray. Unforced words bubbled up in her thoughts as Amdirlain’s relaxed mind drifted.
Obscured —the word was close, yet it twisted apart, fractured under the ongoing revelation.
Hidden —another word that taunted her with its closeness and drove the insight on.
A Phoenix cry became a woman’s shout. Her Soul pulled up a memory of ashes drifting around her and the agony of her immolation in her car seat. The Phoenix’s funeral pyre sending her Soul onto a new life.
As she died, the ashes ‘shrouded’ her gaze.
The tidal wave broke and smashed against her. The flames that burned in her mind and her Soul emitted a blazing light when she opened her eyes. Two words echoed at first, pressed into her mind, but that feeling quickly fled as she realised the truth.
The revelation and cycling had burned their covering away; it hadn’t imposed them.
Shrouded Phoenix seems odd, yet right.
[Achievement: True Calling
Details: Soul’s True Name detected!
Note: It’s not like he didn’t give you a hint. Of course, naming something doesn’t mean you possess complete knowledge of it; that takes work.]
Part of me remains hidden, given whatever Orhêthurin did to herself.
Why did she rip herself apart after so long? So many truths are hidden in time, the same as I am.
Erwarth sat frozen; her gaze fixated on the flames crawling under Amdirlain’s skin. Before she could say anything, Pain Eater warned Amdirlain of the growing agony within her flesh and the need to lessen the pressure.
The flames’ light was so bright the dark cloth of Amdirlain’s outfit had turned transparent as she shed light in all directions. The internal illumination had turned her into a silhouetted figure of golden light. With all the energy pools within her overflowing, Amdirlain hurried to vent the energy into the crystal before she ruptured like the matter seized from the other realm.
[Pain Eater [M] (94->98)
Harmony [S] (80->82) ]
The light dimmed so fast it was as if she’d plunged them all into darkness. dwarven mutters of confusion had Amdirlain’s gaze flicking between Erwarth and the Celestial crafters. The dwarves—despite all celestials possessing True Sight—peered about as if blind.
Amdirlain cleared her throat and attempted a casual tone. “You know, you’re not supposed to look at bright lights.”
“I couldn’t bring myself to look away; it felt like something too important was going on,” answered Erwarth, and she glanced at the dwarves. “My eyesight’s healed, so I’m sure theirs will be soon, but I’ll speed things up as you collect yourself.”
Erwarth teleported to the closest platform, and the theme of a Mass Heal Blessing rang out.
Guess my casual tone wasn’t so calm.
What else remains hidden?
What other concealments do I need to strip away?
Amdirlain sighed and shook herself; the rapid changes in her energy levels had her feeling impossibly fuzzy-headed. As she opened her eyes, she found Moradin sitting next to her.
“You frightened my lot, but I kept them from panicking. When I arrived, you were staring into space,” commented Moradin.
Blinking, Amdirlain realised Erwarth had already moved onto a third platform. “Sorry for ignoring you.”
Moradin gently patted her shoulder. “Did you gain a useful insight?”
“Useful? Potentially, but maybe only in helping me understand myself,” replied Amdirlain.
“True names for mortals are important things. They let them know the lens, path, or perspective that will let them find the most joy in life,” stated Moradin. “Some people struggle against them, for others it brings a lot into focus.”
“Did you know my True Name?” asked Amdirlain, unsure which applied to her.
“Greater powers like myself can see some details beneath that Hidden status you bear, but not everything. We know you’re marked, and there is a Mortal Soul beneath the surface, but many of the details we could tell, even from a non-faithful, remain obscured from us. The Titan’s protections keep the whole story from being revealed,” explained Moradin. “I knew Orhêthurin well enough to sense her energy within your Soul, but you’re not her now. Others that didn’t bother to get to know her might not even see that much.”
“How could you tell I found my True Name?”
Moradin waved a hand at the pavilion about them. “You left impressions of it carved here for those strong enough to see. Nothing long-term to worry about; it’s not something that gives anyone control over you. Though you’ll have to be wary of the type to use such insights to manipulate in different ways.”
At least not yet.
Letting out a slow breath Amdirlain risked a question. “Does a Mortal’s True Name change over time?”
Giving a smile, Moradin nodded. “It does, with a significant enough life event.”
Stretching out a hand, he set a litre-sized silver stein in front of her, smelling of apple blossoms and honey. When he sat back, another appeared in his hand, and he raised it in a toast. “Here''s to your naming day, Amdirlain.”
Picking up the stein, she clinked it against his before she took a mouthful of the mead and savoured its taste. “It''s got a nice subtle apple flavour.”
Moradin took a few gulps before he placed his stein on the table. “I believe they make this brew with honey gathered from hives near apple groves and then add a touch of pulped apple in the initial vats. I could know the exact process, but some things are best enjoyed rather than known.”
“For a moment, I thought you’d given me a cyser,” said Amdirlain, cradling the stein in her lap.
“I don’t like the stronger apple taste from brewing apple cider with honey,” replied Moradin. “Are you planning to relax a little bit, or are you getting right back to work?”
Amdirlain shrugged sheepishly. “I’ve got a school to run; the next lesson isn’t long from now.”
“A school?”
“At Xaos; training some members of the garrison and town to be wizards and monks,” explained Amdirlain.
“Would you care to tell me more, or should I share what we’ve learnt about the Formithian presence on Votari so far?” asked Moradin.
Amdirlain took another sip as she collected her thoughts. “I’ll wait for the full planetary survey. As for the school, I’d planned to teach martial arts to reinforce my Skill, but things changed.”
As Amdirlain got into the details, Moradin nodded his approval but listened without interruption until she reached the end.
“You hid Artemis’ arrow here? What do you intend to do with it?” asked Moradin.
The energy of the Mantle’s shard drew a grimace from Amdirlain. “I’m not sure why the Lady of the Forest even sent it to me.”
“You could use the shard in that arrow to gain a Mantle,” observed Moradin. “She doesn’t know that isn’t in your plans. Bestowing the shard of a Mantle on someone is a safer way to elevate someone worthy.”
“I’m thinking of using it to inflict a curse on Moloch,” advised Amdirlain. “The broken arrow can be made to represent failure and misfortune on a divine level. I doubt I’ll be able to hurt Moloch using only my own powers anytime soon. However, the shard left in that arrow is on a different scale, a force multiplier that needs to be delivered the right way.”
Moradin took another gulp and tapped his stein thoughtfully. “Or you could save it until your power levels are close. You’ll also need to see about reforging the arrow first.”
Taking a small sip, Amdirlain smiled. “I won’t need to reforge the arrow; I’ve got a few ideas for funnelling the energy of both the form and shard into a strike. After blowing up his palace and the construction site for his next palace, I’ll have to track him down first. It''s quite ironic, given the arrow, that I’ll have to hunt down two of those I want to hurt the most.”
At Amdirlain’s casual announcement, Moradin let out a snicker.
“I thought they were rebuilding the destroyed city,” clarified Amdirlain.
Moradin’s snicker turned into a roar of laughter, and he set his stein aside as he clutched at his sides.
Moloch’s PoV - Culerzic
The impaled figure stood on the precipice of the still-filling chasm that had replaced the Cliffs of Lust. The once-muck-covered ground was bare rock, the sludge had drained into the pit. Only the fluid that ran down from this spike continued to lead down the canyon’s edge. An unexpected find when he’d just been allowing his generals time to decide who’d win the chance for the next assault.
As Moloch listened to the Succubus’ report, his gaze traced the maze sigil branded into the damned’s chest. Reaching out, Moloch yanked its mouth open; the force tore the lower mandible from its face and peeled open its throat. A cough ejected genitalia jammed so deep into its throat that its continued screaming hadn’t dislodged them past its teeth.
Taking in the Soul’s memory of the Succubus that had jammed them in place, Moloch shook his head and waved dismissively to his Succubus, who’d continued to prattle a report. He might not have found this unusual Soul if she’d found him earlier in exploring the pit’s edge. Sensing his displeasure, she vanished, leaving him alone.
Moloch traced a fingertip along the Titan’s sigil. “Why are you awake but unable to feel the pain of your impalement? There are growing acres of the damned that are immune to the pain of their torture; asleep, yet your mind registers my presence and words.”
The damned’s wound melted at the edges, its flesh flowed back into place as the Soul’s memory of its past physical form restored its appearance.
“You were of the Titan’s bloodline, yet you got sent here for cursing three whores. How ironic,” stated Moloch, after a time spent listening to the thoughts of the damned that the Titan’s seal kept sane. “Two likely got sent to hell from your curses'' wording.”
Moloch stopped to nudge the expelled mass into the pit. “But it seems one became a Culerzic Succubus. Julia Amanda Diane Earnst.”
Analysis.
[Name: Julia Amanda Diane Earnst
Original Species: Least Succubus
Sub-Species: Culerzic
Abyssal Use Name: Viper
Earliest Affiliation: Sisterhood of the Blood.
Status Events:
First Ascension: Cliffs of Lust - Ascension Exit: Hrz’Styrn
Allegiance: Sisterhood of the Blood
Acquired Mantle
Second Ascension: Pandemonium - Ascension Exit: Hrz’Styrn
Killed by D?s Lêdhins Fy
Third Ascension: Necropolis - Ascension Exit: Hrz’Styrn
Destroyed during Mantle separation. ]
The list ended with lines of undulating dots with irregular circles placed around them. The same strange scrawls that Moloch had seen his profile initially present after every transformation. As the extra marks faded, Moloch focused on the last line of the analysis.
I’ve not heard from Lêdhins in centuries. Mantle separation? What in darkness’ name is that?
[Mantle
Details: A mechanism by which a powerful being can function as a Deity of mortals.]
Powerful being? Maybe they were here longer than this damned realises. He doesn’t seem to have a good grasp of time. Yet I’ve never heard of this Julia or her ‘Use Name’? Still, destroyed, that takes her off the playing board. It would have been useful to have another Hidden to tempt into an alliance since there may not be more.
The continued use of the Anglo-Saxon lettering in place of Abyssal script confused Moloch, but he brushed it off and continued his investigation.
[Mantle separation
Details: A Mantle may be separated from a being, in part or whole, to give its Divine authority to another. Besides willing transfers, a Mantle can be usurped by a more powerful being using various arcane means if restrained outside their Domain.
When a Mantle is removed, either unwillingly or if it’s too integrated with the being’s identity, the act can destroy the being who relinquishes the divine authority.]
[Greater Analysis [GM] (491->492)]
That the snippet of information had caused Analysis’ first progress in millennia caused Moloch to let out a thoughtful hum.
Gods are fools reliant upon mortals to maintain their strength.
Why was the Titan so upset that it cursed those three? The first whore didn’t get the Titan’s attention, but the other two did. Maybe one of them has a relative''s bloodline since he was so upset by the ‘decay’ of his own.
“Your mind shows a world very different from where I came from; I think I’ll need to learn more. The Titan secured you in the Abyss, but that still gives me plenty of options about where to stash you.”
Crouching, Moloch yanked the stake from the ground and teleported away with the impaled Soul.