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what was lost - Loren - 11-20-2019
Loren had left a message with the Fae at the border that he wished to speak to
His head was bowed as his eyes skimmed the page below him. Occasionally he would note down something in the journal he'd set to one side. If anyone cared to look, they'd discover it was covered in shorthand about Mort, The Voice, the Ascended, and souls. It barely filled half a page and he sighed, rubbing his temples.
RE: what was lost - Delphia - 11-20-2019
It wasn’t often that Delphia received mail. Physical mail anyways. She got messages from the dead all the time. But this was no ordinary message either. It was from the Abandoned fellow, the one who had sent Abasi to her (or had at least informed Abasi about her). It was quite exciting really, getting mail, so she placed the letter amongst her horde of sentimental treasures, things she simply couldn’t part with for the emotion they gave her.
Then she headed out for the Athenaeum, curious what this meeting might be about. It had all gotten very philosophical last time and they’d talked in circles, or she had at least. Quietly she entered the library, looking around at it all with curiosity until pale eyes settled on the sorcerer behind a mountain of parchment. [say]”You sent for me?”[/say] she said softly as she approached, the corners of her eyes crinkling as though she might smile.
RE: what was lost - Loren - 11-20-2019
At Delphia’s voice, Loren glanced up and gave her a slightly distracted smile. [say]”I did. Thanks for coming.”[/say] He gestured at the chair across the desk from him, then placed his hand on the desk. His fingers drummed a beat as he took a deep breath. [say]"I wasn't sure the message would get to you."[/say]
Then he shook his head. [say]"Anyway. I asked you here because, well, Oia'i'o told me the souls of the Ascended do not go to your father's realm."[/say] He paused for a moment before taking a deep breath. [say]"I was wondering if you knew where they went, and if they could be freed."[/say] Lifting up his quill, it hovered over the page as he waited for her response.
RE: what was lost - Delphia - 11-20-2019
Her head tilted slightly, a hint of a smirk curving her lips. [say]”I can speak with those who know no borders. I might suggest sending your message with them next time for peace of mind.”[/say] she said with a light laugh. Then again, she recalled Loren did not necessarily believe in that which he could not see, so he was just as likely to stick to paper letters. [say]”It was a treat to get mail though.”[/say]
At his question though, her expression fell, and she crossed her arms over her waist. [say]”It is not that they do not go to Mort, they are kept from Mort.”[/say] she corrected. Some souls didn’t go to Mort for various reasons. But in this case, it was just as likely that they tried to, but could not because of the Voice’s interference, which was despicable. [say]”I do not know for certain to either of those questions but I have theories.”[/say] she said softly, feeling unusually prickly at the topic. [say]”If they are merely held, I imagine they will be easy enough to remove and send to my father. However…I worry the Voice is using them for other purposes, which could make things more difficult and all the more horrifying. Not to mention you are talking about many centuries worth of souls. It would take a great deal of time to do such a thing.”[/say]
RE: what was lost - Loren - 11-20-2019
Rubbing his temples again, Loren shot Delphia a confused look. [say]”I have no idea what that means.”[/say] Sighing, he dropped his hands again. However, he sent a faint smile towards the demi-god. [say]”You’re welcome.”[/say] Then he found himself furiously scribbling as she spoke, his notes cramped and in the shorthand he’d developed for himself.
When she finished, he frowned, though it was more thoughtful than upset. [say]"The numbers of Ascended were never that large, or at least that's what I've always assumed."[/say] His voice came out uncertainly and he shrugged. [say]"Regardless, I'm curious how a soul would even be...trapped? Held? Used?"[/say] Spreading his hands in a helpless gesture, he quickly returned his quill to the page, ready to take more notes.
RE: what was lost - Delphia - 11-20-2019
She smirked a bit and shook her head. [say]”Then don’t worry about it. For you, it does not exist.”[/say] she said, quoting him from their last meeting.
But the conversation was turning to less happy subjects, and slowly Delphia sat in the chair across from him. Even in the chair, she pulled her knees up and under her oversized sweater, wrapping her arms around her legs and resting her chin atop her knees. [say]”The Voice did not war against my father and his cohort alone. There were a great number of Ascended. And though perhaps, one might argue there were not as many as Accepteds or Attuneds or Abandoneds at any one time, combined over more than three centuries? There ought be legions of them.”[/say] she explained quietly. But as far as souls and how they might be trapped…her brow furrowed.
[say]”Upon death, most souls immediately travel to Mort without assistance. Some, remain on purpose, because they feel a tie to the living. For example, there is a Fae woman who died but is waiting for her husband to also pass, so they can greet Mort together.”[/say] she explained. [say]”Then there are those that are lost. Cat Sith lured them astray and torture them as cat’s are wont to do with prey. Or something else caused them to not make their way to Mort. These are the souls most often that Ludo and I collect. Then those that are held or trapped…much like the Cat Sith, some people have the ability to lure and keep souls from Mort. Ludo and I can easily get them, but with the Ascended…we don’t know where they are. The Voice is holding them somewhere that Mort and Ludo cannot see. And…”[/say] she paused, unsure how to explain the next part. Ludo understood because Ludo was…Ludo.
[say]”Think of a soul as having two basic parts. The person and the life-force. The person is everything that makes the soul unique – the personality, sense of humor, life experience and so on. The life-force is the immortal existence of that which Vi creates, and what Mort tends to when the body dies. Now…the Voice was once human. She does not think like the gods because for as powerful as she is, she is not one. And my fear is that she is sustaining herself on these ascended souls she has trapped.”[/say]
RE: what was lost - Loren - 11-20-2019
Frowning, he tapped his foot against the floor. [say]”I would like to understand, though. If you’re willing to explain and be patient with me.”[/say] Giving Delphia a faint smile, Loren did his best to try and encourage her to speak.
Then, though, his quill scribbled furiously as she spoke. Once she was done, he shook his hand out before looking back over what she'd told him. [say]"On an unimportant note, what are cat sith?"[/say] Tapping the uninked end of the quill against the desk, his brow furrowed. [say]"More relevantly, the only location I've heard of that the gods can not easily penetrate is the Spire. Are there other places The Voice has turned into strongholds or otherwise blinded the gods to? And which part of the soul is she hoarding away, and how would that piece be contained against its will?"[/say] Again, his quill was poised over the page.
RE: what was lost - Delphia - 11-20-2019
Delphia smiled as he frowned. [say]”I see you are trying to expand. In that case, spirits are everywhere. Speak to them and your message will surely reach me. They know how to find me and borders aren’t a thing they need worry about.”[/say] she said with a light laugh.
[say]”Cats.”[/say] she said with a shrug. [say]”They have black fur and a white spot on their chest. They aren’t common but they lure souls away and play with them. Torture them. Depends on your perspective, as the human or the cat.”[/say] she said with a hint of a smile. Of course she didn’t particularly care for the things, given her job to protect the souls of the dead. Though she did think once or twice about catching one and raising it as a pet to help her steal them back. Her own personal Cat Sith spy.
[say]”You’ve also only been exposed to less than a third of Caido.”[/say] she said with a small smile. [say]”It is possible other such places exist that remain from her war.”[/say] she said. She herself didn’t know that, but she made a mental note to ask her father about it. Or even Ludo. [say]”The Voice is holding both parts. My concern is she is tearing them apart to use the life-force.”[/say] she said, watching his face to see if the horror she was explaining would sink in now. Erasing the existence of a person for her own immortality, murder of the highest order. [say]”Numerous ways. It isn’t unheard of for there to be devices to carry and hold souls though they are rare. I am sure she has some contraption she uses.”[/say]
RE: what was lost - Loren - 11-20-2019
Loren frowned. [say]”What type of spirits? Surely not the spirits of the dead.”[/say] Unconsciously, his eyes flicked around the Atheneum, as if trying to find the beings that she spoke of. His gaze returned to her and his frown deepened. [say]”How do cat sith lead souls astray?"[/say] Once again, his quill hovered over his page, which was now filled with many more notes.
Indeed, his expression did darken at Delphia's explanation. [say]"A third? What other lands are there out there?"[/say] However, he shook his head. [say]"Surely the souls of the Ascended from the Hollowed Grounds have to be in the Spire, though. Unless she has some way of transporting them to another position of power. Even then, the portals haven't been active until recently."[/say] Fingers drumming as his brows furrowed, the summoner gave the demi-god a concerned look. [say]"Can you describe these devices to me? Or would you recognize them if you saw them? Is there a way for anyone to identify them?"[/say]
RE: what was lost - Delphia - 11-20-2019
[say]”Sometimes spirits of the dead, if you have any who would be interested enough in you to hang about. But usually spirits that exist somewhere between the realm of the dead and divine. Some people call them elementals. Some people call them sprites. They never lived in a physical sense and they can be found throughout Caido. Most are without form but they all play little roles in balancing the world in some way.”[/say] she said with a slight shrug.
She shrugged at his question about cat sith. [say]”I’ve never seen one actively doing so. Nor is it particularly pertinent to know. We could not replicate their methods nor would we necessarily want to.”[/say] she said simply. [say]”Lots. I haven’t really ventured outside the Greatwood though. Mort wanted me to stay focused on the Greatwood given its sentience.”[/say] she explained. Again. Not pertinent. Caido was big. That was all. [say]”Whether the Voice could or couldn’t have accessed other places…I am not sure. She is a mystery to the gods. What she does or can do isn’t predictable to them. It is part of what makes her dangerous.”[/say] she said.
And again, he continued down an unimportant path of questioning. At least in her mind. [say]”I could identify ones created by my father or Ludo, but nothing of the Voice’s. Not right away anyways. The methods she employs to do what she does is foreign to me.”[/say] she said.
RE: what was lost - Loren - 11-20-2019
Turning to a separate page, Loren furious took down the information about spirits. Then he looked up and gave Delphia a little smile. [say]”Fascinating. If they’re without form how do they balance Caido?”[/say]
The smile slipped away. [say]”Why don’t you think it’s pertinent? If you knew how the cat sith waylaid souls, perhaps you could design a countermeasure to prevent them from doing so rather than being forced to rescue them after the fact.”[/say] The confusion was evident on his face and in his voice.
His jaw dropped at the demi-god’s next bit of explanation. [say]”Wait. The Greatwood is sentient?”[/say] Closing his mouth, he found his foot tapping furiously. It stopped as he sighed and ran a hand through his hair. Frowning, he turned troubled eyes to the daughter of Mort. [say]"So you don't know how to locate the souls of the Ascended or how they're being stored."[/say]
He squeezed his eyes shut and took a deep breath before opening them. [say]"How could a soul be consumed? I'm asking because if we knew that, we could disrupt the process and starve her, saving the souls in the process."[/say] However, his tone was more than a bit uncertain.
RE: what was lost - Delphia - 11-20-2019
[say]”They react to changes in the world around them. If there is an overabundance of anger or loss or too much life unrestricted, they might consume it, and it is dispersed, unless interrupted. But then it is noticeable to people like me, who can soothe the imbalance and allow the area to regain order. If left too long in a state of disorder, they can sometimes become twisted to something darker, which is why some areas give people a sense of dread or foreboding. That too keeps the balance in a way, warning people of the imbalance. Think of them like…little blobs of energy. They exist. They make small acts on the world. Not particularly intelligent. But I can understand them.”[/say] she said with a small smile.
The corners of her eyes crinkled, as though she might smile more but she did not. [say]”Because we already have ways to keep the Cat Sith away. But death isn’t always so controlled. People aren’t always around to enact the appropriate safety measures. I would be much more interested in finding a way to capture a Cat Sith kitten and raise it to retrieve souls with greater regularity from its brethren.”[/say] she said.
[say]”In a way, yes. How did you think it managed to move on its own?”[/say] she said, her gaze amused. [say]”If I am near where the souls are, I will be able to sense their presence and locate them. But otherwise you are correct, there is not surefire way to know without investigating physically.”[/say] she said softly, nodding a bit.
His next series of questions made her expression darken and she fell silent. [say]”It is a gruesome thing. One would have to have a way of separating the two sets of energy, which would be very difficult to do without the innate understanding of the soul that ones of my kin have. But…that has not stopped the Voice before from accomplishing things she logically should not. But once torn apart like that…there is no saving it. The person ceases to have existed. It is truly erasing the work of Vi and Rae.”[/say] she said softly with a shudder.
RE: what was lost - Loren - 11-21-2019
Still noting down everything the demi-god said, Loren found himself frowning again. [say]”Strong emotions leave residue behind and the spirits can eat it?”[/say] His voice was filled with a genuine curiosity despite the unhappy expression on his face. However, his lips quirked up at her suggestion. [say]”That sounds like an excellent idea.”[/say] He gave her an approving nod.
Sighing, the summoner flushed slightly with embarrassment. [say]”I haven’t spent much time in the Greatwood, to be honest.”[/say] Tilting his head, he gave Delphia a quizzical look. [say]”I assumed it was some magic of the Fae, perhaps illusion, that they used to discourage visitors.”[/say] Tapping his fingers, his brow furrowed. [say]”Do you live in the Greatwood?”[/say]
His frown morphed into a full blown grimace, and his eyes grew haunted. [say]”That’s awful.”[/say] He took a deep breath. [say]”And I think we should check it out.”[/say]
RE: what was lost - Delphia - 11-21-2019
Delphia nodded. [say]”Not quite so concretely as that but it is the basic concept. All actions have consequence. Some is simply not visible to most people.”[/say] She saw the ways in which people could affect the spiritual realm without ever knowing the damage or good they were doing. That he liked the idea of capturing a Cat Sith kitten…well…perhaps she could put more thought into it. [say]”I am glad you think so. It would be a very difficult thing to accomplish but…not impossible.”[/say] she said with a bit of a shrug.
[say]”I was born and raised on the northern fringes of the Greatwood. Now my home is on the edge of Ludo’s Woods within it.”[/say] she said, nodding slightly. [say]”But the movement of the forest is not an illusion of the Fae, they are merely perfectly suited to the Greatwood. It is why they are its greatest defense.”[/say] she explained.
Again she nodded, agreeing with his conclusion. [say]”Ludo said I should speak with Safrin’s chosen. Do you happen to know who they might be?”[/say]