Warnings of traps and trouble brought a quirk to the corner of the bard's mouth, and he offered Safrin a half-bow in thanks for the information. But the glance he shared with Amalia still held brightness in his eyes and a flicker of his old fire - lost years ago, he'd thought - for exploring lost ruins and the lairs of those who didn't much care for intruders, even posthumously. They would be making that downward delve again, and in the not-too-distant future, he thought.
He took notice of the goddess's gentle reminder of her own captivity with a slight widening of his eyes before he controlled his expression again, bowing his head in acknowledgment of her own loss of freedom. Was that why the gods sought to help them now? Three centuries of being locked away might begin to test even immortal patience.
He listened even more intently to what would happen if the barrier fell, his lips twitching into a frown of concern that he didn't try to hide. "A godwar," he said softly. "And us caught in the middle. But surely they would understand... Vi and Rae's children, and Mort's beloved souls... that those within the barrier would try to find a way to survive? The very spark they were imbued with - we are imbued with - compels that urge to live. Whatever the sins of their ancestors, those alive today had no part in the past conflicts. Unless..." He caught Amalia's gaze and his own grew dark with an old, personal pain.
"Unless they have sacrificed the few to save the many," he said quietly, blue eyes seeking out Safrin's starry gaze in confirmation. "And guilt or innocence... matters not at all?"
What else could he think, when Safrin used words like 'ravage' and 'armies?' They were specifically evocative of chaos and war, but still the bard hesitated, unwilling to take everything at face value when there were still so many unanswered questions. He nodded at Amalia's question, though he already knew some of the story: that the Acquired had meddled in powers and knowledge they should not have and become Ascended, and that the Voice was merely 'one of' the first... or so 108 has claimed. He waited for Safrin to answer his companion before he spoke again, his words slow and thoughtful. "Can you guess - or at least speculate - why she has not tried to forcefully convert more of those within the barrier?" he asked carefully. "It seems this would be an easy hunting ground for her children, if the Ascended were so inclined to increase their numbers without regard for free will." And there was one more thing... "Or... is she bound?" he asked suddenly, eyes narrowing as he pursued a thought. "I've seen her twice now, but only in the inorganic shrines, and her form is... it looks to be almost part illusion, not flesh as you appear. Do you know what happened to her physical body?"
He took notice of the goddess's gentle reminder of her own captivity with a slight widening of his eyes before he controlled his expression again, bowing his head in acknowledgment of her own loss of freedom. Was that why the gods sought to help them now? Three centuries of being locked away might begin to test even immortal patience.
He listened even more intently to what would happen if the barrier fell, his lips twitching into a frown of concern that he didn't try to hide. "A godwar," he said softly. "And us caught in the middle. But surely they would understand... Vi and Rae's children, and Mort's beloved souls... that those within the barrier would try to find a way to survive? The very spark they were imbued with - we are imbued with - compels that urge to live. Whatever the sins of their ancestors, those alive today had no part in the past conflicts. Unless..." He caught Amalia's gaze and his own grew dark with an old, personal pain.
"Unless they have sacrificed the few to save the many," he said quietly, blue eyes seeking out Safrin's starry gaze in confirmation. "And guilt or innocence... matters not at all?"
What else could he think, when Safrin used words like 'ravage' and 'armies?' They were specifically evocative of chaos and war, but still the bard hesitated, unwilling to take everything at face value when there were still so many unanswered questions. He nodded at Amalia's question, though he already knew some of the story: that the Acquired had meddled in powers and knowledge they should not have and become Ascended, and that the Voice was merely 'one of' the first... or so 108 has claimed. He waited for Safrin to answer his companion before he spoke again, his words slow and thoughtful. "Can you guess - or at least speculate - why she has not tried to forcefully convert more of those within the barrier?" he asked carefully. "It seems this would be an easy hunting ground for her children, if the Ascended were so inclined to increase their numbers without regard for free will." And there was one more thing... "Or... is she bound?" he asked suddenly, eyes narrowing as he pursued a thought. "I've seen her twice now, but only in the inorganic shrines, and her form is... it looks to be almost part illusion, not flesh as you appear. Do you know what happened to her physical body?"
