"Why not?" he agreed easily, grinning approval at her fierce determination. "You are welcome here, Melinoë, whenever you feel like coming by!" Seekers of knowledge were generally welcome in his Hall, after all, even those with whom he had personal differences - Remi came to mind, a young man with whom he couldn't seem to help but strike sparks even when they were both on their best behavior. Still, the alchemist was welcome to come to him and his guild, because Jigano knew the pup at least meant well.
Zariah, on the other hand...
"I'll pull a few Outlander journals, perhaps," he murmured, focusing on his offer of books. "It can be interesting to read about the similarities and differences other lands have with Caido, and how their authors explained them. Perhaps one of them will even sound familiar to your world."
Isuma was more than happy to be made much of, and the little gryphlet leaned into Melinoe's cheek scritches until she half-melted into the witch's lap, purring ferociously at both the physical pets and the complimentary tone of the girl's voice. Jigano hid a laugh behind shifting the kettle and pouring it over a nearby pot and the tea leaves held within, settling back to let them steep. "Mmm. The barrier... yes, I did see it. It only came down a season ago," he explained, tapping his chin thoughtfully as he ordered his thoughts. "The barrier... it was raised three hundred years ago, roughly, by the combined power of the Old Gods, for the purpose of trapping the Voice and her people, containing them away from the rest of Caido. The Voice was once a mortal woman, a mage, who sought to challenge the gods themselves... and at that, she succeeded," he warned soberly. "We don't know the details, but she managed to ascend to godhood of her own, raise an army of Ascended, and there was a war. Right or wrong, the Spire where you first arrived became both prison and key, and there the Barrier was raised, trapping all within its bounds - gods and mortals alike. Any living thing that tried to get near it would weaken and sicken... and die, if they tried to touch it. Nonliving things would just bounce off it, as if it were a physical wall. For three hundred years it stood, isolating this place from the rest of the world, and everything within seemed to lose vitality, generation after generation, until the earth itself was weary and all that grew was a stunted shadow of what it was before." He paused then to let Melinoe soak in the tale and ask any questions that she might have devised while he spoke.
Zariah, on the other hand...
"I'll pull a few Outlander journals, perhaps," he murmured, focusing on his offer of books. "It can be interesting to read about the similarities and differences other lands have with Caido, and how their authors explained them. Perhaps one of them will even sound familiar to your world."
Isuma was more than happy to be made much of, and the little gryphlet leaned into Melinoe's cheek scritches until she half-melted into the witch's lap, purring ferociously at both the physical pets and the complimentary tone of the girl's voice. Jigano hid a laugh behind shifting the kettle and pouring it over a nearby pot and the tea leaves held within, settling back to let them steep. "Mmm. The barrier... yes, I did see it. It only came down a season ago," he explained, tapping his chin thoughtfully as he ordered his thoughts. "The barrier... it was raised three hundred years ago, roughly, by the combined power of the Old Gods, for the purpose of trapping the Voice and her people, containing them away from the rest of Caido. The Voice was once a mortal woman, a mage, who sought to challenge the gods themselves... and at that, she succeeded," he warned soberly. "We don't know the details, but she managed to ascend to godhood of her own, raise an army of Ascended, and there was a war. Right or wrong, the Spire where you first arrived became both prison and key, and there the Barrier was raised, trapping all within its bounds - gods and mortals alike. Any living thing that tried to get near it would weaken and sicken... and die, if they tried to touch it. Nonliving things would just bounce off it, as if it were a physical wall. For three hundred years it stood, isolating this place from the rest of the world, and everything within seemed to lose vitality, generation after generation, until the earth itself was weary and all that grew was a stunted shadow of what it was before." He paused then to let Melinoe soak in the tale and ask any questions that she might have devised while he spoke.
