Jigano was silent a moment, lost in his magic but also in thought as he tried to find a way to describe what had been seen at the top of the Spire that fateful night. Then, too, there was what 108 had told him... "At least one other," he said at last. "And... perhaps more. You seem familiar enough with the gods here to know how the gods of the Ascended came to be, yes?" Abasi's confidence and certainty in how his old religion transferred to this new world made it hard to know how much he truly understood and how much he simply assumed was the same, and Jigano was growing wary of conflating confidence with knowledge.
"Perhaps 'tolerate' is a better word for it," Jigano agreed. "Though there is a reason that magic users are called 'Abandoned' after all. They are suffered, at least by Vi and Safrin, even if Ludo and Mort collect their souls like any other, and Rae and Frey seem less bothered by them than the rest. The politics between the gods are not always meant for mortals to understand," he finished softly, thinking of the dream that had called him to Mort's service, and the stone in the pouch at his side. "But if they could smite individuals, and were inclined to do so, they would have long since wiped the Ascended from this world, one by one. So there is far more going on, of a far more complicated nature, than most people realize."
"I'm not sure," the bard admitted frankly, "but knowing Ronin and his sense of responsibility, he felt like falling ill and being unable to help for so long was a failing on his part, and that he was no longer fit to lead after letting people down. Or at least, feeling like he let them down. He was... far from the only one," Jigano added quietly, remembering the toll the blight had taken on him and Kiada as well, even after it had been lifted. "But the people here were not the type to need or welcome a ruler. Not for three hundred years. Zariah simply declared herself a queen which... you could do the same right now, with as much right to the title." The white haired man huffed a soft laugh of amusement at the thought. "She decided that her cousin Edrei would be Queen while she wandered off, but though Edrei was Queen in name, she was terrified of her cousin, so effectively she was a puppet. Then she tried to name others as... not equals, but sub-rulers under her. That's how Wessex got her current title. Edrei wanted someone else to do the actual work while she retained the name of Queen to appease her cousin in case Zariah came back. Ronin was the only one chosen to lead because of his experience and the trust people had in him." Jigano sighed, settling back on his heels as he shook the dirt from his hands and looked at the healthy shrubbery that now flourished in front of the deadhouse.
"I've heard of monarchies such as that in some countries of my world... but in Numeria you became ruler by right of conquest and strength of arms. It was a nasty business," he admitted with a grimace. "The Black Sovereign was used by his advisors, the Technic League. Drugged and turned into a puppet for them to manipulate until... certain individuals were forced to take a hand in defeating him and helping another take the throne. One of far stronger will and honor, I'm glad to say. She was a far better ruler than he ever was, even before the League got their syringes into him." At the end he had begged Yohgel to kill him and free him from the League's manipulations. Yohgel hadn't hesitated even for a moment, of course. It wasn't her way.
"In general? The Attuned, especially those native-born, are beloved of the old gods," Jigano said thoughtfully. "Ronin is invested with Safrin's divine power and likely your best bet. Amalia Chandrakant is called the Shield of Safrin for her great piety as well. Phoebe Steadman serves Frey, and Maea Valair was once seen often with Ludo..." He trailed off with a regretful sigh. "But she fell ill and hasn't been seen for several seasons now. Those others, though, might be your best bet." Of his own ties to Ludo he said nothing, cautious of arrogance and taking the soul-guide's name in vain.
"Perhaps 'tolerate' is a better word for it," Jigano agreed. "Though there is a reason that magic users are called 'Abandoned' after all. They are suffered, at least by Vi and Safrin, even if Ludo and Mort collect their souls like any other, and Rae and Frey seem less bothered by them than the rest. The politics between the gods are not always meant for mortals to understand," he finished softly, thinking of the dream that had called him to Mort's service, and the stone in the pouch at his side. "But if they could smite individuals, and were inclined to do so, they would have long since wiped the Ascended from this world, one by one. So there is far more going on, of a far more complicated nature, than most people realize."
"I'm not sure," the bard admitted frankly, "but knowing Ronin and his sense of responsibility, he felt like falling ill and being unable to help for so long was a failing on his part, and that he was no longer fit to lead after letting people down. Or at least, feeling like he let them down. He was... far from the only one," Jigano added quietly, remembering the toll the blight had taken on him and Kiada as well, even after it had been lifted. "But the people here were not the type to need or welcome a ruler. Not for three hundred years. Zariah simply declared herself a queen which... you could do the same right now, with as much right to the title." The white haired man huffed a soft laugh of amusement at the thought. "She decided that her cousin Edrei would be Queen while she wandered off, but though Edrei was Queen in name, she was terrified of her cousin, so effectively she was a puppet. Then she tried to name others as... not equals, but sub-rulers under her. That's how Wessex got her current title. Edrei wanted someone else to do the actual work while she retained the name of Queen to appease her cousin in case Zariah came back. Ronin was the only one chosen to lead because of his experience and the trust people had in him." Jigano sighed, settling back on his heels as he shook the dirt from his hands and looked at the healthy shrubbery that now flourished in front of the deadhouse.
"I've heard of monarchies such as that in some countries of my world... but in Numeria you became ruler by right of conquest and strength of arms. It was a nasty business," he admitted with a grimace. "The Black Sovereign was used by his advisors, the Technic League. Drugged and turned into a puppet for them to manipulate until... certain individuals were forced to take a hand in defeating him and helping another take the throne. One of far stronger will and honor, I'm glad to say. She was a far better ruler than he ever was, even before the League got their syringes into him." At the end he had begged Yohgel to kill him and free him from the League's manipulations. Yohgel hadn't hesitated even for a moment, of course. It wasn't her way.
"In general? The Attuned, especially those native-born, are beloved of the old gods," Jigano said thoughtfully. "Ronin is invested with Safrin's divine power and likely your best bet. Amalia Chandrakant is called the Shield of Safrin for her great piety as well. Phoebe Steadman serves Frey, and Maea Valair was once seen often with Ludo..." He trailed off with a regretful sigh. "But she fell ill and hasn't been seen for several seasons now. Those others, though, might be your best bet." Of his own ties to Ludo he said nothing, cautious of arrogance and taking the soul-guide's name in vain.
