Of Gods and Monsters
Amalia and Seiji
Jigano Silversmith
the Sage
Provost of the Loreseekers Soul Shepherd
Portal Guardian
Age: 36 | Height: 6'2" | Race: Attuned x Abandoned | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
Level: 12 - Strg: 30 - Dext: 45 - Endr: 38 - Luck: 42 - Int:
ISUMA - Mythical - Griffin (Venomous)
Played by: Cirago Offline
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Posts: 3,914 | Total: 7,219
MP: 10170
#1
Much had been done during Deepfrost to clean and refurnish the long-disused Hall beneath the Atheneum, and Long Night's ravages were not immediately apparent in the main room with its great table and several bookshelves. The doors leading off to smaller chambers were all securely closed, and as Jigano led the way down the broad, shallow stone steps that spiraled into the cool earth, leading the way with the small lantern left at the entrance, he was glad to see things looking largely intact. Bypassing the table, he took them all the way to the back of the Hall where a large fireplace was intricately grated and sealed with hinged glass doors to prevent sparks from escaping onto the braided rug set just back from the hearth. Several comfortably stuffed chairs, shabby and worn but still usable, were placed around the hearth for warmer winter reading, and a basket with a plush blue pillow was tucked beside one of the chairs.

Jigano began laying a smile fire and filling the tea pot from a water barrel kept near at hand for that purpose - and for the immediate dousing of any fire that threatened the precious books. He glanced over his shoulder at his friends, nodding them towards the other chairs and giving Amalia an encouraging smile. " Seiji and I would both like to learn what you're willing to teach us, my friend. Today, we are your humble students." He winked to gentle the responsibility he offered her, but his intentions were genuine. After how she had rallied them at the perch he trusted her instincts, and looked forward to learning from her lifetime of collected wisdom on the local gods.
Seiji Okura
Musician

Age: 32 | Height: 5'7" | Race: Accepted | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
Level: 2 - Strg: 10 - Dext: 25 - Endr: 12 - Luck: 10 - Int:
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#2
Cheerfully, Seiji follows Jigano into the hall near the back of the Atheneum. His eyes roam curiously, first down the stairs and then across the large room, the high shelves, the cheerful fire. He does not sit immediately but moves slowly toward a chair, his gaze voracious. He has seen one other guild hall, Ronin’s, and like that one this space feels comfortable, homey, unlike the ruins and wreckage of outside.

“This is nice,” he says, eyes crinkling with a genuine smile. “So peaceful.” He eventually makes his way to a chair, though, and gazes up at Amalia with attention. “Yes,” he says, “I would like to learn much more. Tell as much as you would like. I wish to be respectful of the gods here, as much as I can.”
Amalia Chandrakant
the Archangel
Baker

Age: 29 | Height: 5'6 | Race: Demi-god | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Stormbreak
Level: 5 - Strg: 49 - Dext: 45 - Endr: 52 - Luck: 49 - Int:
JYOTI - Mythical - Starwhale (Humpback)
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#3
Ending out the trio, Amalia closes the door behind them before descending down the stairs. The task before her is daunting yet exhilarating: she relishes the opportunity to share knowledge with these men, yet quails at the fear of mistaking herself in her recounting. Lightly she falls into a plush chair, not quite relaxing as Jigano stokes the fire. There is nervous tension in the lines of her arms, the way she half-smiles, the slender fingers which gently worry the fabric of her top.

"I...," she begins, dark eyes dancing between the men as she tries to gather her thoughts. As much as you like, Seiji suggests, and what can she possibly offer in response? There are a thousand stories she would share, beginnings and endings and myths in between.

Inhaling deeply, she attempts to begin. "We say that Caido created the world," she says, her deep voice a quivering hum which slowly steadies as she goes on, "And gave it to their children: Rae, Mort, and Vi." Her features soften at the mention of Vi, a smile drifting over her lips as she remembers fondly her deity's face. "Together, they made the first race of humans- the Accepted." She pauses, waiting for questions or concerns before continuing the tale.
a m a l i a
You were young and you'd stare With a reverence unimpaired
Searching in your dark eyes to find the stars already there


Jigano Silversmith
the Sage
Provost of the Loreseekers Soul Shepherd
Portal Guardian
Age: 36 | Height: 6'2" | Race: Attuned x Abandoned | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
Level: 12 - Strg: 30 - Dext: 45 - Endr: 38 - Luck: 42 - Int:
ISUMA - Mythical - Griffin (Venomous)
Played by: Cirago Offline
Change author:
Posts: 3,914 | Total: 7,219
MP: 10170
#4
Jigano watched Seiji's reactions, glad to see the young man's active curiosity and eventual approval, if he was to call this place a 'home' of sorts. His own smile broke out at the compliment, and he went back to getting the fireplace lit with a decidedly proud tilt to his chin. "Thank you. Amalia and Sam helped choose the furniture, along with... Isla..." The name fell more softly, a flicker of pain in the set of his shoulders, but he drew in a breath and made an effort to ease the grief from his bearing.

He joined the pair in a chair nearest the teaset as the water began to heat, and he gave Amalia his most encouraging smile. There was no rush as they sat in their comfortable chairs, and both he and Seiji were capable of quiet stillness until she was ready.

The story began as so many did: with the creation of the world, and the first gods. The names were familiar to Jigano, ones that he had read in books several times in the season-and-a-half that he had  been seeking answers in the Atheneum, but he tilted a glance at Seiji curiously. "I am particularly interested in Rae," he admitted. "And... Mort, as well," he added, sharing a wry smile with Amalia over their Long Night trip to the Temple Shrine and the charge that had been laid upon them both.
Seiji Okura
Musician

Age: 32 | Height: 5'7" | Race: Accepted | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
Level: 2 - Strg: 10 - Dext: 25 - Endr: 12 - Luck: 10 - Int:
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#5
Seiji is patient, interested but content to wait. All he knows of Amalia tells him she is a withdrawn creature, careful to keep all possible aspects of herself curled close within, hidden from danger. Not a disposition he can understand, but certainly one he knows to treat gently. He draws his limbs up under him, comfortable in his soft chair, and listens intently as she begins.

He is surprised to learn Caido is a being, not just the name of this place, and his brows rise in echo of this fact. As well, he learns the name of three more deities, and nods thoughtfully as Amalia draws silent, perhaps waiting to ensure he understands all she has said so far. "The Ludo you mentioned before... is smaller than these other ones?" he asks. If only he remembered more of his own home, his own beliefs. They are yet distant: strange flashes of water, snatches of song, warm light on glistening stone. A single melody comes to him much more powerfully than anything else, but he cannot yet tell what it means.

"Do Lorekeepers follow any one god?" Seiji wonders, "Or they are neutral?"
Amalia Chandrakant
the Archangel
Baker

Age: 29 | Height: 5'6 | Race: Demi-god | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Stormbreak
Level: 5 - Strg: 49 - Dext: 45 - Endr: 52 - Luck: 49 - Int:
JYOTI - Mythical - Starwhale (Humpback)
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#6
Their questions about gods set the nervous girl at ease: here, she is in her element. Amalia returns Jigano's smile, remembering the interlude with Ludo that night. Nodding her agreement with the interest in Mort, the girl pushes a strand of hair behind her ear. "I do not know as much of them," Amalia admits, thinking of her studies and their focus on Vi. "But I know it was Mort who did not wish for the Ascendeds to die, and so the gods made the barrier to keep them contained." And us, she thinks with quiet bitterness, before chiding herself for her impiety.

Seiji's question draws her attention, and she turns back to the slender man. "Ah..." A light frown pushes at her forehead. "Ludo is an aspect of Mort, here inside the barrier. It... keeps souls, until such time as they can be returned to Mort." It seems so simple, but to say more would be to fall down a rabbit hole of curiosity. "Similarly for Safrin and Vi, and Frey and Rae."

The final question earns a glance toward Jigano, an invitation for him to field. For Amalia, the answer is clear: her allegiance lies with the old gods, the ones who made them, and though she curves toward the warmth of life she does not shy from death- not anymore.
a m a l i a
You were young and you'd stare With a reverence unimpaired
Searching in your dark eyes to find the stars already there


Jigano Silversmith
the Sage
Provost of the Loreseekers Soul Shepherd
Portal Guardian
Age: 36 | Height: 6'2" | Race: Attuned x Abandoned | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
Level: 12 - Strg: 30 - Dext: 45 - Endr: 38 - Luck: 42 - Int:
ISUMA - Mythical - Griffin (Venomous)
Played by: Cirago Offline
Change author:
Posts: 3,914 | Total: 7,219
MP: 10170
#7
Jigano listened curiously as Amalia began to speak, but there was also warm pride in his eyes at how easily she fell into the role of teacher when it came to her specialty. He nodded along at the things he knew. He hid a chuckle at Seiji's swift curiosity, and how quickly the young man latched on to one of the gods, without even knowing of the rest.

Before Long Night he had known only a little of Ludo. He had known the god's mischief, and its penchant for playing cruel games, but also giving away unexpected rewards for those that survived. It had dealt honorably with him, but only after using his memories against him to carve fresh furrows into his heart. He tilted his head, waiting for Amalia to finish speaking before he added what he knew. "Ludo can be capricious," he warned. "They can be kind... but also cruel. They have taken memories in payment for answered prayers before, and dreams. But they will trade fairly with you, so long as you can offer something that they value." Intangible things, it had seemed to Jigano, but perhaps others had a different experience?

Amalia's glance was met with an open chuckle this time, and a nod for Seiji as he kept an eye on the kettle. "The Loreseekers are neutral," he answered with a wry smile. "There are naturals in our number, and Outlanders. Those who worship the Old Gods, and Ascended who are children of the Voice. Each may hold their own opinions and preferences and ways of worship... but all are welcome in our ranks, and to come to us with questions, whatever their personal creed."


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