[Kenoma] Discussion

[lachtara]

( 🟣 - Emet, 🔵 - Ciel )

Good Evening.

There are some within our ranks who we have not had the pleasure of meeting. I am Emet-Selch. Ciel and I serve as tacticians and teachers to the Kenoma.

I function as acting counsel for devising strategies. Additionally, some of you may find yourself in possession of new magical abilities that you did not have before. I am available to assist you with honing your newfound magical skills. To those of you who find yourself injured, I can provide my magic to heal your wounds so that you may be hale and whole once more.

[ He sighs. My, is this a mouthful. ]

My name is Ciel. I am versed in martial arts and am proficient with most types of weaponry. There are various means of developing melee combat prowess across Achamoth, but if you would like personalized instructions at any level, please contact me and we’ll arrange for a schedule. I can also perform magical healing along with Father Paul.

Unfortunately, We do not have much time for pleasantries. The Pleroma will soon be at our doorstep. Their goal is to retrieve their allies who remain captive inside our walls, and our goal is to lure them deep within the Citadel where we may enact our own plans. You will be provided assignments once it is closer to the promised hour. Prepare in your own way meanwhile; The Citadel is host to all manners of weaponry and the army's training grounds.

[ It’s kept a little vague and unspecific. Though they do intend to give adequate information, there is also no question that they have had traitors in their midst as of late. Everything will be doled out with due caution. Although, there will be a silent message sent to each person asking them to respond with some information of their abilities. ]

We are at war, bloodshed is inevitable. We will be attacked soon, and we must defend our keep. Consider this communion address a formal hub for discussion and organization of the battle to come. We will begin with information sharing of the Pleroma: knowing their names, appearances, and capabilities will better prepare us in dealing with them in combat. Aions may develop new abilities at any time, however; intel from the mission in Venera and Godsblood may very well be outdated by now, so do not assume anything we go over in this address as the extent of what they can do. Anything you may have witnessed at the shrines can be helpful, including other newcomers you may have met that did not return to Achamoth..

To the third wave of newly awoken Aions, it is regrettable that we cannot welcome you better, you’ve unfortunately arrived at a tumultuous time on Horos. If this is all too much for any reason, that’s fine. Contact me privately, and we can at least arrange for you to be somewhere safe during this. To those used to wielding great power, please get some practice in and verify your new limits. Becoming an Aion may have weakened you, do not let that catch you off-guard on the battlefield.

To those who are new, introduce yourselves and ask any questions you have. We will answer your questions as best we can, and I encourage our fellow Kenoma to chime in where they may. Do try to keep your questions interesting enough to be worth reading.

Comments

[uproared]

To know a Servant's identity is to know everything about them: their strengths, their weaknesses, and their entire history. If it were you, mouse, would you be so eager to share?

[ After a pause: ] ... Personally, I don't really care if people know who I am. I have no regrets over the life I lived, nor any guilt. But it seems prudent to act as a Servant would, until the time comes to reveal myself. [ Ominous... ]

[gravings]

[ Gray kind of thinks that her shortcomings are obvious from the moment she meets people, but it would also be troublesome if people came out the gate trying to harass her with more specific weaknesses like ghosts. Anonymity really is the best. In that vein, she can respect Mordred wanting to keep her identity under wraps.

More importantly, Gray decides not to mention that Mordred's legends as Gray knows them weren't especially illuminating except to show that Mordred was a rather ornery character — true to life — and that she was brought down by King Arthur's lance, which Gray also decides not to mention she's in the possession of. So really, Mordred blew the point of her secrecy from day one when she announced her name to Gray, but Gray is happy to let her think she's doing great. Why make things awkward if she doesn't have to. ]

Um... to reveal yourself... I think I understand.

[ She's talking about her Noble Phantasm?? Gray thinks?? ]

Since you're a Servant, do you have a Master...?

[uproared]

No. I was brought here before my summoning was completed, so I have no memory of ever having one.

[ She's straight from the Throne, baby. (She also sounds slightly annoyed by this — not typical Mordred-level annoyed, but still bothered.) ]

It seems the land is sustaining me, or perhaps the Regent themselves. At any rate, I have no need to bind my fate to that of another — it will be my choice to do so, if I do at all. And why would I?

[gravings]

[ A Servant with no true Master to answer to... Gray feels like that's a little unnatural; in this case, the Servant really is little more than a wandering ghost. Even though Faker would act to satisfy her own whims, she was still tethered to her Master in a substantive way. ]

I've only seen a couple, but I always thought Masters and Servants enjoyed having each other. Like having a partner they could always count on.

[ No one saw more than she how deep her mentor's bond was with Iskandar, or how confidently Faker and Heartless worked together. It didn't occur to her that a Servant might resent having a Master... ]

[uproared]

Some Masters and Servants might be that compatible. But you're missing the important part, mouse: command spells. If my Master were to turn traitor, willingly or otherwise... of course, I'd kill them with my own hands, but I'm sure you can imagine the consequences for any other Servant.

[ Part of her can't help but wonder, though — what if? What if the Master that called for her was someone worthy of standing alongside her; if not as a king, then at least as a friend? It's pointless to think about now, but Gray's words fill her with a sense of longing that she didn't think herself capable of feeling. One she angrily dismisses. ]

More importantly, a king is someone who stands alone. That's how it was for my father, and that's how it is for me. I can't... no, I won't rely on anyone but myself.

[gravings]

[ "What are command spells?" Gray doesn't ask, because Mordred doesn't seem nearly as enamored with lectures (the helpful kind) as her mentor. It sounds self-explanatory though...?

Mordred's pride reminds Gray again of Faker. Maybe all Servants are like this, proud and stubborn to a fault. ]

Um, your father...

[ She trails off, suddenly unsure of whether she should be diving into this topic. But she's curious in a dreadful way about the person her fate has become tied to. ]

What kind of person was your father?

[uproared]

[ It's good that she doesn't ask, because Mordred would just insult her for lacking such Important And Obvious knowledge. Waver, she ain't. ]

... What kind of person, huh.

[ Her response is surprisingly measured, lacking her usual King Arthur-related outburst... but those bitter emotions still simmer under the surface like a dormant volcano, threatening to erupt again at the slightest provocation. She's thought at length about Arthur as a king, but rarely as a person, because: ]

He wasn't one. He was a king first, and nothing at all second. That's why he couldn't understand humans, and they sure as hell couldn't understand him. His actions were entirely without fault, bias, or prejudice — except when it came to me.

[gravings]

[ That surprises Gray. Even though the village worshipped Arthur like he was a god, to the point where he seemed like the perfect solution to all of life's problems, she expected him also to be effortlessly charismatic and personable, the picture of a knight in shining armor. Even if the mind of King Arthur seemed something like Mordred describes — distant, analytical — she thought maybe the soul would be different, the place where the King's warmth resided.

It doesn't do Gray any good to dwell on these things, the what-ifs, but they don't plague her so much now as they once did. There's room now for more than just shame and self-deprecation; she wants to know a little more about the person Sir Kay seemed quietly fond of. ]

And that's the kind of king you'd want to be too?

[ That kind of ambition is utterly alien to her. Loneliness equates to despair in her mind; she can't imagine intentionally racing toward it. ]

[uproared]

[ She's silent for a while, though the roiling emotional undercurrent remains. In actuality, she's gripping her shard hard enough to feel pain lance through her body, just to keep herself focused.

If this were anyone else but Gray, she'd respond far more aggressively, if she responded at all. But... for all that she insults the other girl, they're still connected in a way that neither of them asked for. So when she answers, it's with a surprising amount of sincerity, even if it sounds like she's struggling to put her thoughts into "words". ]

I'm going to become an ideal king. Even though my father was perfect, he was still brought down by others in the end. I could have done better. No... I will do better. I'll be a king that everyone wishes for, a king that protects everyone, without having to sacrifice all the things that he did. The future my father sought, but could never achieve — I'll be the one to make it a reality.

... But none of that concerns the likes of you, mouse. Worry about your next breath, your next meal, your next battle, and leave matters of kingship to me.

[gravings]

[ There's actually a lot of good to be found in Mordred's mission statement, and Gray thinks that for all of Mordred's temper, maybe she could be an alright king if she stuck to her goals. Though there's the small matter of the "others who brought down King Arthur in the end" being headed by none other than Mordred herself, which is something like Mordred blaming someone for getting punched in the face right after doing the punching.

But Gray isn't in the busienss of knowing how kings function, and really has no interest in trying to tell Mordred how to live her life. As Mordred points out, Gray has enough on her plate trying to get by from day to day. It's a bizarre play of fate that two shadows of King Arthur could be such opposites. Even if Gray doesn't want to be anything like a king, she finds Mordred's way of life a fascinating window.

... But, they should probably get back to the rest of the communion powwow. There's important information passing by while they chat. ]

Okay.

[ Matters of kingship dutifully left to Mordred. Though that seems like a lame reply next to Mordred's poetic send-off, so she adds, ]

Um, I'll be going now. I'll talk to you later...

[ Which is not much better an addition, so Mordred may feel some of Gray's awkward embarrassment before she flips their connection off. ]