[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 Aions may develop new abilities at any time, however; intel from the mission in Venera and Godsblood may very well be outdated by now, so do not assume anything we go over in this address as the extent of what they can do.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

[cutlery]

Well, first of all, it is a pleasure to meet your acquaintance, Mr. Emet-Selch, and it is good to hear from you again, Miss Ciel.

[ Of course, manners come first! But with that said, Sebastian will promptly get to explaining with no further preamble. His manners are important to him, but he at least seems pragmatic otherwise. ]

I am Sebastian Michaelis, one of those that has recently arrived. To put it quite bluntly, I am no stranger to bloodshed, but I do wish to know the rules of engagement in advance. I would like to handle any problem I may encounter correctly, since I have seen and been involved in many in my existence. The etiquette of battle changes considerably through the centuries.

[ There's a pause, and he does at least add (though probably not all that surprisingly...) ]

In addition, I have indeed found myself with considerably less of the ability and power I am used to. I would very much appreciate someone taking the time to help me verify where I now stand.

[galdorleod]

[ The 'rules of engagement,' as he put it, are definitely worth going over — to the extent there are any. And this being the first time Howl has had a chance to speak to the new, other Celebrant Aion since chaperoning him to Achamoth, he's happy to answer. ]

Warfare between Aions is not like the warfare you may be familiar with, because we do not die the same way. Inflicting a mortal blow on another Aion will kill their body, but only their body. Their Shard will be left behind — that's the stone you may have noticed conspicuously embedded in your body, by the way — and eventually, the Aion's body will regenerate from the Shard.

A blow to the Shard, on the other hand, will cause the death to be permanent.

[ Howl will leave out the part about their Shards being their very souls for now. It can be a pretty harrowing thing to hear, and most of the new arrivals are already dealing with enough. ]

The Regent discourages us from breaking the Pleromas' Shards, and we'd all do well to respect that wish. If we can bring any of them to our side, we should elect to do so, instead of killing them.

[cutlery]

I see. It is not entirely dissimilar from some forms of warfare with which I am familiar, though I would call them more... Particular, I suppose. My kind is functionally immortal as well, and we are not without our own conflicts.

[ War between demons was a chore, really. It was an endless churn of souls and legions of demons, and for little practical gain, since actually killing anyone powerful enough to start such a conflict was difficult. It's why he had tired of it and turned to contracts with mortals instead... ]

If you will pardon my asking, why is conversion preferable to destruction? Are Aions too rare to be replenished?

[galdorleod]

Because of course it is. The Regent's aim is not to spread death and misery indiscriminately, regardless of what the Pleroma Aions would like to tell themselves. And that extends to them as well, even if they're our enemies. Why wouldn't we want to help them see the error of their ways and bring them to our cause instead of killing them?

[ That being said, Howl understands that this won't be possible with every Pleroma Aion. But he'll leave that for someone else to say, it being a hard pill for Howl himself to swallow. ]

[lachtara]

A pleasure, I'm sure.

[ "Centuries", is it? He'll tuck that detail away for later... ]

It seems you have been supplied with the basics from your fellow Kenoma. I would also add that your status as a Kenoma provides the Pleroma with a reason to show no clemency, be diligent and protect yourself.

As for your abilities, are they of a physical or magical nature? We may find someone suitable based on your needs.

[cutlery]

Of that, I had little doubt. Pleroma will always be naturally opposed to me, philosophically speaking, at least... And so, to avoid the complications of presumption, I shall say it simply that I am a demon. I may well have come from the abyss itself, for all I know.

[ sometimes you're just so old you have no idea how long you've existed, yknow ]

So to the matter of my ability, it is also somewhat complicated and based upon your definition of magic. All that I am able to do is an extension of what I am, so I would call it physical. But humans often call it magic. It is perhaps somewhere in between, though practically speaking for this sort of situation, I would say my talents lie in the physical. My "magic" is catered to granting human desires, so it is not of much use in bloodsport.

[galdorleod]

[ a demon? There's an immediately pang of surprise that transfers through the communion space much faster and clearer than the responses coming from others, and Sebastian will be able to instantly recognize it as Howl. Howl can't even control the way his reaction transfers over, it being a side effects of sharing the same Legacy.

Howl does not say anything though, and the surprise wanes into quiet contemplation. Another demon... really. ]

[lachtara]

A demon? [ He shrugs. Of course. ] My, what an eclectic assortment of individuals we have here.

If your talents truly lie in the physical, then seek out Ciel. She may help you test your abilities to the fullest.

[subsist]

[ a demon... how intriguing. there isn't so much a sensation of surprise but rather one that feels like things are clicking into place. a feeling of someone marvelling over the revelation.

it's no wonder that exchange at the shrine went down the way it did. at least the kenoma continues to have no shortage of monsters. ]

[expiera]

Likewise, Sebastian.

As Howl had explained, Aions can be dissipated if their physical vessel suffers critical damage, but as long as the shard, the crystallization of your soul, is intact, you can be brought back whole in due time. A shattered Shard, however, is unrecoverable. Similarly, how we physically appear and our capabilities here are reliant on self-perception, you can think of our Horosian bodies as the result of what this world ended up creating based on the blueprint provided by our souls and the land's own limitations.

[It's kind of a wonky analogy, but it gets the point across, she thinks.]

I may help you with testing. What are your availabilities?

[Work appointments, smh...]

[cutlery]

[ Despite himself, he does actually laugh, though it's absolutely one with humor. What a thing, to even have a soul... He was quite sure that he didn't, and yet the proof lays in his chest, almost poetically. ]

Pardon me for laughing... It is merely a surprise to hear of what that shard actually is.

[ But also very clearly, not bothered by it! So, moving on, ]

If these forms are guided by our self-perception, is that why Aions develop new abilities, perhaps? [ He's certainly latched onto that little piece, since it was a terribly inconvenient thing to have to deal with when you like collecting info on people, gosh! ] Ah, and to testing, at your earliest convenience, of course. I imagine you are busy preparing, so, please, do not allow me to impose. You are helping me quite a bit, after all.

[expiera]

[It's with great irony that Ciel is reminded of the time she had a similar conversation with Amos. Amos, perfectly human as he is, was surprised to hear he has a soul, because the circumstances of his growing up was dire enough to utterly convince him he was missing something that made humans inherently... human.

And here's a demon now, having a laff over the same thing. Ugh. She does make an EFFORT to hold back her personal disdain, tho if Sebastian gets the weirdest impression that someone just wrinkled their nose his way, then that might just be that, too.]

Yes, correct. The first wave of awoken Kenoma Aions who arrived to Achamoth were greeted by a dinner feast hosted by the Regent themselves. They told us that everyone at the table had the capability to surpass their peers regardless of background, announcing in no uncertain terms that a normal human teenager may very well come to be more powerful than a practiced mage who's had centuries to hone their craft.

[This isn't a call-out to Emet-Selch per se, but the example does cleanly drive the point home.]

...Very well. I will notify you via communion once it is convenient. [She IS stretched a little thin atm, fair enough...]

[galdorleod]

[ Ciel... Howl was trying to go easy on them..... well, too late now. ]

[expiera]

[Sebastian is a DEMON? Do you not remember how weird/creepy/nerdy he was, this is fine? Anyway it's important info, so it needs to be said!!]

[semicharmed]

[ Honestly, Matt's primarily scanning through the psychic signatures here for one person in particular. That might explain why his first contribution to this Kenoma-wide discussion is not anything tactical or consequential, but a bright-- ]

Sebastian? Hi!

Glad to see you made it okay.

[cutlery]

[ And his response is returned equally as brightly, naturally! What's war when you had a promise of chatting magic, right? ]

Ah, it is good to hear from you. It was quite the interesting trip, so to speak! But all things considered, I would say that it all went quite well.

[semicharmed]

[ Hey, magic is a matter of tactical expediency! Or at least Matt certainly hopes so, otherwise he's gonna have to learn hand-to-hand. ]

That's good to hear. Not everybody has an easy onboarding. [ Himself included, though Matt doesn't like to think about that these days. Why bother? It's in the past, and all he really remembers of it is misery. ] But ah, now that you're here, did you want to meet up?

[regressor]

“Less power”… ?

[cutlery]

Ah, yes. Considerably so, in my case.

[ He sighs, and it's heavy and perhaps a little over-dramatic... ]

As the easiest example, I certainly was immortal. No implement made by a mortal would be able to harm me in the slightest, but here... We are not so lucky, I am afraid.

[regressor]

Oh… that’s not what I expected…

[lying is so much easier here than in person when she just has to focus on the words… noted.]

I guess I’ll… have to check, too.

[zauneyete]

You think there's an etiquette to fighting?

[ You know... ]

I don't think any of them would bother with "rules of engagement". I think beyond trying to fight them, and keep them out of our way, there is little in the way of rules.

[cutlery]

...Well. Perhaps etiquette is a bit of an understatement to what I meant? Unless I have misunderstood slightly, in which case, that would certainly change my opinion! But I have not gotten the impression that the Pleroma would be willing to commit, ah... Well. In modern parlance, I would believe they would be considered war crimes?

[ ...so yeah, etiquette is an understatement. demons. ]

So do pardon my slip of the tongue. Simply establishing expectations for what I am meant to do.

[zauneyete]

You think not?

Well, some of them may take offense, but they're hardly in a position to levy a complaint. I would hardly restrain myself from taking any advantage possible.

[vapour]

A demon?? Do you like to fight?

[cutlery]

Oh, very much so, to be quite honest. There is something to be said for the idea of it being in our very nature.

[ And yet, he still says it so politely and pleasantly that he might as well be talking about his favorite kind of weather... ]