Let's do the Test Drive Again

[wolof]

I. BEARING FRUIT (NEW CHARACTERS ONLY)

It starts out as a pleasant dream. You’re in your favorite place, with your favorite people. It’s a moment of idyllic comfort.

And then, it goes wrong.

The sky turns dark above, and as you look up, you see the black expanse of space spotted with faraway pinprick lights of stars. Yet, they’re not stars. You’re certain. They’re watching you. A billion eyes all looking down, and they spill forth as if sky itself was a dam holding back those dark waters. You reach back to the people you’re with, but they’re frozen in place. Their eyes are black, reflecting only the expanse of dark eyes.

So you run, even though you know you won’t escape it. You glance back and see it not overtaking, but consuming. The landscape around you is being devoured, and you can see it cracking apart. The world itself is breaking, and it cracks under your feet. You fall, and the billion eyes chase after you until the darkness swallows you whole. There’s agony as if you’re being ripped apart, and then—

You cannot see. You cannot feel. You simply are. Yet even so, impossibly, a woman’s voice speaks gently.

I’m sorry it couldn’t be saved. But, come, it’s time to wake.

You wake with a start, cradled by soft, velvety plants, and sticky with a sap that smells faintly of honey and iron. You can see the veins of the leaves that hold you, lit warmly and gently by what looks like a crystal embedded above you. Yet, it’s odd, because that crystal calls to you. When you reach out to touch it, it’s warm. Familiar. Important. You don’t know why, but you know you must hold onto this, because now it feels wrong for it to be suspended in these leaves. So, you pull it out.

The light starts to fade, but only in time to see as the leaves cradling you immediately start to soften and crumble, and with it comes a torrent of dirt. Soft, loamy soil starts to fill the space around you in the dark as you’re buried. Or, rather, you already were. You reach out through the dirt desperately, and your hands finds a root, so you pull while you clutch that precious crystal so close that it almost feels like it sinks into you (in your panic, you don’t notice that it does). You reach out again, and this time, your hand hits open air and plenty of sturdy roots around to grab.

From a seed you’re born, and like a sprout, you make your way out of the ground.

And once you’ve clawed your way out of the soft earth and the roots, nearby, you see the soil shift. Another hand comes up to grasp desperately for something, anything, just as you had been.

II. BOUGH-BREAKER, ROOT-QUAKER

There are new Shard-Bearers at the Tree of Life, and Yima has asked that their elders return to the Tree to greet them, to bring them forth and answer their questions. She warns that it will be unlike the last time, for the Dryad's presence has gone -- the root-caverns of the Tree are damaged, the previous actions of some of the Shard-Bearers have left it injured, blackened by ill intent. Be careful, Commune where you must, but be aware that the Tree has reacted to its injury and will seek out the space within your Communions to make its agonies known.

All will experience the consequences to the actions of the few.

Whether awakening within or descending once more into the cavernous, root layer of the Tree of life is precarious; passages are maze-like, with claustrophobic squeezes and sudden chasms. Worse yet, is the miasma that hovers in the atmosphere. It leaches into your eyes, your skin, the space below your fingernails and drags through your lungs with every inhalation. Images of explosions, of fire and the sensation of shrapnel tearing through you begin to spark like fireworks within your mind. The pain builds, souring as it does.

The ambiance here is revolting. Great chasms have opened in the environment, threatening to pour inattentive Shard-Bearers into the Tree's deeper underbelly. The cloying, dark vapors around everyone dull the senses, until those you may have entered with are gone, or perhaps new bodies have joined you in the rancid space. The miasma urges you towards your baser desires, your desperate violence, and even as the Tree's pain evokes a sense of desperate self-defense, your Shard warms upon your body.

Somehow, the Tree still seeks to Commune with all -- pressing its need upon you: a single flame. A roaring pyre. A chilled ember.

THE GAME IS AFOOT

The Tree of Life cannot communicate but in abstract images and sounds, but the general gist of its need is eventually grasped by all Shard-Bearers: the miasma present is the result of an attack upon the Dryad that once lived among the roots of the Tree. Actions taken by other Shard-Bearers have left the Tree in dire straits, deeply wounded and unable to prevent itself from naturally lashing out in its own defense as it dies. It cannot let go of those it has imprisoned, until they have revealed their nature to it - until it knows it can finally, finally let go.

Characters can decide amongst themselves how to deal with the threat of miasma. It's easy to figure out, as your shards will naturally want to absorb what's similar to discord within your shards, but just like with discord, holding hands, or joining together in some way will allow the pain to be shared amongst everyone in the group. There's no such thing as failure, but if a character decides for the group, there may be the opportunity for intervention…

• Characters may choose to take on the role of a martyr, accepting the Tree's miasma ( its pain ) upon themselves as the sole sufferant. They will experience excruciating pain and lasting effects, but will spare others from this trauma.
• Characters may also choose to share the pain among themselves, though doing so will require Communion to be shared between all parties -- this will result in the temporary collapse of boundaries and barricades, and emotions and memories may flow against their will into others.
• Characters may also decide to do nothing at all, whereupon their decision to take no action will result in the miasma growing stronger, denser and more cloying until they are rendered unconscious and ejected from the roots of the tree.
• Have you a choice unique to your character that wasn't mentioned? Might you try to heal the tree's pain, or perhaps harm it further? If you're making the attempt, make sure your group is aware and submit your record of action to the link included below!

This can be done in groups of 2 to 4 players, and three is a recommendation - if you can swing it! It’s more fun when you get into philosophical debates, right? Regardless, when your group comes to a decision, please record it here. These don’t have to be fully threaded out to be recorded, so the conclusion can be discussed OOC if you prefer. Actions can be submitted until JANUARY 9TH, after which a tally will be taken of decision and filed away for later, devious uses.

III. TWO CITIES, ALIKE IN DIGNITY BUT WE ALL KNOW YIMOMMY'S WHERE IT'S AT

Having just celebrated the dual-natured festivities known as the Year's End Festival and Qiasu, Springstar and Highstorm ( respectively ) are wrapping up the period of time where Kenos a celebrates unity and togetherness, coming together with friends and family, to be kind to others and share in one’s wealth - whether that comes in the form of knowledge, monetary gains, or the exchange of gifts and one’s time. While the core festivities are over, many of the residents of Kenos are still caught up in the celebratory mood; those who are not, have begun to fret and whisper about a rumor that has spread throughout both cities.

( Many more residents are attempting to get rid of their excess stock, and may attempt to pawn off kitschy goods and, strangely, unclaimed gifts for people they claim they have no memory of, or simply do not exist. )

With the new Shard-Bearers present or en route, it is Kathova and Cetina that approach the established ones, requesting that they form mentorships with the new souls to assist them with the integration process. To this end, they have both provided a centralized zone in both Highstorm and Springstar for a small, casual meet-and-greet to be held before the new Shard-Bearers are unleashed upon Kenos as a whole.

Additionally, as Springstar and Highstorm are holding their events on different days, it is possible for the knowledge-hungry to participate in both informational sessions -- the tones and opinions held by both cities are doubtless to differ, and some Shard-Bearers who have chosen to harmonize with either faction may even find their way to the opposing faction's session as well. After all, the year's end is still lingering in the air, and cooperation is the current name of the game.

SPRINGSTAR, αιώνιος ήλιος

In Springstar, the seat of the Tribune becomes available for such a forum. While a section of the building itself has been reserved for the meeting between fresh faces and experienced Shard-Bearers alike, the hustle and bustle of Heliopolis continues around them -- acolytes still gather their robes and tomes, hurrying from their quarters to lessons. A score of young militants march in step across the yard to the training grounds.

Tables draped in white-and-gold-trimmed fabrics fare filled with fare common to Springstar's warmer climate -- fruits and wines, savory smoked meats and roasted vegetables, a series of meze platters and souvlaki skewers have been lain out to encourage forum participants to snack as they speak. The atmosphere is light, ambient with informality and friendliness, though topics will inevitably stray towards philosophic, Springstar's meeting grounds are decorated with handsome chaise lounges and slouching klismos chairs in small, intimate groupings.

HIGHSTORM, луны-близнецы

Eternally in opposition, Highstorm provides the Manor's courtyard as the setting for their informational meeting. Here, formality is of utmost importance, with attending Zenith loyalists and residents dressed in beautiful, albeit austere attire -- they are, after all, standing before Lady Yima's home. A buffet-style luncheon is spread alongside one of the largest reflecting pools, wherein you may gaze and find your memories revealed in retrospect upon the water's surface.

There are few places to be seated in the Manor's courtyard, resulting in a milling of bodies as they flow and ebb between smaller gatherings, clustering in small-to-large groups with small platters and shimmering flutes of drink held in their hands.

RUMOR MILL

In both locations information passes between all in a forum, spread and disseminated among the masses - it's a good opportunity for city residents, faction loyalists and interested new parties to share and share alike. Once the meet-and-greet has concluded, twin missives from both of the faction leads are read out -- invitations for all present to explore the cities to their heart's content, and warnings about stumbling ill-prepared ( or at all ) into the Below, or worse yet, the Beyond.

No matter how conversations between player characters go, everyone will walk away with the following knowledge to ensure new players do not feel "behind" in terms of what has previously happened on Kenos TV.

• Cyrus, the head of the Meridian faction is a native aristocrat of Springstar, who provides characters with an iliachtida, or sunbeam. This item tethers a character to their world, ensuring it does not fully disappear. His stance involves the idea that, using Meridian's light, worlds can be restored and you may return home.
• In contrast, the head of the Zenith faction is Yima, who has been the head of Highstorm since - arguably - its inception. She provides characters with a Shard of that they love most, to protect and hold. Yima believes former worlds to be lost, and looks to the future instead.
• While Harmonization occurs as the characters' Shard ( literally the manifestation of a character's soul! ) accrues the natural energies generated by Meridian or Zenith, Discord is also as natural an occurrence -- a symptom, in fact, of that process. Discord is best reduced by someone from the opposite faction, and is also influenced by the Aspect of one's character.
• Cyrus likes enchiladas.
• Many individuals recommend the following locations to new arrivals, as a means of enjoyment, involvement or further information-seeking: Highstorm's Court at Yima's Manor remains a great area for reflection and self-discovery, while the Tomes - a series of libraries - possess a magnitude of amassed knowledge, both foreign and relative to yourself. Heliopolis, the capital of Springstar, is the core of government and administration, and houses many avenues towards involvement in the goings-on of the city. Likewise, the Psychagogía District is the beating heart of entertainment within an island known for its passions.
• Rumors of past exploits linger on the lips of many. Did you know that one of Meridian's Harmonized slew one of Zenith's before the eyes of countless bystanders? That there was an expedition of Meri and Zenite Shard-Bearers dispatched to Alenroux, and some came back brutalized! Did you hear that the Shard of a Zenite is being held hostage by the Meridians?
• The new marking that has appeared upon your character's body is known as their sign of Aspect, and supposedly correlates to the fundamental truths of their soul. A Shard also exists, and is known as the characters' soul itself.

NOTES

Welcome to Kenos! As a reminder, all new players need an invite to play in the game, which are now open.

This log is Game Canon. Any characters who are not apped to the game will disappear. If Cyrus or Yima are asked, they’ll explain that this happens sometimes, since not every soul has a strong tether to Kenos and sometimes return to the Timestream. They’re fine and may even return to Kenos one day, but for now weren’t able to make the full journey.

As a reminder, your character has a Shard somewhere on their body that encompasses their soul, so keep note of where you're sticking it on their person for reference! Additionally, they have a tattoo of their Aspect somewhere on their body. Please be mindful this Aspect will be assigned to you upon approval and whatever you choose for the TDM may be temporary (for new characters)!

For the Highstorm and Springstar prompts, both cities will be fully open and accessible to all characters once they are saved from their rather harrowing ordeal at the Tree of Life. For prompt ideas and any general information about the cities and what you can find there, please see the Navigation page and check out the locations!

FOR NEW PLAYERS:

When characters emerge from their cocoon/the ground, characters may be wearing their normal clothes, or they might be nude. Up to you!

At some point in the days after leaving the Tree of Life, new Shard-Bearers will have a dream, even if they're usually not capable of sleeping. All new players should read this post, since this details how they'll learn about both factions and their goals and should help them make a decision in which Faction they'd be drawn to.

New characters will not have access to any canon abilities on the TDM.

Your character will be offered temporary housing either at the Heliopolis district or Yima's manor for the first few weeks after their arrival. They will also be given a stipend for basic supplies like clothing and personal effects, and food is served in the cantina (Heliopolis) and at regular meal times in the Dining Room (Yima's manor). Once they Harmonize, they will get personal permanent chambers and a fancy retainer in their Faction's city. Wow! 🌈

CODING

Comments

[sterngaze]

[Buddy…

Liem understands the siren call of nice curtains, but if this man is new, he’s assuming he will also want to spend his stipend on things like… clothes. And judging by his curtains standards, that won’t be cheap either. Heliopolis’s stipend for new arrivals is portioned for purchasing necessities — not luxuries.]

In my experience, the range of quality among Springstar goods is much more broad than in Highstorm. There are some worthy craftspeople in Springstar, but I would describe the overall standard here as — middling.

I know a place that sells curtains that would meet your stated requirements. I acquired some myself: the material is adequate, and they’re perfectly functional. The construction is a little clumsy, but it’s only apparent on close inspection.

[Perhaps that’s a deal-breaker for this guy. Liem has always been thrifty, and he spent the significant majority of his life back home sitting squarely in the “commoner” class of his country’s social strata.

But buying curtains is not a lifetime commitment; he can buy new ones later. No one has to know this man’s shame if he has mediocre curtains in his bedroom for a few months.]

[sharmat]

(the sacrifices he must make for a good sleep. he already has a difficult enough time of it, mind always racing, but even mediocre curtains will improve his chances and are therefore a necessary evil.

liem's suggestion is wise.)

I see. I suspect you speak knowledgeably to me because you have encountered a similar dilemma in the past. I honour your independence.

Where can I find the Springstar curtains? It's possible I can improve upon the construction myself.

(there's nothing a cute hemming can't fix.)

[sterngaze]

That’s gracious of you. Yes, I moved to Springstar just a few weeks ago. Functional curtains are, somehow, not viewed as a necessity by everyone here.

[Perhaps the locals are just so used to the constant daylight that it doesn’t bother them, but Liem suffers enough of it whenever he’s out of doors. He can’t imagine letting the sun flood into his bedroom at all hours as well.]

There is a shop in the Empório district called Aricy’s. It is located on Earl Street, which is just off of Providence Avenue.

I can show you there if you like.

[sharmat]

The rhythms of the body are attuned to the cycles of the twin moons. The native species must all differ fundamentally. Very interesting.

I would not mind an escort. If I am honest, it is easy for me to become lost in this sprawling place. I shall meet you at the gate to Heliopolis, and I will be waiting in red, black, and gold. These are uncommon colours among the city folk, as I have discovered on my journey here.

(his chambers are left, going there without delay.

red, black, and gold may not be the most liberal description voryn dagoth could have given, but it suffices. while he is not the sole citizen in robes, he is the sole citizen in sight wearing dark colours. students and soldiers pass him by and he pays attention to none of them in his wait for liem, eyes distant and distracted by thought.)

[sterngaze]

Then I will find you shortly.

[And he does.

Liem appears at the gate a short time after Voryn arrives, and he locates him easily enough. As he’d said, his manner of dress is distinctive against the whites and light colours favoured by many of those coming and going around Springstar’s centre. Liem heads right for him, and stops a polite distance away to get the man’s attention.

He seems to be an elf, and a formally-dressed one at that. That he would chafe at the idea of settling for common-quality goods surprises Liem not at all.]

Good day.

[The greeting comes from a trim, tidy-looking man in dark glasses, dressed in teal and bronze that seems darker than the norm for Springstar’s sun-dwelling population. Actually: all of him looks darker. Somehow, despite standing on the street in broad daylight, with not a single scrap of shadow stretching from him over the cobbles, Liem looks as if he’s standing in full shade. Not a glimmer of light reflects from his ashen skin, or gleams in the jewellery gracing his gently-pointed ears.]

You are the man I spoke with earlier, yes? My name is Liem Talbott.

[sharmat]

You've finally arrived.

(please ignore him, it's probably been like two minutes. voryn doesn't look as though he means it as harshly as it's translated, the chimer language known for being brusque. his head is lowered in a small bow to greet liem, grateful for his aid.)

Liem Talbott, I am Lord High Councillor Voryn Dagoth. (his title accompanies his name, never addressed by one without acknowledgement of the other.

liem is beheld with curiosity, silent for the moment it takes for him to identify the cause of his acquaintance's shrouded look. magic can and should be recognized by any sorcerer worth a damn, and a spell of this design is uniquely eye-catching.)

What do you call the spell that covers you now? It is clever.

[sterngaze]

[Liem is happy to return the small bow with an incline of his own head, though his brows rise a fraction when the elf introduces himself. It has been months since Liem so much as mentioned his own titles to anyone. Though he doesn't begrudge this man his use of one, introducing himself using titles bestowed by a dead church and a destroyed estate seems too morbid for Liem to float at every first meeting.

But the question, at least, is simple to answer.]

It is called protective penumbra. I learned it shortly after moving to his city, to better contend with the sunlight.

[He doesn't even really need to wear sunglasses while he's shrouded like this; the magic cuts the glare beautifully. But habit still makes him more comfortable with them on, and besides, he prefers to have them in case his spell ends while he's still outside.]

Your title is not familiar to me. How do you prefer to be addressed?

[sharmat]

(there is no further probing about the magic, but by the thoughtful expression voryn gives liem, the topic has not totally died off.) Useful. Springstar is too bright, just as I suspect Highstorm to be too dark. I would be more fond of the latter. Are you sensitive to it or does the sun damage you in some way?

(this causes quite a logistical problem. how does he maintain it all day? once it is cast, does it require a constant trickle of magicka to power? is it single-cast and therefore self-governing?

an arm is swept forward, wrist to the sky.)

Explain this to me as we make our way, and I will answer your question, too, as it is the first time anyone has cared to ask.

I am addressed by my House retainers as Lord High Councillor or Lord Voryn, as I share my family name with my brother-lords and House adherents. Lord Dagoth is less familiar and used by all the rest. (his explanation is thorough because it matters to him. earned after centuries of hard work and cleverness, voryn cannot forsake them. his family, too, relies on him to represent them, so he very proudly does.) This place cannot strip my pride from me, but I am not your lord; call me what you wish in a way that is respectful.

[sterngaze]

[Since arriving in Horos, and then here in Kenos, Liem has discussed his peculiarities with a handful of people. It is not common, even with especially nosy individuals, for anyone to take an interest in him in such a granular way. He's not entirely sure what to make of it.

Judging by the level of detail devoted to his answer, though, Liem suspects Lord High Councillor Voryn Dagoth might just be very particular — something he'd already suspected — and also very fond of conversation.

He lets the man explain his typical forms of address while he steers them both south-east, towards their destination. Although Liem is more interested in the way the elf chooses to answer his question than he is in the answer itself, he pays scrupulous attention to both, and considers as they make their way into the Empório District.]

I shall, then.

[Lord Dagoth it will be, in that case. They are about as unfamiliar as it is possible for two people to be, and he is content to keep the level of formality between them that the man seems to expect.]

The sun does not cause me harm: only discomfort and distraction. I used to venture out in it back in my own country, but I preferred to work by night when possible. [Which, obviously, is not an option here. If Liem had not found anyone to teach him this spell, he assumes that living in Springstar would have eventually caused him to wither up like a dried grape.] And of course, the land I am from had only one sun. The daylight here is more aggressive.

liem😳😳 the respect.........

[sharmat]

(oh, thank christ.

remaining unflappable is challenging when what he'd like to do is thank liem talbott bitterly for paying him an iota of respect. voryn briefly closes his eyes to listen instead. this will convey his willingness to do the same for his acquaintance in return.)

Is there the potential for a Shard-Bearer to live in Highstorm while staying true to the Meridian faction or... vice versa? (he asks, looking at the shops and passing curiosities while committing to only small turns of his head. there must also be no overeagerness in his body language, wanting to portray himself neutrally and without strong emotion.

this couldn't be further from the truth. every store containing linens and silks makes him shove his hands deeper and deeper into the sleeves of his robes.)

For you to live here in this climate is mild torture, as if it were an itch unable to be scratched. Your spell is permanent or requires little magicka to cast, I hope, or else you will fatigue yourself.

[sterngaze]

[Lord Dagoth is courteous in his observations. Liem aims a brief, sidelong glance at him, unused to this particular line of questioning, which touches so baldly on his own needs without being hostile or disapproving. It’s an experience he’s still had only a handful of times since leaving his home country, private as he’s used to being about his own life.]

It depends how much time I wish to spend out of doors, of course, but it is not generally fatiguing. The magic lasts well over an hour, and it costs me little to cast.

And admittedly, although I prefer the dark, I don’t know if I could have continued to dwell in Highstorm this late in the year. I do not know if you have been there yet, but the city has grown colder in the last few weeks than any place I’ve ever been in before. [He gives a small shake of his head, almost a shudder.] It is bitter to contend with. I do not recommend it, if you are unused to freezing climates.

[Actually it’s like five below and covered in fluffy snow most of the time. Liem is just a baby about the cold.]

But even were that not the case… It would be difficult for one attuned to Meridian to live there. I would need to return here to pursue any work with my cohorts regardless, and spending so much time in Lady Yima’s city would cause me to suffer the effects of Discord after not too long.

[sharmat]

Even the smallest and most insignificant spells can change lives. (liem's spell is serving its purpose, which is all that it ever needed to do. voryn likes the practicality of it and finds that idle talk of magic and the weather is normal enough to get him nodding along in agreement.

sleeves are swept away from wrists in a grand explanatory gesture.)

My home receives warm southerly winds and lies at the foot of an active volcano, and both keep the temperature mild to hot year-round. Snow is rare if there is snow at all. I have not yet visited Highstorm to experience its climate, but I will take your cautionary words under advisement, (voryn concludes. he isn't fond of cold places, but if snow were to fall from the sky instead of ash and acidic rain, it would be beautiful—wouldn't it?

red eyes slide back to liem, considering highstorm and considering yima.)

Have you been subjected to a great amount of Discord accumulation? I have heard that the experience is... unpleasant.

[sterngaze]

[Oh — a fellow southerner. Finally, someone who won't look him in the eye while he's bundled up against the chill and tell him "it's not that cold." None of Liem's fellow shard-bearers seem nearly as bothered by the cold as he is, which has made him a little nervous about how much colder it might become in Highstorm as the winter progresses.]

Yes, it can be quite shocking when one transitions from one island to the other. It rarely snowed in my country, also, so navigating it took some getting used to.

[He's not going to mention the two (!!) separate occasions he ended up completely mired in a snowdrift because he hadn't realized snow could pile up into dunes like that. This nice elf doesn't need to know about that. Instead he takes them left at an intersection and lets thoughts of too much snow pass from his mind.]

I've endured low levels of it for much of my time here. It doesn't accumulate quickly in the normal course of things, but I find the process of getting it reduced… inconvenient.

[Read: he's uncomfortable with the inherent vulnerability involved in the purification process, so he put off addressing it for almost three whole months rather than find someone to gently hold his hand for a while.]

Discord affects people differently depending on their affiliation, though, and to the best of my knowledge it is not usually something that the unaligned accumulate.

[sharmat]

A warmer robe would suffice, perhaps, and a pair of new boots. There is much that I need. I will be aligning with Meridian as soon as I am able. (the decision was a simple one. he would not abandon the ancestral home of lord nerevar and his own family. not for all the tea in akavir.) Opportunities will open up because of this. And should I experience the effects of Discord sooner than most of the rebirthed due to my sudden dedication, then that is simply how it shall be.

(it makes him think again about the tree of life. the dream it shared with him, the knowledge that was planted inside of his mind, contained a loving warning, of that he's certain. perhaps it has something to do with discord. perhaps...

liem keeps his full attention now, much to the displeasure of passersby that have to split to allow them to pass, and they come upon the shop as they near the end of their topic. he looks wryly amused by something said and it creases in the corners of his eyes.)

Is it inconvenient? At the forum, I spoke to several about Discord. Touch is the best method for alleviating buildup and the symptoms therein, is it not? Are you averse to this? Because of your sensitivity perhaps.

[sterngaze]

[Liem envies anyone who could be comfortable in frosty weather in just a warmer robe and a pair of boots, but he doesn’t raise an objection to Lord Dagoth’s suggestion. Perhaps that will suffice for him, despite his professed familiarity with a hotter climate.]

Then we will be colleagues.

[This seems to please Liem, despite the provisional nature of his own dedication to Meridian — something he’s admitted outright to some of the other shard-bearers he’s met. He has spent most of his long life living for the sake of his countrymen and his church, and having no others around him now to regard as his own people weighs on him heavily. He misses the feeling of being a cog moving in the service of some greater working.

The store that they arrive at looks modest from the front, though its depths will indeed turn out to be filled with a seemingly endless amount of different drapes. It is a painfully middle-class shop on a painfully middle-class street, a street filled with conveniences rather than luxuries, for the thronging masses of Springstar who need decent curtains and dishware and clothing and cleaning supplies and whatever else to go about their busy lives. Liem leads them right to it as he talks, and he holds the door for his companion without any hesitation at all, so used to the courtesy that it doesn’t distract him even slightly from the flow of conversation.]

With other shard-bearers, yes. Those of a suitable Aspect. [He meets Lord Dagoth’s amusement with a neutral tilt of his head, having long since become used to explaining away his aversion to touching people with his bare skin.] Mine is just a personal preference, though you could say my sensitivity to the sun is not unrelated. The country where I lived originally was home mostly to humans, especially those in my church or among the aristocracy, so by habit I’ve become used to avoiding more than incidental contact.

[sharmat]

(voryn sweeps past liem and into the shop, accustomed to having his way cleared by those who serve him. while he notices it, as he notices most things, he makes no effort to bring attention to the courtesy, simply remembers it for another time.

inside, his eyes are preoccupied. there are many styles that call for his attention, but pattern and quality are what he looks for when he ignores the greeting of the worker at the back to feather through large swaths of cloth. the gratuitous use of voryn's fingers to admire or pull back from materials that attract him perfectly reflects his opinion on their conversation.)

Then you have experienced human prejudice, as you are quite clearly inhuman, (he speaks praisingly, pulling his hands along the edges of a crimson curtain gilded gold to drape it along the length of his body. it's demonstrative, asking liem a nonverbal question: yay or nay?) You must speak to me of your religion and the duties you had in your world, for I am curious about your beliefs and skills. Are you of elven descent?

[sterngaze]

[Only in this context, from this clearly non-human man, would Liem ever take "you are quite clearly inhuman" as anything resembling a compliment. The strange, ashen pallor of his skin is less obvious while he's cloaked like this in permanent shadow, and his eyes are currently hidden behind his typical dark lenses, but some people are simply more perceptive than others. Obviously Lord Dagoth is one of the former.

Liem doesn't respond immediately, looking instead at the drape of fabric the taller man holds against his body.]

Bold, [he says. It's very at odds with the popular colour scheme of many of Springstar's interior spaces. He'd need to redecorate his entire room to ensure it didn't clash.

He adds, a little hesitantly,] I am not; my parents were of human blood, although I was born different from both. My inheritance is supernatural in origin.

[Experience with this man so far leads Liem to suspect this will not be the end of his curiosity, but he nevertheless attempts to move the conversation along from this topic.]

My affiliation is to Abadar, who is the god of cities, law, and commerce. He was worshipped in many countries and by many races of my world as a patron of civilized progress, and I served him for many years by seeking out and addressing barriers of such progress, particularly to outlying communities.

[sharmat]

(bold in a bad way, not bold in a good way. voryn hums to himself, feathering touch over the tassels that hang from the curtain's binding ropes. bold he's never minded, but if it's not to visitors' tastes, then what's the point? it has to be appealing.

removing himself from the curtain, voryn takes liem's advice and keeps searching.)

You turned out rather stately for someone born from human parents, (he replies, forcing liem to experience another microaggression.) I should like to know how your genetics changed so drastically—did you know that there are gods for everything?

(the interruption of his own thought is droll, and voryn smirks at liem to express his wryness. while he would never look down on others for worshipping something he does not, secular of mind and heart, there is still the tone of someone who is intolerant of how fucking many gods there are. reality is much bigger than anyone anticipated.)

This is a unique god to be affiliated with, however. Most seek power and status through worship, or wild pleasures and so forth. It sounds as though you like good business and a firm set of traditions. I can understand and appreciate this.

[sterngaze]

[Liem attempts to accept the compliment of stately without focusing overmuch on his companion’s obvious disdain for the human race. He wants to protest that his human lineage is far nobler and more respectable than the unliving influence responsible for his inhuman features or graceful bearing, but he doesn’t wish to get into an argument over something so personal and broadly irrelevant as his personal lineage. Instead, he just inclines his head soberly towards him in polite acknowledgement, as he has countless times with gentry and bureaucrats of his own country, and allows the subject to pass without comment.]

It would be stranger to me if there were only one, or none at all.

[Liem knows that such is the case in the worlds of certain residents of Kenos, and the concept seems impossibly foreign to him. He would like to imagine that at least in those worlds there are no religious wars, but unfortunately his knowledge of both history and religion is such that he can’t seriously entertain that idea.]

Abadar is the patron of wealth, so certainly people turn to him in the hopes that he will increase their fortunes. But he is a stern and sensible god, so the frivolous would find it difficult to stay in his favour.

Are you a religious man, Lord Dagoth?

[sharmat]

(curtains are passed by, some looked at with disdain for their embroidery or colour. voryn's hand hovers where he can feel their material as he passes by, and he stops at one whose velvet has seduced his fingers into grasping it in hand with a flap of its hem. sturdy, reliable—it's more mahogany than a truer red, but it looks richer than most while remaining affordable.

this one is offered out for liem to not only look at but touch, and voryn watches him patiently over the draping fabric.)

I would call myself spiritual, Talbott, sooner than I could call myself religious. My family is secular, unaffiliated with gods that tend to become meddlesome when too much attention is given to them. Our worship is for our ancestors and for philosophies and the sciences. (this explains a lot on its own, but voryn does not begrudge liem his beliefs. no, if he were to do that, he would be insulting someone who was very dear to him.

his eyes lower to the curtain's thick rope, wondering if he'll ever use it to let natural light into his chambers. unlikely.)

"Stern and sensible"... You seem to share his qualities. Though we are not well-acquainted, you have not treated me with disrespect as some others have done. Is solicitude also a tenet of your faith?

[sterngaze]

[Liem, still with a mind to completing the objective he volunteered his company for, is attentive to Voryn’s browsing even as their conversation drifts on through unrelated waters. He reaches out to rub his fingertips over the mahogany-red fabric, examining the stitching of the hems and hefting it to assess the weight of the cloth.]

I see. Religion has brought your people grief, then?

[The position became familiar enough to him during his higher studies, when he was seeking entry to Abadar’s priesthood. Atheists were not common in his own country, but the nation of Rahadoum, across the Inner Sea, was known for its long history of forbidding religious practices: a history born from a terrible, bloody religious civil war that had previously wracked the nation.]

I’m sorry to hear that your experiences in this place have been soured thus.

[He doesn’t have enough ego to preen in the glow of Voryn’s praise, but some of the feathers quietly ruffled by the discussion of his lineage smooth back down.]

Abadar does encourage his faithful to foster communication and understanding, as discord leads to conflict, and conflict is the enemy of trade. But also, my life for the past century has been spent in service to others, in one way or another, and I find myself now away from all of my duties. It pleases me to be of assistance.

[He looks up from the thoroughly examined curtain.]

I like this colour. The fabric, as well.