Summary:With great effort, Imrama, Zahara and Lucent convince Atomnos to aid them in their cause.
XP:C4, I4, L4, S4, V4, Z4
Tags:< We Have Stopped The Poison | Sol Invictus Logs | A Web of Rebirth >
The great titan Atomnos lies, beaten and almost dead -- but with the ancient corpse that poisoned him now dissolved and Spring on hand to preserve his life with Essence, not quite all the way dead.
In the half-destroyed water-chamber where the Solars first encountered the great Primordial, Spring now sits in the center with a small black rock, currently the most impressive manifest form the Maker can bring to bear for conversation, waiting for his friends to join him.
Imrama Through the use of the Out-of-Nowhere Maneuver, the Fable of the Reconstruction arrives in the chamber seemingly from behind one of the main support pillars. Imrama stands on the prow as the great skyship plows towards Spring and the rock that is Atomnos. As his craft pulls to an abrupt stop, Imrama leaps to the floor of the great hall, and bows to his friend and the dwindled Primordial.
Spring "How was the trip?"
z follows Imrama down at a more sedate pace.
Lucent "Disgusting."
Spring "Did you bring me anything?'
z "Oh it wasn't all bad, was it Luc?" Zahara asks him innocently.
Cerin "A postcard," Cerin shows him one of the smaller completed sketches.
Spring "Thank you." Spring eats it.
Spring "Atomnos is feeling very, very slightly better."
Lucent Walks to Spring, picks some disgusting black ooze from his armor and plops it down his hand. "Here."
Spring "Thank you." Spring eats it.
Imrama comes closer to the rock and makes a complicated motion of obeisance, as taught to him by Isabel. "Salutations, Great Maker. My friends and I are pleased you have not died."
Lucent ::Woe betide the woman who ever kisses Spring.:: Lucent feels quite sick at the sight.
The rock rattles back and forth in a relatively pathetic fashion. spare me.... the... mockery, comes a rather small mechanical and disembodied voice that seems to emanate from within the rock.
Spring "Too late.
Lucent "No mockery. You are one of the creators of existence as we know it, one of its basic building blocks. All of our creations honor you, Maker."
Imrama "I do not mock you, Lord of the Crucible. I would speak with you, and your demise would interfere with that."
The rock rattles back and forth in what could almost be taken as a cute fashion. you... stole from me... and now return... when i sit at the edge of the abyss...
Spring '"We need your help."
The rock laughs weakly.
Lucent "We did what we had to do. To save Creation. Like we have to save you. Why do you think we did it, Maker? Because it amused us? Remember Nyx's torments. He would have inflicted it on Meru had we not stolen the seal."
z "Though technically it WAS rightfully ours."
AtomnosRock rolls back and forth on the dais. misused... what you took, it says. laid waste... to meru. could no longer be trusted with it... The rock pauses then, for a moment. such as you could not need help from such as i
Varanim ::If you people are quite finished down there, we have hilarious metaphysical fuckery ahead,:: Varanim notes from inside the ship where she's been quote-unquote resting her eyes.
Lucent "What do you mean, Atomnos? We restored Meru to its old form. It doubled in size and wonder, how can that be called 'waste'?"
Imrama Aboard the Fable, another Imrama steers the ship about, preparing to plunge back into the Seven Leagues of the Looking Glass. "Next stop: Lethe!"
AtomnosRock before, whispers says the rock. you. suns. misused your gifts. it spins a little in place, then the other way. children
Cerin starts to meander Fable-ward.
Spring "Apprently I must be going."
Spring saunters towards the Fable.
Lucent ::Good luck! Try not to eat Lethe. Please.::
Lucent "We were arrogant. All children are. We have grown."
Lucent "But unlike all other children to take to Meru, there was one thing we never did."
Lucent "We never stopped respecting you. We never stopped praising you."
z touches the seal on its chain around her neck. ::I trust you can handle the negotiations?::
AtomnosRock is a tiny remnant of a bitter, wounded old being, and not one who is quick to forgive -- but simultaneously, not one that has ever had much call to develop the skill of taking praise with a critical eye. The rock preens, a little.
Lucent ::Zee, could you lie to save our lives?::
z ::Lying isn't hard, why?::
Lucent ::Tell him he inspired your works! You are the best crafter in Creation currently, you know.::
Lucent ::I can illustrate your works.::
z ::sigh::
z "You are the font of all crafts, and even I look to you when designing my finest creations. Well, when you were bigger at least."
Lucent ::... you could have made it sound a little less grudging, Empress.::
Lucent gives form to Zahara's creations: the Cascade, her airships, the Essence-collars, all floating as images in the air when she speaks of creations!
z ::You didn't specify!::
AtomnosRock The rock turns a quarter-turn counter-clockwise. a fact that far too many in your world have forgotten it says. i wrought the very birth of the creative act into the fabric of this universe... It goes on a little, briefly lost in the reminiscence of the very elderly.
Lucent "We never forgot. The Dragons who ruled the world believed it to come from Pasiap. Can you blame us for fighting with all our might to bring the old Deliberative's truths back to their world?"
Imrama "And many are the grand constructions that have followed from that original act, as echoes of your musing brilliance. We have come to speak with you of restoring one of the great marvels of existence, now fallen into disrepair."
AtomnosRock restoration of the old and broken is a virtuous act, the rock says, transparently.
z "And one which we are exceedingly good at."
Imrama "Indeed. To find and renew the greatness that was lost in the Second Age continues to be the great mission of our Circle."
Imrama "But there is one mighty jewel of the ancients that we have been unable to restore. It is a puzzle beyond our solving, yet we believe that it lies within your means."
Lucent "The gates are broken. The death of our tormentor, Nyx, has lost all Planes devoid of their communication. We seek your help in opening the gates again, to bring all in contact, so the people of all planes can once again interact. So the world you brought forth is once again connected in its totality... and you can once again receive guests, craftsmen from all existence who wish to learn at the foot of the master."
AtomnosRock The rock twists slowly first in one, then the other direction, before stopping to pause in thought for a long, long moment.
z "We have assisted those of your people who were trapped on Meru, but I am sure they would love to be able to return home to you."
AtomnosRock we chose isolation, it says. separation from the world beyond. our kind are separate, now... my people different from those who did not journey He spins back. restoration of contact.... it says, suspiciously.
z "It has been a long time since you have seen the changes in the other worlds. Perhaps it is time to rediscover your creations."
Lucent "You could send Malakim as your heralds. To bring you images, and take the chosen from those realms to learn with you."
AtomnosRock shakes its... self? too far, it says. the great works are best done in a laboratory far from all eyes. it twists at an unusual angle. those here cannot re-adapt to meru. those in meru cannot learn to dwell here.
z "You could make it so."
z "If you need help, I can offer advice, of course."
Imrama "Restored commerce need not necessarily lead to an exchange of populations. If you wish to remain apart, we will honor your choice. But, from what little I know of the Great Work, I understand that it hinges upon the unique natures and processes inherent to the various planes. To achieve its apex, will you and your people not require access to these places?"
AtomnosRock The rock's attention perks up at Imrama's mention. what.... do you know?
Imrama "Very little, really. I have been initiated into the Hexatic Insights of the Magical Materials." Imrama tosses his Jade hair with one Starmetal fingernailed hand, opens his Orichalcum lips wide and licks his Soulsteel teeth with his Moonsilver tongue, and blinks his Adamant eyes. "And of course, I have read the catechism of the Twelve Processes."
AtomnosRock The rock's attention grows a little more rapt. With a vast world to monitor and but a fraction of a Primordial's attention span with which to watch it, Atomnos did not notice until now just what Imrama had done in pursuit of Atomnosi alchemical knowledge.
AtomnosRock It rolls over itself three times, then turns to "face" Imrama. the great work, it says. the most important task in all of the worlds
AtomnosRock It pauses in consideration for a very long moment. if i perish, the work will be for naught. i must live to complete it. you must grant back to me my full power...
Imrama "As I have said, our great purpose is to restore the greatness that has been lost to the world."
AtomnosRock spins on its axis. we must be reborn... the experiment MUST RESUME
AtomnosRock At this moment, the rock begins to quiver expectantly.
z "Then it seems you must fulfill our requests."
Imrama "We have the means to make you whole again. You have the means to restore an important piece of the infrastructure of existence. Its a win-win."
AtomnosRock The rock considers carefully.
AtomnosRock there is but one choice here it says, finally.
Lucent "For the Great Maker will Create once again."
AtomnosRock the ten million strands network shall be rebuilt.
z "So... Atomnos. Tell me more about the Great Work."
AtomnosRock sits, turning very slowly clockwise for a long moment. the great work.... is the purpose to which the world was constructed
z "What purpose is that? What will the result be?"
AtomnosRock The rock considers how best to explain itself.
AtomnosRock The rock ponders its answer. the fundamental nature of existence, it finally produces, confidently.
Lucent "So, you are trying to find out what it is?"
AtomnosRock The rock pivots a one-sixth turn counter-clockwise. we differed in our belief as to a thesis regarding it, the rock says.
Lucent "And what was your belief about the nature of existence?"
AtomnosRock The rock spins in place rapidly. place me on the podium it says, firmly.
Lucent does so with a snap of his fingers, moving the rock without having to touch it.
AtomnosRock Around the tiny rock, other, even tinier rocks, begin to spin, a pale pretense of the panoramic panoply of Primordial power that had once filled this cavernous space.
AtomnosRock Little tiny bolts of electricity crackle at a high pitch between the central rock and its miniscule satellites as they spin.
Imrama lights his pipe and watches with interest
Lucent steps closer to Imrama, watch. "Do you think that's actually an explanation?"
AtomnosRock In the tiny panorama created by the rapidly spinning rocks, a hazy image begins to form: a wide, gently rippling gray field, with a single white flower opening at its center.
Imrama "Very pretty." Imrama blows a long thin trail of orange smoke, away from the Primordial.
AtomnosRock It continues -- little white lines begin to stretch out from the flower, bending and intersecting at points that grow into their own, tinier flowers -- until finally the familiar diagram of the Map of Worlds is blooming in the spectral image.
Lucent "The origin of all Exaltations?"
zahara Zahara rolls her eyes a bit. "Not in the 'straight answer' club, I see."
AtomnosRock among many other things, says the rock from deep within the whirlwind.
AtomnosRock The view of the light-diagram pulls back to reveal other things amongst and outside the worlds: little iconographic representations, the Solars must assume, of the Primordials: tiny spheres and dragons and bones that move and group, suggesting an argument of some kind as they divide and redivide into differing factions.
AtomnosRock Finally it zooms back in -- and there are two remaining figures -- one a tiny world in miniature, standing on one side of the largest flower, and the other a rock, exactly like the rock in front of them, standing on the other.
Imrama "Two competing interpretations?"
AtomnosRock The image fades away, and the rock... nods?
Imrama "Very interesting. And what is yours?"
AtomnosRock The rock stands up on one corner as if to make a proclamation. all is flawed
Imrama "If the competing opinion is that 'everything is great', I must say that one of these is clearly more attractive than the other."
AtomnosRock The Atomnos rock lies back on its side. the world from which we came was flawed, it says. the world we have created is flawed. but some thought that it need not be so
Lucent "So you intend to find and correct the flaws? That is quite a noble goal, most divine mineral."
Imrama "Or is it that your position might better be summarized as, 'All was, is, and ever more shall be, flawed.'"
Imrama ?
zahara "Hmmm it would all be rather boring if there were no flaws to exploit."
AtomnosRock The rock angles its jagged edge to point at Imrama in agreement. all indeed
AtomnosRock we -- the rock must be feeling a little better since it's starting to slip back into the royal usage -- did not believe such flaws could be remedied. but only with a test could we be certain
Imrama "We would certainly be very interested in the outcome of such a test."
AtomnosRock then it would be to your benefit to ensure that the universe is not destroyed
zahara "You make a point I had not considered in my previous efforts to save the universe."
Imrama ::Lets add that reason to the list!::
Lucent giggles. ::You know. We actually found a completely benign elder God. It is almost cute.::
zahara ::I'm not sure about completely but aligned to our current goals, perhaps.::
AtomnosRock As if on cue, a second Fable with a second Imrama at its helm comes into sight and carefully navigates over to its partner, sailing directly into it until both ships, and both Imramas, merge into one another, leaving the distinct Solars from both ships suddenly standing together on a single deck.
< We Have Stopped The Poison | Sol Invictus Logs | A Web of Rebirth >