Closed Books RPG

[BhelliomBlue-Rose]

The grin hadn't returned, having faded to a sheathed smirk, but fire flickered behind golden eyes.
Nodding first to Olive, then to Jay, it looked very much like a cat that's just found a bowl of fresh cream.
"Don't really know how to summon things, but breakin' 'em to your will's a different matter.
Domination, now, that's somethin' I can actually help with."
Just had some practical experience, after all.
Shaking his head, the Rider muttered something under his breath.
Her problems lay more with direction of thought than power, which she held in suits above spades.
Whoever taught her had been trying to pile on advanced capability without the requisite basics.
"Prob'ly a survival deal at the time, but that's problem enough now."

Luckily, the spellsword had potent backup for a safety net if things went wrong.
Jay was no pushover, even for some of the higher-end demons.
Though the proper equipment for that sort of opponent didn't happen to be on his person, improvisation seemed a fitting strong suit...
"...When you summon, you can't just raise up something completely different from you. You ain't Apocalypse; ain't nearly so miserable. That's probably what she draws on to command demons, who'll never admit it.
If there's nothing in you that's like what you called, then you've got no hold on it. What part of yourself are you calling from? How are you like the being? If you can't understand the parts that are the same, then there's no basis to your command.
If you seek to master others, you must master first yourself."

The grateful smile was on both faces as their yellow guide bowed to the female.
"धन्यवाद मित्र। इन अजनबियों से सावधान रहें, क्योंकि उनके पास एक दुर्गा की प्रवृत्ति है।"
A warning could not possibly come amiss, with these folk talking of heaven and violence.
The face at the back, facing the travelers, spoke the stilted common tongue instead.
"She will guide. 'Ware Masters of Karma, might bar your way.
Go with Brahma."
Conquest watched him as he left, still pondering Olive's difficulties.
Something still nagged at the friendly resident's thought; it could be clearly seen by the expression on the retreating face.
Perhaps he'd left something active at home?
As they turned to the tower stretching up into the center of the sky, the plain-faced horseman nodded to their new guide.
"Much appreciated, niece."

(Thank you friend. Beware of these strangers, as they have the tendency of a Durga.)

_________________________________________________

Of course, Noire was good for getting Glory back into involvement.
Which is to say, low-key furious. Just now, that was his default setting.
That will not work!
That does not work!
You still can't ******** hear me, human!
That at least one person around could definitely translate for him rather slipped his attention.

Now that she had eaten of his food, the ascetic had no compunctions against taking some himself.
Those formidable ivories made short work of rawhide-tough hardtack, gnawing easily through the stuff.
("May I pose my own question?
To what point and purpose do you seek this book?" )
Where there had been wariness before, there was peace and naked curiosity.
Kaliyah had run afoul of that most insidious of mortal diseases, friendship.
Sharing food was a clear sign of this, in such a limited-resource society.

An iron-shod hoof pawed at the ground, the eyes on that leg flicking nervously about.
...Right, fine, whatever. Crow didn't hit far wrong.
I just know there's only two Sanskara Firstborn, and that there's three Spheres piddling about space.
If they divided themselves into shards, with the three biggest of each taking on the role of a god or somethin', then that might be possible.
Was never much that sort couldn't do, back in the day. It's to do with fractal natures, I remember.  

[lovebrookelyn]

Crow listened carefully to the communications before her.
When offered food, she took it gratefully, dipping her head in respect to the (what she assumed to be) monk.
Grabbing the pouch that hung from her waist, comprised mostly of fabric that appeared to be leaf-like.
She opened it and presented the monk with a small assortment of food, nothing spectacular.
A few beans and seeds rested at the bottom of her pack, three pieces of dried brown meat, and two aged fruits.
Unsure what the species eat, she let him select his choice.
It was customary for her to offer food in return for food, as with many cultures it signified peace and, on occasion, friendship.

"This original pair, are they fueled by this ritual?" She asked, gesturing to the sky where the souls had been collected.
"This is how the deities make more of their people?"  

[cosmos_rose]

Have rough draft ready. Will post tomorrow!  

[cosmos_rose]

The Assassin of Chaos

Olive looked up towards the sky and focused on the geometrical shapes of the buildings on the other side of the sphere. Mindlessly, for a moment there, as she contemplated what the others were saying about her magical abilities.
Her magical training had been...lacking.
But Olive had never really minded.
What she lacked in magical prowess she made up for in regular combat.

When Jay commented, his voice brought her out of her trance and made her chuckle.
She smiled at him, and brushed some of her hair behind her ears.
"Awww...You'd pulverise a demon senselessly for me?
Even a demon lord??
That's sweet... <3"


Behind his ear, his little shapeshifter continued to speak in her soft, arachni voice.
"UHM NO. I am a powerful demi-god Jay.
Not yah dang draft horse.
I wanna shed blood too you know! I'm just like you! "

Before the other Sansara left, the woman would acknowledge with a simple head nod. In case any of these travelers knew their tongue, she did not wish to offend with a response.

"Niece."
For perhaps the tiniest fraction of a second, the Sansara halted, as if she might've understood that word. As if she might've understood what Conquest was suggesting.
But to the common eye, she didn't seem to respond at all.
Merely she continued to look at Conquest and the others innocently, as she waited for them to go past her.
She would even smile at Conquest, as if she thought that maybe he was thanking her in his tongue or something of the likes.

Abeline would glance back and forth between her dear friend and the Sansara.
That was kind of odd of him to say-unless...
She would focus more of her attention on the Sansara, looking for any minute details she might've missed when the Sansara first introduced herself.
Like, perhaps, galaxy ridden eyes.
To Abeline though, they just appeared a dull green color.
Nothing on this Sansara gave hint of the mischievous Nephalem.

"I'll go first." Abeline spoke softly as she brushed shoulders with Conquest.
It may be best if a Princess meets a princess first, right?
I also speak the tongue a bit."
Passing the Sansara, she tried to sense any odd vibes.
But there were none.

She made her way into the tower first, and began to climb the long stairwell upwards.

---------------------------------------------

"You have made the horse unhappy." Kaliyah simply translated to Noire.
In her comfort, the dragon chiefs tail would curl up on her lap as she partook another bite of the offered meal.
When Crow offered even more food, that made her feel...confused? Guilty?
Oravians did not show friendship through the gesture of food.
Between tribes, friendship and loyalty was shown through the marriage or even better, by offering worthy warriors.
Btu between the common folk, like when one entered anothers home, respect was often shown by the passing of alcoholic beverages.

To Brookes and the Monks question, she could not answer obviously.
She looked to Noire for translation.

Hey Horse, why can you not translate for this monk?
You are a godly being, are you not?  

[The Assassin of Chaos]

"Sure - I'll bea the devil outta him, no guarantees!" Jay joked, hands on hips and sharktooth grin returning. Devils might not exactly fear him, but he'd sure as hell give them a run for their souls. Money? What'd they use for currency again...?

"Then be like Glory or something? I dunno, a unicorn or a massive spider could work too."

---

"Aww..." Noire replied sadly, sadly sagging her shoulders in sadness. She was sad.
She'd made a horse sad.
"Haaa... दुनिया को बचाना। यह भी कि गैल -" She pointed to Crow at this point, "- जानना चाहता है कि क्या आपके द्वारा की गई चीज उस शक्ति / ब्रह्म जोड़ी को अधिक लोगों को बनाने में मदद करती है।"

(Saving the world. Also that gal - - wants to know if the thing you did helps that Shakti/Brahma pair to make more people.)  

[BhelliomBlue-Rose]

If Conquest had meant to provoke a major reaction, then that had been a poor piece of timing.
If he'd just said that to rattle their guide, it might've worked.
If the guess proved correct, that little doubt might help anyway.
"Much as I like you both, Jay, Nerien, let's be honest here.
Glory is a unique flavor of dickishness. Even I can't really do that."
He'd let his friend go first, extending the arm towards the structure and bowing mockingly until she'd passed.
Once passed, he'd sweep up the half-mile staircase behind her, white robe fluttering in the drama.

The tower's interior... It would be small praise to call it majestic or beautiful.
Massive as the outside was, up close, the insides could only be described as cavernous, like to a grand cathedral, if such things were grown on the scale of thin mountains.
It was like a huge underground system of caverns had been relocated and organized aboveground.
Technically, they were still going in the same direction as most subterranean pockets, towards the center.
The whole thing, when one took the time to think about it, was designed along the same lines of a conventional planet, simply inward-facing.
Of course, when one knew what was actually going on there, the mind tended to rebel and seek refuge behind the impossibility of the whole damn thing, so there was that.

Robed Sanskara scurried about within, the whole place operating under the same subjective gravity of the Sphere itself.
Each wall held alcoves, and the curved surfaces meant that down was towards whatever surface was nearest your feet, usually to the outside.
In most places, the work involved shuffling vast quantities of paper around, loose or in bound books.
Every so often, one of the alcoves held a different station, be it chemical, clerical, military or culinary in nature.
One thing that a sharper nose might note the absence of would be blood.
The subtle tang of metal was gone here, replaced by the scent of lotus flowers.
Thus far, they had not been challenged only because of the bustle and immensity.
Several figures approaching in unison looked to be working on a remedy for that...
___________________________________________________

The monk selected a pair of beans, crunching them in his formidable teeth.
These and a salt crystal crossed his tongue, along with a small piece of hardtack.
Despite clearly being designed for predation, he'd been avoiding the meat.
( "I know what she said, twisted one.
She is using the Mantra of Tongues." )
He seemed in no hurry to take an answer for his own curiosity.
Likely, it would come in time. He had the look of one happy to wait all day.

Several eyes swiveled around to stare at Kaliyah.
You! I...! ...s**t, I forgot!
Not even sure if Crow or he can hear me, really.
Our comms are all over the place here.
Snorting at Noire, the horse considered their situation.
Perhaps a minute passed, and he would begin relaying what was said so that the last person wasn't out of the loop.

Their new Sanskara friend was still explaining, sketching odd diagrams of light in the air with his fingers.
( "We sustain ourselves this way, yes.
Brahma and Shakti were/are the original beings.
We are each aspects and dreams of those two, even the Trimurti who are our Lords: Brahma, Shiva, Vishnu for one, and Saraswati, Parvati, Lakshmi for the other.
But the Wheel turns life, turns the world. We choose to live in the dream, so we must keep the dream from going still.
Every one that rides the wheel keeps it spinning." )  

[cosmos_rose]

I will be posting tomorrow  

[cosmos_rose]

The Assassin of Chaos

Abeline protested Conquest's jest by playfully hitting him as she walked past him.

Behind the Princess and the Horseman there was the soft sound of Vasieya's bare feet pit pattering as she scurried to keep up with them. And behind that, was the sound of Olive's clumsy boots walking calmly behind.

Inside the temple, the three girls would each find themselves feeling dizzy as they tried to make sense of the place. Abeline gazed up so high that she nearly tumbled backwards, and Olive nearly bumped into one of the nearby Sanskara as she tried to process everything.
Vasieya was the only one of the girls who noticed the unfriendly figures walking towards them.
With ease, she would casually place herself in between these Sanskara and the others. And when they were within range, she looked up at them innocently.
"It seems we have company who may not want us here." She would warn the others.

Abeline stiffened, and looked towards wherever Vasieya was looking.
With the tower lacking the scent of Iron, Abeline thought it might be safe to assume for now that these Sanskara could be convinced to react nonviolently.
"नमस्ते." She would greet them.
"हमें घुसपैठ के लिए खेद है।"

Olive waited, and held her hands behind her back nonchalantly.
Jay had just promised her that he'd fight demons for her, and what more could a girl want from a guy?
Content, she smiled and watched as Abeline attempted to calm the Sanskara down.

As for Nerien, she snickered at Jay as she reveled at him being told by Conquest.
"See? You'd much prefer a more useless, but kind me."

(Hello.
We are sorry for intruding.)
-------------------------------------------------------------

Kaliyah decided to take dibs, since no one else had, and was soon tearing some of the meat between her teeth.
While she chewed, she listened to Glory's translations.
The information was interesting and unique, but soon she found herself becoming restless by all this talking.
The Sansara had not given them the answers they asked for.
He was happy to tell them about the culture of his people, but he seemed hesitant to help them with the book.
Kaliyah was beginning to have suspicions as to why....

"Someone tell him our purpose." She demanded,
"Which, from what I understand, is to bring balance to our world.
And to keep the universe going for a little while longer."

Full from the meal, Kaliyah swalled the last of the food that she would partake.
In her lap, her tail twitched sharply in anxiousness as she felt ready to move on.
"Tell him that if we do not find what we need, then there will no longer be such a thing as reincarnation."  

[lovebrookelyn]

At the sound of her name, Crow's face turned towards the horse.
She squinted.
It was a little known fact that her name needed to be said in the foreign tongue a few times before the spirits would grant her the knowledge to understand.
Her eyes looked perplexed over the creature.
She thought for a moment she heard a muffled voice in the back of her mind.

Shaking the thoughts away, Chief refocused her mind.

"Our world is dying. We need to bring balance," She explained.
"We were sent here in our quest to find this balance.
And I think it may have something to do with your world and your deities," Crow said.  

[BhelliomBlue-Rose]

All of the beings were (probably) Sanskara, given their height.
Swathed in drab robes, rough cloth concealed whatever differences might otherwise identify them.
The seven stopped in a crescent arc, steps perfectly in unison.
Four of the figures peeled away to separate locations at the words.
Of the three remaining, the leftmost was the one that spoke, the accent odd but recognizably their tongue.
...Or at least, they could each understand it.
Each visitor would hear the language with which they were most familiar.
Abeline would, obviously, hear Oravian, as would Conquest.
Vaseiya heard the creak and rustle of trees that was the speech of the elders of her kind.
Olive and Nerien would hear Nyllednian, Jay might well hear English for the first time in millennia, and so on.

"You are known to us, trespassers.
The Hall of Karma is not for you to tread.
Turn and leave in peace."
The voice, no matter the language, rang low and cold as stone.
White cloth rustled as Conquest took a single step forward, near-instinctively challenging.
The middle turned to him, hood seeming to look at all of them at once.
This one fell like snow, soft and, if possible, more deeply freezing in tone.
"Lord of Light. Queen of Ice. Master of States. God-Beast. Heir to Shadow. Stone-Keeper.
You are all known to us.
Your karma is found wanting.
Turn and leave in peace."
______________________________________________

Clearly, the monk preferred to keep a leisurely pace.
Since all came to the same end in time, surely time was the same for all.
("Balance, alas, is not our concern along, but held by all the Spheres.
Our part is creation, and its' furtherance.
...I have not seen it myself, but sometimes, Brahma commissions a dance called The Book of the Heavens. It takes some thirty days and nights without rest to complete.

The dancers, if they return in their current incarnations, are changed. They understand a fragment of the... I suppose you would call it the text of that Book.
It may not be the object itself, but it may be an accounting of its' pages.")
Their friend would take salt and food only when the others had done so, but the meagre feast had nearly disappeared already.
Four bellies made for light provisions.
Balance is certainly a word you've said.
Apart from translation duties, Glory hadn't found anything to invest himself in here.
Well. Apart from Kaliyah nearly flipping her s**t and Noire, of all people, sitting her the ******** down.
In hindsight that had been hilarious.
Did. Did Crow just hear me?
Could you hear me the whole time?
...That's ******** up, lady.  

[The Assassin of Chaos]

"I did mean form, but point taken..." Jay snarked back.
Wait, he wasn't paying attention to where they were. Are they in a tower now? Place looks sick. Like an grater.
"... Holy **** that's English." In English, of course.
Like... holy crap. Picking up Nyllednian was a pain in the butt... but this guy just knew his language? Wait, he was the only human besides Noire... and she's a junkie. How'd he...?
Right now, Jay was a little too distracted trying to figure out why the hell someone else knew his English to answer back to either Nerien or the Sanskara properly.

---

"Oh OK cool, I guess I'll just... sit wherever.. like right here," Noire decided, still slightly saddened by the fact she made the horse sad.
OK maybe she was a little higher than normal.
She'd probably sulk for now, forgetting to translate for everyone.  

[cosmos_rose]

The Assassin of Chaos

For a brief moment, Abeline was taken back by the sound of the Oravian tongue. She hadn't ever expected a Sanskara, among all people, to know the language of her people. That was her first thought anyways, before she remembered that Dhurva, her old partner, had been able to speak her tongue as well.

Staying behind Conquest, she responded to the mysterious figure in her draconic tongue.
"We wish no harm, but we seek the Shakti.
We are attempting to save all worlds from untimely demise."

Vasieya meanwhile was looking at these Sanskara in awe. How would a being such as that speak the language of tree's? She was sure that no other race had met her people before (and survived), other than Galet, The Mountain God who jumped between stars. Perhaps, she thought, these were also beings who had powers such as he. As tempted as she was to ramble off to the Sanskara by asking him the thousand questions she had in her mind, she instead kept her lips still.
The Petrified Angel stepped closely to Conquest's side and touched shoulders with him. Her gaze remained fixated on the Sanskara before them as she whispered to the rider.
"Be on your guard. I do not like ze looks of zese people.
It must be by some dark magic or somezing zat zey know our languages."


Heir to Shadow makes me sound a lot cooler than I actually am.
Olive admitted to herself in thought.
While it was strange to hear the tongue of her people from these weird manifold armed people, she wasn't too worried just yet.
"Bruh." Was all she could really manage to say.

"I'd really would prefer not to be called a BEAST." The little spider voiced from Jay's shoulder. "I'm really quite too dainty for that adjective."

------------------------

Kaliyah's tail flickered impatiently in her lap.
She was doing her best to be a delegate, but dragons had neither good charisma or good patience. Even Abeline, as unoravian as she tried to be, often showed these traits.

"Tell him to tell us where and when this 'dance' occurs and if we might find it ourselves. Or ask him how we might obtain the texts or find his Brahma."
The chieftain rose from the ground and then scanned her surroundings, checking to see if her dracolisk had wandered somewhere nearby.
When it was clear that it hadn't, Kaliyah would place two fingers in her mouth and blow.

From there, she would give her mount a moment to arrive.  

[The Assassin of Chaos]

(i've posted before cosmos, so uh... i'll pass for the minute)  

[cosmos_rose]

lovebrookelyn

 

[cosmos_rose]

BhelliomBlue-Rose