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Post by Althea on May 16, 2017 17:39:40 GMT -6
Ah yes. Gargoyles. Not long back she would have dismissed that claim. In the wake of Elibe going to hell in a handbasket, it was somewhat more difficult to ignore. She had been nowhere near the City of Heroes - obviously - what kind of idiot would risk their lives to fight some bandits? - but had heard enough tales of them, and seen a few monsters in her time, that by this point it was something the dark magus could simply accept without questioning. Though that did not stop her from commenting on it. Obviously. "There have been a great many strange happenings of late, have there not? Monsters, creatures from Elibe's past, returning in massive droves over the last few years. All manner of beast, seen or rumored. Whispers of even darker beings on the horizon, or attached to Hargus. And throughout it all, one constant - dark magic."
"Bern too is ill prepared to accept dark magic when it was through Hargus's profane abilities that the dead came to life and gargoyles reborn en masse, to say nothing of the legendary cyclops he created. Sacae, as best I know, is only truly fond of Anima magic. Ilia might be the one place to accept dark magic at all, and even then only as necessary, not through enlightenment - if they survive Etruria's invasion at least. Something that may be easier said than done as the wave of divine destruction spreads through it and Sacae alike." The thought struck her unbidden that a small part of her wanted to aid the defenders. To strike back. But what did she care about either country? Althea did not believe in the Sacaen savage stereotype - though she could do without the near fanatical defense of their tradition; it made burial mound excavations nigh impossible. Nor did she believe Ilians were all mercenaries with gold in place of a heart. But that did not mean she had any particular loyalty to excuse her use of her life in their defense.
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Post by Drei on May 16, 2017 18:46:30 GMT -6
"Sacae was perhaps one of the only places to accept it. Rooted in their traditions they have a strong sense of self, and hold importance to an individual. If you prove yourself worthy of their trust then they will trust you. Acceptance is easy there if you are not a cruel or foul individual. It's why my family found Sacae as their largest staple location. The easiest place to rest and call home without the fears of your neighbors or...strangers. That's what I've learned at-least. Sacae is probably the only territory I feel legitimately safe openly practicing my magic within, even in public outlets."
She was right though. So many events had happened that could be traced back to dark magic that it was easy to simply link them all to it and mar the image of it in both the current eyes of Elibe and from a historical sense. For the rest of documented history, all would know that Elder Magic had caused these great catastrophic events. There was simply no linking it to anything else realistically. That realization saddened him.
Althea mentioned the invasion, and Drei's gaze suddenly snapped up to her. He'd been out of the loop for some time sure but..what did she mean? Drei's complexion grew paler. A feat hard to comprehend but now his skin almost matched his snowy hued hair. His expression briefly bled from restrained to reality as shock visibly took him. He spoke in a somewhat soft tone as he tried to very carefully compose himself.
"What...do you mean? Has something happened in Sacae?"
He was a scholar but had primarily focused on past events. Not sociable enough to pick up on current ongoings in what back-water parts of Elibe he'd been in, few even up to date with how news spread and even at that with his time primarily be wandering place to place and only visiting tome shops for various texts concerning older events he'd never thought to inquire events concerning Etruria and its neighbors. He'd loathed the notion of hearing about Etruria in general for so long that it seemed to blind him to recent events.
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Post by Althea on May 16, 2017 19:18:39 GMT -6
Huh, the more you know. It seemed that Drei clearly had more extensive (and positive) experience with the tribal territory than she. She could speak little for the absolution of the country from personal experience, only quiet dislike and distrust of her and her magic. Certainly she had not been privileged by the trust that Drei spoke of, whether by her own failure or changing times. It was an interesting thought. And one that reminded her of her family's tenuous position in Etruria, until the Inquisition came. Either way, Althea did not trust stable locations. She had trouble really trusting anyone, frankly, but stability and sedentary life all the more.
The other shaman's question was... less than exciting to answer. Althea was used to speaking of the few continental concerns she did know of with casual unconcern. She did not have any attachments to Etruria, to Ilia, to Sacae, to Bern; what did she care who ruled them, so long as taxes were not too high and movement not too heavily impeded? It was however, clear that Drei did not quite share her notions in that regard. Perhaps due to his upbringing or at least later experiences there, she was uncertain which, he regarded it positively. And she had casually spoken of its destruction. Hoo boy. Trying to pick her words somewhat more carefully and neutrally, Althea continued. "The... Etrurian invasion branched off after subjugating much of western Ilia, marching into the plains of Sacae. Last I heard the Khans were marshaling their forces, but... I am uncertain of more recent developments."
She generally did pick her words carefully, but it was rare that she did so out of concern for others. Typically simply out of her own perfectionist tendencies. But the way Drei had reacted to the mention, Althea felt it safer to do so carefully.
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Post by Drei on May 16, 2017 21:41:43 GMT -6
Drei's fingers briefly dug into the folds of his dark hued robes. Gripping handfuls of heavy cloth so tight that his already pale knuckles bled whiter still. His eyes still shut as he quietly tried to look past this news. How could he though? It felt so...personal. His family. Their Circus. Now, his home? Even beyond his sentimentality this was truly a troubling revelation. It felt as if Etruria wished to steal all that was ever associated to him. Yet, how many times had that story been told? How many had lost as much or more because of the zealous ways of a powerful nation?
Pushing the thoughts of every place he'd ever known in Sacae engulfed in flames among a sea of corpses burned and butchered, and left to rot after they were naught but ash. His statement a calm one. Exceptionally so. As he felt himself deaden and his tone flatten completely while he tried to ensure that he did not have any sort of "moment."
"I...am glad to know of this now. Thank you. Though I feel as if Etruria seeks to truly claim everything I've ever loved..."
Yeah, really hard to keep all this in right now.
He was feeling slightly dizzy. Luckily he maintained himself. Quietly clasping his palms once more and lifting them after releasing his robe, and rubbing his thumbs to the bridge of his nose wearily while closing his eyes. Trying to focus. Trying not to let this revelation be the nail that broke him. He'd made it this far...he could keep going.
"Though I have faith that the people of Sacae will defend themselves. There are many capable warriors among many of the tribes."
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Post by Althea on May 16, 2017 22:03:25 GMT -6
Althea opened her mouth to respond, to say something kind or at least reassuring to Drei, and nothing came out. It took a moment to realize why - her brain wasn't supplying anything useful - and after another moment she shut her flapping gums in order to try to come up with anything at all. It was disappointing - no - disgusting that she truly could not empathize with him. The very idea of caring about what country got invaded was so strange to her. COMPLETELY alien until recently, when she had begun to grow somewhat attached to that village in Lycia, and then even that had been torn away from her. Whether because she deserved nothing better, or because she really did bring ruination to all around her, was not the point. But she could not help but wonder it none the less.
"Etruria has..." Yeah, that's not pathetic at all either. Can't even talk straight to one of the few people you've actually been able to hold a conversation with in the last year. Focus. "-Taken many... loved ones over the years." Two in particular that she could think of. It certainly did appear, as she had suspected from their previous discussion, that Drei had lost those close to him as well. Emotional talk was... not Althea talk. She didn't feel. She just thought. At least that was how it was supposed to work. These days it didn't always seem to go the way it was supposed to. She held the tome a little closer to her chest, as if that would somehow make her warmer. As if it would ever approximate the feeling of an actual hug. Not that she really remembered what that was like. She didn't touch people at all if she could help it.
"Drei. I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news." And she was. For once, she was. "But I think you are right. I have heard rumors that a new Khan helped unite the tribes as they had not been in a long time. If Etruria thinks that they can simply crush unruly barbarians beneath their iron heels..." The dark mage managed to smile a little this time, but it wasn't a look of joy and kindness. It was a bitter, spiteful kind of joy, the sort that spoke to just how much she wanted to see Etruria and all in it burn in eternal fire. "I think they shall be sorely disappointed."
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Post by Drei on May 17, 2017 9:37:50 GMT -6
Drei wouldn't go into further detail. However he was glad he didn't have to. Althea's tone, and choice of words gave him all the implication he needed to know he wasn't quite as alone as his insecurity would have him believe. He found that refreshing to be honest, knowing that he was in the presence of quite literally a kindred spirit. That she probably understood how he felt better than most if anything. Even if neither would openly articulate that or affirm it. Drei's gaze idled upon Althea once more while he quietly folded his hands again. No longer rigid or so deathly serious as he had been moments prior, Drei began to feel his calm setting back in. He felt his pulse racing a bit still but he wasn't full on internally panicking after the initial revelation. His gaze still examining the pale haired female shaman for a few moments, honey hues idling upon her before he shifted it to look back to the trail their wagon moved along. The steady rumblings of it and the reverberations through the wooden face his back rested upon were pleasant minor sensory distractions.
He was able to keep his tone far more measured now without a look of panic stricken as his flesh started to regain what little color it had prior. To this end at-least it wasn't so drastic. A faint smile visible at her attempt to keep him from being induced into a panic. Ashen bangs slightly obscuring his gaze though as he ran a hand through them a few moments into his words, trying to further relax from the momentary scare.
"Sacae is well...where the circus primarily nested. We traveled all over sure...but we always returned to Elibe. Well..almost always. Though I do in-fact believe Sacae will not be so easy to claim, I also realize Etruria is the single strongest territory on Elibe right now. This speaks volumes for not just their might, but resources as well."
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Post by Althea on May 17, 2017 14:05:05 GMT -6
So it was, in a way, his home. Not exactly. He didn't really strike her as the prototypical Sacaen, and going by what he had said and how he acted, it seemed that Drei spent most of his time on the road. So he was 'Sacaen' in much the same way she was 'Etrurian,' a meaningless descriptor that said little to nothing about the individual. Or did it? She wasn't entirely certain. Drei certainly seemed to take the Sacaen thing more seriously, and she did have fourteen years of being an Etrurian before she became... not Etrurian. Certainly both experiences had influenced them significantly. Perhaps dismissing them out of hand was unwise.
...Well, whatever the case, it wasn't that big of a deal. Etrurian or Sacaen, it was not their defining characteristic. To be human was to be far more than any single meaningless descriptor. But she could not help but wonder if she had been underestimating it to a degree none the less. "I am a wanderer with no home. For most of my adult life, I saw countries as interchangeable. I did not care if one was at war with another, only that I could still pass through unchecked, or if not, I waited until unrest had settled down. I was... more than content to... ignore Etruria, thinking I had left that place behind entirely." Sure sounded a bit more pathetic when she said it out loud, huh? That's what half a lifetime of running did for a girl.
"But ignoring the problem has done little good for Elibe, and now the Prophet's madness spills out across Elibe. Ostia, Ilia, Sacae all shudder beneath his fury, and rumors speak of his support of the Bernese civil war and banditry in Lycia. What we were all so eager to ignore has come back to haunt the rest of the world. But what can one woman do against an army?" The dark magus moved her hand to her forehead, massaging it as if that would somehow make much of anything better. Surprise surprise, it didn't. "Logic states that even if this attack is beaten back, until the cancer eating away at Etruria is surgically removed it will simply continue to grow. And yet even now, the great countries fail to rally any effective defense... much less a concerted retaliation. The monsters may not get the chance to claim us before the cult of a dead woman kills us all first."
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Post by Drei on May 17, 2017 15:41:07 GMT -6
"That is something we ultimately have in common then. For the most part. It's been...quite some time since I've called any place home and I don't think I've found a stable place to reside for more than a few days before moving to the next location. As far as it is concerned I really simply can't think of any place right now that I'd consider well...a home. Sacae is where I am from and spent most of my time, and the people most agreeable but it doesn't hold..as much pull on me as one would expect I suppose. At-least now that I directly dwell upon the notion."
She had a point though. Etruria had been given this time to grow in power. Militaristic might growing unimposed by the other territories. He'd known that much prior to the invasions which had now been evidently unleashed. It worried him though to imagine the most elite soldiers Elibe'd seen in years backed by the most gifted magic users of their time. After all, Etruria was the home of the most prestigious magical academies in all of Elibe. Laus might've had a quality school but the grand archives and libraries of Etruria complimented a place known for dedicated learning and prestigious scholars. Between that and their general acceptance of Anima magics, Light magics, and staves, it made for a lethal arsenal. Althea was also right on the monster front. Lycia was in no state to attempt and handle both problems. Yet the undead hordes themselves were seemingly endless before you looked at the creatures that also infested their lands. Doogs, Tarvos, at times Gargoyles bleeding from Bern into the eastern territories. Baels plaguing the forests. Brigand raiding still, what few were left.
"I can not help but feel that it would be easier to scoop the ocean dry at the current, than it would to purge Lycia's monster pandemic however. The hordes from Ostia alone seem endless, and as it spreads and the dead rise it only creates more troubles. It would likely take..a united effort to stop Etruria. A war on all fronts. And Lycia's not...likely to be united any time soon."
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Post by Althea on May 17, 2017 18:48:10 GMT -6
"Little of the world is." Would that she were wrong! Despite her usual quest to be right about everything, there were times that Althea would actually have been quite happy to be decisively proven wrong. "Bern still reels from its civil war; as last I heard they have outright adopted a noninterventionist policy. Ilia is already divided in half, though I am unsure exactly how dire their situation is. Sacae rides to defend itself, but I suspect that alliance will only last as long as necessary to defend their country before many return to their lives." Not a dig at Sacaens being cowards or anything, just from her understanding, the people of Sacae generally ill liked to be invading anyone else. For better or for worse, most of them didn't care for Elibe at all, only Sacae - not entirely something she blamed them for given how poorly Elibe treated them in turn. "Lycia's efforts to pull itself together seem to have collapsed in recent months, and the monstrous menace only grows. And whoever opposed Kraft within Etruria..." Well, there wasn't a lot to say about that. Neither of them needed to be reminded just how effective the Inquisition was at rooting out those it did not approve of.
Not that normal Etrurians didn't do their part to help as well.
"While it was not my birthplace, I do confess to a certain fondness for Lycia. It is unfortunate to see it tested so by tribulation... but I have not the strength to save it nor the..." ok, what was a nice way to say 'I suck so bad at people I probably couldn't interact with the people defending it to save my life'? "...Diplomatic... ability to help organize its defense. For now I simply hope that our small contributions to helping rid it of monsters suffice as aid." Yeah, that sounded a lot better than just admitting she was a useless god damn sperg.
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Post by Drei on May 20, 2017 22:22:12 GMT -6
"Lycia's advantages are also it's weaknesses, in my opinion. The varied territories. Each one is so heavily emphasized in its own unique cultures that it becomes more diverse with every passing year. Unlike Bern, or Ilia, or Etruria with counties and more blended assortments of land, Lycia has very defined borders that begin and end each location's reach. This means that they gain benefit from various strengths as a greater whole that other countries within Elibe do not. A Magrave may call upon the various other Marquess for their expertise in various aspects of both governing and the world in general that a king of Bern or Etruria may not have in their disposal. Which is not to say they lack experts of their own, but when your entire culture excels in a field it often makes you a more naturally inclined authority on the matter. However..."
He paused for a moment, to better compile his thoughts. The wagon ride would've been a long..very unpleasant, quiet trip. Althea however had been a marvelous for conversations so far and doing a wonderful job keeping him occupied. Mentally at-least. It also served to distract him from the minor aches and pains of his body as he slowly tried to recover. That had always been a bit of a lengthy process though. The amount of stamina recovered however was generally noticeable from lengthy periods of time where he hadn't paid much attention to it. Such as the current.
"This also serves as their weakness in my eyes. Despite the health diversity can breed, they also develop such a strong sense of individuality that it becomes easy to look out only for themselves. See only the territory. Laus, or Thria, or Caelin, or Worde, so on and so forth. They don't see and acknowledge that they are parts of a greater whole, and it becomes easy to remain divided. Albeit this is purely observations through my own perception. I don't know that all Lycian's would see my view on the matter."
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Post by Althea on May 21, 2017 1:26:19 GMT -6
"Unique cultures... yes, it's true. It would not be much of an exaggeration to call Lycia a coalition of pint-sized countries rather than mere territories. Laus and Santaruz, Worde and Ryerde, Pherae and Araphen, each of them at each other's throats and quite different in culture as well. In honesty it is very similar to Sacae and Bern, or Bern and Ilia, simply on a smaller scale." Which was completely idiotic and she wanted to walk up to each marquess and slap them upside the head, maybe with a battleaxe, until they apologized to each other. The absolute stupidity of attacking your countrymen with Etruria breathing down one's neck came closer to actually enraging her than anything else this year, and it had been a pretty god damn rough year by nearly anyone's standards.
"And those of Laus seek to turn this into opportunity to unite Lycia beneath their iron heel." The disgust bled into tone, approaching loathing, as the dark mage continued. "Each territory vying against each other rather than accepting the threat. A part of me wishes to see them all burn for their stupidity," and she nearly spat out the last word there, "-But the common folk do not deserve to share the same fate as their uncaring masters. Instead each Marquess simply plays for power, striving to come out of this better than their peers." And therein lay the problem, truly. How could one coax each of these fools into doing what was best for their country rather than for them? She did not have the diplomatic skill to do so, nor the raw firepower to march in and demand it, and a dark magic user doing THAT would only serve to make matters worse anyways.
It was the inability to act that bothered her, but not as much as the realization that she DID care. That, even if it wasn't her home, the idea of Lycia falling apart at the seems bothered her enough to elicit some emotion. It was very... abnormal for her. Out of character. A disease that she had not detected until too late, and now here she was, stuck almost caring about people that would likely be happier with her and all her kind of dark mages dead and gone.
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Post by Drei on May 22, 2017 21:56:23 GMT -6
"As long as there are men to rule with the power to command or control other men, there will be men that use it for personal gain. It is a sad truth that has led to countless hardships. We will never likely be rid of this as long as the human condition is such, but you are right. The common people should not suffer because of their rulers. The many should take precedence over the few. While it no doubt would be nice to see them forcibly seized and given little alternative besides re-aligning their policies and internal affairs to better suit the common man."
Who could possibly manage that though? Them? Two random shaman's barely able to handle a few corpses that couldn't stay dead? That had been so wonderfully mentally maimed by the realities of life that they weren't able to comprehend what precisely was normal anymore? Was that what it took? The people who could look at it from a purely objective standpoint as well as immerse themselves in the realities and sense of what the average person had to go through. The Shaman at-least knew what the normal Elibian suffered through his various travels. He imagined Althea had recognized as much as well in her travels. At-least if she was as well versed, and she certainly spoke like someone who had seen the plight of the average man. The pale haired Shaman shifted somewhat before quietly realizing a particular question that loomed on his mind. Though it was an immensely personal one. Perhaps he could hazard it though?
"What do you find as a pleasant way to pass your idle time?"
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Post by Althea on May 24, 2017 14:12:53 GMT -6
"Idle... time?"
Althea stared at him blankly, roughly akin to her expression if Drei had suddenly grown myriad protrusions on his face that were all on fire and also leaking blood while screaming. And he was also Kraft. It was simply not something she had thought much of in years, at most recently when interacting with people. There was always, ALWAYS something that she should be doing. "I... write academic papers on various theories of magic, or continue research on unearthed artifacts, or... of late, I suppose I also spend some time experimenting with my magic..." The dark mage trailed off uncertainly, admittedly out of her element. She had thrown herself so fully into her studies that she wasn't actually sure how to answer the question. She was going to have to... 'take a day off' one of these days, but knowing her luck it would end in screams, blood, and probably rescuing a priest from evil light mages or something equally ridiculous. Ha ha as if that would ever happen.
It did feel as though she had whiffed that question rather spectacularly though, and Althea did feel bad about that. And reminded of why she didn't usually partake in social interaction, ever, at all, if she could help it. Slightly ironically the only thing that came to mind was her time wasted interacting with Eris, but admitting that she spent her time arguing with the voices in her head, and usually losing, didn't really seem like the greatest way to convince Drei that she was a functioning intelligent worthy member of society. "Um... and I read sometimes?"
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Post by Drei on May 24, 2017 17:28:21 GMT -6
Drei tilted his head quietly. She seemed to have a far better grasp of her time management than he did with his. She also seemed like the type to better maximize it. Adequately shaping and utilizing it where he would have fallen short. Then again..
"Ah, you write academic dissertations then? Do your theories primarily focus around Elder Magic, or do you gravitate to a broader spectrum of study as well? I imagine studying artifacts or ruins would lead to findings far more expansive than specifically things relating to the Nether? Apologies if I seem like I am prying, but I find it fairly fascinating. "
Ah yes. Developing and tweaking magical with familiarity as the foremost foundation. Guiding the path ahead in ones magical development by looking backwards. To this end, Drei also understood. The young Shaman had spent countless nights from the youngest time of memory trying to advance upon further magical endeavors by expanding his prowess with inspiration born from various muses. Sometimes they worked. Sometimes...they did not. His honeyed gaze settled upon Althea as she quietly fumbled into the final response. The sacaen boy found a quiet chuckle before he tucked his knees in, hugging them quietly to his chest as if quietly settling into the lavender robes draped over his shoulders comfortably. The warmth of heavy fabrics upon his body enveloping him in near perpetual comfort. At-least compared to when he remembered wearing normal clothing. Drei found it exceptionally easy to get cold, and compounded with the generally hard surfaces he had to fall back on for bedding or reclining it doubled as a layer of cushioning upon his frame.
"Oh? Any particular topic? I...find myself often only reading upon things pertaining to the nether or histories of magic and its implementation. I'm..not often diverse of late in my focal point with Academia."
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Post by Althea on May 24, 2017 20:22:58 GMT -6
Well, at least Drei didn't have the usual thousand-mile stare that tended to accompany any discussion of what she did, so slightly emboldened, especially by his own piercing questions, Althea pressed on cautiously. "I embrace a holistic approach to magic from a historical perspective, though for better or for worse many of my subjects do tend to revolve around architectural and vehicular usage of Anima magic alongside a mixture of Nether magical theory and application. Light magic is oddly uncommon in most fields, most pre-Scouring architects preferred to utilize Fire magic in lighting for a more natural glow I believe, and healing magic is almost vanishingly rare though on one dig I did discover what I believe were healing pods - cylinders in which humans could lie and be automagically healed - though their functionality had long since ceased and only one was of potentially usable condition. Though it was err... confiscated by the Etrurian government mid shipping for actual testing and I am unsure what its final fate was."
The mixed expression on her face, a combination of disappointment and frustration, said about as much as was necessary in regards to Althea's feelings on the situation. But she would hope, as she always had, that it had turned out to be real - something actually usable, even if temporarily press ganged into that odious government's usage, and that in ten or twenty years the technology might even be released to the public for far more effective duplication and usage. While she was loosely interested in healing magic herself, it was also fair to say that she had no idea where to start nor the time and focus needed to master it. Taking some load off of proper healers might in theory offer interesting business opportunities and possibly even better quality of life for individuals who might not be able to retain a healer regularly but could make use of the pods.
...Though that was all simply conjecture, blind hope, for the time being. Sadly. "I also assist other researchers on more varied subjects such as pre-Scouring astronomy, and of course I always have a running list of myths and legends to investigate and... usually disprove unfortunately. The lost city of Nan Madol, later this month I hope to investigate a local rumor about the cairn stones of Tir na Nog, so on and so forth. They tend to turn out to be fake or at least highly sensationalized, but it is quite common to run into some form of magical trouble in the process so they can be dangerous nonetheless."
Realizing... slightly... late that she had said that all in one breath, Althea abruptly stopped and started breathing somewhat harder again, not exactly planning to give Drei an easy in but delivering him one by necessity of her less than ideal lung capacity and total lack of self preservation when carried away by interesting subjects.
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