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Post by Althea on May 10, 2017 22:20:33 GMT -6
[Set after Phantom Menace]
So. Good news! Have to look on the bright side of life and all that. And things were looking bright indeed, at least if late day, closing on sunset, kinda dark ish was considered bright. But at least she was now riding in a wagon with a reasonable amount of foot room - and a lot of boxes - instead of, say, being impaled by a gibbering skeleton as another one thrust its blade through her trachea. Okay, yes, the ride was a little too bumpy for her tastes and she had all the padding of two blankets stacked up underneath her instead of say at least a mile of fine silk, but given the circumstances Althea would quite happily take that over walking. Or running. Or... more likely simply collapsing which would be the grand total of physical activity that she was liable to make it through right now.
Oh! And another good thing. She had finally found a somewhat comfortable position through the effective use of part of one of the blankets to provide a minor cushion of sorts against the side and ledge of the wagon. And Drei was there, doing Drei things, which thankfully did not include torturing small animals or murdering puppies. So really when you thought about it there was a lot good about the day.
...Also a lot of bad though. The bonewalker attack, the magical exhaustion which HOO BABY was she feeling right now, watching a bunch of people die, she was kinda hungry... the last one was probably the most relevant right now, but she didn't feel like getting up and going anywhere so it was going to have to wait. "How are you holding up, Drei?" Instead she focused her attention on her counterpart, normally happy to live with the sound of silence but at least interested in ensuring that he was safe and sound for the time being. He had seemed rather exhausted earlier as well, and if he died on her now, why, she wouldn't have someone to hold the heavy stuff when they actually got to the site! And also she would miss him and stuff, probably.
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Post by Drei on May 11, 2017 5:33:25 GMT -6
It was strange. The reverberations of the heavy wagon wheels rumbling along a dirt path. The bumps of it hitting a rock or ten here and there. He could practically feel the verdant bedding of grass in clumps that the wagons ran over which briefly and momentarily added a smoother but seemingly more resisted transit. All of it welcomed. This was his environment. He grew up to this. Drei's family was a nomadic lot, and bar for their regular set up site in Sacae they'd always been on the move. So the slightly cramped weight of him resting against a few boxes with a leg partially curled up and propped against the crate near him while he found himself nestled comfortable(strangely enough) in his little spot. His gaze drifted to Althea as she inquired as to his standing status. Instinctively a small smile bled into his expression before closing his eyes and speaking in an almost positive tone.
"To be honest, I feel far better internally than I rightfully should. I am weary. I feel stretched thin and fatigued. However I am content. It is..most peculiar. How about you? I imagine the impact but powerful explosive outputs of magic you utilized earlier can not be a paltry repercussion to repeatedly utilize?"
That was about the most Drei way possible of asking someone if they were feeling okay. Because honestly, who went for normal tones instead of a more verbose one? Perhaps the excitement of being in the presence of another scholar had gotten him into a bit of a happier state. None could tell rightfully but he was happy to be sharing a place of rest with present company.
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Post by Althea on May 11, 2017 17:11:50 GMT -6
Mmh. Drei had certainly pushed himself quite far as well. If she was accurate in her assessment, Ruin tended to be more physically demanding to the caster and would explain why he was more physically exhausted than her, whereas - as far as she could tell - Althea's magic tended to be more emotionally exhausting? It was a difficult thing to measure much less quantify, but her concerns with rising and wild emotions compared to his quiet efficiency seemed a somewhat natural comparison. She wasn't even sure if exhausting was the right word. It wasn't like she stopped being able to feel. Quite the opposite in fact; casting seemed to alter her personality, leave her even MORE upbeat and emotional after the fight for some of the day. Huh. She actually hadn't realized that until now, previously it had only been an in battle realization of building rage.
...That was probably worrying but honestly Althea couldn't find it in herself to be overly worried about dark magic making her happier. Wasn't how it was supposed to work sure, there was probably some horrible plot twist incoming that would make everything terrible, but for now? She was happy just, well, being happy. Er. Ish. She was still pretty bloody sore and miserable physically speaking. "...Similar I suppose. My body is definitely stretched to its limits. My emotions have not settled yet either, but that is hardly an issue for now." Somewhat uncharacteristically Althea giggled, catching herself almost immediately after and looking for a moment as if she had just caught herself vomiting huge gouts of furious hornets. "It's very strange. Calling on the Nether used to only build anger, but now it tends to leave me somewhat euphoric. Not the worst fate I suppose, but if I begin cracking jokes and turning cartwheels down the road I implore you to put me out of my misery immediately."
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Post by Drei on May 11, 2017 17:55:02 GMT -6
Elder magic was a perplexing thing. With all its variants and alternate interactions it was a remarkably complex system. The Nether, as both had affirmed in their previous conversation, took differently from all. For some it took serenity or reserve. For others it took physical aspects. Either way, in the end, all paid the toll for their power. Seldom was it a cheap price either, though often so dangerously disguised as an infinitely expendable currency. Her response though made him feel...happy to a degree. It brought a definitive smile to his lips while he tilted his gaze towards Althea while she asked for his merciful release upon the eventuality that she became so jubilant that she was unable to resist the temptation of rolling about.
"I take solace in the fact that every moment we spend idle is one that our bodies recover over time. It never ceases to astound me though how much more draining and taxing Elder magic seems to be upon the body and soul itself compared to other magics. This is not to deny their own costs but simply to affirm as I've learned generally our magics seem to be the most costly."
He quietly tapped his chin. As if in thought and perhaps simply playing coy to a degree even while he pondered quite what it might look like to see Althea laughing giddy and performing cartwheels idly about while expressing such jubilation imposed upon her by the oppressive nature of the void. Something..about what he just thought didn't make sense. Or sound right. Either way Drei transitioned that thought into the next.
"So your telling me you want to be ended swiftly? Well..what if..I were to simply restrain you with ruin tendrils until such a time as you returned to your normal self? A checks and balances~"
Obviously joking to a degree he quietly laughed before turning his gaze to the path they traversed, looking beyond the back of the wagon.
"So what do you expect to find, in these ruins if I can ask? That is to say, why precisely did you come? If I am not imposing by inquiring. "
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Post by Althea on May 11, 2017 18:33:43 GMT -6
"It will take time regardless. If the creatures come back... well, perhaps someone will volunteer to carry us away." That... wasn't actually funny at all was it. Hurm. Drei was right about the cost for sure though. "Some would say that the Nether was never meant to be manipulated by mortals," she stated cautiously - a view that was doubtless held across Elibe and also doubtless not really Drei's favorite answer. Althea wasn't actually sure how she felt about that, it was a fair statement that using misunderstood or entirely un-understood magic was a fool's errand. But she didn't reach the same conclusion. "Though to me it seems as though that only makes plumbing its depths, better understanding it, all the more valuable in order to advance the discipline for the betterment of those who come after us. Any magic or research costs the user a great deal of time, energy, even their spirit. By that view I suppose the Nether is no different. Just spookier."
That... didn't sound like an exceptionally scientific word. Spooky. Tenebrous would have been a smarter sounding choice. Or fearsome. But feeling as she was, it was... difficult to actually find it in her to be too concerned about it. "And we can compromise on the jokes I suppose. The cartwheels are non negotiable though. I would likely accidentally break my neck in the process regardless so really it would be a mercy kill." That and her pride would be splattered across the ground like so much blood to the point that death really would be a welcome relief, but she decided against noting that out loud. Althea had learned some time ago that not everyone appreciated her... morbid sense of humor. "As for the ruins. Perhaps more now. The scouting party spoke vaguely of wild magic, something Anima related apparently, and unstable. But little of detail. The ruins themselves are ostensibly pre-Scouring though so it was decided that a larger expedition would be wise... as turned out to be a correct decision even if not for the reasons outlined."
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Post by Drei on May 11, 2017 21:54:36 GMT -6
If the same ones we battled return, I'm going to simply assume life itself has conspired against us in the most foul of ways.
That was life's want though wasn't it? The aptitude and proclivity for fate and fortune to simply come down upon one with an unyielding, unrelenting fury that could not allow for any semblance of restraint. He'd experienced this sad truth enough to put stock in anything contrary. The shaman's fingers quickly sifting through he folds of his robe, he extracted his father's tone. Looking down to it with honey shaded gaze, the shaman contemplated her words before inserting his own thoughts once silence had followed.
"Some would say that we were never meant command magic at all. Yet I believe as a society over the ages we have found solutions born from magic that we would not have previously, and can benefit greatly from the arcane arts."
Ahh yes. They shared an opinion on that notion. Drei nodded his head at the proposed higher meaning in exploring the depths of the capacity they held for both wielding magic and their potential discoveries of new laws or magic applications. The Shaman chuckled quietly before further adding to her following statements. It was..very easy to both reply to her and listen prior.
"Truly the ability to pioneer our magical fields is a great treasure in the larger scheme of things. Ahah alas, I understand. Cartwheels are a no go and you'll have to be try your hardest to avoid presenting me in such a stiuation! Haha. Ahhh...ah..well. Hmm. Well I am curious of this wild magic now. I would certainly like to see what can be learned from these ruins if they do indeed turn out to be pre-scouring. "
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Post by Althea on May 12, 2017 12:00:25 GMT -6
"It would fit my luck. Do you - tend to be attacked by everything everywhere you go too? It's really quite inconvenient."
Althea supposed that some people might claim that that struggle was what defined life. That in the absence of being forced to excel and improve, one would only decay and rot. That without difficulty, there was no meaning in achievement; without failure there was no success. Those people were idiots. Sometimes a girl just wanted some alone time in a musty old ruin, surrounded by books and tools, and no manner of monster attack or bandit raid would actually make it better. Certainly not a bonewalker assault that had decimated the convoy full of tools, guards, and - in the rare occasion she wanted to deal with another human being - company. Actually. It had nearly literally decimated it. It had been a good fifteen or so wagons initially and now there were but two left. Not an exact tenth but... well, it didn't actually matter, she supposed, but it would have been nice if there had been five more wagons to lose just to make it an even fraction.
"What intrigues me most is how little modern society uses magic compared to what it once was. Ancient ruins hold devices, enchantments, that the modern era cannot begin to understand much less replicate. Doors that open and close on their own. Lifts that harness wind magic to propel the user automatically. Even temperature control systems that circulate chilled air and traps that harness the power of tomes with a consistency and power that most modern mages would struggle to match. And yet today, as a society we are mostly farmers and soldiers, plebians wielding torches and shovels instead of magical light and Earth based excavation magic. Yes, some of it is due to the supposed effects of the Ending Winter, but to lose all knowledge of HOW to do those things rather than simply the ability to do them easily is telling. At times it feels as though the world is outright regressing rather than merely frozen in place."
It was amazing, but not in the good way. And people like Kraft, that madman Hargus, and the fools in Bern were to blame for it; greedy men who desired power over their fellow humans so greatly that they were willing to destroy progress and tradition alike in the name of control. Etruria, once the birthplace of modern magic, was now a crumbling shadow of its former glory - a martial powerhouse but a morally bankrupt society in which hope and freedom alike were rarer than gold. Perhaps that was a part of why she did what she did. So that not everything that was old was lost. To remind people of what humanity had once been and, she liked to think, could one day be again.
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Post by Drei on May 13, 2017 20:25:56 GMT -6
It would fit my luck. Do you - tend to be attacked by everything everywhere you go too?
That...was like the story of his life summed up into a single question. Even as the wagon rumbled on along the ground, his chuckle could not be masked entirely before Drei lifted a hand to comb through ashen locks of hair while he gazed towards the soft spoken female shaman with a glint of amusement in his eye.
"I firmly believe that if I had a solid two day period without something trying to kill me I'd believe myself already dead. The act of traveling itself seems to be a means to volunteer for a chance to hone my combative magics. From what I can assume, you have a similar streak of such?"
She spoke wise words. Though his total sum of ruins visited was three, one of which was strictly linked to naught but corpses that remained firmly such, Drei could tell there was merit in her words. The fact that practical daily utilization of magic had applied to him ages ago made it all the more shocking to him that someone hand not simply come around by then to enjoy the success. He considered himself smart but by no means imagined himself the smartest one around. Her comment on the potential of cultural and scientific regression was definitely a thought provoking one. The sheer idea that culture was..well..killing progress. Wasn't that how it went though? Something had to give before it could budge or sway.
Even so, Drei nodded before expounding his thoughts.
"I do believe your on the mark there. It certainly seems that humanity's xenophobic behavior towards magics of a darker and more uncertain nature shows their lack of possible understanding in the sheer... well... With a distrust of any kind of magic, the likelihood of spreading a message gets even considered. Let alone the mentality of the populous shift on a grander scale. I can only imagine what the temples, and perhaps the future as a whole would be like. Who knows, maybe we shall be the ones to usher in a better future of magical acceptance eh? "
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Post by Althea on May 13, 2017 21:06:13 GMT -6
"Mostly of late." Huh. That... that actually was a relevant metric, wasn't it? It's not that she had never made a connection at all, especially when Circe raised her own concerns, but the trouble with monsters really had started from a more clear cut notion when she actually analyzed it from an objective perspective. For most of her life she HADN'T had any such trouble, not even after the monster attacks started a few years back. It was only the last few months really. Ever since... the core issue was that she couldn't pinpoint the cause. The book was, she suspected, what had drawn the great assault. But was it the grimoire, or Eris, who had caused later concerns, or was she making mountains out of molehills? ...A frustratingly difficult to solve conundrum, one akin to the age old adage of chicken and egg. Eris had been drawn to her later, possibly by the book, after all. So it was clear that even if some part of it WAS the spirit's fault, not all of it could be. Unless she had in fact engineered the grand attack? No, at that point it was assigning far too much action to the spirit, of that Althea was fairly certain. Eris was not exactly trustworthy in the sense that she might consider, say, Drei, but the spirit was relatively simple and straightforward for the most part, predictably evasive about certain subjects but even in that fairly easy to read. Not to say that Eris was a fool, but... Althea didn't paint her as the type to play the long game with such grandiose detail. She couldn't help but frown, wrinkles marring her smooth face for a moment as Althea found herself torn between Drei's commentary on her own notes and the growing questions in her own heart. She was not the type to accept... 'not knowing' as an answer. The shaman was by all means understanding that some things were difficult to discover the truth of, but she had built much of her life around doing exactly that - following dusty trails and bony guides. But she was also used to collaboration. Circe had been useless, but... "Drei. I... apologize to change the subject. But a thought struck me." The dark mage bit her lip, hesitant for a moment, before digging into her pack of belongings, retrieving a large tome seemingly carved from ebon and ash. Again she hesitated for a moment - she wasn't even certain why this time - before proffering it to him. "What do you make of this?"Appearance
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Post by Drei on May 13, 2017 22:18:02 GMT -6
Drei. I...
Her tone's shift instantly asserted his attention towards Althea. Drei's gaze undeniably fixating quietly upon her while he shifted his poise somewhat, pivoting in place in a more acclimated manner after giving himself a few short moments to grow entirely comfortable. Pale digits slowly curving around smooth spine and ridged face of the tome she extended to him, receiving it while he began to slowly take in what exactly he held. Quiet in his observations of the clearly elaborately created text while trying to drink in every last facet of data he could visually discern. Drei did not initially speak or offer any audible form of acceptance after receiving it from her embrace.
Instead he continued to pour over it slowly. Fingers quietly brushing the length of the spine and feeling the slight variances and ridges within the rather ornate design. Every real aspect of it showing far more care and thought into the over all design of the tome. Far more lavish than a simple hard bound tome. As his fingers brushed the edges he could feel pronounced grooves along the ridge and spine, signs of age to a degree yet not definitively worn or musty. Tenderly, as if treating the most frail of malleable substances did his digits graze the face of the tome once more before hooking and slowly opening it near a mid point. The thick churning sound of the tome's many pages before the faint thump of it flopping against his knee as he opened it were a familiar sound to him.
Though the words were the true oddity. Words he could not comprehend yet unlike the code his father had left for him to decipher. As if made from a language with no semblance. A code with no key. The markings alien to him and entirely devoid of any familiarity. After a few seconds toting his passive expression, Drei turned to gaze with a very faint pause to inhale. His tone was composed and his ideas, even more so.
"The surface seems reasonably tended. Though it is by far more so than most tomes I have seen. It seems..old. Like a piece of history removed from it and handed to us. That said, I am fairly positive that this tome is not a conventional one I might encounter. The text is entirely alien as well. I do not recognize it. It is simply an entirely new form of language that I've seen knowingly atl-least."
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Post by Althea on May 13, 2017 23:56:45 GMT -6
Well, he didn't start yelling at her for interrupting him or throw the book out of the wagon. Those were good signs, right? By like, normal people standards anyways. There wasn't a great deal normal about her or Drei. After all, he was a circus performer turned Nether tendril murderer, and she was a crazy lady with even crazier voices in her head. But his silence was a good sign (probably) so despite a bit of uncharacteristic anxiousness she simply allowed him to do his thing as he inspected the ancient grimoire, then spoke quietly.
"...I discovered it in Nabatan ruins some months ago. I have been struggling to decipher it since with limited success." To say the least. The best she had done so far was glean that there was some sort of pattern in the stupid thing. But she could FEEL the meaning to it. It was not mere - magic. It was something else entirely. What that was she could not yet tell. It certainly didn't hum with dark magic or whatnot - THAT would have been a wonderful warning sign to leave it the hell there. "My troubles with monsters... began only after I found it. Perhaps coincidence. But I do not believe so. This grimoire holds secrets, for good or ill."
There was a sudden pain in her forehead that forced Althea to wince, her right eye snapping shut for a moment as her right arm shot up to caress the forehead. But it was not a physical pain, rather a surge of - an ocean of sensation that threatened to overwhelm her, waves of force within her mind barely recognizeable as emotion in their intensity.
...You should burn that abomination.
There was hatred in Eris's words. Fear. Anguish. But interestingly enough, the part of Althea that was not currently quite overwhelmed noted, it was not aimed at her. And the normally flightly Eris spoke with a singular intensity that almost matched her typically single minded resolve.
Why? Nothing good will come of it, Althea. You'll be happier if you do. And freer. It has something to do with you. That's exactly why you SHOULD get rid of it.
...Either Eris was doing a really bad job of the stereotypical 'evil spirit tempts precocious mage to open forbidden book that will end the world' or she was trying to use reverse psychology to get her to do it. Althea was pretty sure she wasn't smart enough for that.
Althea, this is SERIOUS. Look. I... know you don't have much reason to trust me. But it can... hurt you. And I don't want to do that. You know you're, like, the worst evil spirit ever? BEST evil spirit ever you mean.
Althea snorted, an uncommonly genuine, almost innocent smile rising to her face as she found herself chuckling. It took a few moments to realize that she was actually doing it in the real world and not inside her head, and that Drei was still there. "I..." just had a short talk with the evil spirit in my head, who does a really bad job of it, about how we should throw the spooky book away? "-Apologize. It was a minor headache. Little more." Even now she couldn't quite open up to Drei entirely. She had tried. That was why she had told him about the grimoire. But the thought of just... telling him about the voices in her head seemed less easy. "Dark magic sometimes reminds me of the warning labels that are located on medicine. 'Warning: side effects include headaches, exhaustion, insanity, erections lasting longer than four hours, and death. Do not take while pregnant or under the influence of mead. One could study its ill effects for a great time."
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Post by Drei on May 14, 2017 18:10:52 GMT -6
"Given the magnitude of the monster horde that now contaminates Elibe I do not believe it was a directly correlated factor. Perhaps however the timing of finding it simply coincides with your travelings through places more infested than others? This could also theoretically be emphasized as time goes on by the spread of the known locations of monsters. They do seem to become more common place as their given time to roam. Though that is obviously a poor thing for us to note."
He did pause for a moment. Blinking quietly before glancing at the pale haired shaman's tome as he offered it slowly back to her. Purely out of a acknowledgement that well, it was her tome. After a moment, Drei shifted to better observe Althea before speaking with thought upon her tome.
"I can only assume that it was part of a prior civilization directly connected to the ruins in which you found it. Which would explain the unreadable text by our current written language. That it does not hold any similarities, at initial observation at-least, implies that it was distant enough to have developed its own dialect separate in totality from our own. Obviously I could be completely mistaken. Perhaps...if you can find ruins correlating appropriately to the civilization this tome belonged to you can better decipher it?"
His gaze though idle on her while she lost herself, did soften when she explained her silences cause in the form of a headache. Boy..he knew that feeling didn't he? Still, the Shaman quietly smiled as he tried to offer some modicum of comfort. Which...he wasn't too sure he was good at to be blunt.
"If I am completely honest. I believe that is why I respect it over all other magics. The power is purely ours to wield and the burden and cost of that might is also ours. It...makes every choice carry far more weight in combat. Every action becomes that much more meaningful. Every thought, gesture and notion all heightened in severity purely because of the potential repercussion. I am certainly no glutton for punishment either, but this is also something that I believe further engages us to also be that much more aware of our power. We know what it can do to us, and there for a potential of its destruction wrought onto others. Though...Althea..if you ever desire help with that tome just let me know. I will endeavor to assist you in any way that I can."
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Post by Althea on May 14, 2017 18:46:10 GMT -6
You know anyone with a brain would throw away the clearly evil haunted magic book right?
Happily ignoring Eris with no remorse whatsoever, Althea listened to Drei's thoughts passively, though she interrupted her immobility to accept the grimoire back, hugging it against her chest possessively when it returned to her. Whether due to Drei's previous touch or arcane magic it felt a bit... warm to the touch. "I am a polyglot familiar with the written form of all known historical tongues. I've never seen this language before; it has no roots in Common, low draconic... anything I've seen. I am certain it dates pre-Scouring," her little conversation with Eris had confirmed that - the spirit didn't even know the Scouring existed, "But beyond that I know not. A lost civilization. There is certainly something interesting to learn there, I believe."
I swear to god if you're keeping it just to mess with me- Oh no. I just want to learn more about it. ... And if it does belong to you, it would be rude of me to throw it away. ...I just had an aneurysm from sheer stupidity. Wow Eris, I didn't know you were that stupid! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
Yep, that was her good deed for the day done. Back to the discussion of dark magic! "Yes, dark magic certainly carries weight that others typically do not. Both physical and mental. You raise an interesting point as well - the idea that being so aware of its downsides forces us to be more aware of its negative uses. One wonders if the lack thereof could help explain holy crusades and the like - powerful, fast, and versatile magic, fueled solely by the will to use it." Not that it explained Kraft. Not that it explained what Etrurians did to their own kind in the name of Good. But she had a feeling that if they used Dark magic instead, they might not be quite as open with its usage.
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Post by Drei on May 14, 2017 21:52:17 GMT -6
He paused for a moment to dwell upon her more precise wording there. It was not at all lost onto him what she mentioned but he quietly shelved that for another conversation, at another time in a quieter place. At-least for his own sake if nothing else. Though as she established her credentials and expertise on the matter Drei quietly accepted her affirmation that his assumption was correct. Their conversation shifted to dark magics once more and he felt himself settle into a more comfortable position of expertise. He was no master of the dark arts compared to the likes of his family, but he knew more about it than almost any field of study he'd been introduced to. It was his life's pursuit.
It truly was interesting. Trying to imagine the notion that Etruria might've realized the dangers behind their own will and might and instead leveled out and evened their temperaments. Though the total pacification of a nation is likely to steep a change to expect from a shift in magical alignments. Especially for zealotry. Though he had a fairly strong dislike for Etruria rivaling on loathing and did not try too hard to see them as anything less than murderous monstrosities that they all were. To this end he had to ensure his tone was measured so he did not bleed through the aggression within.
"Precisely. By seeing is effects upon us we are subconsciously trained to acknowledge that it comes with painful or often undesirable effects upon the human body. I believe that we can then, when acknowledging it at-least, fully comprehend and appreciate the severity of it all."
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Post by Althea on May 15, 2017 11:39:10 GMT -6
"The issue is." Althea took a moment to compose herself mentally, quickly re-testing the validity of her thoughts before allowing them to be bared to the world. Eh. Good enough. Her favorite two words. "To revisit your earlier commentary about perception and future. One must note that the Bandit King, Hargus, is Elibe's most recent example of dark magic. Capable of destruction and dark resurrection the likes of which no other dark mage will ever reach, but it does not matter that you and I are not him. We are magi, and therefore monsters. Though..." Well wasn't that a thought.
"Ironically enough, Etruria seems to be making a strong argument for the danger of light magic as well. The more innocent that their 'divine' magic purges," and there was a hint of biting sarcasm in how she pronounced that holy word, "the more the cruel reality of their truth bleeds through. If one were... exceedingly optimistic, they might hope that this could serve to show the average man of Elibe that no magic is inherently evil, or good; that moral judgement comes only in how it is used. Much as Branimond once showed the power of the Dark to protect and preserve, I believe that the world will need another of his ilk to stem the damage done by madmen... if it is not already too late. The rumors of dark creatures in Ostia are troubling to say the least."
Another thought struck her, one slightly less... valuable than the others but as the corners of her lips quirked upward Althea could not help but share nonetheless. It was her curse to ruin everything after all. "Or perhaps Elibe simply needs a villain using Anima magic to really drive the point home. Then we can all agree that all magic is evil and we should go back to hitting each other with axes."
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