Meeting at the light

[Anastasia]

"Hm." Barachiel says, "As I thought." He considers this, "I will see to gathering more information in the meanwhile, a few insightful words could say much to their goals and strategy."

Here Barachiel rises, "We will meet again before this. Keep us informed, for we put our trust in you by this by command of what is most high."

After that, "Come with me, Moore."

[Corwin]

It's a bit sad they're only trusting her because Zaphkiel told them to, but such is life.

[Nephrite]

"Let me know if I can be of any more help, Seira." Moore says and gives her a bow before he goes off with Barachiel!

[Anastasia]

Less that and more that they're letting you take the unquestioned lead on this, Seira. Diplomacy is Barachiel's wheelhouse, after all, so it's a little unusual he's taking second fiddle to someone else on it. Not unheard of with how Celestia works, but still worth commenting on.

Thus Moore goes off as...

Going to hit the books again with peace time, Seira? Paste me your last results and checks on the Prophecy?

[Corwin]

Last results:

Spoiler: ShowHide

18:52 <Seira> roll 1d20+64+4+2+18+4+1 researcher
18:52 <Rei-chan> Seira rolled : 1d20+64+4+2+18+4+1 researcher --> [ 1d20=6 ]{99}
18:52 <Seira> roll 1d20+20+2+2+20+4+1 int
18:52 <Rei-chan> Seira rolled : 1d20+20+2+2+20+4+1 int --> [ 1d20=7 ]{56}

You begin to look towards that and you slowly discern an important trend.

There's a 'core' of normality to the prophecy. It covers the most common things of course, a base for lack of a better phrase. Yet that's far from everything in Creation, and in time it begins to account for less and less likely scenarios. Things such as overthrows of evil regimes or good ones, the fall of worlds, the defeat of prominent figures, planar wars and more. You haven't found everything yet, and at times things are only insinuations backed and supported logically as you explore the Prophecy, but one thing seems to be in common.

If it can happen in Creation through normal processes, you get the feeling it's accounted for in some way.

My next attempt:

Then the Beyond is the key, and Seira focuses on that next. Antenora, Eblis and that devil flunky of his who became One, Io and Sylian who not only became One but chose champions of their own and empowered them with inspiration from Beyond, the Arbiter who might not be one of the three founding Incarnations but a visitor from outside Creation, Pale Night and her own champion and Seira's long-term pal, Zguujaj....

[Anastasia]

Sure, gimme another round of checks.

[Corwin]

19:12 <Seira> roll 1d20+64+4+2+18+4+1 researcher
19:12 <Penuche2> Seira invokes Penuche's magic: < 104 > [d20=11]

19:12 <Seira> roll 1d20+20+2+2+20+4+1 int
19:12 <Penuche2> Seira invokes Penuche's magic: < 64 > [d20=15]

[Anastasia]

You begin to expand in that direction: On the first glance, it seems...covered? It certain leaves room for new deities rising, after all. That is a function of Creation and has happened before.

Go ahead and hone this one a little more, since the direction you go on from here influences the rest. This won't take another day of research, consider this how it'll direct and clarify the rest of today's results from here.

[Corwin]

Sure, Seira has decided the difference between her conventionally divine self and One is so minuscule as to not bother with it, but to Mechanus it will surely be a massive gulf! The One ascention is explicitly not a function of Creation, and that is what Seira focuses on. Then, the effects of those who rose as One and then took champions in Creation, as well as those from Beyond who did likewise. Antenora and Eblis's proteges for the former, Zguujaj and Oberuth for the latter. Let's see how you accounted for them, Primus! And if it was by treating the benefactors as regular deities, then that's the chink in your armor, much like how treating the One ascension as gaining Ao's approval is an important difference Seira doubts was accounted for.

[Anastasia]

To your surprise, it handles them quite well. It supports itself well enough with the concept that the origins don't seem to matter too much. The more you read, the more you note parts are carefully written not to explicitly mention Ao or the Incarnations empowering a new deity. It's incredibly subtle, often relying on inferences that you' draw naturally even if not suggested, but it's set up just so to deal with that. Once it carefully hooks that in, the rest of the logic applies to it and thus the rest of the Prophecy supports it.

You're 100% sure that wasn't meant to be noticed by a reader, unless they knew explicitly to look for it or were poking along those lines and knew how it was done.

[Corwin]

That makes no sense. Sure, perhaps the anal-retentive inevitables don't care about the finer details this time around, but that would still only cover deities and deity-level beings acting in Creation itself. What if Sylian or Io are skulking outside Creation, making their own? Recruiting champions in the Beyond, or those originating from other Creations who might ascend to divine status via One or similar means? The very nature of the Beyond is chaotic, which is why those from it are templated as demons when they enter Creation. Did Primus truly calculate every possible traveler from Beyond and their affects on Creation's path?

[Anastasia]

As you quarrel with the Prophecy and work on it?

"Whew," Kascha says, "I think we're making a bit of headway, Seira. Are we going to keep going right now?"

[Corwin]

"Not as much as I'd like," Seira admits a bit gloomily. "I know the inconsistency is there, but I just can't find it!"

[Anastasia]

"Well, I didn't think this would be easy," Kascha admits, "But be strong and persevere, and smile too. You look and think best when you smile, Seira."

[Corwin]

"I'm pretty sure the answer is the Beyond, somehow," Seira muses. "It has to be. Or Primus might've come up with a comprehensive Chaos theory, for all I know!"