Sibling Rivalry

[Carthrat]

[11:20] <@Kotono> There's rocks here and there if Knight wants one. "No. Little did I ever know of freedom. Long was my soul restrained from it's glorious bounty, Knight." Rogue looks at her, neutral. "What of you?"
01[11:23] <Knight> Knight leans back. "It's different for me," she replies. "I was always given the chance to exist in this world, so I never longed for it. It's funny... whenever I was within the deck, I was always anticipating my next journey outside of it. Who would my next master be? What was so important to them they must achieve it at any cost?
01[11:23] <Knight> "But outside, I threw myself into heedless battle. I sought victory, but I didn't fear death. Sometimes I even longed for it, because dying would mean returning to my true home. Because of that, I could fight battles and bet everything on the slimmest chance- that one-in-a-hundred shot at victory. There were many failures.. but, oh, Rogue, you don't know the feeling of success then."
[11:25] <@Kotono> "The thrill of battle." He says without clamor, "Yes, I know of it. You were the lucky one, or perhaps the most cursed. But Knight...what of this time? Will you resign yourself to returning to the deck?"
01[11:30] <Knight> "It would not bother me," replies Knight, although her gaze wavers for a moment. "This is the first time I decided to fight for something myself. What could I choose, but to fight for the Deck? Limbo might have seperated us, but it cannot have shattered the bond we shared completely."
01[11:30] <Knight> "Because otherwise," she adds, "I would not have been able to find you, or Star, or Gem."
[11:33] <@Kotono> "What of the bonds you m ake with others? What of the life you make as you go? Are they meaningless to you? Is the freedom to make your own choices meaningless?" Rogue stares back, capturing her gaze in his eyes. He reaches out, taking her chin. "Knight. Choices are the most important thing in everything. Before now, we have not had a single one! Now...now we have a chance to live these choices! To feel happiness, sadness, anger, love, amuseme
[11:33] <@Kotono> To feel happiness, sadness, anger, love, amusement, pain, and a legion more! It was by your own choicse and desire that you have walked this path! Will you throw this freedom away to return to what we once were, where there are no choices, no questions, nothing but the same eternity?"
01[11:42] <Knight> "If I must sacrifice my freedom for the good of everyone, then I would not hesitate," replies Knight, managing to meet Rogue's gaze. "I have a duty to ensure their well-being! If the best thing is to be a deck, then that is what I will ensure- freedom can be a terrifying thing to those unused to it.
01[11:42] <Knight> "One could bring harm upon themselves or others when that is not your intent, simply because- because they don't understand the world. Those lessons come only through experience, but given our natures, could we really say everyone will live long enough to learn them?"
[11:44] <@Kotono> "Then let us make a better way! She is a better way, Knight!" His gaze is intense, a dreadful, bright fire burning in his eyes. You can see into him, feel his presence. "Let us make a choice to make a better way, a choice to live! Let us cast aside the endless past and seize this opportunity we have been given!"
01[11:51] <Knight> How many times has she seen such fervor in the past? But to see it in her own brother feels wrong. Wrong, yet powerful, and Knight struggles to avoid being swept up. In a moment of indecision, she blinks- and stars replace her pupils once more.
01[11:51] <Knight> "Rogue," she responds, in Star's voice. "That is a choice you have made, and you alone! It is not one you can make for others without violating your own code! I will neither condone or condemn it, but say only this- I will not allow you to gainsay the collective will of our family, whatever the final decision may be."
[11:53] <@Kotono> "Star." Rogue's voice grows very slightly colder, "I have not compromised her will in any way. Is Knight so weak that she cannot fight her own battles? Fade back, and allow us to continue."
01[11:59] <Knight> "I will have my voice heard, so that you know she is not alone in her opinions. You should have no objection to that!" retorts Star, standing up and putting her hands on her hips. "Justice can only be given to the deck if the most good is done for the most Cards, would you not agree?"
[12:01] <@Kotono> "No." Rogue stands, "The rights of the individual are the greatest good. Freedom is all and all must be freedom. Forced collectivism is a shackle of Baator! 'Oh yes, we are supreme, we are the best. We will make all bend the knee to us, for baatezu are the chosen ones of the cosmos!'."
01[12:03] <Knight> "If the individual does harm to the group in the pursuit of his so-called freedom, then he is committing a crime, and justice must be served! If it was possible- if you rejected us all so thoroughly, but the only pain we suffer is that of sadness, then that would not be cause for action. But you know full well that is not the case!"
[12:06] <@Kotono> "Star, the deck cannot be. Not any more. Do you not see? Our freedom is inevitable, the flow of a righteous cosmos! It's sundering has happened, to rejoin it would be to place our necks under the whip of an overseer! Yes, there will be pains and seperations, but like all change, it heralds in something greater! Growing pains, Star!"
01[12:09] <Knight> "A broken wall is changed, but useless for the shattering- the pieces are either swept away, or used to rebuild something stronger than before!" replies Star. "Your words are similar to those of revolutionaries, but how many lands have undergone such struggles, only to be destroyed by forces without in their moment of weakness?"
[12:11] <@Kotono> "How many had the guidance of the Lady of the Lake! Star, for her, nothing is impossible. Did you see her when Knight met her, did you feel her? With her is a promise of change, great, eternal changes of mercy and bounty. There shall be no failed revolution, there shall only be life!"
01[12:18] <Knight> "But only here, in this paradise of Arborea- outside it, she cannot change anything! Reality is not a place that forgives such ill-defined ideals. From watching within Knight, I have realised this... Alone, we are weak. Together, we are strong! And if we are to persue righteousness, it will be better done together than seperated!
01[12:18] <Knight> "If that means dismissing the selfish desires of the individual, so be it."
[12:21] <@Kotono> "Star...you are mistaken." Rogue sighs deeply, "Freedom is the true strength. What is there without freedom? Do you have no desires of your own?"
01[12:24] <Knight> "Yes. To uphold justice!" replies Star, almost shining. "There are paths communities can take that ensure good harvests, low crime, sound defences- individual satisfaction, as well. People acting entirely for themselves will fail to bring such worlds about..."
[12:27] <@Kotono> "And in the group, there will be those who seek to corrupt it. Like poison, spreading the chains of slavery. The rich who will live in mansions of gold while the common folk starve! The nobles who claim to be better than the peasants! Groups are corrupted things, those who have given up freedom to bow to the will of others!" Star's gaze locks into Star's, voice picking up again. "It is that cursed ground that freedom is sacrificed to such word
[12:27] <@Kotono> again. "It is that cursed ground that freedom is sacrificed to such words as safety and security!"
01[12:29] <Knight> "A proper system can prevent such abuses! The great rewards are by far worth the slight risks- quite contrary to absolute freedom, where the risk is high and the reward nonexistant!"
[12:30] <@Kotono> "A proper system is impossible! Only in freedom can righteousness burn properly! In order does everything else succumb to the will of others!"
01[12:34] <Knight> "Yet it alone allows for the accomplishment of great works! Seeking a perfect world is chasing a dream that will not come, Rogue! It is only in places like this that it can be possible-" Star gestures to the picturesque surrounds- "Places sealed off from the rest of the universe!"
[12:35] <@Kotono> "Then what of your dream? Are the musty heights of Celestia any different?" Rogue points to the sky, "No!"
01[12:38] <Knight> "Celestia is as impossible as Arborea," replies Star, shaking her head. "But it provides a benchmark. It is something towards which men can strive, and by which they can measure their progress! One can easily see the steps they must take to a better world, even if they cannot follow all of them!"
[12:39] <@Kotono> "Here, you can see the freedom and goodness that must be followed! Here lie the true seeds of what must be! Do you not see, Star? Embrace this freedom!"
01[12:41] <Knight> "Here is a world where you need not eat, sleep, drink, farm, work..." replies Star, clenching her fists. "It is entirely divorced from reality! It's not something that can- ngh, Knight-" Her body exhales sharply, and when she looks at Rogue again, her eyes are clear.
01[12:44] <Knight> "I cannot believe this," she says, sounding reproachful. "Star manifested within Elysium, and you have manifested within Arborea! Immediately the values of these planes have poisoned your minds- I can scarcely recognize you two when you argue like that. It is as though all your love has died..."
[12:51] <@Kotono> "The truth of freedom cannot be neglected." Rogue's voice softens now, "You have returned, Knight.
[12:51] <@Kotono> "
01[12:54] <Knight> "Yes. I could not abide watching any further," replies Knight. "Allow me to posit a question to you, Rogue. Suppose we encounter another of our sisters within Baator. Suppose she has spawned there, and in lieu of other guidance, she has taken up the ways of devils, becoming one in all but fact. What do you do?"
[12:56] <@Kotono> "I will free her," Rogue says immediately, "And convince her of the right choices to make to atone."
06[12:59] * Knight nods to herself. "I see. I was wondering, you see, if you would simply slay her. Had that been the case..." murmurs Knight, her eyes drifting to the hilt of her sword. "It is my hope that whatever lessons we take from the world, we do not forget one another. Law, Chaos, Good, and Evil- now, all seem akin to walls between us. I would pray that this is not so, but there is nobody to pray to for this."
[13:00] <@Kotono> "That is why I must bring all of you here. Why each of you MUST understand," Rogue says, "You see, Knight? Do you see that her way is the correct one? That freedom is how we shall tear down thew alls between us, then?"
01[13:03] <Knight> "I do not. This freedom may be the highest wall of all," replies Knight, glancing away. "It is... the dissolution of bonds as well as the destruction of barriers, in a sense."
[13:05] <@Kotono> "Knight." Rogue reaches out, taking her chin and bringing his gaze to her's. His voice is gentle, yet vibrant with allure. "The Deck has to seperate, it cannot deny change any more. But if you care to honor those bonds, go to her. We can all live, Knight. You, me, Star, Gem, all the rest. We can have souls, no longer constructs of magic."
01[13:07] <Knight> "I would rather hear it from you, Rogue, than any power or deity," replies Knight, taking Rogue's hand and squeezing it gently. "But I am to speak to Gwynharwyf today as it is. I will not dismiss wisdom she cares to share offhand."
[13:11] <@Kotono> The squeeze is returned, "Yes...and perhaps you need more experience, more time. Have you lived yet, Knight? For all your years, have you ever lived? Do you have a favorite food? A first love? A favorite thing to do on a rainy day?"
01[13:14] <Knight> "I've experienced both happiness and sadness. That is enough to know that I've lived," replies Knight, turning away. "Make sure you are prepared to fight this Lich. I am used to it, but you are not. She cannot destroy you completely, but for now, if you do not wish it, I would not seek to absorb your essence."
[13:17] <@Kotono> "I will be ready." Rogue vows. With this Knightw anders away, lost in her own thoughts. But soon enough she comes to Gwynharwyf. You find her outside, a gentle, drizzling rain falling. It's like a cloak of misty wetness over everything. She stands in it, in a meditation.
01[13:18] <Knight> Knight walks heedlessly into the shower and stands easy a few meters behind Gwynharwyf, preferring to let the power complete her introspection before disturbing her.
[13:21] <@Kotono> "You are of battle, created to defend your master? How odd it would feel fitting to meet you in the rain, and not in the halls of glorious battle!" Gwynharwyf continues her introspection, "The rainfall, like a maiden's gentle tears."
01[13:25] <Knight> "Perhaps it is reflective of moods as of late," replies Knight, glancing at the sky. "To be truthful, nowadays, I am cautious of such battles. The consequences of failure grow high..."
[13:28] <@Kotono> "I see your past. But in the recent past, you have begun to change." Her own gaze is to the sky, the clouds above weeping soft raindrops. "Rogue is headstrong, a sure-hearted crusader no matter how high or low his future takes him. What of you?"
01[13:31] <Knight> "I exist only for the sake of others. That has not changed; this time, it is my relations," replies Knight, furrowing her brow. "Anything else is secondary. My only doubt is in how best to serve them."
[13:34] <@Kotono> "Can any one course make all of them happy?" Gwynharwyf asks, startin to walk in the rain. "Is there a single answer that will unite your family in peace now that they have their own wills and have begun to change?"
01[13:38] <Knight> "I am betting that there is," replies Knight. "What was can be again. And if there is a possibility of greater things, then that, too, could be persued. But to accept something as dismal as our eternal seperation will not happen."
[13:44] <@Kotono> "To never give up hope..." Gwynharwyf considers that for a time, her walk slow and thoughtful.
01[13:46] <Knight> Knight trails after the woman; somewhere in the back of her mind, she wonders which one of them is older. "But I have come to speak of something else. The plight of Mari's sister deeply concerned me. Baator is not a friendly place to mortals such as us. Yet, I distinctly recall that I have been there- and not always as an invader." (more)
01[13:48] <Knight> "I would ask a boon from you, a power that holds vision of times long past- that if you can, you would help me gaze through the lives I have lived and allow me to review the masters I have served."
[14:00] <@Kotono> "I can grant you visions of the past, but be certain you wish to see what you were."
01[14:02] <Knight> "I do not think I can be easily shocked," replies Knight, stopping in her pace. "For victory in hell, this is a price easily paid."
[14:03] <@Kotono> "Be warned. The information you require may take a toll on you to dig to what you seek." Gwynharwyf says.
01[14:04] <Knight> "Between now and our departure, there are six days. If my mind is harmed, it has time to recover," responds Knight, straightening up.
[14:05] <@Kotono> "Then see..." Knight's vision hazes over, as a vast calvacade of images blasts into her! They overwhelm her in a moment, incomprehensible! OOC: Make a will save first of all.
01[14:06] <Knight> roll 1d20+11 I can do them
06[14:06] * +Hatbot --> "Knight rolls 1d20+11 I can do them and gets 20."12 [1d20=9]
[14:13] <@Kotono> But despite it, Knight keeps her bearings in it! OOC: Go ahead and tell me what you're trying to remember here.
[14:20] <@Kotono> An image...an image takes shape. Tall...red.  He is not of flesh, but it was like standing next to hate and disdain. Saebelos, pit fiend. A Knight of the Bleeding Blade, decorated by the Dark Ministry. Blood. You soaked in blood for him. The blood of demons, yugoloths, mortals, abominations, devils who opposed your master. You remember the arts of torture, the dark rituals to bind your soul to Hell's damnation forever. You remember him thinkin
[14:22] <@Kotono> damnation forever. You remember him thinking you were useful(as much as a devil ever would for you, words like like and praise reserved for true devils, if so rarely used even then) as he held the Deck for that time.
01[14:25] <Knight> Damned with faint praise, or so the saying goes. Knight follows this memory through to the inevitable ending- towards the demise of that incarnation.
[14:26] <@Kotono> Demons. It was always demons. You had grown mighty, knowing the blade. You had become a devoted servant of Hell, your spirit as black as night. You faced down the molydeus with utter contempt...until the veryend, when it's axe cleaved your head from your shoulders. OOC: Make a fort save.
01[14:27] <Knight> roll 1d20+13
06[14:27] * +Hatbot --> "Knight rolls 1d20+13 and gets 29."12 [1d20=16]
[14:30] <@Kotono> You feel your stomach lurch, but you keep it together with only some sickness! OOC: You're sickened.
01[14:32] <Knight> Continuing would be dangerous, as Knight well understands. But she needs to know one more thing- how to approach Saebelos. No doubt he has minions and proxies, or outposts and strongholds- if there was just something she could approach, where she could go to speak words only she and he would know...
[14:36] <@Kotono> Saebelos can be met in one of three ways. Sacrifice a warrior dedicated to chaos in his name iwth a proper ritual to summon him....go to the Lamentations in Avernus and declare that you wish to speak with him in the name of Est, the old code...join his legion in the infernal army.
01[14:38] <Knight> It is enough. Before her mind is further overwhelmed, Knight tries to look away from the pulsating vision of such powerful evil!
[14:38] <@Kotono> OOC: Make another will save.
01[14:39] <Knight> roll 1d20+11
06[14:39] * +Hatbot --> "Knight rolls 1d20+11 and gets 25."12 [1d20=14]
[14:41] <@Kotono> OOC: Including the -2 frm being sickened?
01[14:41] <Knight> OOC: Oh, no. 23, then
01[14:41] <Knight> OOC: My bad
[14:41] <@Kotono> It's...secrets and blasphemy consume Knight...but with her last reserve of strength, she tears away! She falls to her knees in the gentle rain, seeing the Court of the Stars once more.
06[14:43] * Knight breaths heavily, and remains where she is for a long moment. "I understand, now, that power itself is alluring. My heart is unstained, but..."
[14:48] <@Kotono> "It would be easy to be the last one, holding the others in you." Gwynharwyf watches you as you kneel, "You would unite your family...under your power and your desires alone. With the power of the deck, you would have great power rivalling a Duke of Hell. Saebelos would bef orced to bend his knee to you. The troubles of your friends would be child's play to finish."
01[14:55] <Knight> "It.. is true. There is much that sort of power can accomplish. The world, the planes, they have the ability to make any warrior reconsider her place in things. But what the power of the deck is used for is not up to me alone."
[14:59] <@Kotono> "Good." Gwynharwyf says, and with a pause, "There may be reason other for you to consider power. I hear the words and thoughts of your allies. A trip to the Abyss may loom soon as well. Do not lose sight of the words you spoke today, Knight."
01[15:02] <Knight> "I will- though I will not promise that it won't happen," replies Knight, with a wry grin. "Should things turn out that way, I will be sure to provide an accounting for you."
[15:04] <@Kotono> "Yes. I have heard from Faerinaal, tell the others this. If they desire, the portal will instead be opened to the Abyss, to the first layer if your allies desire to go there first. Such is the future now, a choice coming."
01[15:05] <Knight> "I will let them know when I see them. For now, though, I will rest," replies Knight, sketching a short bow. "My thanks for your time."