Play by Post Thread

[Corwin]

Henrietta's arcane might is tempered by her desire to avoid hurting decent people, an ability she sadly had little chances to use of late.

"Pretty much," she agrees with Liamae. "That is, you could most definitely say so. However, for me it meant bowing my head down before the so-called divine emperor. Is it not strange? That people bow and scrape and worship all sorts of things as divine simply because someone told them to? I, well, I was bothered by that, you see. I left, well, that is, you could say I left to find proof that those beliefs were wrong. But now I changed my mind some, because, well, is it not close-minded to just claim something does not exist without any proof whatsoever? So I really want to find the answer for myself, now. Just what is out there? So... I guess that is why I am here...."

[Ebiris]

"Yeah, I've heard about how you guys have some sort of living god over there. What is he, some kind of super-wizard?" Liamae asks irreverently, going to sit on one of the pale rounded ornamental boulders that dot the park. "Still, if you want to find any real Gods, I bet they're up there," she points at the sky. "I mean, look at the sun - wait, don't really, you'll hurt your eyes!" she hastily amends, eyes widening. "But uh, you know what I'm talking about? Think about the sort of power that must go into it, heating and lighting here and all the other worlds we can see in the sky. There's no magic that could ever come close, unless you were a God - and that just bugs me." She looks up, "Zeus is the leader of the Olympians, right? But he's the God of what? Thunder? Meanwhile Apollo's the God of the Sun - I think the sun's a lot more impressive than some momentary flash in the clouds!"

[Corwin]

"He, well, he cannot possibly be a god!" Henriette exclaims in indignation. She starts pacing back and forth before Liamae, gesturing agitatedly. "He is just... just some man who was born to the previous emperor! Who was not a god either, I shall have you know!"

Henrietta huffs. "Jovar's emperors may be wizards, or maybe even secretly dragons or, well, some sort of powerful dragon wizards, but that in no way makes them gods!"

Realizing how unseemly she is behaving, Henrietta shoves her hands deep into the pockets of her pants. "I do not want to believe in the local so-called deities, either. Every supposed miracle I have been witness to thus far could fairly easily be explained away in much simpler terms." She not quite pouts as she admits, "Aside from nature itself, I suppose. But just because I have no real idea of how to make a sun, does it mean a god must exist to create one? Maybe I will learn how to do it one day, and it would in no way make me one!"

Hebnrietta takes a calming breath, following Liamae's gaze skywards. Her eyes linger on the sun for a moment, but no longer, and she blinks away the dark spots that appear across her vision. "I believe, to say it plainly, that you may well be right about this. That is to say, the answers to everything lie could out there, along with that proof I seek." This time, Henrietta sneaks a glance at Liamae herself as she asks, "Do you think it might be possible to find that out some day? You thought about it before, did you not?"

[Ebiris]

Henrietta

"Definitely!" Liamae's fist smacks into her palm. "Falling stars manage to cross the void to land here, so it has to be possible for us to do the reverse. I mean, magic exists that lets us fly, and survive in extreme environments, and even teleport!" she brightens happily.

"Anyway, about the sun? Even leaving aside creating it, someone or someones have to be working to keep its fires stoked... they might not be Gods that give two kinds of shit what we get up to down here, but even then it's something."

That prompts her to get up and start heading back towards the path, "So I guess that begs a question. What *is* a God? Just someone more powerful than we could ever be? Ruler of some fantastic realm beyond imagination and death? Anyone that says they are and can back it up enough to get worshipped?"

Rudy

After session 35

Rudy finds himself almost getting used to walking Shadowshore's mean streets. Enough so that he doesn't feel like an outsider, even when solely accompanied by Myra - and between those two points, it seems most of the slum's less savoury inhabitants choose to leave well alone. This gives him ample opportunity to make his way down to the far end where the Cobra Fangs dwell, where he finds Hermann talking to a skinny and strung-out looking young man who keeps twitching and looking around as if on the edge of panic. Nearby Maya is skipping and swaying around her hideous snake, which slowly screws itself in knots as it turns in place to follow her movements, fanned head swaying in time to the beat she moves to.

[Carthrat]

"G'morning, Maya!" greets Rudy, strolling up to the girl whilst Hermann conducts his business, whatever it might be. "Have you been a good girl lately?" Myra wanders towards Midolin and peers curiously down at the snake, before deciding to demonstrate her astonishing ability to twist her torso about-face without moving her legs or chest!

[Ebiris]

Rudy

Maya skips to a stop and turns to face the taller summoner, while her giant snake also ceases its twisting and looks down at the smaller eidolon, flicking its tongue out. "Oh, it's Rudy! Hello!" she smiles widely. "I've been very good. So has Midolin - he gets to eat a whole lot more since Lucie and the others left. Is she having fun?"

Hermann seems to dismiss the figure he's talking to, biting out something harsh that sends him scurrying along before the more well built balding man strolls over. "Rudy. Seeing you more often than Lucie, these days," he comments with a not very well hidden edge of bitterness.

[Carthrat]

"Can't be helped. I've got more free time. Who knows if she's having fun, anyhow? Seen her smile maybe.. once?" He shrugs.

"But hey, don't be putting it all on Lucie. Nothing stopping you from dropping by unexpectedly, is there? No idea what the woman does during daylight hours, but I'd bet a good sum she doesn't go far from home."

[Ebiris]

Maya pouts at Rudy's response. "You can tell by seeing her eyes," she replies with a knowing nod.

"Yeah, well she's gone pretty far from home by my reckoning," Hermann complains, crossing his arms over his wide chest. "But I doubt you're here just to listen to my troubles. So what brings you down into Salerno's hidden gutter?"

[Corwin]

"Well...." Henrietta trails off in confusion as she realizes that she had never truly given this particular matter any thought. She opts to catch up to Liamae with several quick strides and then matches her pace.

"Let me see. I believe that it would be easier to go into what absolutely cannot be a god, I would say?" Encouraged by devising an approach she can work with, Henrietta nods to herself, continuing. "A person who claims to be a god because he is, well, really powerful is most definitely not a god. The word implies that the powers were invested in the god from an outside source, I would say, be it from their worshippers or from birth or whatever other alternative I might have missed here."

She frowns lightly. "The ruler of a realm would only qualify is the realm was genuinely a realm we could prove as an afterlife. That is, if we could, say, come across a realm that had Miranda, our past companion, and we ascertained that she was not raised in some way, shape or form... if the ruler of this theoretical realm were not one of its denizens but had been born there with the powers to control that realm, I suppose only then would he qualify."

Henrietta rolls her eyes to display her disdain for this possibility, and puts it out of her mind by addressing the others Liamae had brought up. "Naturally, anyone being more powerful than we could ever be reflects more on us than on him, and poorly at that. I am not quite that eager to accept that as a possibility, but even should it happen, it would really be our fault for not going through enough life-threatening training to achieve that level of ability."

She shakes her head. "I suppose this is what I think? And... and we also have another ability on our side if we want to explore the sun!" All smiles of a sudden, Henrietta brightens up. "Because Rudy's Myra would not die even if she is killed, he says, so once we figure out how to teleport others we can keep on sending her across over and over again until she discovers something!"

[Carthrat]

"Well, I was thinking of a couple things," replies Rudy, sauntering towards Hermaan. "You want to start with the good stuff or the bad stuff?"

[Ebiris]

Henrietta

Good there, Henri? I don't really have much else to put out here.

Rudy

"Not often you get good stuff around here," Hermann snorts, going to lean against the railing coming out of the rum distillery and regarding Rudy dubiously. "Might as well get that out of the way first before we get to the real business."

[Carthrat]

"Well, what if we could change that?" asks Rudy, turning to glance around the streets of Shadowshore for a moment. "There's gonna be a banquet this week, all about celebrating the downfall of the Lotus Dragons. Feels a bit shameful, since it's not as though we did it for purely altruistic reasons. Still, can't turn down a chance to hobnob with the rich and famous, y'know? Only two ways to go in this life, and that's up or out. Anyhow."

He spreads his arms. "I heard you take care of this place because the rest of the city won't. How true's that?"

[Ebiris]

Hermann snorts and looks down the street, as Maya seems to deem the current conversation unworthy of her attention and instead starts tossing pebbles that Midolin tries to catch on his nose. "You see any town watch on your way down here, Rudy?"

As a matter of fact Rudy does recall seeing a couple about halfway along his route, egging on the participants of a rather acrimonious domestic dispute.

"I ain't gonna say we're saints, but the only law you'll find in Shadowshore is what you make yourself. Folks like that old bastard Rabbani might say we're squeezing honest businessmen, but I figure there's a reason he's still here rather than setting up shop in Draktus's fief."

"Basically you can divide Shadowshore up into three parts. East side gets run by Emil Draktus - our noble 'Lord'," Hermann drips scorn over the title, "Guy's filth - your Lady of the Lotus was an innocent babe next to him I'll bet. North side's mostly taken over by the Clan Camore. Immigrants," the bald man snorts. "Then you got West Side, where we sink our fangs... only our fangs ain't so long as they used to be..." he trails off, looking morose.

Shaking himself out of his funk, he looks up, "You'll find other pissant gangs here and there, but that's the big three players in Shadowshore. 'Course a lot are sensing weakness in the Cobra Fangs right now - Mort was one viciously scary little fuck when he wanted to be, and Chekick, he was good with having eyes and ears all over the place... and I bet you know all about how useful Lucie is to have around." He sighs, "Dawley's stepped up, but shit, we only ever let him in so we could laugh at him. Weren't for Maya and Midolin, it'd all be over for us."

[Carthrat]

"Lord's as filthy as you say, he's sure to have more than a few things he'd prefer his peers weren't aware of," notes Rudy. "I owe you guys one, and there's enough bullshit going on in this world that it's getting hard to look the other way, n'matter how much I drink. Ain't saying I'm some idealist, but if a chance to put some dipshit duke in his place came along, I'd take it in a shot. Bet those diehards from the Collective'd like that, too."

He flexes his palms with a grin. "That aside, I don't mind hanging around every now and then. Myra ain't quite up to Midolin's standard, but you'd have to be crazy brave to think about taking 'em both on, don't you think?"

[Ebiris]

Hermann's expression turns sour. "This ain't a part time job, Rudy. Told Lucie the same - you can't just swoop in every couple of weeks to crack a few heads and pat yourself on the back for making a difference. It's about being here full time, being a part of the neighbourhood, living the life. Y'can't fix Shadowshore from up there," he points to the cliffs looming high over the slums, the gentrified homes of the Champion District standing tall and proud above it all.

"I find any jobs that need outside help, I'll let you and Lucie know. But down here we're used to looking out for ourselves." Recrossing his arms, "And you had bad news as well?" he asks with a snort.