Tryll's Paragon Quest (Tryll)

[Anastasia]

"Then the answer is child's play: design a spell that will allow you to shed ectoplasm or blood," Sage Vul'lath says dryly.

[Yuthirin]

'Maybe I'll excise a tendril or something...'

[Anastasia]

"Do you have any sort of bodily fluids?" Vul'lath asks, sighing, "Blood, sweat, saliva, urine? Something else we have no name for? What about procreation, there's usually fluids involved in that."

[Yuthirin]

'Vul'lath, I'm essentially a ghost. Stuff doesn't flow like it once did.' Tryll replies, 'I might look healthy, but I've been a disembodied soul for a very long time.'

[Anastasia]

"Well, can you get a body again?" Vul'lath crosses his arms, giving you a steady look. "That friend of yours has an entire scheme about cloning your race, does he not?"

[Yuthirin]

'I rather like the way I am. And anyway, a god did it. I'm rather leery of anything that could make whatever vestige of the Triune that still remains out there upset with me. Not that Triune. The other one. They did us a favor by making us what we are. Were. Either way, I'm not inclined to imply to any god that I could improve on their work. That's for others, like Gytha.'

[Anastasia]

Sage Vul'lath slowly exhales, two fingers going to pinch the bridge of his nose. "Merely providing your blood is supposed to be an easy component of ritual spellwork. Can you produce and store any sort of essence or energy? Something that is undeniably you?"

[Yuthirin]

'I probably could, it may just require a bit of cleverness in all honesty. Scrapings of spectral ichor or something. I can manage. Shouldn't take me more than a day or so.'

[Anastasia]

"Then will you be partaking of the ritual instead of your courre?" Vul'lath says, lowering his hand and giving you an even look. "From the noise that djinn made when he passed by, I got the impression she was to be a sparkling paragon princess."

[Yuthirin]

'My original intent had been to seek the ritual for my own sake, but Calleigh's become so enamored with the idea of it that she wants to try it too. I believe that her attempt may fail simply as there are other courre paragons in the planes, whereas there are very few of us. I see no reason why the both of us could not attempt it, though.'

[Anastasia]

"I have my doubts as well," Vul'lath says. "The fact that this ritual exists and paragons are vanishingly rare suggests it is far from certain success." A glance at Calleigh, "I should council you that your race may be insufficient in its current form, I know not. Assuming the ritual works as written, the book does not elaborate the underlying forces and names called on. However, the draconic name for Lathander is mentioned once, which suggests that a new birth or new beginning may be implied by a successful ritual."

[Yuthirin]

'Truly? I'd not noticed that. That's...less than ideal. Does it say anything else?'

[Anastasia]

"I do not recognize most of the names called on, so they are likely ancient and disused names or names in languages I am not familiar with," Vul'lath says, "It suggests the ritual is old, millions of years old." The old sage gives you a long look, "I can only infer from the names I do know, as it speaks not on the underlying forces or what the names it calls on are. It is also possible it is translated or transcribed and has somewhat degenerated through lingual drift. This is something that can be corrected, though fortunately, immortal languages seldom change, but may instead have words powerful and eldritch, seldom known save to those with great power in what those languages represent. I believe you are familiar with the Words of Creation?"

[Yuthirin]

'Vaguely.'

[Anastasia]

"Sit," Vul'lath gestures, "Or float. Regardless." He stands before you, hands hidden in the sleeves of his robe. "Be quiet and listen."

"The Words of Creation represent the language that created everything in Creation, or so many celestial scholars claim. I cannot ascertain that, but I can ascertain that the language is incredibly perilous and virtually impossible to speak unless you are devoted to Good. Even then, most mortals and many spirits can only manage a smattering of words in it. I believe Ebony and Moore use them in their bardic music. You must understand these words describe aspects of Good, such as love and forgiveness. It does so in the most primal sense, putting the concepts themselves into a mere shell of sound and language."

Vul'lath is silent a few moments after, "When you speak the Words of Creation, you are hardly speaking normal words. You are speaking of an aspect of good merely wrapped in sound. The Dark Speech of the fiends is similar, representing primal concepts of evil. There are said to be others that can command the elements and more yet, though it is not a point of great study for me. Nor for you, I presume."

"Now," Vul'lath begins to slowly pace, "These words are incapable of changing. One can change language, fiddle and manipulate it endlessly like a bard's lute, but the underlying things cannot be. The truths and realities that these languages call on are far beyond being changed in such a way. Therefore, if one comes across them, one is assured that they are what they are, no matter the age of the material you work with. Interestingly, they have no power in the written form, though the form which they are represented in as writing is static."