Nemnosti session 39
Summary
Session
- Session date: February 1, 2026
- Negili Reckoning date: IE 769, Fikho
Prologue
[Nemnosti-GM] Greetings, acolytes! I know you're disappointed that it's been wetter than usual, and that the usual Fikho rains plus the spring melt have made the Pasu fuller and angrier than usual. Soon enough you'll be able to putter again, but for now, we must all leave the angry serpent alone as he awakens. When Nemnu uses the metaphor of the river in Her courses, it is not merely because it presents an object to us here that is meaningful and ever-present. She intends to remind us all that rivers, for all their beauty, can be dangerous, can destroy, can kill. Our path through life is not simply to follow where some river takes us, down to the end, passively. That is why she tells us of the Rudder and the Pole. Our path through life requires that we learn to use the tools around us, not to control the river, but to control ourselves within the river. And now we have thirty new guests here for the next months who have all these lessons to learn. We can hardly expect that they, not being acolytes, have the tools that we all have. Young though you may be, but you have passed your Tenths and are on to your Nameways, your training that will end in your award of your dimir from Nemnu Herself. So have some pity on those who do not yet know to cross Khukrai's bridge only from west to east, or who do not salute the Captain when re-entering Nemnosti. These things once seemed strange to you, too. Now run along, as the fire will hardly hold up, as the rains have begun again!
Marga is reunited with Rechegoko, learns of his plans to become a Lurusiri, and learns from Rupun what that will entail for Hulti-killing plans
[Nemnosti-GM] Marga, there was a part of you that really wanted to be in the group using Alai's shadow walk to get back to Nemnosti faster. Not that you mind walking, but walking at the pace of the saint's caravan, knowing that Sanar Ula was already safe at the ulajeta, was pretty frustrating.
[Marga] . o O (uuuuuugggghhhhhhhhh)
[Nemnosti-GM] There were the vultures sent as escorts by Ushukuna Herself to keep you company, led by the albino Achoreza, and you flew with them when you could.
[Nemnosti-GM] But more than anything you had one thought in mind the whole way ... Rechegoko, Rechegoko, Rechegoko.
[Marga] :3c
[Nemnosti-GM] So it's not long after your return that you are literally out of the ulajeta, across the overflowing river, and over to Lurusiru Osti and the ruins where Rechegoko has been building up his encampment. It's grown since you were last there, with heavy oiled cloth draped across an area, supported by heavy timbers that he must have dragged there from downriver somewhere.
[Nemnosti-GM] As you approach, you can hear Rechegoko in there, in conversation with someone.
[Marga] (can I tell who?)
[Nemnosti-GM] You listen for a moment and then recognize the voice of Rupun Lurusiri.
[Nemnosti-GM] A smell of some kind of hearty stew emanates from the new tent structure.
[Marga] Hellooooo? :)
[Rechegoko] Marga!!!
[Marga] I'm baaaaaaaaaaack!
* Rechegoko practically falls over himself as he comes out of the tent, smiling.
* Rechegoko gives you a huuuuuge hug!
* Rechegoko is wearing a warm longcoat that seems to be new, over a shirt that seems similarly new.
[Rechegoko] Oh, you're wet!
[Marga] River's high.
[Marga] :)
[Marga] You look fancy!
[Rechegoko] Yeah it's been raining the whole time you were gone. Come in, I've got crab stew.
[Rechegoko] Thanks ... I got some new things.
[Rechegoko] Figured it was time.
[Marga] Oooh crab stew!
* Rechegoko leads you into the new structure where Rupun is seated on a carved stool around a low fire.
[Marga] Hi Rupun!
* Rupun smiles.
[Rupun] Hello, Marga. How was the trip to the new Saint? Have you met Her?
[Marga] It was uhhh... eventful. But yeah!
[Marga] She's so little.
* Rupun nods, a little sadly.
[Rupun] It is hard, for one so young, to have such a burden placed upon Her.
[Marga] Yeah... I keep wondering like, does she even really understand it yet
[Marga] That it's you know... forever
[Rupun] She doesn't, not really. How could any of us?
[Rupun] It is hard to envision, both the time and the radical transformation. Not only in who She is and what Her capacities are, but also in how everyone else will treat Her.
[Marga] yeah... I wouldn't want it to be me.
* Rechegoko nods.
[Rechegoko] But it is not for us to choose. Imagine becoming a saint and not even knowing about the Corps and things like that.
[Nemnosti-GM] Give me a Sense Motive, Marga.
[Marga] !roll 1d20+2
[Marga] (sec)
[Marga] (8 lol)
[Nemnosti-GM] (yeah that is not so great)
[Rupun] Do we know yet about Her powers?
[Marga] I guess it's something with feelings
[Marga] I didn't really feel it but other people said it was intense
[Rechegoko] Oh, that's interesting. And She is living in Nemnosti now?
[Marga] Yeah, for I dunno how long.
[Marga] They wanted to set up an ulajeta in this one place but it was awful so...
* Rupun is deep in thought, and bows his head respectfully.
[Rechegoko] So ... ahh ... I have some news.
* Rechegoko looks over to Rupun.
* Rupun nods.
[Marga] Oh?
[Rechegoko] I have had a lot of time up here, just me and Rupun.
[Rechegoko] Two lonely guys, up on a mountain, with nothing to do but talk about things.
[Marga] you could probably play a board game
* Marga says helpfully
[Rechegoko] Rupun has been teaching me a lot.
[Rechegoko] And I've decided that I am going to convert.
[Marga] To...?
[Rechegoko] I mean ... I was never a very good Hulti.
[Marga] Oh, the Corps! :o
[Marga] That's a huge decision! Wow!
* Rupun nods.
[Rupun] But not one that he has taken lightly.
* Marga nods as well.
[Marga] So... what made you sort of finally decide, then?
* Rechegoko pauses.
[Rechegoko] Well, a lot of things. But the main one is ... I am going to give up my clan too.
[Rechegoko] And ... I have been talking to Rupun, and I would like to be adopted into the Lurusiri.
[Marga] Oh! :O Now that's REALLY huge!
[Marga] Is there a.. thing? Like a ceremony for that?
[Rechegoko] Well ... it's not all decided yet.
[Rupun] Lurusiri is a special name, and a special lineage. It is saintly, but for a saint who is no longer present with us.
[Rupun] For the Nemni, Nemnu Herself must agree to an adoption.
[Rupun] But for Lurusiru Ula, it is different, of course.
[Nemnosti-GM] (give me another SM, just for fun, Marga)
[Marga] !roll 1d20+2
* Jevai rolls for Marga: [ 1d20+2 ] getting [ 14 ] which, after the modifier [ 2 ] totals [ 16 ].
[Nemnosti-GM] (there's definitely more to this story, but whatever)
[Marga] So... how *does* it work?
[Rupun] Well, even though I live up here, my home temple is at the ulajeta, I was an acolyte, and that is where Their remains are.
[Rupun] Typically there has only ever been one Lurusiri, although that is not a firm rule. And of course, one has to train new Lurusiri priests somehow.
[Rechegoko] But don't worry, I'm not going to become a Voice or anything! Voice Rupun has said I'm not ... what did you say?
[Rupun] I think I said you were temperamentally disinclined.
[Marga] um...
* Marga looks puzzled.
[Marga] What?
[Rechegoko] What?
[Marga] What's that mean?
* Rupun considers how to answer the question.
[Rupun] Well, beyond the issues of theology, young Rechegoko has had one other subject he couldn't stop talking about ... which is you.
[Rupun] In ... some detail.
* Rupun shifts uncomfortably on his stool.
[Rupun] You have given him much to think about. And the life of a Voice necessarily means a commitment that would be incompatible with that.
[Marga] Ohh... right.
[Rechegoko] So like, we can get married still, of course!
[Marga] Yay! :D
[Rupun] We will speak to Nemnu and see what She says about all this. It is unorthodox, but there is no theological contradiction.
[Marga] THere's no reason She'd say no.. is there?
[Rupun] Other lost Saints still have ulaji lineages, even centuries after their Saint becomes an Ancestor.
[Rupun] There is one matter that needs to be resolved only, I believe.
* Rupun looks over to Rechegoko.
[Marga] What's that?
[Rechegoko] Your dad.
[Marga] Uh... what?
[Marga] What does he have to do with it?
[Rechegoko] Well, you remember how I went to ask his permission?
[Rechegoko] And he ... made a demand of me.
[Marga] Uh-huh...
[Marga] And you wouldn't tell me what it was...
[Rechegoko] Yeah.
[Rechegoko] Voice Rupun has helped me to see that I should have told you.
[Rechegoko] Your father would give his blessing only if I killed my uncle Aizhanefer.
[Marga] Oh... okay...
[Marga] I still don't understand.
[Rupun] Lurusiru Ula ... to follow Them, as to follow any saint, is to follow Their principles.
[Rupun] Just as Nemnu has Her Courses, so too Lurusiru, during Their brief awakening, held fast to certain ideals.
[Marga] Uh-huh...
* Marga is clearly trying to put pieces together in her head.
[Rupun] During the time of the Great Purge, They quarrelled with the Emperor and with Nemnu Herself, who were engaged against the Hulti.
[Rupun] They sought peace, They sought to leave the Hulti alone.
[Rupun] So I cannot accept into Their service someone who is intent on murdering a Hulti leader.
[Marga] Ohhhhh.
[Marga] Hmm.
[Marga] What if I did it
* Rupun smiles.
[Rupun] How would your father feel about a man who sent his betrothed off to kill her own betrothal gift?
[Marga] He doesn't have to know.
[Rupun] We would know.
[Marga] So?
* Marga frowns, not getting the issue here.
[Rupun] How could I endorse this wedding of my follower, my clansman, under such a condition.
[Rupun] No violence. No death.
[Marga] But.. but
[Marga] *I'm* not a Lurusiri!
[Rupun] If you wish to marry one, it will be with my blessing only. After all, I am both the Voice and the hengi.
[Marga] But half my job is violence!
* Marga wails
[Rechegoko] It's okay, it's okay ...
[Rupun] I am not asking you to never act in violence, in defense of the ulajeta, or in support of your friends.
[Marga] Like, hitting things and wilderness stuff are the only things I'm good at!!
[Rupun] Even a Hulti can be slain, if they are attacking directly.
[Rupun] But we do not tolerate initiating violence upon others.
* Marga thinks of the guy she killed for her Dad and bursts into tears.
[Marga] I HAVE TO GO
[Rechegoko] No, no wait, Marga!
* Marga runs out of the hut sobbing
* Rechegoko runs after you - how serious are you about getting away?
[Marga] (pretty serious but also not thinking very clearly)
[Marga] (so not flying or anything)
[Nemnosti-GM] Give me a Strength check
[Marga] !roll 1d20+6
* Jevai rolls for Marga: [ 1d20+6 ] getting [ 20 ] which, after the modifier [ 6 ] totals [ 26 ].
[Nemnosti-GM] !roll 1d20+4
* Jevai rolls for Nemnosti-GM: [ 1d20+4 ] getting [ 17 ] which, after the modifier [ 4 ] totals [ 21 ].
[Nemnosti-GM] Marga, you manage to get away. Where are you going? Just back to Nemnosti?
[Marga] (no... probably to like, a hill somewhere)
[Nemnosti-GM] All right, good news, the Pardopasu is full of hills.
[Marga] (just somewhere lonely and high)
[Nemnosti-GM] All right, you are a powerful vulture so it is no problem to find a place where you can be alone and not bothered for as long as you like.
Izu talks to Nemnu about Voice Nalazh, Imas’ work at Gil Pirtu, and the ongoing Hulti risk
[Nemnosti-GM] Izu, since your return you have been busy making all sorts of arrangements. While Ifa and others are in charge of the amenities of life, your goal is to ensure that the temple will accommodate whatever they need, including the addition of Voice Nalazh. While you are not the high priest, Faifir is hardly young or vigorous enough to manage such a complex process, so it mainly falls to you.
[Nemnosti-GM] Today, you are finally able to sit down with Nemnu and discuss all the things you need to consult Her on, regarding the Sanari, your trip to Zhustir, and any other matters.
[Nemnosti-GM] You have arranged Her in Her sitting room, in a bright blue spring dress, and seated where She can face the sunrise through a small window.
[Nemnu] It has been a while, Izu-who-is-Farai.
[Nemnu] I have missed our conversations.
[Izu] Yes, My Lady. I hope things have been well here in my absence.
[Nemnu] They have been uneventful, which is what I think we would all have hoped.
[Nemnu] Your cousin seems to be settling into her role as hengi.
[Izu] Good. I am glad if there have been no further troubles there.
[Nemnu] Perhaps they were just awaiting your return.
* Izu grins slightly at that.
[Izu] Sometimes I wonder.
[Nemnu] So, tell me about this new Saint. What are your impressions of Her?
[Izu] She is... very young. And very powerful. It is a very dangerous combination. I think we must be careful about who is whispering in her ear.
[Nemnu] So whisper to me, then: who is whispering to Her?
[Izu] I am not sure. So far I think mainly Voice Nalazh and certain of her family.
[Nemnu] What kind of Voice is he, Nalazh? I have not met him yet.
[Izu] He is cautious. Or at least he appears so.
[Izu] He has placed himself as her... translator, for lack of a better term.
[Nemnu] That is understandable. Given that he is Her relation, and that She is so young.
[Izu] Of course. But something about it seems off to me.
[Nemnu] How so?
[Izu] Perhaps I am just being paranoid.
[Nemnu] Tell me.
[Izu] It's just a feeling, really. Perhaps I should not have said anything.
[Nemnu] No, I want you to pay attention to it. I no longer have the subtle awarenesses I had in life, if I did even then.
[Nemnu] But that is why I have you, to pay attention to things I cannot.
* Izu nods.
[Izu] I will keep an eye on them, as often as I can.
[Nemnu] What does Ingo think? About all of this.
[Izu] He says that Eluli is concerned about her and her family's history, as well as your own involvement. I think he is trying to mitigate that.
[Nemnu] I miss him, but there is almost no one I would rather have in his place in Onighus.
[Izu] I miss him too.
[Izu] But it is good to have friends in high places.
[Izu] I believe he will always be loyal to you.
[Izu] Perhaps my view is biased, though.
[Nemnu] No, you are right. A Conduit has many loyalties, first among them to the Prime, but Ingo has the strength to understand and manage that conflict.
[Izu] The New saint's power is real, and it is strong. I have felt it. I have no doubt that Eluli would be eager to have her available at his call.
[Nemnu] And others who would destroy Her. You took a prisoner, at the public celebration, I hear from my Medimur. The same Hulti woman that gave us trouble here.
[Izu] Yes. Ingo took her back with him to the Capital,
[Nemnu] While I have few sympathies for these Hulti radicals, I do not envy her what will surely happen now.
[Izu] I am concerned. It was too easy.
[Izu] When we fought her she could change the very fabric of time. We should not have been able to catch her. What if this is part of her plan?
[Nemnu] You are starting to understand, I think, some of the conversations we had around the time of the Purge. When the enemy seems to have infinite power and infinite will to destroy you, one turns to dark measures.
[Nemnu] I am sure you do not approve fully of my creation of the Unkind Stone, of harnessing Unkindness, but it was exactly this sort of fear that led to it.
[Izu] I do not have any place to judge your actions, My Lady.
[Nemnu] Then talk to me of other matters. Gil Pirtu and rebuilding it into a new ulajeta.
[Izu] It will take time, and much effort to clear it out safely.
[Izu] We still don't know the full extent of what might be down there.
[Nemnu] Imas will do good work there.
[Izu] I would recommend scouting parties be set up to work in teams if it can be spared. Stoneguards and ritualists of sufficient power to deal with threats.
[Nemnu] Sensible. Make sure that Imas understands that safety is critical.
[Izu] Yes, My Lady.
[Nemnu] This will be the project for which he is remembered for centuries. I am certain he will do his best, but he may also be inclined to overexuberance, for that very reason.
[Izu] I am sure he will be quite capable.
[Izu] When will you speak to Her?
[Nemnu] I wanted to give Her a chance to settle in. But soon. When do you think is best?
[Izu] Soon. I think she genuinely wants to meet you. And I think she is... confused. She has been thrust into a world she does not understand. She needs Your guidance.
[Nemnu] She reminds me of Lurusiru so much. They were not nearly so young, but in other ways, They had similar needs.
[Izu] She said she imagined you as "A wise, old aunty."
* Izu smirks.
[Nemnu] I hope I am at least some of those things. Old, certainly.
[Izu] You are certainly an aunt many times over.
[Nemnu] Very well. Make an arrangement for Her to be brought to me. I leave it to you to sort out the specific locale and the details.
[Izu] Very well, My Lady. I will make the arrangements. Be ready when you meet Her. Her power is no small thing.
[Izu] She cannot yet control it, I think.
[Nemnu] Well, then if I am overwhelmed, let it be hoped that I do not make a fool of myself.
[Izu] Well, if so, I will ensure it gets left out of the official records.
[Nemnu] Very good. Is there anything else I need to know?
[Izu] I do not believe so at the moment. I will keep you informed if anything occurs.
[Nemnu] Thank you, Farai.
Ifa talks to Ajemika about adopting a son from Zhustir, about marrying off Rugu to Lorone Izmoghir, and about Afra’s disquiet
[Nemnosti-GM] Ifa, you have been exceptionally busy since your return. While it is not your responsibility to literally house and feed all these newcomers, part of your role is to ensure that you know everyone who is here and that their needs are taken care of.
[Nemnosti-GM] The Sanari seem to be adjusting as well as can be imagined, though there are definitely shortages - since it has only just turned to spring - and no one really anticipated the scope of the change. But you are managing, as are the staff of the ulajeta.
[Nemnosti-GM] Many of these problems can be solved with the judicious addition of bubun labour, which you are using to the fullest extent possible. But you'll need more bubun come summer - that much is already clear.
[Nemnosti-GM] Today, you are getting to sit down and meet with Ajemika for the first time since arriving home.
[Nemnosti-GM] You've seen her, of course, but just enough to know that there have been no major crises here, before you both ran off in your separate directions. But today you have an hour, a pot of tea to warm you against the early spring rains, and mercifully, silence.
[Ajemika] Cousin, I thought I might have to cancel again today. But then Regivus reminded me that I need to eat, so ... you get to have me during my breakfast.
[Ifa] I'll happily accept the break as well.
[Ifa] I take it all this has you even busier than you were?
[Ajemika] That, and the weather. I'm glad for the rain, but it can stop anytime now.
[Ajemika] Between that and the snowmelt, the Pasu is running too high for any of our liking.
[Ifa] How concerned do we need to be?
[Ajemika] At the ulajeta? Not at all. But for those who forage or fish, moreso.
[Ajemika] Some of the old alabaster mines, also, are very deep and water gets in through there sometimes, in seasons like this.
* Ifa nods.
[Ifa] One more thing to keep in mind.
* Ifa sighs.
[Ajemika] So, tell me about Zhustir. How was the trip? I mean, I heard the main things.
[Ifa] It was crowded. ;)
[Ifa] All in all, things went perhaps better than I had feared. At least the Sanari agreed to house Sanar Ula here for the time being.
[Ajemika] It's probably for the best, although I worry about Her here too.
[Ifa] With the ongoing Hulti trouble?
[Ajemika] Yes, primarily.
[Ajemika] A new target, and a young and vulnerable one.
[Ifa] She would be in more danger there, I think.
[Ajemika] Likely so.
[Ifa] Though of course now we're taking responsibility. I'm sure that's a special burden for a new hengi. :/
* Ajemika nods.
[Ajemika] I had hoped for a longer period to adjust to this before needing to be in charge of major decisions.
[Ifa] It would be nice, but making major decisions with a clear mind is why we needed you.
[Ifa] Sorry.
[Ifa] Maybe I can cheer you up a little with some possible good news.
[Ajemika] All right.
[Ifa] While I was in Zhustir, I spoke with Hand Sejin there. We discussed you and Regivus's desire to adopt, and she thought there were children who might suit.
[Ajemika] Oh! Ahh ... well. That is sudden, but ... not inappropriate.
[Ajemika] So she has children from which we could ... pick?
[Ifa] She suggested a boy she thought could be a good fit. A good candidate to be an acolyte, and of a suitable age. "Smart and reliable", she said.
[Ajemika] Hmmm ... interesting.
[Ajemika] An older boy who would be an acolyte would be less trouble. Henda would be sad, she would have wanted a baby.
[Ifa] She wouldn't be the one responsible for a baby. :)
[Ajemika] Parents dead? Corpseborn? Some other sordid situation?
[Ifa] (Do I know specifically? I don't think it was mentioned.)
[Nemnosti-GM] (No although if it was something sordid, Sejin surely would have said)
[Ifa] I'm not sure, but I'm sure she would have mentioned anything concerning.
* Ajemika nods.
[Ajemika] Well then, easy enough to make the arrangement, bring him here as an acolyte, and see how things go.
[Ajemika] We don't need to make a commitment instantly.
* Ifa nods.
[Ifa] That was my counsel also.
[Ajemika] Great. Relatedly, I also received a letter, among the things you brought back, from the Izmoghir lineage, about their daughter Lorone.
[Ifa] Oh?
[Ajemika] Asking for her to serve as an acolyte ... and then with another request. Regarding your nephew Rugu.
* Ifa motions for her to go on.
[Ajemika] A proposal of a betrothal.
[Ajemika] A long one, but still, a firm one.
[Ajemika] "A commitment to unify the lowlands and the valley, to reaffirm the commitment of Nemnosti to this place and its people", the letter said.
[Ifa] Hmm.
[Ifa] I suppose it's not a bad idea, if they're at all compatible.
[Ifa] We'd need to speak with Kuspir, and write to Zurusha.
[Ifa] (Do I know anything about the daughter? We stayed with them for a little bit, didn't we?)
[Nemnosti-GM] (Not really; she was pretty quiet and out of the way. But yes, you did stay there at the Izmoghir estate.)
[Ajemika] Yes, of course, speaking to them would be important. But the decision is mine.
[Ifa] Of course, but there's no need to be heavy-handed, is there?
[Ajemika] Not if they're agreeable. And if it's a good match, of course.
[Ajemika] But what they are saying is correct - we've taken their saint under our shelter, making connections, building support. A marriage to the major noble family of the town makes sense.
* Ifa nods.
[Ifa] How soon are they expecting an answer?
[Ajemika] Well again, I think the answer is to bring her right away as an acolyte, then we can meet her, get her through the Fifths and maybe even to the Tenths before we make a decision. Rugu might be up himself this year, so ... we'll make that happen? Or to say, you and Amasa and Jorota will make that happen?
[Ajemika] And I understand, acolytes, they may pair themselves off in all sorts of ways, in the brief and temporary way of such things.
[Ajemika] But I am not above ... nudging in an appropriate direction, when a political goal is in view.
* Ifa chuckles.
[Ifa] It's worth a try.
[Ajemika] There are far too few Nemni boys in this generation. The ones we have are real prizes. Even Fultukhari.
[Ifa] Honestly, I think he may surprise people. He just...has a lot of energy.
[Ajemika] Can you see him married off to a Dendorfi or a Sortusai? Moving to Naftusa to settle down and run an estate?
[Ifa] He's still got some growing up to do, certainly.
* Ajemika nods.
[Ajemika] Well, I know we've both got things to do, but one last thing before I let you go.
[Ajemika] Have you talked to Afra at all lately?
[Ifa] Not for any length of time. Why do you ask?
[Ajemika] I just worry about my young nephew, is all.
[Ifa] How do you mean?
[Ajemika] Momuzai is not exactly paternal towards him, not that I blame him.
* Ifa nods.
[Ajemika] This is all kinds of messed up, as we don't need to revisit.
* Ifa nods, with an -_- expression.
[Ajemika] I just want to make sure Afra isn't about to ... I don't know what.
[Ajemika] But as the hengi, the woman who took my father's job ... our relationship is not likely to be warm.
[Ajemika] Whereas I think you have just the right amount of distance.
[Ifa] To do what, exactly? What are you worried she's going to do?
[Ajemika] I don't know, Ifa. Honestly she's been way down my list of priorities and I just need to offload this on someone I can trust to find out what's going on. She just seems distant, is all.
[Ifa] Well, I imagine she's still dealing with everything, but I'm happy to check in on her.
[Ifa] You have a lot of things to worry about; you don't need this to be one of them.
[Ajemika] That's all I'm asking. Well, no, I'm asking a great deal more of you, but that's all about Afra.
* Ifa smiles.
[Ifa] Happy to help, however I can.
* Ajemika smiles.
[Ajemika] It's great to have you back.
Jevai talks to Nemnu about the Unkind sword and vessel, the former of which is going to Kuspir, the latter to Naka, who has been investigating transforming Kinds
[Nemnosti-GM] Jevai, after your return, you deposited your newly transcribed book and notes on the sigillant glyphs of the Chivenanga valley. As perplexing as they are, you know that this knowledge will be important as the new saint sets up Her ulajeta in, around, or using Gil Pirtu.
[Nemnosti-GM] Today, though, your purpose is different. You have been summoned by Nemnu who wishes to talk to you.
* Jevai tried to mentally ready herself for this
[Jevai] (tries)
* Jevai will certainly answer the summons, though
* Nemnu is dressed in a bright blue spring dress, no doubt picked out for Her by Izu. She looks relaxed, if such a thing is even possible for an immobile saint, as she greets you in her small personal library.
[Nemnu] My young Hestur, I am joyful at your safe return.
[Jevai] I am joyful to be back, Lady
* Jevai says, bowing
[Nemnu] The reason I have called you today is to discuss what you found within Gil Pirtu, and what we are to do about it.
* Jevai nods
[Jevai] ...is Alai coming as well?
[Nemnu] Not today, although anything I share with you today, you are encouraged to share with her.
[Nemnu] You surely have questions about the sword and the vessel you retrieved.
* Jevai nods
[Jevai] many
[Jevai] abotu their nature, their origin....
[Jevai] their links to.... the one who placed them there...
[Nemnu] Well, to begin with. They are not of my creation, and I did not place them there or know they were there. But I think you suspected that already.
[Nemnu] I surely would have told you and your friends, at least, if such a thing were known to me.
[Jevai] (links to the one -_-)
* Jevai nods
[Jevai] No, that was not my concern
[Nemnu] But they were certainly created using the same techniques that I developed ... and are of the same nature as the Unkind Stone. But again, from what I have been told, you knew that. It ... or something ... spoke to you?
[Jevai] yes
[Jevai] the whole experience, finding the chamber, opening it... it seems like dream
[Nemnu] Tell me more about it. What it was like.
[Jevai] once we understood that to enter the place was a dance...
[Jevai] and then, the entity, at the crack... I remember, it responded to song
[Jevai] I don't know why, it was Gunuremai's song that came to mind.
[Jevai] It heard me.
[Nemnu] Remarkable.
[Nemnu] Whatever I thought I was doing when I unlocked the secret to harnessing Unkindness, that did not have anything to do with song.
[Nemnu] It is, in some way, independent of any will or intention of myself or of the Emperor.
[Jevai] it is, yes
[Jevai] a nest, I think, it said
[Jevai] a place where they are drawn to, and can touch this world
[Jevai] it makes me wonder, if there is an aspect of....resonance, about places like Degh Ekorre...
[Jevai] I don't know though, I have a terrible voice, in truth -_-
[Nemnu] As did I ... I have never been able to think much in, with, or through music. But that does not mean it is irrelevant.
[Nemnu] It may mean there is a gap that we do not understand.
* Jevai nods
[Jevai] clearly...
[Nemnu] It seems, regardless, that the entity knows and can remember the song, even at a distance. As if it is all a single entity.
[Nemnu] That gives me great fear, although also some hope.
[Jevai] I'm not sure of that
[Jevai] it is so strange, it cannot conceive of space or time... perhaps it cannot perceive what it is to be single, or many, as separate things
[Jevai] it is not.... coherent
[Nemnu] Unsurprisingly, I suppose. It is even beyond Unfolding, which leaves traces and reshapes Coherence.
[Jevai] yes
[Nemnu] Unkindness is a tool, that can be used - the sword shows as much - but without control, it is purely destructive.
[Jevai] there was something else I spoke to there, when I took the sword
[Nemnu] Explain.
[Jevai] (was it a different voice or did it sound the same to me?)
[Jevai] it asked if I was there to relieve it, as a guard
[Nemnosti-GM] (the same you think)
[Jevai] it said its duty was... "To guard my heart below my feet, to serve Him"
[Jevai] It sounded the same. I don't know if it was.
[Jevai] to serve its creator, si what it meant
[Nemnu] That is so. The vessel, it contains within it the pure Unkindness that, I suppose, animated or gave the appearance of life to the statue.
[Nemnu] In fact, absent that vessel, it is not clear to me if the statue can serve its original purpose.
* Jevai nods
[Jevai] it's words implied that it was created.... by the Prime...
[Nemnu] I believe that is correct. Or rather, by the Emperor and surely aided by those around Him with magical training. Herbalists, in particular.
[Nemnu] To create the vessel and its contents requires access to the power to transform Kinds, and among people, that power is only known to be fully available to herbalists of great power.
* Jevai nods
[Nemnu] Your aunt has been doing some research in that respect.
[Jevai] then, asids form... al of the other implications, and everythign it meant in the sense of... comprehending the source and unfolding.... what will He do?
[Nemnu] I have no idea. I do hope that Ingo will be able to learn something.
* Jevai nods
[Jevai] everythig about this is fascinating and unsettling - but His wrath gives me somethign more concrete to fear ].]
[Jevai] But, I can speak with my aunt
[Nemnu] She may be able, more than any of us here, to do something positive with the contents of the vessel.
* Jevai nods
[Nemnu] As for the sword, I am thinking that Medimur should have it ... just in case it is ever needed.
[Jevai] I trust him, but it is very dangerous
[Nemnu] So are our enemies.
* Jevai nods
[Jevai] yes
* Jevai takes a deep breath
[Nemnu] The stoneguard's power to lay to rest is but one step removed from the power to transform Kinds.
[Jevai] Does my aunt know anything of this yet?
[Nemnu] Only in the vaguest sense. She has asked me for help in her research to alter Kinds, but I wanted to talk to you first before deciding what to do.
[Nemnu] Now, you may speak to her, as you suggest. But know that if she wishes it, I will give her access to the vessel, the 'heart' as the statue put it, to aid in her quest.
* Jevai nods
[Jevai] I wil also speak to my Upward, when I can.
[Jevai] and perhaps, though, not of this directly, to those who guard the lore of Degh Ekorre.
[Jevai] and Alai, of course.
[Nemnu] Thank you, Hestur. I know this is much to lay upon you.
Kuspir talks to Ghorgimbe, who reports being insulted and harassed by Zasko Sanari
[Nemnosti-GM] Kuspir, you have tried to spend as much time as possible since your return with Rugu, who has of course missed you a lot, despite the presence of the whole Nemni clan to take care of him. But amidst that important responsibility is the more immediate need to ensure the safety and security of your new Saintly charge.
[Nemnosti-GM] The stoneguards of Nemnosti are equal to the best anywhere, but that is only because you have centuries of practice serving Nemnu. This is different.
[Nemnosti-GM] So there have been more drills, more plans, and more annoying meetings than anyone would prefer.
[Nemnosti-GM] At the end of one of these , Ghorgimbe comes up to you quietly afterwards.
[Ghorgimbe] Got a minute?
[Kuspir] Certainly.
[Ghorgimbe] How well do you know this Zasko or Molar as they all seem to call him?
[Kuspir] Not very well. I met him once when I was a boy, and I know he's somehow connected to my mother, but he was not regularly around.
[Ghorgimbe] How did he get to be their hengi?
[Kuspir] I assume it was my mother's choice. Not to say that she is the sole decision-maker for the lineage, but not many would argue against her if she made up her mind.
[Ghorgimbe] He's not from Zhustir, then?
[Kuspir] No
[Ghorgimbe] He's got a city accent.
[Kuspir] I don't know where he comes from originally.
* Ghorgimbe frowns.
[Ghorgimbe] He's been a king asshole to me in particular.
[Kuspir] How so?
[Ghorgimbe] Everything goes through Rubo. Whereas when I do something, it's never good enough.
[Ghorgimbe] Pretends as if he already told me things, berates me for not having done them.
[Kuspir] Do you want me to have a word with him?
[Ghorgimbe] Well that's why I was asking. Is this just because I'm noble? Is it because he can't handle a strong woman? I'm fucking sick of him and he's only been here two weeks.
[Kuspir] I can't imagine it's because you're a woman, he listens to my mother for one. It could be because you're noble, though.
[Ghorgimbe] I feel like telling him how much I hate my family.
[Ghorgimbe] But regardless, hengi or no hengi, no one talks to me like that.
[Kuspir] Have you told him to fuck off yet?
[Ghorgimbe] I haven't, I thought I would talk to you first.
[Ghorgimbe] I am trying to be aware that we are very privileged to have a new Saint here, and that all of them have had their lives disrupted, not least the young Saint Herself.
[Kuspir] Well, that is surely true, but they are also not in a position to alienate those who are here to help them. It's not a sensible way to behave.
* Ghorgimbe nods.
[Ghorgimbe] I agree.
[Kuspir] No matter his personal feelings, he ought to be able to be civil.
[Ghorgimbe] He ought to be a better guest.
[Kuspir] So, do you want me to talk to him? or ask my mother to do so?
[Ghorgimbe] You should do it. We need to establish who is in charge here.
[Ghorgimbe] I would do it, but I think it might be more effective coming from you.
[Kuspir] All right.
[Ghorgimbe] Before this gets out of hand and he or I do say something truly regrettable.
* Kuspir nods
[Ghorgimbe] Thanks, Kuspir.
Kuspir talks to Zasko about his unhappiness with the difficult conditions to which his new lineage is adjusting
[Nemnosti-GM] All right, it's not hard to find Zasko around - he's pretty much mainly at the Limping Hall these days, which is serving as his makeshift iftibal.
[Kuspir] Molar, can I have a word with you?
* Zasko is wearing a new iftijasi for the Sanari lineage, clearly a newly made lineage-stone. Other than that, he is dressed plainly, with a green belt being the only other marker of any decoration or status.
[Zasko] Of course.
[Kuspir] How are things going? Settling in all right?
[Zasko] Well enough. Many of the Sanari have never been away from Zhustir, never anywhere as different as Nemnosti.
[Zasko] It's an adjustment for them.
[Kuspir] That's understandable. I remember too when I first arrived here, how unfamiliar everything was.
[Kuspir] Where did you live before this?
[Zasko] Immediately before?
[Zasko] Onighus.
[Zasko] Before that? Here and there.
[Kuspir] I see. Then it must be a great change for you as well.
[Zasko] A very different change. I've lived in crowded places, and places of great antiquity before. But yes, never in the uplands like this, never in a setting so beautiful but so ... eerie.
* Kuspir nods
[Kuspir] With time, you'll get used to it.
[Zasko] Well, hopefully not too much time.
[Kuspir] Saints operate on a different time scale than the rest of us. If it takes a year or two, I wouldn't be surprised.
* Zasko frowns but nods.
[Kuspir] I wouldn't want the stay to be uncomfortable for anyone.
[Zasko] Right, of course.
[Zasko] Sorry, what is this about?
[Kuspir] About Ghorgimbe. There seems to be some tension between you and I was hoping to sort it out so it doesn't become worse.
[Zasko] I don't think there's any tension. Why would there be?
[Kuspir] I hear you're going through Rubo to get things done, or berating her for things you think she should have done.
* Zasko smiles.
[Kuspir] I can't imagine it's because she's a woman, you don't strike me as the kind of man who has trouble dealing with women, but I wondered if it was because of her background.
[Zasko] Well, I can't speak to anyone's perceptions. But I have often found that the nobility cannot deal well with strong commoners with any authority.
[Zasko] And, after all, I am the hengi of a *saintly* lineage.
* Kuspir nods
[Kuspir] Ghorgimbe came here to get away from her family, for what that's worth. She might have come from a noble background but she isn't one who relies on it to wield authority over others.
[Zasko] I certainly wouldn't suggest that she's doing that.
[Zasko] It is an adjustment for everyone.
[Kuspir] Indeed. Have you been having trouble with her?
[Zasko] Everything is a little bit of trouble. There is not enough space, not enough food, not enough warmth. She seems to have the view that we should be grateful for what we are given.
[Kuspir] A little gratitude can go a long way to making everyone's time here more pleasant. No one is asking you to grovel or anything, but some sympathy for the difficulties we share might be appreciated.
[Zasko] I will bear your good guidance in mind as we navigate this together.
* Zasko smiles warmly.
[Kuspir] Ghorgimbe is a good person, and particularly a good person to have on your side.
[Zasko] You're a good boy, Kuspir, your mother always says that about you. Diligent, loyal, thoughtful.
[Kuspir] I'm glad my mother thinks so.
[Zasko] Was that all, then? Or was there a more specific problem to deal with?
[Kuspir] I trust there won't be. But if there's anything I can help you with, let me know.
[Zasko] Thank you, Kuspir.
[Kuspir] Thank you too.
[Nemnosti-GM] Until next we gather by the firelight, young acolytes!
Solos
Jevai goes down to the Degh Ekorre and talks to Voice Asomon about the theological and cosmological relationship between stone and music
[Nemnosti-GM] Jevai, this afternoon you have packed a lunch and made a trip through the spring rains, downriver to the site of Degh Ekorre
* Jevai marvels a bit at the extensive flooding
[Nemnosti-GM] The river is indeed very high here, and unlike the road up at Nemnosti, it runs right next to the Pasu here, and so the water has lapped up onto the cobbled way.
[Nemnosti-GM] The Degh Ekorre (literally 'song of the cliffs') is always impressive. You know that sigillants have honored this place for centuries, and that there is a prohibition against making glyphs here.
[Nemnosti-GM] https://rocksfall.org/wiki/Degh_Ekorre
* Jevai takes care to avoid it's reach, thinking about flow, and the source, and levununde
[Jevai] (the river, that is)
* Jevai is definitely thinkking of sigilant relationships to this place
[Nemnosti-GM] The Gongai lineage has authority over these lands, as it has for as long as anyone except perhaps Nemnu can remember.
[Jevai] (Is there a temple here?)
[Jevai] (And is the caretaker usually a voice or is that just coincidence )
[Nemnosti-GM] There is not a formal temple here. Voice Asomon is the appointed one in his generation to serve his uncle, the hengi Charos.
[Nemnosti-GM] What there is is a sort of structure made of wood and covered in canvas, brought out and set at the side of the road, but hallowed and serving in the place of a formal temple, for the collection of the donations that are one of the sources of income for the whole lineage.
* Jevai will sgtart with Voice Asomon, but maybe it will escalate to the hengi, we will see :V
* Jevai will have brought something as a donation
[Nemnosti-GM] It is said in particular that the Dendorfi pay a thousand horns a year to support the cantor and his work, although you are sure that Nemnu also has something to do with it.
* Jevai is sure she does, cool stone phenoemena are her jam after all
[Nemnosti-GM] You don't know Asomon well at all, but you know he was an acolyte a few years before you.
[Jevai] (I heard he's a big slut :V)
* Jevai will see if he is at this makeshift temple, then
* Asomon is sitting in his little temple, mop in hand.
[Asomon] Oh hello, we're not ... oh. Jevai, right? H...estur?
[Jevai] yes, hello.
[Jevai] Ghongum, yes? Or do you prefer Voice Asomon?
* Asomon smiles.
[Asomon] Either one. No one calls me Ghongum anymore except when I visit Nemnosti.
[Asomon] I'm sorry things are so wet in here. Hard to keep it dry. I almost didn't come out today.
[Asomon] But now I'm glad I did.
[Jevai] As am I. I did bring a donation of course. and something perhaps to bring a little warmth.
* Asomon smiles.
* Jevai produces a nice jug of honey beer
[Jevai] I was hoping that you might indulge me, I have some questions that have come up in some of my researches
* Jevai looks up at the columns
[Jevai] (Man it must be So Loud with the river rushing in flood)
[Asomon] Oh ... all right, I am not especially learned but I'm happy to help.
[Jevai] Thank you.
[Jevai] I'm sure you know more than I about the history of this place
[Asomon] Well, there are books at the ulajeta, which I read once upon a time. But there is also what we know of this place that is in no book.
[Asomon] What are you looking to know?
[Jevai] I have seen the books, yes - I know that this has been considered a place of worship, in some sense, for a long time
[Jevai] It's those oldeer stories that interest me
* Asomon nods.
[Jevai] what it is about this place that awas held to be sacred... about stone and song
* Asomon nods.
[Asomon] Well, not so much now, though still sometimes, the Voice was an order dedicated to song. Great choirs of men, gathered together to praise the Epiphany.
[Asomon] Most of the Pardopasu was settled late, but of course, the town of Naftusa is Imperial.
[Asomon] In the town, the Hand has their temple of Birgoje, now hundreds of years old. But the Voice, here at least, we do not have a temple like at Nemnosti. This is our temple.
* Jevai nods
[Asomon] But I think you are maybe asking about even older things.
[Jevai] has this always been a place of the Corps, then?
* Asomon shakes his head.
[Asomon] No, of course not. Nowhere in the uplands was.
[Asomon] The Song has been sung here long before Nemnosti, long before the Empire, long even before your people were here.
[Asomon] That is why this place is not named the Cliffs of the Song, Ekor Degge, but the Song of the Cliffs.
[Jevai] is the Song itself unchanged?
[Asomon] It is wrong to think of the cliffs as the instrument, though it's natural to imagine so. The Song exists whenever there is breath, wherever there is wind.
[Asomon] The Song is physically unchanging, but the songs it sings are ever-changing.
[Asomon] It is both repeating, degalai, and customary, degavai.
[Jevai] what is The Song, then?
[Asomon] The Song is ... well. That is a very good question. It is not meant to be fully understood.
[Asomon] I am sure your wise ones also have opinions on those matters, and even after five centuries of Gongai care, they may differ from our interpretations.
[Jevai] such is the way of many things
[Jevai] what is the Gongai interpretation?
[Asomon] Most of the Ravre lineages that were once here are no longer in existence, or have merged with the ones in Akapa Sogo.
* Jevai nods
[Asomon] The interpretation I prefer is that the Song is ... alive.
[Asomon] To us, it appears as it always has, all these centuries.
[Asomon] But the columns are full of cracks, breath, life.
[Asomon] That is likely how they were formed.
[Jevai] Cracks, yes...
[Jevai] Hmm.
[Asomon] I do not know if you believe that a piece of rock, no matter how majestic, can be ... its own kind of thing.
* Jevai smiles
[Asomon] I wish I understood your jasinam ways better.
[Jevai] Stone carries The Source, of course it is its own kind of thing
* Asomon nods.
[Asomon] I mean that the Song is its own special kind of thing. Different from an ordinary stone.
[Asomon] You know how, at Nemnosti, they joke to the acolytes that the great statue of the Captain comes to life at night and eats homework? It is ridiculous, of course. But sometimes ...
* Jevai nods, thinking abotu the animated statue she was facing not that long ago
[Jevai] Is Stone a property of the Song? or is The Song a property of stone?
[Asomon] I don't think I can answer that properly. I'm not a scholar like you.
[Asomon] It is hard to imagine the Song as being anything other than stone.
[Jevai] I don't know if anyone can answer that
[Asomon] I will say that basalt, which is the stone the Song is made of, is perfectly common.
[Jevai] but this place is not
[Asomon] It's not like it's made of something precious, if one were to, I don't know, chip off a piece.
[Asomon] You wouldn't believe the number of people I've had to run off, who were carrying pickaxes, wanting to take a trophy
* Jevai frowns at that
[Jevai] Idiots.
* Jevai shakes away the thought
[Jevai] When you sing here - beyond, of course, praise of the Epiphany
[Asomon] The point I was making , I suppose, is that taken away from such a place, such a stone is just a rock
[Jevai] yes
[Asomon] ... would you like to sing with me?
[Jevai] I have a terrible voice
[Jevai] But. I am curious.
[Asomon] The Song has heard worse, I promise you.
[Asomon] I'll sing with you, it'll be fine.
[Jevai] .... alright
[Asomon] Come, follow me.
* Asomon takes you by the hand gently and leads you out.
[Jevai] ...Does The Song exist in other places?
[Asomon] Not to my knowledge. Although I imagine other stones must have other songs.
* Jevai nods
* Jevai will go with him and follow his lead for the singing :x
[Asomon] The key is to not face it quite directly.
[Asomon] Here, turn this way.
* Asomon gently puts his hand on your back and helps direct your body in the appropriate way.
* Jevai is a little wary of being touched, but will allow it
[Asomon] Now, the key is not volume, but resonance.
[Jevai] yes
[Jevai] I am interest in that aspect - the resonance
[Asomon] Just ... let it go.
[Nemnosti-GM] (all right, I'll let you make a Perform check lol)
[Jevai] !roll 1d20+1
* lan-werk2 rolls for Jevai: [ 1d20+1 ] getting [ 13 ] which, after the modifier [ 1 ] totals [ 14 ].
[Nemnosti-GM] You don't experience some sort of wild revelation or mystical experience, but definitely Asomon knows how to achieve great resonance with his deep voice. The rain, the river, and the stone combine with your voices in an eerie effect. It is, almost, as if the Song is singing back to you.
[Nemnosti-GM] You know that Asomon, and his clan, and the Corps in general, has cared for and loved the Song well. But you can't help but wonder what sorts of songs were sung to this place, in ancient times when Ravre were the only residents of the Pardopasu.
* Jevai is simultaneously relieved and disappointed
[Nemnosti-GM] You don't even know for sure which clan, if any, would claim traditional rights this far downriver from Nemnosti - not the Hazh, surely, whose territories are in the upper Pasu next to Nemnosti, nor the Nadenigh of course.
[Jevai] (Laigrunuf ].] Technically not ravre and yet....)
[Nemnosti-GM] (Yes you would know that lineages like the Gongai, commoner lineages, are probably 100% Omban, but Country lineages in Naftusa, like the Obe, are surely Ravre descendants.)
* Jevai is thinking about running into Ozh here
[Jevai] Thank you
[Asomon] I am so glad you came by today. I am sorry that I do not have better answers.
[Jevai] You've certainly given me some things to think about
* Asomon smiles.
[Asomon] Come back anytime, Hestur. Your visit has made me miss Nemnosti.
[Jevai] Thank you, I will.
