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TDM 006: SPECTRAL SPECTACLE
| TDM 006: SPECTRAL SPECTACLE |
00. Arrival This time, you come out of the water, the Nameless Island's own inherent energy drawing people in. It's like being suspended between realities and abruptly pushed from behind through a rift in dimensions. It may make you sick, or that might be the motion of the ocean, lifting you to the surface and carrying you to shore. Waterlogged and covered in sand, new arrivals will be greeted by robots who welcome them with towels and bracelet devices. The A5 card is already loaded up. Feel free to explore the Island, though there isn’t much to see. Most of the buildings are abandoned and in dire need of repair, and beyond the city lingers a thick fog that obscures much of the wilderness from view. Wander too far into this fog, and you will find yourself mysteriously looping back to where you began, your memories of what you were doing and how you got there erased. With that in mind, it may be wise to stake your claim on a rundown apartment, a tent on the beach, or a bed in the “comfortable” new barracks. Your inventory will be found a day later, wrapped up haphazardly and delivered to each person's makeshift home. I. The Dragon's Matchmaking Welcome to the Island, cherub dragons! The auspicious actions of your fellow Islanders have foreseen the reintroduction of dragons to the world. Unlike the hulking, possessive creatures of ancient lore (and recent hot springs), these well-meaning little critters love to help. Their small size and roly-poly frames make them unsuited to laborious tasks, but they will be the perfect companion to any residents who endeavor to pick up a small item, wish for their lunch to be delivered to an absolute stranger, or need a fire started from a tiny, flaming sneeze in their drafty homes. If a cherub dragon sees an Islander they perceive in need of their assistance, they will zip right in and refuse to scram until they’ve done the job! No visible struggles? No problem! The little dragons also love to play matchmaker. Persistent dragons will gleefully nudge together Islanders they believe will have chemistry, and sometimes they aren’t wrong! Of course, even if sparks fail to fly, the dragons’ trilling songs are known to kindle romantic feelings between strangers and long-time lovers alike. II. Ruins While the Islanders have been enjoying their autumn relaxation, the ‘bots of Erku have been hard at work clearing the surrounding forests of dangers for their guests’ safe habitation. If you are of deft hand with monster slaying, forestry, or even just hauling debris and weed picking, the robots will gladly exchange credits for help with reconstructing the recently unearthed mountain temple grounds from the rubble that remains there. Just follow the path of gently glowing mushrooms to the site of the temple ruins. Beware of lurking creatures, grabby plants, and falling rocks!  The temple ruins are tall and breathtaking, despite the eerie chill of the fog that lingers just beyond. Or is it the fog that sends a shiver up your spine? After all, this place was very spiritually important to the original inhabitants of the Island, the robots say to anyone curious enough to ask. Although their own programming does not include religious worship, the Augur believes the restoration of this place to be vital to the continued augmentation of Eros energy. When questioned about the strange shadows that seem to slip from tree to tree, or the unsettling feeling of ghostly hands that seem to nudge volunteers deeper into the grounds, the robots respond with nothing but bafflement. Their sensors detect no unknown organic presence afoot. III. Ritual Islanders who chase those mysterious shadows may find themselves particularly drawn to a structure that lay deeper within the ruins, beyond where the robots have made the most progress. Three sets of crumbling, moss-covered stairs join to form a central platform, which - despite the overcast skies - seems to emit a soft glow. Those who step onto the platform may begin to hear a quiet, compelling voice, which urges them to be free of their inhibitions and to offer their energy to the spirits to be multiplied hundredfold. Visions of naked bodies in the throes of carnal worship dance before the eyes. Those who are especially spiritually sensitive - or perhaps, just lucky - may feel as if possessed by a consciousness that is not their own, and that consciousness is filled with a burning sexual desire. Leaving the platform is an option if alone, but the intense and overwhelming urge to seek companionship will persist until an Auspicious Act is completed. Those who are fortunate to be joined by company within the temple will feel compelled to worship right then and there, no matter the risk of being seen. Within the walls of the temple, Eros energy is enhanced such that any erotic act - big or small - will be enough to break the spell. N A V I G A T I O N |
no subject
[Seteth's voice rises, shriller, strained, not unlike how it had the month Flayn had gone missing. He catches himself now, forces a few deep, steadying breaths to center himself. Getting upset over this won't help either of them, will it?]
.....I know very little about the abhorrent magic that must have created you, and what I do know, I yearn to forget. That is a forbidden knowledge your Agarthan friends may still possess. If you can't trust anything I say, then you're only wasting both our time and breath here. Go to Shambhala, General.
no subject
After all they've done, all they've taken, you think— [ she's honestly dumbfounded at that. seteth opening up about that is news to her, but— ]
We held them at bay and won the war without them. Those monsters are as much our enemies as the Church was... we just were in no position to move against them in full, before.
no subject
[Seteth's lips twist in disgust at that. Hubert's letter had implied the partnership wasn't in good faith, but even so--the idea that Byleth could stomach working with such monsters at all, yet not believe him..... It truly does illustrate how little she must think of him, doesn't it?]
Interrogate their mages, if you want to learn their secrets. Or search their stronghold, if it still stands. It can only be the fruits of their sins that inspired Rhea's madness--she wouldn't answer my questions. Perhaps you'll have better luck.
no subject
You don't know what you're talking about.
[ that's... the nicest way she can say that. about most of what seteth just said. still, it comes out like ice. ]
We were forced to endure them while we did the only thing we could to take the world back. I have never commanded them, and the Empire hasn't called on their power since the Holy Tomb.
I joined hands with Edelgard, with my students. With Alois, Shamir, Manuela, Hanneman. With those who saw me as a person, not a thing.
[ max recruitment run baybeeeeee ]
no subject
[He appears to be neither at this point, after all. If that's truly how the war went for her, then who's to even say that what scattered fragments of knowledge and educated guesses he has would even be correct in her case? Byleth should be spending this time finding someone or something she can believe in. And him--he should be searching for a way to get back to Flayn and the others--to his Byleth, and his Fodlan.]
Now, if there's nothing else, I should be on my way.
no subject
if nothing else, she wants him to hurt. ]
I killed Seiros.
[ the words come simply, sharply, before seteth can leave. there is so much bottled up resentment and bitterness that has had nowhere to go, about all of this, and this shade of seteth has only stirred it up more.
byleth knows she should stop. this is pointless, she knows that. but it's satisfying. ]
The mad beast burned Fhirdiad rather than surrender, and Edelgard and I killed her for it. For all that she'd done. All of the countless lives that your family have destroyed over the centuries, and for what, Seteth? Revenge, or just cowardice?
no subject
She sounds so proud of herself. She probably took joy in the slaughter, didn't she? Of course she did. The Empire kills everything it touches now, she had to have learned a taste for bloodshed. Or maybe she had never needed to learn it, and his queen had simply willingly surrendered such cruelty--Hanneman had spoken once of the "Ashen Demon" moniker, back when he had first attempted to research the pair. What in the Goddess' name had driven Hanneman back into the Empire's arms, when he had sworn never to return? This degenerate butcher has no charisma to speak of, after all.]
Yes, well done. You've won. Congratulations. Is that what you wanted to hear?
[She won't listen to his answers, so it only stands to reason she won't answer his questions. Why in the world would Rhea want to burn Fhirdiad to the ground? Whose lives did he supposedly destroy, when, and why? Who knows? There's no point in trying to make sense of it anymore. All he needs to know is that Nemesis seems to have found himself a truly worthy heir at long last.]
no subject
the ashen demon came by the title honestly. she had been what seiros made her, after all. a doll with its mind and soul suppressed by a heart of stone, ready to get on stage and say its lines, accept the soul poured into it and kill as easily as it breathed. distantly, she recalls a story about a sculptor whose creation was brought to life by the spirits, and though he had loved her in his way, her growing humanity disgusted him. ]
I don't know! [ byleth snaps that at last, frustrated, voice cracking. she doesn't know what she wants to hear. her voice is... relatively flat, but her expressions and inflection are still a bit more dynamic than seteth may be used to from his byleth. ] I don't understand you. How could you stand by her, after all she's done? For no one's sake but her own? I thought you were better than that.
no subject
[How could someone who joyfully heaped corpses to make a throne ever understand what it meant to be born to serve and protect, to guide and nurture? His existence itself was both proof of and a vessel for the Goddess' love--love she had somehow been completely unmoved by, in spite of being touched by it. He does what he was made for, because--simply because he was made to do so, perhaps. Or because he longed to help convey those sentiments to the humans who could no longer meet Her. Or because he wanted to make Her happy. Or maybe he'd simply inherited Her feelings himself. Humans are wonderful, terrible creatures, and whether they still deserve it or not--he wants to do right by them, even if it seems as though he and Flayn are the only ones left willing to carry out such work.]
I don't know why Rhea did what she did to you. I can't say I approve of it. But then, I can't say I know what tales Edelgard has been feeding you regarding her, either. If you can't understand why family would support each other.....
no subject
You don't understand—it isn't just what she did to me. [ is he really this blind? he must know this—he's too smart not to know this. ] Was sending students to kill a militia—sending Ashe to kill his own father—protecting people, because it was meant to terrorize Fódlan's next rulers into obedience? Was lying about the Crests protecting people, or protecting yourselves?
[ a thought occurs to her, something like horror creeping into her expression. ]
Is that how you justified the massacre at Rhodos? Is killing your own devotees somehow for humanity's own good, just because it protected your cover?
no subject
[Just like Sylvain was never asked to kill his own brother. Faerghus kids really got the short end of the stick, didn't they?]
Nobody is hurt more by war than the common people whose lives are shattered underfoot when they're dragged into the conflict. It is not a pleasant duty, but if quenching a few sparks stops a fire, then I will do what I must.
[He's absolutely that blind. As long as it's reasonably justifiable and not absolutely insane, he'll trust that big sis knows best and is acting in everyone's best interests.]
As for the crests--we never asked to be butchered. Your Agarthan comrades can tell you all about them.
no subject
We'll exterminate those who slither in the dark soon enough.
[ there's a sort of horrified contempt to her voice now, though. a quiet, simmering anger steadily rises. ]
So you pass them off as gifts from Sothis, and do nothing as children are cast out and women are treated as breeding stock, as children are carved open and killed, because you elevated the Crests to be all that matters. Based on a lie. [ byleth takes a breath. ] Seteth, Seiros's works horrified Sothis. She never trusted her, in all the time I heard her voice.
Everything Seiros claimed to do in her mother's name was for herself. How can you not see that?