A Light in the Darkness

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IamLEAM1983
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Re: A Light in the Darkness

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"I have terrified hardworking Japanese associates who believed themselves able to drink anyone under the table. My strength was no problem," he explained, something like a smirk playing on his lips, "but my chants were. I am no bard, but I once was a Visigoth. I have ridden the plains of the Caucasus with mortal allies riding atop horses. I've seen Rome attempt to encroach on blackest parts of Europe - my home, and fail.

My songs are bloody and violent, but joyful. No Tokyo salaryman could appreciate."

He then joined his hands together on the table, his face sobering remarkably quickly. "But, alas, we will not speak of this further today. We have... other fates to weave. The speakers for the Vienna Council will be here soon. We have... observed Void Weaver applications, and noted your desire to join mortalkind."

Nereus nodded. "Yes. It's high time that my people stepped out of the shadows, if this will allow us to make a decent home for ourselves.
- This will come in pain," then warned the black dragon. "As with my people, not all of yours are worthy. Not all of yours will accept our terms. There will be more confrontations. There will be bloodshed."

The Augur seemed confused. "Why would that be? We won!
- You have defeated Dead Gods and deprived their chief followers of power," agreed Kuhn, "but you have not defeated sentiment," he said, placing a fist against his own heart. "Chaos was a noble cause for some of you. As righteous as co-existence is to us. As long as Black Speech exists, they will have weapons. They will have means to challenge you, and us all. They will pose a threat.
- How could they, you said yourself we've managed to vanquish them!"

Aldergard let out a low growl, something that might have been a pensive grunt in someone else's throat. "The boar who wishes to gore you will not stop because you hamstrung it. The dog who is pierced with arrows will still seek to bite. Hateful tongues will speak until silenced. You will know peace with us, but never with those who followed the Others.
- Couldn't we just outlive the resistance?"

Aldergard cast a sobering look on Nereus. "Your partner is anthropologist, yes? Meris knows of how... indelible culture can be. Very few zealots are ever truly freed."
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Re: A Light in the Darkness

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Meris sighed, thinking on her words. "Nereus, your subjects are inured to the entities they've served for innumerable millenia. It's comfortable to them, and they know no better. Even if we show them all the wonderful things about the surface, there will be those who will kick and scream Black Speech. That's how feuds between cultures can wage on for over a thousand years or more. The hate begets more hate, like a wound that just begs to be scratched. If not treated, it can fester and become infected. Even with the Others defeated, we're fighting an uphill battle," she explained, holding his hand. "They will continue to breed, so we can't outlive the resistance. We'll have to fight with kindness and compassion, but be willing to deal harshly against those who want to stay in their little comfort zone."
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Re: A Light in the Darkness

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Nereus seemed surprised to find the hard light of certainty in Meris' eyes.

"So there are no non-violent ways to obtain victory? Are we really going to need to stoop to the same levels my people gladly lower themselves to?"

Aldergard grunted again. "In Dark Ages, tales of a man began to circle the globe. He was said to rule the world with compassion. Monks of this man of the East spoke to me, told me of his wonders. I later found the words of his disciples. They were... less naive than it had seemed. Freedom is hard-fought. Peace is bled for. I was reminded of words a great man spoke, before Constantinople burned. Words that will follow me to my grave."

He paused.

"Si vis pacem, para bellum. If you want peace, prepare for war.

For centuries, I hoped I could abandon the battle frenzy at the heart of my bloodline. I hoped I could find worthy conquests through words and assistance. I laid down my weapons and took up books and scrolls."

Aldergard sighed. "I soon realized; both are needed. To protect dragons from the slayers that remain, I require the Law as well as my axe. I require words of peace and thoughts of war and bloodshed."

Nereus parted his hands. "What's the point, then? Why bother if we aren't any better than my former subjects?
- You have nobility of intent," noted Aldergard. "You would stay your hand if you could. That alone means you must strike first."

The dragon smiled again. "Great warrior is separated from monster by one small thing. Very measly in appearance, to fools thirsting for blood. It still is the greatest force in existence."

Nereus blinked. "What is it?
- Compassion," replied Aldergard. "Save those who see your light. Slay those who do not. Do this, and you save many."
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Re: A Light in the Darkness

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The roane nodded. "Aldegard is right. Compassion is the small, but honestly more powerful weapon we have in our arsenal. Lead by example, but ready yourself to take on the threats that simply don't want to see the proverbial light. Showing compassion is another way to garner allies on our side, like taking away bits of kindling until there is nothing left to burn," she stated. "Does that make sense to you?"
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Re: A Light in the Darkness

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"Yes, but what's stopping us from subjugating those who convert, or from being objectionable towards the persons we need to be keeping in check?"

Aldergard joined his hands together. "Nothing. Power is seductive, friend Nereus. Power corrupts, if no care is taken. You already know this. There will be traitors to the cause. There will be double agents. There will be dissenters. There will be losses and there will be deaths. Your friend, Lucian Rothchild, understood this. He plied his power carefully. Compassion also needs lucidity. Know when you have been betrayed, Nereus, and know to react with a clear mind."

Nereus scrutinized Aldergard. "Is lucidity a problem with other Wyrm?"

The dragon's hands covered the lower half of his face in a slightly tented steeple. "We are born conquerors. We see prey and rivals, not enemies and friends. We see power and feel the need to claim more. So few of us think. Honestly think. Greed is in our blood. It is in mine. Every fiber of my being tells me Katherine is mine."

His eye was then lowered. "But I have met others who have... expanded my mind. Friendship and trust are not as alien to me as they once were, but they are not of the Wyrm. Many barriers were broken down before I came to what you see before you. Many locked doors, smashed. Katherine is mine... Just as I am hers. So simple a fact, and yet so difficult to process, to push past my instincts."

Nereus' look didn't falter.

"I was foolish," finished the dragon. "Foolish and marked with blight of my line. Time has corrected me, alongside those I have come to trust. What was greed is now dedication. The pursuit of Justice, within the purview of mortal law. I did not let my own power corrupt me."
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Re: A Light in the Darkness

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"That ties in with a key part of compassion: treating others as you'd want to be treated. It's an unspoken, universal law that is often ignored but well worth considering," Meris stated. "While it's not absolutely certain, doing so ensures more people stay on our side and potentially makes them trustworthy."

She thoughtfully looked to him. "Consider our own relationship, after all," she added pointedly. "Use that as an example of how you'll want to deal with your subjects."
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Re: A Light in the Darkness

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Nereus nodded. "I understand, but the problem isn't whether or not I can treat my people with compassion, it's of whether or not they can treat themselves with something that approaches that concept!"

The elevator doors opened again, this time letting in two very distinct fellows.

Usually, when people thought of anthro mice, they pictured slight and small individuals, probably doomed to a life of irreducible cuteness and of a lack of any sort of worthwhile poise or physical presence. Even back on the surface, Meris would have seen her fair share of anthro rodents, usually below-average people in terms of height, who tended to have to deal with just how unimpressive they looked. Anyone with a head over them and a good bow or a spear was a potential threat, unless they'd learned how to fight, or unless they'd happen to be born outside of the common statistics...

This seemed to be the case with this particular mouse. With a light brown covering that transitioned to a paler shade where his impressive facial hair design began, he stood nearly as tall as Nereus, but much wider across the shoulders. From afar, Meris could've taken him for another heavyset man, someone who would've rivaled her mate in terms of excess abdominal weight. As he came closer, however, she'd realize this wasn't much more than an impressively stocky mouse, naturally big and possessed of the right set of human genes that must've conspired to give it a kind of absent-minded brawn.

Maybe it was the anthro's size, but he didn't quite seem to be keyed off by her or Nereus. His instincts didn't seem to kick in, and he regarded her with a cool and level look that somehow managed to convey just how unimpressed he was. There was something to his eyes, perhaps in the circles that surrounded them, that betrayed his nature as a vampire. He had the kind of eyes she'd seen on some jarls and dignitaries before, back on the surface; tempered by a few centuries' worth of political and financial experiences. A predator for the modern age, then, counting on fountain pens and organizers rather than on swords and shields, in order to prosper and protect himself. His clothes only furthered the impression, based on how he'd seemingly worked to combine what had to be a form of fashion that predated what the Darkhallow presented them with, with what would've seemed contemporary in this place.

The other man, however, didn't quite scream politician at all. Her nose and instincts would both confirm that he, too, was a vampire - albeit one of a different stripe. Formerly human, he carried the scent of decay in tones so minuscule that they only meant he was a very clean and self-conscious individual. He couldn't help the fact that he was clinically dead, but he certainly seemed to be trying to mitigate it for the sake of his surroundings' lot of mortal nostrils. His clothes were pristine, if perhaps a bit rumpled, in much darker and distinctly modern tones than the mouse's Victorian Business Exec Chic approach. There was a tiny bit of the grave in the way he moved, as well, but his crimson eyes were alive and alert behind the dark frames of his glasses. They widened at the sight of the opened windows.

Aldergard, in response, only produced a rather tranquil grunt. He looked to the mouse and briefly gestured to a panel on the far wall that had been set between two windows. The mouse nodded after looking to its colleague, and then moved to press a button on said panel. Immediately, steel shutters began to close over the windows. The surrounding lighting wasn't altered significantly, seeing as the penthouse level had been so large as to prevent most of the slats of sunlight from reaching the center of the space they occupied. Still, with his one obvious threat dealt with, the Guildmate visibly relaxed. Both men had seemingly brought along one of the modern world's favorite toys, something the Darkhallow had eventually revealed to be called a tablet. For now, Meris and Nereus understood that it was a device that allowed its user to more or less have the contents of the Library of Alexandria in the palm of their hand. It seemed reasonable to assume that it would also serve as an adequate way to take notes. The mouse's tablet cover had the looks of genuine and quilted leather, while the Guildmate's looked like the usual synthetic, leather-like covering Meris would recognize from other furnishings.

Aldergard stood up and gestured to the men. "It is my pleasure to introduce to you Forsythe Atticus Holden, Chairman for the Council of Metahuman and Superhuman Rights in Vienna, Austria.
- How do you do," replied the mouse, its basso suggesting this wasn't so much a question as an absent greeting; something that somehow felt suitably European in nature.

The dragon then gestured to the Guildmate. "This is Monsieur Matthias d'Aubignier, Elder amongst local Guildmates and Secretary General to the Vienna Council.
- Occasionally," tempered the Guildmate, carefully raising a clawed hand in a matter that remained as casual as could be. "My work at the Institute leaves me precious time to invest in Vienna. It's mostly an honorific consideration, as I've been unlucky enough to be the first to expose myself to the world - and to do so accidentally.
- It's better to have handled the Council's one and only Public Relations fiasco in its infancy, Matthias, than to have been forced to negotiate in the shadows for several decades further," noted Forsythe. "If not for your accident - and the tragic loss of your research team - we would have needed to keep adding fuel to the conspiracy theorists' nonsense for one or two generations longer!"

Matthias pursed his lips together. "Perhaps - but I've forgotten my manners in all this..."

Maybe the Guildmate was a bit on the dorky side or he'd assumed that Meris wouldn't mind his claws, but he extended a hand towards her. "Mes hommages, mademoiselle," he said, greeting her with an unusually formal turn of French phraseology. "If you'll allow me this one moment of embarrassing admiration, madame Meris, your works on the similarities between the via attunement in Early Semitic runic systems and Scottish-period Orcadian bone runes were of a pivotal level of importance for my post-graduate seminars. I've spent centuries attempting to validate the importance of observing the cultural biosphere of observable arcane systems, but so many researchers consider this to be junk data or raw fluff - things to be discarded in favor of what actually channels arcane potential! Magic is such a personal and intimate concept, I can scarcely understand how anyone would reject all nurturing instances!"

Nereus sent a vaguely bewildered and amused look to Meris, as he'd never expected her to have so much cultural pull! Being a ruler in the waking world, he'd always assumed people would flock to him at least to some degree - but here was Meris, reminding him of particularly brilliant Oracles that managed to create post-sermon throngs of enthusiastic debaters!

Not that he was particularly jealous, however. His claim to fame had already been established at this point in the future, or so the Darkhallow had told him. He suspected he'd see just what his own crowning glory implied in due time. For now, it was only fair of him to let Meris have some fun and to flex her People Person muscles on her own.
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Re: A Light in the Darkness

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The seal woman regarded both men with both men with interest and brief surprise. She had never met any vampires prior to being taken, and she had never met any in Dalarath. Given their predatory nature, she realized they were either generally avoided or didn't last long in the subterranean settlement. When she saw Forsythe, she was taken by his notable physique that contradicted what she had seen. Matthias' faint death scent was picked up by her keen nose. She was thankful he was aware of this and kept most of the odorous scent away with frequent baths.

She nodded respectfully to Holden after he uttered his absent greeting. With his serious and composed nature, she knew that he would be the harder nut to crack and warm up to their plans. She wondered if this was a common trait with vampires of this type.

Meris smiled awkwardly and shook the Guildmate's offered hand. While knowing that she was an archmage, she doubted she would ever really feel entirely comfortable with the recognition she received. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. d'Aubignier. "

She pondered over his statement and answered, "Personal connection with magic is key to achieving optimum proficiency. It's a pity so many of your colleagues consider it to not be worth researching. That link is valuable to all arcane disciplines. From my experience, studying is all well and good, but without that spark, a practitioner will struggle with reaching a level beyond that of a dabbler. They really should reconsider their findings. Why some people think that magic is only based on hard information and nothing else is beyond me. I must say that they are too concerned with fitting arcane principles into neat little boxes. Though, I'm glad to meet someone who realizes that fact and embraces it. All mages should be encouraged to apply their love to their respective fields. "
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Re: A Light in the Darkness

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"Oh, you're absolutely correct," replied d'Aubignier, "but I've seen the, well, the sclerosis that tends to grip researchers, as they go deeper into their chosen subject. In the pursuit of clarity, they abandon all forms of personal connection; largely because all of Academe tends to reinforce the notion that objectivity requires detachment. I've talked to students who took Minors in, say, Literature, and the all-important first read is always discarded! All the moved feelings, all the gut impressions - all worthless, judging by some very respected theorists dealing as much with the historiography of literature as with certain currents of analysis, such as Structuralism..."

Matthias looked a bit resigned, but he still smiled. "Some people come to realize this truth, but a single mortal lifetime isn't nearly long enough for profound revisions to occur in someone's personal background. I've seen young men scratch as truths that were painfully obvious, and I didn't have the heart to throw their own research out of alignment by supplying them with what I saw as their desired outcome. They still clawed at those truths as old and regretful armchair intellectuals..."

He took a seat. "I've always esteemed the contributions of mortals in Science and Magic. However, I've always believed that little over a century would never be enough for anyone with a plan or a project to see through to completion. The Mind is made to be immortal, but fate's locked so many of you in shells that won't see you to your goals."

He gestured to Meris. "You, yourself, happen to be a selkie. You'll live a ways longer than most mundanes, especially most humans. I suspect you've seen it before, then - humans that had everything they'd need to make significant breakthroughs, except time."

Holden flicked his tablet open as he sat down. "Ambition is what most mortals lack, Matthias. Mundanes can give masterclasses on laziness and slovenly pursuits and can frequently outclass the greediest of Vitellians in this regard, but a focused mind can accomplish quite a bit in a few decades."

He then looked to Nereus. "Speaking of focus - I hope you've realized that your proposed project implies a complete socio-political and commercial re-structuration of the greater Grecian region. Akrotiri remains a populated region and a local manna for tourism promoters, while your outlined engineering project is liable to reopen several neighboring fault lines, should something go amiss. All reports indicate that the fall of Atlantis was triggered by a seismic event of catastrophic proportions - and you'd like to reverse it. You speak of it as though you weren't blithely playing with the Earth's crust, if I may be so bold."

Nereus was a bit taken aback. "I - I thought I'd already delivered assurances to my people's ability to handle this project responsibly. Any surrounding hydrocarbon deposits could be simply decomposed at the molecular level. Nothing would be accidentally detonated; and we'd obviously do our very best to limit the impact to Akrotiri's inhabitants.
- While, obviously, obliterating the second-largest facet of the local economy; the beachfronts."

Nereus was a bit miffed by this, but he maintained his poise. "I've already had the Rothchilds submit a revised plan; we intend to keep the area's ringlike structure. New Dalarath would extend along the outer two thirds of the restored ring, with a small archipelago in the center. What is currently Akrotiri would be untouched. I thought you'd received our most recent submissions."

Holden shrugged. "We have; but my point remains. The Western beachfronts would lose all value. Even with the environmental fallout dismissed, what's most likely to happen, hm? The good providers of surfboards and mopeds run out of business at the favor of Chtulhu's envoys?"

Aldergard produced another pensive growl. "What do you hope to achieve here, Herr Holden?
- Some form of compensation towards the Greek government, of course."

The dragon nodded. "Of course. Then it would be only fair of yourself and Herr Ruthven to compensate tourism industry in Transylvania, hm?
- You'll forgive me if I don't see how this relates to anything," replied the mouse.

In response, the Wyrm chuckled. "QED. Void Weavers owe nothing to Greek populace - at least, until damages are recorded. Should anyone suffer in any way, compensation will be considered. Not before."

Forsythe looked a bit peeved by this, but Matthias sent him a sobering look. "Let's take a look at your blueprints, then," he offered gamely.
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Re: A Light in the Darkness

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The archmage gave her husband a brief hopeful glance and retrieved the blueprints from the briefcase they had brought with them, sliding it over to the trio of immortals.
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