Event Log: A Hope for the Future

[hadrielmods]

Who: All characters participating in the event
What: The event log for the A Hope for the Future event
Where: All over the city!
When: April 15th-April 19th
Warnings: Stealth Rock

It's finally time to reap the rewards you've earned from all that hard work collecting and returning the Hope orbs! Be careful walking the streets during the small earthquakes, but feel free to admire the scenery as your beautiful city reassembles its way back into its former glory.

There are new houses where the destroyed buildings once were, and they're perfect for a single person or pair of lovebirds. In addition, you'll find that the electricity to these new houses, and all other homes and shops in the city is restored. The food is better, the monsters are gone- hey, this city might be livable again!

To cap it all off, we've got a feast waiting for you on the 19th! Come one, come all, and enjoy all of your favorite foods, drinks, and party games. It's been awhile since we've all gotten together to celebrate something good, so get your party on and toss all your troubles away!

► This log covers April 14th-April 19th.
► Feel free to make your own logs as well!
► Please tag headers of threads with content warnings where they apply
► Please put your character's name and open/closed in the subject line of your starters!
► If you get hit by levitating rubble or eat a food that wasn't meant for you, please let us know here.

Comments

[kingforboth]

It definitely made Kelson wonder about 'divine' persons and various arrangements. If only he knew that nearly 600 years ago, his own people were rumored to be descendants of gods, or fey. Who knew the truth of such rumors, and he'd probably laugh them off, but what if they were true? As for these parasites, that was a very interesting piece of information.

"So they had different hosts before, from what I'm lead to understand something happened to them...with then Null? And now they're forced to rely on us, different species with whom they have never dealt with and we are reacting in ways unfamiliar to them."

But the cubes, and magic. "I'd love to learn at least the theory regarding yours, if nothing else. Mine is innate too, although I confess I have two different sources for my abilities, and while one was....set artificially, I'm convinced they draw from the same source. They're not that different." Maybe it was wishful thinking. Or maybe Kelson was in a different position than the rest of his Haldane ancestors, having both his Haldane potential and Deryni blood to draw upon and compare. One of course, had to be set and activated through ritual, the other was innate. But you couldn't activate just anyone. There had to be something like Deryni blood behind it, or it wouldn't work. What if they were just two sides of the same thing?

As for the links he brought up? Yes, well, no one said being a king meant thinking only happy thoughts. And the piece about dying further cements the idea in Kelson's head. "It's possible. It's quite possible I'd say, especially with that Portal being trapped one way. Who knows what 'stops' they put in along the journey."

Kelson reaches out with a hand to touch Curufin's hand, and sends into his mind. Physical contact is helpful, at least for the first time. I admit, it's strange to have to explain what I can do to someone who has no idea. It's nice not to see fear in someone's eyes.]

[so_dark_a_road]

Maybe that's why Curufin sometimes wonders if Kelson is entirely mortal? -- maybe because Kelson's being carries echoes of those fey ancestors.

"The gods used to live at peace with their former hosts and with the Null. But the Null became frightened and hostile when they realized that the gods could cause them to feel emotions. The Null used to be organic beings for whom emotions were normal, but they came to despise and fear their own vulnerability, and so they modified themselves, made themselves entirely or almost entirely synthetic. I guess this happened before they ever met the god-race. And for a while afterwards, they got along with the gods and had productive trade and cultural relations, but then they suddenly attacked, with great and lethal force. The gods were taken entirely by surprise, and the Null killed all of them except for the eight that we know. The Null also killed all of the gods' hosts."

And on to the other topic:

"I can tell you the theory behind what we do. Or at least, I can relate what the sages have told us. Some of it I know from experience, and some I can't vouch for, because I wasn't there when it happened. Our powers depend on our nature. Our creator god, Eru, first made the angelic powers, the Valar. They are pure spirit, but they can take on material forms if they wish, whatever they wish. They are not bound to these forms, and if the form is somehow destroyed, they simply revert to being powerful spirits. Eru also made a race of helper spirits, the Maiar, to be the servants of the Valar and assist them in their labors. They have the same nature as the Valar, they just aren't as powerful. And then Eru made us, the Elves. We are really made on the same plan, though we are much less powerful than the Maiar."

"We basically are spirits who have a physical nature, except that we are born with our bodies as they are, and most of us aren't shape-changers. But the body is regarded as merely one aspect of the immortal spirit. If it is destroyed, then the spirit goes to the Halls of Mandos, and from there it may return to the world, taking on a new form or one identical to the old one. And there is another possibility for the end of life. We sometimes do this thing we call fading, in which the spirit slowly consumes the physical form, until there is only an invisible spirit left. It is usually an involuntary process, caused by extreme grief or weariness of the world. But its been known to happen speedily. When my father was dying, he incinerated his body. He just exploded into a cloud of smoking ash, and his spirit fled to Mandos."

"All of this is background for understanding our nature. With us, the relationship between spirit and body is more versatile than is the case for the mortals of our world. We never are completely identified with the body, since we know it is temporary, even though we may live for thousands of years. We experience ourselves as physically manifested spirits. And because of that relationship, we have more control over our physical being than mortals generally do. That is why we have our powers -- great physical and emotional strength, and the more subtle powers such as mindspeech. It is fairly easy to direct the body to respond to the wishes of the spirit."

When Kelson reaches out to touch Curufin's hand, the Elf hears his message instantly. He smiles and answers silently. I as well have found that physical contact helps. I cannot speak mind to mind with everyone, and I don't do it all the time even with my family. I am not the most talented of mind-speakers; for me, it often depends on mood. But I can hear you loud and clear!

And he will see no fear in Curufin's eyes. This feels natural to the Elf.

[kingforboth]

Kelson was starting to identify a little with these 'gods'. He couldn't condone their behavior but the hostilities between them and the Null sounded all to familiar. There was so much information that Curufin just gave him that he sat silently for a minute and went through it, thinking, silent. There was so much that was similar between them, not exact, but almost like cousins. Except of course that Deryni never faded. Or smoked into ash, thank God.

"I wish I knew why some Deryni have certain abilities and some have others. Truth is I don't know." Kelson continued the conversation, talking quietly, as if he was afraid of being overheard. At least for him, mind speech wasn't foolproof, one could overhear, unless certain precautions were made.

"Most of what I can do I wouldn't exactly call magic. More....spiritual or energetic augmentation. Like mind reading, or sharing, hypnotic suggestion."

Sharing sounded better, right?

"Some has the basis in magic and ritual, like the ward cubes you made for me."

Kelson was careful not to reveal too much of what he could or could not do. Curufin seemed trustworthy, and he doubted he needed to truth read him to know that.

[so_dark_a_road]

The gods and the Null, two species that are basically incompatible. And it seems like the gods are basically incompatible with any host species except the original one. And yet now they will die if they do not rely on an unfamiliar group of beings who don't want to play host. And yes, Curufin too has felt the similarities between Kelson and himself. Cousins. Despite the lack of fading or exploding!

"It's the same with Elves. We aren't born with all the same abilities, and we don't know why."

"We don't call it magic, either. And we think of it as you do, as spiritual or energetic augmentation." Yep, sharing sounds better!

"But you would describe some of what you do as magic? The ward cubes, because they have to be activated with magical ritual?

Kelson was right about Curufin. He would not would not reveal to others what Kelson had told him about his abilities.

[kingforboth]

"From what I understand, it seems to be inherited, at least for Deryni. A trusted friend can heal, his son discovered he can also heal. There's still a lot we have to learn, for a while he wasn't even going to try, but it does seem certain things run in families, like green eyes."

Kelson listened, wondering how much of their two species were similar, and how they would ever find out.

"Yes, the ward cubes are magic, and have to be activated by ritual." Kelson looked around, making sure no one was paying too close attention, and then opened a hand, crimson handfire materializing.

"It's just light." Sure, he could conjure actual fire, but Kelson went for the childsplay magic right now. He trusted Curufin, but he also wasn't about to give away everything he could do right now.

[so_dark_a_road]

"Yes, it's very interesting, isn't it? -- that certain things run in families. My father and I, look very much alike, and my son takes after us in appearance. And we all excel in smithcraft. The appearance has to be inherited, of course. And as for the affinity for fire and iron, I could certainly look at it in terms of father teaching son, but I don't actually think it's that simple. I think there may well be something in our physical nature that determines that, just as our gray eyes are determined."

And he watched as Kelson opened his hand and suddenly he had a handful of glowing fire.

"Very nice!"

[kingforboth]

"Appearance is inherited, you only have to look at the Haldane line and see all the black hair and grey eyes to know that. The ability to assume magic is inherited from my fathers side as well. That's always bred true." Or they wouldn't have been king. So yes, I would agree. There is something that causes both appearance and magical ability to be passed on."

Kelson was tempted to let the handfire float, but the other part of him wanted to snap it shut. No, others said it was safe here. Let's see how safe. At the very least if he let it float, it could belong to anyone. Kelson let it go.

[so_dark_a_road]

Curufin nodded. "It's the same in my family, in fact, in my whole clan. Nearly all of the Noldor have black hair and gray eyes. The exception is the few redheads in my family -- my paternal grandfather, my mother, and my eldest brother. But that again supports the idea of inherited traits."

"Say. . . you don't think we could be related, do you?" he said with a smile. He was joking, but who knew? -- if there could be Doors in the multiverse, then people might have been traveling for longer than anybody guessed.

And he continued to watch the handful of bright fire, and suddenly Kelson let it float upwards from his hand. "Impressive!"

[kingforboth]

"I was actually wondering the same thing. Gray eyes and black hair are a typical Haldane trait. Of course, my Haldane ancestors were originally human." Curufin may have been joking, but stranger things had happened. And the Haldane's had to get the ability to acquire Deryni magic from somewhere. Most humans didn't have it. Or at least, so he thought. Kelson hadn't exactly gone around testing everyone though.

For all Kelson knew, they were from the same place, just centuries or millennia apart. Or a coincidence.

"Not very impressive. Four years old can do this."