gentle bump Avis
Winter Soup
Winter Soup
35157
THREADID
20
POSTS
11 - 20
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"Well, it's not actually that many. Not if you take talk about each threat in terms of organizations. For Sacramento, it's basically the Banishers, the Seers, and the Golden Consilium in San Francisco. The Banishers are all over fucking town, but especially at the University, and apparently have a tome they use to attack souls. The Seers have been quiet, but they have made moves to hire mercenaries to steal sympathetic objects from Cabals in town. They tried to hit Veiled Threats, at least," Avis relayed, the memory of feeling a woman's neck snap in her arms playing out in her mind...
She still remembered how Bonny's shampoo had smelled. And how smooth her skin had been against Avis' as the Talon's muscles strained against the other space magi's neck.
A shudder passed through the Warlock and she drew her knees up to her chest.
"Anyways, then there's the Golden Consilium. They sent a spy to fuck with our Consilium and play at being Hierarch. Her name was Dal Riata, but her legend was Avalon. She effectively roadblocked the Council for years, and got in the way of Cabal's dealing with the other threats in the city until Aquinas showed up and kicked her ass out. He was a Sacramento original. That's how he knew what the score really was. That's also why the Banisher's are so fucking strong. The Golden Consilium let them get that way. They want us to break as we drive them out of town. Make it easy for them to sweep in and annex us."
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He nodded along with Avis's assessment of the history of their problems, but there was still one point that had always grated on him since his arrival.
"Yeah I've heard about the Golden Concilium a few times now hey. But, what's got me real confused though is, Banishers are kinda fucked up, ya know? They don't like, play well with other children, so, I have this nagging itch in my mind that says to me, 'Yo, Wayland you solid gold dancer you, what are the chances a butt-load of Banishers are gonna just, happily work together?' Just seems, off, ya know? Almost seems like someone wants us to think that they're Banishers instead of something else."
Looking down at his bowl, he realizes the soup bowl is empty. And while he had enjoyed it, he is aware of the Finality of everything, and thus he transitions from disappointed to content, knowing all things need change. Still, there is one final point regarding the Banishers he needs answered.
"So, I've heard everyone say like, 'Watch out for Banishers bro', but, how do we know they are Banishers? Like, what was the evidence? Cause a cabal of Banishers is rare yo, and a bunch of them working together for an elaborate war? Seems just suss enough for me to question hey."
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"There's nothing wrong with questioning," Avis replied, "but if you are going to question what you see before you then I would also say consider questioning what you've heard in the past, too. Because the term Banisher applies to people whose world view is built on oppression and hate, and we've seen countless groups like that running about throughout the history of the Lie. Governments, for one. Like Indonesia, Germany, and America, too. And then you've got religious fanatics that blow up buildings, or that laid siege to cities in the middle ages. Or racists, like the KKK. Or anyone that bitches about the "illegals" in this country," the Talon elaborate with a sneer.
"And, really, the Banishers are no different than any of those other fuckers. They're just fuckers that also have magic, and based off what we've seen them doing, these particular fuckers have the ability to mess with your mind, and your soul, too. So it's not necessarily that surprising that they've been able to keep reinforcing their fucked up paradigms. Not that I think it's sustainable, but I'm not surprised they've been able to build it up after a few years.
"But hey," she added with a shrug, "what the fuck, I don't have proof either way. Maybe there's a group of seers laughing their asses off and manipulating things along the way."
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He noted Avis' somewhat pessimistic view of the world. It may have been something to do with being the only long standing Arrow in the City, but he suspected it went deeper than that. One point caught his interest though. "Yo, you mentioned them being able to mess with your mind? I'd totally like to hear about that if its ok?" Any confirmed knowledge of their abilities is valuable knowledge. " 'If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.' At least that's what Sun Tzu said. I've always wondered if he was one of us, you know?"
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"I doubt it," Avis replied after long moments of consideration.
She, like most Talons, or she assumed most Talons, had read the Art of War not long after she'd first been initiated into the Order. She still couldn't claim to understand it, cohesively, but she did understand pieces. Fragments was more accurate, she supposed, but those fragments still lead her to believe that the Wisdom contained within that ancient work was due to pieces of Supernal Truth filtering through the Lie, rather than being revealed by an Awakened mind. Because Truth was inescapable. The Lie could not exist without a relation to it. And, in that way, the Truth also could not exist without the possibility of falsehood...
"Still, I like where your head is at. Unfortunately, I'm not sure I can claim to have complete knowledge of the Banishers. What I can tell you, though, is that they have, or had, a facility they used to brainwash their new recruits. They'd snap up people that had just stumbled out of Sleep and would cart them off to be twisted by some bullshit doctrine. That's why they're at the University. They're preying on the youth. Trying to infect their minds with their bullshit so they go on and perpetuate it in the world. Not to unlike the Seers, I guess, but hate is more of a Banisher thing. Which, is what makes them all the harder to fight. Greed, lust, those are things that can be manipulated. Things based off of someone's self interest. Hate, though...Hate is harder to deal with.
"Which, honestly, is why I've had a difficult finding the right tactic to go with," Avis confessed with a sigh, exhaustion seeping onto the Warlock's face. "'Cause there's a Sun Tzu quote that I always keep in mind, too. It's from the same chapter, I think: To fight and conquer in all your battles is not supreme excellence; supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy's resistance without fighting.' But I don't know how to do that with the Banishers. The only solution I can see right now to balance things is to murder them. To rupture their arteries and their organs and watch their hearts fail."
The exhaustion faded, Avis' mind clearly sliding towards a more invigorating thought...
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He screwed up is face in concern, then immediately berated himself for giving away a 'tell' but quickly dismissed it, considering the company he was with. That being said though, Banishers running a brainwashing facility gave him cause for concern. "So they're THAT kind of Banisher, you know, not the run of the mill 'poor me, I hate magic', but the full blown, turn it up to eleven, foreign ideology kinda crazy. That makes a bit more sense then. Somewhat more terrifying, but I can understand it, ya know?"
Armed with a greater knowledge than he had started with, and a better understanding of his own place in things, Wayland felt more content than he had in a while. He had no issues with conflict, but he wanted to Act, and indecision agitated him no end.
"Yo, I'm not sure if I've stated it properly, but thanks for giving me the direction and guidance I needed to hear, Big Stick and all. It brings him out to you Avis, like, at least in my view of such things."
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"Him?" Avis replied, brow furrowing in bewilderment.
"You mean Sun Tzu?"
'Cause, wow, even though she did believe the famous general and philosopher had been a Sleeper, that would still be one hell of a compliment, especially since she was pretty sure Wayland thought otherwise.
"Well, um, either way, thank you for listening. There's probably going to be a day when what I say sounds like bullshit, but I appreciate you listening until then."
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Wayland managed to finally finish his soup, and like any male, wished there was more.
"Hey not a problem yo. I hear what your sayin'. I do have a question about one of these Illuminations I saw in these papers though...."
I think we've probably covered everything here. Ready to wrap?
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Good to wrap
Draft this Post
