So I guess I'm re-starting Mana Flare
OK. Consider it done. Let me know when you all want to follow it up with a scene.
So I guess I'm re-starting Mana Flare
OK. Consider it done. Let me know when you all want to follow it up with a scene.
So I guess I'm re-starting Mana Flare
OK. Consider it done. Let me know when you all want to follow it up with a scene.
"I can't believe I'm saying this, but I agree with Winter" The words had an odd ring to them in the Obrimos' ears, as if they came out not from Shodan's mouth, but somewhere else "We're not killing anything, least of all anything connected to the Aether" Assuming that they could even attempt it. Those five might've been Sleepers, but even with magic on his side, the Prime Mover doesn't like the odds "It's probably moot, anyway. Like Winter said, it's been months" How long can an alien being of pure force hide from the world?
He turns to Winter.
"I didn't check. The investigation kind of dissolved over time, and there was enough on our plates then" He shrugs. As Sentinel, Winter was kind of in charge, and no order was given "Shouldn't be too hard to poke around" And then something else appears in his mind. Something ball-shaped, on three legs.
"Hey, remember that sphere we found in the barn? The one with alchemical symbols on it?" Clearly it was Fallen World lore. Which gave credence to the mind-blowing theory that you do not need to be a mage to knock on the Supernal Realm's door "It's another lead we have" God, that was a terrible pun. But apt, given how much of the metal was in the object "If we're lucky, and it's locally sourced, there shouldn't be that many places it could have come from. All manual labor, and the markings didn't look random"
"**********, *********, *********, **********. Those were the plates and the numbers, see what you can do", he tells Shodan. "I'll dig what I can from the sphere. Once we're done, we'll revisit the barn and try to catalog the ley flow from there, trying to check for disturbances".
Then, he's back to the purpose of the meeting. "We need to pick a Councilor, if nobody else is coming and we still can't agree on a name, I'll just resign from my post of Sentinel and fill the vacancy ad interim", he says as a matter of fact.
Phoenyx exhales slowly. She didn't believe in Heaven, or angels. She had been raised to believe in determination and will to achieve goals, and when we died... well. she hadn't really contemplated that. Killing the creature, sending it back to the Aether, leaving it alone - it was all the same to her, as long as the laws remained intact. "So.... based on the fact that there has been no news coverage or sightings, the assumption the..." dark eyes glance to Winter, "manifestation has not endured on this plane certainly seems plausible. So it seems the investigation is more about how these Sleepers managed to perform the ritual, if they were directed, and if the effect was the correct intended result or some bizarre coincidence. Is that right?" The Arrow thinks for a moment. "Do we need to bring these efforts tot he Concilium at large?" the question directed at the Sentinel.
At Winter's proposal, the First Talon shakes her head. "Then the Concilium is without a Sentinel, and changes, rather than solves the problem. with our numbers so few it is more important the Concilium positions remain filled without interim." She looks around. With Winter out, and Kaze swinging under a metaphorical Sword of Damocles that left two options. Which meant.... "I propose Shodan. He is engaging with people, and has shown to bring a different perspective to traditional Diamond thinking." It might temper him slightly as well, unlikely as that was, and leave Phoenyx free to avoid dealing with political issues.
The Arrow was more delusional the he had given her credit for. "Magus Shodan is awaiting trial, that alone disqualifies him from the position. Magus Kaze is awaiting punishment. Nobody else is present. It means the next Councillor will be either one of us", the truth, laid bare.
If there were any doubts, if there was any way for Shodan to bend his principles and vie for the Council seat, they were instantly dispelled by Winter's concise, and final, objection. Which presented a new problem: if the Sentinel post is left vacant, it might yet be filled with someone more... desirable than a Guardian. On the other hand, it could also mean the ascension of Star, and the risk of that pair hanging over him was just too much.
"Thanks for the vote of confidence" He says to Phoenyx "Not that I would have accepted" Hierarchy fosters the Lie, after all "but the gesture is appreciated. And you make a good point. So, why don't you do it? You're respected, you know your way around our Path's Arcana..."
Most important of all, you're too inept in the art of manipulation to fuck me over on this one.
"...In other words, you're a perfect candidate - if we are all of the opinion that a council of Paths is necessary" Of course, Phoenyx doesn't want it. If she did, she would've said so and seized the opportunity. But if they are to have a ruler, best to have one that governs sparingly.
Kaze nods, "You should do it, Phoenyx. You would do it...right. Straight and impartial with no hidden agendas." He says. "And...I think it's the kind of job that really should be someone who doesn't want to."
Dammit. Winter was completely correct, of course. She had forgotten about Shodan's trial.
The Libertine's words were clearly meant to be complementary, even if "knowing her way around the Arcana" made her sound like she had just about mastered the basics rather than being an Adept of Forces. "Though there are paths of one or no members, the Hierarch has requested it. As the group containing the most members, in any political sense, it makes sense for the Golden Key to have a single representative." The Arrow shifts uneasily. "Though I thought a Councillor had to be good at talking to people." And she wasn't - it was hardly a secret.
Kaze is leered at for a split second, though he too is complimentary. Of course she would be honest. Given to someone that doesn't want to? Well, she didn't, that was true. And with Winter as Sentinel, Shodan under trial and Kaze a known Veil risk she was literally the only option here.
"What.... does a Councillor actually have to do?" She asked wearily.
"Inspire. That is, give the impression they know what they're doing."
Like this late arrival. No one could question that Magnum, P.I. was on the job. What? This wasn't that job? And Tom Selleck never ate a cup of noodles in his life?
This all got Rian Johnson very fast.
"If there's going to be a trial," he tipped his cup at Shodan, "Then the Councilors will determine guilt. They'll also use the Tetragramatton to sentence." Don't forget Kaze. No trial, just sentencing.
sluuuuurrrrrrrp
Selleck never knew what he was missing.
"The bigger question is -- do we want a Councilor who needed to ask that question?" Like, really. Hadn't this chick ever been part of a Consilium? "So, no. Kaze and Shodan have both been very bad boys which means the obvious solution? Winter takes the chair and a new Sentinel is picked."