A matter of gods.

[ixis]

That ugly wizard is still in the Nexus, though he's not shouting near as much as he did upon arrival. He has about a half-dozen books on hand, stacked next to him on a sofa seat while he leafs through one. Seems he's got a lot of notes taken as well on whatever the subject is.

"Tell me..."

A page is turned and Ixis Naugus considers it briefly before continuing.

"What are the gods like where you come from? Do you have any at all? One? Many? Beings of wrath, omnipresent creatures, or hidden and impotent figments? Indulge my religious curiosity."

Comments

[drehnifusbahi]

Vanyel, as it happens, is sitting on pile of cushions not far away, stripped down to the simple shirt and trousers he wears under his armor as he attempts to scrub what looks like tree sap off his cuirass. "In the Empire, we have the Nine Divines," he offers. "Akatosh, Arkay, Dibella, Julianos, Kynareth, Mara, Stendarr, Talos and Zenithar. Generally, they only 'speak' to chosen mortal agents, usually through dreams and visions. They do grant blessings to anyone who prays at one of their altars, though.

"Most worship all Nine," current ban on Talos-worship notwithstanding, "but it isn't unheard of to worship one in particular above the others. There are also the Daedric princes, who aren't actually gods but still get worshipped as such."

[ixis]

"Nine? Why on Mobius so many? Sounds crowded to me. Do they fall under different focuses on what or who they favour? Do they conflict? And how certain are you that they exist?" He never promised he's going to be reverent to the people who answer.

"And royalty has the opportunity towards godhood in your zone?" That sounds really ideal to him. Just one step of power to the next!

[drehnifusbahi]

"Different focuses, yes. Akatosh is god of time and chief of the pantheon, Arkay is the god of burial and funeral rites, Dibella is the goddess of beauty and sexual desire, Julianos is god of wisdom and logic, Kynareth is goddess of wind and sky and nature, Mara is the mother goddess and goddess of love, Stendarr is the god of mercy and justice, Talos is god of war, and Zenithar is the god of work and commerce."

Par for the course with Vanyel, if the irreverence makes him angry, he certainly doesn't show it. "The blessings from the shrines and altars are usually tangible effects. It might cure any diseases you have or boost a certain skill or attribute; the magic has to come from somewhere. And the Elves claim that their earliest ancestors communed with the gods, or Aedra, who walked the earth in the Dawn Era."

He shakes his head at the question about royalty. "Mortal royalty? No." There are few exceptions -Tiber Septim and Martin Septim spring immediately to mind- but by and large, that's the truth. "The princes in question are Daedra - spirits of the Oblivion plane and... dark mirrors, of a sort, to the Divines. For example, Sanguine is the prince of debauchery and hedonism and Molag Bal is prince of domination- in contrast to Dibella, whose domain is simply desire."

[ixis]

He nods along with the explanation, though some of those gods get him to twitch an ear once or twice. "A god entirely dedicated to funerals? Morbid fellow. How would he ever get followers amongst the living? Unless he's exclusively for those who inter the dead. Which is a very narrow following to begin with." And of course some brand of Overlander has a sex god. Of course. He'll let Dibella slide without comment, though. That's his extent of being respectful.

"These princes sound at least like a more entertaining bunch. Oblivion, you say!"

[mage_of_the_nest]

"There are many but to my kind, only one matters." Dragonus was perched in a nearby chair, reading from a tome of his own and wearing reading glasses. His helm was seated on the table beside him. Having attained that this was a peaceful pocket of reality, he would have to wear more comfortable clothing if/when he returned. It was actually quite a pleasant place - while he had chambers where he could study and read, there was always the danger of being interrupted or called ot duty. Or assassinated. "The goddess of all winged beings and of revenge, Scree'auk. Her blood flows through my veins and empowers my soul. Sometimes she has aligned with others like Selemene, the Goddess of the Moon, but ultimately She is the one who granted me my powers, so it is Her will I do."

[ixis]

"Ah, hello again." This figure is quite unmistakable! What with the wings and talons and all. It's not quite Mobian but he welcomes anyone who is clearly not an Overlander.

Naugus listens to the explanation as politely as he can manage, tucking the tip of his crab claw into the pages of his book to keep his spot in the meantime. "You speak of her blood flowing in you; are you descended from this...Skree-awk?" He at least tries to say it carefully, but the unfamiliarity in pronunciation is obvious. "Or is this just by merit of having wings?"

[mage_of_the_nest]

"Somewhat - our records are not entirely clear. Various rebellions and sabotague effects have destroyed some of the archives repeatedly over the centuries. What is certain is that She touched upon my bloodline so that as the previous Court Mage begins to descend, the egg of their next of kin will bear a holy sigil, marking them as the next mage." Just as Dragonus's uncle began to reach his twilight years had his egg been delievered to the world, and for the last years of his life the old mage had sowed in Dragonus seeds that would promote quick learning and a dedication to his cause.

He turned his book to Naugus and tapped on the image displayed. The sigil, a word of power, was carefully drawn over a page, smooth and soft in shape and somewhat resembling an egg with flared wings. "It is not practical in most spell-casting, but it represents the next Mage." he lowered his book, curious now. "What of your gods? Do your kind have a patron or do you exist among yourselves?"

[sumarusfinest]

"Gods are ancient, creatures who deem themselves above the morale of man. They are fickle, putting lives--worlds--at stake over petty arguments." The police officer who was newly dumped into the Nexus is still wandering around.

Of course the topic in the Nexus today would be about Gods. Katsuya Suou does not have a fond recollection of them.

[ixis]

Ixis Naugus cackles, pointing his staff at Katsuya once the peals of amusement die down. "Well said, well said! But do you not envy them? Their ability to move reality and matter and men alike to their whims? For those petty arguments?"

[sumarusfinest]

"Hardly. I use the gifts given to me for the sole purpose to rid the refuse of their fighting from my world." A paradox, considering he himself has been touched by Philemon, hardly an ordinary human anymore.

Somewhere, a golden butterfly flutters it's wings and demons stir. There's a rumor that those who played a game on the ground of an old shrine have the ability to summon gods themselves, a representation of the soul and its alignment to the Collective Unconscious.

The aspect of justice, Helios, lord of the sun burns brightly from within the sea of Katsuya's soul. As much a part of him now as the hair on his head.

"Why? Do you yearn for a power that is not your own? Wishing is easy. Action takes commitment."

[innocencemybrother]

Having little interest in comfortable furniture or scholarly texts outside his particular field of study, Catches-Toads hears the question while simply passing through, his snuffling dog close behind. He stops, the dog quickly doing the same; though an Argonian's face is by nature less expressive than most, he looks rather as though he has just gotten a whiff of something unpleasant.

"What do you want to know about gods for?"

[ixis]

"Scholarly interest, good man!" Naugus is always so much more comfortable with beastly-looking races. None of that guarded tension or keeping his staff ready, or at least not as much. "An acquaintance here in the Nexus has asked me to research gods of her zone, so it got me to wondering just how many are out there respectively.

"Believe me, I have little regard for them overall. This is all for the pursuit of knowledge in realms outside my own."

[innocencemybrother]

He makes a small dubious sound in his throat, more hhm than hmph. Even knowing the reason, he still can't think too highly of the question, having never quite grasped the notion of knowledge having value in itself rather than according to its immediate practical use. Still, it's more a matter of simply not getting it than actual aggression or disdain.

"If that's what you want to learn, I guess. Well...there's nine gods, mostly. There are some more in other provinces, but I don't know them. None of them do much. Then there are a bunch of daedra, and those do more, but maybe you won't like what they do. That's the trade."

There's no change in his body language when it comes to daedra; he doesn't care much more for them than the Nine.

[smartass_captain]

"Seen a lot of shit out in the galaxy, probably gonna see a whole lot more on the five year mission. Never seen anything that made me think there was a god. Any god." Jim Kirk lounges in a nearby chair, munching on an apple he got from who only knows where.

He's trying to figure out what this creature reminds him of, but his xenoanatomy texts never covered gargoyle looking wizards.

[ixis]

"A space-faring type, are you? I suppose being faced with the stretches of stars and the nothing between it all would make you question their existence or at least their location. Though doesn't being out there, travelling it freely make you feel a bit godlike yourself?"

Naugus is just an adventure to look at. So many pieces that don't make sense, and yet here he is.

[smartass_captain]

"You could say that." His posture shifts more upright, shoulders squaring. An authority figure, clearly. Or maybe just proud. He vaguely waves the apple he's eating in gesture, pointing with one finger upwards.

"In my experience, anyone that got t'feeling they were god-like in any regard spelled trouble for the rest of the galaxy." Munch. Stare, Munch.

It's like some kind of bearded bat-creature. With a tail. And a cane. Fascinating. Shit, Spock was rubbing off on him.

[phoenix_descendants]

Alisaie has wandered off somewhere, so it's Alphinaud who will be answering Naugus.

"They are the Twelve." Yes, he'll explain. "Let me see...on the astral side we have Halone, the Fury, goddess of war; Thaliak, the Scholar, ruler of rivers and wisdom and god of knowledge; Llymlaen, the Navigator, watcher of the seas and goddess of navigation; Byregot, the Builder, purveyor of architecture and industry and god of the arts; Azeyma, the Warden, keeper of the sun and goddess of inquiry; and Nophica, the Matron, tender of soils and harvests and goddess of abundance.

"On the other side, the umbral side, there is Menphina, the Lover, keeper of the twin moons and goddess of love; Nymeia, the Spinner, watcher of the heavens and goddess of fate; Oschon, the Wanderer, ruler of mountains and god of vagrants; Rhalgr, the Destroyer, guardian of Ala Mhigo and god of destruction; Nald'thal, the Traders, overseer of the underworld, god of commerce - well, gods, technically, they're twins--" he smiles at that. "And Althyk, the Keeper, surveyor of change and space and god of time."

Yes, Eorzean gods are a bit complicated.

[ixis]

Naugus regards the younger person with vague skepticism; he doesn't have the best track record with teenagers and this one looks like he falls into that age. But as Alphinaud goes on with his explanation, he at least listens politely. The lad sounds knowledgeable, or educated at least.

"Why the division? What's the distinction between these astral and umbral beings? Is it a matter of their dwelling? Their respective focuses? Is there a divine war where you come from?" He wonders which side he'd pick; umbral implies it'd be the darker arts, but that side also has the goddess of love. Weak.

[phoenix_descendants]

Don't worry, the twins get that a lot.

"It is their focuses," Alphinaud nods. "There are six elements, and two gods represent each element. Halone and Menphina are ice, Thaliak and Nymeia water, Llymlaen and Oschon wind, Byregot and Rhalgr lightning, Azeyma and Nald'thal fire, and Nophica and Althyk earth."

[tasked]

The robot across the room was at least not thirty feet high inside the Nexus, closer to six. She was only a little curious about Ixis' appearance, besides: there were plenty of unusual creatures in this place and in the cosmos where she'd come from, generally, and it didn't do to stare at organics.

"Two actual gods, I suppose. Unicron, of chaos, and Primus, of order. Most people interpret them as evil and good, respectfully, I prefer to interpret them as 'actively destructive' and 'apathetic'. Then there are the Primes, but they are more like what most universes consider demigods, and in more recent cases, I suppose... religious leaders rather than incarnates. Difficult to explain in a language other than my own with a translator, but that is the gist."

She paused, "The two gods often did not intervene in our affairs. Would that we had been blessed with similar neglect from the Primes. ...Why do you ask?"

[ixis]

He looks up when he's being given a new answer, but his expression openly sours when he sees it's, ugh, a robot. "Please let me know if you're one of the doctor's creations so we can just cut to the chase, please.

"And I'm asking strictly for intellectual pursuit. I've never cared overmuch for gods other than wondering how they got to where they're at. I have theories there, but it seems those don't apply to all gods across the different zones we all come from. Interesting, that."

[tasked]

"What? No." A pause, not offended exactly (at least not as offended as some might be), and then she opened one hand, in a kind of what-can-you-do gesture, "I was born on Cybertron, like any other, from the Well. What doctor?"

Testily, she added, as if it took some considerable time to muster any kind of defense, even a weak one, "I'd like to know who, or what, you call yourself, if you're going to call me that."

The reason supplied for Ixis' question was interesting, though, and it sufficiently derailed any further offense that Starscream was contemplating, "I'd be interested to hear those theories, myself. If you have any you're willing to share."

[caudacious]

"Oh, yeah, plenty of gods around, and not just on Olympus, either. Then you've got your demigods, your Titans, your ascended heroes, your children of the gods -- way more of those than you might be expecting..."

Well, Hermes was probably one of the best people to ask about his universe's gods, anyway. Being one of them and being their messanger, he's got the insider scoop in a big way, and he's happy to chat.

"Gotta say, a lot of us are more wrathful than we should be; getting godly power it's like some of us lose our heads a little, overreact, and suddenly a city's underwater or full of cattle-née-citizens. Pretty omnipresent, too, as long as people are making offerings and asking for help, or questions. Overall, we have what you might call a 'hands on' approach."

omg

[ixis]

"...You used 'we' and 'us' more than once in that explanation, friend." He caught it the first time and thought it was a grammatical error. Then it kept happening and he started to wonder.

"Be you a god, then?"

B)

[caudacious]

Hermes chuckled. "Oh, yeah. Little rude of me, sorry -- name's Hermes, god of transitions and boundaries," and a lot of other things he'd picked up over time, but for the sake of not going on he'd leave it at that, "and messenger of Olympus. Right between Thessaly and Macedonia in Greece, on a little planet called Earth, beautiful place."

He rested the caduceus against his shoulder, tilting his head at Ixis in conversational interest. "So where you from, babe?"