melodiesoflife | Hidden Truth [Log]

What: A log for everyone to gain the information in the Hidden Truth video tape.
Where: The Observatory.

There had been a flurry of letters sent out from Jack and Chiaki, first to Zelda to ask to borrow the Observatory, and then to every Hero of Light, alerting them that they had uncovered some intelligence received in the Heran Empire before the Capital had fallen to Crystal, and that everyone needed to see it immediately.

Jack, Chiaki, and a few others brought in a screen connected to a machine that some would recognize as a VCR. "With our peace mission to the Imperial Capital over Christmas, we returned with a recording made on 20th-century Earth technology, the kind that doesn't have an analogue on Crystallis. It took us time to build a machine to be able to play it. This information comes from Kalki, recorded what appears to be years ago. We obtained it from the Imperial Spy, Jenni. As of right now, we still have no reason to believe that Kalki is alive. But this comes from her, and I apologize to everyone who might be upset by seeing her again."

With that, Jack plays the recording. He stands by the screen and repeats the words for everyone to hear, for those who cannot understand English. Since Kalki's first words are to explain why she is recording it this way, it makes sense why he has to do this. He keeps his own emotions in check throughout, until the explanation of the Bard song that everyone gets to hear. That seems to upset Jack.

Once the recording is over, Jack pauses. "We will need some help from any other English speakers to create a written transcript of the recording so that anyone can access this information at any time. The tape and player will remain here for any Heroes to review. We ask that you please be careful with the machine."

Finally, Jack sits down to let the room descend into the inevitable chaos.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Ah, one of the newer Heroes, Jack assumes. He even met the Lady Ysale, but that side of her didn't come up in conversation. "Shiva, the Eidelon?" A tinge of awe in his tone.

"I keep wondering why we keep giving the Calamity a will or a sense of purpose. It's just an effect. It doesn't want to destroy us, it just is. I don't think it seeks anything."

"This isn't something that occurs naturally. If anything....I think there's something more that caused the Calamity. And that's the thing we need to fix."

"We called them primals, but you'd be correct to assume so." Though if anything, she seemed much less awed and more guilty for having to utilize Lady Ysayle as an example.

"Locating the source would be the quickest way. However Kalki failed to divulge that detail, or it was within the pieces lost. What do we know about the metaphorical heart of the Calamity?"

Maybe Summoning works a little differently in their world than this one. "Primals or eidelons, Shiva and Leviathan and Odin? I'd love to hear more, if they exist in your own world, too?" World crisis can bet put on the side burner for now, because this is potentially fascinating. Jack only has room for two more jobs, and he's been debating back and forth on whether or not he wants to round everything out with Summoner.

"Because, well, I think I'm the wrong person to ask about the center of the Calamity. I've got ideas, but nothing definite. You may want to check with the Lady Zelda, or Sir Ramza."

"I see," she muttered. While she is no less pleased, it was a lead she would be following up on sooner rather than later. "An old friend would know more of the nature of primals in my realm, and the art of summoning is but a recently recovered relic from ages past from what I recall from Hydaelyn... What exactly would you like to know-?"

She stopped herself, as though realizing something. "Ah, my apologies. In my excitement I do believe I neglected to introduce myself. Alisaie Leveilleur, if you would."

Jack looks startled, and sticks out his hand. "Oh! Geez, where did my manners go? Uh, Captain Jack Harkness. Nobody worries about the rank here, though." Blame Jack's personality, that he can just walk up and strike up a conversation with anyone. "Pleased to meet you, Miss Alisaie."

But what would he like to know? Jack's eyes light up a little. "Leviathan. Anything you know about him?" There's a sudden energy about Jack, reminiscent of a child trying to explain something to an adult. "I saw him, he was trapped and stuck in a different form. It was a ghost pirate ship! We had to fight our way through to the bottom levels, and when we did? We freed Leviathan! I've never seen anything that incredible!"

"So I've got to know more."

"A pleasure, ser." She smiled faintly out of courtesy's obligation more than anything, though rather amused by his reaction. Shaking his hand, she couldn't find too much fault when her own focus was still lingering upon the greater issue at hand.

"Unfortunately what I know doesn't seem to match much of their natures in this world. From what I've gleamed from my time here thus far, there is a great difference between the Eidolons of this realm and the primals of Hydaelyn." Alisaie frowned in contemplation as she let go of her grip on Jack's hand. "For example, the primal Leviathan is the false god of the Sahagin. I believe his most recent summoning was in order to destroy further human settlements in an attempt to claim more land for their spawning grounds..."

Hence why the thought of them aiding Heroes seemed rather odd to her. "However there are old writings of those who would be able to summon an 'egi' of the primal, should they have been present at their defeat. I'm not certain if that also holds true for this world."

There is no part of what Alisaie is saying that is not completely fascinating to Jack. It takes him a few seconds to even figure out what part of that to approach first. "The...Sahagin? The scaled beings with tough shells? Damn, I had a sneaking suspicion they were sentient." Jack will table the question of whether or not they should be reaching out to the 'monster' species, as well, in an attempt to save this world.

"In your world, is Leviathan just that, a god? Or some sort of being beyond anyone's comprehension? Even the writings here on the Eidolons are not clear, but it's not the topic I've been focusing on."

"In Hydaelyn they are, yes. However I've yet to see one speak even in their own tongue here." It wouldn't be the first time that someone tried to do just that, nor the last. Though the Path's attempt was less than fruitful, if she recalled correctly from Urianger's letters.

"He is a false god--a shade brought into being by fervent prayer and at great cost. The least of all being one's free will." A truth she knew far too well, which is why she stressed it so. "Which leads me to the conclusion that Primals and Eidolons are completely separate entities. One real, another false. Though this is only a theory of mine."

Something about what Alisaie is saying clicks in Jack's mind, and his eyes go wide. "Ohhh. Oh." Understanding, of something. "It's like-" waving a hand as if trying to pull the words that he's looking for out of the air.

"You get enough focused belief of a group of people funneled through something powerful enough to channel that belief into reality? A telepathic effect that starts very weak can grow stronger as people's belief in it grows. Can even pull things across from one reality into another. I've seen similar effects before." Now it's like the ideas are racing through Jack's mind and out his mouth, he's talking so quickly. "But once that belief gets a form?" Pause.

"Then what? What's the purpose of them?"

Hidden Truth [Log]

Re: Captain Jack Harkness - Open

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Re: Captain Jack Harkness - Open

Re: Captain Jack Harkness - Open

Re: Captain Jack Harkness - Open

Re: Captain Jack Harkness - Open

Re: Captain Jack Harkness - Open

Re: Captain Jack Harkness - Open

Re: Captain Jack Harkness - Open