melodiesoflife | Inquiries of the Tower

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Inquiries of the Tower

To all heroes of light,

I have noticed some things about this place and I wonder. Is the existence of such oddities as evil empires, great catastrophes, heroes of love and justice, and other such nonsense what keeps this world from succumbing to the call of Erebus, or is it the fact that neither order nor chaos seem to have a firm grasp on this place.

Where I come from, while chaos still reigned, order had clearly gained the upper hand, and perhaps changing to living in an almost insectile society where one was born into their position and movement took real acts of will as opposed to token effort was what I thought brought this about, yet here, there are a lot more oddities. The gods of this place are far more open as well.

Honestly I don't completely understand and if any of you had insight into this I would love to discuss it.

Elizabeth

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Dear Elizabeth,

I am unsure what this call of Erebus is. However, I think it is likely that a great deal of variety in the world will reinforce it. Situations, like those created by the Empire and other incidents, will make for stronger people with closer bonds. This allows them to accomplish greater things.

It may also stave off pure order or pure chaos.

Sincerely yours,
Robin

Erebus is the prey I hunt. It is the human emotion of despair given the form of a god. It claws at the gate of death seeking to destroy all of humanity. The gate.... He was important to me before becoming a gate.

As for pure chaos and order, in extreme both are dangerous, but as a servant of Philemon that was one of the first lessons taught.

I just wish to know more of humanity and why it keeps feeding this beast.

I see. That sounds truly terrifying. I cannot say why human actions tend towards destructive behaviors like that. To some extent, we can't help it. People feel despair whether they want to or not, I'm afraid.

It is more the despair that leads to one causing their own death that feeds it. Every sentient mind feels despair sometimes, just very few allow it to destroy them.

We have things we hold dear above all else. When we lose those, I think that feeling of despair overwhelms us. At least, that seems like it might be the case.

[She doesn't know that. Yet. But there's a feeling, at the back of her mind...]

I have lost my guest to this beast. We of the velvet room exist to serve our guests. Perhaps that is why I am on this quest, but still. I am only a fool and do not understand enough of the other 21 to say for certain.

[She has no idea what Elizabeth just said, but she's too self-conscious to admit it.]

My condolences about your guest. I hope that you can set it right.

Death can never be set right, I merely am trying to continue his work. That is why I seek understanding.

I see... then I hope you can do that and find that understanding.

Yes. That is why I am curious about this. The struggle of Law and Chaos, what is normal, what is odd. So I would appreciate any insights into this you can give.

I lack even the most basic understanding that those born to human culture have so it is... Difficult.

I understand. I think part of the difficulty lay in the fact that much of this is a natural occurrence for us. It can be like explaining how to walk or breathe.

Yes, but to interact with people, one bust be able to think as a person.

That is true. I think, with exposure to us, that will become easier.

It has been a while, yet I feel I am missing something important. Something that makes me able to understand how the events in the past month have unnerved so many. Ah well, perhaps it will take more time.

Dear Elizabeth:

What is this Erebus of which you speak?

Clearly this world has some sort of cycle, though, and one we must seek to understand if we do not wish our souls to remain here on our deaths.

Sincerely,

Tazendra Lavode, Baroness Daavya

Edited 2015-05-19 20:44 (UTC)

Baroness,

Erebus is humanity's desire to end its own existence given flesh. A god created from the worst of people, billions of shadows formed into a single monster.

As for our souls, souls end up where they belong. I do not believe they can be trapped.

Elizabeth

Dear Elizabeth:

The visions some of us have had in the past weeks suggests something to the contrary: that our souls remain on Crystalis, rather than returning to our home worlds for whatever afterlife is appropriate. If they are not trapped, then they have been delayed.

That seems a foolish desire. While I do not object to dying in battle, I intend for my death to have meaning. I wish to be remembered as the greatest of Heroes.

Sincerely,

Tazendra Lavode, Baroness Daavya

Baroness,

Who is to say that they do not belong here, at least for this ordeal? As for the dreams, yes there are some who are stuck here, but I would guess that given how the universe can echo itself into infinity there are others that are not.

As for death having meaning, I am uncertain there. I myself seek meaning to my life, and while that road will end some day, I would like to find the meaning before then. Still, I am told that those who Nyarlahothep courts do not always have the strength of heart to forge their own path, and anyone can succumb to that with enough tragedy I suspect.

Elizabeth

Dear Elizabeth:

Well, I am enjoying my life, and I find that is meaning enough for life, but I wish to be remembered as well. And, when I am dead, I cannot create any further mark on the world -- save, of course, if I am permitted to return as one of the undead -- it falls to make sure my death leaves a mark if my life had not.

And, well, if i have to die, I wish it to be doing something enjoyable that I cannot do and live on, such as fighting an army or a god.

But who is Nyarlahothep? Is he the same as this Erebus?

Sincerely,

Tazendra Lavode, Baroness Daavya

Baroness,

Nyarlahothep is complicated. He is the rival and frequent gambling opponent of my master's master. He actually has little to do with Erebus as if the weak destroy themselves, there is no way he can further bring them down. I suspect he would also support my goal to seal the beast as if there is no one, there is no sport for him.

As for fighting a god, it is not as exciting as one would imagine. I have fought Erebus multiple times and it is honestly one of the most tedious battles I have ever been in. The problem is killing a god that draws its power from primordial things is an exercise in irritation as they tend to get better if whatever feeds them still exists in excess.

Elizabeth

Dear Elizabeth:

I cannot say I'd mind fighting a god more than once if it was sufficiently challenging. There are scholars on my world that study such things as the divine, and perhaps they have better methods. It is said that the Serioli created weapons that were intended to be used against the gods. I have seen two, though never used in combat.

Sincerely,

Tazendra Lavode, Baroness Daavya

Baroness,

That is one of the problems. The battle itself is short and dull. Well, for me it is. For the original heroes it was rather harrowing, but they were not in direct alliance with Death. It is more tedious having to constantly remember to do it, to clean up as it could be considered, after humanity's inability to move onward. I wielded nothing more than Thanatos and my persona compendium, and I have my compendium here. Perhaps it is something I lack context in having never actually been human.

Elizabeth

Dear Elizabeth:

Well, that is disappointing. And, I can assure you that it sounds boring as you describe it, and I am human.

Tazendra Lavode, Baroness Daavya

Baroness,

When I witnessed several humans fight it, they seemed to have quite the ordeal of it. The thrill of battle, the exhilaration of not knowing if you or your prey would walk away, the knowledge that once they won, they won something great. I simply stab it with death's blade. Not that I have that here, hrm, that assault on the empire would have been far more entertaining had I though. But still, such things are of little import I guess.

Elizabeth

Dear Elizabeth:

Well, then, if you ever tired of the fight, you may invite me and I shall give it a try.

Yours Sincerely,

Tazendra Lavode, Baroness Daavya.

Baroness,

Should I find a way to return to the sea of the soul where the beast gathers strength, I would be glad to have others join in the fight.

Elizabeth

Dear Elizabeth,

You are too kind!

Yours Sincerely,

Tazendra Lavode, Baroness Daavya

Elizabeth,

To address you question, I need to better understand what you mean by call of Erebus. It is not a term I am familiar with.

~Olivier

Oliver,

Erebus is a primordial god from one of the worlds that we have served. Think of it as every self destructive impulse of humankind given a form of pure malice. Its call lures men to self destruction based in despair.

Elizabeth

Elizabeth,

From what I can personally tell, it is usually inner strength that keeps people from self destructing. Sometimes, one needs controversy of some kind to know what kind of strength they really have. Also, having goals which one wishes to accomplish and people they wish to protect keep people from being self destructive and push on even when all it seems like there is around is despair.

So, it could very well be banding together to fight a common enemy that keep people from answering this call of Erebus.

~Olivier

Oliver,

Perhaps, social links were very important to my guest and the guest my sister served. Perhaps that puts me at a disadvantage in my goal as I have so far only prevailed by sheer brute force. Still, it is something to consider.

Either that or calcium. I hear that is quite good for strengthening one's innards.

Elizabeth

Elizabeth,

Calcium is good for strengthening bones, not mentality. Brute force does help when battling, but despair doesn't seem to be something most people battle with their fists. If you need to beat a personification of this Erebus, physical strength will probably be just as important as mental strength. Some people don't need other to keep them mentally strong, it just comes natural to them.

~Olivier

Oliver,

The issue is not killing it. I have killed it, others have killed it. Well, no, perhaps part of the issue is killing it. The others were my guest's allies and I had the herald of death at my side, but still. No the real issue is that as it is a primordial god, as long as what it is the god of is being done well. With every person that dies at their own hands, their soul goes to it.

Now one would think, what can one soul do to a dead god, but on the world he was from, it seems that many people simply lost the will to live. It was a world that was heavily controlled by order and perhaps since chaos is more for killing others, but still.

Not even the invention of things like free refills, disco clubs, or ramen bowls that a mere human could not imagine finishing in one setting seems to get people out of this place.

Elizabeth

Elizabeth,

While I enjoy having order among my ranks, I myself at least know that life is both orderly and chaotic. It might be strange, but without chaos life is empty. I watch over the wall that borders my country, and if not for the chaos of attacks every now and then, my troops would go weak and complacent. They might think there is nothing to worry about, then our country will be overrun when chaos does eventually knock them on their feet.

Those people just need some chaos introduced to them. Not the kind that attacks them, but the kind I guess people would call happy chaos, since it sounds like they won't make it on their own.

~Olivier

Olivier,

The problem is more the never ending battle the YWVH, the god of order, and Lucifer, the demon of chaos wage for ultimate control. Many worlds have fallen one way or the other, and many more are still contested or balanced. The problem is that one starts to win, it takes more pull from the other to return it to the contest. That and since both sides have helped our guests in the past, we of the Velvet Room are sworn not to interfere directly.

That being said, I am capable of seeing the issue. Perhaps the fool of freedom will once again set things in motion, but I carry the duties of the Fool of Death. Or at least the powers he left behind.

Still, it is quite wise to understand that both law and chaos are needed to keep the soul healthy.

Elizabeth

Elizabeth,

I fear that sometimes it seems you speak in riddles. Though I believe it is more the differences between our worlds that causes your words to seem like riddles at times. How would a fool of freedom or being committed to the the fool of death have to bringing balance between law and chaos?

We do not have these same gods in my world. I have heard religious types talk of Lucifer, but I do not know this YWVH.

~Olivier

Olivier,

YWVH is one of the older names for the god of order that actually created Lucifer, and whom Lucifer rebelled against. Basically the representative of pure order. Though most of his followers would say good. It is funny how many people are incapable of separating the two.

As for riddles, I admit, I have had less exposure to humans than I believe necessary. The Fool is the first of the 22, the one who takes the journey to uncover the World, or as my guest did, the Universe. Death, Truth, Freedom, and many other virtues hold sway over humanity and from time to time either gods wager against the outcome of a conflict of ideals, or unthinking mortals try to control one of those powers with no understanding of the consequences. Death was one of the later. To go into it further would take many volumes, but let us say that by getting the bulk of humanity to give up their souls to attain godhood is not a well thought out idea.

Elizabeth

Elizabeth,

Either our worlds are much different, or there are many gods I haven't heard of back in my world. I can't be sure. I never put much thought or belief into it.

Yes, trying to attain godhood that way was definitely backfiring on him when I left. Humans are stubborn, and those with hope or goals will give every inch of fight they have to keep themselves alive.

I agree that not all order is good. I don't think this place will adapt you to humans much more than any other place.

~Olivier

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Inquiries of the Tower

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Ack! So sorry, Gmail stacked this one into oblivion

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