audio; un: Sabriel.Abhorsen

[bindsthedead]

This is Sabriel. Xichen, Alina, Rhys and I did some investigating, and I'd like to share what we found, along with my own thoughts.

We know that Entr'i has an orb, and wishes to merge Taeum and Sedorum... and frankly, I think that really is the best course of action. My suggestion is that we offer our assistance in that goal, in exchange for the orb. It's a strategy we've employed successfully in the past, and to be honest- I want to help Entr'i anyway. Unlike everyone else in charge, she seems to care about people, regardless of whether they're in Taeum or Sedorum.

[Entr'i has the cause that Sabriel sees as the most just, and is the person most concerned with justice that she's met in this world. The Highest One seems most concerned with their own sanctimony, and as for 'Him', well...]

There is a problem though. Xichen, Alina, Rhys and myself worked together- Xichen and I spoke to Entr'i, and Alina and Rhys tailed V'rizz. We wanted to learn more of Him and the Highest One.

What we found is that the oldest memory of either of them dates back to little over a hundred years ago- there are no souls who have been in either realm longer than that, and any older souls have since moved on. There is no memory or record extending past that, and it's possible that neither realm is as ancient as they seem- orbs are involved, after all.

But what's worse- V'rizz and He are planning to betray Entr'i. From what was overheard... Entr'i and the Highest Ones both have orbs, though they called them 'amulets'. The reason Entr'i was forbidden from killing the Highest One was because He didn't want her to have the entire orb and become too powerful. So they're planning on waiting until Entr'i kills the highest one and collects- and then kill her while she's weakened, so He can have both. Obviously, we warned her about this- Entr'i's the only person in this world who I'd trust to hold an Orb- the Highest One is a hypocrite who doesn't care about people suffering, and 'He' is no better.

Let me repeat- we have warned Entr'i about this and offered our help. Let's trust her to act as she deems best with that information.

[And oocly, see what the mods say in response to the followup search request.]

Of course, that also raises the question of how to collect both orbs and get back to the station. If we side with Entr'i, given her plan seems to involve obtaining both orbs, we could request both in exchange for helping her, taking them back with us after her bargain is concluded.

However, we don't know what Entr'i's bargain is- Entr'i does not seem the sort to use innocents as collateral, and she's not displaying any of the symptoms So'Yeon did in Gyeonje, so I don't think she's using herself as a sacrifice either. I suspect her wish is to merge Taeum and Sedorum, I just don't know how how she's planning to pay for it.

[Sabriel actually has her own theory about Entr'i's bargain- one she'll supply if asked, but it's too optimistic to voice. Besides, there's still another person with an orb- one far less benevolent than Entr'i

There's a long moment of silent hesitation, as Sabriel remembers the previous mission, the way everything had fallen apart, the town dissolving to nothing but ruins and death, pervaded by a cold that stuck to her bones, even in the heat of the day. And she thinks of Gyeonje, of people twisted into monsters, slowly losing their minds because of one man's selfishness.]

I have no evidence either way, so what follows is purely speculation, but if this 'Highest One' made a bargain with the orb to create Taeum's present state, it is possible that there was a condition that souls from Sedorum, or perhaps simply that 'sinners' not be allowed in.

[This could explain the absolute refusal to compromise, in any way. Or they're just a bunch of hypocritical snobs. Really, Sabriel could believe either, given everything she's heard.]

It is also possible that the Highest One is somehow using Taeum's inhabitants as payment- as the ruler of that realm, the orb would consider the denizens theirs to bargain with. The problem with that theory is that there's no clear sign of that happening- no crewmember in Taeum has reported people disappearing, unless Taeum's 'quick return to the Giva' is really a cover for something more sinister.

But regardless of what bargain the Highest One made, we need to get that orb, along with Entr'i's, and there are multiple ways we might do so.

Simply stealing it is off the table, as we learned in Braccia that physical possession of the orb is not enough, unless we want to play keep-away while they chase us until they give up, or hope that the Highest one is actually far more reasonable than we've been led to believe and we can reason with them.

[So not really an option, unless the crew is feeling either wildly optimistic or incredibly masochistic.]

We might also try to understand the bargain made, and use some clause in it to end it- this is what we did during the last mission, albeit unintentionally. Except we don't know for sure what bargain was made with the orb, or what the cost was, so this method is also unlikely to work.

The final possibility is we help Entr'i do what she wants, and kill the Highest One. One problem with this, as seen from the mission in Braccia, is that owners of the orbs can be incredibly powerful- we would need to send our strongest, and it might not be enough. And I know some of you object to killing, but this isn't someone like Welford Branson, an innocent who made a bargain he didn't fully understand out of grief- this is someone even worse than Cheruvia, someone who's been maintaining an unjust system even when given the chance to reform it. We just need to keep Entr'i safe in the aftermath, and make sure V'rizz and his master don't lay their hands on the orb. I think this option has the best chance of success, and is the one I support.

[Mostly because Sabriel likes Entr'i, and has little love for the powers of both Sedorum and Taeum. The fact that it also seems the most likely to result in mission success is a happy bonus.]

So, to summarize all that, I think we should help Entr'i kill the Highest One, collect both orbs and merge Taeum and Sedorum, and make sure the forces on either side don't try to stop or sabotage her.

[ooc: feel free to threadjack, if you want!]

Comments

un: dragongirl

[catchatting]

You realize if we take the orbs, this whole place might completely fall apart anyway, right? If it's like the last place, it'll at least be missing a lot.

[ She sighs and bites her lip for a moment. ]

I can't help thinking the orbs did all of this in the first place.

[bindsthedead]

Then we'll need to confront whoever has them, and allow whatever is supposed to happen after death in this world to happen.

[The idea of the ultimate destination of souls being unknown isn't particularly frightening to Sabriel- it's what she grew up with, after all.

Accepting death, in all its mystery and terrifying finality, is what Abhorsen is supposed to do.]

Besides- while it wouldn't surprise me that Taeum's prosperity is due to the orb, Sedorum was able to exist without one, until Entr'i arrived.

[catchatting]

Okay, but wouldn't it be easier to take the two halves and bounce with them? If having both will make whats-her-butt more powerful, it might be harder to take it if we help her.

[ Zari crosses her arms. She knows she's not the smartest person here, but that seems straight forward enough, right? ]

[bindsthedead]

Yes, but if we did that, we'd have to face both her and the Highest one- two different fights. Besides, I'm not suggesting we steal them from her- but rather, offer our help in exchange for them.

[Privately, Sabriel thinks that if anyone wanted to take the orbs by force, V'Rizz and 'His' plan to act when Entr'i was worn out from the fight would be the smartest choice- but she has no interest in betraying Entr'i, or the trust put in her.]

Besides- the last mission was something of an exception. What people get from bargains with the orb generally doesn't fade when they lose custody of it- the people of Gyeonje didn't turn back into monsters, Cheruvia remained alive and powerful, and Aurelia didn't die, even as we brought all those orbs back to the station.

[catchatting]

So then why don't we just take them now? The longer we're here and the more we get involved, the more likely we are to get hurt or to cause the people or souls or whatever they are here to get hurt. Why draw it out and make it worse for the people here?

[bindsthedead]

Because we can't. We tried just stealing the orb once, and it didn't work- we were chased around and had a building dropped on our heads- it was only luck that none of us died.

Whatever contracts have been made with the orbs need to be ended. That generally means either helping whoever has the orb achieve their goals in exchange for the orbs, or killing them. And Entr'i doesn't deserve to die.

[catchatting]

So the next step is taking sides in a conflict that isn't about us and where the outcome won't affect us? That's ridiculous! You don't get to decide that all these other people have to die to save one person because you like them more or identify with them more.

You don't get to decide what's best for them just because you don't share their beliefs. That's some white colonizing bullshit. Siktir! I'm not helping you.

[bindsthedead]

We can't leave until we get the orbs. We cannot get the orbs without intervening in some way, whether aiding the holder, killing them, or otherwise interfering in the contract, ending it and any effects from it. Each of those options will have a significant effect on this world.

We are going to have to choose one of them, or remain on this world indefinitely. So what are you going to choose?

[catchatting]

So we can kill 2 people or some countless number? I pick 2.

[bindsthedead]

Given that one of the people with an orb is the ruler of Taeum I don't think the deaths would stop at two if we went down that path. We'd be assassinating a major figure and then leaving the inhabitants to pick up the pieces- and they'd probably declare war on Sedorum after we left, anyway.

Or there could be just one death. Entr'i's a good person, who wants to change this world so that instead of Taeum having everything, and Sedorum having nothing, there will be one realm, where everyone shares. And unlike the people in charge of Taeum and Sedorum, I've never seen her do anything but try to ease people's suffering. If she's able to assassinate the Highest One before the war starts and merge the worlds before then, there will be nothing to fight over.

And it's what most people in Sedorum want, anyway.

[catchatting]

I once got Marie Antoinette to leave her own party and helped full on kidnap her. Important people aren't any harder to trick than anyone else. Sometimes they're easier. Too bad I'm in Sedorum. You'll have to get someone else to trick them out.

[ She won't mention all the ways that that particular mission had gone wrong after the fact... ]

[bindsthedead]

It's not fooling them I'm concerned about, it's that killing them would have consequences as well. And was this Marie Antoinette a powerful mage? Because at minimum, that's what we're dealing with.

[catchatting]

Uh she was a Queen returned from Hell with a magic perfume that made everyone crazy. So... kinda.

[bindsthedead]

And what was the consequence of killing her? What do you think the consequence of killing the Highest One would be?

[catchatting]

Well, I didn't kill her. I kidnapped her. It did fix the the timeline, though. She was supposed to be dead. Girl's head just kept falling off and everything.

Anyway, I don't know what the consequences are, but I do know what the consequences of encouraging a full on war are and I won't help you do it. This plan is bad. I know there might not be an ideal option to pick, but this is wrong.

[bindsthedead]

I want to avoid the war! That's why I'm saying we should help Entr'i!

[laviny]

Yes, okay, I am going to back you up here because I am not sure it has been made clear.

Entr'i doesn't want this war. She has said to me directly, that if there was any other way, she would take it. She has been led to believe war is the only way. She is not happy about it.

[cruelyethuman]

The only way to do what exactly, zolotoy. Rule Taeum?

[laviny]

Kirigan, please get your head out of your ass and stop assuming everything is about domination and dictatorship.

[cruelyethuman]

What does she want, Yelena? What could she want that makes war seem like the better option.

private

[catchatting]

Do you trust Entr'i? Because I would love a real reason to, but so far I don't have one and I get that a lot of you aren't religious, but this is a big freakin' ask for me, okay?

[laviny]

I do believe that she is sincere in wanting things to be more fair, yes. She has expressed to me a desire to minimize bloodshed and is generally willing to do the dirty work herself if she can.

But I will admit that religion is a blind spot for me. I don’t understand how this is an effective religious system, but I was also not raised in a religious environment.

[Zari saw the environment she was raised in so she knows.]

My point of view is one of a mercenary assassin, and Entr'i is someone I would be willing work for in that capacity, which is where my willingness to help her comes from. She is much more honest than my current handler back home, for example.

[Valentina is a pain in the ass, ok.]

[catchatting]

So you're willing to take everything she says at face value? That's great. I'm not, especially not when helping her goes against something I believe. I would need a lot more information than what you're giving me to do that.

[bindsthedead]

I'm not. But have you heard of the principle that the simplest explanation is the most likely to be true? For Entr'i, the simplest explanation for what she's said and done is that she's what she claims she is. There's no contradictions in her actions that would require some other explanation.

What you believe? Do you think people in Sedorum should just accept how things are?

[catchatting]

If I sin according to my beliefs, then I knowingly chose to do wrong because those were already my beliefs. It would be pretty hypocritical for me to say murder is wrong, then murder someone and cry about it after I wind up in a shitty afterlife as a result.