ximilia | audio; un: Sabriel.Abhorsen

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audio; un: Sabriel.Abhorsen

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!]

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Sure, let's help start a war so we can get our hands on a diabolical magic ball, and once we have the orb, fuck off to let other people handle the mess.

The current system is wrong, and I know you meant well, but this isn't a viable idea. We don't have enough information yet. People lie and they are willing to play the long game to achieve their goals. Just because Entr'i seems nice, that doesn't mean she is being sincere. Allowing her to get her hands on two orbs and then asking her to relinquish such power is a gamble, and the odds are against us.

In the same vein,...let's say that the Higher one is a figurehead. That someone else is pulling the strings. Or maybe that He, himself, is being mind-controlled and corrupted by the orb. We know that these fuckers thrive on chaos and only want to spread it, so the orbs might want a war. The higher one could not be a mean entity in itself, and then we will be killing an innocent person out of a perceived wrongness.

I killed gods before, but I won't help cause a war here to get to the orb. The collateral damage and the harm we will leave behind is not worth it. There must be a better solution. We just need to find a new idea, and for that, we need more information.

"People lie and they are willing to play the long game to get what they to achieve their goals."

You mean like us? We come to these worlds to lie and steal from people. We are not anthropologists, we are treasure hunters.

Not specifically, but...us too. Mostly, I was thinking about my father, since he was also a god who went off the rails.

We are treasure hunters, yes, but also strangers. That means we are not people with enough knowledge of this planet and its culture to go around deciding who deserves to die or not. This is very different from our other missions, I just don't want things to end as badly as the last one.

Why do we have to kill anyone? Maybe we can find a way to restrain the higher ups without starting a war that might lead to innocent casualties. Granted, I don't know Entr'i because I've been avoiding her, but who's to say that she won't be tempted by the orbs once she has two of them?

I was mostly pointing that out because because when it comes to lying and dishonesty we do not have any moral high ground. All of your arguments against Entr'i can be applied by her about us.

I also don't understand why people are talking like we are the ones starting a war, when a war was already on track to start. Entr'i doesn't even really want a war, you know. She's just been led to believe it's necessary.

I admit that as an assassin, taking out the Highest One does make sense to me, but if there are other solutions I am open to them. And I think Entr'i would be, too. She is angry about injustice, but she is not bloodthirsty.

Yeah, I'm nowhere near what one could call a model citizen, Yelena. I'm fully aware of my faults, and also that our actions here are only exacerbating the conflict.

[ Look at Peter, using big words and all. He sounds exhausted, though, as if he's had this conversation before with other people. ]

Entr'i could be like Cheri and Olexa, showing a pleasant face to hide their real intentions, having secret connections...We can't tell, we do not have enough intel. That's the issue. I want to believe your judgment, that she really is as good as she seems. But fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me.

Hasty decisions will only result in the deaths of innocent people and the infliction of even more pain on those who survive. People we will leave behind once the orb is in our possession. I really wish there was a way to stop that from happening.

[ Scorpion’s Bend left a mark on Peter, to say the least. ]

Maybe, we can...We all have some skills, power, magic, gadgets. There are other options than war. If only we could restrain or imprison the Higher One until things calmed down and the system could be changed to be more equitable.And yes, I know we're running out of time.

[ Hence, why he sounds so tired about the whole thing. ]

Okay, but you literally said yourself you have never spoken to her. You are actively avoiding her.

You believe your own negative assumptions of someone you have never met while ignoring input from people who have been working with her and talking to her for almost a month now. Maybe we have only known her for a few weeks, but you do not know her at all. You are the one making judgements based on limited information right now.

[Look, Peter, she can respect not wanting to murder. Talking shit about Entr'i when he's never met her, though, she will fight him on that.]

You talk about how limited our intel is but we do have intel confirming her probable sincerity and that, as a result of that, she is being used as a pawn in a bigger game.

Eh, I don't have anything against her per se. I talked to a lot of different people all over the city, and even those from gangs seemed to like her. She seems to be very popular. If she is legit, she might make a good ruler.

I'm neutral about Entr'i, but I want to err on the side of caution, is all. When something seems too good to be true, it usually it, and I learned that the hard way. It's not as if I'm trying to make people change their opinion on her, I'm just asking you all to be careful.

[ He is not talking shit, he is pretty much indifferent about Entr'i. Peter is just wary that it will all come to bite them in the ass if they chose wrong, and that they will have helped to start a war where millions could die. ]

I don't want to see those I care about hurt because someone was charming enough to make them follow her to the end. [ There's silence from his end, as Peter is pinching the bridge of his nose, trying to ward off a headache. He needs to sleep more. ] I do not trust her, but I trust you, Yelena. I'll give Entr'i the benefit of the doubt, but I'd still want to find another viable option to stop things from escalating.

Star-Lord, the war is already going to happen whether we're here or not. The circumstances of this society are untenable in its current state--the denizens of Sedorum feel, with good reason, that they are oppressed and discarded because of their lack of funds. They have been placed into a situation where they feel they have nothing to lose.

It is their right to take up arms against the society which oppresses them.

It is in these precise situations that revolutions occur. We're not leading it or directing it--we're simply a part of the movement at this point, for good or ill.

[ Peter gets a bit distracted for a few seconds when he hears the familiar rumble of Megatron's voice. He will never get used to the Cybertronian calling him by his nickname, it's nice. Pity that the issue they're discussing is anything but. ]

Ey, Megatron. Been a while, it's good to hear from you.

Things are unfair and they need to change better, we are both in agreement here. These people have suffered enough. But is letting the war start instead of trying to de-escalate the conflict, 'for the better'? There's a saying in my world that goes 'In war there are no winners, only widows.'

[ His voice is calm in a way that carries deep tiredness to it. He doesn't really care about the orbs anymore, he just wants the orbers to stay safe, and the people they encounter to not suffer more because of their actions. ]

Do we want to see these people thrive, or are we fooling ourselves and using it as an excuse to get to the orb? Perhaps also using it to deal with our past mistakes?

[ He's not saying you might be projecting a little Megatron, but you might be projecting a little. But so it's Peter. He is aware that his mistrust and fear of war is because of what Ego and Thanos did in his universe. ]

Because the moment we get our hands on the damn magic ball, we're sent back to the station and the issues we might have helped to exacerbate suddenly are not our problem anymore. We don't know if all this is some sort of play staged by the orbs themselves to cause a war in the first place. We haven't even been here a month.

[ The man sighs, running a hand through his hair, even though it's not possible to tell with audio alone. His next words are not an accusation, but a sincere question. ]

I thought you were tired of killing, that being in Necroworld taught you the price of millions of years of conflict. How many blue flowers would bloom from a war between heaven and hell?

If this war starts, it won't end quickly. None do.

I know war very well, Star-Lord. I was fighting a war before the human species was manufacturing stone tools. I am intimately familiar with all the ways it takes hold of people and twists them into the worst of themselves.

[ He sighs, the sound rumbling outwards. ]

What Sabriel is suggesting is a path to avoiding that war by accomplishing Entr'i's goals with a fait accompli. It would, theoretically, stop any conflict before it started. I understand your concerns, but you must also understand that there will be war no matter if we interfere or not. I do not favor accelerationism--we are already too late to light the fuse, but what we have is a chance to cut it.

I think that I was wrong when the war became about my own aggrandizement. When it became about my personal hatred for Optimus Prime.

I still believe that there are times when it is necessary for the downtrodden and disenfranchised to take hold of their own destiny and demand to be heard, in any way possible.

It's exhausting how common these things are all across the galaxy.

[ Heartbreaking, is what he means. It truly takes a toll on the soul. ]

This situation would bother me less if we could help these people through the change, you know? If we truly had the chance to minimize casualties and make sure innocents were unharmed. But as soon as we get the orb, we're gone, and there's no stopping that. After what happened with Welford Branson, I asked Viveca if we could go back to Scorpion's Bend or even bring people form the plants tot eh station but she said that the teleportation mechanic made it impossible.

What if Entr'i too, has other personal reasons for doing this beyond seeking equity? Something more personal than just seeking justice, like vengeance or wanting to be reunited with a loved one...What if those reasons end up clouding her judgment as well?

I don't have any ill feelings towards her, I'm indifferent, to be honest, and I really hope she is as sincere as everyone seems to think. It's just that war is a too big 'What If', with too many chances for things to go south and for people to suffer.

Revolutions are needed to stop injustices, that I agree, but we can't be blind to the bloodshed they cause. Wars are not quick, so... What then? Are we hoping that we will be able to get to The Highest One and break his contract with the orb in a matter of hours? Of days? And after that, we're blindly trusting that Entr'i will give up full orbs instead of keeping them to ensure 'peace'?

We should at least have a contingency plan to take her down if that's the case. And I don't mean killing her either, just restrain her.

Ultimately we have no way of knowing the sparks of those we chose to aid.

We have to hope that they truly believe in justice and equity. I am not yet so cynical that I think no one is truly what they appear and can only believe that I am doing what is right.

Such a contingency does need to be planned for. Can we simply restrain her? How far are we willing to go to get the orbs?

Exactly. And that turned out to be for the worst in Scorpion's bend. I've been fooled by kind words before, and the whole galaxy was almost destroyed as a result. I won't make the same mistake twice.

As for a contingency plan...I have in my possession my girlfriend's sword, its name is the Godslayer. Take a guess about what it can do.

[ There's a pause, not for dramatic effect, but because Peter is pondering what to say next. ]

I already made it clear that I don't want to kill anyone unless it is strictly necessary, not the Highest One, nor Entr'i. If we could restrain them, either with magic wards or using brute force, I'd like to do that first. But if the two orbs are reunited and things take a turn for the worst...I suppose we have that ace up our sleeve. I don't know even if the sword would work in this world, though, since it comes from a different universe.

Star-Lord, there is nothing we could have done in Scorpion's Bend that did not end with that man's misery. Looking back on it and searching for the way you could have made an outcome more satisfactory for all involved is foolish. It only drags you downwards. You must focus on the moment--focus on the task at hand and nothing else.

[ The war taught him that and despite everything, it's a hard mindset to shake when Megatron has a job to do. ]

I will hope the sake of your own conscience that you don't have to use that weapon or test it's moniker. You're a reliable person, Star-Lord. I'm glad to have you here.

[ There's silence from his end for a few seconds, as Peter contemplates how much he needed to hear that. He's been feeling not so great since the last mission, guilt gnawing at him, and the way things are escalating here doesn't help. ]

You're right, it's just...it's hard. When I came to the station, I wanted to fix mistakes, not make bigger ones. Now I am no longer sure if we're doing what's right.

But thank you, Megatron. We will see how things go, then. Prepare for the worst, hope for the best, they say.

If you doubt, examine those doubts and determine what to do. We all have wobbles, after all.

As always, that is all we can do.

We do, true. I'll do some introspection.

[ The problem is that they are a big group, and finding consensus is always hard. Mostly everyone here wants the orbs to undo a past mistake, Peter is starting it think they would be destroyed. It won't be a popular idea if he ever brings it up. ]

Yeah. Take care, please.

And you as well, Star-Lord.

'Seems nice' is putting it mildly. Entr'i wouldn't need to be half as kind as she is in order to gain the same amount of support in Sedorum. Even Sedorum's ruler and his lackey believe she's sincere, and they're plotting to betray her.

Entr'i was from Taeum, before- if someone else was pulling the Highest Ones strings, I think she would have noticed. The orbs don't work that way, by the way. They crave chaos, yes, but they're restricted to bargains, and can't control their owners- otherwise, the last orb would have gotten Welford Branson out of Scorpion's Bend and into the company of the Bouldersnakes long before our arrival.

I'm not trying to cause a war, I'm trying to end one before it starts. If the worlds are merged before the battle, there will be nothing to fight over.

And if you want a new idea, more information- you're going to have to do it quick. Even if every crew member sits on the sidelines, a war is going to happen. All I'm saying is- helping the orb's owner fulfull their goals worked in Kilnan and Gyeonje- why not here as well?

Have you never heard of pretending? Just because someone acts kind and says they don't want a war, doesn't mean they don't have a secret agenda and act out to accomplish something that benefits them. Since you brought up our past missions, I'm sure you remember Cheri, from Braccia. She was pleasant enough at first, wasn't she? And then she and Olexa brought a building down upon our heads.

You have known Entr'i for the large amount of three weeks. And yes, I know other citizens have been here for much longer than that, but my point still stands, some people play the long game, and they lie well.

'That's not how the orbs work'. Come on, don't give me that. You aren't naive, Sabriel. [ Peter sounds really, really tired now. ] We know jack shit about the orbs. At first, we didn't even know they were sentient and could talk, or that they had personalities. They seem to get more malicious and powerful with every mission. We can't know their limitations or the true extent of their powers. Who can tell what they can't do? Not even Degar or Vi seem to fully understand them.

Fighting for peace is like fucking for chastity. It doesn't work like that. I wasn't here for the Gyeonje mission, so I can't speak about how that went. But the issues here are also getting worse because of our actions, and pretending otherwise is fooling ourselves.

We could try to find a way to restrain the Highest Ones and break his pact with the orb without killing him or anybody. We have plenty of people here with incredible powers and magic, you being one of the first ones that come to mind. I'm not saying it would be easy, just that there's a wide step from 'let's do nothing' to 'let's commit some murder'.

Because what's the expected outcome? The war starts, the Highest One gets killed, Entr'i is nice enough to give up both orbs to us...and then everyone lives happily ever after? Except for the moment we take the orb we are kicked back to the station without knowing if we leave things worse than they were before we came.

None of us exchanged anything more than small talk with Cheruvia before her true colors became apparent. And I also remember So-Yeon, who Entr'i reminds me far more of. Even the people planning to betray her think Entr'i's sincere, and if there were any sign of her having other plans, I think they've have noticed it.

You didn't know they were sentient- Some of us suspected that fairly quickly, with the whole 'powerful supernatural force making bargains' aspect. And no, we don't fully understand them. But their inability to act outside of their bargains has been a consistent element we've observed in Every Single Mission. They choose the prices they demand, the people they reach out to, and the way they grant wishes to cause chaos. They might be absurdly powerful, and want chaos, but they're also clearly bound by rules- rules we don't fully understand, rules they will twist to their own benefit, but rules nonetheless. We don't know everything about them, but that isn't the same as knowing nothing.

If you understand that I am a mage of some experience, then please, trust me when I say that trying to restrain the Highest One and terminating their bargain without their consent while keeping them alive would be dealing directly with aspects of the orbs and the rules that govern them that we don't understand, and you would be asking every mage involved to put themselves in incredible danger. I was there when we fought Cheruvia- we were caught off-guard and unprepared, admittedly, but even if we'd been prepared, I don't know if we could have bound her. Entr'i seems confident she can kill the Highest One- far more confident than I am that I could bind him.

Sorry, I don't have the Sight. None of us do. We can't freeze time and observe and predict every single outcome to make the best possible choice, but we need to act and choose anyway. What's going to happen in this world will ultimately be the choice of the people in it, not us. The best we can do is keep the orbs from causing more suffering, and giving people the best chance to improve their world.

Oh, how smart of Some Of You, to see the signs when others didn't. Share that knowledge with the class next time before we have to face an orb, then.

[ Listen, if Sabriel is going to be pedantic, then Peter is going to be sarcastic because that sort of attitude annoys him to no end. For once, he was trying to have a mature conversation. So much for that. ]

Suspecting isn't the same as knowing, and it's not enough. The orbs can grant wishes in arbitrary ways, without the orb's holder fully knowing what it all implies, as it happened in Scorpion's Bend. You said so yourself, this means the orbs know how to bend the rules and use them to their own benefit. They might find loopholes.

First, you are telling me that you firmly believe in the orb's rules that we know so far. Then, that trying to restrain the Highest One instead of outright killing him is too risky because there are many things we don't understand about the orb's powers. That's contradicting yourself, is it not? Either the rules are set in stone or they aren't, and so far it's been proved that a) we don't really know shit and b) the shit we think we do know keeps changing with every mission because no two of them are the same.

You say you want to avoid war, yet you seem very casual about aiding someone in killing a major political and religious figure because she says there's no other option, when something like that will kickstart a worldwide conflict in this planet. I'm not sure you truly understand the enormity of it. Things might not be quick, it could perhaps take days, weeks or years to get close enough to the Highest One, and in the meantime, innocent people will suffer and die. There are children in both cities too. Yes, we might not have started the conflict, but our actions help shape it as well, and we shouldn't be helping to make it worse.

You also claim that you trust Entr'i, that she wants to make this world a better place. But is that all there is to it or does she has another, perhaps more personal reason for wanting to merge Taeum and Sedorum? Gaining power, finding a loved one, avenging a wrong...? We don't really know. If she has an orb, that means she made a deal as well. Does anybody know for certain what it was?

It's exactly because we can't predict the future that we need to think properly about the decisions we take now and come up with a solution that involves fewer, ideally none, deaths. We need at least a contingency plan in case Entr'i decides to keep the orbs for herself.

[ Peter shakes his head, realizing there's little point in wasting his time with someone who believes that killing and escalating a war are the only options here. ]

You think going this route gives people the best chance to improve their world. I disagree. So you've made your point and I made mine, then.

Edited (ajhsdas sorry I forgot to add something before) 2022-03-24 13:38 (UTC)

As far as our knowledge of the orb: We have a partial map. Some parts of the territory are completely uncharted, and some parts we have a decent knowledge of. I suggest we stick to the well mapped areas, instead of charging into the uncharted parts unless we have no choice.

I'm fine with a contingency plan, but why don't you try speaking to her first, before assuming she has some sinister plan?

[ Given how Sabriel is ignoring his question about what sort of deal Entr'i made with her orb, he's going to assume that she doesn't know what it is. He won't ask again, because they are wasting time, but this type of non-answer doesn't exactly fill him with reassurance. ]

Fine, but all of this is still a gamble. Don't be surprised if things don't turn out how you expect. It's always better to plan for the worst, in my experience.

[ He has no intention of going near Entr'i unless it is strictly necessary. Who knows if she's influencing people in some way, like Ego was able to do. Peter doesn't think Sabriel would understand why, so he doesn't bother explaining that. Instead, he opts for a ]

I'm not in the barracks or part of the army, we don't hang around the same places, but I'll think about it. In the meantime, I'll investigate more and try to see what we could do as a contingency plan.

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audio; un: Sabriel.Abhorsen

Audio | Un: Star-Lord

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