277 lines
No EOL
22 KiB
Text
277 lines
No EOL
22 KiB
Text
Upon returning to the Orange demense, you see everything is more or less the same, still the infinite expanse of sand and the three pyramids around you. Except this time, you remembered the stumble you had the first time, and actively avoided doing it the second time.
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*INSIDE MAIN PYRAMID*
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You see Conroy pushing a cart around the corner of one shelf, putting books away. He will see you and immediately pause, smiling wide. "Welcome back, friends! What can I do for you today?"
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As you all talk, he will casually continue to wheel the cart down the aisle, putting books on the shelves and cleaning messes he finds the whole way.
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*ASK ABOUT DM*
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"Demense Master? Is that the title now? Bit pretentious if you ask me."
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*ASK IF HE IS DM*
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"You caught me! Not that I was hiding it or anything. But yes, I am the Master of this Demense. Though I just prefer being called the Librarian."
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*WHY DIDNT HE TELL THEM*
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"Well I can't answer a question you never ask! That'd be like knowing a story before you read the book!"
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-----
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*WHY DIDNT YOU DO MORE TO HELP*
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He suddenly shoves the book cart down the seemingly infinite aisle until it is no longer in view. "Well THAT is a bit more complicated... I kind of... Couldn't. It'd be easier if I simply showed you."
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He has you follow him into the front of the library, goes behind the counter, and opens a secret floor panel, leading down to a staircase that you can only see a few feet of before it fades into the darkness. "Onward and downward, as it were?"
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The pathway down feels like it goes on forever, and you can barely see your own hand in front of your face after a minute.
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You eventually reach the bottom, and you barely see a rack with several unlit wooden torch sticks on the wall.
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(NOTICE ROLL)
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(Read these off based lowest to highest)
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You also spot hanging on that rack:
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- A brown fedora
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- A blue & white baseball cap
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- A brown leather whip
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Conroy grabs a torch, lights it with a match from his coat pocket, and the hallway before you is lit well enough that there is just more stone walls and floor, but there IS one path straight ahead, maybe about 50 feet deep and ending in a separate room.
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You pass by two open doorways as you go, one on the left and one on the right, but he is heading straight through to the end of the hallway.
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(If they look)
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The left room is a bedroom, simply decorated with black and gold bedframe, dresser, chest of drawers, and closet filled with multiple copies of the same white coat Conroy is wearing. And, the bed is perfectly made.
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The right room is a fully functional kitchen, complete with golden trimmed countertop, table, chairs, and a fridge with wiring running through the walls.
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(If they ask, there are solar panels along the higher part of the pyramid that power everything)
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The hallway ends at an internal chamber with a completely separate set of bookshelves made of stone lined with old cloth. The walls are the same stone, but look virtually untouched.
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The books themselves however are absolutely destroyed. Covered in cuts and scorch marks, most of them physically unable to be useful just at a glance. You DO see the book he brought to you the first time he asked sitting by its lonesome.
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"Now you see what I mean... someone destroyed almost everything about Diadem's history, and that one book was all I had left, damaged as it was."
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*CAN THEY REPAIR IT*
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Conroy shakes his head a bit. "I'm afraid you can't, nor can I. Everything here is based on contribution, we would need someone with intimate knowledge of Diadem's history to contribute again. And most of those people are gone."
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*WHY NOT HIM*
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"The type of chronomancy that ritual performs doesn't work on Demense Masters. I've tried. It needs to be a mortal."
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(CONTACTS ROLL) You suddenly recall SOMEONE in the ice demense that was well versed in Diadem history, someone who moonlit as a teacher. *MORANA.*
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-----
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IF MORANA IS WITH
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After stepping through the ORANGE gate once again, Morana smiles and takes off her shoes, letting her bare feet sink into the sand for a moment, eyes closing slowly. "Mm.. feels like heaven.."
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She looks down at Whitaker with a playful smile. "Sorry, but a girl can only handle cold toes for so long~"
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*INSIDE*
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She walks into the library with your group, and smiles in amazement. "It's been a long time since I came here.. I wonder if that old sabertooth pain in the butt still remembers me?"
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Morana laughs a bit to herself, before a pair of striped orange hands suddenly slide over her eyes. "Guess whooo?~"
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She gasps playfully. "Conroy you absolute ass!~"
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He laughs and gives her a big bear hug, the two nuzzling cheeks like you'd expect cats to.
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After a few moments, Conroy spots Whitaker standing nervously by his lonesome. He offers him a warm smile, lets Morana go, waks over, and kneels before Whittaker. "Hello.. old friend. You're looking better."
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Whitaker just stands there, staring at him with wide eyes, arms crossed against his chest defensively. Conroy waits patiently before extending his arms wide, and continuing, "Got one for you right here.."
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Whitaker immediately runs into his arms and hugs him tightly, burying his face into Conroy's shoulder, sniffling softly. Conroy holds him tight and runs a hand through Whitaker's hair slowly. You see faint glows of orange form in Whittaker's hair, small particles of sand falling onto the floor.
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You see a single tear streak down Conroy's cheek. "I'm sorry... I'm so sorry... you didn't deserve ANY of that..."
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-----
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*IF THEY TOUCH THE SAND*
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When your finger touches a grain of sand, you see what looks like a video reel of someone else's point of view within your own eye. It looks perfectly normal at first, you're in a snowy field collecting random berries and pinecones.
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But at some point, you are surrounded by angry... THINGS, all yelling at you and carrying torches & pitchforks. And you almost swear you feel every time they use them on you. Every deep cut, every broken bone, every burn seared into your skin, and you hear yourself scream... and scream...
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You see similar scenes with every grain of sand you touch. Sometimes it's a smaller group, other times it's a town-sized mob. Sometimes it's just fists and feet, sometimes it's swords and guns and spells. With every grain you touch, you hear a voice get louder and louder in your mind, of a very scared young man asking WHY...
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*WHY DOES EVERYONE ATTACK WHITTAKER*
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Conroy sighs a little. "It's not just him... We've all dealt with the same thing. People see us and think us monsters, demons, evil, you name it. For reasons that are obvious, and some that are not. Took a lot of time and effort to get people to stop."
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"Whittaker is... special in that regard. People either love him or hate him, there is no middle ground. The children love him, Morana adores him, and... well... I'm sure you yourselves felt it as well."
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Conroy ruffles Whittaker's hair a little bit, causing him to sputter and shake his head. "The worst part is this timid little man is incredibly powerful, he can do things with ice you can only dream of, but... he doesn't want to frighten the children, and they take advantage of that hesitance. Remember that if you ever decide to challenge him."
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-----
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Conroy stands up, holding Whitaker's hand in one of his own and taking Morana's in the other. "I thank you both for stopping by, this'll be exciting for everyone involved, I'm sure~"
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He guides you all back to the laboratory pyramid, humming an excited tune the whole way. Once inside, he leads you all to the chamber he asked you to enter before, and steps in front of the stone panel. "Alright, just step onto the platform for me and--"
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Morana releases his hand, stepping onto the platform before he can finish. "I remember from last time, just close my eyes and wait."
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He smiles and nods, taking the hand holding Whitaker's and placing both on the panel. The orange sand from before glows with magical life, swirls around her for a few moments, (a sight YOU never saw from the outside) and shoots off into the library at an incredible speed.
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Conroy waits for Morana to step out and hands her Whittaker's hand, then disappears in a puff of sand, running back toward the library. You can hear his ecstatic squee from whre you are.
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He comes running back in with a book titled 'The Diadem's Chronology.' "A brand new mint condition reprint! And you're the first to see it! I'm so excited!"
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He walks to a nearby table, pushes everything off it, and places the book on it with a heavy THUD, then backs away, reclaiming Whitaker's hand.
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*IF THEY OPEN IT*
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The pages inside this freshly created book are completely barren of any text. Conroy snickers a bit. "Juuust give it a second~"
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*IF THEY CHOOSE NOT TO*
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Morana smiles and steps forth, opening the heavy book with a bit of effort. "Alright, let's see what we... have... uh... these pages are blank..?"
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*EITHER WAY*
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You see the pages flutter a bit as a single grain of orange sand begins rapidly tracing out letters on the page, the "ink" starting a glowing orange before settling into black. Once the book stops writing itself, it turns to the first page or the reader.
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-----
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In the beginning, the universe itself was nothingness within nothing, existence without existing. Nothing is, was, or will be, and all was simply possibility. It was only in the instance that that miraculous first event occurred that created the very first thing within it: The Word.
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But it did not stay as such for long. The Word became complicated, unfolded, expanded, evolved one could say. One word became many, became sentences, explanations, definitions, and then concepts. The first concept created in this clean, untouched emptiness was the pinnacle of all balance, EQUILIBRIUM.
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From that moment, that simple power bore witness to the birth of the concept of the NOTHING all around it, but recognized the potential of ALL to keep that balance. And from that, more concepts came to be.
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- That which had a BEGINNING, surely had an END.
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- Those that ended were DESTROYED, and those that did not, ENDURED.
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- Resistance beget MIGHT, yielding bore FEXIBILITY.
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- Activeness beget SWIFTNESS, passiveness beget SLOWNESS.
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- Recognition of surroundings beget WHEN and WHERE.
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Twelve of the simplest concepts were formed, the basis of everything that was to come to pass for the foreseeable eternity.
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Despite these humble beginnings, all these concepts assumed themselves the predominant force in this new demense they all found themsleves in, even with a direct counterpart.
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As such, a mediator was needed, one with an identity beyond itself, with an understanding of the concepts, and with the potential for genuine intelligence and learning for the sake of handling current and future struggles.
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As the EQUILIBRIUM was their source part, and was naturally as influencial as the twelve concepts COMBINED, it took that role to be a neutral mediator. With this rule defined, the thirteen in one concepts learned to balance themselves with each other and the core between them.
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And, once the balance was established, they took on a collective identity: ZEROTH, that which exists before any other.
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Thus the concepts worked together to create everything in this universe in a harmonious manner from that point forward for many MANY eons. Until the most recent one, when ZEROTH spotted a most curious planet. A speck created by natural influence around it like any other, harboring the dredges of early life like many others.
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But unlike the rest, THIS one's life was progressing, becoming more complicated, evolving, much like itself in a microscopic manner. ZEROTH was fascinated in witnessing something that acted so similar to how it itself had begun, and decided to bring itself to that planet's surface to take a closer look.
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But that was ultimately a mistake. The existence of this concept of equilibrium caused a shift in development. Had the planet remained untouched, the species within would've developed separately, humans as a primary species fighting for its independence and superiority.
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Instead, it caused the multiple species to form an unexpected alliance in its presence. These creatures began to adopt each other's minor traits and mannerisms to become more at ease with each other, work together easier, evolve alongside each other until the two were almost indistinguishable from each other in only a few dozen generations. As the eon stretched forward, the animalistic humanoids became the norm!
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ZEROTH was mortified with its accidental tampering of the natural flow of events, and removed itself from the equation immediately. Thanks to that, circumstances were otherwise unharmed. Cave dwellers grew and developed homes, societies, ecosystems, not dissimilar to that initial timeline.
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ZEROTH spent that time during that eon exploring the rest of the universe for any sign of existence with even a REMOTELY similar circumstance. Despite its attempts to leave it behind, it could not detach from the memory of that one little speck of space dust, ever so fascinated by its unique results. During the tail end of the most recent Eon, ZEROTH felt it had learned from its mistake, and felt confident enough to chance a second appearance, with a small twist.
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First, ZEROTH separated the twelve concepts from itself, intending to make itself weaker so the chances of its immense power and presence influencing events would be minimized as much as it could allow, but still maintain its status as the equilibrium force amongst the other twelve.
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Second, to ensure the newly separated entities of power were not running rampant across the planet (or anywhere else for that matter), ZEROTH created a consciousness for each of the twelve concepts. Each one was given basic intelligence, emotions, and anything else it learned from the mortals it encountered the first time as a basis, in hopes it would give them enough logic and reason to NOT make the same mistakes.
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They were then instructed to disguise themselves as the same types of humanimals the planet now bore so they may walk amongst the people together, still within close proximity of ZEROTH Itself but not suffocatingly so. ZEROTH hoped giving them the freedom to explore with some minor restrictions would allow them to learn self control, and possibly learn alongside him.
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But even with all of ZEROTH's preparation and hard work, this was ultimately a failure as well. Since these were concepts given consciousness and only knew of their own nature up to that moment, AND they all lacked his comprehensive learning ability (instead being given a fraction of that potential), they revealed themselves as being far more than just mortal, to the point many of them were feared, revered, and recognized as beyond mortal entities.
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Throughout the following centuries, as recorded history became the norm, they were all noticed and added to the analogues of history AND lore. Just to name a few:
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- ZEROTH became King Midas
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- The entity of WHERE became Queen Cleopatra and inspired the Sphinx
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- The entity of SLOWNESS became many cryptids of lore
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- The entities of LAW, DESTRUCTION, & MIGHT became Zeus, Aries, & Hercules
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- All thirteen entities were the guests of honor at the Last Supper
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If that was all that changed, the story may have corrected itself enough to continue, but this time, their interaction resulted in an additional unintended consequence.
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Much like how ZEROTH exposed the creatures of this planet to the pure unfiltered concept of EQUILIBRIUM, they also exposed the people to their mastery of the concepts that made up the universe. Over time, these mortals learned to replicate these abilities themselves, through a concept they called MAGIC.
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Eventually, the utility of magic became so prevalent, it ended up side by side with the development of technology, rather than abandoning the former to pursue the latter as history should have been.
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- Charging devices with SWIFTNESS electricity
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- Extinguishing fires with ENDURING water
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- Illuminating paths with ALL powerful light
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- Cooling and preserving foods with SLOW ice
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ZEROTH was at an impasse with this entire experiment and learning experiment. He was an entity of untold ability, designed to be a balancing force among the dozen other concepts. And neither ZEROTH, nor they, could be anything less than what they were.
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So he decided that, instead of putting himself and the others down to the MORTAL level, perhaps the mortals could be elevated to HIS level?
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-----
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Morana (if she read this) pauses and turns to Conroy and Whittaker, staring at them in bewilderment. "I read over that passage so many times and never put it together it was referring to you two.. that would imply the two of you are... what, pieces of God?"
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Conroy and Whittaker hold each other's hands tightly, nodding solemnly. Conroy speaks first. "Something to that effect.. we wanted to say something, but we were forbidden.. part of his rules are you must learn and understand who and what we all are on your own, as well as Zeroth himself."
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Morana smirks and hands Conroy the book. "But as the librarian and keeper of the books, you would know what is written here and could 'read it to us' from memory, yes?"
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Conroy gives an amused laugh and puts the book under his free arm. "Attagirl."
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-----
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(THE PLAYERS CAN NOW ASK HIM WHATEVER QUESTIONS THEY CAN THINK OF, WITHIN REASON)
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*WHAT IS THE ISLAND / DIADEM*
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"The island is a piece of Zeroth's own power given physical shape and purpose. It acts as both our home and as a living test to your willpower, to see if you can resist the allure of a paradise you would call a Garden of Eden civilization."
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*WHAT ARE THE DEMENSES / ARE THEY REAL PLACES*
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"They are vast, unending subdimensions, the raw form of the elemental and magical concepts each of us are attuned to. They also double as... habitats, in a sense, and we chose to share all that it is to all of you, as a means of peaceful coexistence."
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*WHAT ARE THE REGALIA*
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"The regalia are pieces of our own power given physical shape and purpose. He wished for anyone whom was victorious to experience a fraction of his own Godly power, as it were, and act as incentive to gather more after the first."
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*WHO IS ZEROTH*
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"Zeroth is, for lack of a better term, what you would refer to as God. The source of all that is, was, and will be."
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WHERE IS HE*
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"I can tell you he is definitely near. He is simply lying in wait."
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*WILL ZEROTH REALLY APPEAR WHEN THE REGALIA ARE COLLECTED*
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"THAT is the one thing I can guarantee will happen, yes. Beyond that, I don't know what will come of it."
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*WHY DONT YOU REBEL / LEAVE*
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"Despite him weakening himself by separating us from him, he is still stronger than all of us combined. And he is VERY... convincing."
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*ARE YOU UNDER HIS CONTROL*
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"No, we are fully of our own free will. Zeroth is a BALANCING force, not a CONTROLLING one. But we all know if we disagreed or rebelled, he could... well..."
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Whitaker speaks in a soft nervous tone. "He's... scary..."
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-----
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She takes Whitaker's hand in her own. "Well I... think that's enough reality shattering news for one day. I think its time for us to go home."
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She waves at your group with a smile and heads back out the door. Conroy smiled a bit and leans against the machine, arms crossed. "You know... at the end of the day, Whitaker really is quite lucky to have her. She might be the one person to help keep him in one piece."
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-----
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*IF REGALIA*
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"I see... I assume you wish to challenge me to fisticuffs and the like, yes?
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*YES*
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"Well I'm not one for violence, but truth be told, I'm curious to see how far you have all come compared to how you... used to be."
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*IF THEY DIDNT GO THERE ALREADY, HE WILL GUIDE THEM TO THE BOOK MAKER*
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He reaches down, grabs the orange stone panel on the front of the machine, and attempt to yank it off. "You see I've-- oh, um.."
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He attempts to yank it again and again, speaking all the while. "I've been USING... the POWER... of my REGALIA..."
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He turns and grabs it at a different angle. "To SPEED UP... the DE-VE-LOP-MENT... of new BOOKS!"
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The panel suddenly pops off the front of the machine, and Conroy flops onto his back in the middle of the floor. In only a few seconds, that same chunk of stone comes flying down and lands right on his stomach. "OEUF!"
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He will jump back up with the panel in hand, resembling an orange chunk of rock attached to a handle grip and an arm strap. "I can still do this without the Regalia of course, but it takes a bit longer."
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"Now we can't rightly have our fight in the lab. Follow me please." He will guide you back out of the lab and toward the third pyramid, leading you all in much the same.
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Inside this one, it is pretty much empty. You see a giant square in the center roughly 100 feet wide, and beyond that resembles rows of stone bleacher seating. This pyramid is a giant stone coliseum.
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He will stand in the center, slip on the stone buckler, and take an odd fighting stance, left arm out with hand raised. His eyes are now glowing a mystical orange, and when he gazes in your direction, you hear the faint sounds of your own voices in your mind, saying things you KNOW you haven't said.
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He crouches slightly, his other arm behind his back. "Conroy Kaksteist versus the Kings of Kings. En Garde!"
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AFTER THE FIGHT
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IF THEY LOSE
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Conroy will stand before them, wobbling heavily. "I'm not even a true fighter, but I know strength when I see it. And if it becomes even slightly more refined, you will be a force to be reckoned with."
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He wobbles forward out of the pyramid, hopping along tenderly on one foot, muttering Ow Ow Ow every time he steps with the other.
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IF THEY WIN
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Conroy will stumble back a bit, panting as his glasses fall off his face and clack onto the floor, revealing his full yellow feline slitted eyes. "Well done... THAT was a fight for the history books..."
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He leans backwards and flops onto the floor, panting heavily. He shakily raises his arms, removes his buckler, and places it on his chest. "Your prize is the Sanskrit Chronicle.. Good luck on your journey, Kings of Kings.."
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He turns his head to you all with a tired smile. "If you fight the others as hard as you fought me, then Victory will surely be yours..." He slowly closes his eyes, and has passed out. |