My Rat Kain't be this Butthurt

[01:40:23] <Kain> Later that evening
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[01:41:41] <Kain> Celina and Ammy arrive at the shoreline beneath Daguerreo after following a walkway down. As they approach, the serpent rises out of the tides, its wings spread and shining bright purple in the moonlight.
[01:42:49] * Celina keeps a respectful distance (and makes sure Ammy is between herself and the sea serpent at all times).
[01:43:22] <Kain> Leviathan: "The warriors return to listen to me prattle, hm? What is it that you wish to ask?"
[01:44:03] : Amaryllis has no problem being the closer of the two, even looking rather comfortable in Leviathan's presence.
[01:45:11] <Celina> "I would like to know more of the relationship between summoner and Eidolon."
[01:45:31] <Kain> Leviathan: "Mm. Very well."
[01:45:55] <Amaryllis> "Tales of time past, of Madain Sari in its glory days, of past summoners you have held bond with, the stories one my age does not commonly hear."
[01:46:09] <Amaryllis> "Though, Celina first." Ammy takes a step back.
[01:46:23] * Celina takes a step back too.
[01:48:18] : Amaryllis gives Celina an odd look. She should be in front if she's having her question answered! But she says nothing and turns back to Leviathan with a waiting gaze, eagerness visible in her eyes.
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[01:54:09] <Kain> Leviathan: "The summoners of Madain Sari had their ways. At birth, a child would be joined in a pact with a number of eidolons. They would grow, over time nuturing their power within. The process would be helped by the summoner's horn, which allows them to communicate wordlessly with our kind. They were forbidden from summoning their eidolons carelessly - lest tragedies from the past return
[01:54:09] <Kain> to haunt them all. In any case, once the summoner reaches maturity at the age of sixteen, they were to choose one of the eidolons within to form a stronger bond with, and usually the rest of their pacts would be dissolved, though this wasn't always the case. Then, they would be allowed to leave their village. They would summon their eidolons against monsters to protect their friends and
[01:54:10] <Kain> families, and to learn about our kind and our relationship with the planet. The summoners persisted in this way for five hundred years after the destruction of Alexandria, until twenty-six years ago, when a terrible, alien force stronger than any eidolon wiped our their village in a single moment...."
[01:54:42] <Kain> *out
[01:55:10] <Kain> (For the record I'm taking some liberties here - Eiko mentions her grandpa told her she could choose an eidolon when she came of age, even though she could already summon fenrir)
[01:55:50] <Celina> ('s fine)
[01:56:02] <Kain> Leviathan: "That answers both your questions partially, but not completely."
[01:56:22] <Celina> "But this bond..."
[01:57:41] <Kain> Leviathan: "The relationship between a summoner and an eidolon is an odd one to most. Once a summoner calls an eidolon, they must come and serve in the manner the summoner wishes. If the summoner is too weak-hearted or makes a mistake, however, the eidolon may reject the summoner outright, causing massive destruction. As Alexander did... and so did I."
[01:57:58] : Amaryllis nods, scribbling furious in her journal.
[01:58:42] <Celina> "Is that so?"
[01:59:11] <Kain> (One sec, checking facts)
[01:59:23] <Celina> "They seem to have very little problem causing massive destruction when ordered, either."
[02:00:16] <Kain> (Oh whoops, Leviathan didn't destroy the area)
[02:00:18] <Amaryllis> "The story of your rejection, would you mind telling it in more detail? Tales abound of Eidolons as weapon, as tool to be wielded. Fewer are available of their own displays of agency, whether in defiance of their nature or in affirmation of it."
[02:00:28] <Kain> (He just mentioned Alexander, retcon)
[02:00:48] <Kain> Leviathan: "One moment, let me address her first."
[02:01:03] <Amaryllis> "Of course." A respectful nod.
[02:02:20] <Kain> Leviathan: "Unfortunately, it is in our nature to do whatever is asked of us by our summoner, whether good or ill. That does not mean we ourselves are malevolent, simply obedient. That is the nature of a pact. And frankly, unless the summoner loses control of us we cannot refuse even if we wish."
[02:02:42] <Kain> Leviathan: "Countless cities and civilizations have been ended by eidolons... a worse tragedy could not be."
[02:03:03] * Celina looks disgusted.
[02:03:16] <Kain> Leviathan: "But it is the greed of men that ultimately leads to this."
[02:03:54] <Celina> "It must be nice to have the luxury of blaming your atrocities on others."
[02:03:55] <Amaryllis> "A being of story is bound by the rules of their tale. And it is men who set the foundations for such tales. Is that about correct?"
[02:04:49] <Kain> Leviathan: "It is no luxury, fool. You would not understand what it means to be unable to stop yourself from following the mandates of the wicked."
[02:05:41] <Kain> Leviathan: "Your will is completely free and you spurn your gift throwing accusations where they are not due."
[02:06:28] <Celina> "And you wash your hands of everything you do by laying the blame on the men that summon you!"
[02:07:18] <Kain> Leviathan: "You will come to see in time, perhaps. The crystal would not choose someone irredeemably short-sighted."
[02:08:37] <Celina> "Hmph."
[02:08:59] : Amaryllis cocks her head. "But there are summoners who make great works of their power and do much good for civilization, are there not? Perhaps such a tale may be relevant now?"
[02:09:22] <Amaryllis> "Or do Eidolons revile the summoning tradition entirely?"
[02:09:36] <Kain> Leviathan: "The creation of Daguerreo itself is one such tale, but I believe you asked other things first."
[02:10:10] <Amaryllis> "Forgive my eagerness. This is a rare opportunity."
[02:11:33] <Kain> Leviathan: "Being summoned is also part of our nature. Though we do not universally like it, I wouldn't say there is any individual eidolon who reviles it. There are those who are begrudgingly careful of making pacts, however, because of the issues I mentioned before."
[02:12:09] <Kain> Leviathan: "Ramuh, the thunder god, had not had a master for centuries until recently. He hid himself from the world, pretending to be a spectre and chasing would-be hunters away."
[02:13:08] <Kain> Leviathan: "At any rate I think I've lost my train of thought. Where were we..."
[02:13:26] <Kain> Leviathan: "The story of my rejection."
[02:15:20] <Kain> Leviathan: "It's not a very exciting tale, I think? An arrogant young lad tried to summon me to flood the depths of the Iifa Tree and swamp out the monsters that dwelled beneath. His will was weak enough for me to reject him, however, and he lost control. Had it been flooded, the water would have been carried by the tunnels made by the tree's roots, flooding inhabited areas of the Mist
[02:15:20] <Kain> Continent."
[02:15:47] <Kain> Leviathan: "As he failed, however, his kin sealed me away at the site of the summoning, using the power of the eidolon Carbuncle."
[02:16:59] <Amaryllis> "You were sealed for their mistake then?"
[02:17:13] <Kain> Leviathan: "Pretty much."
[02:18:19] <Kain> Leviathan: "They were being careful. The last time a summoner had lost control of an eidolon like that..."
[02:18:33] <Kain> Leviathan: "Alexandria was destroyed, and the summoners migrated off of the Mist Continent."
[02:18:33] : Amaryllis frowns as she jots this down. "Even so..."
[02:20:21] <Kain> Leviathan: "Alexander is a curious case himself, though. He was the entire reason behind the senseless conflict on the mist continent ten years ago as well."
[02:20:39] <Amaryllis> "In what way?"
[02:20:57] <Celina> "From what I understand, though, he was the one who kept the city from being wiped off the face of the map."
[02:21:01] <Kain> Leviathan: "The queen of the time, Brahne, lusted after Alexander's power. So she hunted down the pieces of the jewel that his power had been sealed into."
[02:21:18] <Kain> Leviathan: "One in Alexandria... one in Lindblum, one in Cleyra, and one in Madain Sari."
[02:21:50] <Kain> Leviathan: "It seems the cleyrans kept the shard on a sacred harp that kept the eternal sandstorm blowing..."
[02:22:05] <Celina> "It is true."
[02:23:17] <Kain> Leviathan: "Unfortunately, all I know of this is what I've discussed with my own summoner. The events around the time Alexander was once again summoned aren't very clear to me."
[02:24:39] <Celina> "Allow me to fill you in, then - once the sandstorm fell, Cleyra was utterly destroyed by the Eidolon Odin, at Alexandria's orders."
[02:24:42] <Amaryllis> "How did Eidolons live in the days before summoners then? Without such a thing as the summoner's pact."
[02:25:27] <Kain> Leviathan looks downcast. "Grim business, that. I'm not very familiar personally with Odin."
[02:25:35] <Celina> "Doubtless that's something your Summoner wouldn't want to tell you about."
[02:25:44] <Kain> Leviathan: "No, I'm aware."
[02:26:11] <Kain> Leviathan: "It was my summoner that Odin's power was stolen from for Brahne's use, after all."
[02:26:51] <Kain> Leviathan: "Just like Alexander's power was sealed into a jewel, Odin's power within my summoner was extracted into Dark Matter, which the mad queen used in her war."
[02:28:03] <Celina> "An entire race faced with genocide, on the whims of a single person..."
[02:28:59] <Amaryllis> "Lady Celina, with all respect, I believe you have been unfair. Odin's story is not Leviathan's, and the nature of Eidolons is to be bound by the will of others, as if a preordained tale had been written. Of these, tales of all nature exist."
[02:29:03] <Amaryllis> "Some happy, some sad."
[02:29:21] <Kain> Leviathan: "Yes, it's horror unspeakable. My summoner, now Queen Garnet til Alexandros, fought alongside heroes such as Freya Crescent to end that mad woman's whims."
[02:30:09] <Kain> Leviathan: "And with all respect to you, it isn't fair for you to treat this woman's tragedy like another story." he says to Ammy.
[02:30:32] <Celina> "Only after her own kingdom nearly suffered the same fate."
[02:30:51] <Celina> "Because of her!"
[02:31:17] : Amaryllis frowns, a hesitant look crossing her face. "...Of...of course. I apologize."
[02:32:56] <Kain> Leviathan: "You misunderstand. Her power was taken unwillingly, by conniving beasts in the form of human flesh. It was not Queen Garnet's wish for anything to happen to your people. She was incarcerated during the battle, but her husband was there fighting against the Alexandrian forces and protecting your people."
[02:34:09] <Kain> Leviathan: "There was little they could ultimately do when Odin was called in, however."
[02:34:28] <Kain> Leviathan: "They merely survived, along with those like Kildea."
[02:36:58] <Kain> Leviathan: "How did he put it... ultimately, heroes are human as well."
[02:37:27] <Kain> Leviathan: "The question is, young Cleyran, what will you do?"
[02:37:55] <Celina> "I don't believe it is your place to ask."
[02:38:31] <Kain> Leviathan: "You presume over-much after being so rude to me."
[02:38:51] <Celina> "And you ask more than you deserve after I saved your life."
[02:39:16] <Celina> "Or does an Eidolon forget debts as easily as it forgets morality?"
[02:39:28] <Kain> Leviathan: "That gratitude only goes as far as is reasonable. If you give me reason to anger, you will not find me holding back."
[02:40:03] <Amaryllis> "Celina, that is a bit much." Ammy has been ruminating a bit since Leviathan's reprimand but is jostled out of her reverie.
[02:40:36] <Kain> Leviathan: "A wounded animal will still bite the one who heals it should that one kick it. Don't be an idiot."
[02:41:02] <Celina> "Very well then, let us speak of other things."
[02:41:31] <Kain> Leviathan: "Very well. What else would you two ask of me?"
[02:41:56] <Celina> "In particular - I am very curious... that creature was strong enough to tear you away from your master, yet not strong enough to bind you to service."
[02:42:18] <Kain> Leviathan: "Yes, that's the thing that puzzles me."
[02:42:19] <Celina> "What happened, in your eyes?"
[02:43:20] <Amaryllis> "Of that, I am also curious, though I have other questions as well."
[02:43:34] <Kain> Leviathan: "I was called, as normal, but with no need to obey. I was simply forced into the midst of Daguerreo against my will, where I could not do anything more than nip at that blob without bringing the place down around my ears."
[02:43:55] <Kain> Leviathan: "By all rights, that should not have been possible, even if he possessed a jewel infused with my power."
[02:44:54] <Kain> Leviathan: "And yet, it happened, and the creature attacked me well-prepared. That makes that Qu unreasonably dangerous, whatever his intention and however he managed it."
[02:45:54] <Celina> "So there was no intent to control you?"
[02:46:00] * Celina looks puzzled.
[02:46:02] <Kain> Leviathan: "It seems not."
[02:46:03] <Celina> "Then why?"
[02:46:29] <Kain> Leviathan shakes his head. "At the very least, his intent seemed lethal. He wished to kill me."
[02:46:44] <Amaryllis> "For what purpose? An enemy of your summoner?"
[02:46:55] <Kain> Leviathan: "And given the methodology of the Qu I wouldn't doubt he was trying to eat me as well."
[02:47:03] <Kain> Leviathan: "Never heard of him if he is."
[02:47:58] <Kain> Leviathan: "Maybe the fool got it into his head that he could learn magic from me if he ate my flesh, like their practices of Blue Magic."
[02:48:09] <Amaryllis> "Could he?"
[02:48:30] <Celina> "I read a story once in which a person consumed the flesh of a water spirit and gained immortality."
[02:48:32] <Kain> Leviathan: "I don't know know any eidolons who've returned from a Qu's stomach to tell me." he says, frankly.
[02:48:50] <Celina> "Of course, not being able to die is its own curse."
[02:49:00] <Celina> "...In any case. Miss Amaryllis, you had questions?"
[02:49:06] : Amaryllis nods.
[02:49:21] <Kain> Leviathan: "Sssh, you don't want that particular legend gaining a life of its own."
[02:49:22] <Amaryllis> "I wish to know of how Eidolons lived in the days before summoners."
[02:49:35] <Kain> Leviathan: "Well... hm."
[02:50:02] <Kain> Leviathan: "Was there ever such a time? If so, I've not quite aged enough to know."
[02:50:17] <Kain> Leviathan: "You'd be better off asking an elder eidolon like Ramuh or Bahamut."
[02:50:33] <Amaryllis> "Then you were born of a more recent tale? Curious."
[02:50:47] <Kain> Leviathan: "Recent is subjective."
[02:50:57] <Kain> Leviathan: "I've been around a long time, just not that long."
[02:51:38] <Celina> "Before or after Daguerro?"
[02:51:46] <Kain> Leviathan: "Well before."
[02:52:13] <Kain> Leviathan: "The one who used my help to build the place only died a few decades ago."
[02:52:48] <Amaryllis> Another nod. "How did the summoners of yore treat events similar to the tragedy of Cleyra? Were such acts punished by their kind or prevented? Or were they commonplace?"
[02:53:22] <Kain> Leviathan: "That's a curious question, actually."
[02:55:07] <Kain> Leviathan: "Though the summoners often studied us, we didn't make as much of an effort in the reverse. But for the most part they were not a war-like people. If there were any such people among them I imagine they were executed swiftly - simply jailing or banishing them would be too dangerous."
[02:55:41] <Kain> Leviathan: "But the thing is that there weren't many civilizations even on the Outer Continent, where Madain Sari is."
[02:56:26] <Kain> Leviathan: "Not even the most depraved of them would have called in Ragnarok to destroy the town of the dwarves."
[02:58:24] <Amaryllis> "Their destruction was recent, however, and populated cities abounded before Madain Sari's fall. I understand though." Ammy jots it down and returns to her thoughts for a moment.
[02:58:27] <Kain> Leviathan: "Before the migration? Mm, I had heard the wars between the nations of the mist continent were terrible, but I don't believe a single eidolon was used, either to attack or defend. If the summoners had made their presence widely known and interfered it's possible they would have been hunted down long before they were. But I'm mostly theorycrafting here, I wasn't anywhere near the
[02:58:28] <Kain> Mist Continent then."
[02:59:12] <Celina> "How does an Eidolon come to be, anyway?"
[02:59:22] <Kain> Leviathan: "Ah, I thought I explained that before."
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[03:00:34] <Celina> (herp derp did he?)
[03:00:48] <Kain> Leviathan: "Your friend paid attention at least... essentially, the Crystal is the lifeblood of the planet. It is what enables this world to grow with such rich life, as well as all who live upon it. You, her, fish, crickets, monsters, Qu, everyone. When someone dies, their soul and memories flow back into the Crystal, awaiting to be reborn."
[03:01:22] <Kain> Leviathan: "Sometimes the collective stories in peoples' memories are used by the Crystal to form a guardian called an Eidolon."
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[03:01:58] <Celina> "...But isn't the crystal itself a collective sort of memory? That was the impression I got from the shard we found."
[03:02:28] <Kain> Leviathan: "If you heard voices from it, then yes, you spoke with some of the many memories within."
[03:02:49] <Kain> Leviathan: "It's far more than that, however."
[03:03:00] <Kain> Leviathan: "It is the seed around which this entire planet grows."
[03:03:22] <Amaryllis> "And if it dies, the planet shall die with it?"
[03:03:35] <Kain> Leviathan: "That's correct. And almost what happened, ten years ago."
[03:04:01] <Kain> Leviathan: "The man who inspired Queen Brahne to madness, Kuja, tried to destroy the crystal and take the entire planet with him, since he was soon to die."
[03:04:02] <Amaryllis> "On that note, we have been given little instruction. Pointed to the Forgotten Continent with nary a clue as to how one may restore the crystal."
[03:04:18] <Kain> Leviathan: "He only managed to fracture it, but there you go."
[03:05:18] <Kain> Leviathan: "Normally we're supposed to let people figure out some of these things on their own so we don't get in the way of the various religions and scholars and whatnot, but you are the chosen heroes of the crystal so I'm being upfront with you."
[03:05:51] <Kain> Leviathan: "It's not like I know how to restore the crystal, either. It probably knows best itself. The Forgotten Continent should be your next stop, then."
[03:06:00] <Amaryllis> "I am grateful." Ammy nods respectfully again and prepares to write more.
[03:06:05] <Celina> "As is our intention, yes."
[03:06:20] <Celina> "After all, letting someone like that get what they want...."
[03:07:30] <Kain> Leviathan: "You brave ones have been saddled with an important responsibility, but I'm sure you can handle it."
[03:09:02] <Amaryllis> "For the sake of Gaia's tale, I hope so."
[03:09:17] <Amaryllis> "An entire continent is, however, quite a bit much to search."
[03:10:09] <Celina> "I doubt we'll be searching the entire continent."
[03:10:25] <Kain> Leviathan: "Wish I could help more, but those are the breaks. You're likely to find your way easily enough, though."
[03:11:04] <Celina> "After all, like calls like, does it not? We search for the unusual things, the powerful things - and there, we find the Crystal."
[03:11:24] <Kain> Leviathan: "And already you're off to a good start."
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[03:11:54] <Kain> Leviathan: "By the way... this will probably be crucial to know at some part..."
[03:11:57] : Amaryllis nods. "A well told tale would not permit the heroes to dawdle too long."
[03:12:05] <Kain> Leviathan: "But Gaia's crystal is not the only one."
[03:12:06] : Amaryllis looks up, pen at the ready.
[03:13:19] <Kain> Leviathan: "Countless crystals exist in the wide expanse of the universe, many with their own planets teeming with life. Kuja... he was from one such planet, Terra. Terra has since perished, its crystal at the end of its long life cycle. But its legacy still exists in places on this world."
[03:13:24] : Amaryllis thinks, taking out the crystal she's been holding onto and staring at it. "Terra? The 'destroyed world'?"
[03:13:27] <Amaryllis> (Damnit!)
[03:13:40] <Amaryllis> (was double-checking the crystal mentioned that :V)
[03:15:01] <Kain> Leviathan: "Be careful, in any case. Relics may not be all that's survived the planet's destruction."
[03:15:15] <Amaryllis> "A life cycle? And so, despite our actions, will Gaia's crystal one day die as well with no recourse?"
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[03:16:11] <Kain> Leviathan: "One day, yes. And then the crystal will be reborn, making a new planet. Thus is the life cycle of the universe. But the people of Terra sought to extend the life cycle of their planet, by merging their crystals with those of other worlds."
[03:16:19] <Kain> Leviathan: "They failed this time."
[03:16:24] <Kain> He says simply.
[03:17:06] <Kain> Leviathan: "But this world is only six thousand years old. There are eons yet."
[03:18:05] <Amaryllis> "Much left unwritten and untold then." Ammy looks down at the crystal. "All the more reason we cannot allow it to end here." She stays quiet a while, looking to Celina to see if she has further to ask.
[03:19:36] * Celina just looks thoughtful.
[03:21:05] <Kain> Leviathan: "In any case, how will you be traveling there?"
[03:21:26] <Celina> "...I imagine by airship."
[03:21:42] : Amaryllis looks to Celina again. "I do not believe that part of our tale has been written yet. An airship would be nice."
[03:22:42] <Kain> Leviathan: "Hmph. I could have seen about arranging sea transport, but I suppose you do love your innovations. Much better now that they use steam instead of Mist in their engines, at least."
[03:23:02] <Celina> "Sea transport would be an idea as well."
[03:23:13] <Celina> "And Miss Amaryllis, not everything is a story."
[03:23:31] <Amaryllis> "Our journey certainly is."
[03:23:46] <Kain> Leviathan: "Well, decide what you will. If you'd rather travel by air, fine, but if you wish to experience the thrill of an ocean voyage I'll have Syldra waiting."
[03:24:08] <Celina> "Syl-dra?"
[03:24:22] <Kain> Leviathan chuckles. "A servant of mine, a sea-hydra."
[03:24:40] <Kain> Leviathan: "He's also an Eidolon."
[03:24:52] <Celina> "I...see."
[03:25:43] <Amaryllis> "Eidolons as servants of other Eidolons." Ammy tilts her head in curiosity.
[03:26:41] <Kain> Leviathan: "It's not uncommon. Bahamut has a servant in the form of a bull named Kujata. Titan seems to answer to Fenrir in the same way, but I don't think that's -official-?"
[03:26:41] <Celina> "It seems reasonable enough to me."
[03:26:51] <Celina> "The sea is a vast place."
[03:27:00] <Celina> "Even an Eidolon would need assistants to rule it."
[03:27:05] <Celina> "...Presumably."
[03:27:11] <Celina> "The skies and the earth as well."
[03:27:42] <Kain> Leviathan: "Funny you should mention that..."
[03:27:52] <Amaryllis> "Shall we query our companions on our upcoming means of travel then?"
[03:27:57] <Kain> Leviathan: "Beware the serpents of the earth."
[03:28:04] <Kain> Leviathan then moves to sink back under the waves.
[03:29:44] <Celina> "I will heed your advice. Recover swiftly."
[03:29:52] * Celina nods and gets to her feet again.
[03:30:14] <Amaryllis> "Thank you again for your time." Ammy bows to the pool then turns to leave.
[03:30:35] <Kain> "Thank you. And may you ever banish the darkness." you hear his voice, though he's gone.
[03:31:44] <Celina> "Well then."
[03:32:25] <Amaryllis> "An informative talk." Ammy smiles. "I bid you good night lady Celina. We shall have much to discuss with our companions in the morn."
[03:32:39] <Celina> "Yes, of course."
[03:32:45] <Celina> "Oh, and Miss Amaryllis?"
[03:32:53] <Amaryllis> "Yes?"
[03:33:25] <Celina> "Let yourself write the story, and not the other way around." And with that, she's gone, high jumping it out of there. Fucking Dragoons.
[03:34:09] <Amaryllis> "Easy to say, for one not bound by story." Ammy mutters sadly as she returns in a much more mundane fashion.