Isameri - Divine Duplicity

[15:31]Meria Boucher seems content at work, taking up a corner of the library with her floating assortment of books, papers, cards and - resting on the nearby end-table - her astroglabe, which she adjusts with a slight shift of her finger before jotting something down with a swift flick of a quill. A page turns on its own. She glances at it, reading something before shooing the book away with a hand to consult another volume.
[15:33]Isaudorel Vairemont makes his way down to the library, looking in far better shape than previously. He's no long using the cane to support him and seems to mostly be back to his old self. "Ah, good afternoon, my dear Meria." He smiles, giving a small, polite bow. "I trust you have been well?"
[15:34]Meria Boucher looks up from her work, releasing the quill and letting it hang mid-air as she lofts her single hand to greet him. "Hello, Isaudorel. I am well enough. How are you feeling?"
[15:38]Isaudorel Vairemont: "Considerably better, thankfully." He places a hand over the scar on his chest. "From time to time, I almost forget what happened that night."
[15:41]Meria Boucher lets out an introspective hum. "...That was probably one of the most dangerous situations you've ever been in, wasn't it?"
[15:43]Isaudorel Vairemont takes a moment to respond. His smile fades. "Without a doubt; not even fleeing Ishgard held such peril. I had never imagined I would be dealing with... well, whatever that creature was, certainly not a man."
[15:46]Meria Boucher waves her hand absently, closing a few of the books around her and, as she speaks, returning them to their proper places on the shelves without moving from her spot. "I had an opportunity to converse with Mister Regalius. It seems that the so-called patriarch of the Mercier line was sealing voidsent in his children's bodies. The person we faced has fused with said voidsent to such an extent that it gave him unnatural strength and endurance."
[15:47]Meria Boucher: ...Unfortunately, it seems like Mister Mercier is one of your colleagues in the field. We'll have to be careful in Ul'dah until this matter is sorted.
[15:50]Isaudorel Vairemont is taken aback. "Voidsent... in his own children?" He takes a breath and closes his eyes. "An absolute monster, irredeemable and deserving nothing more than swift judgment." He nods. "Unfortunate indeed. I haven't had the chance to study the potions I took, but I will do so as soon as I am able."
[15:50]Isaudorel Vairemont: "Perhaps that may give us a bit of vital information. Depending on the components, we should be able to discern who he works with..."
[15:52]Meria Boucher nods. "At some point soon, I'd like to speak with Miss Batachikan about the matter. Even if it does not end up being an official concern of hers, I would like to dispose of such a man in whatever means necessary. He is a threat to our personal dealings, and is an unpalatable individual besides. I..."
[15:53]Meria Boucher trails off, absently looking down at one of the volumes she still has by her side. "Well, it's no matter, really."
[15:53]Meria Boucher: It will be solved.
[15:56]Isaudorel Vairemont: "Of course. I doubt Mistress Batachikhan will allow such a vile creature to exist, given that he's already taken one of our own hostage. However," he furrows his brow, looking as if a certain determination burns within him. "Even if she does not, I can not and will not allow him to continue. I lack contacts in Ul'dah, but I imagine with enough gil, we could find whatever is needed to stop him."
[15:58]Meria Boucher glances at Isaudorel briefly, and the slant of her brow turns fond. "Such a pure heart," she says softly, and then reaches out to touch her astrolabe.
[15:58]Meria Boucher: Are you still interested in hearing more of my field, Isaudorel?
[15:59]Isaudorel Vairemont: "Of course, my dear Meria." His smile returns, as warm as ever.
[16:03]Meria Boucher takes a step, withdrawing a thick thing of paper folded over onto itself multiple times, then beckons him over to take a look after releasing it, the parchement unfurling before them on its own. It seems to be a star-chart. "I suppose it'd be best to start with the basics. I've mentioned the gates, I believe? The seven heavens of our sacred sky?
[16:05]Isaudorel Vairemont looks over the star chart. "You have, yes. I believe it was brief, but it's not an entirely unfamiliar term."
[16:10]Meria Boucher nods. "Each of these gates is represented by a constellation in our sky. Within each is.. something like a well of aether, and if one knows how to properly call upon the powers of these celestial bodies, that aether can be brought forth to create physical changes in our realm. You've probably made note of them - the stars themselves are quite particular in their luminosity and hue."
[16:12]Isaudorel Vairemont nods, placing a hand on his chin. "Fascinating... I had believed those stars were special, but I never guessed they held such power. I imagine that is how you've done, well, everything since your return? Particularly the *one* thing that seemed to slow the voidsent Mercier brute down."
[16:16]Meria Boucher: Indeed. Gravitational magic is the thing which you've seen me most liberally employ - and being quite honest, I've only demonstrated a fraction of its scope. I was... quite impressive, before - well.
[16:18]Meria Boucher rubs at her arm idly, looking away. "Healing has been a long process. Such simple tricks like these... I used to be capable of lifting and manipulating far more. Now it takes concentrated effort to do something as simple as cause an apple to implode, or..." With a flick of her finger, she retrieves a blank sheet of paper, and holding it suspended over her palm, a sphere of aether appears around it - the energy crackling as the sheet is crumpled in on itself by a concentrated increase in -
[16:19]Meria Boucher - pressure. The air immediately around her feels... lighter somehow, and her hair floats slightly, revealing her earrings as the edges of the strands lift.
[16:23]Isaudorel Vairemont places a hand on her shoulder. "You are still impressive beyond words, my dearest Meria. I am sure we will restore you to your former strength, if that is your desire."
[16:26]Meria Boucher: I must be strong if I am to be a suitable partner for you. ...But I digress. Have you heard someone reference the Factors of Twelve or the divine duplicity?
[16:29]Isaudorel Vairemont racks his brain for a moment before shaking his head. "I cannot say I have. Do they relate to astrology or these 'gates' as well?"
[16:35]Meria Boucher stacks her deck, straightening it, and then shifts her hand, spreading out the sixty cards comprising it face-up in the air for him to see. "Yes. Astrology is a multifaceted discipline, yet all of these seemingly distinct parts are used to categorize and interpret the celestial whole. My star charts, my star globe, the deck of sixty - they are all tools in the quest of interpreting out future from the lights of the heavens and harnassing its power to bring the desired future to life. -
[16:37]Meria Boucher: It was Lewphon, father of astromancy, that scoured the historical records to sort out the scientific veracity of divination from the chaff of superstition. What he discovered is that the movements of the stars do reflect the dealings of what occurs on the lands below... and much of this actual science is based around the Factors of Twelve and the positions of the elements.
[16:37]Meria Boucher: I'll explain further. You're aware that each of the Twelve - the gods we venerate as holy - are associated with an element, a cycle which represents the entirety of life?
[16:39]Isaudorel Vairemont: "Correct, although if pressed, I wouldn't be able to tell you any of their associations, perhaps save for Halone Herself."
[16:42]Meria Boucher: Well, obviously she's the most important - and were we discussing the cycle of the year, we'd start with her first. However, for the purposes of Astromancy, it would be easiest to begin with the first heaven, that of the world tree planted by the Matron, Nophica and maintained by the Keeper, Althyk. This is the heaven of Earth, associated with the 6th Umbral and Astral moons.
[16:42]Meria Boucher flips a card, showing it to him, and then points out the Bole's location on her star chart.
[16:45]Isaudorel Vairemont murmurs to himself, studying the chart and the card. "Fascinating. Do you know of the reason that the heavens are out of sync with the moons themselves? One would imagine that the first heaven would correspond to the first moons..."
[16:50]Meria Boucher glances at him, and the words she utters next seem to slip out from reflexive fondness inspired by his inquisitve nature. "Ah, my love - they are not out of sync... they are are akin to clockwise and counter-clockwise. The second heaven - the Balance - " she points to the star chart. "Is the gate of fire, presided over by Nald'thal and Azeyma... who govern the fifth Astral and Umbral moons."
[16:50]Meria Boucher: Have you seen the elemental wheel written out ever, by chance?
[16:52]Isaudorel Vairemont: "I can't say that I have. Magic and aether have always been a passing interest, rather than anything ever looked into."
[16:56]Meria Boucher arranges the Balance so it is one step above the Bole. "Well, keep that in the back of your mind for now... it will be easier to see when I have laid the full divine duplicity out for you. The third heaven is here. The Spire, and the gate of lightning where the tower of Byregot is eternally undone by the machinations of the Destroyer, Rhalgr. The fourth Astral and Umbral moons belong to them. The third moons are the domain of Oschon and Llymlaen, the Wanderer and the Navigator, who bless the
[16:56]Meria Boucher: realm of wind and are represented in the heavens by the arrow. Are you beginning to see the pattern?
[16:57]Meria Boucher sets out the next two cards, adding two more to form a semi-circle.
[17:02]Isaudorel Vairemont snaps his fingers, a smile appearing on his face. "You know, it took me longer than I'm comfortable admitting, but it *finally* hit when I went over your description of the Spire. Builder and Destroyer; two opposing forces... Utterly *fascinating.* It seems as if the moons correspond in the opposite directions of the gates, as well, if I may be so bold."
[17:04]Meria Boucher: All is well. The first two pairings of astral and umbral - the two sides of our world and our eras - are more subtle. But that is indeed what they are, Isaudorel. That is the divine duplicity. Twelve is a critical number of our world. It represents the gods which embody all. Divide them in half, and you understand the six pairings of astral and umbral which govern us all.
[17:05]Meria Boucher: ...I am pleased that you noticed so much.
[17:06]Isaudorel Vairemont chuckles softly. "I only noticed it through your expert teachings, my dearest Meria."
[17:06]Meria Boucher: Please, do not discount the patient attentiveness of a diligent student. But allow me to continue - there is one more pattern that you will... enjoy, I believe.
[17:11]Isaudorel Vairemont nods, fully intrigued. "Enjoy, you say? Do go on, my dear Meria, you have my fullest attention."
[17:14]Meria Boucher nods, and does so quite willingly. "Nymeia, the fickle Spinner, and Thaliak, the steadfast scholar maintain the heaven of water. They are the Ewer - and it was them I called upon in the display you mentioned earlier with Gene. I brought forth as much water-aligned aether as feasibly possible to stand against Gene, whose own aether seemed bizarrely earth-aspected." As she says earth aspected, she taps the Bole - which, once she has placed the Ewer into the circle, is arranged directly across-
[17:15]Meria Boucher - from the heaven of water. She does not point out the connection though, simply continuing on. "And the first astral and umbral pair - Menphina, the Lover and our lady Halone, the fury - who preside over the months of our birth... form the heaven of ice. The Spear." She turns over the final card, and before them is the complete circle.
[17:19]Isaudorel Vairemont studies the cards for a moment. A glint of realization appears in his eyes. He begins to laugh. "How impossibly appropriate." He gives a small, sincere clap. "You did not lie, my dear Meria, I do quite enjoy this."
[17:22]Meria Boucher allows herself a very slight smile, despite her blush forcing her to look away. "...In the dewy-eyed romanticism of my youth, back in Sharlayan, I had... privately imagined it was some manner of cosmic sign. That our meeting - and our relationship - was inscribed into the heavens above because of such signs I noticed."
[17:25]Isaudorel Vairemont places a hand on her head in an affectionate gesture. "I will accept no other explanation than that, my dearest and most beloved Meria." He smiles down at her. "Perhaps this is how you were able to track me down, halfway across the world; the stars themselves guided and aided you."
[17:27]Meria Boucher glances at him, a trace of amusement in her brow as she steps closer to press her side against his. "I did say that I had seen it in the stars, did I not? That you were in trouble and needed my aid. I will admit... it took no small amount of courage to face you. In my eyes, I had failed you, and had you branded me a worthless heretic and thrown me out of your sight... I could not have feasibly complained."
[17:28]Meria Boucher: But I still derived courage from such heavenly movements, and through what I saw, I found the strength to return to you - no matter my shame or what the consequences may be. ...I was so very scared that ultimately, I would end up being nothing but a curse to you as well.
[17:28]Isaudorel Vairemont kneels down, drawing her into a hug and whispering to her. "You did not fail me. You are nothing save for a blessing, I assure you."
[17:31]Meria Boucher leans against him, tucking her face into the crook of his neck. "You - as you always have - continue to make my heart feel lighter, Isaudorel."
[17:32]Isaudorel Vairemont: "It is the least I can do, my dear Meria." He gives her another small squeeze, patting her on the head once more.
[17:34]Meria Boucher nudges his cheek lightly with the tip of her nose before looking at the circle of cards. "Before I become too distracted by exchanging sweet words to you, there is one more connection that I wish to point out. You remember my mentions of an elemental cycle?"
[17:35]Isaudorel Vairemont chuckles softly, kissing her cheek before pulling away. "I do, yes."
[17:38]Meria Boucher nods, then begins reciting something, pointing at each card for reference as she does so - beginning with the first months of the calendar, represented by the Spear. "The six nativities are described as follows: ice melts away, giving rise to water..." She begins moving clockwise around the card circle. "Water mists and rises, forming air and wind. Wind gathers into clouds, from which lightning strikes the earth and creates fire," she taps the Balance, and then completes the circle with the-
[17:39]Meria Boucher - Bole. "And fire renders to ash all that it touches. The trees rise from such ash, becoming earth, and in the shadows of the earth and the peaks of the mountains, ice forms and begins the cycle anew."
[17:39]Meria Boucher: Thus is the cycle of time created, the cycle of the seasons, and the cycle of the elements.
[17:40]Isaudorel Vairemont follows her explanation, never taking his eyes off whatever card she's discussing. "Utter brilliance," he finally whispers. "So simple, yet so profound..."
[17:41]Meria Boucher: And that is not yet all. Observe - the relationship of the three conquests. Water erodes earth, Earth grounds lightning, and Lightning boils water.
[17:42]Meria Boucher taps the Spear, the Spire, and the Bole in quick succession. They form a triangle on the circle.
[17:44]Isaudorel Vairemont: "And I imagine the other three have a similar relationship, yes?"
[17:45]Meria Boucher: Yes. The three submissions - Ice is melted by fire, fire is extinguished by wind, and wind is obstructed by ice.
[17:45]Meria Boucher points out another triangle.
[17:47]Isaudorel Vairemont places a hand to his chin once more, studying the relations that Meria pointed out. He seems to be muttering to himself, going over the information in a voice barely above a whisper.
[17:47]Meria Boucher: ...Should I continue to talk about the cosmic relationships between the deities - such as Halone, of ice, being born from Rhalgr, of fire... well, you may very well faint.
[17:49]Isaudorel Vairemont runs a hand through his hair, for once looking out of his academic element. "I... believe that you've done quite a thorough job as of now, my dear Meria."
[17:51]Meria Boucher: Ultimately, such things are not needed for a beginning understanding of the art. However, do you understand the scope of it, even if the specifics are hard to grasp? That represented by these six arcana are the fundamental laws of our universe, and numerous cyclical relationships of grave cosmic importance?
[17:52]Isaudorel Vairemont: "I can say with certainty that I do understand the scope and the basics, but... well, the specifics are far beyond my current expertise."
[17:53]Meria Boucher: That is what I mean by 'Factors of Twelve', Isaudorel. It is also called by some 'the traces of the gods' - that is how the major and minor arcana are used to interpret fate. A true astrologian is drawing aether from the cosmos to read these heavenly signs, shown to us by the stars above and the cards below."
[17:58]Isaudorel Vairemont nods again, taking in all of this information. "And this was the way of distancing the spiritual 'fluff' of astromancy and astrology from the hard, scientific fact, yes?"
[18:01]Meria Boucher: In a manner of speaking, yes. Though, being truthful, Lewphon was ultimately drawing upon an already codified discipline used by ancient civilizations to interpret the heavens, in essence rediscovering the truth behind a lost art. To provide an example that may pique your interest...
[18:02]Meria Boucher: The gates aren't the only things of celestial import we look to. The diurnal and nocturnal sects of stars, for example, are used in our reading. The diurnal are those related to the sun, and the nocturnal...
[18:03]Meria Boucher: Are the set of stars that were presided over by Dalamud, and the moon itself is still used in readings - in this era, by its absence.
[18:04]Meria Boucher: Given Dalamud's origins, and the machinations of Allag - well, you're seeing where I'm going with this, are you not?
[18:04]Isaudorel Vairemont: "... You're saying that this ancient civilization that Ser Lewphon drew from was... Allag itself?"
[18:06]Meria Boucher: Yes. Allag... was obsessed with the sky and its power.
[18:06]Meria Boucher: This should explain some of my brother and I's interest in the civilization, I trust.
[18:08]Isaudorel Vairemont nods. "It does, yes."
[18:10]Meria Boucher: At some point, I should ground all of this abstract theory for you by giving you a practical demonstration of the art of divination. I was actually, before you came to find me, working on tracking the current positions of the stars and cross-referencing them with previously observed movements, connecting them to historical events and tracing patterns among them.
[18:11]Meria Boucher: Doing so regularly provides grounding for the readings I do.
[18:13]Isaudorel Vairemont: "I believe that would be incredibly helpful, yes. I always was a practical sort of man; there's only so much that I can grasp with simple words." He smiles. "Thank you, my dear Meria."
[18:15]Meria Boucher: Of course. I know we've been talking for quite awhile... I didn't mean to take up so much of your time. Do you have alchemical matters to see to?
[18:16]Isaudorel Vairemont nods. "Unfortunately. Now that I've recovered, I would like to look into those vials I procured from Mercier's prison. It's been weighing on my mind ever since we left that awful place..."
[18:17]Meria Boucher: Of course. Have you eaten? I'd be happy to bring you some food while you work. There are still some leftovers from the risotto I made last night...
[18:20]Isaudorel Vairemont: "Ah, I would appreciate that greatly. If you would like, perhaps we can have a small meal before I focus fully on the task before me."
[18:21]Meria Boucher reaches out to take his hand. "I would like that very much."