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Gabe2505

The Art of Lying to the Face of God

Gabe2505
Jul 8th, 2020
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  1. [22:08] Leni bounds in, the regal Teraphim behind her. She points to Armand.
  2.  
  3. "That one! Left Arm!"
  4. (Leni)
  5. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  6.  
  7. [22:09] Finn Ghede says, "Ah right, Armand. The letter."
  8. [22:09] Leni asks, "You, like, need anything and stuff?"
  9. [22:09] Finn Ghede says, "I believe I'm alright now, Leni."
  10. [22:10] Leni says, "Okaybyyyye."
  11. [22:10] Leni backflips away.
  12. (Leni)
  13. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  14.  
  15. [22:11] Not caring for the lie much, their arms just crossed while smirking as per usual. It seemed he just found it more humorous then anything else, "If'n ye' are offerin' me a spot...I'm guessin' that's all ye' are offerin'?" Slowly their neck tilted in mild curiosity, "Ye' don't have the resources or like t' be payin' people for work...Do ye'? Because if I were t' help with somethin' like this, I'd be expectin' payment of the like...Unless ye' are thinkin' it'll be more intellectual payment of sorts."
  16.  
  17. Boldly the man spoke, a lot more often then he normally did truthfully. When it came to business related things, especially with himself, they always went to make sure the other side understood them.
  18.  
  19. "All in all friend, are ye' just lookin' for smart free labor, or lookin' for partners of sorts?"
  20.  
  21. And then, Finley and Leni appeared. Something about a letter, they did not know in the least.
  22. (Boa)
  23. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  24.  
  25. [22:12] Adder offered a casual shrug as he stepped off to the side, clearly holding absolutely no intentions of being directly part of any ongoing conversation, up until he was needed.
  26.  
  27. He was only there to eavesdrop and seek opportunities for profit, nothing more, nothing less.
  28. (Adder)
  29. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  30.  
  31. [22:16] "All in all, Mr. Boa, it comes down to the fact that I'm sure you would like to see the stuff of dreams realized with your two eyes, live - you needn't toss in any cents, if profit is your concern!"
  32.  
  33. His hands clasp together and skim, desperate for heat. It would seem that, outside a forge, Armand was always after specks of the ardor any other place lacked - a light tan has become visible on him as of late.
  34.  
  35. And then, more of his acquaintances finally come in. An unsettling simper cleaves his face in twain, much like a river of ivory sectioning ethers from nethers. He steps forward, curtsying only a single foot in a bend, but not offering a handshake.
  36.  
  37. For some reason, attempting to grip the hand of a man who reigned over a chaste of unblemished, crystal people felt wrong.
  38.  
  39. "High Lord! I am so pleased you have made time for me - it is quite fortunate the subject here with my compeers boils down to the same topic I'd like to debate with you. Tell me: have you brought an open mind with yourself?"
  40. (Armand)
  41. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  42.  
  43. [22:18] Armand says, "Ah, yes - I'd like for you to be around for this, Leni."
  44. [22:21] Leni was about to backflip away. She is halfway into it before she whips back forward.
  45. (Leni)
  46. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  47.  
  48. [22:21] Finn gave a look to the backflipping druid as she left, though it wasn't anything scornful or rude, but rather that mildly amused expression he normally wore when interacting with her. He turned back to those gathered within his tower, and slowly did his arms come to cross over his front.
  49.  
  50. The High Lord did not bear the Crown of Aschea upon his head, but rather had the artifact fastened tightly to his side by a ceremonial black sash, a setting that placed under the quick grasp of his right, crystalline hand so no thief could snatch it from him.
  51.  
  52. Not that they would survive its power once they came into physical contact with it anyway.
  53.  
  54. And though the Teraphim appeared no more than twenty, his reputation and station certainly ensured humans might recognize that he was far older than that, a soldier likely set in some certain ways of his faith, a religion most known for its stubbornness in some aspects of its teachings.
  55.  
  56. Still, he responded with, "I consider myself open minded on certain subjects. Others I'll remain resolute on and quite immovable. What's the debate you wish to have?"
  57. (Finn Ghede)
  58. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  59.  
  60. [22:28] "As it should be!"
  61.  
  62. Taking not a single further second, Armand unpockets a circular disc of brass, bearing little more mass than a fist. At least a dozen buttons fill its upper pave, but only a third are pressed for whatever effect the tinkerer intended.
  63.  
  64. From the palace's doors, crossed three critters of metal, as coppery as the remote that commanded them. They walked in at a slow, lethargic pace, in a rhythm quite fitting to its ten feet of height.
  65.  
  66. Their forms were anomalous and strange, but similar to woodland beasts and wights you could spot either among wildlife or in the ambit of chronicled fantasies. At a sudden churn, they halt, and their eyes, formerly lit with cyan, go dim.
  67.  
  68. "These are automatons, a fabrication I have come to pride myself in, as of late. As it is, they're fueled by nothing a pinprick of electricity" which he has generated "and mana" which he has injected by martyrizing his own reserves "for the sake of... mobility and basic functioning."
  69.  
  70. "This, however, makes them only apt for such displays. Without a conscience or a nucleus to feed them truly, they're little more than toys of amusement."
  71.  
  72. With a turning glance, the inventor's eyes focus on Leni, and remain there despite the broad ranging of his speech.
  73.  
  74. "But I have recently come across a most splendid finding, my gracious High Lord - a house, inhabited by a benevolent spirit." His gaze recenters on the three automatons, and his smile widens. "And it was blissful. It was joyous and full of integrity and zest."
  75.  
  76. "I have come to ponder and consider... I would like to extend a chance to host a body to the remainder of the spirits in your Vale as well. Sentinels, peacekeepers, or simple minglers in everyday life..."
  77.  
  78. "...to bring them to the fray of our midst. To enrich us. To prepare us for what has been moving beyond our gaze, too."
  79. (Armand)
  80. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  81.  
  82. [22:31] Leni doesn't get to vault of quite yet, which is a shame because she likes springing about. Instead she lingers, rocking forward and back on her heels.
  83.  
  84. Oooh. Right. Left Arm wanted to talk about this.
  85.  
  86. "Yeah! He wants to give the spirits legs! It sounded pretty cool," she chirrups. A little reductive, but hey. That's how the druid operates.
  87. (Leni)
  88. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  89.  
  90. [22:31] Armand says, "That... is a way to put it yes, my friend."
  91. [22:32] Leni says, "That's the easy way to put it, cuz the rest kinda' hurts my head."
  92. [22:33] Adder says, "Mmm...Interestin' project, ta' say the least."
  93. [22:33] Armand says, "I knew you'd like it, Mr. Adder."
  94. [22:34] Adder says, "Aye, a pinch o' discovery is all it takes ta' revolutionize this lil' place we call Esshar."
  95. [22:44] Finn was quiet, and as his pale gaze followed the small automatons with some silent interest. Their movements were curious, at the very least, and though he could sense they held no life within them, he didn't halt Armand's explanation as to what they were.
  96.  
  97. Some further inquiry was asked as the inventor seemed eager to meld spirit with metal, and though in the past such experimentation had yielded only heinous results, the High Lord gave some quiet consideration to the proposition.
  98.  
  99. Leni's enthusiasm was added into the mix of his thoughts.
  100.  
  101. "There was once an alchemist of Ilburg who sought to harness the power of the spirits in some elixirs. He is dead now." the High Lord said, the cold edge to the statement not lost on anyone present. "But his work enslaved them, bound them to his whims as some ingredient, when really they are sentient entities far beyond the comprehension of a single minded man."
  102.  
  103. Finn's stare was piercing, uncomfortably so, and as it turned to Armand, there was a slight chill to the widened chamber.
  104.  
  105. "I don't intend to stand in the way of something that could benefit my home and the spirits, but you'll have to give me your word that only those willing to undergo such an experiment will be used, and that these spirits won't be in any danger of entrapment or hidden snaring." His head tilted to the side just barely so.
  106.  
  107. "Some of them would jump at the chance to manifest themselves as something greater in our world. Others would abhor the idea of dwelling within some manmade shell. At the end, if you can promise they will forever have their freedom to come and go, their ability to choose their paths where you play not as their master as you do these puppets, but as an ally, then I don't see a problem in your work."
  108.  
  109. A pause came next, followed by another frigid warning.
  110.  
  111. "It should go without saying what might await you if such tests prove to be harmful to my kin."
  112.  
  113. The voice that came forth was not the same that came from the lips of the Teraphim, but instead a whispered and airy hiss from the walls, from the floors, the ceilings, and the very air here. Some called Finn the Spirit of Truth, and rumors held that he was both Aschean born mortal and a phantom himself.
  114.  
  115. "Your work will be supervised by one of my trusted. And you will be forbidden from entering the furthest depths of the Vale. Do not enter there without one of my own at your side." He looked over to Leni and said, "If you'd like to help him, you may. I'd feel comfortable knowing you're overseeing some of it in my stead."
  116. (Finn Ghede)
  117. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  118.  
  119. [22:51] Through the entirety of Finn Ghede's speech, Armand is all smiles, much like a child that has unpackaged a birthday gift they have only tantalized for far too long. His fingers nudge and ram against one another, as the sole alternative he has for unleashing his now even more hectic mood.
  120.  
  121. "You have my word and my oath, High Lord. Only voluntary spirits, who wish to commingle with humankind, will ever be bound to these bodies - and reversing the procedure will be quite simple, I promise you."
  122.  
  123. The inventor trudges forward, standing two feet away from the teraphim. "If I ever fail to keep my word, you and all of Myllenoris are free to pursue the endeavor of holding my head to a platter!" An unafraid, yet ghastly statement. In normal circumstances, Armand's own queasy nature would forbid him from making it.
  124.  
  125. "You have no reason to invest your trust in me, as we've only just come to meet-" A hand extends forward, and for a first, in an intrepid, unabashed gesture of goodwill, Armand offers for it to shake.
  126.  
  127. How venturesome!
  128.  
  129. "But your unprejudiced approach has already earned you a friend in me. To the future, High Lord."
  130. (Armand)
  131. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  132.  
  133. [22:57] Leni, too, is all smiles. There's rarely a time that she's not grinning, not moving in some form or fashion. She leaves them to hash out the boring parts, but of course a few things do catch her notice.
  134.  
  135. The druid's stare flashes with a glint of mischief, her smile, briefly, becomes a rebellious smirk. It is not the booming voice of Truth, but the watchful, eager stare of Freedom. If only for an instant.
  136.  
  137. "Don't worry! I already told 'im about that! No making 'em do what they don't wanna," the druid assures the Lord. Enslavement and capture were not liable to be tolerated. "I figured I'd help, cuz it sounds cool! Might be, like, good practice for some other druids too or something.
  138.  
  139. I'll keep a reeeaaaal good watch though! Promise."
  140. (Leni)
  141. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  142.  
  143. [23:03] "Good work then, Leni." Finn said, first acknowledging the druidess before the scientist. The High Lord's predisposed bias was ever obvious; his people and his kingdom came before all others on Esshar, and the Vale and the spirits within came before even that. Leni could understand that more than most, and for that he did trust her judgement.
  144.  
  145. "I wouldn't staunch the flow of progress. Some spirits even call out for it. There will is my own, and for that, I won't stand in your way unless it's necessary."
  146.  
  147. Not much else was needed to be said, for Armand clearly heard the warning and would heed it well.
  148.  
  149. "You're free to begin whenever then. Keep me updated, hm?"
  150. (Finn Ghede)
  151. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  152.  
  153. [23:04] Armand exclaims, "Of course, High Lord!"
  154. [23:04] Armand asks, "Your sanction is of utmost importance. Would you mind... giving me written proof of your support?"
  155. [23:04] Armand says, "Lady Amalia herself suggested I contacted you for this."
  156. [23:07] Finn Ghede says, "Mm."
  157. [23:08] Finn Ghede says, "So long as you're accompanied by one of my own, no one should question it."
  158. [23:08] Finn Ghede says, "The Valeborne know of my will."
  159. [23:08] Finn Ghede says, "But..."
  160. [23:08] Leni says, "Or you guys could totally pinky swear."
  161. [23:08] Finn Ghede says, "I'll get something to you soon."
  162. [23:08] Finn Ghede says, "If it's really needed."
  163. [23:08] Armand says, "I would not oppose to that."
  164. [23:08] Adder says, "Keep in mind, if'n ya' ever get tired o' tryin' ta' help out the valefolk's lil' domain."
  165. [23:09] Adder says, "I'm sure Boa 'n I could always use another pair o' hands in the future."
  166. [23:09] Armand says, "Hah! You're more than welcome to oversee this beside me, Mr. Adder."
  167. [23:09] Armand says, "Very well, then. I will not occupy any more of your time, High Lord."
  168. [23:09] Adder says, "Ehh, matters o' the spirit are interestin', but I believe I'm more interested in matters o' the flesh, fer' now."
  169. [23:09] Adder says, "I aint an artificer afterall."
  170. [23:11] Adder silently plucked a small pipe, crudely whittled from a piece of oak, from the depths of his jacket. With a casual motion, he placed the tip of the tool betwixt his lips, perching it there for the time-being.
  171. (Adder)
  172. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  173.  
  174. [23:12] Armand parts with a flourish, all too flowered and full of garniture in motion to someone of his relatively humble standing. The inventor rarely invested too much effort in his words, but it was through this brand of simplicity that he drew so many.
  175.  
  176. "It was, again, my pleasure. With this, only a single further steps remains between us and our ultimate goal!"
  177.  
  178. Invocation itself.
  179.  
  180. "Under Leni's escort, I will be heading into the Vale to commune and perform the saddling operation - and in no more than a few weeks we will have our first specimens among us."
  181. (Armand)
  182. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  183.  
  184. [23:12] Finn Ghede says, "Ah of course. Take all the time you need."
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