Same as It Ever Was (Part 19)

The Golden Fate purses her lips for a moment, as though trying to decide how to answer the bevvy of questions laid before her. "They are here and they are not here," she says. "Sometimes, time exists in loops. People repeating the mistakes of their forebears... Gods who exist within and out of time... Stories that hinge upon a great conflict and then are made right again, with the implication that one day, there may be a great conflict again... These are loops. Cycles. Time is not a straightforward concept, and it is difficult to explain, but think of it like a strand of yarn being tied into a knot. Once tied too tightly, it is difficult to break out of it."

She looks at Rune particularly. "You are familiar with this," she says. "The most surefire way to break out of a loop is to cut it. To create an ending so that there is a firm beginning. Your counterparts are in a loop of their own without realizing it. They go into the cave. They meet the Corpse-Eater, who has cursed them to a loop, and they die."

Then the Golden Fate gestures to the birds. "Apotheosis and Zenith are in a loop of their own, you could say," she says. "There are many of them born again and again and again in time and space. Two brothers, one with a name for the beginning of the mortal alphabet--A--and one with a name for the ending of the mortal alphabet--Z. A firm beginning and end, and yet they live in every time and every place."

She looks at Rune with a small smile. "It won't be long now before He comes to take them. The Raven always collects his children."

Zeke hums to himself and looks at the rest of his companions thoughtfully. "If we wait here, it ssseemsss that we will meet them here... but if the god isss arriving alssso... We are not ready to meet him. Perhapsss the wissessst coursse would be to go back, and wait for the othersss to catch up to usss in their loop."

"Zeke, with all due respect, how will we -ever- be ready to meet Navos?" Telamon's voice has a touch of impatience to it. "We've got a high task ahead of us -- if we can push ahead on it, so much the better."

He reaches up to rub his temples, and sighs suddenly. "...Sorry if that came out harsh, Zeke. I... I'm missing Lana. It's like an empty space in my soul and it just keeps grating at me, the longer we stay here." He stares in the direction of Golden Fate, though he's not really seeing her. "I wonder if I was really the best person to come along on this trip."

The Goblin's ears perk up a little. "I can't speak for the others, but I would be quite pleased to meet my deity in person. It is something I think I would treasure for the rest of my life." She fusses with her ear for a moment. "Maybe His interactions with Zenith and Pothy might lend us some insight, too."

"Apotheosis and Zenith mean roughly the same thing... and if they are stuck in a loop? Perhaps a way to break all the loops is to start with the first one? It seems the ravens came before everything else, at least, before any of us were around, in any time line."

Harkashan scratches at the bottom right of his jaw. His tail swaying uneasily as the Golden Fate speaks, clearly knowing why they are here. But Harkashan is no expert on time, or time loops. He's a Deathsinger, he knows only of permanency of death, and linearity of cause and effect.

"If they are cursed, I can remove this curse upon them." He remarks idly, as he listens to Zeke's reply. He's in agreement with his kin that it may be wisest to step back and not meet the Dragon of time. But he isn't sure that they'll be coming to this place. After all, he doesn't know if the chicks before them are merely a equivalence or not.

"Such is the only thing I know how to do in this situation."

"All too familiar." Rune's voice is soft when she responds, her hand wrapping around the pendant at her throat. She can't help but think of the time loop in which her own mother had been trapped for endless years. It is not a fate she would wish upon anyone, especially if that loop has the same, bitter end.

"If they're caught in a loop, the only way we broke the last one was to end the Corpse-Eater. The source of the magic that kept people bound to their dark fate." Rune looks to the others, her expression thoughtful, yet uncertain. Her eyes look to the others, the players in this story, Nala and her cohort, "Maybe, the reason that they haven't been able to escape, is that they are missing important friends."

Then, her ear quirks in Telamon's direction, "You're here because you need to be. Though... you have my sympathies, my friend. I miss her, too." She doesn't weigh on on the idea of waiting for Navos or not. Instead, she just turns her attention back to the Golden Fate, "Could you tell us where our counterparts come in from, and where they exit to? And... if you know, which part of the cycle they are in just now?"

Aryia rubs at her face, silently sighing. Two deities already? One was enough, and at least she was cool. "Regardless how you cut it, we're going to be interjecting into some part of the loop. Either we meet Navos now, or later, and preparation thereof won't truly matter." <Handspeech/Tongues>

The Golden Fate does not have visible eyes underneath the shroud of her veil, but she inclines her head towards Rune to indicate her attention. "They're currently exploring the cavern. They are actually further ahead than you were, but... The threads of time that you encountered regenerate with each person's entry into the cavern. I put the threads there to keep track of how many cycles they have repeated. They have been here 326 times over 326."

Nala finally speaks up in soft horror. "That's... 106,276 times," she says. "How--"

Her words are interrupted by the formation of a thin blue light that arcs in the air, forming the shape of a rectangle, but then giving way to a pale blue door, which opens with a solid noise that echoes in its importance. Blinding light is on the other side--

And then out steps an old man. A gray beard billows down from his face, his eyes ever-blue, startlingly blue, as he wears long and great blue robes that hide the shape of his body. He carries a staff in one hand--or rather, a hand that is completely unseen in the billowing sleeve. He is very tall, standing at seven feet tall, but his skin is oddly smooth for an old man's.

He eyes the group for a moment before he looks at the Golden Fate. "I did not expect you to be hosting company." His voice is... almost beyond description. Young and old all at once. Masculine but barely. The only way it can definitively be described as deep, like the way a book might talk if it was given a voice to match the trees that provided it its pages.

The Golden Fate bows deeply before the old man. "I am not the host here, O Raven," she says. "Just as I am not the arbiter of fate. Merely the seer. That is your domain."

GAME: Telamon rolls will: (1)+25: 26 (EPIC FAIL)
GAME: Zeke rolls Will: (11)+26: 37
GAME: Simony rolls will: (15)+23: 38
GAME: Aryia rolls will: (4)+20: 24
GAME: Aryia rolls will: (19)+20: 39
GAME: Rune rolls will+1: (7)+18+1: 26
GAME: Harkashan rolls Will+4: (8)+28+4: 40

Zeke looks at Telamon with understanding in his green eyes. "Thisss one misssesss Cuemoni asss you misss your Cihuaa. We were advissed to collect all of Nala'sss companionssss. The Harkassshan of thisss world and the Rune of thisss world await usss to aid them. Sssomeone to aid them. Our own compasssion ssssaysss that we ssshould aid them though the easssy path isss before usss."

He reaches out and touches Telamon on the shoulder in a comforting manner. "Your wordsss do not harm thisss one, they ssspeak to your longing for your heart. Thisss ssspeaksss greatly of both you and of her."

This said, he turns his attention on the woman who is the Golden Fate so that he might hear her answer to Rune's question, particularly since he has no way to answer those that think that staying here is the wisest course beyond that which he has already said. Her answer astonishes Zeke as well as Nala, but far more surprising is the arrival of the last being that Zeke had wanted to see. They have been advised to seek Navos out only when ready to do so, and he feels far from ready for this.

He feels a great weight upon him, but the sensation doesn't last, and he straightens a little to bear the burden that is no longer there; falling silent in the face of the god. Zeke has no wish to draw the attention of this particular divine at the moment.

"I pray they've been spared the realization and memory of that many times." Harkashan speaks plainly at the revelation how many times their counterparts have already had to suffer through a loop of unknown contents. But it does speak to the matter of the threads returning after passage.

The male then glances at the door being opened. And out steps a being that makes Harkashan shudder for a moment, and lower himself just an inch, before he rears up his posture once more.

The man needs little introduction, Harkashan believes. After all, not only does he know this man's name, he also knows their Name, and with it, his true visage.

He inclines his head, then looks to the other door elsewhere within this place. For there is a loop to cure here. And while it would perhaps be all too easy to ask the Dragon of Time for aid, he believes some things must be handled by mortal hands.

No one can bear the weight of the world on their shoulders. It's why it's good to have friends. Telamon gives Zeke a tired smile. "Thank you. I just... it feels like I'm doing this with one hand tied behind my back, I'm so used to having her with me." He rubs his face a bit. "Alright. Faster we get this done, faster we go home. Now--"

And then Navos shows up, and it's like Tel gets hit with a ton of bricks. He actually flinches back a bit, and a small part of him is glad Lana isn't getting the sheer weight of the god's presence through the bond. As is, he coughs, trying to bring some of his impeccable, relentless charm to bear; but his tongue won't cooperate, and he can't seem to muster any words.

Aryia blinks at the Golden Fate elaborates, grey skin paling to an ash at the thought of the number of times the loops have gone through. But she couldn't think further on that as the sky parts and out steps...

There is a moment where she's stymied, taken back to a time where she was oh so small, pleading for oh so little. But it roots her now, even as a knee wants to buckle in deference, but the weight that slams into her slides off to the side, and she stands tall. The mute stares for a beat, before gently bowing her head.

"So... we have the potential to be able to catch up to them before they meet their fate, yet again." Rune's lips press into a thin line, seeming determined to bring the aid she feels these alternate versions may so desperately need. However, her eyes widen ever so slightly at the thought that they may have been captured in quite so many cycles of life and death.

She opens her mouth as if to say something, and then... the light blinds her momentarily as she raises an arm to shield her eyes. The sight of the old man leaves her staring, lips moving slightly as if she couldn't quite form the right words. There are slight motions of her eyes, as if she were thinking, considering, and eventually, she takes a step back from the being, as if she may have just found herself unworthy.

It seems to take most of her effort to take a couple of slow breaths, as if the weight of something great were pressing down on her shoulders, making it hard to do much more than stare in that momentary grip of the burden of such a being.

The Goblin's eyes widen as that door opens, and out steps the old man, who is both old and not-old at the same time.

Simony feels the weight of time and timelessness but is able to bear it. She steps forward and slowly, carefully prostrates herself.

"Holy Raven-keeper.", she intones, before the Goblin stands up, straightening.

Nala, Yiara, and Telanmo all buckle under the emotional weight that Telamon and Rune feel. Telanmo particularly goes to reach out for Nala, either to comfort himself, comfort her, or both. A soft sobbing sound begins to emanate from Nala.

The old man seems for a moment like he might ignore the group of adventurers entirely, his eyes only on the Golden Fate, but then Simony speaks. He turns to fix his ever-blue eyes onto the Temperance, and he regards her for a long moment.

"One of mine." He says these words impartially, merely the registering of a fact. "Curious. Did you come all this way to this place to meet me at this point in time?"

"How come..."

The words--which are Nala's--cause the old man to blink placidly and slowly. He turns a little to face the girl, who has tears leaking down her face.

"How come you never answered a single prayer?" Nala asks the question with anguish in her voice. "How come I prayed to you all those years for you to make things better, and you didn't? Did you not hear me? Or did you not care?"

There's a long moment as Navos--for that is who this man must be--does not answer. He watches completely without any emotional change in his face. "I gave up that capacity to save all of mortalkind," he says simply. "I gave it up because I cared. It is mine no longer."

The sound of distressed noises come from the raven babies. "They are hungry, o Raven," the Golden Fate says. Yet... There's a nervous sort of shift in her voice.

GAME: Telamon rolls sense motive: (18)+31: 49

Zeke looks over at Nala with compassion in his gaze where Navos lacks it in his. The Raven Lord has no ability to feel such. It is why they have come all this way. It makes sense that Nala would want answers, but... The answer was before her all along. The sith-makar lowers his head and then he takes a breath. Not to speak but to forge ahead.

There is no compassion in Navos, but there is plenty in Zeke.

"Telamon, can you create food for the ravenssss?" He expects that Navos will not feed the birds, because why would he? He has no heart to tell him to feed them. Perhaps if they create food though, the ravens will eat and that will be enough. "And then we ssshould go."

GAME: Harkashan rolls Sense Motive+2: (12)+34+2: 48

It's a sad smile that crosses Simony's face, for she knows the story, and she knows the answer to Nala's plea. Zenith's plea.

"I did not set out to be here at this point in time, in this place. But my path has led me here." The Goblin looks to Zeke, and then Telamon.

"Your giving up compassion saved the world but broke things. This place has been stuck in a loop. Your son. Zenith. Has been trying to fix this."

Her eyes open wide. "It's... it is here! Right here!" She hops up and down... "Feed them, oh holy Raven-keeper. You must feed them." Simony begins rooting around in her pouch. "I've got some peanuts here..."

Harkashan has considered things for a long time on this matter. And when the Dragon of Time declares before him that he gave away his Compassion, his ability to Feel like that away to save mortal kind, there is a moment where he thinks this is all foolish.

Here they are, a bunch of mortals, standing before a God who had to give up his position and place in the celestial hierarchy, and to do so, gave away... or perhaps rather, /carved/ away a part of himself, to take that place once more.

And here they are wanting to tell him: 'we need you to do better', 'we need more from you', 'go get that Compassion back, damned be the consequences'.

But there's something there. Beyond those eyes of the Dragon of Time. A tilt of the Sith'makar's head as he's just about to follow Zeke and... stops.

Normally he would have just followed Kin to do as Kin does. But here, he turns and instead, steps forward to approach the Black Feathered Dragon.

"You gave it up... but... you want it back." Harkashan then suddenly declares, with strange certainty. "It... irks you not to know, doesn't it?" Harkashan sounds surprised that he himself is speaking these very words.

Telamon grits his teeth, pushing back the weight of Navos's presence. Drawing on his experiences, his triumphs and failures, the recognition he has gained even if he never sought it. A deep breath, before he pushes forward -- stepping towards the Golden Fate, and her charges.

"You did more than give it up, Historian. You -forgot- it. Now there is something you do -not- know. That is why we are here -- to teach. For even a teacher can learn new things from their students."

Telamon's hand draws out some of Pothy's favorite treats -- twists of dried meat, air-cured in the mountain aeries of the egalrin. But he does not offer them to the ravens yet, instead looking at Navos. "We are not strangers, Lord of Time. I once begged your assistance to purge a great evil and right a terrible wrong. Will you trust me, when I say this is necessary for you?"

GAME: Harkashan rolls Talky: aliased to diplomacy+5: (19)+23+5: 47

Given a few more breaths, eventually the feeling of weight eases off of Rune's shoulders. However, she seems to retain some sense of wariness about this compassionless god. It is a feeling only confirmed at hearing Nala's plea. She can't help but be drawn to it in a way that the god is not, leaning towards the girl to offer what meager comfort she can with a gentle touch.

The rogue is not one who trifles much with the gods, though she serves one in her own right. So she leaves the talking to the others. She is more concerned with the people, imaginary or not, who seem to have very real emotions in that moment.

Aryia's face softens from Nala's outcry. She herself had been there before, so, so many times. It's enough to get the pugilist's eyes to mist over, her pushing her shades up the bridge of her nose to cover them. But even Navos's reaction- to see it in person- has Aryia surprised. Stunted as she is, even she had a hard time not feeling for Nala.

But the others have the right of it. Easily nailing that one missing, nagging feeling. For a god of knowledge, lacking knowledge is certainly a pain point.

Harkashan and Telamon's words have an effect on Navos. The old man's eyes... soften and yet darken all at the same time. His skin crinkles a little under his eyes with a subtle squint as he peers at Telamon. "Yes. I remember. Fiends are threats to the establishment of time. You will understand soon enough in the flow of time, but that is why I granted you aid."

The babies continue to squall for their food. Oddly... they're rapidly growing feathers. One of them is growing downy white feathers and the other is growing downy black feathers. The Golden Fate looks at Navos, seeming to be on edge for his next action.

"I do not understand why I must feed them," Navos says. "They do not require it to live. The Lady of Inspiration said that they have emotional needs, which I cannot meet."

An exasperated noise leaves Nala, tears still streaming down her eyes. Magic's starting to glow in her golden eyes, which gives her tears a similar hue. "Why not?" she asks. "Just _feeding_ them's a start. Isn't it? People are happy when they get fed food by someone they love. If those ravens are your children, they love you. They just want to be with you."

Her voice resounds with an echo as she demands, "So feed them! Start by doing just that! Do you want your compassion back, or are you going to just stand there and wallow in doing nothing!?"

Navos stands there for a moment, and then he looks at the food that some people offer. Slowly but surely... He lifts his hand. "I will do this if it leads to regaining the knowledge that I seek," he says. "What are the next steps?"

Zeke feels a small tingle of hope as Navos lifts his hand. He is no stranger to hunger. No stranger to starvation. It hurts. It aches and sinks into the bones weakening the soul. "Ssssa." He whispers, so hopeful that it's another kind of ache in his heart rather than in his stomach. He mimes a motion, one of accepting the food, and then of offering it to another. The ravens specifically.

The Goblin opens her mouth to answer, and it was going to be a kinder answer than Nala's. Simony is shocked at Nala's strong response. She frowns deeply, her hands forming little fists, knuckles audibly cracking.

"Well.", she says after a few moments of wrangling with her temper, the battle obvious on her face. "Momma birds eat and regurgitate food for their babies. Erm, since these are magical birds, I think you could get away with simply breaking the food down into small bits, and let them eat it from your hand."

The Goblin lets out a breath.

"Then you tell them that you are proud of them. Call them by their names, let them hear your voice. Tell them you are happy they are out of their shells, and seeing the world around them. Tell them they are loved."

Telamon feels like he wants to snap back, but seeing as he's in the presence of a norn and a god, that might not be a good idea. So he takes another deep breath, focusing his thoughts. Well... at least Navos is -listening-. Carefully, he puts the twists of meat in the god's outstretched hand.

"When I grew in power as a sorcerer," Telamon begins, "I discovered the very real dangers that lie in wait for those with magical prowess. Hence why I began teaching ethics. We must cultivate empathy and compassion -- to consider the thoughts and lives of others. Because to a magician, the world is made of crystal and soft clay."

Telamon looks up at the god of knowledge. "You have probably seen this many times before, Historian. Magicians can fall into horrific ends. When one can reshape the world, one also must learn to be -kind-." He offers a faint smile.

Standing beside Nala, Rune looks from the girl, to the god, and back again. This is one of those moments, perhaps, that she regrets not having inherited her mother's gift for the spoken word. Her skill has always been in writing and recording stories, not unlike the god, himself, in that regard. However, emotion and heart are always at the core of everything that Rune creates.

She hesitates once again, just in time for Nala to make her demands of the god, learning an impressed lift of the eyebrows from the rogue. Only after it seems that the god may very well be listening, does she offer her own input, though her voice has less confidence than others. Perhaps... that is her own issues with her father dampening her confidence.

"Sometimes, it is about more than giving your children what they need to live. You need to give them what they need to thrive." She swallows, looking down at her own feet in the process rather than at the god, himself. "Most children will tell you what they need, if you take the time to listen. But... in my experience it's about... caring for them regardless of the path they take. Supporting their dreams and not just your own. Giving them every tool that you can so they can be successful. Making sure they feel like they aren't alone..."

Yep, this is hitting a bit close to home…

A streak of annoyance lances across Aryia's face. While it made sense why he didn't care about feeding his children, it was the blatant disregard that made her empathy flare. Obviously, this was the mortal difference hereinof.

But then Nala... blurts out. Full of rightful passion and honest desire. And the others fill in- the small things that seem to come naturally. But all the nurture on how to was gone. "If you follow the directions of your devotee as well as the others, the results will be much different, as this variable has not been attempted yet to fill in your gaps," she offers from a different angle from the others, rooted in logic. She reaches out towards Rune, patting her on the shoulder. She too knows that all too well. <Handspeech/Tongues>

Harkashan lays his hands to his back and listens, looking towards Aryia and her counterpart. As no doubt, their role in all of this will come soon. But for now, they all watch an old man feed some birds.

Maybe he needs a park bench.

He would speak to the matter of parents caring for their children, but Rune is doing quite the job at conveying his feelings on the matter as well. Though Harkashan isn't quite as close to considering unconditional love as being something a parent should engage in. Sometimes, there is a need for a rougher hand. Too many hatchlings who never got their name, because they were handled too softly. Of course, also hatchlings who never got their name, because they were mishandled.

Navos nods gently to Telamon's words. "I remember," he says again. "There were many times where I was kind. But I do not remember how it felt when I was kind. I only remember that I was and that it was... for no logical or discernible purpose. Something foreign to me now."

Then he looks at Rune. There's an ache in his eyes then, so blue, so clear, like a summer's day. "I do not understand. This is what hurts me. I want to understand. I yearn to understand. I want to _know_." And so he takes the snacks offered to him.

He walks to the ravens, who are crying for him. They are crying for their father. Have they ever been fed by him? Have they ever been given his compassion? Does Zenith remember? Does Pothy remember? These are questions that don't get answered by the act of Navos feeding the birds, but...

He does.

A smile, so small, lights upon his face as the birds awkwardly eat the offered snacks. He feeds Apotheosis first. Then he feeds Zenith. An equal portion of everything.

For a moment, just a small moment--a breath and then it's gone--things feel... lighter, then heavier, then nothing again. The smile is gone from Navos's face, and he looks to Simony and the others. He seems to be about to ask another question when Nala's voice cuts through the space.

"Hey, umm..." Nala begins warily. "I still have... a journey to go on. I have a life to live. I have friends to save." She looks at the others. "I know that... for you, all of you wanted to teach the Raven compassion, but... I... I want to live. For real."

Navos pauses. "I will need additional practice," he says. "There are many ways forward. There are many futures that could be."

The Golden Fate then pauses. "There... is a way," she says. "I have seen two, in fact. Should all of you wish to continue with Nala on her journey... She, or one of the others in her party, may grow powerful enough to become a new servitor of Navos. The alternative..."

She looks at the group. "One of you must stay with Navos, forever, to advise him on Compassion."

-TBC