leicesters: (112)
Claude von Riegan ([personal profile] leicesters) wrote in [community profile] kenoscomm2024-03-08 01:40 pm

LOCKED TO MERIDIAN

[Claude's communion prescence has always been like a summer breeze; warm, easygoing, albeit difficult to read before it moves on. Now it has more of a brittle, bitter quality, like a looming dust-cloud he has to hold at a distance. There's no going back from this point when he knows things will only escalate from here, and so now seems like an important time to address his fellow Meri.]

The fight for the next Oracle will be on us soon. The Tribune may have been slain, but he entrusted the future of the worlds to us. Though he won't be able to help us see this through, we can still fight for him, and all the others we've lost along the way. We can fight for Springstar... and we can fight for Quetzalcoatl.

[There's a brief pause on this point. Her death deserves respect and acknowledgement, and she may not be the last to meet such a fate before the fighting is over.]

...We'll fight for your homes, too. After all, our worlds aren't that different, right? They might be flawed in their own ways, and there might even be some of you who would rather stay here when this is done. But every world and the life on it is precious, and it beats whatever phony world Yima and her followers come up with.

Speaking of Yima: I've discussed this with a few people already, but I suspect she's still alive. When the Blight almost destroyed Kenos, somehow she was still around. When I asked her about it, she said she wasn't bound by time like a normal person is. She can exist in different times and different places simultaneously; I don't know how it works, but maybe she even foresaw this attempt on her life before it even happened.

That said, it's just speculation, so we might as well play dumb and behave towards Zenith as if we're convinced she's dead for now. It'll be easier for us that way.

[Others have probably arrived at a similar conclusion, perhaps people among Zenith's ranks too, but it bears saying, particularly for those newly arrived to the conflict.]

Anyway, enough about her -- how about we use this opportunity for a little strategy get-together? We have a few new faces around, so feel free to introduce yourself and your capabilities.

For those of us who have been around longer, feel free to toss in an introduction too. More importantly, share what you know about Zenith and its current capabilities, in combat or otherwise. Any insight into their current thinking would be useful right now, too. What's their morale like? We know by now that some of them really hate our guts, and I wonder how much their desire for revenge is going to play into the next battle...

[He sounds casual, almost flippant, but there's a serious point in there he's sure he doesn't need to overstate: the more loyal Zenites are going to have some serious motivation in the next battle to get back at them, whether they believe Yima is gone or not.]

Let's not let our own judgement be clouded by revenge, even if we've sustained losses. We need to go into this with a clear head, looking toward the future.

Oh-- on that note, Hayame wants to speak with some of you about some further strategising either before or after the Oracle. Sorry that's a little vague, but I'm sure she'll talk to you about it properly when the time comes. For now, let's just focus on one thing at a time.
fishfearme: (look down)

[personal profile] fishfearme 2024-03-08 05:57 pm (UTC)(link)
Perhaps it is time to put together an assassination pack for the more dangerous Zenites...
a_noble_flame: (053)

[personal profile] a_noble_flame 2024-03-08 05:57 pm (UTC)(link)
Perhaps not but it is a good bit of information for us, isn't it?
escardos: (pic#16851441)

2/2

[personal profile] escardos 2024-03-08 05:58 pm (UTC)(link)
[ but then he suddenly bounces back with his usual energy! ]

Alright! I think I can work on something for it! Heheh, I really would like to know where they come from!
Edited 2024-03-08 17:58 (UTC)
redsoil: (pic#16220613)

[personal profile] redsoil 2024-03-08 05:58 pm (UTC)(link)
Amos Burton and Silco are fully entrenched in Zenith. They will never consider Meridian, nor respond ever again to our beliefs — do not treat either of them as someone you can parlay with. Attack them, eliminate them.

They both killed our own: Tribune Cyrus and Quetzalcoatl, to establish themselves to Zenith. Remember that.
warmare: (真面目)

[personal profile] warmare 2024-03-08 05:59 pm (UTC)(link)
I agree with every name listed here.

There might be some value to capturing for the sake of execution, in order to restore Springstar's morale with the death of those who carried out the assassination...

But if there is any risk detected, it is better to just shatter them.
escardos: (quatorze.)

[personal profile] escardos 2024-03-08 06:00 pm (UTC)(link)
You know them too!?

[ flat is overjoyed to hear this, holy shit. ]

I miss them so much! Video games, anime, movies… how can this world not have any of that.

[ this is a very important conversation to have, of course it is. ]
warmare: (眼帯 二)

[personal profile] warmare 2024-03-08 06:02 pm (UTC)(link)
As long as it stays with us.

Will it?
hauntedking: (29)

[personal profile] hauntedking 2024-03-08 06:04 pm (UTC)(link)
Perhaps. We could dedicate specific teams to hunting them in the Oracle...
clockpunk: (052)

[personal profile] clockpunk 2024-03-08 06:04 pm (UTC)(link)
Yeah, man! Earth 2017, right here.

[ there'd been enough timeline fuckery to know that establishing this was probably a good start?? ]

Sounds like your Earth had magic though, so it's probably not the same one? Maybe they're like, adjacent or somethin'?
annmorous: (045)

[personal profile] annmorous 2024-03-08 06:04 pm (UTC)(link)
[Getting big Futaba vibes from this guy. Or maybe he's more like Yusuke mumbling about an art idea... She's so used to it at this point it's almost endearing.]

Wow, are you some kind of expert on this stuff?
redsoil: (pic#16220628)

[personal profile] redsoil 2024-03-08 06:06 pm (UTC)(link)
More than that! I have targets to name — you can thank me after. I enjoy wine, beer and fresh grain as tokens of admiration. Or a little prayer to my glory.

[ Anyways. ]

I have it on high Authority [ divine authority, even ] that the individuals known as Drizzt, Rin, Link, Matt and Demeisen are all Zenites insecure or unsure about their role and place among their kin. They are the weakest links, so prey on their minds and pressure them hard, they'll probably shatter long before they figure out how to survive the consequences for their choice.

[ ur welcome tezca ]
hauntedking: (Default)

[personal profile] hauntedking 2024-03-08 06:08 pm (UTC)(link)
Quite true. And worth remembering should you encounter them...
hauntedking: (22)

[personal profile] hauntedking 2024-03-08 06:09 pm (UTC)(link)
Agreed. If it is to be war to the death, then we have no other choice.
escardos: (pic#13478938)

[personal profile] escardos 2024-03-08 06:11 pm (UTC)(link)
Oh that’s incredible! Both the stories and the dragon, I mean. Even those that aren’t humans deserve to be loved, and even toxic romances can act as a reflection of society and its flaws. That’s why pieces like Beauty and the Beast are so popular!

[ sure, he figures that this is more up his alley, but flat does also prefer stories surrounding non-humans, despite being a human himself. ]

And don’t feel discouraged! Even if you can’t fly, a laser beam is intimidating enough. [ he hums, thinking. ] Does it spend your magical energy?
a_noble_flame: (030)

[personal profile] a_noble_flame 2024-03-08 06:12 pm (UTC)(link)
If it belongs to the Meridian side then I have no interest in compromising it. There are things that must remain confidential in the Army as well.

However if you fear my loose lips so much you're welcome to come put me down yourself should you see the need. Let your justice lead you where you think it should, Hayame of Echigo.
kaientai: (239)

[personal profile] kaientai 2024-03-08 06:13 pm (UTC)(link)
Well, I commend you on your spirit, but I can't help but disagree with a few points.

[ And by the sound of things, as usual, he's going to be the unpopular opinion, but Ryouma has never shied away from that. ]

First, shattering souls is not like killing. When you kill someone, their soul still goes through the cycle of rebirth. That soul and everything it was isn't lost forever and wholly wiped from existence. We aren't doing Oblivion's job for it when we kill.

When someone is shattered, they're just gone. Quetzalcoatl came from my world. She meant something to the people there, and that is a loss that can never be repaired. What has changed as a result, I wonder? You all felt it. What happens when something that vast just stops existing?

This brings me to my second point — we don't know the true consequences. We have several more Oracles ahead of us, yes? As I said to Hayame when we had this discussion, what if one of the Oracles judged our worthiness by how willing we were to welcome Oblivion by tearing more holes in what's left of reality? Have you felt particularly hunted lately? What could potentially slide into the vacancies left behind by those souls in their desire to consume us?

[ He might be laying it on a little thick, but he figures the only way to get people to listen is to make them ask themselves what they're personally willing to risk by opening that particular door. ]

Do I have to remind you what happened when they tried to revive the Tribune? How "We never would have been able to Enter without the Choices that have been made"? Something is trying to get in.

No one even shattered the Tribune, but something is clearly not right. We shouldn't be taking more significant risks out of fear.

[ And he's sure that's all this is. It's not a strategy; it's because people are afraid. ]

Right now, Zenith is leading in irrevocable sins against the natural order thanks to Silco, so why not let them lie in the bed they've made for themselves? I've met Gen, if only briefly. If we can't win this war without destroying the soul of a sad teenager, we should be ashamed of ourselves.

Dissipate every Zenite on sight and make the Tree revive them a hundred times if you must. Destruction is in Zenith's nature. That can't be Meridian's way, too.
sterngaze: (Default)

Liem Talbott

[personal profile] sterngaze 2024-03-08 06:15 pm (UTC)(link)
[Liem’s presence in communion is quiet, contained, but distinct; a full moon reflected in water; a candle flame shining through the dark.]

For those of you who are recently arrived, I am Liem Talbott, previously based in the country of Taldor: Priest of Abadar’s church, Decurion of Springstar. I arrived here nearly a year and a half ago, and have served Meridian for most of that time, though I also frequent Alenroux to assist the people there.

What knowledge, expertise, and status I’ve gathered here, I will gladly leverage should you have need for it. I have ties to the Church of Helios and am very familiar with Kenos’s markets. You may also rely on my blade and my bow in the face of danger.
escardos: (quatorze.)

[personal profile] escardos 2024-03-08 06:16 pm (UTC)(link)
Huh? Oh…

[ he pauses, thinking about it. ]

Well, I wouldn’t call myself an expert, but when I want to do something, I usually figure it out! And I’m really interested in this stuff since I first saw it, so I really want to study one.
annmorous: (038)

[personal profile] annmorous 2024-03-08 06:18 pm (UTC)(link)
Well, good luck!

And don't go trying to snag a shadow on your own, okay? It's too dangerous.
hauntedking: (22)

[personal profile] hauntedking 2024-03-08 06:19 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Hmm. Dimitri has to pause and listen to this for a long few moments. It... makes sense to him. And while he's used to violence, war, killing, there's something there about souls that does give him pause. ]

...you do make a compelling point in that regard. We don't quite know what this oblivion is or what it is that lurks outside of our circle of light here. If destroying shards does open the way for more such creatures or the creature then it probably should be avoided. The only issue is that we still know so little about it or even about why things are the way they are.

[ There's a soft sound or sensation of a finger tapping against a desk or table. ]

Dissipation, then. And keeping their shards somewhere where they cannot reform, possibly.
wolfish: (look)

[personal profile] wolfish 2024-03-08 06:22 pm (UTC)(link)
Introduction time, huh?

[ Typically, Yuri doesn't go in for this sort of thing. With good reason, he'd say, seeing as someone could trade sides at any time, have their sympathies plied, and give away information that puts one at a severe disadvantage or leads to death.

So far, he's managed to fly under the radar for the most part by his own assessment. His more serious battles either aren't remembered or his opponents have vanished by now, so there doesn't appear to be a target on his back, so far as he knows.

He'd be happy to keep it that way, convenient as it is, so what first precedes actual words is a calculated sense of reservation. ]


I know a little bird or two might've said otherwise by now, but call me Yuri. [ His true name is reserved for very few, and it feels strange hearing Regulus from just anybody, let him live. ] I'd be the guy you want if a job involves stealth.

[ He uses stealth as an umbrella term, not that he clarifies as much. ]

But I'm an able hand in a fight. I don't miss with throwing weapons or spells. From what I've observed, I'm among the more advanced with healing magic on our side. Happen to cover ground quickly, so if you need it, you can call on me.
sheezit: (s7)

[personal profile] sheezit 2024-03-08 06:23 pm (UTC)(link)
You forgot to say you're [ Claude's girlfriend and ] like, everyone's boss in Meridian, you know. Can't let that slip anyone's mind!

[ A very important addition! Both of them. ]
warmare: (眼帯 二)

[personal profile] warmare 2024-03-08 06:23 pm (UTC)(link)
You may find me overly suspicious, second lieutenant. But you are new here. I make these accusations because I have seen it happen time and again- people who claim to fight for Meridian giving Zenites succor, sparing them, sharing information with them.

I would hope my justice were never to be aimed at my own allies.

But unfortunately, it has been. And I am willing to do it again.
wolfish: (setback)

[personal profile] wolfish 2024-03-08 06:24 pm (UTC)(link)
New faces ought to know about those pools of shadow too, now that you mention it. Hell of a lot of people fell to those creatures made of the same stuff.
wolfish: (mull)

[personal profile] wolfish 2024-03-08 06:29 pm (UTC)(link)
[ He sees a few names on that list he has thoughts about, but he neatly tucks those away. ]

I'll keep it in mind.

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