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Tizbiz Zeitgeist Campaign
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<blockquote data-quote="Lylandra" data-source="post: 8091151" data-attributes="member: 6816692"><p><span style="color: rgb(65, 168, 95)">Oh, the madness hasn't even started. Tiz warned us that we wouldn't have too much of a chance to make a change here, but we... umm... ignored it and tried anyway? I mean, why do you make socially apt and influential characters after all? And yep, planar protection and Av were our main foci as well. </span></p><p><span style="color: rgb(65, 168, 95)"></span></p><p><span style="color: rgb(65, 168, 95)">I don't know why he didn't include Lya.. maybe because she wasn't written in with the original adventure. He only gave Luc and Ottavia a brief cameo for probably the same reason. </span></p><p></p><p><strong><em>The conference talks, day one (conclusion)</em></strong></p><p></p><p>Next on our list is the Watchmaker's presentation, a faction represented by friendly neighborhood ghost Amielle Latimer. But as soon as she starts talking about this plan, we surely hope that this isn't her personal opinion as she came across as quite the likable, quirky individualist before.</p><p></p><p>She explains that if the past has told us anything, then that individuals are selfish and violent. To truly make people change, she says, would require generations of re-education. So she proposes that the Obs should eradicate free will for a thousand years to make everyone follow a scripted reality of peace and cooperation. She injects that we shouldn't fear these times as her scientists and calculations integrated every possible catastrophe in their plan and it is indeed fail-proof. After these thousand years, Amielle explains, people will regain their free will once again, but now they'll only remember eras of peace and peak morality and won't be able to act violently or selfishly again.</p><p></p><p>We... don't know where we should start to dissect Amielle's plan, so we start right in the middle as we'd been watching her exposition in a state of shock and disbelief. Carlyle/Kiov starts with the fact that simply defining “good” and “evil” behaviors that are commonly accepted throughout Lanjyr would be futile as people already have differing opinions about such an easy question like the morality of slavery. So who is she to dare and provide an answer to this question drakran philosophers had been arguing about for generations?</p><p></p><p>Also, he adds, why would 1000 years be necessary as most people only live for a couple of hundred years. This Amielle has an answer to, as she explains that Eladrin do have a really long lifespan.</p><p></p><p>“Alright then, but what about ye ghosties? You'd remember everything, right? And I know one ghost who I don't believe will ever pass your 'goodness' test”</p><p></p><p>Amielle nods to this objection, and adds that her predictions indeed result in a next-to 100% likelihood that even the ghost councilors will be reformed after the process. Next is Auryn/Livia who states that no model will ever be able to correctly model the true unpredictability which is existence, especially if one counts in the fact that fate ceases to exist if one replaces Reida. So what if something does go wrong and there's no one left to correct the plan? She does sound weirdly surprised about her own words though. Then, she continues, there is the fact that sacrificing generations of people for such a project is nothing short but cruel and how can goodness ever be the result of cruelty? Oh and removing Av should be off the table.</p><p></p><p>All in all we agree that this plan is totally ludicrous and most dangerous and we quickly move on to the next panel. This time it is Cula Ravjahani who is tasked with the honor of presenting the Miller's Pyre faction. As we move there, we realize that this is the last “big” talk for the conference and we're beginning to guess that all entries up to this point might have been big disappointments on purpose, leading up to the one “true choice” of a good plan. At least that's what we hope for.</p><p></p><p>So Cula starts by explaining that this plan, Miller's Pyre, was originally established by her mentor, Kasvarina, who is sadly absent for now. Still she served as Kasvarina's right hand for long, which is why she is certain that she'll be able to explain her idea convincingly. Kasvarina, she explains, is an Eladrin and one of the conspiracy's founders, so she hopes that we'll trust the wisdom of hers.</p><p></p><p>Then she starts with the plan's basis: The teachings of the philosopher Miller and the story of his untimely demise at the hands of ignorant Clergymen. This, she says, is one of too many cases where violence and conflict arose because people were unable to understand each other, or simply too ignorant to try and open up to one another. If only there was more empathy in this world, she laments. And then proposes that fortunately, the Obs have found a plane of air that's capable of giving everyone the power of heightened empathy, the innate ability to understand each other's perspective no matter the ignorance.</p><p></p><p>She then adds that in remembrance of Miller's logic, she'd add in an aspect of logic that would make people be more easily swayed by logical arguments to prevent those with the most powerful emotions and convictions overpowering those with subtler but more rational minds. Also, she's open for cooperation and new ideas as her plan is currently having an open space for a new moon, so keep the suggestions flowing.</p><p></p><p>This is the first plan that Livia openly applauds and even Kiov nods approvingly. When it is time to raise questions, we do lament the lack of a planar barrier, but add that Cula might work this one out as she still has a spot free for a moon, so this might just suffice. Livia then states that she'd have loved to meet this inspiring mentor of Cula's and asks why Kasvarina couldn't make it today. Cula replies that she's busy somewhere else, but Auryn senses that she doesn't know what happened to Kasvarina, so she leaves the subject.</p><p></p><p>We then ask her if there might be a list of our current planar alignments and the other spheres the Obs have found and Cula leads us to a wall plastered with different planar icons where everything is lain out in detail, including a planar configuration and explanation for each of the major plans. This way, we learn that there are more, likely already abandoned plans of the Obs. Also, we finally understand what Nicodemus meant when he stated that our current plane of air could be responsible for the limitation on flight powers and learn that it is merely a planar trait that makes gold block teleportation. Oh and regarding fate, prophecy and Reida, this is actually a strong, planar influence as well.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: rgb(65, 168, 95)">(Big thank you to [USER=6925177]@arkwright[/USER] for providing the planar configurations! I know that Tiz would have been in major trouble at this point as we all knew that our characters wouldn't be content with being just presented with these plans, but rather would want to understand it at that point. And if the Obs were able to understand our own configuration and make that many different plans then they'd <strong>need</strong> to have a big list of different planes and a rough idea on what each and every one of them would do.</span></p><p><span style="color: rgb(65, 168, 95)"></span></p><p><span style="color: rgb(65, 168, 95)">Also, I for once had a blast during this conference talk part. Because I've been to scientific conferences a couple of times and know what to expect from a keynote talk or a proposal. And I'm always among those raising questions to the researcher. Most times I'm really just interested and tame, so this was my one chance of asking really mean questions <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite2" alt=";)" title="Wink ;)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=";)" /></span></p><p><span style="color: rgb(65, 168, 95)"></span></p><p><span style="color: rgb(65, 168, 95)">Carlyle's player fortunately joined in and I guess we floored Tiz with our dissections.)</span></p><p></p><p>Our small group discusses the various planar effects and guess that someone might have changed the planar configuration 200 years ago when the dragons lost their flight. Of course, this doesn't cause amusement in Gradiax who sees himself robbed of his birthright. This rage is short-lived however, and it seems as if he' able to brush it off as “it happened and life goes on”.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: rgb(65, 168, 95)">(Ok... didn't expect that to be honest)</span></p><p></p><p>We go look for some planar experts and ask them whether changing planar configurations could have dire consequences for creatures like the Titans of Risur who coexist in both Dreaming and our world and are usually sleeping. Livia states that she fears they might wake up if the world and their existence is changed so much and she asks them to make an educated guess on what might happen.</p><p></p><p>Of course, this is only one side of the coin as she mentally states that she's also concerned that one part of the Obs plan might still be to get rid of the Titans for good. The experts are not really well-read in risuri folklore, so they mare some quick assumptions based on what they know and what Livia tells them and come to the conclusion that these creatures will most likely not even sense that anything happened.</p><p></p><p>These guys are still happy that finally someone is keen on listening to their expertise, so they explain that back in ancient days there was no planar configuration at all. Some Ancients must then have designed this huge ritual to limit the numbers of planar influences to eight. Prior to this, our world would have been subject to many more, possibly infinite planar influences.</p><p></p><p>We thank the experts for sharing their knowledge and mentally discuss that maybe the Ancients wanted to create a planar barrier to shut off external invaders like the Gidim or whatever diabolic force this Golden Legion of Egal the Shimmering might be. And yes, we are really grateful that they warded them off for good.</p><p></p><p>Then, we take a bit more time to discuss the Obs' proposals in detail. We quickly agree that the first four proposals are nothing we could agree to join in. Even if we can see a few good intentions in some, while others are nothing but lunacy. We again guess that this setup is intentional, leading up to the sole agreeable proposal that is Miller's Pyre, but fear that some Obs might be crazy enough to feel drawn to the Colossus or Panarchist factions.</p><p></p><p>Both Auryn and Carlyle feel that Miller's Pyre is a genuinely well-intentioned and thought out plan, even if it needs to be modified to include a planar barrier. Even though Carlyle feels very much uncomfortable with the thought of being able to feel someone else's emotions. He asks to think more deeply about the Pyre for a while as he cannot wrap his head around the fact that this plan sounds so good on paper while something is still uncannily unsettling for him.</p><p></p><p>“I get it now... as unfortunate as this is.”, he states. “Miller's Pyre is about emotional manipulation and that is what I cannot approve. If you take the prevalence of logic and the gravitas of a logical argument and mix it with empathy, then you'll have a system where two things could easily happen: First, strong logic might lead to a system where the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few. And the few are more ready to agree because they feel empathetic towards the needs of the many. Second, this system would put cognitively disadvantaged people who are less capable of logic at a disadvantage, meaning that those who are gifted or can afford good schools will hold greater influence in this new world.”</p><p></p><p><span style="color: rgb(65, 168, 95)">(Someone knows their Vulcans <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite2" alt=";)" title="Wink ;)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=";)" /> And yes, these are very valid points)</span></p><p></p><p>Auryn lets these arguments sink in for a while before defending what sounds like a better world in her eyes.</p><p></p><p>“I understand what you fear. But think about it that way: Even those who are gifted and who got the good arguments are still made emphatic. So this wouldn't be that 'cold logic' dominating everything but rather a good means of preventing fanaticism to spread like wildfire. Still I understand your fear by having logical arguments be stronger. So why not propose a change that eliminates this aspect but keeps the empathy? This way it would simply enable a new sense for everyone.”</p><p></p><p>He then shakes his head slowly, explaining that even this change will simply lead to someone with very powerful emotions holding control over others, thus yet another form of manipulation. Something our world is free of for now.</p><p></p><p>Auryn in return argues that this isn't really much different on paper that the current state where those with the greatest power – financial or political – can hold control over anyone else. And we all know which situation this has lead to: People in power who don't care about anyone but themselves, completely void of empathy, who do everything to gain more influence or impose their will upon others. Or fanatics who see others who are not like them as the enemy and who won't feel remorse if they eradicate whole civilizations. Following the general idea of Miller's Pyre, Auryn states, might even ensure Elfaivar's survival on the long run should colonists, and even Clergymen be able to understand the struggles of the surviving Eladrin.</p><p></p><p>“But what if empathy causes an unforeseen backlash? Who knows how many matriarchs simply follow their duty today, and are forced to act coldly despite their true feelings? And what if a charismatic King was able to sway the hearts of the Eladrin? Your whole society could be turned upside-down with a streak of bad luck...”</p><p></p><p>“We've already had centuries of bad luck it seems. Also, as someone who is actually able to feel empathy towards the downtrodden despite being born into a seemingly high status, let me ensure you that being empathetic doesn't work that way.”</p><p></p><p>“It is still very risky. Even for your people. That's all I want to say.”</p><p></p><p>Auryn nods quietly, but then raises her head in stubborn pride.</p><p></p><p>“I understand what you wish to say. And still I am convinced that people might be better off if they were more like me. After all, Cula is a student of Kasvarina, and this is Kasvarina's plan. Her plan for a better world, developed over centuries of research. And who am I but the Matriarch's heir?”</p><p></p><p>This very last statement is mentally loud enough that even seemingly distracted Erskine Haffkrüger all of a sudden looks at “Livia Hatsfield” in surprise.</p><p></p><p>“Excuse me, but you sound a bit too presumptuous right now compared to the Auryn I know. You have a grand and strong heart, that I know, but you are not flawless. And I doubt you truly mean that the world would be a perfect place if everyone was just like you. And even if Miller's Pyre sounds like a good, even better world, then I doubt that King Aodhan would agree on it. Simply because it isn't tried and tested. This is all that should matter for us.”</p><p></p><p>He pauses for a while and then, when he's sure that no one would notice, places a hand on her shoulder.</p><p></p><p>“Besides... I know that you are not the one for quick and easy solutions. You are very well able to walk the long and rocky path to reach your stars. And you would not just pull a lever to change the world without effort.”</p><p></p><p>Auryn takes a deep breath and finally agrees with a heavy nod.</p><p></p><p>“So this is the path I will tread. Even though I cannot be sure whether Crisillyir will ever let my people have their peace. Or understand our way of life.”</p><p></p><p><span style="color: rgb(65, 168, 95)">(She's really diving in head first... from her own perspective, it suddenly all made sense: Kasvarina's seeming darkness, her distance, all sacrifices she made for Elfaivar and for a better world. And wouldn't it be wrong to not follow the path your ancestor could have lain out for you? Carlyle pulled her back that moment, but this thought hasn't vanished for now.</span></p><p><span style="color: rgb(65, 168, 95)"></span></p><p><span style="color: rgb(65, 168, 95)">Regarding Carlyle, I think she is walking on thin ice in his opinion. Terribly close to displaying the same hubris she accused the Obs, even though with the genuinely best intentions. And he really doesn't want to see her succumb to the Ob's thoughts or, worse, defect from her duty as an RHC agent out of love for Elfaivar and her people.</span></p><p><span style="color: rgb(65, 168, 95)"></span></p><p><span style="color: rgb(65, 168, 95)">And for Gradiax, I am still no expert on his psychology, but I guess for a moment, he saw his own reflection in Auryn. Don't want to spoiler too much on his heritage, but Tiz upgraded him to be a Time Dragon instead of a Red.)</span></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Lylandra, post: 8091151, member: 6816692"] [COLOR=rgb(65, 168, 95)]Oh, the madness hasn't even started. Tiz warned us that we wouldn't have too much of a chance to make a change here, but we... umm... ignored it and tried anyway? I mean, why do you make socially apt and influential characters after all? And yep, planar protection and Av were our main foci as well. I don't know why he didn't include Lya.. maybe because she wasn't written in with the original adventure. He only gave Luc and Ottavia a brief cameo for probably the same reason. [/COLOR] [B][I]The conference talks, day one (conclusion)[/I][/B] Next on our list is the Watchmaker's presentation, a faction represented by friendly neighborhood ghost Amielle Latimer. But as soon as she starts talking about this plan, we surely hope that this isn't her personal opinion as she came across as quite the likable, quirky individualist before. She explains that if the past has told us anything, then that individuals are selfish and violent. To truly make people change, she says, would require generations of re-education. So she proposes that the Obs should eradicate free will for a thousand years to make everyone follow a scripted reality of peace and cooperation. She injects that we shouldn't fear these times as her scientists and calculations integrated every possible catastrophe in their plan and it is indeed fail-proof. After these thousand years, Amielle explains, people will regain their free will once again, but now they'll only remember eras of peace and peak morality and won't be able to act violently or selfishly again. We... don't know where we should start to dissect Amielle's plan, so we start right in the middle as we'd been watching her exposition in a state of shock and disbelief. Carlyle/Kiov starts with the fact that simply defining “good” and “evil” behaviors that are commonly accepted throughout Lanjyr would be futile as people already have differing opinions about such an easy question like the morality of slavery. So who is she to dare and provide an answer to this question drakran philosophers had been arguing about for generations? Also, he adds, why would 1000 years be necessary as most people only live for a couple of hundred years. This Amielle has an answer to, as she explains that Eladrin do have a really long lifespan. “Alright then, but what about ye ghosties? You'd remember everything, right? And I know one ghost who I don't believe will ever pass your 'goodness' test” Amielle nods to this objection, and adds that her predictions indeed result in a next-to 100% likelihood that even the ghost councilors will be reformed after the process. Next is Auryn/Livia who states that no model will ever be able to correctly model the true unpredictability which is existence, especially if one counts in the fact that fate ceases to exist if one replaces Reida. So what if something does go wrong and there's no one left to correct the plan? She does sound weirdly surprised about her own words though. Then, she continues, there is the fact that sacrificing generations of people for such a project is nothing short but cruel and how can goodness ever be the result of cruelty? Oh and removing Av should be off the table. All in all we agree that this plan is totally ludicrous and most dangerous and we quickly move on to the next panel. This time it is Cula Ravjahani who is tasked with the honor of presenting the Miller's Pyre faction. As we move there, we realize that this is the last “big” talk for the conference and we're beginning to guess that all entries up to this point might have been big disappointments on purpose, leading up to the one “true choice” of a good plan. At least that's what we hope for. So Cula starts by explaining that this plan, Miller's Pyre, was originally established by her mentor, Kasvarina, who is sadly absent for now. Still she served as Kasvarina's right hand for long, which is why she is certain that she'll be able to explain her idea convincingly. Kasvarina, she explains, is an Eladrin and one of the conspiracy's founders, so she hopes that we'll trust the wisdom of hers. Then she starts with the plan's basis: The teachings of the philosopher Miller and the story of his untimely demise at the hands of ignorant Clergymen. This, she says, is one of too many cases where violence and conflict arose because people were unable to understand each other, or simply too ignorant to try and open up to one another. If only there was more empathy in this world, she laments. And then proposes that fortunately, the Obs have found a plane of air that's capable of giving everyone the power of heightened empathy, the innate ability to understand each other's perspective no matter the ignorance. She then adds that in remembrance of Miller's logic, she'd add in an aspect of logic that would make people be more easily swayed by logical arguments to prevent those with the most powerful emotions and convictions overpowering those with subtler but more rational minds. Also, she's open for cooperation and new ideas as her plan is currently having an open space for a new moon, so keep the suggestions flowing. This is the first plan that Livia openly applauds and even Kiov nods approvingly. When it is time to raise questions, we do lament the lack of a planar barrier, but add that Cula might work this one out as she still has a spot free for a moon, so this might just suffice. Livia then states that she'd have loved to meet this inspiring mentor of Cula's and asks why Kasvarina couldn't make it today. Cula replies that she's busy somewhere else, but Auryn senses that she doesn't know what happened to Kasvarina, so she leaves the subject. We then ask her if there might be a list of our current planar alignments and the other spheres the Obs have found and Cula leads us to a wall plastered with different planar icons where everything is lain out in detail, including a planar configuration and explanation for each of the major plans. This way, we learn that there are more, likely already abandoned plans of the Obs. Also, we finally understand what Nicodemus meant when he stated that our current plane of air could be responsible for the limitation on flight powers and learn that it is merely a planar trait that makes gold block teleportation. Oh and regarding fate, prophecy and Reida, this is actually a strong, planar influence as well. [COLOR=rgb(65, 168, 95)](Big thank you to [USER=6925177]@arkwright[/USER] for providing the planar configurations! I know that Tiz would have been in major trouble at this point as we all knew that our characters wouldn't be content with being just presented with these plans, but rather would want to understand it at that point. And if the Obs were able to understand our own configuration and make that many different plans then they'd [B]need[/B] to have a big list of different planes and a rough idea on what each and every one of them would do. Also, I for once had a blast during this conference talk part. Because I've been to scientific conferences a couple of times and know what to expect from a keynote talk or a proposal. And I'm always among those raising questions to the researcher. Most times I'm really just interested and tame, so this was my one chance of asking really mean questions ;) Carlyle's player fortunately joined in and I guess we floored Tiz with our dissections.)[/COLOR] Our small group discusses the various planar effects and guess that someone might have changed the planar configuration 200 years ago when the dragons lost their flight. Of course, this doesn't cause amusement in Gradiax who sees himself robbed of his birthright. This rage is short-lived however, and it seems as if he' able to brush it off as “it happened and life goes on”. [COLOR=rgb(65, 168, 95)](Ok... didn't expect that to be honest)[/COLOR] We go look for some planar experts and ask them whether changing planar configurations could have dire consequences for creatures like the Titans of Risur who coexist in both Dreaming and our world and are usually sleeping. Livia states that she fears they might wake up if the world and their existence is changed so much and she asks them to make an educated guess on what might happen. Of course, this is only one side of the coin as she mentally states that she's also concerned that one part of the Obs plan might still be to get rid of the Titans for good. The experts are not really well-read in risuri folklore, so they mare some quick assumptions based on what they know and what Livia tells them and come to the conclusion that these creatures will most likely not even sense that anything happened. These guys are still happy that finally someone is keen on listening to their expertise, so they explain that back in ancient days there was no planar configuration at all. Some Ancients must then have designed this huge ritual to limit the numbers of planar influences to eight. Prior to this, our world would have been subject to many more, possibly infinite planar influences. We thank the experts for sharing their knowledge and mentally discuss that maybe the Ancients wanted to create a planar barrier to shut off external invaders like the Gidim or whatever diabolic force this Golden Legion of Egal the Shimmering might be. And yes, we are really grateful that they warded them off for good. Then, we take a bit more time to discuss the Obs' proposals in detail. We quickly agree that the first four proposals are nothing we could agree to join in. Even if we can see a few good intentions in some, while others are nothing but lunacy. We again guess that this setup is intentional, leading up to the sole agreeable proposal that is Miller's Pyre, but fear that some Obs might be crazy enough to feel drawn to the Colossus or Panarchist factions. Both Auryn and Carlyle feel that Miller's Pyre is a genuinely well-intentioned and thought out plan, even if it needs to be modified to include a planar barrier. Even though Carlyle feels very much uncomfortable with the thought of being able to feel someone else's emotions. He asks to think more deeply about the Pyre for a while as he cannot wrap his head around the fact that this plan sounds so good on paper while something is still uncannily unsettling for him. “I get it now... as unfortunate as this is.”, he states. “Miller's Pyre is about emotional manipulation and that is what I cannot approve. If you take the prevalence of logic and the gravitas of a logical argument and mix it with empathy, then you'll have a system where two things could easily happen: First, strong logic might lead to a system where the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few. And the few are more ready to agree because they feel empathetic towards the needs of the many. Second, this system would put cognitively disadvantaged people who are less capable of logic at a disadvantage, meaning that those who are gifted or can afford good schools will hold greater influence in this new world.” [COLOR=rgb(65, 168, 95)](Someone knows their Vulcans ;) And yes, these are very valid points)[/COLOR] Auryn lets these arguments sink in for a while before defending what sounds like a better world in her eyes. “I understand what you fear. But think about it that way: Even those who are gifted and who got the good arguments are still made emphatic. So this wouldn't be that 'cold logic' dominating everything but rather a good means of preventing fanaticism to spread like wildfire. Still I understand your fear by having logical arguments be stronger. So why not propose a change that eliminates this aspect but keeps the empathy? This way it would simply enable a new sense for everyone.” He then shakes his head slowly, explaining that even this change will simply lead to someone with very powerful emotions holding control over others, thus yet another form of manipulation. Something our world is free of for now. Auryn in return argues that this isn't really much different on paper that the current state where those with the greatest power – financial or political – can hold control over anyone else. And we all know which situation this has lead to: People in power who don't care about anyone but themselves, completely void of empathy, who do everything to gain more influence or impose their will upon others. Or fanatics who see others who are not like them as the enemy and who won't feel remorse if they eradicate whole civilizations. Following the general idea of Miller's Pyre, Auryn states, might even ensure Elfaivar's survival on the long run should colonists, and even Clergymen be able to understand the struggles of the surviving Eladrin. “But what if empathy causes an unforeseen backlash? Who knows how many matriarchs simply follow their duty today, and are forced to act coldly despite their true feelings? And what if a charismatic King was able to sway the hearts of the Eladrin? Your whole society could be turned upside-down with a streak of bad luck...” “We've already had centuries of bad luck it seems. Also, as someone who is actually able to feel empathy towards the downtrodden despite being born into a seemingly high status, let me ensure you that being empathetic doesn't work that way.” “It is still very risky. Even for your people. That's all I want to say.” Auryn nods quietly, but then raises her head in stubborn pride. “I understand what you wish to say. And still I am convinced that people might be better off if they were more like me. After all, Cula is a student of Kasvarina, and this is Kasvarina's plan. Her plan for a better world, developed over centuries of research. And who am I but the Matriarch's heir?” This very last statement is mentally loud enough that even seemingly distracted Erskine Haffkrüger all of a sudden looks at “Livia Hatsfield” in surprise. “Excuse me, but you sound a bit too presumptuous right now compared to the Auryn I know. You have a grand and strong heart, that I know, but you are not flawless. And I doubt you truly mean that the world would be a perfect place if everyone was just like you. And even if Miller's Pyre sounds like a good, even better world, then I doubt that King Aodhan would agree on it. Simply because it isn't tried and tested. This is all that should matter for us.” He pauses for a while and then, when he's sure that no one would notice, places a hand on her shoulder. “Besides... I know that you are not the one for quick and easy solutions. You are very well able to walk the long and rocky path to reach your stars. And you would not just pull a lever to change the world without effort.” Auryn takes a deep breath and finally agrees with a heavy nod. “So this is the path I will tread. Even though I cannot be sure whether Crisillyir will ever let my people have their peace. Or understand our way of life.” [COLOR=rgb(65, 168, 95)](She's really diving in head first... from her own perspective, it suddenly all made sense: Kasvarina's seeming darkness, her distance, all sacrifices she made for Elfaivar and for a better world. And wouldn't it be wrong to not follow the path your ancestor could have lain out for you? Carlyle pulled her back that moment, but this thought hasn't vanished for now. Regarding Carlyle, I think she is walking on thin ice in his opinion. Terribly close to displaying the same hubris she accused the Obs, even though with the genuinely best intentions. And he really doesn't want to see her succumb to the Ob's thoughts or, worse, defect from her duty as an RHC agent out of love for Elfaivar and her people. And for Gradiax, I am still no expert on his psychology, but I guess for a moment, he saw his own reflection in Auryn. Don't want to spoiler too much on his heritage, but Tiz upgraded him to be a Time Dragon instead of a Red.)[/COLOR] [/QUOTE]
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