[IC] Swords Beneath the Starlight

Airitech and Taras


"I'll keep it in mind. Thanks. And... same to you."

Barnabas and Lys



"No... Mazelina. The Goddess and me have a strong relationship. I know she'd be fine with it. But... that doesn't mean I'm okay with making an acolyte sad, just because I know the Goddess would support me. It'd be wrong. Don't you think...?"

Baylee and Dermid

Dermid shakes his head.


"Do nae think like that, little lass. They were wee ones, aye, but from my perspective, so're you. Yer both adults, sure, but neither of ye has had a chance tae establish yerselves in the worl', an' now the whole place is takin' the choice from ye. Ye have tae do what ye must tae survive, aye? Cannae imagine anyfolk begrudin' ye that, just like ye don't begrudge them fer it. If anything, you've got a whole lot less choice in the matter than them. Cannae hold yerself tae a standard the worl' won't allow."

Saya and Roland

He raises an eyebrow.


"...Yes. She was quite different, though, in how she carried herself. Dignified and mature - no offense meant. I suppose there's a resemblance, though I didn't put it together at first... why? Have you met her?"

Lain and Mazelina


"...I see. I apologize, I... I didn't mean anything by it. You have my condolences... and my sympathy. I... Lost..." She shakes her head, deciding to trust in your empathy here. No need to make this about herself.

A minute passes of her starting to speak, failing to find words, and stopping once more before she finally continues. "...If it helps, you don't show it. The doubt, I mean." She tries to offer a small smile. It's sad, but somehow reassuring. "You seem terribly steadfast. It helps me feel braver. I suppose that's the power of faith, isn't it...? To keep believing - or at least, to look like it - even in the worst of times, even when you have every reason to doubt...? I just wish I could stop feeling so ashamed of it in myself." She shakes her head.

"...Thank you, though. For staying calm in the face of all this. It helps."

Casey and Lain

Lain slowly manages to turn to face you, though her eyes remain closed.


"...No, not at all. It's just... very hard to look at you sometimes, is all." Pause.

"Oh, goddess, that sounded terribly rude -- I don't mean it like that! It's just..." She shakes her head.

"When I look at you, I see my father. Not... not in you - but I see all his ideals, and all his hopes, and all his dreams. And I see... I see that he failed. You've made it clear again and again that Achaim was your home, but not your dream. I can only begin to imagine the life you might have lived from how you carry yourself. That is not much, but it is enough - enough to tell me that, for all his willpower, my father failed to accomplish his life's greatest mission. And it makes me wonder what hope I have of accomplishing mine. That's all."

Milo and Abner and Roland


"I suppose it depends on what you're looking for. I tend to prefer heavier weapons and armor, because they tend to take the chance out of warfare. Skill is necessary no matter how you fight; to come in well-defended, though, is to come in expecting a mistake. It is a recognition of your own humanity, and an admittance that you are not perfect. It is--"


"Pshaw! The prince has read plenty of books, but trust me, I've seen more fighting than him! On the battlefield, mobility is king! You can wear the heaviest armor in the world, but if your friends get slaughtered because you're too busy lumbering around, it means nothing! Besides, a lightly armored knight on horseback is just more chivalrous, don't you think? The heroic embrace of danger! The gallant way your hair goes flowing in the breeze! I bet you'd cut a striking figure on a horse, Milo!"



"...He makes a point. But ultimately, none of this matters. What works for us will not necessarily work for you, and vice-versa. If you want to get there, I would say you should keep fighting with your spear until you've developed a suitable combat style. Then, figure out what sort of additions might best augment or improve that style."


Milo and Lain

Lain stares at Milo. Something like understanding crosses her face all at once - as if she's finally put something together. There's something like horror in her eyes, something she pushes down quickly. She closes her eyes and speaks gently.


"...I see. You're Revotrian, aren't you Milo?" She shakes her head. "You do a very good job hiding it... but these things are taught to Ilyun children." She pauses before opening her eyes and looking at him once more, compassionately.


"No need to tell me if I'm right or not. It doesn't matter. You're with us, now. That's what matters most. Let me explain... these are the beliefs of our people."

A cool breeze blows over the plains. The stars above glimmer and glisten.

"In the beginning, the world was a cold, desolate place. The skies were black and starless; the ground, hard and lifeless. There was only the barren naught - a world bereft of purpose, fate, and life."

"But a void seeks a vessel, and even in nothingness, desire can spring. And so the world yearned, and the Goddess was born."

"She looked upon the world and wept; and her tears became the stars. She descended, and wherever her foot landed, flowers took root. Wherever her breath swept across the empty landscape, winds sprang forth. When she desired happiness, the sun began to shine; when she felt lonely and melancholic, the night returned once more. The world wanted her so badly that it bent itself around her whim, that she might be comfortable, happy, and carefree."

"But the world could not keep her happy forever; she longed for more. For home and hearth, for companionship and camaraderie, for discovery and invention. And so she took the world that was before her, and from its nature she crafted all life - beorc and laguz, human and animal, sapient and nonsapient. She let life spring forth, and so great was her delight that she wished to share it. She dwelled with us, and encouraged us to create. She wanted to see what her creatures could imagine; see what wonders we could build. She wanted to see us explore the world, just as the world had wanted her to explore itself."

"And as she grew more and more to love her people, she spent more and more time with them. Moreover,she spent less and less time interacting with the world itself. She had seen all there was to see, she believed, felt all there was to feel. She lived now to see what her progeny would create. The yearning which had spawned her did not fall away. The world grew more and more jealous, yearned more and more for her to return to it, wanted ever-so-much for her to set foot upon its soil and play in the leaves of the trees she would spawn. It wanted her to invent, wanted her to explore and progress, wanted to learn more about her - not these shallow shadows she had created in her image. And so, from this new, twisted yearning, another being was born - Avern the Maker."

"Avern appeared to a people and whispered the secrets of invention into their ear; he had seen the Goddess experiment, knew all that could be created, and invited humanity to share in this knowledge - sweet and poison as honeysuckle. He tempted away a group of Beorc, taught them the ways of the dark, taught them about destruction and death. He taught them his jealousy, his covetousness, his yearning - and he let them loose upon their brethren. "

"Beorc and Laguz stood against the new threat side by side, and all were slaughtered for their efforts. They had progressed slowly, gently, and had nothing available to stand against the weapons of the children of Avern. Just as the whole world was to be conquered by these covetous men, the goddess intervened directly. Wielding her blade, she slew her own children by the thousands - by the millions. She tore apart the armies of Avern, ripped through the world, and plunged her blade into his heart, banishing him for eternity."

"And once she was done, she wept. For the first time, a mother knew the pain of having failed her children."

"She retired to a tower far in the east. She needed time to think, time to mourn. In the shadow of her tower, though, the survivors had learned to fight among themselves. The beorc who had fought argued that they ought to get the bigger share of the land to be redistributed once Avern's empire fell, for they were weak and had lost the most fighters. The laguz argued that it should be them, for they were strong and had fought the most readily, saved the most people. A war broke out; the beorc were defeated quickly... and the Goddess emerged from her tower."

"She cast off their shackles, cast her glare upon the laguz and their new empire. She plunged her blade into the ground, granted it to our people, and gave the world a warning: that if life would only exist to extinguish life, she would deem humanity as having lost its way. With that, she returned to the heavens, promising judgment for the unrighteous and redemption for the meek in thirty-thousand years' time."

Lain's eyes are lost in the stars. Her frown is deep.

"...That is the story we tell of how the world came to be. That is the story we tell of the Goddess. That is how we came to have the sword."