xerex-reshaper

[xerex-reshaper]

We've been doing well! Other events have driven me back into working with the community, and it's not as scary now.

Well, it seems like things have been quite eventful since the last time I checked my communicator.

As for what I have been up to, I have taken my niece, Malkonia, with me on a journey around Theros so that she may learn about the plane as part of her studies. We are, thankfully, accompanied by Aoidi. It has been very eventful so far.

I must confess that I am very worried. The entire concept of prophecy has been...shaken since the compleation and death of Klothys, but that does not mean that I am discarding the concept, especially for a prophecy that's been at play for hundreds of years now.

But enough about the ramblings of an aged healer. How are things going for the rest of the individuals on this network?

[xerex-reshaper]

Spreading the Sickness

The Omenpath spat Thermophagy onto the sands, his spindles buckling as he dropped into it, the sun beating down upon him already. Forests stretched around the entrance to their new citadel, bricks piling up as the expendables scurried around. He slowly sauntered towards the nearest bishop, his pale-blue robes somehow clean despite the great washes of sands between the Omenpath and the citadel’s slowly rising foundations. 

“You already began construction? Who told you to begin with such haste?” he shouted, his palms rising and falling as if he was breathing in and out.

“You told us to build when we could feed. The God of Connections desired our presence here, the sea-people find themselves vulnerable to frost. Their forms are rich with flavours.” it replied, bowing slightly for its superior.

“Ah. You desire progress above obedience. Your desire to ascend to my own position once I move beyond it, do you not?” 

“Yes, choirmaster. Your abandoned post deserves someone whose decision-making comes quickly and excellently, rather than at your convenience.” it retorted. “I assume that your plans shall leave room for not one but two leaders of these smaller citadels. Pronoia is not architecturally grand enough for a man of your soon-to-be ranking, is it?” “You. Whatever your name, whatever your rank, will not speak with such insolence. You dare subvert my authority with pretence? Pronoia shall always be our heart. Far Xerex holds no bounties with the soon-to-pass invasion. Your pulse grows unworthy, now move.” He effortlessly shoves the bishop aside, heading towards the beginnings of the citadel. Lines marked out in still-rooted soil, bricks dividing the segments like thick wounds being kept open. His protege bishop clearly held more potential than he thought. The pile of bodies equally supported this. 15 merfolk, greener scales on top, lay in a pile, preserved by a pair of expendables channeling the heat from the bodies out. Frost seemed to join their fingers now, rather than webbing.

Thermophagy knew exactly why he was here. Pronoia was sacred ground, untaintable. Here however, it could be the first hospital. He already began the concoction for his first plague. Viridian’s donations of manuscripts, texts on biology, everything he needed. “Dysphagia, fainting spells, blindness, you all are my mightiest allies.” He pulled out a clean scroll of paper, marked with its sigil. 16 total points in a circle, where the northern, south-south-eastern and south-west-western points were joined by arcing lines, smooth curves which met around a circle, filled in by an 8-pointed star. When they can no longer consume, their throat closing, then they shall spew their centres outwards, expel blood and sharp cysts, their wounding shall be too much for their bodies to bear. In their time of need, that shall turn to the hospital, be cured of their sickness, but be indebted. Donations of fresh bodies, devotion to the God of Connections, money, items, information. Those who cannot pay become the new expendables. Not converted to fractals, but through Chionia’s work, she learned to make the corpses rise. Spread their sicknesses, work the land, anything. Eternal workers without desires. Success was guaranteed. Thermophagy put his scroll aside, and took residence in one of the tents set up at the centre. The deep purple cloth kept the few other bishops clear and safe, while they discussed their plans. A council of fools they were, underlings to Thermophagy. But, this group of 7 had brought allies. Sisters, 3 nuns who could sail the skies. Each of them were clad in their standard attire, the sisters in green habits and tunics, deep brown scapulars with the Pestoxy’s sigil emblazoned in lime thread. Chains loosely hung from their lower pair of arms, the iron censors that hung from their higher pair of arms sitting an inch above the floor. The bishops wore a mix of blue, red and black tunics, lacking their maniple and stoles. As they were beneath an archbishop’s direct line of command, they each had her personal sigil marked at either end of their black vestments. “Ah, the sisters have arrived. Well-met.” Thermophagy lowered his head for them. “Each of you understands your purposes. I have prepared additional sigils for your censors, should the pestilence struggle to imbed itself in the soil around the main land. Fly far, as far as you can make it. Should you be taken into custody by any force here, burn your flares, place them into your censors. All the essence of disease shall disperse immediately, and you shall appear as if you burn. Make yourselves invisible and return. You have a week of pestilence each. Succeed, and Chionia shall personally bless you. Fail, and become the first fractals to die. Not assimilated, not reshaped, truly dead.” His head raised again, the sisters’ gazes rising with his own. 

“Choirmaster, will we receive funerals as is done for the reshaped?” a nun asked, her face shifting with concern for herself and her closest sisters.

“Our funerals are done symbolically. We found other cultures feature the deceased’s body. As you are of the rank to earn funerals upon reshaping, we determine you to deserve them in full, your bodies are to be buried here as an addition.” Already the bishops were exchanging glances, before asking their burning question.

“We still have little proof of our mortality. Why are you so certain that biologicals can slay us?” 

“Insolence!” Thermophagy shouted at him, snarling. “Our scriptures call us reflections of the multiverse, so we behave as such. Far Xerex has not known war, or death, it has not known grief or love but has seen its symbols. Breaching of the Realms, 12:12. We are not Home, we will not be reshaped. We are no longer under the protection of symbolism, we are material. And that means you, who earn my ire, may die like the flesh-bound shall. Is all understood?” He stood, shaking as he stopped speaking. “Enough of this. Your questioning has brought upon me behaviours unsuitable for our peers. Good-day.”

He stared at his bishops, before flicking his robes around as he stormed away. Thermophagy headed back for the Omenpath, his next priority was meeting Chionia on Kaldheim. She had news of others entering and leaving the plane. 

[xerex-reshaper]

Thermophagy’s Status

Viridian has provided us access to the other sides of this network. We have status updates.

Dremska has been taken. He slept in the Raqsai’s land, and we offered Zenith his own communicator for his silence. He’s currently being held in Pronoia, at the bottom layers of our structure. He shall be my proof that myself and Chionia are deserving of an increase in our rank.

We comprehend the lack of understanding of our rankings. We each begin our existences as expendables, faithful workers for whoever stands above them. I worked under a bishop. Then I replaced him. Bishops stand above expendables, but barely, leading worship and now participating in rites, allowing access to channeling power of their own. I took the route of black mana first, my bishop compatriots were all referred to as ‘Pale Bishops’. Our skin was gaunt, our faces humanoid but hollowed. I crawled above them all, I left for the choir from there. That pile, that festering pile, has all been reshaped. What was their fragile bodies is now assimilated into I believe one of our Patriarchs. I then took the step into the choir, where we took higher expendables inadequate for bishophood to sing for us. I became Choirmaster, not just a leader of a choir but a high choir, I am alongside the Archbishops and stand beneath our Cardinals. Sister Chionia took up her sisterhood soon before me, an alternative route to my own. She stood with vile might above the expendables she spawned with, and took an oath. One to be so pure of soul and sick of body, that she may become a harbinger of pestilence, a Sky Matron. Currently, she is in a higher equivalent position to my own, despite willingly listening to what I ask of her. I wonder as to why she chooses this, perhaps she simply desires to rise higher off of my work. That, I would not mind.

I, as all others, aspire to become a Patriarch. Rising so far beyond my post there are at minimum 11 positions between me and them, our five Patriarch’s embody balances of the pure manas. They are to such a level of power we simply refer to them collectively, as reverence. My progression is clear. Continue construction, take more, claim the earth these worthless fleshbags beg to dispose of. These scraps are worth more than diamonds to those with minds to use them. The skin, the sinew, the silver twine. These are the real materials, not muscle or tissue. From those, I shall prove myself not to depend on my choir. I shall become an independent man, likely a Sovereign Archbishop, above standard archbishops, and from there me and Chionia shall have what we deserve. She earns Matronhood, I earn control. Each Omenpath we construct citadels around becomes our linchpin, routes expanding out from there like capillaries from our heart. The people, unable to comprehend our superiority, enter our settlements, feast from our hands, become part of our communities. We take donations from travellers in exchange for their safety and health. And those unable to be helped? Their vitality leeched, skin unwound, bodies desiccated and devoured by the devout.

I pass back to Viridian now. Me and it have far deeper discussions to have. She claims herself more knowledgeable, and I know of how to subjugate our soon-to-be invaders.

[xerex-reshaper]

Spreading our Wings

Viridian arrived Home, above the surface. She landed herself ontop of Glasswing's home, a tree made of glass and steel, it's branches spreading and coiling around lumps of earth, like a network of roots in the sky.

Alone.

The sky hadn't opened yet. The wall must still be standing. Was that really worth celebrating? Home would eventually collapse anyway. Middle Xerex had liches, warriors, everything any other society had. And what were the Raqsai? Musicians? Artists? What good did the paintbrush hold in the face of the blade? The only other to know, Thermophagy, was a Choirmaster. His combat magics relied on the choir, which he held inside his body. Thirty strong, but easily disposed.

The first arrived. Glasswing itself. It made a humanoid body, an extremely pale figure, like sticks sewn together with ribbons. Bird-like bones poked from it's joints, little flicks of knee or elbow smiling where the false-skin thinned. Its head was hollow, eyeless and gaunt, a rattling of steel trinkets as it approached, walking up one of the wrought-iron staircases up to the garden.

"Viridian! You're the talk of the town again!" Glasswing beamed, handing her a bottle, full of milk it had imported from Kaldheim's cattle.

"Really? I haven't performed properly in ages. Hated being on the surface so much, thought everybody forgot." She took the class, looking down at the bottletop. 'Pestoxy Official - Chionia, Kaldheim's Matron.'

Viridian hadn't heard of her before. Maybe Thermophagy had been convincing his previous connections to help his goals. Rumours flew about the 'Wife of the Choir' days ago, maybe it was her. But to reduce a Sky Matron to the wife of a man many ranks below herself? As much as the Pestoxy instilled some system of rigid gender, they lacked any sexual characteristics like everyone else. Marriage was a performed ritual, not for love but to achieve new social statuses, like a coming-of-age ceremony on other planes more than their marriages. Chionia, whoever she was, could not be so foolish as to lower herself for someone lowly as Thermophagy.

"You... okay over there? You're about to drop your drink." Glasswing placed it's hand beneath Viridian's forehead, lifting it up to keep her aware. She leapt up, putting the glass down on one of Glasswing's intricate, silver bottle holders.

"Yeah! I didn't realise that, Thermophagy was already so off-world to find someone to lead his first outpost. Well, citadel now that she's running it."

"Running it? Oh! Chionia! The Sky Matron who used to fly past here. Preached outside Shamashen turf, and demolished their prisons sometimes. She's actually chosen the position. She can't find anywhere big enough to build a home for herself and anyone worshipping under her. Don't know enough about the faith's branches, but she's attempting to increase her rank this way."

"Thanks Glasswing. I don't think, I even get what's going on with the Pestoxy, their ranks, anything." She cracked open the lid, and took a sip. It was surprisingly good-quality, cool and clean. "Wait, talk of the town? Sorry, distracted."

Glasswing looked out to the buildings around them. "People are worried about you. Two performances went bad? You got a single role in an unwatchable Cabaretti play? You haven't sung or danced through the streets. Haven't even seen you do performances here either. Then Kylem goes awful too? If you were taken into custody again at least we'd have the arrested pictures. Or you'd do that, walk thing out. But you haven't. It's like, everybody you've ever known doesn't exist anymore. Like it's your world, but only yours. An island. The people who shaped you are just background elements. We aren't angry, I hope. We just want you to stay Home. Not get Zenith, only one of us with the funds, to get a communicator and watch what you do. He's the only reason anyone showed up where you asked, and as usual, you weren't there. Just a sheet of metal with 'Leave Xerex. Danger is coming. Get inspired.' on it. We just- I don't have the words to express it. You're not the artist you think you are. Somethings cracking you on the inside."

"I didn't come here, for you to escalate. For an outburst of your emotions into something that isn't your art. I'm still acting anyway. Talking to my friends. Smiling. Xerex, as you know it, is ending. They are suffering out there. And my art is my emotional state. So when I see, that everyone I now love suffer? So do I. And through that I get told that this home, this retreat if I ever can bring myself to perform here is going to be NOTHING? I'm leaving. This is another thing to drown out and forget. All of you are. I can't hold onto hope when there's no reason to, because if everyone else loses the things they most love, I must prepare myself to do the same. Give me excellence. Give me a reason to hold onto anything or anyone here."

Viridian's footsteps cracked the connecting joints of the stairs as she headed down them. Glasswing stayed where it stood. "You'll come back eventually. You'll find a reason, an army of them. And we'll sing like we used to."

[xerex-reshaper]

CALLING ALL RAQSAI -

I don't know if my siblings are on here. But I ask for all of you.

Meet me outside Glasswing's emporium. The courtyard. We must not allow ourselves to be crushed.

[xerex-reshaper]

The arena shone brightly in the afternoon sun. Freshly cleaned and polished stone walls, spectators standing tall in the thousands, likely greater, for the debut matches. The exhibition match had many animal cardboard cutouts and posters littered everywhere throughout the city.

Viridian and Thermophagy stepped into the arena. Viridian covered herself in sparkles, her dress shape being extremely unclear, as whatever form it took pulsed and moved with her excitement. Thermophagy wore a black cloak, similarly featureless, but rather than the joy of performance and becoming a spectacle, it remained stagnant in the windless circle.

As the competitors stood, preparing themselves, the gates to their sides opened. The announcer began as animals started to spill through,

Viridian and Thermophagy, VERSUS: Koda and Vasro Hayashi!

[xerex-reshaper]

Viridian’s voice lowers as she pulls back into three-dimensional space. “Nice trick setting up walls through extra dimensions, in hindsight you two were obviously gonna win.”

“Oh yeah, Judges? I concede!” She shouts, before returning to her normal speaking volume.

“Can you unpin me and Thermophagy too? The metals really cold.”

The arena shone brightly in the afternoon sun. Freshly cleaned and polished stone walls, spectators standing tall in the thousands, likely greater, for the debut matches. The exhibition match had many animal cardboard cutouts and posters littered everywhere throughout the city.

Viridian and Thermophagy stepped into the arena. Viridian covered herself in sparkles, her dress shape being extremely unclear, as whatever form it took pulsed and moved with her excitement. Thermophagy wore a black cloak, similarly featureless, but rather than the joy of performance and becoming a spectacle, it remained stagnant in the windless circle.

As the competitors stood, preparing themselves, the gates to their sides opened. The announcer began as animals started to spill through,

Viridian and Thermophagy, VERSUS: Koda and Vasro Hayashi!

[xerex-reshaper]

“Showy! Showy! Showy!”

Viridian heard the shouting. Best give them what they want. And with Koda being smart enough not to walk into the uncloaked minefield, it detonates the mines, the buildings covering in hot sparks.

It’d be boring to timer-stall and take pot-shots. But equally, Vasro’s got a plan clearly. He’ll spice this losing match up enough. Acting is reacting, and the best reaction is to allow the better showman take centre stage.

The arena shone brightly in the afternoon sun. Freshly cleaned and polished stone walls, spectators standing tall in the thousands, likely greater, for the debut matches. The exhibition match had many animal cardboard cutouts and posters littered everywhere throughout the city.

Viridian and Thermophagy stepped into the arena. Viridian covered herself in sparkles, her dress shape being extremely unclear, as whatever form it took pulsed and moved with her excitement. Thermophagy wore a black cloak, similarly featureless, but rather than the joy of performance and becoming a spectacle, it remained stagnant in the windless circle.

As the competitors stood, preparing themselves, the gates to their sides opened. The announcer began as animals started to spill through,

Viridian and Thermophagy, VERSUS: Koda and Vasro Hayashi!

[xerex-reshaper]

Thermophagy’s already recoiling, this forbidden energy sapping every part of him. His jaws let go, his arms coiling inwards. “I concede, I concede!”

Viridian, however, is having fun. Giggling as she’s slipping inside these higher dimensions. “Try and catch me! Bet you can’t! I already hear my teammate giving up, you better give it your all to get both of us down!”

As she cackles, odd, swelling dots begin to form across the ground and walls. It’s unclear what they are, but their glowing is clearly some highly energised globule of red mana.

The arena shone brightly in the afternoon sun. Freshly cleaned and polished stone walls, spectators standing tall in the thousands, likely greater, for the debut matches. The exhibition match had many animal cardboard cutouts and posters littered everywhere throughout the city.

Viridian and Thermophagy stepped into the arena. Viridian covered herself in sparkles, her dress shape being extremely unclear, as whatever form it took pulsed and moved with her excitement. Thermophagy wore a black cloak, similarly featureless, but rather than the joy of performance and becoming a spectacle, it remained stagnant in the windless circle.

As the competitors stood, preparing themselves, the gates to their sides opened. The announcer began as animals started to spill through,

Viridian and Thermophagy, VERSUS: Koda and Vasro Hayashi!

[xerex-reshaper]

Thermophagy is crunching as hard as possible. Unpleasant, and somewhat incomprehensible, but what hasn’t been. His free arms begin pulling to claw and Vasro, fingers sharpening as the paint is pushed around the tips.

Viridian is busy playing a new game. A conspicuous light fixture is about Koda, awaiting his attention to drop. It’s not her, she’s currently rolling most of her polygons through to the rooftops again, but a couple buildings down. She hoped that evading Koda would temporarily remove him from the equation trying to find her.

The arena shone brightly in the afternoon sun. Freshly cleaned and polished stone walls, spectators standing tall in the thousands, likely greater, for the debut matches. The exhibition match had many animal cardboard cutouts and posters littered everywhere throughout the city.

Viridian and Thermophagy stepped into the arena. Viridian covered herself in sparkles, her dress shape being extremely unclear, as whatever form it took pulsed and moved with her excitement. Thermophagy wore a black cloak, similarly featureless, but rather than the joy of performance and becoming a spectacle, it remained stagnant in the windless circle.

As the competitors stood, preparing themselves, the gates to their sides opened. The announcer began as animals started to spill through,

Viridian and Thermophagy, VERSUS: Koda and Vasro Hayashi!

[xerex-reshaper]

Viridian’s arms get caught by the serpents, right as she shatters like glass. The sound blasts back up into the air, the shards twinkling as they materialise and dematerialise again. Teleportation.

Thermophagy’s palms get caught under two girders, small flames burst out at Vasro as his final unrestrained shadow grasps at his ankles. His maw opens as this darm-arm approaches, a vile chill blowing out from this pit of teeth.

The arena shone brightly in the afternoon sun. Freshly cleaned and polished stone walls, spectators standing tall in the thousands, likely greater, for the debut matches. The exhibition match had many animal cardboard cutouts and posters littered everywhere throughout the city.

Viridian and Thermophagy stepped into the arena. Viridian covered herself in sparkles, her dress shape being extremely unclear, as whatever form it took pulsed and moved with her excitement. Thermophagy wore a black cloak, similarly featureless, but rather than the joy of performance and becoming a spectacle, it remained stagnant in the windless circle.

As the competitors stood, preparing themselves, the gates to their sides opened. The announcer began as animals started to spill through,

Viridian and Thermophagy, VERSUS: Koda and Vasro Hayashi!

[xerex-reshaper]

Viridian is already breaking apart. She’s splitting her body and hopping, reactively blasting out fireworks. She’s already reaching the ends of a rooftop, but reseals all segments of it’s body back together. It salutes, tipping her fingers from her forehead to the sky as she dramatically falls backwards.

Thermophagy is on the rooftop now, his arms moving in squadrons. Some flow through the tiling as shadows, others are channeling fire magic, and a final pair are applying the yellow paint to his mouth, now forming and opening. Biter versus biter.

The arena shone brightly in the afternoon sun. Freshly cleaned and polished stone walls, spectators standing tall in the thousands, likely greater, for the debut matches. The exhibition match had many animal cardboard cutouts and posters littered everywhere throughout the city.

Viridian and Thermophagy stepped into the arena. Viridian covered herself in sparkles, her dress shape being extremely unclear, as whatever form it took pulsed and moved with her excitement. Thermophagy wore a black cloak, similarly featureless, but rather than the joy of performance and becoming a spectacle, it remained stagnant in the windless circle.

As the competitors stood, preparing themselves, the gates to their sides opened. The announcer began as animals started to spill through,

Viridian and Thermophagy, VERSUS: Koda and Vasro Hayashi!

[xerex-reshaper]

“The fu-“ the girder slams directly into her, her top-half snapping and warping as it passes through. Thermophagy, being left in the dust, begins looking up, slinking his body around a drainpipe, coiling and flattening.

Viridian snaps her wrist up and forwards, a sparkling sphere crackles as it flies towards both Koda and Vasro.

The arena shone brightly in the afternoon sun. Freshly cleaned and polished stone walls, spectators standing tall in the thousands, likely greater, for the debut matches. The exhibition match had many animal cardboard cutouts and posters littered everywhere throughout the city.

Viridian and Thermophagy stepped into the arena. Viridian covered herself in sparkles, her dress shape being extremely unclear, as whatever form it took pulsed and moved with her excitement. Thermophagy wore a black cloak, similarly featureless, but rather than the joy of performance and becoming a spectacle, it remained stagnant in the windless circle.

As the competitors stood, preparing themselves, the gates to their sides opened. The announcer began as animals started to spill through,

Viridian and Thermophagy, VERSUS: Koda and Vasro Hayashi!

[xerex-reshaper]

Viridian held herself upright, as Thermophagy kicked off immediately, charging at the centre point between Koda and Vasro, his shadow stretching back to where he started. His arms flailed, drawing as much combatant attention towards himself as Viridian began her dance, twisting and hopping as she charged up to begin spellcasting. It was well and truly on, these beasts were nothing more than a distraction.

The arena shone brightly in the afternoon sun. Freshly cleaned and polished stone walls, spectators standing tall in the thousands, likely greater, for the debut matches. The exhibition match had many animal cardboard cutouts and posters littered everywhere throughout the city.

Viridian and Thermophagy stepped into the arena. Viridian covered herself in sparkles, her dress shape being extremely unclear, as whatever form it took pulsed and moved with her excitement. Thermophagy wore a black cloak, similarly featureless, but rather than the joy of performance and becoming a spectacle, it remained stagnant in the windless circle.

As the competitors stood, preparing themselves, the gates to their sides opened. The announcer began as animals started to spill through,

Viridian and Thermophagy, VERSUS: Koda and Vasro Hayashi!

[xerex-reshaper]

The arena shone brightly in the afternoon sun. Freshly cleaned and polished stone walls, spectators standing tall in the thousands, likely greater, for the debut matches. The exhibition match had many animal cardboard cutouts and posters littered everywhere throughout the city.

Viridian and Thermophagy stepped into the arena. Viridian covered herself in sparkles, her dress shape being extremely unclear, as whatever form it took pulsed and moved with her excitement. Thermophagy wore a black cloak, similarly featureless, but rather than the joy of performance and becoming a spectacle, it remained stagnant in the windless circle.

As the competitors stood, preparing themselves, the gates to their sides opened. The announcer began as animals started to spill through,

Viridian and Thermophagy, VERSUS: Koda and Vasro Hayashi!

[xerex-reshaper]

Me and Thermophagy are already heading over to Kylem for the tournament. He’s stable enough to stay on the plane, but I’ll be dipping in and out. Also he wants snacks from Home. Fresh Koch Startails are pretty good though, I can understand why. See you all there and good luck, we’re gonna run circles around all of you!

[xerex-reshaper]

I don’t have any memory of when the last day of notes was. Not really in the mood to number them anyway, after forgetting so much. I’m gonna not think about it. If I don’t think anybody is gone, nobody is gone. Simple as.

Thermophagy’s expansion of Pronoia is going well. He’s moved up from quick, tent-like structures, to bricks, to now having the base layer. He’s doing this huge corkscrew thing, with a ramp orbiting the site, then building homes and worship rooms into it. Streets are going to weave through, and this huge bridge has been formed to make access to the Omenpath easier. The thing was 10 feet in the air, everybody had to like- scramble up and grab at it, made supplies awkward. He’s asked that, when my memory starts getting better, I pick out the next plane for an outpost. Claims that the connection could increase his rank. I’m excited for him, mostly because he’s playing nice now. Like, here I am trying to gather and keep information in my head, and he’s achieving so much progress in becoming this better person, even so much as choosing to help others consistently. Am I falling behind? Am I gonna end up like Dremska?