5515/Lost Light

Lost Light
Date of Scene:	11 October 2017
Location:	Lumiere
Synopsis:	Clues are sought about how to find and save Carna after a mishap at Confederate HQ's ruins.
Cast of Characters:	974, Staren, Count Kord, 513, Tomoe, Kushiko

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Carna (974) has posed:
    During an investigation into the ruins of the old Confederate headquarters, consumed in a frenzy of attacking unseen foes, Carna fell victim to what seemed to be a giant-sized television that crept up on and then devoured her with its screen right before allies could destroy it. It may have been assumed she was simply killed, but she has not yet resurrected, based on the continued lack of contact. Something else may have happened to her, but it's hard to say what.

    However, via Enark, a message was passed on to those who know Carna and may be concerned about her. Peacemaker Longita of the Church of Bleak Mercy has requested them to meet with her. In that church that is at least half comprised of a cemetery (though to what Dead, who can say. Who needs a grave, when the Dead still walk?) in that land of eternal night and gloom, cold and layered with the dust and decay of countless ages, within which sparks of Light can yet be found: Lumiere.

    Travel remains as unusual as it has been recently. Instead of space compressing, an instantaneous teleportation from one place to another by folding one location onto other, voyage by Shrine of Light sends people hurtling towards their destination seemginly at a breakneck super-accelerated state, phasing through walls and obstacles until their eventual arrival.

    It is still nearly instantaneous, but the travel from one place to another is experienced in full... Even if faster than any of them could move on their own, and without any interaction with objects or beings that may intersect their path.

    Outside the fences of the Church's yard, once packed full of civilian Lanterns with nowhere else to go, but now surrounded by a quiet semblance of almost-life, there are lights, both from local sources and the world outside of Lumiere. Lanterns continue to go about their new existence, in ramshackle homes and buildings that have been reclaimed from the Unlit, a very high wall surrounding the whole community. Tacet Sanctos is, apparently, thriving. It is still a very subdued environment, the weakness of Lanterns who have not fed in so luog they are barely husks, one step removed from becoming Unlit themselves, keeping them docile and plodding.

    But with the Styx Water available from the Church, both to heal and to nourish, they are on the better side of sanity, and very gradually recovering some of their strength. The Lanterns pause upon seeing the arrival of figures coalescing from shining ligh akin to a super nova compared to the murk that hangs over everything, and some offer prayers, folding their arms across their chests and going to one knee when they see who it is that has arrived.

    Longita is probably within the church itself.

Staren has posed:
    Well. It's good to see that SOME part of Lumiere is doing relatively well. Staren arrives in his armor as always, and is a bit taken a back when some offer prayers. "Umm.. thanks." he mutters awkwardly, before walking briskly into the church. "Enark? Longita? You here?"

Count Kord has posed:
    Kord arrived via the Shrine as all the others do, and spared no attention to the reverent undead beings around him. The aberrant nature of Lanterns makes lingering around them uncomfortable for him, and he had business to attend to. He advances to enter the church, but stays behind Staren for reasons known only to himself.

    Primarily because he'd prefer not to get ambushed, himself, should this be a strange trap. Their luck has not been great.

Finna (513) has posed:
Finna's probably NEVER going to get accustomed to this bizarre mode of travel! Even with her love of speed and running around, the teleportations of Lumiere leave the white fox on the verge of VOMITING sometimes.

    She sort of dizzily wobbles around for the first ten seconds of fully materializing, padding about on all fours and sneezing in a rather undignified fashion.

    As usual, she is in her Totem Animal form. The white-furred fox of the north. Lumiere's doom and gloom may just be too weird for her to want to show a normal face...

    At the sight of Lanterns deciding to worship her though, she blinks a few times... and just trots on! Apparently this doesn't bother her. Nor does it get her too excited. It's just another facet in the life of an Exalt.

    She IS effectively functioning as a guardian spirit, after all, right?

    "What could have happened to Carna?"

Tomoe has posed:
Carna has been missing, for a while and Tomoe is quite concerned but she also has other reasons to be concerned around here but really what can she do other than try to help with the restoration of this world ig it's ven possible? It does seem though Tacet Sanctos is thriving and doing very well, the Lanterns also seem to be doing pretty well. That actally gets a smile out of Tomoe a she moves to form up with the otehr arrivals. She'll be going to start looking for Longita.

"Hey Longita?! Enark?! Crow?"

Carna (974) has posed:
    Longita waits inside. Enark stands nearby, though there's no sign of Crow. If the Shadow is present, it's hidden somewhere. Given Crow's affinity for being undetectable to senses other than plain sight and sound, that is a distinct possibility. Enark turns from where he was speaking with a troubled-looking priestess to wave the others over.

    The black-wood pews, age-worn, and dust-strewn, have a handfull of Lanterns sitting in them, none looking particularly combat-worthy. Merely here to worship. Death-themed imagery is prevalent everywhere, as usual. It's in the stained windows, at the altar, in the crumbling tapestries, and so on.

    The woman in white, an opaque veil concealing her eyes, and a series of gold chains linking the bottom of the veil to her collar, giving her mouth a 'caged' look, makes a gesture that has been associated with this particular faith. A sort of trio of hand motions, ending in overlapping both hands just above the chest. "Welcome, heroes. It is good that you came. It has been too long, and there is news you should be aware of."

    Enark says, "The Peacemaker was just telling me that if Lady Carna has not returned or made contact by now, it is possible that she has been relocated somewhere she can not communicate from. Some place sealed off from the flow of Dead Lights and the normal Powers of Lumiere. And she also has said she may have an idea of where such a place may be."

    Enark rubs his chest a bit and clears his throat a little as he steps aside, perhaps still feeling some tightness there after having a hole put through him. Magical healing or not, that is the sort of thing that can leave a mark.

    Longita nods to what Enark has said and then makes a sweeping gesture for everyone to find a seat while she explains the rest.

Count Kord has posed:
    Kord strides through the church with ease after it's confirmed there's no waiting menacing presence to deal with. Paranoia has become his norm when it comes to Lumiere, especially after the trip that saw shapeless horrors they couldn't possibly fight without some serious problems. He slides into a seat right when it's indicated, picking a spot at the front.

    Kord squints over at Enark. Squint. Not out of suspicion, though it looks that way on the surface. "Is the wound opening again?" he wonders. Actual concern?

    He settles with his arms crossed, his posture stiff, his head turning so he can fixate his stare on Longita. He is, as usual, silent unless he's speaking or fighting. It's a good thing he exudes a supernatural aura of menace or they might need to put a bell on him.

Staren has posed:
    Staren folds his arms. "You mean like anywhere in the Multiverse out of warpgate and radio range?" He sounds a bit snarky, pointing out the incredibly obvious by reflex. Then he seems to realize how it sounded, and drops his arms to a more neutral posture. "Sorry. Just... Well, since we can't quickly check the rest of the Multiverse, if you know a likely place we /can/ investigate, we should get on that." He goes to find a seat.

Tomoe has posed:
Tomoe looks to Logniat and Enark she notiocs Crow is not openly around but that doesn't mean he's not somewhere. She smiles a bit at the pair.

"HEy it's good to see you and I was here ot ask about that. I haven't heard a peep from Carna for a while and I'm getting concerned about it."

The Salamander woman has a look of worry about her that she's not trying to hide andthen at Count Cord noticing issues with a wound on the undead man.

"...Enark? Do you need help?"

Finna (513) has posed:
The whtie fox tilts her whole head curiously at this news. Something can stop a Lantern from resurrecting? Weird. Weird and scary. So it's with a troubled growly chirp that she pads over next to Staren...

    Though when Enark flinches, she takes note! "Scholar you shouldn't be about so much! Heal up first!"

Carna (974) has posed:
    Enark waves off the concern from others. "I healed the wound, but after going so long without injury, the feeling of being... Run through like that was quite disconcerting. My breathing still catches on occasion, but I have little use for it aside speech. It is more reflex than anything at this point. Honestly, I'll be fine."

    Longita waits until that matter is settled, then turns her attention on Staren. "I know little of the Multiverse beyond what I have heard and observed from all of you. Though when I sought guidance from High Matron Sepulchre during the... Upheaval that occurred, I was informed that this is not the first time that this has happened, nor is it the first time that Lumiere has been linked with a Multiverse. I am not certain when that occurred, or what specifically the High Matron was referring to, but as she said, the chaos passed."

    She shakes her head, chains clinking lightly, almost a merry jingle, in contrast to all the gloom everywhere else. Though they could just as easily be seen as more dire, a sign of imprisonment or enslavement, as is probably more likely for Lumiere. "Either way, if it were simply somewhere else in the Multiverse, she would likely be able to make contact eventually. But there are places right here in Lumiere that block such communication. One in particular is a place you all have been steadily working your way towards. Given the way that the Dead of Lumiere are bound here, it is more probable that a Lantern would appear somewhere here than anywhere else in the Multiverse. Perhaps not even 'probable' so much as 'guaranteed'."

    Longita begins to pace a little bit, and asks, "To begin, have any of you heard the name 'Atlantis'?"

Staren has posed:
    Staren looks pretty surprised at word of another Multiverse. Then again, some weird timeloopy stuff might be going on, too.

    Finally, Longita asks a basic trivia question. "On many Earths, a city of legend that sunk into the sea in ancient times. In mine, it returned during the apocalypse, and is inhabited by slaving monsters. What does it mean here?"

Finna (513) has posed:
Finna's not so happy with a response like that. But the fox apparently is satisfied enough to just chirp in understanding and remain seated for story time from Longita...

    "Only the way Staren mentioned it!" She blurts not long after he's explained his thoughts on the lost continent. "Heard the name in the Multiverse a few times. There's an Atlantis in Lumiere?"

Kushiko has posed:
Ninjas are sneaky. Especially technorganic ninjas that are puppeted by strange otherworldly children from beyond.

Given she was there when it happened, she's keenly curious to see Carna come back. Hopefully you know, not deaded again. She finally decides to drop in--and by 'she' we mean that berserker-predator frame that more than a few here are familiar with: Valkyr. The anchor-tipped tail flicks slightly when she drops from above, making next to no sound when her feet touch the ground--taloned and slight digitgrade as they were.

<"Enark, Kord. Tomoe. Staren."> her voice pulses in that ... weird fashion as always. Her faceless visage seems to be momentarily focused on Finna before falling on Longita. <"Atlantis is something we've read about. Underwater city, sometimes myth, sometimes real in unexpected ways."> A pause.

<"Given Carna's state when she disappeared, she could've been flung there? Time-space disruption.">

Tomoe has posed:
Tomoe says "All right, I admit I don't really know how the undead really work you'd know better than me on that. IF you need help though you just need to ask, my friend."

She looks to Longita for a moment pondering her words for a moment..

"We might have abit of a problem then and yes I have. It's an old legend on my world about a city that sunk into the sea. People have been trying to find it for thousands of years. Then again aother mytic city was found a century ago so that just added fuel to the fire."

She looks to Kushiko and nods a little bit at her.

"Good to see you Kushiko.

Carna (974) has posed:
    Longita hmms, not entirely surprised by the revelation of it existing other places, even if different. She makes her gesture of greeting to Kushiko when she arrives, welcoming her. "That is part of why I bring it up, yes. Indeed, Atlantis, regardless of the name it may be known by, has a great deal of mythic resonance. Even in many worlds where it did not exist as a real place, it is known of, or spoken of in some form. And that is precisely what the Atlantis of Lumiere is." She pauses in her pacing and turns to face everyone again. "The Atlantis of Lumiere is the slain myth of Atlantis. And just as the myth, it was a place of tremendous promise. Wealth, art, sorcerous power, pleasures and luxuries that could be described as 'undreamt of', despite the very fact the reason the city existed at all here was specifically because someone dreamt of it. It was, like the City of Imagination, Gorgon, a paradise. The first Dead and the immortals of Eternity inhabited it in the time before Lumiere was constructed. And as Lumiere was built up around it, it remained a pivotal nexus for culture, learning, and the preservation of life."

    She shakes her head, setting those chains to jangling again. "Exotic life forms from all eras, rendered docile by both death and the sorcerers of Atlantis, dwelled there. A tyrannosaurus pulling an opulent golden palace on wheels, and Eden-like gardens wherein unicorns and stone-skinned lions both wandered side by side were scarcely worth raising an eyebrow to, such was their commonality."

    She hesitates briefly in her delivery of a history lesson. Enark is busily trying to write this all down, with as much fervor as Carna ever did in her journal, though for different reasons. Enark is a history nerd and will want to have a record of this to look up in the Library later.

    Whatver caused Longita's hesitation, she gets over it and says, "As Lumiere grew, travelling to and from Atlantis became troublesome. While methods of transportation were invented, their power dwindled when outside of the city's area of influence. A slain myth does not have the same permanence as something that once truly existed, though I will admit that at times the lines between the two can be blurred here, or even overlap. Those who dwelled in Atlantis thus has more power than those who had to work and live elsewhere, and this great inequalities. And some wished to correct that, by finding a way to siphon the concept of Atlantis and funnel it into other places, creating miniature versions of the city, or at least places where its riches, pleasures, and power would pool and gather like an oasis."

    Longita begins pacing again, a bit faster than before. "One of these places was the Cataract of Drowned Wisdom, within the Underworld proper. The god Hades supplied the area for it, and the means. The second outlet for Atlantis's magic was Aetheir Cathedral, where we Peacemakers base ourselves, and the largest population of surviving Lit Dead. However, dividing something that existed only as a recreation of a myth, stretching it across such vast distances as Lumiere encompasses, had unforseen consequences."

Staren has posed:
    A dead myth. It makes a strange sort of sense. "...Why is a City of Imagination named after a monster that turns people to stone?"

    Other than that question, he listens patiently. This is rather fascinating! He'd be writing it down too if he didn't already record everything he sees and hears as a matter of course.

Tomoe has posed:
Tomoe says "Makes sense concepts would be here too given this isn't just for dead people right?" She tilts her head a little bit as she starts to listen as more is explained about it. This is seriously a lot to take in but I think i get the gist of it.

Finna (513) has posed:
"Whooah?! ....Draining... a fake dream city of its power to make other places richer? .... I'm not a sorcerer.... what happens if you do that? Doesn't sound good for either side of the deal!" Finna ponders loud, tilting her head again in question.

    Kushiko's arrival is largely ignored. At least visually.

    Heavens knows the fox is going to find some ways to tease that thing EVENTUALLY.

Kushiko has posed:
<"It could have been something else before all that,"> Kushiko remarks, as she considers what's being given to them so far, a slight bob of her head--Valkyr's--towards Tomoe in passing. <"Either way, it sounds as though the part of it that, assuming Carna ended up there, could be something that's distinctly not part of the same paths and ... weave?"> Her eyeless face sortof looks questioningly at the others for filling in the things.

Count Kord has posed:
    Kord may have zoned out a little during the explanation. When she starts talking of myth and the spreading of said myth and the embodiment of a dead myth... he really checks out almost completely, hardly moving or even making any kind of noise. But eventually he does get up to a stand. He lowers his hands down to his sides and his frown can be heard in his voice.

    "So, getting right to the point," he says, clearly growing impatient, "This place, this 'Atlantis,' is where we would find Carna now?"

Carna (974) has posed:
    Longita pauses at Staren's question, frowning slightly in confusion. "I am sorry, I do not know what you are referring to." Maybe Gorgon means something else here. She keeps hesitating when some questions are asked, as though unsure if she's allowed to answer them, but when Kord tried to cut to the chase, bows her head. "I apologize for the circuitous way in which I have gotten to what I am trying to say. To be honest I was told only to inform you that you must ring the Three Chimes to find your companion, and where to find them. But I thought it best that you understand why you are doing it." She folds her hands at her belly, and composes herself.

    "The anchors for Atlantis's power are known as the Three Chimes. Atlantis is sealed shut below Barrowville's lowest reaches, and aside from the castle of the Eyes of the Asher, it is Lumiere's lowest structure. It is highly unlikely that she is there, but with space stretched and distorted, it is quite possible that she has been drawn into one of those stretched streams between the Three Chimes. If you can find and ring them, you can fix the mistake that Atlantis represents, and allow your companion to be found in un-altered space once again. The Three Chimes are located in Aetheir Cathedral, the Temple of the Drowned, and one other place. Other passages will be opened by ringing all three, but hopefully you need ring only one to collapse the altered space."

    She bows to those gathered. "Break the pattern of the Three Chimes, and the one whom you seek should emerge. If that does not work, you will be granted permission to enter Aetheir Cathedral to ring the second. In the worst case scenario you may need to find and ring the third as well. I recommend starting with the Temple of the Drowned. It is adjacent to the Vanquisher's Nest, where you all defeated the first Marble Guardian of Lostrata, the Chains of the Dusk Sun. Considering Carna's connection to that battle, it is the one most likely to return her. You may need to search for a way to drain the Temple before you enter it though. It is not what it once was, and unwholesome shapes lurk in the depths."

    So they aren't going to get an entire history lesson on Atlantis and what happened to it, it seems. But they don't need that to know how to rescue Carna. Though that Longita went out of her way to inform them of things she was not necessarily supposed to means she is at least trying to help them. Even if it means going against those above her.

    And there are too few allies in Lumiere to discard such an act, simple as it may be.

Staren has posed:
    "In other worlds, Gorgon is either a humanoid, possibly with snakes for hair, that can turn creatures to stone if they meet her gaze, or a metal bull that breathes poison that does the same." Staren explains.

    He listens to the rest and strokes his chin. "So we have to go to the Water Temple... Suppose we could always drain it by blowing a really big hole in it..."

Count Kord has posed:
    A slow, growly sort of noise comes from Kord, his impatience kept to a dull simmer due to her apologetic tone. She does get to the point very quickly, and spawns a soft, hissing sigh from him when he learns that he has to go somewhere moderately familiar. He then turns to look at Staren with uncertainty, like his comment caused pause in the demigod warrior. But Count Kord has had quite enough exposition for tonight, and soon walks off to prepare himself mentally for more excursions deeper into Lumiere.

Tomoe has posed:
Tomoe thinks on the Tenno's word and Kushiko is right it there's still a chance that Carna could be out there. So she's not going give up on the idea but she will be far more open to other options she might come across in the search for her. she does listen though there is information here that i useful to it.

"Humm draining the temple could be a problem if the mechanism for it have fallen into disrepair, if it even has any."

She looks to Staren.

"Let's see if we can find a proper way to drain it fuirst but that might need to be a option if we can't find any other way in."

Finna (513) has posed:
"is ANYTHING in Lumiere still what it started as?!" Finna blurts, unable to suppress her exasperation at how ridiculous this quest is getting. Not that this has dampened her exuberance any! The white fox restlessly starts pacing while she's still listening to others' responses...

    And Staren saying 'blow a hole in the temple' gets her to freeze briefly in her tracks... and STARE at him.

    "Everything's explosives with you!" She complains. "Remember what happened last time things went BOOM?!"