2136/He Who Gave Us The First Death

He Who Gave Us The First Death
Date of Scene:	01 May 2015
Location:	Great Painting of Ariamis <PoA>
Synopsis:	The party returns to the above of the Gravelord for answers, only to find him in the middle of a grand plan for the future.
Cast of Characters:	Tomoe, Staren, Priscilla, 168, 253, 415, 560, Ayako Hasekawa, Lezard Valeth, Reiji Arisu

---

Priscilla has posed:
    The Tomb of the Giants is a far more hospitable place than before, though that isn't saying much. Nito's awakening has given peace to the tortured and restless dead, and restored the sanctity of the final rest to a place once perverted by centuries of necromantic magic, but a tomb is still a tomb. No kind of foul sorcery is responsible for the way the pervasive dark here devours the light. Any source of illumination is redered as sickly and pallid as it was before, crushed in on all sides by the insistent blackness; muted to the same unnatural degree as any kind of sound above a whisper. The ground remains littered with the bones of the ancient dead, interspersed with those of the more recent, along with the undisturbed footprints of previous undead in the grey dust.

    Mercifully, the only danger now aside from psychological discomfort and the cold, is the occasional perilous footing over the yawning chasms below. This makes the return trip to the featureless sarcophagus chamber from before, retracing the map drawn out by Nathan, an eerily silent affair. Strangely, the barrier that had been erected when last they left is gone; the room beyond empty. All that has changed is that a colossal fissure runs straight through the ground, breaching through a fathomless expanse of solid stone, into some deeper depths below, from which even colder air somehow radiates upwards. Oscar, making his first motion from the entire journey, does the obvious thing and tosses a torch down the hole. It falls well out of sight, engulfed by the darkness, but reassuringly, almost half a minute later, there is the barely audible sound of wood smashing on stone.

Reiji Arisu has posed:
    It has been a long time since Reiji has experienced a dark this deep. This place is not subject to a mere absence of light- if it were, then Karin's flame could light the way. No, it is more primal than that. A darkness that is tangible- one that seeps into the branches and roots of the lungs with every breath. But it is, simultaneously, not threatening in and of itself. That much he can tell. It is a restful, peaceful dark.

Even if it's one that hides several tremendously fatal pitfalls.

Is this the true power of the He Who Gave Us the First Death?

Probably not.

    Regardless, they must brave the gloom. The best way to uncover the true nature of life and death in this realm is to speak with the one who first set the wheel into motion. Reiji mulls over the many questions that play across his thoughts. There's so much he needs to know about this place to do much- if any- good. Hopefully the Gravelord will be willing to share.

    Eventually, they come across Nito's chamber... Only to find it empty. Well, empty except the /giant gaping hole/ in the middle of the room. Reiji cranes his head over its side as Oscar lobs his torch into the depths. He frowns.

Is this the true power of the He Who Gave Us the First Death!?

...Maybe.

"Did anybody bring rope," Reiji asks of his companions. "Or enough flight to spare for the class?"

Kazusa Ujikane (415) has posed:
    Kazusa Ujikane was not here the last time the group was.

    And that's probably a good thing. Because she's as nervous as a mouse with just the natural surroundings.

    The girl stays very close to Psyber as they walk, her hands in her pockets, shoulders hunched a little, as if she expects something to leap out of the all-encompassing darkness at her at any time. Nevermind that she's here entirely in phantom form. It still feels perfectly real, and she's still plenty afraid of what her imagination can conjure up. "Eheheh... w-wow... sure is different than reading a horror manga..." she says aloud, her voice shaky even before the muting effect this place has. She's /trying/ to be brave about it, but... well, she's not running at least.

Ayako Hasekawa has posed:
    Ayako is here, sitting side-saddle on her floating broomstick. Of course, she's here as a Black Phantom, the pitch black aura most likely not helping the inky darkness that dulls light. Regardless of her aura, the water spirit is cheerful as always. Small, pale bluish flames float in the air around her, in an attempt to give some light to the oppressive darkness of the tomb.

    Having not been here before, she is constantly glancing about-incluuding downwards at the long drop down. Hopefully no one will lose their balance! Although she's always ready to catch someone on her broomstick if it does happen.

    When Oscar pauses and throws a torch down a hole, Ayako inclines her head to the side gently. "Hmm? Are we going down there? If anyone needs a float..." She pats her broomstick. "One person, though! I can't carry everyone!" A bright giggle follows.

Staren has posed:
    "Hmm." Staren wonders why darkness seems to be the natural state here, that light struggles against. The god of the sun is weak, sure, but is there some super-powerful god of darkness or something? Could they tell that guy to ease up? He makes the long trek in silence, lost in thought, and sighs when the giant isn't there. Oscar drops a torch... so, it's not bottomless. He shakes his head to Reiji. "I have flight for /me/...Maybe a couple of others... if anyone has some spare carbon, I could make some carbon nanotube cables... I mean, I /have/ some rope, but not /that/ much..."

Lezard Valeth has posed:
It is only through a fluke of fate that Nito is even present to be consulted. The last time anyone spoke to the Lord of the First Death, Lezard almost challenged the being right then and there.

Now it's time to see if that measure of reservation paid off.

Lezard is present, seething in crimson as he awaits patiently the group to gather the courage to go meet the diminished Lord. Or, more accurately, he prepares to usher the people he think matter into the presence of Nito so they can get this party started. "There is little need to worry. We can leave without trouble." Well, okay, /he/ can leave without trouble, but Nito has been a fairly cordial dude. Surely he's not going to fly into a berserk rage and attempt to murder them all.

Tomoe has posed:
Again Tomoe the Iron Lily is in this place sghe's unsettled even when she's not really here in a way. he wonders about Nito however how will he think of this place. She takes a deep breath and keeps moving ahead now it seems there's no monsters here waiting to fight htem Nito's done some good for here it seem and that leases her. FOr now she keeps looking down.

"I can't fly in a place like this. I wonder if I should have rolled Imp."

She notes to Reiji and then she looks to Kazusa for a moment seemingly amused slightly.

"It is, and be thankful the master of this place was able to put the undead back to their rest."

Emiya Shirou (560) has posed:
    "It fell for... about half a minute." unbelievable. They get this far and encounter what seems to be a bottomless pit. Shirou's balking at how ridiculous this is. "Why would anyone even go down DEEPER than we already are?"

    They are, after all, pretty much as far down as anything has a right to be by Shirou's estimations.

    "I can ride down on a rocket spear. Making a few of them isn't hard but they're not easy to use."

    There's a much simpler answer.

    "Gravelord Nito! Are you down there?!"

    ... Yeah, he does the simple thing and just asks first by yellin over the edge...

Psyber (253) has posed:
    Psyber is here. He's here in person mostly because that's the more durable form and he wants to be able to hold ground if shit really hits the fan rather than risk dying as a phantom. It also means he gets to bring his iPod with him, which is currently tuned to some classic rock song (probably) that he listens to via earbuds as he walks.

With Kazusa sticking next to him, and assuming Nathan is also nearby, Psyber finds himself running point for two people. Helpfully, at Kazusa's comment about horror manga, Psyber kinda tilts his head and helpfully says, "No reason to get excited, the thief he kindly spoke. There are many here among us who feel that life is but a joke." He notes before going back to walking.

    It's pretty unhelpful advice, but what do you expect when he's quoting song lyrics at you because they were in his ears at that moment. He keeps his hands in his pockets and hovers protectively between Kazusa and Nathan for the moment.

Lezard Valeth has posed:
Lezard eyerolls and sighs as Shirou clambers up to the edge of the hole and shouts down into it. The Necromancer casually steps behind Shirou and lifts a foot, giving Shirou a shove. "Do not tarry, magus." He simply says, before leaping into the hole himself.

Reiji Arisu has posed:
    Reiji... starts to frown a little bit more. It's not quite 'severe' yet, but it's pretty bad. "Well, I may ride down with Ayako, then. It's probably a bad idea to jump down a hole when I can't see the bottom." Not that he couldn't make it down the whole way, of course. Reiji Arisu is trained in the sacred art of jumping off of tall buildings without being hurt. A chasm like this one should be just fine.

He nods at the water spirit, then, and sets himself down on her broomstick. "Let's get moving. We're burning daylight."

Beat.

"...Or something like that."

Kazusa Ujikane (415) has posed:
    Psyber's 'advice' just puts a very confused look on Kazusa's face.

    Until, that is, Lezard decides to urge the group on in a very forceful manner.

    She looks at Lezard. She looks at Psyber. She looks at Lezard again.

    "...Psyberpleasecarrymedown."

Nathan Hall (168) has posed:
    Nathan is here. Or, at least, his WHITE PHANTOM. He has new glasses, too, thankfully. These ones are intact, and don't give him the harried, stressed look of the others. When he speaks, he's speaking in a whispery, exhausted kind of monotone, seeming as if he's short of breath a little. He's tanking the psychological discomfort square on the jaw, still calmly, monotonously retracing the group's steps in exact measurements.

    He is really thankful we don't have to go through the baby room again.

    "This seems to be a more direct way down, a speedier way down. easier than the first way, a lot easier..." He says, sounding like he's surreally in a dream as he shuffles just behind Psyber. "Sir Oscar has climbing gear. We can make as many trips as we need, as many trips as you like. Death kindly stops for everyone, eventually, eventually we'll all get down there and I think Nito has time in surplus." Lezard's presence is... Strangely not reacted to, in any substantial way. It's a little odd.

    He'll wait for Psyber to go first, and then he immediately drops over the edge, his mechanical wing-pack unfolding in the air to do a slow, almost parachute-like descent.

Ayako Hasekawa has posed:
    Ayako nods her head once and smiles when Reiji takes a seat on her broom. "It's better than accidentally hurting yourself when it's hard to see the floor." She guides her broom down the pit and floats all the way down to the dropped torch. "Eh heh... or something like that, Reiji."

    Once Reiji is safely deposited on the ground, Ayako flies back up and over to Shirou. "Shirou! I'll take you down next! No sense using up prana on something like this."

Psyber (253) has posed:
    Kazusa's confused look at him gets a smile from the half-angel a moment later, "But you and I we've been through that, and this is not our fate. So let us not talk falsely now, the hour's getting late." He adds with a wide grin.

    Her request to carry is heard, though. And since Psyber endeavors to be pretty good about how he treats people who overtly ask him for help, he scoops her up in a princess carry and then hops off the edge. Almost as soon as he steps off, his wings appear and then immediately flare wide.

    It's a slow, relaxing drift to the bottom for Kazusa.

Reiji Arisu has posed:
    Flight is a wonderful ability. It's one that Reiji will probably never be able to manage on his own, but still. He knows that Shirou, at the very least, would probably agree with him. The exorcist hops off the broom onto the chasm floor and leans down to pick up the guttering torch. A little light is better than none. "Right," he says, tracing the torch through the smothering shadows as he searches for the path forward, "I'll see about figuring out which way to go."

It is awfully dark down here, though.

"Shirou," he calls, "You still alive?"

Kazusa Ujikane (415) has posed:
    As small as she is, Kazusa would be fairly light even to a normal person. To someone like Psyber, she's practically a feather. On the way down, she takes a moment to adjust her glasses and playfully quip, "You know, this is a pretty dangerous way to treat a girl! I've seen shoujo manga that start like this." Once they touch down, however, she straightens her sweater a little, and... immediately sets out at a jog to catch up with Reiji. Who has the torch. "...Didn't start off in this creepy a place, though."

Ayako Hasekawa has posed:
    Ayako continues to ferry everyone down that can't naturally (or unnaturally) fly or float down on their own. However! When Kazusa happens to bring up shoujo manga and notice how Psyber is carrying Kazusa. She floats over to them quickly!

    "Dangerous it is, it is!" Ayako nods her head quickly to agree with Kazusa! Even looks a bit jealous. Just a bit, though. And then resumes her broom ferrying.

Emiya Shirou (560) has posed:
    "hwagh?!"

    Suddenly a bad feeling turns into a nightmare as Shirou finds himself knocked clear over the edge, flailing and quickly falling into the darkness.

    Thankfullly there's PLENTY of time to save himself. "TRACE.. ON!"

    The drop's illuminated briefly by a bright flare, and then... then a smaller one from ROCKET THRUSTERS!

    "UuuUoooaaAAaAAaAaaaaaahhh!!"

    ... That is not how you ride a rocket spear, Shirou...

    He's clinging hard to the thing, thumb on the ignition and riding sort of UNDER it. He can't move his hands because he's using them to HOLD ON to it...

    So he's just sort of descending in a loopy circle with the thing scorching down his back.

    doooown he goes...

Priscilla has posed:
    Of course nobody answers Shirou. That would just be silly. That also includes his own echo. The sound of his voice is completely swallowed by the cavernous gloom that awaits beneath his feet; that which rushes to meet him as Lezard physically kicks him over the edge. Oscar looks to Nathan with a silent, faceless expression that can only communicate 'are you serious', before actually answering "I don't have nearly that much rope. You'll figure something out." before taking a flying leap off the edge after Lezard. Approximately twenty nine seconds later, a tiny spark of blue can be seen flashing in the dark, followed by the delayed sound of metal biting into rock. It seems as if the knight of Astora feels even more gutsy than usual today. Priscilla of course does the dignified thing and waits for someone to carry her, not being about to shimmy down a rope in a dress. She holds on Ayako the entire way down. Though she has no idea if her terminal velocity is sufficient to cause serious injury to her unique physiology, she doesn't feel like testing it.

    Shirou is the first to find the bottom, blasting into what at first appears to be a secondary cavern below the Tomb of the Giants, softly illuminated in glittering blues and greens from the outgrowth of what appear to be utterly monolithic tree roots winding down from the ceiling in the distance, each the size of a skyscraper. As he forcefully splash lands in about three feet of water however, the horizontal view proves that the vista stretches indefinitely outwards, broken up only by the gargantuan archtrees and the uneven floor. It's clear to anyone who went to Ash Lake that this place must be similarly close to the base of the world -- its physical bottom rather than the abstract downwards of the Abyss -- perhaps only a few dozen meters above 'sea level'. What else is equally clear is that it has only been touched for the first time, as there is nothing to see but a sole, gently winding path of unnaturally raised stone that sweeps far ahead, and the sight of /something/ looming in the distance under the shade of a nexus of roots.

    Distantly, the group can hear someone singing.

Psyber (253) has posed:
    Despite the dashing smile that Kazusa gets, Psyber's response is an almost practiced and reflexive tone to her quip, "Sadly, I am in love with my job. Until such a time as those circumstances change, I am not a suitable candidate for any dedicated relationship." There's something about that wording that he always uses. As he lands, he flicks his wings a bit before they vanish. The response is as much to Ayako as it is to Kazusa herself, Psyber stretching his arms a little as she darts off after Reiji.

    He sticks near wherever Nathan heads in the group, trusting Reiji to keep an eye on Kazusa at point while he covers rear guard. He seems, if nothing else, to be curious about that singing. So he wanders in that direction.

Ayako Hasekawa has posed:
    Ayako just... stops for a moment, floating in mid-air on her broom. She watches Shirou spiral downwards in a loopy circle holding onto the rocket spear. "Oohh... that looks kind of fun, actually." Her head inclines to the side gently. "Doesn't look very safe, though."

    She can't really stop or help him either. Shirou's going way too fast for Ayako to catch up with. And she currently doesn't care to expel any water from her broom's brush, so... yeah. Her head and eyes just keep tracing the circling, circling, circling.

    Oh look. Shirou made it to the bottom first! And is even ahead of us now. Show off! Not that Ayako is the competitive type. Well maybe. A little.

    Ayako smiles softly at Priscilla as she holds onto her on the way down. And towards Psyber's wing flick, she smiles softly with her eyes closed and shakes her head slowly. Once she is done ferrying everyone that needs to be ferried, Ayako looks around proper. Huh. There's water here. And singing? Of course, Ayako is drawn towards the sound.

Reiji Arisu has posed:
Well, Shirou is probably just fine. That guy seems pretty durable, turning his soul inside out so many times and all. Reiji won't worry about it.

    Instead, he makes his way deeper into the caves, eyes darting every so often to Kazusa through the gloom. The torch is helping, but the darkness is still so /thick/ here...

And then they come into the light.

    Glimmering blues and dim teals and swarms of lightning-bugs all cast the world around him into a state not unlike twilight. If they were wandering through stark midnight before, now they pass through a place filled with the last, dwindling lights of dusk. The torch burns brighter, its warmth playing against the tranquil waters and the ripples pulsing across its surface.

    Great trees- trees larger than any tree Reiji has ever witnessed- cast their shadows overhead. He says nothing- he'd appreciate a moment to take this place in before disrupting it any further.

There is music in the air.

Reiji gives a firm nod, moving deeper in after the sound, "What is this place?" He asks, glancing back towards Priscilla. "It's... Much more beautiful than the Tomb was," Reiji observes, casting his eyes, then, back across the waters, "Strange that it'd be beneath it."

Oh!

Oh hey! Shirou's over there! Hey Shirou.

Kazusa Ujikane (415) has posed:
    Well, this is a pretty strange place.

    At least it's less scary than the tomb up above, though. Kazusa at least feels confident enough to walk a /little/ further from Reiji, although as music fills the air, she's still nervous enough to quietly reach over and unzip her purse, keeping one hand in it. Doubtless she's got her cards in there. "Is that this, uh... 'two-swords' thing we're looking for?"

Tomoe has posed:
Tomoe has started packing rope in her inventory she's learned that much. She looks ove to Shirou for a moment staing and she does not answer him because seriously she had no idea whart she said.

She's already making to head down with the others but whe will take her own way down hopefully she can well do what she can best to get down there making use of a her rope, thankfully this is digital so it doesn't run out. When she hits the bottom she has to pause for a moment as tthe singing, what the heck is that?

"Singing?"

Lezard Valeth has posed:
Lezard seems to be studiously ignoring Nathan in return. Perhaps they both want nothing to do with revisiting that little unresolved attempt at stuffing a horrible hate-fueled entity into a highly unstable man's soul.

If Lezard has something to say immediately about the unusual area they find themselves in, he doesn't say it. He gazes over the waterlogged area with a frown, adjusting his glasses in contemplation. After a few seconds, he supplies, "This is not an area I expected to find. It must be most ancient indeed if it is hidden so far beneath the Grave."

He begins stepping forward, quickly leading the way with scepter in hand as he works to pick his way forward. They need to locate Nito, and he's not here. Therefore, he is ahead. "If there is singing, we are obviously not alone. Be on your guard." He also adds.

Nathan Hall (168) has posed:
    Nathan descends with a leisurely sort of drift, his wings wide Once he touches down, it's with a gentle sort of impact, a soft landing. "Where we are, where we are... Don't try to puzzle it out, don't try to figure out geographically why this would be under the Tomb of the Giants. No, no, no this isn't geography. Little more abstract, a little more conceptual. We're a bit closer to the core of the world, the beginning. Plus it's... Retreated, just a little. The gods, the Lords, they interacted with this place, made it their... Escape route, I suppose, their emergency exit. Don't much know myself how, really."

    He mutters and rambles as he heads onward, towards the singing as well. "Just need to hope the Gravelord's not decided to leave, not decided to go ahead and retreat as well. Can't imagine he's under threat, under pressure you know. Could imagine he's under the tomb. Maybe he's got a friend with a nice singing voice. Or maybe he just left someone his number." He's going to clamber up onto the stones, though, and follow, heading towards the nexus of roots.

Psyber (253) has posed:
    with his wings gone, Psyber will dutifully follow after nathan as the Librarian talks. The half-angel keeps a somewhat casual gait to his pace, making sure to never be too far away from Nathan and to not let him head towards anything dangerous (of which there isn't much dangerous right now), even if he's in a more phantasmal form than the half-angel right now.

    A hand slowly comes out onto Nathan's shoulder as if to steady the librarian. A tentative gesture, considering how Nathan reacted the first time it happened. He asks calmly, "First day out. How're you feeling?" He inquires to the librarian as he looks around the rather interesting landscape, "I dunno, considering how deep we are, maybe we're actually walking into his house."

Emiya Shirou (560) has posed:
    "..." Instead of yelling angrily at Lezard, Shirou seems to have done the stupid thing and let it slide despite an incredibly clumsy landing on the water's edge. Face-first into the shoreline and splashed by some water. The Rocket Spear's abandoned as he hoists himself up and stares...

    STARES at those trees.

    "Those things must be older than all of us combined." he muses, tromping over to the group and wringing out his clothes. Mutter, mutter.

    What an embarassing landing.

    Yet still he's not aggroing Lezard. Weird.

Reiji Arisu has posed:
"I don't know," Reiji replies to Shirou. He jerks a thumb in a vaguely Psyber-ish direction, "Maybe most of us, but the jury's still out of Psybriel over there."

Nathan Hall (168) has posed:
    None of the trembling of the last time under Psyber's hands. Instead, a resigned, emotionless sort of feeling, like a zombie or a machine. "Feeling. Hhhhhh. Not good. Figure, getting out a little, getting some fresh air, it'll clear my head. Need a clear head, you know. Have to cipher, have to decode..." Nathan's going to be stepping between the odd stones now. "Little better to get out. The work helps, the work keeps me focused, keeps me clear. Complex problems, simple solutions, helps ease the mind."

    He doesn't look up, keeping his eyes on the stones that make up the bridge. "Might be where he lives, sure. Might be, might be, but then maybe, might not be. Seems like he's the kind of guy who likes living in a tomb, likes being dead in his tomb. Making his house in a tomb, anyway."

Priscilla has posed:
    "The roots of the world." Priscilla says plainly to Reiji. "Though it is perhaps only an isolated corner of it, this was the place that the gods didst once maketh war upon the dragons, before ascending the Archtrees to build the world above. If the Gravelord hast returned here, I cannot imagine it was for any trivial reason." Oscar finally arrives after the last members have made their way down, carefully scaling down with a sword in one hand and a dagger in the other, until he reaches the periphery of a tree root and simply walks down from there, clapping Nathan on the shoulder as he goes past. "The Gravelord found his rest for a thousand years in the Tomb. If he's awake now, I doubt it's to run away."

    The sound of singing is faint, but easily traceable, as the surface of the water carries it far and wide. It's a strangely aimless tune, young and female in tone, sung in such a way that it seems to repeat fairly frequently, but is never quite the same between cycles. There's no real structure to it in a way that implies a beginning or end. As the group trudges the length of the path, the voice is joined by a second, and eventually a third, all from far away points in the distance, but well coordinated with one another. It's surreally peaceful, in a strange sort of way. Comforting in its simplicity.

    What is most assuredly not simple is the sight that awaits them at the end of the path. It's almost impossible to see until everyone is right up against it, because the monolith is made of pitch black stone that becomes nearly invisible in the deep shadows cast by the swirl of infinitely ancient roots above it. The actual shape is difficult to determine, its edges seeming to defy definition. It appears to be a building of some kind, perhaps a castle, and an extremely large one at that, but it seems to have only just been roughed out, and where the material came from is anyone's guess. The fact there is even an entrance, as enormous as it is, is easy to miss against the already pervasive shadow, but Oscar finds it anyways, and Priscilla makes her way in without hesitation. Upon stepping over the boundary, any and all lights immediately go out, and those that are re-lit function even more poorly than in the Tomb.

    The hallways have been hollowed out in such a way that even the giants of Lordran could wander them freely, making the ceiling impossible to see, marked only by the vague impression of massive pillars here and there. A constant chorus of whispers can be heard rising and falling from each adjoining corridor, with more concrete, but less comprehensible voices being audible through doors of black iron. In the larger rooms, the floor is purely natural earth, though it seems intentional rather than overlooked. Despite the structure's height, the only ways inside of it lead down, spiralling loosely in a gradually tightening helix, until eventually they converge into one, final chamber.

    The dimensions of the chamber are impossible to determine, as the light fails to reach any sort of wall. What fills the otherwise empty floor is rows upon rows of stone figures, some merely human sized silhouettes, but others carved into progressively more accurate depictions of something roughly human, albeit far larger or smaller. It takes a while of wandering through the eerie congregation before the inky blackness of tattered robes of shadow loom before the group, fluttering on a non-present breeze. The Gravelord is as massive as ever before, yet hunched over something, suggesting some manner of delicate work.

Lezard Valeth has posed:
The descent into the terrible crypt progresses without incident, Lezard mentally marking the path and features. Nathan brings up excellent points, but thankfully at least one of those concerns is not something they'll have to deal with. The Necromancer does not bother attempting to light his way in the darkness. He is used to finding his way through unlit hallways.

When they finally reach the Gravelord and his work, Lezard displays a stunning amount of respect for a being he was formerly on the verge of murdering and waits for Nito to finish what he's working on before he'll speak.

Maybe he knows what it's like to have someone pester you in the middle of a delicate job.

Ayako Hasekawa has posed:
    Ayako follows the singing to the surface of the water, and hops off of her broom to lean down and take a better look and listen towards the water. After a moment, she continues onwards along the path, her broomstick still floating after her.

    Upon seeing the the pitch-black building, Ayako inclines her head to the side gently. She quietly follows after Oscar and Priscilla, and eeps softly when her pale blue flames become even dimmer. Her amber eyes keep darting about as she tries to take everything in.

    The final chamber has Ayako try to take a better look at the stone figures. She doesn't stray too far from the group, though. And then stops as she watches the Gravelord work so intently on something.

Psyber (253) has posed:
    "Mm. Maybe, Nathan," Psyber says, before looking towards Reiji, "My age is a very boring number, I assure you. It's an uninteresting figure with no particular impact on any current topic," He waves his free hand dismissively. The one on Nathan's back falls to rest in his coat pocket.

    That stance is kept as they walk through the halls. He looks around, a mixture of awe and worry on his face as he passes by each sight in turn. He carefully takes in the unique designs and the very amazing work. When they finally arrive at Nito, he's quiet, but his gaze is set on the Gravelord. This is the first time Psyber has met him, and boy is it pretty awe-inspiring.

Reiji Arisu has posed:
    "So this is the origin," Reiji says with just a tinge of awe in his voice. "I never thought I'd walk at the very core of a world before. It's sort of daunting." Not daunting enough to dissuade his advance, clearly. Reiji moves through the water in pursuit of those distant voices. They never come across their source. Instead, there is a... Monolith of sorts.

No, a fortress. Or a castle. Or... Something more.

    Reiji's brow furrows. Priscilla leads the way, the exorcist follows... Only for his torch to be abruptly snuffed out. There's burst of flame as Karin roars to life, igniting the oil-soaked cloth and bone at the far end of the branch. He sheathes the blade again and moves deeper into the dark.

    The flame doesn't help much. The darkness is even thicker here than it was above. "Is the Gravelord building a castle for himself?" Reiji mutters into the darkness as he strides ever forward. The distant whispers rustle in his ears, speaking words unheard. Somehow, he thinks it may be better that way.

    Finally, though, they reach the Gravelord. Reiji pauses as he stares up at the... The giant, shambling mass of skeleton and darkness. That's a little more forboding than he had imagined. But... The Gravelord appears to be occupied. He stands waiting, torch guttering sadly into the gloom as the First God works his craft.

    Maybe Reiji's just... Speechless, after all this. He's met many gods in his career- but the Thousand Deities of the Shinto faith don't quite compare to one of the great prime movers of an entire world. For whatever reason, he doesn't interrupt the Gravelord. Not yet.

It'd be rude.

Being rude to a god is a good way to die.

Kazusa Ujikane (415) has posed:
    You thought you were out of the woods, didn't you, Kazusa?

    Well, okay, the metaphorical woods. More literally you were /in/ the woods, sort of. But now that you're out of the woods, you're back in them.

    Kazusa's head hurts a little as they start to descend into darkness again.

    It doesn't take terribly long for her to find her way back to Psyber, and she stays near him thereafter. More than once she strongly considers pulling a card from her purse and using it just for the protective bolster to her personality, but it probably wouldn't work anyway. So she stays close, quiet, and subtly 'nervous as fuck'.

    "Is... is, uh, that him? It? The... Gravelord?" Yeah, 'being at the end of their journey' isn't doing much to calm her in light of that big guy.

Emiya Shirou (560) has posed:
    Shirou manages to follow the others into a horrendously dark place. Darker than before is hard to imagine, but it seems to be the case! Down, down into the belly of the beast.

    "I don't think he'd build something like this..." is Shirou's answer to Reiji. "You can't even see anyone in here. Why would you want to live in a place like this?" But his voice is pretty quiet all the way to the Gravelord...

    Whereuon he just frowns. What in the world did they stumble upon?

Tomoe has posed:
Tomoe listens to Priscilla nad aime top keep close ot her while keeping an eye on Hall if she's able to. She wonders for a moment, Shr think for a moment about the god of death. He was the only god whose not really shoved off of the worls she think and for a death god? He didn't seem to be crule she had to admit. He was fair everyone dies eventually. Still she had to agree he wouldn't run what he would do? She didn't know but run was not one of the options.

Nathan Hall (168) has posed:
    When Nathan approaches, it's with his usual cautious respect, but he doesn't believe Nito has any intent to harm them, so it's still without too much slowness. He's impressed, though, at what he sees, however suddenly. This structure being built down here is impressive; the contents of it are even moreso. He wanders between the statues once they get to the bottom, giving them both space and attention.

    Then he gets to Nito. He'll wait, like Lezard, patiently and politely. There's really no way the Gravelord doesn't know they're here already, so he won't interrupt, and he'll only speak up when Nito turns to them or otherwise indicates his attention. When he speaks up, it's with a bit more of his original voice, the stronger monotone. "Gravelord. We've returned, asking your help again. We need information. Possibly resources. And you've every right to reject the request, but we have to ask regardless." He makes a plaintive gesture with both hands. "The mechanism that you use to draw upon the souls of Lordran in their death. We seek to know it, so that we might enact a change for the world that rejects the paths of the Primordial Serpents." Laying those cards on the table is strategic. Just enough to show they're savvy enough to reject and the scale of their quest, not enough to show how or why. It's also respectful, assuming a sort of peer relation here.

Priscilla has posed:
    It can be assumed that Nito knows the others are there. There is precious little sound to begin with, and the whispers aren't any louder than their footsteps. He is also clearly deep in concentration, because it is almost a full minute before he turns away from his work. The First of the Dead rises to his full, towering height as he turns about, his cloak phasing through the statues closest to him with the motion. It's easy to miss against the impressive sight of one of the four Lords, but a motion from the place he had just occupied reveals a smattering of stone chips skittering over the floor as someone picks themselves up off the ground. A young girl who by all accounts appears to be human, save for her eyes, with the same kind of tapestry of shadows wrapped around her form as her must-be-creator's.

    As before, he speaks in a cavalcade of whispering, murmuring voices, belonging to men, women, children, and something else, all of equal volume and importance. The sound somehow joins harmoniously with the furtive tones in the background, amplifying its sense of presence. "So you were not taken in by the words of the brothers." the most prominent skull adorning Nito's vague head-region glances down at Nathan before anyone else. "Nor by the wishes of Gwyn. It is not surprising that things such as you should go on without separating truth from fiction. If you would not heed the words of those who have planned far longer and greater than I, then I must know for what purpose. Death is not an arcane art. It is not secret or complex. All beings can understand it."

Psyber (253) has posed:
    Psyber steps forward to talk to Nito, finally deciding to plead a case, "Why is simple," He keeps his hands in his pockets. He is STILL listening to that iPod, or appears to be, anyway. His stance is respectful, but relaxed. The posture one immortal would take when addressing another.

    "This world desires life and death. But the current method is inefficient and skews the balance. Your Lord Gwyn has broken something," He half-lids his eyes. It's not accusation, it's fact. The Serpents said so, "So let's be candid. Which cycle do you prefer more? One wherein Death waxes and wanes, its relevance dictated by a corpse in a room? One wherein all death is smothered and immortality and darkness begin?" He tilts his head and offers, "Or my option. Where the cycle of life and death is not only respected, but the death and lives of this world power its very core. Bring its very fundaments into all levels."

    "My option eschews the other two, but the cycle of Life and Death will always be known to this world. Long after whatever may come of this worlds Gods, Kings, and old beings, even should you leave this world some day, Gravelord. You can do so with the assurance that it will respect Death. That Life will always acknowledge Death in some way."

Reiji Arisu has posed:
    Reiji watches as the girl- an apparently human girl- rises from Nito's workplace. The stone chips do not go unnoticed. Was he creating life? Perhaps. Death is necessary for life to go on. It's not too surprising, then, that a Death God is also capable of such things.

    Nito speaks. It's not quite like anything he's heard before- but the truly alien aspect of his voice is hidden beneath the sussurus of all the others joining with him. Reiji steels himself and takes a step forward. He then immediately drops into a deep and respectful bow, "God of Death. It is an honor to dwell in your august presence."

    Reiji straightens, turning his eyes up to the greatest of the skulls adorning the ambulatory shadow. "I am Reiji Arisu, a specialist in the movement of energy within nature," he says. "As Psyber and Nathan say, we are working on a method to resolve the crisis facing this world. In order to do so, we require knowledge on the specific mechanisms of death and the transmigration of the soul. We wish to... establish a tithe of all souls in transfer from one entity to another directly to the Kiln. However, I can't work out a method to do so without understanding more about the nature of life, death and the soul as they exist in this place."

...He's a bit formal. A bit stiff. But that may be normal for an ostensibly mortal spiritualist petitioning a god for aid.

Kazusa Ujikane (415) has posed:
    "U-um..."

    It's clear that Kazusa doesn't feel the most confident in her question - or even in the simple act of 'calling attention to her presence' when so close to a being like Nito - but nevertheless, she takes a half-step out from behind Psyber after the angel's said his piece. "I, um. If you don't mind me asking, anyway... you mentioned 'separating truth from fiction'... would you happen to know which is which? It might help us figure things out, if you do. I think..." It's kind of hard to think when you're staring up at a multi-voiced, ominous god of death. But she feels she has to contribute somehow! And everyone else has 'info for Psyber's method' covered.

Nathan Hall (168) has posed:
    "We want to make our own path, make our own way forward. Make a path that Lordran can decide, really." Nathan says, slipping a bit into his more recent, surreal way of speaking. He gestures to Psyber. "My friend here, my ally has conceived a plan. He has the justification, the reasons. I have the method. The Kingseeker and the Darkstalker propose solutions, solutions that force an end-state. One staves off the problem. For a long time, of course, for a very long time, but it's only temporary. The other forces a change. But, who knows what's on the other side of that, what's past that threshold, and you can't unextinguish a fire."

    "We think the solution we have will keep the natural order of things. The Witch of Izalith, she knew fire. We don't want to make a new one. We want to keep the old one. Feed it souls. Use what she knew, make them fuel the fire. Controlled, contained, just enough to keep things lit enough. Draw some souls, not many, but just enough, every death, every time someone slips on. Just enough to feed the fire. Wanes too much, more people start dying. Feeds the Flame. Bright enough, you get a proper age of... Light, for a while. Clarity. Death makes the world go round a little longer, forever. I think you're the kind of being that understands a little more... Directness in the necessity of death. We're not going to stop it anytime soon, nobody can stop it. Can't be stopped, really. But it can be impelled to work for the world, while it does what it does."

Emiya Shirou (560) has posed:
    "I'm tired of not knowing anything that one has to know in this world." Shirou declares once the others have said much of the more important things. He ends up nodding to Kazusa moments after her question.

    "Kaathe talked about what will happen to humanity if the Fire goes out. Do you know anything about--"

    He trails off because he instead fixes his attention on the girl. "... Who is she?"

Ayako Hasekawa has posed:
    Ayako blinks her eyes quickly at the young human girl picks herself off of the ground. The tapestry of shadows and... what's with her eyes? Nito's voice causes Ayako to pause for a moment as she takes it in. She doesn't really say anything, though. There are people far better at speaking than her, after all! Instead, she just listens.

    Her amber gaze does go towards the young girl quite a bit, though.

Tomoe has posed:
There's a lot to lake in she listens to Nathan's words to the God of death, she listens to everyone else wishes to speak/ She wonders how this will go, she does woner will the God accept to help them or would he take issue with their plan to bring some level of balance to this world by making htier own option against the Darkness and the fire.

Priscilla has posed:
    The girl looks between Ayako and Shirou as if unsure of what to make of them. Unsure of anything really. She clutches the shadows around her like a blanket, despite being apparently unbothered by having bare feet on the brutally cold stone. Nito looks back to her at the question. One could almost imagine some vague, alien sense of . . . perhaps fondness? Pride? Something that a wall of grinning skulls shouldn't be able to express. "She is the fourth of her sisters. She will sing with the others, and in doing so, bring comfort to those who pass into death." His cloak shifts as he turns aside a little further, revealing a row of much taller statues, just about at completion, several of which bear armour, weapons or staves of peculiar black metal, save for a single sword with a blade that barely seems to exist. "And these will be her guardians. They will ensure the sanctity of the final rest no matter what should become of me." To the educated observer, it would genuinely seem that Nito is making his first effort to take hand in the world since its creation. Perhaps what he had woken up to was a sufficient motivator. Perhaps it was something else.

    He regards the further mix of questioning and explanation for several moments; the whispering filling the room dying completely for those seconds of absolute, deafening silence. "Humans go on never understanding themselves, their fate, or the intentions of their creator. It is strange and yet not strange at all that you would hear all the pieces of the complete truth amidst the misdirection, and yet decide to abandon to make a new one. Neither of the Serpents know what awaits us beyond the end of this age, nor I, nor Gwyn, nor perhaps even the dragons. Their theories are more complete than any, but only the ancestor of man could speak with true finality."

    He finally turns back to the statues. "You have already heard 'the brighter the flame, the greater the shadow'. Fire and Dark are inextricably linked, as they always were, and as they always will be. What none ever stop to ponder is that with lesser flame comes lesser darkness. The two desire each other, only given form once apart. Dark given shape will seek the world of Flame, and Flame given life with inexorably seek the Dark. A soul will not move against the light of a greater soul by nature. To return one to the First Flame, you would require Dark of the like that does not exist in this world, and yet without a trace of Humanity. The power of that particular Lordsoul was enough to create such a void in the world of the Gods, but it will not be enough for this. If you have spoken to the Darkstalker, you already know where what you seek exists."

Reiji Arisu has posed:
"The Abyss," Reiji says with a slight incline of his head. "We need something of purest darkness to place within the flame. Once we do that, then we create an... Absence. Something that the world will try to fill." The exorcist rubs at his chin. "No. Not quite. Not an absence, a counterpart. Something that requires an aspect of the soul, and that the soul itself requires. Two halves of a whole, but the half we're going to be hunting must be absolutely pure."

He nods, then. "I can work with that. It's not unlike the principle of the Taiji."

    He pauses, then, craning his head to peer at the greater statues. Taller, more physically imposing creations. The God of Death is making preparations. But Reiji's eyes focus on the nearly invisible blade, burning briefly with a glint of curiousity. "Hm. Gravelord, you're probably the first God of Death I've heard of who can also claim to be a real artisan. Never seen weapons like those before."

Psyber (253) has posed:
    "Of course," Psyber says in a pensive tone, "When a great light and a great dark meet, they don't become nothing. They meet in the middle," Psyber says in a serious tone, looking towards the Gravelord. He moves his face into a scowl, "You are correct, Gravelord. We need to introduce an equilibrium to make it sustainable. A balance. Weight must be counter-weighted and things brought into full..." He waves a hand a bit, thinking it over, "I understand it now. Yes."

    That hand he was waving? It comes down on top of Kazusa's head, planting there and patting the top of her head in a reassuring sort of way. It's something he rarely does for people, but she seems like she needs it. She looks way out of her element.

Ayako Hasekawa has posed:
    Ayako smiles softly to the young girl. When Nita brings up the guardians, the statues get another look. But other than that, she continues to quietly listen. She doesn't exactly know what's going on, so that's all she can really do. Well, that and glance cheerfully at the girl.

Nathan Hall (168) has posed:
    "We must descend to the Abyss. Extract from it... one final Lordsoul, maybe, or some fragment, some piece, some source of the Abyss itself, something Dark enough to attract the light. The source of the shadow." Nathan says, nodding several times, slowly. His monotone starts muttering. "It'll act as... A point of attraction, as a point of drain. Minor drain, just slight. We can modulate the properties. Adjust its mechanisms, change the way it functions. once we own it, once we... Have what we need. Acquire that and we can channel. I understand. Understand why you only draw unclaimed souls, why... I think I understand what you mean. Like matter and antimatter, like north and south magnetic poles. They're defined by separation and drawn towards mutual equilibrium."

    Standing a bit more straight up, he goes back to the old voice for a moment. "Thank you, Gravelord. Your insight and wisdom is, as always, extremely helpful. We hope that the end we seek will be one that you find to be the best of the routes we could take. I wish you good luck in your own works. If you have further wisdom to impart, it will be appreciated; if not, we will occupy as little of your time as you may wish, and leave you to your work."

Emiya Shirou (560) has posed:
    Shirou blinks a few times, only to slightly gape. "Homonculus...?" Or the closest thing he knows to them in this world. He ends up smiling at the uncertain girl, just enough to hopefully be reassuring. "Sing to calm the dead... that's a great idea."

    Making sense of the rest of this takes more import though.

    "Well, there's only one thing to worry about then, besides finding a... 'dark soul' great enough..." Yeah, he's somehow caught on to what Psyber and Reiji are getting at, "What about keeping it safe? If it's the darkest and purest thing to use... it's kind of like a magnet then. What else will it grab?"

    Casually, and without the typical show of excess power that happens during battle, Shirou projects the Yin-Yang swords Kanshou and Bakuya, twirls them a few times... and studies them closely. Thinking hard.

    "Deep into the Abyss... we already pushed our luck with the Four Kings. How do we even search a place that doesn't seem to care about direction much?"

Reiji Arisu has posed:
"That's not a bad point," Reiji says with a slight roll of his shoulders. "There'd need to be a mechanism to keep it safe. Guardians, maybe. Or a key of some kind. Maybe both?" He rubs a bit at his chin. "That might take some doing, though."

Kazusa Ujikane (415) has posed:
    The pat on her head actually serves to steady Kazusa a fair bit, though she does swallow nervously one last time.

    And she didn't understand half of what Nito just said, so all she can really do is hope that the answer to her question was helpful to everyone else. But when Shirou murmurs something that sounds like a paradox, she actually manages to come up with an answer. "If a place doesn't care about direction, then maybe we can get where we want to be by just deciding that we're going the right way!"

    ...maybe not a HELPFUL answer...

Lezard Valeth has posed:
Lezard does not cringe before the august presence of the Gravelord. He does not fear the Reaper. The Reaper is one of his truest and most terrible foes, one that is not unbeknownst to all who walk alongside him.

The revelations shared by the Gravelord bring a glint to Lezard's gaze. "A spirit so pure of Dark that does not exist in this world... There can only be one place where such a thing would reside... Are you truly concerned about such a thing, magus?" He smiles faintly at the mention of a homunculus, and glances at the Milfenito with an appraising gaze, before looking back to Shirou. "If you want to seek out this being, direction is not the issue, it is simply a matter of moving away from the Flame and towards the Dark."

Priscilla has posed:
    Despite the urgency of the matter, Nito seems to be in no great hurry, nor deeply involved. His project demands far more of his attention. It's difficult to tell whether he simply doesn't have any confidence they will succeed, or whether the concerns of what happens to Lordran are somehow far different to him than anyone else. "They are imperfect and unrefined, as I never knew Gwyn's brother of the forge." he says to Reiji. "I have no use for them. If you see worth in them, make them your own." It's unclear as to what he's actually /doing/ with the statues, which remain completely shrouded as he works. He clearly doesn't have any kind of tools. "Life and death are simple things. Understanding is how one masters, but changing them requires more than mastery. Knowledge alone will not be sufficient. Even should you succeed, bringing the two together will accomplish nothing of its own. If the task is possible, I wish you success. Whether it is, I cannot say. No matter what the tales of men would say, even the Lords are not all knowing and all powerful." Finally, he responds to Shirou with only one phrase: "She is Milfanito."

Reiji Arisu has posed:
    Reiji pauses. It's a long, thoughtful pause. Is Nito the kind of being who would hide strings behind such an offer? He considers, then concludes that he would likely not. The exorcist makes his way forward, and, almost reverently, takes the sword from the statue. "Even so," he says, examining the weapon's blade and finding that it's almost impossible to do so, "I am honored. This will be put to good use, Gravelord."

    He regards the great, ancient being, swaddled in shadow and darkness and death, and then bows his head. "We'll find the answer one way or another," he says, "Humanity has a habit of doing the impossible."