3365/Dawning of the Ashen Sun

Dawning of the Ashen Sun
Date of Scene:	10 November 2015
Location:	Great Painting of Ariamis <PoA>
Synopsis:	The sun dawns over Lordran once more, illuminating a new Anor Londo, a new ruler, and those that have come back from the brink.
Cast of Characters:	Tomoe, Staren, Priscilla, 168, 183, 253, Reina Kinney, 560, Eryl Fairfax, 570, Ayako Hasekawa, Lezard Valeth, 626, Reiji Arisu, 707, Sanary Rondel, 821, 896, 901

---

Priscilla has posed:
    For those returning, it seems odd to see the sun high above the city of Anor Londo; or to see the sun at all actually. It's only been a few short weeks, but it already feels like a completely different place, far removed from the beautiful, silent tomb the city of the gods had been before. Now all visitors, old and new, are greeted with the proper sight of the metropolis, in the way it was meant to be. Nestled high within a towering and impossibly steep mountainous caldera miles and miles across, completely inaccessible save by flight, and the recently built warpgate, the city rises all the way from the very base of the depression and still manages to scrape the clouds above, buildings constructed at all levels, predominantly built of white marble, black granite, and golden sandstone that practically glows in the direct light of the sun, accented in more glittering gold and silver than likely exists on a standard Earth. How anyone lugged millions of tons of solid stone up the mountains and built so many ludicrously complicated, high Gothic arches, steeples, bridges and buttresses is anyone's guess, but the fact that roughly half the city is sized in such a way that its doors, stairs and windows are much too large for human occupation probably hints at the answer.

    Visitors arrive at a specific platform at the edge of the mountains, overlooking a dense forest below with a commanding view of hundreds of miles of land. The warpgate has been placed at a spiralling nexus of stairs, bridges and what seem to be functioning /elevators/ that spread out into the city proper. The surrounding area is replete with a massively dense guard of what may be royal knights, though they easily tower nine feet tall, and stand unnaturally still, clad head to toe in stark steel, recognizable only for its engravings and distinctively dragon horned helmets. The most obvious feature is the utterly gargantuan palace placed directly in the middle of the city, bearing stained glass windows the size of entire buildings, with a unique, triple split staircase for stairs of different sizes, but also visible is the sight of a near-equally giant cathedral, a spiral tower plunging down to the lowest depths, and what appears to be some kind of mansion keep on the hills.

    The city is occupied, but being predominantly human, even the mass congregation, most of which is heading to the palace, looks kind of small and thin compared to the architecture. In amongst them are who might be presumed proper residents, figures towering two or three times their size, as well as more 'monstrous' followers in a variety of bizarre forms, though the majority appear to be the same grey, faceless giants. A few figures may stand out to those revisiting, namely a pair in gold-hemmed black robes and a sizable man in ornate armour who appears to have demanded a bucket helm regardless, even if someone has tried to make it fancy, and most alarmingly, the sun-blotted silhouette of a massive, four-winged beast perched atop the palace's upper spires, drowning the platform below in its shadow. The sounds of talking, music, prayer, and distant hammering echo all over, and a very vague, mental presence can be felt watching those who arrive.

Psyber (253) has posed:
    Psyber has few reasons not to respond to a missive from Priscilla, Queen of the Deser- er... Priscilla, Queen of Lordran, nor a summon from Solaire. And so he came, following the direction of the missive to arrive armed. His particular weapon of choice, however, shows his allegiance pretty solidly: The Sun-Slayer Greatsword is across his back, occasionally, flickering with an occult purple wisp of energy and emanating a faint and MUCH weaker version of Priscilla's aura.

    And while most would remember him as more lively of late, he has temporarily degraded back into his prior overworked state, looking somewhat run worn and tired as he marches from the point of arrival towards the meeting point with a tablet in his hands and his fingers playing across it at work. Most of the massive guards are greeted with a lift of his hand and a: "Yo."

    He doesn't say too much, though, not wanting to insert himself too heavily into the workings of the city. Eventually, his tablet is placed back into his jacket and he takes out a pack of cigarettes, one going into his mouth and being lit so he can exhale a plume of smoke and take assessment of the area, "Hm. I guess people migrated to live here after the destruction of the Burg. Interesting."

Tomoe has posed:
Tomoe it felt to be a very strange thing to returning to this world. Tomoe had come in the form she was best known as here, she'd got the message and knew to come armed but not to cause trouble. So here the Salamander woman is armed but clearly not looking for a fight. She took a moment to look about as she exited the warp gate and let out a low whistile. It was the place she saw as she arrived. She looked over it with a fair biot of intrest. She also honesly was odded out by there being so many people about regardless of what they were.

"There's a lot of people here I wasn't expecting this many to be honest."

She gave Psyber another look over before going back to beholding the world they'd changed. She wondered what Priscilla had need of them for but she was happy to respond to her call none the less.

Reiji Arisu has posed:
    Lordran has been through so much. It has been cast into the flames, burnt to cinders and brought back from the brink of the abyss. It has been rewritten from the ground up, costing so many brave warriors their lives... Over and over again.

Now, though, it all seems like a distant nightmare.

    There is no need to fear any longer, no need to arrive as anything but as they are. Reiji appears on the platform in his usual gear, his blades and firearms arrayed and ready at various points along his person. He comes full in the flesh. The cool, mountain breeze blows through his monochromatic hair and carries with it the scent of a bustling city, of dozens of thuribles, and of the forest down below.

As he was summoned, so does he appear.

    Lordran has become something of a personal investment for the exorcist over the last few months. It isn't often that you're partially responsible for the safety and restoration of an entire world, after all. But this is no mere courtesy visit-- Priscilla has called them for a reason. Reiji appears on the platform in his usual gear, clad in black and white and red. His weapons are arrayed in proud display, either somewhere on his body or safe in his personal, portable armory. They've all been peace-bound, little white strings connecting handle or hilt to holster or sheath- they're not here to fight, today.

Though there's very little stopping him from ripping right through those flimsy binds.

    "It seems much more lively than it used to be," Reiji observes, peering over the city's skyline. That thing on the palace-- is that the famous Duke of the Archives? "Much less... Depressing."

Emiya Shirou (560) has posed:
    Shirou emerges from the warpgate clad in armor, although not armed. The articulated plate looks a little ridiculous on him, but the grey, blue, and white color scheme's at least familiar enough. His faceplate's up and he's stepping pretty lightly despite what should be a lot of cumbersome weight.

    And the moment he lays eyes on the city proper from there... "Nn. You can say that again, Arisu! There's just no comparing it with our last visit." He gazes up at the sun for a few moments, comforted greatly by its renewed presence in the skies.

    Smiling faintly, he heads over to a good point to look over the city more clearly.

    All that effort. And they did it.

Nathan Hall (168) has posed:
    Nathan Hall is here. He's still incredibly exhausted, but he seems to have been getting better amounts of sleep. He also notes this as the only semi-formal event where it's acceptable, and even intended, for him to come in a set of robes, so he's here in his adventurous Scholar robes. 'Come armed' seems like something he's largely ignored, in the sense that he's almost never visibly armed, though his rarely-used weapons are probably somewhere on his person... He's used to Lordran and its size now, though, and is much less worried about the intimidating height of the doors, and the walls, and the stairs, and... Well, everything, really, this place couldn't be more towering if it were an actual tower.

    He's on the way to that palace, of course, heading in from the warpgate! In a slow, humble shuffle that just sort of sticks to the other Elites here while it does its best to be emotionless and unremarkable otherwise.

Sanary Rondel has posed:
     Sanary's never been one to turn away from exploring the stranger places in the Multiverse. The prospect of being surrounded by giants and Union members in unfamiliar territory doesn't scare her away, either. So what if those giant statues could probably fall on her at any moment? So what if there's all sorts of people that could probably put her insides on the outside with little more than a thought? She's got a reputation to uphold, after all, both for herself and as a representative of the Confederacy at this meeting.

     It's for those reasons that she shows up in her best (and only formal) attire: A purple three-piece suit complete with a slightly more formal eyepatch. Just to make it clear she's not here for a fight, the healer even came without any weapons or even her shield with her. No, she'd be behaving today. It's hard to binge on free food while fighting, anyway.

     Admittedly, it'd probably look better if she actually knew what went on in Lordran over the past several months, but... She's trying, at least! Sanary's not quite sure where to actually start, but standing by the warpgate to look for some familiar faces might do the trick. If not, she'll just have to try something else.

Hoshi Amakasu (901) has posed:
    When Hoshi Amakasu stepped through the Njorun Station warpgate to start hopping over to Lordran, she had no idea what to really expect. She knew rather little of Priscilla, nor much of anything aside from the fact that it was her corronation, and they wanted Union Elites to come and show off their stuff. Hoshi's curiosity had been immediately piqued just to see a freaking coronation--and after what happened at the Rookery a few days ago, she figured she might actually be worth the chance to go.

    Hoshi emerged from the warpgate dressed in what appeared to be a men's kimono and hakama, mostly black save for occaisional bits of white and dark blue. As soon as she can, she runs towards the nearest window she can find and gawks over the gorgeous cityscape in front of her. "Ohhh man, I knew this was a great idea!" She contemplates taking out her phone and taking a picture, but a quick guilty look around makes her decide not to. Instead, she glances over to find the newest comer, and dashes over to follow him.

    While it may be rude to do so, Hoshi doesn't really talk much for now, instead enjoying the sight of everything so majestic. "This place is /awesome/. Why is everything in the Multiverse so cool?" She's babbling, and worse she's babbling to herself, but the prospect of a party and this cool environment... She couldn't help but be excited, completely oblivious of this place's history.

    That was when she sped up a little too fast and bumped into the person in front of her--Nathan, unfortunately--and makes a startled noise when she comes back to her senses. "Oh--Crap, sorry man. I didn't mean to nudge you. You okay?" Blushing, she reaches her hand up to touch the hairtie holding her hair back, as if reassuring herself that it's there.

Kimiko Shinobu (570) has posed:
    Being told to arrive armed is a little strange, given what Kimiko expected--hadn't the journey ended, the enemies defeated, the world saved? Even if it's not so simple, for that to be a condition of their very next meeting...

    For her, of course, there's no difference between 'armed' and 'unarmed' but in appearance. And so, she arrives, in armed appearance. The chainmail is largely hidden by the monochrome surcoat, and the sword at her side is a wire-guarded spada da lato, the late-era Italian style. If one forgives the mixing of time periods, she's simply a knight, if on the short side, and having only that long, silver hair to distinguish her.
    She avoids the contrary appearance of gawking, though she does eye those giants quite a bit. Ah, and there's another knightly sort. She'll go and give him a greeting.

Kyra Hyral (626) has posed:
    Today marks Kyra's first visit ever to Lordran. The previous campaign lead by the Union (mostly) was something she was only familiar with via reports and all of her knowledge of the world itself came from grilling poor Priscilla during her off time.

    Naturally, she's utterly /fascinated/ by her surroundings. She notices right away that the buildings are clearly built for larger residents than humans. It isn't long before she sees the giants without faces, though creepy, hold her attention quite a bit. The excitable white mage even tries to get a selfie or two with the clearly non-human guests. It isn't just them that get pictures taken by Kyra's mPhone. She's capturing images of the stained glass windows and massive cathedral.

    Kyra herself is still wearing her Alexander Academy school uniform. It looks like attending this celebration is today's extracirricular activity. At first glance, she looks unarmed though she is well known for hiding her various firearms under her hoodie. She clearly has not brought her rifle or the alchemized weapon known as the CURE-ALL with her.

Mizuki (183) has posed:
    The sun has risen in Anor Londo.

    That much was evident the moment that Mizuki arrived here some hours ago. There's noise here, now, too -- a definitive thrum of life to gingerly temper the grand new light of morning. Still, even amid all that this emergent 'warmth' Mizuki is able to recognize a certain tact and reservation more befitting a capital of this one's luster. Perhaps her worries will eventually prove unfounded, then? Perhaps the Anor Londo that she has come to love will indeed persist, in its own, bizarre way, as the nostalgic capital of twilight that it was when she knew it properly. It would be such a mercy for her to know that one of her fondest attachments in the realm of Lordran might stay constant in that way even if only for another century or so. That... would be enough. It would have to be enough. She knows it can't stay the same forever, and yet she more than any mortal yearns for this thing, just this one thing, to stay the same.

    To herself, Mizuki idly wonders whether Priscilla has happened to check behind the curtains in the art gallery where her painting was once housed. In fact, she never even bothered to confirm before now whether the crossbreed had even heard her utter that request to Gwyn! It would be rather lovely if it could be a surprise. What a nice present that would be -- a final aspect of congratulatory banter for a dear, dear friend. It would not just be that, of course: it would also be a thank-you for when she saved her life, for all the times she had faith in her when she herself had little, and for all the times in the future when she would certainly aid her similarly. Though she'll not lie and say it isn't something of a patting of her own ego, too. Mizuki had always made the prognostication that Ariamis would see Spring one day, and retroactively she has made it so. Does that mean that she was indeed 'always right'? ... ah, well. No matter her experience with temporal phenomena, her tongue gets tied when trying to convey its stranger facets in words.

    It is and likely shall remain a mystery where Mizuki is at the moment, but in all likelihood she's just too shy to appear in person today. No, she's afraid that she would be much too obtrusive, much too flagrant -- she is too frazzled right now to tread her usual line between human decency and off-color wit. She may strive to prove herself wrong within some hours of the commencement ceremony, perhaps, but for now she is perfectly content to hang suspended in the air nearby, form and all trace of her utterly banished from the realm of visibility if not existence entire. She will be watching the proceedings from this distance, thank you, and if the others are -really- so inclined to involve her... well. She may yet answer her radio. Maybe. She's not one to make such uncertain promises, however.

    It's just as well that she does so in the end; she would vastly prefer not to explain the utterly foolish grin on her face, nor the baffling threads of moisture welling in her eyes. No, better to leave the impression that she isn't even capable of such things. Far better.

    ... even if all the relevant persons know by now what a performance all of this 'mystery' is. Feh. But today at least she can pretend that the facade was never broken. Yes. Surely no one would fault her for that.

Eryl Fairfax has posed:
    Now that all the mystical strife with impossible existences is over and done with, Eryl can really shine! Civilisation can be re-established, the coming together of man, gods and... dragons? Oof. Already his head is starting to hurt, but this is too important.

    Anor Londo was once the city of the gods, and now that the threat is over, they'll want it back. Unconditionally, as is their 'divine right' no doubt. Priscilla made it very clear over the radio that this would not be the case once she takes the throne properly.

    Strife must be avoided at such a crucial time. That's why they're here.

    But, just showing up may not be enough. Considering how... unimpressive most Elites looked, it would be easy for such a display to be brushed off, for quarrels to brew in spite of it. A strong display must be made, to silence dissent, or at least encourage a politer form of it, until Lordran is back on its feet.

    Eryl has a plan for that.

    So, here he is, his clothes freshly laundered, everything spic and span. He doesn't want to look like a dusty hobo (even if that is essentially his existence) at such an event. He too seems utterly unarmed, but that's how he always looks. He strides over to the edge of the balcony and looks out on a revitalized world.

    But not to take it all in. He seems to be... looking for something.

Ayako Hasekawa has posed:
    Now, Ayako can't really come armed. No one has probably ever seen her actually attack anything other than grime, dirt, and maybe a few dust bunnies. No. Those don't count. So instead, she chose to seem like she was armed and perhaps, appear more imposing than normal.

    That is, she's in her formal appearance. Her true form, if one would. Ayako floats quietly in the air, letting the gentle sound of water falling and flowing constantly surround her. After all, in her golden headdress and white, misty clothing, she looks like a benevolent water spirit, if not outright a water goddess.

    She doesn't say much (mostly because she doesn't like how her voice reverberates about in this form), and just floats by Psyber. Her golden eyes and gentle expression says more than she could anyway. Especially as she observes how much Lordran has changed!

Nobeard (896) has posed:
    Not everyone comes in through the warpgate. Arriving a tad late due to taking the long way around - though doubtless grabbing a bigger warpgate to cut travel time dramatically - a ship comes in to 'dock' at the city. Well, dock is a strong word. More like it drops an anchor with a rope at the edge, which various people begin to skitter down. The ship itself looks like a rock with a boat strapped to the front, one with an elegant pair of crystal eyes at the front. Well, it should anyway, but one of the crystal eyes has been patched over with a metal patch.

    A brief flash of a mystical doorway carries Nobeard himself, the large round being with a massive eyepatch in the middle, near the various people gathering. Maybe he can shed some light on why the pirates are visiting?

    "Har, the crew heard there be booze."

Priscilla has posed:
    Surprisingly, Psyber is actually responded to by the knights. The ones flanking either side incline their heads, barely, but formally in greeting, recognizing his presence and importance. It's a little disconcerting after seeing the long-gone black knights of the Kiln. These ones are alive, cognizant and aware. Where'd a whole regiment of them come from in this day and age? It can't be something else, just looking at the grotesquely oversized swords, axes, halberds, bows, and the trademark six foot iron lances for arrows they carry.

    His first words uttered are responded to with a hearty clap on the shoulder by the man in the fancy armour emblazoned with a detailed emblem of the sun across the chestplate, looking more 'templar captain' than 'bucket helmet adventurer' than before; the extra height helps a lot. Anyone with the senses to do so can clearly register him as high demigod status, radiating divine energies. Even those without however, can feel both his genuine good cheer, and the strange premonition of incredible capacity for violence laying far dormant beneath. Such is the sun's domain of war. "Good of you to come! And to what better place? After all, nobody was using it!" He chuckles happily. "I'd say that anyone who has survived these lands under the Darksign for so long has proved themselves far more than Sen's Fortress ever would!"

    Reiji is very much correct. Though the silhouette atop the palace is too irregular to be immediately recognizable, that psychic presence, blank, heavy and piercing, is impossible to mistake. As he lays eyes on it, he can tell it is looking back at him, hearing the bells dimly in his mind. One of the knights looks to his katanas, clearly perplexed by the notion of anyone typing their sword to its scabbard. Shirou thankfully has picked pretty much the perfect place to dress up like a knight. They're all over, both the formal Knights of Gwyn, even though they're in strangely spartan and unembellished armour, and the irregular colours of many human knights from various, distant lands. At his highest vantage, he might spy two others. One in gleaming gold with a red plume, and an unfamiliar one in pitted silver and faded royal blue.

Archer (821) has posed:
    It's... a different feeling. Something he's not used to witnessing. Or rather, something he was never really able to witness.

    He'd seen war and conflict - seen destruction and slaughter - more times then he could count. More times then he could ever remember. He'd seen the bloody aftermaths. The smoldering remains, the graves of the dead and fields upon fields of blood-soaked fallen.

     ...

    Seeing what came after that... seeing what was built out of the wreckage - what rose up out of the ashes /after/ the fighting had finally ended - was something Archer had rarely, if ever, been allowed to witness. As a Counter-Guardian, he faded away as soon as the threat to humanity was exterminated, never allowed to have that knowledge - that closure - of knowing whether those affected would ever regain the lives they had before their world was distorted.

     It was unfamiliar to him to see that reconstruction.

    It was unfamiliar to him to see /hope/ returning among these people, after finally having been freed from what had been, according to the reports, a horrid life of long-standing suffering. He was so ill-adjusted to such a sight that he wasn't really sure of what to make of it.

    In fact... it was to the point that, passive a scene it seemed to be... he couldn't manage to convince himself that it would ever last.

    And why should he? After so much time in the grip of desperation and depravity... how could anyone expect them to just snap back to a working civilization? Granted, it was the case for the moment, but only because the populace here was overwhelmed with their joy at the relief of their blight.

    After the knee-jerk relief of that wore off... what came next would be what determined the full fate of this world.

    His Master on the other hand seemed far less concerned about that, though.

    After having spent the past week or so pouring through Union reports to try and get a better 'lay of the land' for the Multiverse, so to speak, this was probably the first time Tohsaka Rin had left Dun Realtai since the end of the Devouring Earth affair in Paragon City. But it seemed that Lordan's recovery was enough to get her to come back out.

    Then again, after what happened in her Grail War, she was likely no stranger to the aftermath of devastation. So perhaps seeing a happy counterbalance to a bitter tale was something she'd come to enjoy more often - it struck a cord in her, so to speak.

     As they approach the budding group of other people who had gathered up at Priscilla's requests, Archer glances to Reiji, Sanary and - of course the boy is here, drinking in the sights of what looks like the end of a struggle. It's enough to make the bowman let out a sigh that is almost visibly laced with cynicism toward Shirou; "For now, it's almost picturesque... but what will decide things is where this land goes from here. Until there is proof they can support themselves - and there is no evidence they can - then it's still far too early to celebrate."

     "Archer, a few months ago there was a persistent blight that rendered people into an existence equivalent to the Dead and ruled over by what comes darned close to being a Dead Apostile" Rin huffs, arms crossed in annoyance at the unwanted nihilism. "Anor Londo looks far better then it did before, so at least it's a start."

     "We were told to come armed, Rin" the Servant points out. "That hardly points to things being quite so settled."

     "I thought you were the one who preferred being ready for anything" Rin quipped back.

    Archer in turn crossed his arms and responded rather flatly; "Precisely my point."

Tomoe has posed:
Tomoe pauses at Hoshi as she arrives the over six foot woman looks down at Hoshi for a moment. Not out of any insult it's just that she's actually taller she smirks a little bit at her and waits for the situation with Nathan to ressolve before she speaks.

"You should have seen this place before, this place is in far better shape than it used to be. It's got a heck of a lot more life to it now to be sure, Hoshi."

She also looking a bit concerned at Nathan he seems to be exhausted and she does seem concerned about it, she's not sure what else to do really on that part but she's sees there' quite a few new faces visiting his world and this does have her interest.

She does take a moment to get a few screen captures of the region as well Kyra has the right idea on this. She looks up at the sun shining over Anor Londo smiling she's certain Oscar is quite happy with things now.

Archer and Rin gets a bot of a look from Tomoe she's certianly giving them a look.

"There wasn't much hope left back then this is a vast improvment nothing's perfect but it's not Romero flick come to life anymore."

The knights arrive and do get Tomoe's attention she seems to wonder what they are doing. She bows sightly to the knights.

"Greetings to you."

Xiaomu (707) has posed:
While Xiaomu hasn't made quite as deep an investment in Lordran as Reiji has, he's still her partner and it's not like she HASN'T put her energy (and blood, phantasmal or not) into helping repair the land. And as Reiji arrives through the warpgate, Xiaomu is right behind him, atired and accoutred much the same way as she always is in her qipao and vest, holding the Buddhist monk staff upright with her left hand.

If she's armed, she's not showing it. Then again, Reiji's arguably carrying enough weapons for both of them.

The sage fox lingers for a few moments - probably longer than Reiji does - as she looks out across the city. It actually FEELS like a city, too - alive and bustling and vibrant.

"I wonder where the entertainment district is," muses Xiaomu as she follows after Reiji, weaving her way through the crowd as necessary to catch up with him.

Nathan Hall (168) has posed:
    "One of the few places that is not still beset by danger, after all." Nathan says when he wanders near to Psyber. It's likely he'll stick somewhere nearby him for a while. "While the region that Kalameet destroyed was rather... Dangerous due to undead, it was certainly not the only place that was dangerous, and many of the others were dangerous for other reasons. The blight below is not purged, the Abyss remains a minor presence, and other similar factors." It's idle commentary on Psyber's statement, just some social back-and-forth in his usual monotone.

    Tomoe gets probably the closest to a joke that Nathan can reasonably give sometimes. "It is not every day that the world is saved. There is a great deal of respect for that." Reiji and Shirou, as well, manage to provoke a bit of good natured agreeing. "Certainly. The world itself is beginning to receive new life, after all. Your impression is rather literal. I expect Mizuki, wherever she is, likely misses some of the somber tone." And then, abruptly, a sudden Hoshi! Nathan has his Wolf Ring on at the moment, which makes for an incredibly awkward encounter. Hoshi's going to feel almost like she ran into a brick wall, even though Nathan himself looks about lanky enough for a breeze to shove over. "Oh." He says, a full two seconds or so after the sudden bump. Not very good reflexes... "Hello, Hoshi. I am adequate, no injuries of substance. I imagine you are the one more worth worry at the moment. Is your recovery from your recent injury going well?"

Psyber (253) has posed:
    Naturally, Psyber jostles a bit as a heavy clap comes down on his shoulder. Despite the massive size of the half-angel, it's still a heavy greeting and Psyber smiles back to him, "True words, those. It's nice to see that this age already has a different opinion about the humans and their worth. I hope to see it echo forward in the coming years."

    "Good to see you, Solaire. How have you been?" He asks, keeping his walking at a normal pace. Reiji gets a nod of greeting, as does Kotone, but in reflection of his normal responsibilities, Psyber is trying to stick in Nathan's general vicinity in case someone decides to use this particular event to openly attack him in violation of the standing request.

    This means that he gets to watch (with some amusement) as Hoshi bumps into his best friend. He gives Hoshi a faint wave, "Miss Amakasu, correct? I'm Psyber, we've spoken on the radio a few times. I'm glad you find it so amazing. Hopefully you'll have enough time in the Union to see as many amazing sights as you want."

    And then he's back-and-forthing with Nathan, "Mm, you're right, Nate. Though I think my first priority is going to be to find a way to heal the Blighted area. As many residential areas as we can restore to functionality and stability as possible, the better quality of life we'll be creating."

Priscilla has posed:
    Unfortunately for Nathan trying to stay unnoticed, despite his unmemorable demeanour and fairly plain clothes, some members of the crowds, predominantly the larger ones, turn to glance at him regardless. Up close, it's easy to tell who the extras are, one for every few hundred humans, striding torso, head and shoulders above them. He doesn't get a good look at any faces, but judging by the odd, strange feature out of the corner of his eye, and the plainly visible ostentatious, bizarre, culturally misplaced, or strangely plain and primitive dress they arrive in, it's not difficult to mark them as the original inhabitants, most of which are now decked out in foreign finery, sharing only old-world relics as a signet to identify each other from the 'rabble' gods of other countries. He'll have a straight shot at the palace if that's going to be his first destination, though he'll have to squeeze through the front doors unless he wants to take the circuitous side stairs high above the ground.

    Sanary stands out for the exact opposite reason. Purple suits and eyepatches are one thing, but oddly enough, the lack of armament is out of place in of itself. Even the random humans are all equipped for long, wild travel, which means at least an assortment of small swords or bows for even the least seasoned amongst them. Oops. Kyra is taking refuge in audacity more than less, since as many stares as she gets for flourishing that phone around, it's clear that she's up to /something/, and knows what it is, so she's generally left alone. Through the windows of the cathedral, she can spy a number of massive statues, though one appears to have been smashed to pieces and had its inscription ground blank, as well as . . . paintings?

    Solaire looks to Kimiko as she approaches, specifically up and down. "Ah, there you are. I was wondering when I might see you! I'm sure this crowd isn't quite what you'd like, but this business of knights always did seem to suit you! Perfect timing as well! It seems like some time after I was exiled, an emergency regiment of knights was drafted up by Lord Gwyn in case of his death. Neither silver nor black it seems, but plain iron. I don't think they've ever slain a dragon, but they know this city inside out, defending it already. I wouldn't have thought Lord Gwyn to have any plans to protect the common people with his faithful knights. It thought it was a little mundane for him."

Emiya Shirou (560) has posed:
    "You're never positive about anything, Archer." Shirou comments, trying to brush off the Knight in Red's opinion. At least on the outside. He can't entirely reject that notion. The trouble is NOT over. But he finds himself agreeing with Tohsaka, turning about to nod vigorously her way. "Right! This place was just hopeless earlier. Hello, Tohsaka. This is the first real time we've been out and about that wasn't a crisis, isn't it?"

    Reinforcing his eyes, Shirou looks more carefully at some of the distant, armored figures. There weren't really a lot of people hanging around Lordran. Who could the latter one be?

    "Well... no way to find out from over here. We'd better go see what Priscilla and Solaire want." And so he's off, following the others who've decided to do the same.

Sanary Rondel has posed:
     So many familiar and unfamiliar faces. The girl babbling to herself and running into a tired-looking guy, Kyra taking pictures with those giant guards, a floating lady next to a red-haired guy, a multi-eyed... Something, Reiji and Xiaomu, Shirou, Archer with an unfamiliar girl...

     ... Oh. Archer was here. Sanary's still not quite sure how to feel about his presence, giving him a long look before managing a short nod in acknowledgment. This definitely isn't the place for a personal grudge to come in, especially without any actual weaponry on her. No... She'll just have to suck it up and try to exchange some pleasantries.

     And maybe try to ignore all the odd stares directed her way. Was it that strange to see someone with only one eye? "Mm.. Archer. Ma'am." She offers Archer and Rin a polite bow of her head, her feet quickly taking her in Kyra's direction afterwards. "Kyra! Hey. Uh." She jogs a bit just to catch up, even, and lowers her voice while glancing about. "Is this place usually this... Stare-y?"

Kyra Hyral (626) has posed:
    As Kyra flits around like an obnoxious, sketchy tourist, she swings over to take a quick picture of her fellow classmate, Sanary, "Hey! Never thought I'd see you here!" the white mage waves her down cheerfully with her free hand. "I forget, were you involved with the stuff here in Lordran? I didn't see you in the reports..." She wasn't surprised at the presence of a Confederate agent since she did know that Lezard was heavily involved in the events in Lordran.

    "I dunno!" she responds with that same cheer to Sanary's question. "This is my first time visiting, actually. This place looks pretty amazing, doesn't it? I wonder how long they took to build it...ooh, c'mon." Unaware of the animosity between Sanary and Archer, Kyra grabs Sanary's wrist with her free hand and practically drags her along with her.

    "Let's check out the Cathedral, it looks pretty awesome." she announces, pulling the one-eyed healer along with her. "I bet it's even more amazing on the inside."

Priscilla has posed:
    Though much smaller than the natives, as Lordran seems to equate size to power like the old, rough and violent mythologies of early human history, Ayako really could pass for one of the fancier and more exotic ones amongst the pantheon that is made to congregate to common streets with humans, giants, knights, demons, and other, older and stranger things, barely seen here and there. She gets a long and appraising stare from one such figure, a surprisingly young woman swathed almost entirely in black, with a cascading curtain of midnight hair spilling over a collar of crow's feathers, with mostly only deep, violet eyes visible. The shadow of some flying creature passes over, and within the space of a blink, she's gone.

    Any further attention to odd appearances will be quite thoroughly deflected for the next little while at the presence of a flying ship, unheard of in this particular world, and a beholder pirate and his crew. Specifically, the beholder could /possibly/ pass as something from the old forests or the deep caves, but the eyepatch and raucous tone pretty much throw that right out the window. A gathering of what definitely appear to be /mages/ of some sort, scholarly robes and hats and all, throw up their fists and cheer nearby. None of them can be older than twenty. The weediest one might be familiar to some. Is this some kind of sorceror's apprentice's frat party, while the masters are all busy with the pomp and ceremony?

Lezard Valeth has posed:
And where there is the Sun, there will be Darkness.

Emergying from the Warpgate is the Necromancer of Midgard, Lezard Valeth, along with some companions who have been invited on his recognizance. His looks over the new, living Anor Londo with a quiet, inscrutable expression before it breaks into a small smile, pushing up his glasses as he strides forward. The Manus Catalyst, the twisted badge of conquest he has taken from his time in Lordran held tight in his hand. He passes the great knights who stand silent vigil, stopping before the lift as he looks to one side.

Shirou may feel the weight of the Necromancer's gaze bearing down upon him for several moments, before it ends just as abruptly, Lezard turning to descend the lift to the main causeway.

As he leaves the lift, the sound of his arrival can be heard resonating through the area as the Catalyst strikes against the pavers, emitting a resonant, measured tone.

Clack.

Clack.

Clack.

Hoshi Amakasu (901) has posed:
    That surprised sound ended up becoming a slightly pained one when Hoshi suddenly finds herself being bounced back. Suddenly her chest and face hurt--and he was still just standing there. When he turns and starts talking, however, all of the color drains from Hoshi's face. She knows that voice. She just bumped her boss--! "S-sorry sir! I, ah..." His unruffled expression causes her to just... stare, before coughing. "Y-yes sir. They released me this afternoon, sir. I'll be fine by tomorrow." She bows deeply from her waist in apology. "Please excuse me..." And then she shuffles a few feet away.

    After she takes a moment to breathe and calm back down, she taps her palms against her face before acknowledging Tomoe. "Really?... Wow, you could really hardly tell from here. Is this the result of a Union campaign, then?" It sure looked like it.

    Next her attention is taken by Psyber, and she offers him a deep bow in return. "It's good to meet you in person, Psyber. I hope so too, although... If I may ask, sir, why are we allowing the Confederates to come here? It seems like we're trying to rub their faces in something." What was the Blight? Now she was hearing about this place, she had to wonder... So, she stayed there to try and listen in.

    She catches the larger people's eyes going to Nathan with a frown, and she leans over a tad to whisper to Psyber. "Are we going to be in any trouble? Why bring our weapons?..."

Kimiko Shinobu (570) has posed:
    A few other things catch Kimiko's attention, when she has time. The dragon is one. The actual variety of people here is another--trying to count the number of styles of dress gives a rough idea asto how many places have had guests filter in, and the answer is higher than she expected. Solaire is looking improved from both their last, desperate encounter with Kalameet and the merely-human stature he stood at when she'd first seen him. And the knights... had Anor Londo had these knights? She'd never actually visited the place, so she can't be certain of any impressions, though she'd heard enough, and seen enough of Lordran, to know that plenty had changed. She has difficulty imagining that they're survivors from the Kiln, and ponders third options.

    And then, "Sir Solaire." A simple greeting, and a serious nod. "Mn. Knights of iron?" Gwyn had...? An emergency measure? The Puella Magi feels something strange, some terribly unusual feeling welling up within her.

    Kimiko laughs.

    Still smiling, "I see. That was forward-thinking of him, and... just, for a king. More than I thought he would have time and resource for." She glances again at the knights. Ahh. So, that mystery is solved, as quickly as it appeared--being the same mystery of which she'd known for weeks.

    Other facts filter in while Solaire has her attention. Amakusa? Oh, from the radio. Familiar. A glance in her direction. Kyra, much more familiar, though rarely seen. Psyber, Nathan, Emiya--these are those she expected to be here, so no glance is needed. Archer and Rin--unfamiliar. Back to Solaire.

    "Protecting the city. And the people, they are making their way here, somehow." Hmm. "But what of the lands below?" There were dangers, as Nathan mentioned. But many were dangers that could, and should, she thinks, be resolved.

Psyber (253) has posed:
    Psyber gives Hoshi a bright smile and shakes his head, "Quite the opposite. This particular world is a Confederate Victory just as much as a Union achievement. Its current state was a collaborative effort." He says fairly honestly, "And that's a lesson I can impart for you early. While the Confederates might be on the opposing side of a war, we do occasionally work together."

    As Lezard passes, Psyber casually waves a hand to indicate him, "It would be deceitful to say that Lezard Valeth, for instance, was anything but critical in the worlds current configuration." He muses before looking back to her.

    "Ah, the weapons. Lordran is a world that respects power. SHowing up unarmed to anything, I imagine, is a sign of weakness. While I doubt there would be a fight, a large portion of these sorts of events is about having a certain presence about you," He gestures at the greatsword on his back, "And making sure people understand you are not afraid to exercise power where necessary."

Archer (821) has posed:
    "There isn't any stability yet" Archer replies flatly to Tomoe, arms still crossed and eyes closed. "And the fact that we were called here armed hints that things are hardly resolved. Sudden hope is all the more fragile when a new threat directly follows it... and far easier to break if one has only /just/ had any after so long."

    Rin in turn gives something of an apologetic expression to Tomoe - "Just ignore him. He doesn't really know what the word 'hope' means... or how to have any, for that matter."

    Archer half-snorts at this, though he doesn't deny her argument.

    He does however arch his brows at Nathan Hall's decidedly-awkward exchange with Hoshi, wondering if the former was used to physical contact at all as opposed to pure conversation.

    In turn, Archer regards Emiya Shirou somewhat dismissively. "Only because nothing is ever set in stone."

     "Well, then, lets not make assumptions that nothing will stay better then" Rin retorts just as dismissively, giving a more warm expression of greeting to Shirou in return. "Yeah. It seems trouble really is a constant out here - more so then at home at least. But it's nice to see that more then just Woodvale's been saved. It's... nice. Reassuring." She falls in step alongside Shirou easily enough, though Archer trails a few paces behind, dissatisfaction tightly concealed beneath his typical indifference.
        Was she /always/ so apt to take the boy's side and encourage his blind optimism before?

     In turn, Archer takes note of Sanary Rondel's arrival, noticing the girl still seemed unsure of how to respond to him.

    Not that it was unexpected, all things considered. When she goes out of the way to offer a greeting, he simply raises one hand in a wordless wave of acknowledgement, while Rin glances at her - and half-pauses when she recognizes Sanary as having been on missions alongside Archer that... didn't end out well, so to speak. Giving a somewhat awkward "Hello" of her own, she watches the girl move after another - Kyra, it seems - and continues following after Shirou.

    Both Archer and Rin pause when seeing Solare, seeming to recognize him easily as something beyond human nature. Both in turn glance at each-other, wondering what he could be as his power seems to match that of a Servant - as does the fact that he seems all-too-capable of combating whatever comes into his path beneath a moment's notice, kept well-contained beneath his amiable air.

     "Trace; On."

    Half-muttering the words under his breath, Archer reaches out with Structural Analysis, seeing if there is something about the golden knight he can trace or learn about - armor, weapons, something to give him an idea of this warrior's history or abilities... though whether or not he is successful, he does not know.

    It could be possible the weapons will be beyond his ability to comprehend.

    The overhead appearance of an /airship/ however gets much of the pair's attention afterword though, with Rin in particular half-balking in confusion. "Wha-?? What the heck? I thought this place didn't have that level of technology yet?"

     "Perhaps it was made from imported technology?" Archer muses, glancing up at it with more curiosity then surprise. "There's nothing really restricting such trade anymore, though I don't know what's available to trade here as the land should still be rather barren."

Sanary Rondel has posed:
     Sanary chuckles and shakes her head at Kyra's first question. "Never been here before! Just heard there was a call for Confederates to be here, so..." She shrugs and grins broadly, significantly more relaxed now that she's not just traipsing about on her own. There's also some relief at Archer's and Rin's reactions, although she seems more than eager to focus on Kyra just to avoid further potential awkwardness there. "Free food, right? And I'm pretty sure I won't get attacked on sight, so... Better me than someone else."

     Taking another look around, the axe cleric chuckles and nods in agreement. "Really is an impressive place, yeah... Didn't it get destroyed not too long ago?" It's all the more impressive with that bit of background information in mind, and the thought of looking around even more on her own time isn't out of the question. Still, there's stuff to do in Lordran, and Kyra seems more than willing to lead!

     "I've seen some temples before. This one's not gonna involve any sacrifices, is-" She yelps lightly as Kyra pulls her along, but she does go along willingly after the initial surprise! It's definitely easier than trying to explore on her own, and there's no telling what trouble either of them could get into on their own.

Nathan Hall (168) has posed:
    "Oh, I expected to be in /incredible/ trouble." Nathan says, with a deadpan tone, to Hoshi Amakasu. "Far too many, I believe the term is, 'shenanigans' on my part. I have conned far more witches, ordered the deaths of far more royalty, and overseen the re-engineering of far more cosmic mechanisms of reality than I believe any law of Lordran permits. I think they are letting it slide, as it is my first strike." He looks back at the rather large entities that have chosen to look at him, and while his blank expression doesn't change, he does make a sort of worried noise. "In any case, Psyber is correct. The Union collaborated with the Confederacy in this world, and while some friction may have emerged in this and other troubling collaborative efforts, we... Can achieve great things, if we share enough mutual interest."

    There was some tension, huh? Must be why Nathan's eyes lock onto Lezard Valeth and follow his movements for some time, stoic and emotionless but utterly alert.

    "Ah, the blighted area. Yes, there are certain troubles that remain, damaging aftereffects of the Darksign. I am confident that we can clean them well." Nathan says, tilting his head back at Psyber. Now, where to go... Where should they go? Where would Priscilla want them to go? He just sort of guesses the main doors probably go to where they need to go, or at least if he's not supposed to just be in the crowd, someone will pull him aside or... Something.

Priscilla has posed:
    Archer's nature as, well, an Archer class Servant, grants him quite a bit more detail than most of the others present. Perhaps unsurprising for a single event gathering an entire world's extended pantheon, the number of magical and divine signatures is overwhelming, of various tiers of power, but all fairly strong. His eyes can pick out both a flock of crows far too big to be as distant as one might assume circling overhead, the sight of an unusually large and ambulatory shadow shifting down the flights of the spiral tower, and the gleam of silver in the monstrous shape that hunches over the palace arches, rewarding his notice with a deep, boring sense of staring deep into his core being, and a hallucinatory sound like sibilant, backwards whispering. Oddly enough, the gargantuan creature comes off as a total dead-zone of prana equivalent. Less than even the ambient air around it, actually. It doesn't even appear to be alive. He may also notice the sword strapped to Solaire's back from his angle. Specifically, the slightly out of place fantasy construction of it. It /looks/ like it might have come from another world, but it feels like a very high-tier holy relic of the same kind of divinity as is native here, with a millennium or more of history; the kind of thing that would easily become a Noble Phantasm under the grail system.

    Entertainment is both easy and difficult for Xiaomu to find. It seems in honour of the occasion, nobody is exactly setting up a carnival anywhere, but there's more than a few people just happy to be celebrating something scattered across all the various walkways, trying to play music louder than each other, selling food to people who've either been eating travel rations and wild game for months, or people who have been /dead/ for years, engaging in shows of magic or formal duels over likely nothing at all, and generating a rather widespread market of people trading off all the strange charms, ingredients, relics and arms they've found in their pilgrimage all across Lordran, changing hands in souls rather than gold coin.

Xiaomu (707) has posed:
Xiaomu can't help but smirk a bit at Psyber's hypothesizing about 'signs of weakness' in the form of being unarmed. "There are so many proverbs where I'm from about hiding one's fangs and teeth," she remarks to the half-angel. "And some of the best strength doesn't show itself outwardly like a sword or a spear or a bow."

Admittedly, Xiaomu's not carrying herself like a predator or a tough guy or the like. She *does* have a certain confidence about her, though, a comforting knowledge that if somebody starts a thing, she'll be capable of finishing that thing for (or with, or on) whoever started it.

But she's too determined to enjoy this visit to distract herself by thoughts of what might happen to ruin the visit. Even the presence of Lezard Valeth, distasteful though it is to Xiaomu, isn't going to darken the day for her.

Now if only she had souls to spend at the bazaar ... which is a phrase she genuinely never *EVER* imagined she would give shape to, mentally or verbally.

Mizuki (183) has posed:
    Though she takes great care in not allowing hints of her presence to slip, Mizuki shadows Psyber and the General as they converse with the guards by the door. The latter of this pair of men has been an object of much of her recent curiosity, though she'll admit that she had not expected this to be reciprocated in any capacity -- least of all in one that bespeaks of any kind of visceral, human observance of her character. This is why it causes her eyes to widen somewhat and her posture to stiffen in some vague hint of astonishment when that man actually acknowledges that she, specifically, might be feeling a bit melancholic about how events have panned out here.

    How on Earth had he know? When had he listened to her mutter that nonsense, or when had he been near her long enough to glean that impression more implicitly from the aura she gives off? ... regardless, she will not lie and say that it isn't touching to know even an acquaintance, a borderline stranger like him might have taken such an interest. It's a small thing, but it touches her in a way more deep than she will ever be willing to express directly.

    That said, she hasn't the time to linger aside the entrance for the entire evening. In time, she casually floats through the door, though she might gingerly run an invisible hand past Psyber. At least -he- would notice her, she trusts, and she is sure to convey the most clear impression of a smile that she is able to. So that he can be sure that she is here, at least, and beyond that quite content. She spares the general an invisible smile as well, though she isn't nearly so bold as to attempt to convert that into a tangible feeling for him. Absolutely not!

    Once she has made her way into the palace properly, the reader alights on a balcony within the castle's grand hall. She folds her arms neatly behind her back, allowing the new, more distant view of a crowd - yes, a crowd at the gates of Anor Londo's palace! - truly sink in. She takes a deep breath, her expression unmoving, but her eyes still twinkling with the moisture they shore before. There's something so... right about it. She won't deny it. This castle, no, this city is a majestic work of art; a true and steadfast monument to the achievements of the old Gods and the infinite potential of Lordran's future. It was meant to be looked upon by many and to be cherished this way. And yet, when it was deprived of that it was as though the world itself yearned for the company, the appreciation that it had lost. It clung desperately to life so that it and those who crafted it from the sheer cliffs may never be forgotten, and it was from that desperate act that the atmosphere she so loved was born. This is why she must be so ambivalent about all this. It is a definitely, solidly good thing to see it so populated... yet she cannot help but yearn for the time when she was allowed to appreciate it more exclusively, more privately. The connection was more novel, then, and more intimate.

    Though she never has been very good at sharing, and that's likely why she's found herself here, so far apart from the rest of the guests. Though ah, as one 'silent observer' to another, as one 'looming presence' wisping to the next: do not think Mizuki hasn't noticed that whatever-it-is lingering about. Still, it is -far- from a hostile presence in her mind; rather, she's glad to share the evening with them. In fact, she in time breathes a few idle words to the air as if in attempt to open a dialog with them. It is, in a way, reminiscent of a monk speaking to their God.

Nobeard (896) has posed:
    Hmm. Where to go to next? Well, as the man with the eyepatch from Nobeard's ship comes up behind him, the beholder notices someone else with an eyepatch. "I think we should follow someone and see what this is all about, Jack," he says. The man with the eyepatch shrugs, and does just that... following Nobeard as the giant floating ball with eyeballs just floats over toward Sanary and Kyra, chuckling a little bit.

    Jack also adds, "I heard something about food, I'm all for that. Will the rest of the crew be all right here, Cap'n?"

    Nobeard, several eyes flicking over to look behind him, considers. "Eh, Scarlet will keep 'em out of trouble."

    Speaking of Scarlet, the medusa - veiled of course - is meandering over about the others. She seems to be considering both Lezard and Nathan, though it's hard to tell since her eyes aren't visible, for obvious reasons. She's distracted by the sudden thumping noise that charges over toward Nathan.

    "WOAH! WOAHHHH Mister Scribbles!" The tiny gnome girl atop the beast that thuds along finally causes it to skid to a halt just a few feet from Nathan. "Easy! He doesn't look like he could stand to play with you!"

    Mister Scribbles makes a rumbling squeak. The riding beast looks something like a giant, bristly-furred hamster wearing samurai armor. This might be because he is, in fact, a giant bristly-furred hamster wearing samurai armor.

Ayako Hasekawa has posed:
    Ayako tends to be very self-conscious. Especially when someone happens to be staring at her for an unusually long time. The usual Ayako would blink her eyes quickly and turn in the direction of the young woman in black. This Ayako however, slowly turns to meet the deep violet eyes with her own deep golden eyes. She quietly returns the stare, although her expression still remains pleasant.

    Once she suddenly vanishes, Ayako returns her gaze towards the immense variety of inhabitants the city has and smiles softly.

Mizuki (183) has posed:
    "You will not be made to bear the burden of their memory alone any longer," She muses. "I have chosen of my own volition many times over to be involved here, and so I will persist in being. Take heed that in whatever world these events give birth to that the meaning of what you do will never again be forgotten, nor will the sacrifice of all those who came before. If you would allow me, I will share that responsibility now: the responsibility of the persistence of the soul, and the identity, and the person." After allowing for a brief pause, she concludes, "And I hope that, in some small way, what transpires here today will move you to take a measure pride in the choices you have made. If it did, that would be the only further reward I could ever wish for."

Reiji Arisu has posed:
    Reiji has not met the Duke personally- Seath was long dead by the time he arrived to lend his aid to the saviors of Lordran. But that psychic presence is definitely familiar. It reminds him somewhat of his encounter with a certain other dragon, although this presence is far more curious than the calamitous gaze of Kalameet. He turns away after engaging briefly in a long-distance staring contest with the entity on the distant rooftop.

He wonders who else might have been brought back to life between then and now.

    For now, however, he follows Xiaomu through the bazaar, ignoring the strange looks he might get from nearby knights and travellers. Yes, his weapons are peace-bound. No, that doesn't mean he won't use them if he must.

They're just strings, after all. Nothing to someone with a quick enough draw.

    "I wonder," Reiji muses, though mostly to himself. He, pinches lightly at his chin as he considers, "How many of Gwyn's old soldiers have returned, and how many of these knights are... New hires?"

Or maybe they've just always been there?

Curious.

Priscilla has posed:
    "Ironic in a way, isn't it?" Solaire is probably beaming under that helmet he never seems to take off. "All that about the Age of Man coming only when the First Flame is extinguished, and instead here we are with a new Age of Fire, brought about by humans! Archlord Priscilla is of the opinion that this world belongs to them as much as anyone else after all they've done, and that being born a god no longer entitles one to anything after such a failure of duty, with a few exceptions I'm sure you'll meet! I think I agree, and I dare say the rest feel it might be valid as well, which is why they're so uptight!" He actually scratches his helmet, the gesture still appearing thoughtful even if a silly habit. "Busy. Believe it or not, but this is my first time taking on any real responsibility. I never engaged with politics or leadership before. It was half the reason Lord Gwyn gave up on me. A few hundred years of travelling the world will change anyone though. I'd say it might have been good for me."

    Eryl isn't going to find more than Archer, but then he's not looking for the same things. The headaches will subside in a few minutes with all the weirdness presented up front, though it's anyone's guess why a simple pair of women in black and hold set it off. What sticks out most are the old, wraithlike and skeletal things still perched atop the towers, the hideous angels that had carried those champions of the now defunct Sen's Fortress aloft in past, and viciously murdered those who would try to cheat it instead. Though none of them have ever seen it, something about the catalyst Lezard carries, and just the general air about him, sets people on edge, giving him a wide, instinctive berth. The knights especially seem tense and ready as he passes, though it accordance with hospitality, make no move to strike him. The sorcerers that had frequented the archives, Griggs included, seem happy enough to greet him from a distance, as they have the handful of times they've met during his study periods. It's only the attention of the one particular knight in tarnished silver far away by the palace gates that seems unnatural, especially looking at him from so far away. He can feel a second set of eyes as well, somehow more bestial, but not quite from where just yet.

Hoshi Amakasu (901) has posed:
    Oh... Huh. So it wasn't just a Union victory. That explained why they were allowed in, of course, but knowing the type of people, like the one she'd fought. "If it's worth enough, huh?... I don't know, Psyber. If the person I foguht is a good indication of the Confederacy, can we really enable these people?..." And there was one now, Psyber waving to show him to her. Hoshi gulps and stares, trying to get his face in her memory.

    Personally, Hoshi has to agree with Xiaomu in this. There was so much to be said about understated efficency, but maybe that was just her. Either way, if she wanted to be treated seriously... Quickly, she reaches up to undo her hairtie, letting her hair down natrually. As soon as it's in her palm, the hairtie extends to form her sheathed katana, which she quickly slips into her hakama belt and rests her hand against the hilt. "Like this?"

    Hoshi's distracted into listening to Nathan describe all that he's done, and her eyes grow wider with each mention. She almost asks him out loud if Nathan was real. "W-well, uhh... I-if you ever need any help for all of that... W-well, I don't really know what I could do, but at least you can have my sword if you need it." She coughs. "Even though you technically have it anyway, because you're the boss." Babbling again. She looks around the area curiously, but this place is completely foreign to her. "If this was Japan, there'd be an area set specially for guests, and the master of the house would meet you there. ... But this isn't Japan."

Tomoe has posed:
Tomoe looks to Nathan for a moment and seems to be a bt shocked she does get that Nathan may have just made a joke, though she's not sure how many might get that he actually did. She does give him a faint smile in response. She does take better note of Solar and he too gets a grin from her too.

"It's good to see your well Solaire, you aslo seem to have been busy. So Lord Gwyn had a 5th column to use a phrase from back home. Clever, it's fornate they exist and you have found them."

Shje also gets a look over at Kyra for a moment.

"It should be pretty awesome to see I'm cyrious about seeing it myself."

She'd only seen this world as a undead infested ruin after all with the Blight. She however seems quite happy even Lezard's arrival doesn't phase her, the man for whatever else he'd done had appeated to be on the level with helping. Sure he was after power but he didn't really hide it. He gets a nod of the head and an greeting.

"Hello Lezard."

She's about to say more as she looks to Hoshi or a moment.

"Joint actually. We had people from the Syndicate and Confederates who also pitched in for whatever thier own reasons were? We'd likely not made it without the group as a whole."

She look at Archer, she's about to level a verbal assault but Rin's quick to step in. She does give archer a look and Rin's words do help.

"I kinda got that idea. I'm Tomoe well commonly called that and you are?"

She's curious about Rin, Archer is seriously like that one guy in any Raid guild. Solaire seems to get her attention once more.

"IT's good to hear there is change happening and you certainly have been busy, it's also good to see this world's Sun for the first time."

Nathan Hall (168) has posed:
    Nathan reacts the same way he always does to massive creatures approaching him. Well, no, sometimes the appropriate response is to RUN LIKE HELL. But Nathan's mental switch is flipped to "diplomacy" mode, instead of "adventure" mode. And so, when the massive creature approaches, skidding to a stop in front of him, Nathan's sole reaction is for his eyes to go wide and his mouth to close just a little more tensely. He makes a worried noise, a sort of soft and emotionless "nnnnhhhh", but remains utterly unmoving, like some kind of weird statue man. "I would like to second the statement of your rider, I am entirely unsure of what constitutes 'play' and estimating that I would no longer be standing afterwards." Always on the edge of fear with this guy.

Emiya Shirou (560) has posed:
    Having encountered Sanary before, Shirou gives her a friendly a nod... but is quite obviously puzzled at the exchange between her and Archer. Well, no, not puzzled. He's not surprised if he pissed her off somehow. But this goes unvoiced.

    Instead, on approach... "Trace, on." Come armed, they said.

    Kanshou and Bakuya, bound by a simplistic leather belt of crude design, appear at his waist when his hands wander that way. They probably won't last more than a half-hour, but they're there. On display.

Sanary Rondel has posed:
     That floating eyeball isn't all that subtle, and even Sanary notices it after not too long despite only having the one eye to notice it with. She doesn't turn around right away, however, leaning her head towards Kyra while muttering under her breath.

     "There's a... Uh. Big eye with a bunch of smaller eyes following us. That's... Normal around here, right?" She's looking a little more wary than before, but... Well, this /is/ supposed to be a peaceful gathering, right? So it can't be that bad. Against all good judgment, she even turns around to give the eye a polite nod of her head!

     Sanary also stares at the central eye for longer than would probably be polite. Is that why it was following her? A... Kindred spirit, perhaps? "Uh. Hey there! Are you a local around here, or...?"

Eryl Fairfax has posed:
    Eryl's eye gets to twitching from all the seemingly impossible nonsense that surrounds him right now. He takes a slow, deep breath to calm the ache in his skull... and then exhales it in the form of a low whistle. The sound travels through the revelries, bouncing off partygoers both great and small, returning to Eryl in a crude form of echolocation.

    The fact that their impossible shapes seem to persist across multiple senses calms his implants, just a little bit. Now allowed to focus on what he's looking for, he spots those twisted things perching high above. He rubs his chin as he considers them. Quite a ways away, out of reach for conventional arrows. He doesn't know how local magic works exactly, but with this kind of distance they could probably see it coming and evade before it hit them.

    They will do.

    With that out of the way, it's time to properly mingle! That pleasant smile that seems permanently etched on his face during functions like these makes its appearance. He slips in among the crowd, steering himself away from those friendly duels (magic is still making his head throb). He's glad to see so many Unionites made the trips, especially with the likes of Lezard among the crowd. His talk of killing gods on the broadband makes his presence here... concerning.

    But, Eryl suddenly crosses paths with Ayako, and it takes him a moment to recognize her. "... Miss Ayako! It's good to see you. Honestly, with you looking like that, I had you pegged for a native." He gives her a bigger, more genuine smile before offering a polite bow.

Psyber (253) has posed:
    "I'll be honest," Psyber says to her pretty cheerily, in an upbeat sort of tone, "How much you are willing to cooperate, and which Confederates, is up to you as an individual, but you may be required to at some point if an office makes it a requirement. Overall, though, the collaberations are the exception, not the rule," He tells her reassuringly, "The Multiverse is a place that requires... certain flexibility. It's complex, as much as it bothers me too."

    Whent he hamster comes bounding over, Psyber is cut off from his conversation with Hoshi and forced to step aside towards Nathan in a defensive gesture. This breaks only a few moments later as he realizes that the creature has already stopped and also is adorable, "Aaaah, look at it! I'd want one for myself if I didn't already have a wolf."

    He reaches out to pet the giant mount.

Lezard Valeth has posed:
Many people are watching him. Lezard expects this. His entrance was specifically designed to get attention. However, he moves not only with the assurance of his own personal power, but his right to be present, wrought through fire, pain, and death. Psyber's pleasant acknowledgement of his work gains the angelic protector a smile and nod from the Necromancer. Similarly, the fellow researchers of the Archives. Amazingly, none of them managed to get themselves mysteriiously murdered. It's a strange thing that happens around the Necromancer sometimes, but hey, there was enough room for everyone there.

He does not engage in the merrymaking, nor does he trade for the minor relics or weapons on display. The approach of Tomoe, however, causes his methodical advance to pause, as she directly addresses him. He looks upon her, assessing her over several moments. The silence stretches on to the edge of awkwardness before he suddenly smiles, nodding to her. "Greetings." He states simply. "Do enjoy your time here." At that, he turns away and moves on, not looking back to deal with the multiple people who are watching him.

Except he does pause again, noticing the a weighty gaze. Something... different. He looks up, his eyes staring forward towards the knight of silver. A silent acknowledgemtnt passes from him in that instant. He /knows/ who that knight is, and that the knight looks upon him, potentially as a foe.

But for now, the tension goes unanswered as he climbs the steps towards the great front gate of the Palace.

Priscilla has posed:
    Solaire seems a little perplexed at Kimiko, but he doesn't seem to question it, shrugging with a quiet clink of fanciful platemail. "Maybe the old warrior matured a little the same as I did. We hadn't spoken in centuries, after all. The outlands aren't a concern just yet. The warpgate, as you call it, at Firelink Shrine leads here, and everyone who's been here more than a few days knows how to get /there/. With one common destination, they travel in large groups, and most of them are seasoned fighters, clerics and sorcerers. Nothing on the roads will bother them, and since you've already cleared out the ruins of New Londo, they can freely skip the Valley of Drakes and the Darkroot Wood, thank the gods. A campaign to retake the borders is on the table, but I won't push it seriously until all of this is settled." He gestures out at the crowd.

    Speaking of Solaire, Archer is going to find a few things odd. The armour, heavily enchanted and made of no ordinary metals, it brand new off the anvil of a masterful smith, perhaps a week old at the most. The sword has only been recently appropriated as well, having gone from wielder to wielder before recovered and a wielder found worthy from a deep, forgotten reliquary. Its history is full of self-sacrifice, though not the kind of suicidal bravery he so despises Shirou for, but rather acts of redemption, salvation and heroism that change the tide of battles. Oddly, not a single wielder has actually /died/ in battle, each relinquishing the blade after their last stand, as if knowing not to push its blessings. The sword is called Dawnbreaker, though the old god that made it never shared that name with anyone.

    Those arriving at the cathedral are in for a sight. Though it's several storeys tall, the central partition occupies the entire vertical space, large enough for someone to fly a small helicopter around if they were grossly irresponsible. The largest and most prominent statue is an exquisitely carved affair over twenty feet tall, depicting a beautiful woman in somewhat revealing silks who somehow gives off an impression of motherly security in her smile, despite her apparent youth. Overhead is a smaller relief of an old, extravagantly bearded man clad in oddly pragmatic, nordic looking warrior's clothes, with a thick, broad greatsword planted between his feet, and a spartan crown atop his head. To the left is a smaller figure than the central, shrouded in layers of ceremonial robes, with an odd, sun-shaped headpiece that obscures the upper half of their face, leaving them thoroughly androgynous. The last place on the right has been deliberately defaced and sanded down, intent on erasing the figure from history.

    The more impressive point is that the cathedral is also apparently a gallery of art, though by far two paintings dominate the rest, towering over multiple floors in such a way as though the feel as if they are looming over visitors, determined to appraise them rather than the other way around. One is of a snow-capped mountain castle, bathed in eerie green light through twilit clouds, unsettling and yet strangely tranquil to behold, despite its air of incredible gravitas. The other is of the same castle but in spring, under the pale light of the moon, but bright all the same, replete with blossoming trees casting flower petals across the air rather than snowflakes. Both of them, if checked, don't appear to be painted with brush strokes, but with countless millions of overlapping magical sigils, only visible right up close; the work of several lifetimes of a magician of impossible prowess.

Ayako Hasekawa has posed:
    Ayako of course, recognizes Eryl immediately and smiles cheerfully at him! It's a smile and expression that is much more familiar and normal than what she was wearing a moment before crossing paths with Eryl! Her mouth opens to say something and then slowly closes. Ungh. She hates talking in this form!

    She pauses for a moment as she remembers not to talk in her usual exuberant fashion. "Hello Eryl. It's nice to see you too." Her voice reverberates from all of the water that makes up her form and... it would be extremely loud if she said it in the way she usually does. She curtsies in return-it's a bit difficult for her as her form is quite amorphous at the moment, but she manages. And then smiles brightly at him.

Nobeard (896) has posed:
    It is so much easier not having a history here! All these knights are just guards as far as Nobeard knows! Which might be why he's not chatting with them, though the spellcasters that were cheering get a small pause and a turn, with a toothy grin back before the eyemonster returns to following Sanary and Kyra. As such, it's Jack who actually answers, while Sanary is looking at the giant eyepatch of Nobeard's central eye.

    "Nah, we're just visitin'. New to the multiverse. I'm Jack Patch, and this is my Cap'n, Nobeard. He says we're here for the food, but I think he's just curious," the human says.

    Nobeard snorts, but adds a light, "Arr." He doesn't try to claim otherwise.

Hoshi Amakasu (901) has posed:
     Hoshi has to concede the point on that one. The world was filled with people she might not like and yet have to work with. Still, her one exposure to the Confederacy thus far wasn't a pleasant one, and the idea of working with her set Hoshi's teeth on edge. She's about to ask more, but suddenly there was a giant creature in front of Nathan, and Psyber was going on the defense... Against the cuteness? "Uhh... I'll leave you both for now. Excuse me." Then she took a moment to bow her way out.

    The next place to go... She rather doubted this place took credit cards, so Hoshi decides to start making her way to the palace, trying to look as comfortable and confident as she can. Hand on her sword, chin up, confident strides. If she was here to look strong and confident, she'd damn well do it, and try to be a little more classy for the effort.

Priscilla has posed:
    Passing invisibly through the gates, Mizuki can recognize the figure in gold as the familiar Ornstein, though her memory of him may be less than pleasant, as last they met she was impaled and killed on his dragonslayer's spear. The other knight by him she can recognize as the Abysswalker himself only by having met another world's incarnation once upon a time. He looks weary and battle worn, and says nothing to anyone, as if he has only just come back from some long journey. Two more figures flank the inner hall at identical positions; one a helmeted and armoured giant carrying an old and twisted bow clearly made of an Archtree, though how he carved it is difficult to fathom, and the other, a small and slight figure perched in the rafters, swathed in blue with a mask of impassive ivory, bearing a sword of brilliant gold and a companion of gleaming silver. Funny, how that butterfly effect works.

    What she does next though, has Reiji's hairs stand on end as well, as the same echoes from the immaterial blade anchored with his arsenal. A surge of gently whispering voices, young and old. "If I were to suffer a curse to make only one wise decision once in a thousand years, I would accept it upon beholding this. Speak the word 'Amana' to those who were born in Dark, and forget the graveyard of the old Age. No longer will the bones litter the ground, and souls wander the blackness"

Archer (821) has posed:
     Archer's brows furrow slightly as his senses are swamped by the influx of stimulus as he traces the many of the weapons visible to him, many comprising a very wide variety of divine or enchanted weapons. He can 'feel' many more, their accumulated natures and history close to overlapping in areas.

    The crows draw his attention as well, the Servant having learned to always err on the side of caution in instances like this.

    What gets his defiant notice though is the hunched-over shape at the spiral tower's steps, his concern intensifying at the literal dead-spot it provides. An absence of life or prana of any form - like a true 'void.'

    Enough to instantly have him on guard, should things take a turn for the worse.

    In turn, Archer takes notice of Solare's blade - the only part of him that has an extensive history, though not tied to the warrior himself - finding himself surprised by the history behind it; namely the tales of sacrifice it seems to carry as the blade known as Dawnbreaker is traced, analyzed and embedded into the ashen fields of his soulscape among many others, some of which he will have to study in greater detail when his focus is not required on keeping a vigil for danger.

     Though some part of him seems to both enjoy and feel disconcerted by the lingering sense of actual, seemingly-untainted hope the blade has, a flicker of light amid the many barren replicas he carries.

    Tomoe's reply has Rin give something of an understanding - if not outright long-suffering - nod, before in turn giving a prompt reply One that might leave Sanary, if she's close enough to overhear, rather amazed or weary; "It's nice to meet you, Tomoe. I'm Tohsaka Rin. 'Tohsaka' being my family name, so you can call me 'Rin'. Archer here's my Servant - a spirit familiar, I guess."

    Rin also takes note of Shirou seeming a strange mix of confused - though not at all unsurprised - by Sanary's discomfort with Archer. The Magus quickly remembers though that Shirou had been at one of the incidents between her servant and the one-eyed mercenary - namely when Archer stabbed her in the back during a possible incursion by a Caster-Class Servant... but Shirou had not the /other/, more recent event.

    So she takes the time to clarify - "Ah... Sanary-san's been uncomfortable with Archer for a while now. Ever since... well, ever since he destroyed her home-town." She half-grimaces, knowing already what Shirou's response to this will be. "I get why it happened - her village got corrupted by some form of curse and... and all her family and friends were made into the Dead, it seems. So he destroyed it to stop the influence... but given what I read of the reports, he didn't even /try/ another way, so I can see why Sanary would still be mad." She lets out a sigh after a moment though. "Then again... a boy named Lute - one of Sanary's friends, I think - would have done it himself anyway, so maybe it's better off that Sanary didn't have to watch one of her friends do it instead."

    Part of her even wonders if preventing Sanary from undergoing that kind of conflict was half the reason /why/ Archer did what he did.

     Then...

     ... Rin almost freezes up entirely at the sight of the giant, floating eyeball, expression seeming to go almost blue with shock and dread, a half-stunned "E-eh?" escaping her lips. It takes all she has not to scream out in horror - of all the places for lovecraftian horrors to show up, it had to be here? When the blight was gone??

    Archer in turn already knows it's not an enemy, and Rin must as well - or else it would have attacked by now.

    Rather, the Servant's attention is focused on the cathedral, a sense of foreboding welling up in him.

    Whatever was meant to happen here... it seemed it would be happening soon.

Priscilla has posed:
    If food is what Nobeard is looking for, it won't be hard to find. Presumably that inside the palace will be free, but may or may not be to his tastes. The foreign meals going around outside are probably a lot simpler and more daring if he's looking for a unique experience, and though he'll probably have to coerce someone into bartering, it wouldn't be difficult for his specific kind of pirate to come up with things of little value to easily trade to these people. All of it has just been made, or is still being made, with somewhat ramshackle setups, but these people have had quite a while to figure out how to make travelling meals a lot less boring. It'll be extremely difficult to identify any of the things that have been killed and cooked, even when just stuck on a skewer, and even the boring, green stuff otherwise tastes extremely strong, making no mention of odd, ivory mushrooms(?), blood red lichens, some kind of glittering ground herb, brightly coloured, parchment wrapped spices, and the occasional thing that might have an eyeball in it going around. Anything alcoholic is extremely strong after sitting around unused for so long, though conversely, it's probably a safe assumption that the better stuff is inside, though more than a handful of drinks seem to be getting drops of some luminous, orange substance from oddly prevalent, identical green crystal flasks.

Kyra Hyral (626) has posed:
    Kyra and Sanary can certainly get into a lot of trouble on their own. Together...they'll probably get into twice as much trouble.

    "Gosh, I hope not. But we're guests so if there are sacrifices to be had, we should be exempt from participating, right? I don't think it's good hospitality to sacrifice guests." Hospitality still was on her brain thanks to the end of Ashcraft a few days ago. "...huh? That sounds like a beholder."

    Kyra turns around to see Nobeard and freezes. It takes a moment for her to process that the beholder is wearing a MASSIVE EYEPATCH over its main eye. Once she realizes this, Kyra quicky brings her phone up to take a picture. "I don't know if beholders are native to Lordran." she says slowly, leaving out the part where she's not looking forward to fighting one if they're not.

    A human accompanying the beholder explains that they're just visiting. "Oh, hey, nothing wrong with that, right? Who doesn't want to get their party on at a big fancy gathering like this? We're gonna check this place out-" she jerks a thumb over her shoulder at the cathedral, "If you're curious. Feel free to come along."

    With that, she steps inside the massive building.

    "...whoaaah, I knew it..." Of course, Kyra is off taking more pictures, backing up as she tries to capture the entirety of the motherly statue. She's careful not to run into Sanary or Nobeard as she backs up. "Looks like this might be depicting somebody's pantheon. Or major heroes..."

    Her attention turns to the paintings, which give off a strange feeling to her that prompts a Scan spell. Only then does she realize that the painting radiates magic, which at that point she gets in really close so she can look at the sigils that make up the painting. She studies them closely, trying to determine if they have any purpose besides forming this picture.

Kimiko Shinobu (570) has posed:
    Kimiko is not one prone to long, philosophical rambling, and it would take such a tendency to fully address the question of men, gods, and ages. Instead, she nods in apparent understanding, adding only, "That which we fought for, and brought to pass." Her more calm, serious demeanor has returned, though there's a ghost of good cheer still there. "We--humans, and otherwise." For those that did not fight for it, she has little sympathy. To squander strength is a sin.

    She notices the confusion only afterward, and shakes her head slightly, explaining unbidden, "Better news than I'd hoped for. A relief." Nodding, "Nn. People change, or are changed, by their experience." The gate at Firelink Shrine explains how so many have managed to enter the city. More, she makes a mental note to explore what paths link off from it, as there's time. From the variety of people here, she's guessing quite a few. Her mind turns naturally to thoughts of how, first, to defend the border and, second, to push it outward. Keeping the danger far from that which one is charged to defend is as important as any wall or gateway. "I can't promise I'll be here for that. There's always a crisis, somewhere. But I'll be here if I'm called, and able."

    'Archlord.' That's a new title. "Priscilla. We will see her, soon?" Other conversations still going as they may, she's still ready to see what they've been brought to see.

    As this goes on, the place just keeps getting more crowded. Reiji and Xiaomu are two more expected members of their dragonslaying band. Kimiko takes a bit to recognize Ayako, determines Sanary to be 'someone Kyra knows,' and wonders whether the beholder is connected to Lezard--it certainly doesn't sound like any Union elite she's heard. Nor does its crew. Under other circumstances, she'd be keeping such under careful watch, but this is looking like a situation in which there will be too many actors to keep in sight.

Tomoe has posed:
Tomoe is content to leave Lezard to go on his way she knows they didn't get on well and he was honestly a enemy or a threat down the line but? For now there was no reason to be rude ot downplay what he did do here. She listens to Solaire's report on things. People were all moving to centeral location this would allow them to focus what military might they had left to better protect things for the moment but there does seem to be much to do. It seemed things were going well and prehaps she could still pitch in and really she should. She's got a responsiblity at this point doesn't she?

"Good to meet you Toshaka Rin. I admit Tomoe's just the name I most commonly use in the multivese and I can explain later. You can't be no light weight of a magic user if you can support someone like Archer."

She is doing her best to be polite then comesw the eyeball she beholds Nobeard for the first time and tries to size them up but the being seems to not be hostile.

"Rin I do not think they mean any harm. I admit I'm curious to see what weapons and other items the merchants here may have on sale. I also wish to get a look at the City. The last time I was here it was in utter ruin."

It also seems she's right about the Beholder not meaning any harm. She does however make for the Chruch as well she wishes to what's in there as well.

Sanary Rondel has posed:
     "That so? Well, sorry I can't show you around the place, then." Sanary relaxes somewhat at that revelation, and she even laughs briefly before bowing her head to Jack and Nobeard. "Sanary Rondel. I'm here on business and.. Also food."

     It's not like she was trying to hide that little fact or anything. "Never been here before, but it's impressive. Really looking forward to finding out what kind of food they..." She trails off as something odd strikes her, her gaze falling back on Nobeard again. "... So when you eat, what happens to the food? I mean, you got the mouth, but..." The cleric leans over a bit to try and see if there's anything beyond that mouth and varied eyes. It has to come out of /somewhere/ when Nobeard's done with it, right?

     Thankfully, she doesn't have too much time to think about that independently before overhearing Rin speaking of both of their relations with Archer. One being the master, one being stabbed and literally homewrecked... It's a good thing she's following Kyra, or else they'd see that awkward stiffness in her mouth trying to figure out what expression to even make!

     Getting into the Cathedral proper, Sanary's jaw drops slightly at the magnificent beauty of the place. Granted, she's not quite sure what a lot of it is supposed to represent, but it's not nearly as oppressive as others she's seen. "Sounds about right... Hmm. You don't think any of 'em are crazy death dragons devoted to killing everyone, do you?" She laughs weakly at that, not focusing on any statue in particular as she's just looking around as a general matter. "Statue-lady seems... Not-crazy enough, at least."

Priscilla has posed:
    As Hoshi passes, a man in lacquered armour with a strange, masked helmet turns his head, leaning up against a street wall, beside in a hooded and grizzled gentleman covered in totems and a middle aged, tanned and muscled silver fox. She thinks she might have caught sight of an enormous, white cat that gives her the most /unsettling/ feeling, but by the time she might turn to look, there's nothing there. The crowd carries her swiftly. Meanwhile, Solaire nods thoughtfully to the youngest girl he has ever considered to be a true knight, though he follows up only on the question. "Not long from now. I was actually waiting here specifically to receive your merry band. If you've no further business, I'll get you in straight away." He moves as Nathan and Psyber do, the knights snapping their weapons to formal attention, and the crowd parting around him like water over a creek stone. He slaps Tomoe on the shoulder with a well-meaning laugh. "Catch up when you've finished exchanging greetings! I'll save you a seat!"

    It's difficult to tell, even to Lezard, exactly /what/ that knight regards him as. Even with the visor of his helmet up, the angle of the sun casts an impenetrable shadow straight down over his face. He could be sizing him up to kill him, or passing him an unspoken sense of kindred congratulation for all he knows. A faint, canine growl answers the second question, though it's a wonder where such an enormous animal could be hiding in this place.

Reiji Arisu has posed:
That voice--

    Reiji pauses in his tracks as the whispers ripple out from the Blade of Mortality. He stares long into it, the weapon still bound to its sheath. Of all that he owns, it is the least restricted by its binding. "Death-Father," Reiji murmurs under his breath. He's certain the ancient can hear him just fine even with this. "I'm glad to hear you are well. It seems that all that all our hard work has paid off."

"This," the exorcist murmurs as he looks again over the crowd. "All this. It's somewhat more than I expected."

Eryl Fairfax has posed:
    Eryl watches with a sense of bemusement as Ayako seems to struggle with words. "You know, if you assumed this form more often, you wouldn't be having difficulties," he chides gently. "But, I'm glad you did. This is certainly a day that deserves everyone's Sunday best."

    He looks around at the festivities, all the people happy and content, no doubt for the first time in a long time. "I hope I can attend something similar in my world one day," he murmurs, before looking back at Ayako with a grin. "And I hope you'll be there looking like this when it happens."

    But now the crowd seems to be milling towards the palace. "The coronation should be starting soon. If we want to support Miss Priscilla, we should try and find a good place to stand." He turns and offers Ayako his hand. "Shall we go?"

Nobeard (896) has posed:
    The giant hamster grumps loudly and makes a chitter, but the gnome atop leans over to peer at Psyber. "Be careful, he eats! I mean he doesn't really eat but he will try to stuff you in his mouth because he has these pouches that he can stuff things in andwhenheseessomethinghelikeshe'lljustgrabitand-"

    "Meri," Scarlet interrupts, gliding over closer with an elegant grace. The medusa's hair shifts, snakes peering out and swaying, but they look relatively docile right now. "You'll have to excuse her, it's a gnomish trait."

Priscilla has posed:
    The irony of whom Kyra is taking pictures of will have to settle in later. For now, a few people look at her askance as she works her way to the front with her phone, but again, she looks like she knows what she's doing. The paintings have so many layers of magic that they're almost incomprehensible, and unfathomably powerful. They seem to distort the space around them, radiating a kind of loose, dreamlike lack of definition despite their precise strokes, and a sense of powerful, creator-level summoning despite the innumerable layers of seals over them, deliberately repressing their power for some, strange reason. The spring painting brings to mind a bittersweet reunion, happier memories, and a longstanding bond that was never quite expressed. The painting in winter brings to mind old promises, heartbreak, deep nostalgia, and a sort of strange, inner peace. Odd feelings to get from pictures of an old castle.

    Sanary might feel a little chagrined once people finally pass under the last few arches towards the palace proper. Sheltered slightly from the sun, they can both feel the discomfort of those passing under the gargantuan, statuesque shadow, and make out some of its details. Skin of strangely organic, metallic stone scales, blank, silvery grey eyes, sweeping onyx horns, four wings, a bizarre set of alien double jaws, platinum fur running down its spine. It's possibly the most bizarre dragon she might see, and even then it feels like she's only seeing part of it, like the visible intersection of something 'else'. She, as everyone else, will hear the phantom bells and non-linear whispers as she passes beneath its gaze, the world warping briefly around her senses as she feels its eyes on her soul. An Everlasting Dragon is absolutely the last thing anyone will want to see at this occasion, and yet Priscilla has demanded its explicit, central presence for one reason only: to make a statement. It's certainly causing a whispered commotion amongst the crowd.

Hoshi Amakasu (901) has posed:
    As she was trying to look dignified, she didn't stop to stare at the strange collection of figures she passes, though when she notices one of them looking at her she offers a small, respectful nod of greeting. She's tempted to stop and ask them about this place, but the feeling of unsettling eyes upon her causes to look around quickly, her left hand tightening on the hilt of her sword. The only thing she saw was a streak of white. With an irritated shake of her head, she lets the crowd carry her further away, into the grounds of the beautiful palace.

Tomoe has posed:
Tomoe does not mind the slap on the back on her way to check out the Catheadral she gives her friend a look and laughs.

"I will do that then, Solarie"

She's then gone to check out the art which is very much impressive she's more than awe and she's as ever got FRAPS on to go over it later for the highlights of the trip.

Ayako Hasekawa has posed:
    Ayako puffs her cheeks out in a pout when Eryl teases her. It's... an odd expression for the water spirit to wear right now. But then her expression becomes normal again soon after. "It is, isn't it?"

    Her eyes blink slowly when she listens to Eryl and she nods her head slowly. "One day... one day." Ayako nods her head once, and then sticks her tongue out slightly when Eryl hopes that she'll look like this when that day comes.

    Ayako smiles softly and then takes Eryl's hand. It seems her hands still are in that voluminous robe she wears. "Yes, let's."

Reina Kinney has posed:
    She's a little late on the arrival, or maybe she's just been here in the background, but somehow, Reina Kinney just 'happens' to appear in the area. Near Xiaomu no less, since they're closely acquainted. Regardless, it would be hard to know that Reina had just appeared, since she's standing there with her arms folded and one leg crossed, almost like she's idly listening or something. Interesting how Reina manages to do that.

Kimiko Shinobu (570) has posed:
    No more needs to be said, so Kimiko begins to walk. Rather than keeping step, she speeds up a bit. It's not too difficult, despite her size. Her steps are rather lighter than should be possible for anyone wearing that much steel, so Hoshi may or may not realize another girl with a sword has fallen in beside her.

    "Amakasu." Assume a -san, there. Kimiko breaking polite speech would be a notable occasion. "Shinobu Kimiko. We've spoken." Perhaps not a very open greeting.

Nobeard (896) has posed:
    "Aye, I be a beholder," Nobeard replies absently to Kyra. "Oooh, look at that." THing about beholders, they have... pretty unrefined palates, and as much as Nobeard likes to pretend otherwise, he's the same. So a little telekinetic nabbing of some strange grilled meat is a good start. He'll go for free stuff if he can, but if not then Jack will pay for him.

    Jack replies, "We're the crew on that ship, the One-Eyed Jack." He thumbs at the ship. He's not aware that Rin is staring at his boss, or anyone else, but his next words might explain a few things. "The Cap'n has an eclectic crew. Sadly our primary helmsman had to stay belowdecks, I'm sure she'd be interested in this place."

    Nobeard actually seems rather interested in the magical sigils, once he catches sight of them. To Sanary and Kyra, he reassures, "We be here under a peaceful flag. Even pirates like to have a place to go where they can be assured some safety."

Lezard Valeth has posed:
Lezard might not know what's passing through the knight's mind, but he has no apparent desire to find out. Should the Knight and his Wolf wish to confront him, he will attend to it then. In this case, he has something else he needs to attend to.

The Necromancer walks forward, entering the main gate to stand in the grand hall.

Lady Priscilla wished to make a statement. There is no other reason why the summons would go out in such a manner. While everything else that has progressed has its own meaning, this is only the set piece.

This could very well be where he learns the shape of the world Priscilla wishes to lead.

This will have important ramifications for the future. After all... The Rules have changed.

Hoshi Amakasu (901) has posed:
     The wonderous sights continued in the Palace grounds, and Hoshi has to fight to maintain her cool and focus. Admittedly, though, her eyes are zipping around, trying to catch as much of this in her head as she could. She'd have to ask if she could take pictures and come back another time. Tack them on her wall next to her Roshomon poster, perhaps? A small grin comes to her face.

    Thus, she's perfectly distracted, and she doesn't notice Kimiko beside her until she speaks, causing Hoshi to jump slightly and turn immediately to see who was talking to her. "Ah... Y-yes. It's nice to meet you in person, Ms. Shinobu." Hoshi bows respectfully. "Ah, I hope everything's going well?"

Emiya Shirou (560) has posed:
    With so many confusing characters about, Shirou's just kept close to Rin. He winces at Tohsaka's reminder of things though.. or rather, an explanation that gets him gaping, on the verge of protest - but he doesn't. Instead he clamps his mouth shut, teeth grinding. "That after stabbing her... Sanary's a good person, why would something that awful have to..." He's almost growling to himself. That's unfair. It is seethingly unfair.

    He'd never wish that on anyone, even his worst enemy. And there's nothing he can do about it. Just a bunch of people he couldn't save...

    He ends up eying Lezard Valeth warily for a bit, but other than that he seems unbothered by the craziness around him. Just watching most of it.

Kyra Hyral (626) has posed:
    A gasp escapes Kyra, "You can talk!" she exclaims at Nobeard. "I've never met a talking beholder before." Perhaps beholders don't talk on Kyra's world. They are rather rare creatures where she's from. She shrugs, "I'm not entirely sure about safety here. I think I recall our host saying we shouldn't walk around here unarmed." Despite that, Kyra does look kind of unarmed, save for her SCARY ENTHUSIASM.

    "They don't look like it. From what I understand, the long campaign recently ended the influence of a giant, powerful dragon that held Lordran in its jaws. I think. There was something about a big dragon." she tells Sanary, oblivious to her forced companion running off to search for food. Strangely enough, Kyra doesn't seem all that motivated by sustinance right now.

    As she studies the sigil paintings alongside Nobeard, Kyra fights the urge to touch one. Knowing her luck, her magic might decide to go Wild in that moment and she might have an unraveled piece of art on her hands. Then again, Kyra's not sure a wild magic fuckup could destroy what the paintings have accumulated. "These spells are strong. I think they're very old too if they've become this piled on. I wonder who made it." As usual, Kyra seems oblivious to the wary stares of those around her.

Staren has posed:
    Staren is running late! As he flies over the city, he looks around, taking in how... /different/ everything looks when the city isn't laboring under an undead curse. When it is filled with the hope and potential of a future, instead of simply wearing down until the end of days... Also, the sun is out now. That's new. He wasn't sure if this world even /had/ a sun.

    Staren flies down out of the sky on a broom, which he puts away in his bag (which looks too small for it...) after landing and dismounting. He pulls his goggles down off his face and looks around. "I'm not too late, am I?" He looks around for a crowned Priscilla and doesn't see one, so hopefully he is not!

Nathan Hall (168) has posed:
    Nathan makes an extremely wide variety of worried noises at what the gnome is saying. He looks to the side, at Hoshi, and gives her a silent, stoic nod, to give her leave. As for Nathan, Psyber seems to be covering the matter of the hamster, and Nathan is totally fine with that. "I do not think there would be any major value in having me inside the cheeks of anything, least of all anyone here." He says, in that same perfectly monotone voice.

    And then it's on into the tremendous cathedral-like palace. Nathan finally makes note of the massive form atop it, and does so with a... Smile? No, that's impossible. The little twitch of the cheek must have been something else, definitely. It was near impossible to notice. And it goes without repetition when Nathan wanders on inside, making appreciative note of those rather intimidating paintings -- he wonders if that one set in spring might still retain that old power... -- but he is going to focus now. Focus on the main event! And, however briefly, relish the chance to soak in the victory.

Sanary Rondel has posed:
     Sanary can't seem to get that dragon's presence out of her mind once it works its way in there, and her gaze eventually falls on the dragon no matter how much she'd rather look at anything else. Perhaps it's her past experience with dragons, but she's definitely not feeling as relaxed as she was earlier with that thing gazing down at her. The sound of the bells only serves to make that feeling more oppressive to the cleric, and for a moment...

     She regrets not bringing her weapons, especially at Kyra's reminder. "So I got that one completely wrong, then... Ah, whatever. If anything goes bad, I can improvise." Then again, it's not as if the massive dragon would just decide to start attacking people in her own domain, right? Plus, it's unlikely any of that weaponry would have even done anything here.

     "Explains the... Big dragon up there, yeah. This place is definitely... Interesting. Maybe she can some next time. Having a safe place to return to is always good... There's one place I know of that's pretty good for that, but.. Uh. No offense, but the townspeople there might just freak out if you showed up there, Nobeard." Sanary chuckles weakly in response to Nobeard, actually seeming just a little relieved when she's looking at the paintings rather than directly at the dragon. Eventually, she turns over to Kyra.

     "Wait... There's magic in the paintings, too? Weird."

Kimiko Shinobu (570) has posed:
    "Probably. We'll see." is Kimiko's vague answer to Hoshi.

    "There was a dragon, but it came late. Tried to stop us. Difficult fight." Overhearing Kyra, she provides a correction, then looks up. "Different dragon." Not like the one flying overheard, but are any two dragons similar, on this world? She hasn't seen many, but they've shared little enough similarity.

    "We'll see, as, ah... Archlord Priscilla shows us. There probably won't be any fighting. Just a statement."

Archer (821) has posed:
    Rin gives a decidedly-cheery smile at Tomoe's regarding her as a strong mage. "Thanks, though he's actually one of the least prana-intensive Servants... well, outside of battle. When it's a fight he doesn't seem to mind guzzling my prana down for those weapons of his."

    Archer gives a half shrug as he gives out "It's hardly my fault that are battles far more commonplace in the Multiverse then the Grail War" as his defense.

    Listening to Shirou, Rin gives as much of a reassuring smile as she can - more for his sake as much as hers in the wake of the discouraging topic, especially after being reminded about how Archer stabbed Sanary in the back; figuratively /and/ literally in a way. "You couldn't have known... and nobody can be everywhere at once, anyway" she tries to sooth, even though it's probably hollow. "It doesn't justify what Archer did to her - either time - but if nothing else, she had friends to help her get through it. You included, probably." She sighs though, shaking her head. "In all honesty, I'd be just as much to blame - I wasn't with Archer when he made that choice. If I had been there - a Mage experienced with some of this stuff - maybe I could have done something myself."

    Shortly latter, Rin - in the midst of trying to process the sight of the eye - is barely able to respond much to Tomoe's assurances, only able to raise a finger to belatedly mutter out "... w-what... floating... eye... it's floating... e-eh??"

    Of course, Rin is quickly distracted by /other/ instances just as bizarre - the giant hamster chatting with Psyber not far away, blinking several times as if seriously doubting the reality of her situation. "W... h-how is...??"

    Archer, while certainly more then a little stunned by some of the surroundings, is perhaps a bit more well-adjusted to it due to having engaged in missions a bit before Rin made a habit of accompanying him at times - though the eye and the hamster are pushing it a bit for him as well. "Something tells me this will hardly be the most bizarre thing we'll see."

    The food perhaps might be another aspect he notes offhandedly, some deep and long-forgotten part of him having some errant desire to see if something more... visibly appealing might be made from some of the ingredients present. r
    Taking his mind off that, however, is when he opts to focus more on the task at hand -namely the cathedral they, by all accounts, will soon be entering.

    The dragon in turn gets his attention, though - both him and Rin - though the Servant seems to resolve not to try and take action unless necessary.

    He does however prepare for it.

     "Trace; On."

     Copying Emiya Shirou - to perhaps their mutual ire as some part of Archer deeply protests mirroring the boy - Archer summons forth Kanshou and Bakuya in sheaths, forming around his waist like a belt.

    And all throughout he keeps his eye on the dragon, feeling somewhat more anxious about it's presence as they pass beneath it.

Archer (821) has posed:
    However... even Archer found himself amazed at what was inside the cathedral.

    To call it grandiose was an injustice, especially considering how painstakingly well-crafted much of it was. It's architecture was nothing to balk at in the slightest, making the Servant of the Bow wonder how long it had taken to make - and what it's construction had entailed.

    The immense, painted-togetehr latticework of the millions upon millions of overlapping sigils catches his attention rather quickly - as well as Rin's once she has managed to calm down from the 'floating eye' incident - both Master and Servant actually stunned at the intricacy. Rin in particular seems almost dazzled, the method of the paintings seeming almost to enchant her in how overwhelmingly complex and yet subtle the construction must have been - the work of more then just a magus but a true magician.

    The kind thing any mage worth their Magic Circuits would aspire to come even a droplet close to mirroring. An effort similar and yet incomparable to the work she had and was still doing to try and replicate the Gem Sword of her mentor.

     "Wow..." is the only word the magus can find in her to describe the sight before her, seeming severely tempted by a desire to reach out for it if it had been possible, close to being lost in the delicacy of the many interwoven brushstrokes. Her brain was practically on fire trying to even decipher the formula that must have been used simply as the casework, let alone how it could have created such an amazing final product.

    And... in a way... looking at the image of the spring reminded Rin of her sister Sakura. Of their summer together after the War had ended along with her world's Shirou and Rider, the bonds of sisterhood reformed after so many years of separation and heartache. Memories of a happy time following all their toil.

    Archer's reaction, while far more subdued then his Master's, is no less one of amazement at the incredible complexity of the image, suspecting that if he were to attempt Structural Analysis on it that he would likely not be able to fully comprehend the blueprint for it's creation, the painting coming close to being what one might consider a divine miracle brought about through pure human perseverance. An occurrence not unlike Sasaki Kojirou's attaining dimensional-refraction through pure physical reputation and practice.

    And... while not quite lost to it the way Rin almost was - he was still able to feel the emotions inspired were probably more the work of the spells woven into it then the image itself - ... the bowman couldn't help but feel reminded of Illya by the image of the snowcapped mountains. A strange mix of bitter nostalgia, the peaceful time before being consigned to a field of blades and endless sorrows... of an old, innocently-made promise that had inspired it all at the bedside of a dreamer who had watched his dream turn on him, just as Archer himself would.

    And... of that man's daughter - a small, snowy-haired homunculus who's short lifespan in both worlds he'd seen her in had, in the end, been spent for the sake of her family. A girl whom fate had consigned to an unfair outcome, yet at the end she met it smiling... reassuring both of Emiya Shirou's existences as a friend and a sister.

    For the Master, one image brought about a happy return... for the other, it brought about nostalgia for one of the few people whom he'd been able to call family.

    Perhaps one could tell something from the pair in that one focused on the spring while the other on the winter... though the difference was that one shook it off quicker - if not with some reluctance - as the Bowman returned to scrying the room, looking for any signs of what was meant to come.

Hoshi Amakasu (901) has posed:
     Blink. She was... rather short, wasn't she? For a moment, Hoshi falls silent and just walks beside the armored woman, before eventually clearing her throat. "Ah... Ms. Shinobu. Ms. Shoutan and I were talking earlier, about her coming to visit my parents to explain why I should be with the Union. She... Said she'd had similar problems with your family. Can I ask how it went? You don't have to tell me, I guess, but I'm still a little worried. I'd really like to stay and help the Union. Nobody else was really stepping up for Kohler and I. I'd like to do the same in return."

    She goes silent again, listening to the story of the dragons and fights... not that she's getting much details. So... "Archlord. Not Queen? May I ask what it means? I don't really know much about this world at all."

Kimiko Shinobu (570) has posed:
    There's the barest sign of a falter in Kimiko's steps. The way she looks straight ahead makes it hard to gauge just how far she's looking, but presently she turns again to look at Hoshi, her expression a too-perfect picture of calm. "Ah. You must have misheard, Amakasu. Himei may have been speaking of Kiyoko. Saito Kiyoko. She has not met my parents."

    A moment, a few breaths, and she continues, "I have not heard the title before. I imagine that we will see."

Hoshi Amakasu (901) has posed:
     Hoshi caught sight of that moment of hesitation... But she isn't really aware of why. Kendo had taught her to look for the small cues a person gives, because those little motions could easily mean victory or defeat if read wrong. When Kimiko looks at her with that gaze, though, Hoshi falters a bit. Why was she looking at her like that? "I... Oh. W-well, I may have misheard... Are you alright, Ms. Shinobu?" She probably shouldn't ask. Probably should let it lie, but perhaps there was a reason why she'd awoken to Rosamond like she did.

    No idea about the title. Maybe she could ask Psyber about it later. Hoshi tries to lighten her tone. "So, do you think they would let us take pictures? This place is awesome, and I have some free space on my wall next to my favorite poster..."

Kimiko Shinobu (570) has posed:
    "Yes." Kimiko answers without stopping to think about whether she's fine or not. "I do not... think that Lordran has cameras." is her reply to the second. A more casual glance around reminds her that, yes, they are still surrounded by knights, clerics, gods, monstrous pirates, and giant statues of yet more gods, with an actual Everlasting Dragon up there. "You should keep the flash off, to be polite." Even if these paintings are probably not ones that would age to bright lights, no matter how many years they were subject to them.

    Kimiko briefly considers taking out her phone, if only because more than one other person is using theirs, but keeps her hands where they are, one resting lightly on the hilt of her spada.

Hoshi Amakasu (901) has posed:
    A frown comes to Hoshi's face for a moment, but for now she lets it pass. This wasn't her territory. "Yeah, I thought they wouldn't. Good thing we have cell phones, huh?" That being said, she doesn't pull out hers, either. "It'd look kind of bad if someone representing the Union went off to take pics, right? We get mad at foreigners for running around with cameras all the time, too. I'll ask Ms--Erm. Archlord Priscilla if it's okay and come back later."

Priscilla has posed:
    Eventually, it's only a matter of time before everyone begins to pick up their business and cram themselves into the palace. Thousands of people used to live inside, many of them gods and giants, and so it has only a little difficulty fitting them, the bulk standing within the massive audience hall and chambers that had once serves as the battleground against the knight Ornstein of the Lion who stands outside, and the Executioner Smough; unrecognizable now that the pillars and flooring have been repaired; but with many standing atop rows and rows of tiered balconies, stairways and arched crosswalks. Perhaps unexpectedly, it is the teeming masses of humanity who crowd the front, the inhuman scattered in their midst, and the once great pantheon relegated to the back, though likely by choice, dozens of divinities, some of whom had lived within these walls, arrayed well away from the front and centre.

    There is no stage or podium on the ground, but a massive overlook properly fit for addressing an army, indicating the clear structure of power this place was built for. There are no actual seating arrangements either. It'd be impossible to bring enough, and the palace was originally designed so that all would stand in the presence of the divine monarchy of the sun. Solaire departs the group to work his way atop it, on one of those strange, spiral elevators. The woman in crow's feathers is there as well, at the opposite side, as are the two pale-skinned, scarlet-eyed women in black and gold, and a man who looks more of an onyx statue than a living being, with blank, unseeing eyes, and a cloak of deep shadow, carrying some kind of skull-shaped artifact.

    At the very least, even the gods seem to recognize one of their own; the raven-haired figure who steps to the front, silencing the crowd with a patient, but severe voice that sounds old and experienced, even cynical, despite its still youthful tone. Oddly, despite clearly being a divinity, she refuses to speak the proper language; the old-world Latin of Lordran, in essence; before this crowd, her words translated without archaic bent. She makes no attempt at formal pleasantries, producing no scroll of pre-written speech, cutting right to matters in what seems to be a flagrantly unconventional, possibly even disrespectful way, and yet the gods seem to expect nothing else from her. She is a familiar figure to them.

Priscilla has posed:
    "To those returning to their ancestral home, welcome. Drink deeply of what your Lord desired, though you had no part of it, and resolve now whether you wish to stay to see it, or whether it falls so short of your rosy memories that you would not pay the price to remain. To those of you from other lands, wed or wandering, you are welcome as brothers and sisters by the same token, and under the same provision. To the great many of you however, worthy to be carried aloft by my crows, one at a time over mountains and seas, welcome twice over, and forever shall you be welcome so long as you abide the laws common to all men. My registry is clean, for all of your sins have been wiped clean; this, once. Start anew, as you will, and remember the day that all things, living, dead and eternal, gathered into the same hall."

    She places a familiar, sun-shaped mask on the balcony, clanking the golden headpiece down with a certain amount of satisfaction. Murmurs immediately ripple through the crowd. "The Dark Moon Gwyndolin, youngest child of Lord Gwyn, former king of Anor Londo, is dead. No executor of justice is above his own law. He has paid for his sins, though praised be he for having the spine to stay. His covenant now falls to Solaire, whom you will address as Lord." Solaire swings the sword off his back, planting it into the flagstones at his feet. The mortals of the crowd watch as if nothing is wrong, having never heard of him. Many in the back seem aghast; spited even, when he speaks. "Though Lord Gwyn has passed on, you have all mourned him long ago. I have seen the 'tomb' you've built to ease your consciences. Though we met, he never did formally pass his title to me, and so upon my honour I will not accept it. I am now captain of the Knights of Gwyn, no prince or king."

Priscilla has posed:
    The woman resumes. "And with the firstborn son deferring, that would leave only Princess Gwynevere, who appears to be . . ." she looks to the crowd. "In-absentia. So, if you would swear by your titles and thrones, you will honour the line of succession, passed to her only child." She doesn't even need to utter Priscilla's name, though only the oldest amongst the pantheon, and the highest amongst the clergy, seem to remember any such child. One of them has the temerity to yell "Then what of the Duke?!" before he is swiftly silenced by Priscilla's appearance, specifically, with the sword Moonlight in her hand, stabbed into the balcony to stand on its own for all to see. It's sort of a pointless gesture for many, but many others can recognize the sword for what it really is; the crystallized soul of Duke Seath, the grandfather of all magic, and for the uninformed, Priscilla's father.

    "Likewise, deceased." She says. "And had any of thee the faith to remaineth, thou wouldst knoweth full well why. Humble thineselves to ask those who resisted him, if thou wouldst knoweth." This appears to be a rare occasion where she has deigned to assume her true form, towering a head above even the other gods after subsuming so much power. Even then she's practically unrecognizable. The mismatched glimmering gold and molten-steel hue of her vertical pupiled eyes might be familiar to some by now, but the manner of dress is not. Taking on the role, the simple, fluffy dress she has worn for so very long has been set aside, replaced with regalia in white silk and golden filigree, not unlike what Gwynevere, a.k.a the statue in cathedral, had worn, though considerably more modest, leaving little exposed skin despite the lack of thick furs obscuring her figure. Though the sleeves and the length of skirt are still there, the neckline is deliberately just low enough to show the circle of silver scales around her throat, at the centre of which is the sun-shaped mark of the Scar of the Worldslayer, just above her collarbone. Her hair seems to have been properly groomed, and tied back in the Celtic knot the Book of Heaven had decided on once, perhaps symbolically. The flower of wrought moonlight from Annu is pinned in the braid, but the inevitable crown in her hands is astonishingly modest; a small, delicate ivory affair, affixed with an odd, black stone.

Priscilla has posed:
    "I shalt maketh this clear and concise. I hold all four Lordsouls. Not by trade, not by inheritance, and not by cheat or scheme, but by conquest, alliance, and the goodwill of those who came before. Those of whom wouldst challenge me art now fairly warned, and may do so following thus:" She too looks to the crowd, almost beseechingly, before failing to find something and taking a deep, bracing breath. "Lord Solaire is governor in name. Between himself, Lady Velka, and I, a /worthy/ deliberate shalt be chosen without argument, and apart from them, another chosen by those of thee who wouldst call themselves pilgrims. Those formerly Undead art welcome within Anor Londo for as long as they heed its laws, as is anyone else, knight, giant, witch, or /dragon/." She lets that one sink in. "I shalt hold no private audience. I shalt brook no dispute amongst thee who fled and forsook thine homeland. I hath little need for such fairweather allies, and instead place mine trust of those of the Union, and to what extent is allowed, the Confederacy." As if they already know, the crowd parts around each multiversal stranger, though perhaps it has to do with the direct stares of the assembled cast above. "Warriors, scholars and explorers beyond reproach, who willingly gave more to this land than thou ever hast. Thou shalt afford them the equivalent respect, as they shalt be our aides whilst we recover from this aftermath."

    The woman, Velka, raises her hand. "In the name of . . ." a wry grin splits her lips "The only remaining divinity to stay true to Anor Londo, I second." Solaire raises his hand. "In the name of the lineage of the sun, I third." The onyx man raises the skull, which whispers much the same as Mizuki and Reiji had heard. "In the name of the Dead, acquiesced." And finally the two women pull back their hoods, old figures to some, new to others, sisters in white and black locks. "And in the name of our mother Izalith, it is sealed. All are in agreement." Flaunting the unanimous support of all major powers, Priscilla places the crown on her own head to thunderous applause amongst the front nine-tenths of the room. The assembly quickly devolves into gossip, argument and cheers.

Staren has posed:
    Staren is just in time for the proceedings it seems! He makes his way inside with the others.

    Those people in back are gods? Where were /they/ during all this?? Staren observes as amnesty is given, as the crown is passed down... Only when he sees Priscilla dressed in royal regalia does he realize that he has never seen her in anything /but/ the fluffy white dress before.

    And then Priscilla lays down the law. He can't help but smile a bit. It must be nice to be able to tell it like it is in a situation like this.

    He smiles more when he sees the two witches. Hopefully that time travel gambit worked, and their city and people are okay now... but perhaps not Izalith herself, if she's not here...

    Staren claps and applauds with the crowd as Priscilla coronates herself.

Eryl Fairfax has posed:
    Once the coronation is complete, Eryl applauds as hard as anyone. He has little doubt that Priscilla will do well in this position. She might need a little help, which the Union will provide. But this situation is precarious, and she needs time to find her feet in this role.

    Time he and ReGenesis can give her.

    "Let's begin," he mutters, seemingly to himself, but also into his internal radio, addressing others not currently present. With all the grace and diplomacy he can muster, he bids Ayako farewell and slips out of the crowd that parted around him to stand in the open before Priscilla.

    "Queen Priscilla!" he says, projecting his voice so it can be heard all throughout the hall. He then takes a knee before the newly crowned queen, right arm across his chest. "Allow me to be the first to thank you for your kind invitation to off-worlders. To be present at such a momentous occasion is a great honour!" He stands, and turns to face the audience, offering quick bows towards them.

    "Many here do not know me, so allow me to introduce myself. I am Eryl Fairfax, diplomat for the ReGenesis Corporation. My world was ravaged, much like this one was. Something stole all the life in the land and ravaged our cities, leaving a broken husk of a planet. However! ReGenesis has - with the help of off-worlders - made great strides in bringing everything back from the brink!"

    He's pacing a little now, making eye contact with as many of the assembled as possible. "As such, ReGenesis would like to help here in Lordran however they can. And as a gesture of good faith towards the new queen, they have a gift prepared." Some unspoken command must have been issued through his implants, because ten soldiers of the Eden Defence Force chose this moment to enter, working together to carry a white box, 17 feet in length. Clad in off-black jumpsuits with gauss rifles slung over their backs and face-concealing helmets, they march towards the overlook and manoeuvre to lay the box down lengthwise before it, and all those assembled on it.

    "Our gift to you," Eryl says. With a snap of his fingers, the box lets out a hiss before opening up all on its own!

Eryl Fairfax has posed:
    Within the long container lay some kind of rifle.

    Approximately 15 feet in length, it was clearly designed with Priscilla in mind. Not just in size, but in design too. The main barrel of the rifle is cylindrical, the same snow white as her hair and dress, decorated with patterns and studs that match the distinctive slight horns that adorn Priscilla's brow. Slotted in from the front along six indentations that run along the sides of the frame are rails that match the intended wielder's vivid gold eyes. There are three on each side, one along the middle with the other two above and below it. Each one is perfectly parallel with the one on the opposite side, with the middle point between them clearly intended to be the barrel itself. Engraved along the top in the native written language of Lordran is the name of the weapon, 'First Ray of Dawn.'

    The stock is no collapsible, removable thing, but firmly built into the gun's structure. A magazine has been inserted into it, painting the weapon as a bullpup design to those more knowledgeable of such things. Such people may also be able to guess that, based on scale; the inserted magazine that curves forward towards the rest of the rifle holds about 16 massive rounds. Slotted in along the top of the barrel is a triangular digital scope.'

    It has the standard angled grip behind the trigger and trigger guard, which is just behind the end of the rails, as well as a vertical forward grip, both of which house the batteries that power this behemoth. The forward grip is removable, it seems, but to do so would mean halving its effective output. But, speaking of that trigger, it is the only black part of the whole thing. In fact, it has clearly been modelled after the blade of Priscilla's iconic scythe.

    How ominous.

Psyber (253) has posed:
    "I think he'd have a bit of trouble fitting me in his mouth," Psyber replies to the gnome on the hamster, as well as the medusa, giving them both bright smiles before pulling back and away from the hamster to watch the ceremony as it begins. He falls much more quiet than before, smoking his cigarette as he takes a heavy sigh.'

    When the crowd parts around him, he looks around a bit. There's a part of him who is glad that only a limited few will get to see what he did to Kalameet that brought them this far, lest he fear the reaction be something besides staring. His red eyes flicker around and he raises up a hand to quietly wave people off from staring at him, looking back up towards the front.

    Otherwise, he doesn't have too much to say about the entire ceremony, letting out a gentle sigh that exhales his plume of smoke. He mutters something into his radio, barely audible and on a private band, and then turns to start to walk back towards the warp gate out. He's not usually one to stick around for ceremonies.

Tomoe has posed:
Tomoe was from her point of view when she spoke to rin saying the truth someone like Archer? Would take a powerful mage to bring 9into the world and keep him there right?"

The art is a sight to behold. She takes her time looking at the art she's going to take it in and just enjoy it at face value. Howecver it doesn't last forever she's got something to attend and Solarie was saving her a seat. It doesn't take her loving to find her way to the site.

It's a very big to do and man this place is in far better condtion than the last time they came through here.

She listens and is even more keely aware of how much she did in some small part effect the fate of this world. Then comes Priscilla's true form but she's not afraid, more than a bit awed but she's not afraid.

Tomoe is up on her feet applauding with everyone else when all is said and done.

Hoshi Amakasu (901) has posed:
    Hoshi watches the entire address with some awe. Packed in cheek to jowl with people was uncomfortable, of course, but watching these beings of legend talk in front of her--she was witnessing a momentous moment in this world's history. She was here, right now, watching. A grin of giddy glee comes to her face. Not that long ago, she was just a girl from Japan who moved to Germany. That simple. Now she was a Union Elite witnessing all of the suffering that had occured actually go into /making something/.

    When everyone suddenly moved away and started staring at them, Hoshi ruthlessly reigns in her urge to fidget. Taking a deep breath, she waited for everything to come to an end. When the end came, though, she eagerly cheered with them, whooping and whistling as she furiously clapped her hands.

    Then... A gift... of a HOLYCRAPHUGE gun, the likes of which she'd never seen. "Geez, that thing--..." Dragon-sized rifles made for a person like Priscilla... "This is totally going on the list." She decides to stay in the area after the ceremony, walking around randomly to see what places she could of this amazing realm. She also kept an eye out for that group of people she'd seen earlier--though considering all the people that were here, the odds of her finding them were incredibly unlikely.

Mizuki (183) has posed:
    It really is quite surreal: a once emptied city filled with life and one of her closest friends clad in something so... ostentatious, so regal, so disparate with how she is used to envisioning her friend. It steals much of the emotion from Mizuki's face as she watches quietly from her place on the balcony, and she is left to watch the emotional finishing strokes of the presentation in a unusually quiet manner. Earnestly, even Mizuki has no intention to be so contrary as she often happens to be; she should very much love to be clapping along with the rest of the masses in celebration of this achievement, but Mizuki can't help feeling that there's more to be done. No matter how far they come, no matter how much 'improves', there is always something more. She can never be satisfied, and on nights like this one where that shows full and clear, it's absolutely maddening.

    Priscilla has gone from being a cloistered presence on the very brink of this world's existence to someone at its epicenter. She has just assumed a station of immense responsibility, and weight, and stigma -- it seems just yesterday that her friend would have balked at the prospect, perhaps given one of her rare laughs at the thought that a day like this might come to pass. But my, how things change. How Psyber has gone from being constantly wound to become the gregarious personage she first knew him as anew; how Mizuki herself has grown so attached where she never could have before; where the general has begun to more freely express his own humanity when Priscilla has been under duress; how even Lezard has had to reconsider his methods of attaining the future he seeks if not his overall view of the world. All these things Mizuki is forced to witness in this moment. All these things duly frighten her.

    So much can change in such a short amount of time. So much -will- change in a short amount of time going forward. Why must it always be that way? Why can hers never be a mind content to sit, to circle, to rot away in pleasures of complacency? Were it so easy for her, and for her friends, to do just that, they would all be very different people. Though the universe instills them with power, with an obligation to be active participants in the affairs of Creation for a reason. It's as if reality itself has a will that it wishes to fulfill through them -- a will that Mizuki not yet grown to fully understand.

    The idea feels her with a sense of anticipation and apprehension both. How much longer will things be allowed to continue like this? How long will she be allowed to engage Psyber, Priscilla, Arthur, Riva, and the rest in simple, pleasant conversation? Will there come a day when one of them passes away? ... will there come a day when Mizuki's own restless, volatile mind puts them all at odds? She cannot say. There is a mercy in not being able to see the future, sure, but in this case it imbues the most fundamental crevices of her mind with a sort of preoccupation, a sort of paranoia that will relent for absolutely nothing. Nothing but the future, that for all her sway over time, space, memory, and the mind she cannot control.

    If only it all were simpler, she muses. If only some things could always stay the same whilst everything else is allowed to move forward.

        If only she could stop the clock permanently for those few, specific things, like her friends, for Anor Londo.

    If only she weren't such a fool, and the world's formulation of perfection so asymptotic to any depth of philosophy she may ever reach.

        If only it were all... all different.

    There is little else for her to say, and what else she would do has already been done. Without a word, she gives a short, deep bow to any forces still paying her mind before summoning Aelinos and departing for her home. Anor Londo... -this- Anor Londo... has begun to chafe her. Best to shed that skin and leave it for its inheritors.

Sanary Rondel has posed:
     Somehow, Sanary's getting the vibe that 'Undead' here doesn't mean quite the same thing it does back home. She'll have to look into that another time, however, when she isn't trying to translate any of the... Everything that's been said during the coronation. Although she stands at attention the entire time (when she's not eating), there's definitely a blankness in her expression.

     She'll need to speak to someone else about it another time. Still, if the guests are being expected to speak, then she'll just have to improvise. The cleric waits until after Eryl finishes speaking and displaying his gift of the rifle (while also being reminded that she probably should have brought one herself), then...

     ... Fights the urge to stay quiet and stuff her face to actually speak up herself. "Q... Queen Priscilla! Thank you for having us today. Uh. My name is Sanary Rondel, sort-of representative for the Confederacy and the Murasame Zaibatsu." So far, so good. She projects a little more. "I didn't know we were supposed to bring gifts, so I'll bring some food by another time."

     Public speaker, she is not. "On behalf of both of my employers, we thank you for inviting us today as well. If there's anything we can do to help with Lordran's recovery or continued... Continued... Uh." She furrows her brow for a moment. "Prosperity..? Properity, yes. I'll be sure to relay any requests to my superiors, and... And we can work it out from there!" She snaps a hand to her head in a quick salute, practically frozen on the spot until she's sure that nobody's paying attention to her any more (if at all).

Kimiko Shinobu (570) has posed:
    Priscilla appears, the situation explained, and terms delivered. Kimiko doesn't recognize every speaker, but enough. She has a better idea, now, of what holding the Lordsouls means, thta it would give a pantheon of gods more than pause. Gwyn had chosen to split them for a reason, she expects.

    When the applause comes, the quiet girl joins in. When the off-worlders are singled out, she turns her head, looking up and over her shoulder at those looking down at her. Yes, you see me, and I see you. I fought, you fled. Wasted strength was the greatest sin, in her mind. To have power, yet do nothing. Even Gwyndolin attempted to follow the path he thought just--though Kimiko does not regret having her hand in his death.

    No more words. She'd said what she needed to Solaire--Lord Solaire, or Captain Solaire, whichever it is. She glances at Hoshi, but sees the other is planning to stay, so she makes her own way back out. If she does have words for Priscilla, she'll be able to better give them later.

Nobeard (896) has posed:
    "So Cap'n, why are we here at a coronation?" Jack asks the beholder, while he's looking about boredly. This REALLY doesn't interest him, because he has... basically no interest in politics?

    "Har, Jack, listen. This place has new powers, new people in control. It be a good idea to know what we be facing someday, as ally or foe." The beholder IS considerably more interested in what's going on, especially after the summary of how Priscilla came to power. Very interesting.

    The gnome had quieted, but at least the hamster calmed down... at first. A sudden shift off in the distance makes it take off, crashing through a stand and generally causing a ruckus in the distance. Nobeard sighs, "... it be best if we be goin' afore she causes real trouble." He really doesn't want to fight or talk his way out of those knights if they should decide the hamster is too disruptive.

Archer (821) has posed:
    Rin half-shruggs at Tomoe's mention of mages and power, a slight note of... embitterment? No, that was too extreme - perhaps discontent? Dissatisfaction? Whatever the case, it seems to make Rin's expression closer to a half-pout. "Well, that doesn't always make it 'impressive.' Emiya-Kun's nowhere close to my capacity and yet he /always/ seems to get a Saber-Class."

    Archer's brow twitches just slightly at the seeming insinuation of jealousy Rin shows, hoping that at the very least she is talking about Arturia from her own timeline - if she considered this Shirou's current servant Gawain a better alternative then him... that might actually be the biggest insult she could ever have leveled on him in all the time he'd known her.

     After a while of staring at the art, Rin in turn manages to tear herself away from the paintings with a wistful sigh as Archer gestures to the spot where most everyone is gathering together in an audience chamber - or at least that was the closest word for it, considering it's immense size.

    Within, both Archer and Rin are more acutely aware of the throng of intermixed auras from mage, divine and many more touched by magic, among many others that Rin is curious about and Archer is weary of.

     And then... the 'proceedings' occur.

    Or at least as close to 'proceedings' as they can be, coming across more as, to be brief, a coronation-by-force.

     Inwardly, the Bowman wasn't really surprised. In fact, he figured /that/ was why Priscilla had invited so many elites; to show any possible dissenting powers the forces she could call upon. Even if that wasn't the case, it was at least a side-effect - unintended or otherwise - of summoning them all together. As well as effectively establishing herself a separate realm similar in concept to Dun Realtai - neutral grounds.

    A bold move. Possibly a risky one as well, considering some presences. And if it ever fell apart...

    As applause consumes the viewing grounds, Archer is perhaps one of the few that claps only as a polite formality, his views on the matter perhaps a bit more mixed - more visibly as he doesn't give any smile, face impassive all throughout, eyes closed as he starts clapping lightly.

    It's during this that he recognizes a sort of similarity between the blade in Priscilla's hands and Priscilla herself, leaving something of a dark insinuation of a connection between the blade and the self-proclaimed ruler of Anor Londo.

    Rin in turn gives a more polite expression in the form of a smile as she claps lightly. She, like Archer, only knows of what happened in this land secondhand by way of Union archived reports. Priscilla's apparent method of rising to power makes her pause at points, but she can hardly argue with the results thus far - and if they stay that way, she has no qualms with Priscilla being the one to rule. In fact it may have been the only way she /could/ have changed anything - it was a common enough occurrence in human history at times, if not for somewhat more dubious reasons in some cases.

    As a matter of course, Archer analyzed the weapon that had been presented to Priscilla, though it's status as a firearm meant he wouldn't be able to trace it. At the very least though, he wished to know it's capabilities.

Priscilla has posed:
    This part has been pre-rehearsed. Priscilla hadn't been particularly warm to one, key detail, but she recognized the effectiveness of the potential demonstration. As Eryl lays the massive weapoin out before the balcony, Priscilla glances down to it, momentarily pleased to find that the diplomat had put so much effort into styling it when his ordinary look is so utilitarian. One gift return with another, or so she assumes he must have had her present to him on his mind. Fixing it in her gaze, that mismatched left eye flares faintly with the light it has exhibited since the slaying of the Black Dragon of Calamity, and with the near-psychic sound of soft, melancholy voices in song, the rifle lifts straight out of its casing, flipping once over in the air before settling into her arms, redoubling the volume of the crowd. Even the humans recognize what that power means.

    /Very/ few of them however, have seen a gun. Priscilla knows more than enough about them. After all, she had once trained to use them, under Psyber's and Amalthea's watchful eyes in the Ring of Philosophy. She thoroughly dislikes the loud sound of their report, having grown used to a life of tranquil silenced, but she can make an exception in this instance. The monstrous EM weapon levels against her shoulder, sighting out all the way through the open front doors and at a flock of Sen's demons perched atop a spire, zeroing in with optical magnification enhancing her already razor sharp sight. The trigger clicks, and then the hall booms with the thunderous roar of a slug the weight of a person ripping through the air at hypersonic velocity, trailing a streak of discoloured fire in its wake as a glowing line, before hitting the central demon so hard it explodes into a red mist, rips the others apart in the ensuing wake, and punches a hole in a distant cloud behind them a few seconds later.

    The butt of the rifle smacks against the ground as she sets it down drill-style, unsafe for a gunpowder weapon, but fine here. Even the gods are in a state of shock that any human could have built such a thing. "This is the power that we obtaineth, by the bonds I hath forged in our names. The world outside these lands is far grander, and far more strange than thou hast ever imagined it once was. Reject it and I big thee leave. Embrace it, or at least maketh the attempt, and thou shalt share in it." The crowd turns to watch Psyber leave dramatically, and then Nobeard more rambunctiously, but few can bear to hold eye contact with Kimiko for long. Instead they turn to Sanary's fumbling but earnest profession of allegiance to someone she's never met, unaware of that little fact. A few laughs go out from the more relaxed in the crowd, which seems to ease the atmosphere.

    The crowd finally begins to break as volunteers start wheeling out utterly absurd amounts of food and liquor, the latter plundered from ancient stores. Priscilla turns to the queen's chambers, some of the other ambassadors going with her. The coronation can be considered officially over, laughter and cheery overwhelming, but not totally hiding dark and fearful murmurs.