Scene #5267: Vying for the Eclipse of the Sun-4

Owner	Pose
Priscilla	Investigating doesn't take a lot of time. Looking for sources of 'holy' books, that aren't endorsed by the old religions of a giant, religious city, leaves few places to check. Ultimately, it comes down to the odd choice of clerics penning their scriptures in a place dedicated to the exact opposite of their craft: the Royal Archives, i.e. the greatest repository of sorcerous knowledge and study in the world, once violently opposed to the working of divine miracles long ago. It becomes a lot more obvious why, when people show up. The enormous and convoluted halls filled with shelves that hide more shelves that hide secret rooms and stairs with yet more shelves, are subject to great swarms of sorcerous pupils, historians, and natural science hobbyists, as always, moving around on the giant, eccentrically rotating stairways, but deeper in, it looks like one of Seath's many inspired mechanical inventions had been a fairly sophisticated printing press. That would certainly make a lot of sense, given, well, the sheer volume of human-sized books available up front. Entire portions of the rear building, paneled in hardwoods and connected mostly by levers and covert corridors and ladders, are being occupied by devotees in grey-gold robes, to the point that evidence of recent meals can be found on appropriated study tables, and quiet corners are host to blankets and napping monks. The actual press setup itself is fairly impressive; not industrial in scale, but certainly sized to write some giant tomes, and roughly as advanced as an actual typewriter, despite all the gears and strings it involves. It seems the small crew operating it has memorized their tomes by heart, too, as each click of a palm-sized ivory lever is done without looking, and results in ten ink imprints in a language nobody can read. Everything else has to be done by hand, though, at enormous tables full of craftsmen binding them in leather, adding edging and filligree, and some especially ambitious types doing illuminated script additions on higher end copies. Looks like there is a demand for 'deluxe' editions by now.
Guest Psyber	Psyber is here! Psyber also has a sandwich in his hands that he's calmly eating. It's not comically oversized or anything, just standard devilled egg salad on white bread. He calmly chews on it as he looks around the Royal Archives, "Been a while since I was here last. I remember it being weirder. And Snake-ier." He bites a cover of his sandwich and then muses, "I guess this WOULD be the best place to start producing new knowledge from."
Kushiko	Investigations! That's something that's definitely in Kushiko's wheelhouse; really, any Tenno are quite capable of doing it directly or otherwise, and that information invariably gets funneled by the Lotus to other operatives. It's a lovely interconnected network. It's a mite bit different when it comes to investigations like this, however; no ready sense of computer networks or ther likes to poke about into, but that does not mean she's useless. Quite the contrary. Observation and stealing one's way into places is definitely viable, and indeed, it doesn't take long to discern and divine the location one must go. After a cursory notion of making those who may wish to assist be aware of such a thing, Kushiko did arrive. Or rather more accurately, Nova Prime did, the black and purple and silver-edged Warframe using the vastness of the place to practically float her way down towards where Psyber was. <"Yeah, especially since arcane and the divine both hated each other by what we've read up on. Even more, it looks like they're actually working on making better versions of it? Like instead of the stuff meant to just be read, meant to look really pretty and ornate."> Look, books aren't something she's had a lot of personal experience with okay? She opens a hand, and projects a few rotating images, making a swipe with another hand, displaying a few of the different locales of the tower she's seen. <"If we weren't here on business I'd enjoy scaling this place, it'd be good practice.">
Xiaomu	This should be Reiji's job, thinks Xiaomu as she makes her way through the Royal Archives. He's the one who loves paperwork like nobody's business. In fact, he's probably off doing paperwork for Shinra or something right now, but whatever the actual reason may be, he's left Xiaomu joining the others in today's investigation. And she gives Psyber's sandwich a look. "Most libraries don't let you eat on the premises," she remarks good-naturedly. "Think I could get away with noshing on some fried tofu? I won't drop any crumbs around ..." In the absence of permission to munch, though, Xiaomu is giving some of the completed books a very interested look. Given that her interests in manga and anime date back as far as the heyday of ukiyo-e and possibly farther, she's quite curious what some of these not-so-dusty, not-so-old tomes might conceal within their pages. Somebody might want to drag her back on task, particularly seeing as Reiji's not here to do it himself.
Tomoe	Tomoe did once give and oath to Priscilla to aid her world when he was able and she's done her best since that day. If she has to lessen her fame or make edits to it?That is fine with her. The Iron Lily is here at the point they planned to meet up to get to work on this task. Better their own stories change or fade than it cause there to be a body count in the here and now. So here she was she looked over the press and everything else as she was here there was a lot of work work going into these things. It was odd to become more than she thought she was as honestly? She doesn't think too much of herself sometimes when she gets down to it. She looks to Psyber and to Xiaomu she kinda wants to get a copy of some of these books but that's thought for another time, is it not? "I'm ready as I'll be and I ain't your mother Xiaomu. Its your call there."
Priscilla	It might be a good thing that only Xiaomu had thought to slip into the clicky, scribbly, indoor-voice-chatty mill of activity, for the fact that her presence alone immediately causes a stir. Everyone having entered at once might have been a hell of a lot more dramatic than people suddenly dropping their work on the press, being shaken awake from blanket naps, and dragging chairs over immediately, some with quills ready to start taking dictation from probably the most inconsequential things she could possibly say. She doesn't even have to particularly track down a book. Within moments, an especially proud young man (really looks too young to be any kind of manuscript writer, aren't those supposed to be middle-aged and bald?) excitedly holds up what he's working on: a double page spread of the four directions seal Xiaomu and Reiji had worked the symbols of the four Knights of Gwyn into, done in painstaking colour ink and faded via wash here and there to allow paragraphs to blend into the image. It is quite obviously extremely fanciful, but as the young man excitedly jabs at Xiaomu in the picture, it's at least accurate. It hasn't even been two years, never mind a hundred or thousand, and so everyone seems to know what she really looks like. The /seal/ is all kinds of 'not actually realistic', nor is the tremendous inferno the First Flame is depicted as, instead of the sad little embers it was when they found it, but that doesn't stop him. "Lady Xiaomu! Lady Xiaomu! What do you think? Is it not excellent? They let me do this page because they say I can capture your likeness the best!" This is all plainly visible and audible through the entry, at which a few people seem to be loitering. Might be time to raise the autograph shields.
Kushiko	Hmm. Perhaps bringing about her 'known' personage of Valkyr would've been a good idea, but generally speaking Kushiko and most Tenno eschew themselves towards discretion. Pay no attention to that brightly colored Tenno that resembles a puked out rainbow if you ever are in that part of the 'verse. On the bright side however this means that she can discretely observe and listen and observe and watch. Privately she might be using her ability to operate multiple bodies to quietly bring her Valkyr frame here. But until then, she sifts and looks about for one that may in fact, have a reference to her. Assuming of course she can tear someone away from the autograph frenzy that Xiaomu is being subjected to, by way of projecting an image of Valkyr in the palm of her hand, a holographic image. <"Anything you have upon... this figure, would be of great help for a humble pilgrim to learn.">
Guest Psyber	Psyber is mostly content to eat that egg salad sandwich as people begin making a stir over the presence of Xiaomu, "I dunno, judging by this reaction as long as you didn't spell on the texts, they won't care," He muses as he finishes off the sandwich and then wipes his hands on his shirt. He's not making any effort to hide himself or to stand out. Afterus and everything prepared him for the idea of being swarmed as a deity, what with being the fifth-most popular deity in said culture. He calmly looks around and then says, "It's at least a good thing we're welcome instead of shunned or attacked. Positive step."
Xiaomu	People have reacted to Xiaomu's arrivals in many ways over the course of her life. A lot of it has been fairly dismissive, and a lot of it has been violently fearful, with occasional instances of 'who the hell are you?' ranging from startled to alarmed to annoyed, among other cases. But this is, to the best of the sage fox's recollection, the first time she's ever had a fan rush up to her in search of a critique of his work. So she takes a relatively critical look at the rendering of her own image; the inaccuracies in the First Flame and the sealing circle can be dismissed as literary license, at least, but the picture of the sage fox herself? "There's only one person who's drawn me better," Xiaomu says after a moment's inspection, "and he's been dead for a couple of centuries in my home world. I'd say you drew me very well indeed," she finishes with a smile. "You've been doing good work here, but my group may have a couple of things to ask of you and your colleagues ... not to take away from what you've been doing, mind you! I think." Right. They're here on business. Unfortunately. But hey, at least Xiaomu remembered THAT much ...
Staren	Staren briefly considers shapeshifting and pretending to be an agent sent by himself, but... What kind of precedent would that set, when he's supposed to be standing for truth and honesty? He does feel a little out of place showing up in power armor, but you HAVE to be careful in Lordran. He at least takes his helmet off before walking in. "Well, they are our... followers." Staren comments to Psyber. "This is a self-selected group of people who like us."
Tomoe	It's not long before b ehind Pysber and Xiaomu comes Tomoe she's not fll out in her gear like she is normally but her face is rather hard to hide really and she had her hood down at the moment. She wasn't angry but she was a bit uneasy even for all her time in the multiverse. She was involved minorly in Afterus not to the level Psyber was. She's now learning to deal with such things form here at least. "This work here really is something I have to say. You are putting a lot of effort into these."
Priscilla	The young man listens so intently he's practically on his toes, holding the book open so still that he could basically be a very colourful statue. When he receives out-and-out approval from Xiaomu (who may or may not be his idol), he looks as if he may actually explode; possibly into confetti. Someone else has to come up from behind him and clap his hands down on his shoulders to get him to stop vibrating, pushing back a hood of his own to reveal a much larger and more heavily built (as well as older) man, with sun-darkened skin and plenty of scars. Seems odd to find wearing robes in an archive. "You do us great honour with your kind words. It is only obvious that we would listen to others as well." The helmet comes off, the number of animal ears in the room doubles, and pretty /everyone/ is getting up when they realize what that means. An older woman's stern yelling over the hubbub is all but drowned out as she tries to drag the impressionable younger ones back to their seats, if only to wait their turns. One manages to fight free of the dreaded ear pinch, to come up to Tomoe and espouse "Night and day! Double shifts! It's wonderful, isn't it? That so many wish to read of you!" The Warframe already sticks out like a sore thumb, but they're all sufficiently weird-looking enough for the casual observer not to make the association between them. "Humble pilgrim?" another boy asks the obvious, goggling at Nova without even pretending to hide it. "Ummm, not in the canon, but-" he stops to turn around and cup his hand to his mouth, yelling over his shoulder. "Samuel! Don't we have something in the Darkmoon texts being drafted up?" Psyber, meanwhile, has the worst curse of all. Girls under the age of 25. Like, probably a dozen of them. The older, scarred gentleman is making the sensible choice of body blocking them.
Guest Psyber	Psyber very slowly holds up his 'girl repellant'. Which is to say 'The Engagement ring on his right hand' as sub-25-year-old girls begin swarming towards him, "Sorry. Taken," He remarks flatly as he shows off said ring. It's pretty nice. Gold with a square-cut diamond. He looks towards the older gentleman body-blocking for him and says, "Yo. You got a smoke break coming up?"
Staren	Staren smiles and nods to the group, though it's a bit of a 'nervous I'm out of my depth here' smile. "Double shifts? Um... you're not overworked, are you? I mean, if you need any help, you could have... y'know a printer... or a bunch of printers... Are you getting paid alright?" And then Psyber is getting swarmed! "Wow, you've got a bad case of Sephiroth syndrome, huh?" He whispers, 'I don't think his going out with Raven discouraged them at all.'
Kushiko	She had to try! At least maybe pretend a little bit. But hey, if she doesn't get swarmed, then Kushiko considers that a very good thing. At least, presently. While the others are variously probed and poked and asked of, Nova closes her hand, dismissing the projection and looking to the aforementioned Samuel. <"We are merely curious after all. We don't want to cause too much of a trouble, as it seems something like that may be happening besides."> Well, maybe not /trouble/ but everyone else seems to be in a tizzy. In the meantime, Helios, her Sentinel quietly records just about everything. IT'll be data to process, to recollect for later; some of it, if not all of it useless. But one never knows.
Xiaomu	Xiaomu smiles graciously to the senior ... monk? Wasn't it monks who ran the scriptoria in European monasteries - well, of course they'd have been monks ... cleric, then? Eh, whatever. Xiaomu smiles graciously to the senior scriptslinger, inclining her head politely. "I'm probably not the best person to present the issues that need to be addressed, truth be told. But it's good to see -" Hubbub intensifies. "- and hear that we're so popular in your scriptorium. ... That is the right word for a place like this where you're copying out books by hand, right?"
Tomoe	Tomoe is being quote polite and she can't help but be amused though. "Well it's good work your doing here." It's also a form of skill which is to her useful to everyone else all. She looks at Pysber as he gets swarmed, she can do nothing but not add herself to it. "I do hope your being taken care of for working extra hard, right? I don't want to see anyone work themselves to death." Though she seems to get this is a labour of love for may of the people here and her tone does show she gets it likely a labour of love. She can't help but wonder about the full contents of the books too. She would be untrue to herself if she didn't find herself curious about all the stories about everyone.
Priscilla	A couple of people stare at Staren like they're trying to decide whether he has a brain problem or whether he said something too profound for them to immediately grasp. "Well, we're trying to spread the canon as much as possible, and so it wouldn't do to try and profit off of them, but . . ." One of them points to the ultra double turbo deluxe copies. "Well, the materials aren't free!" Towards Tomoe, the tone is slightly different. "Don't worry! It's not /exciting/ work, but it's a lot easier than farming!" "Or Lords know how many years hiking around these mountains." "Yes, I prefer wrist cramps to stab wounds." Psyber's Ring of Girl Repulsion +3 has its desired effect, albeit a split second where people might be looking at it to see if it's magic. Seems like every ring here is. A chorus of disappointed noises follows, joined by fervent gossip, and the older lady having to drag one off by the ear. The tall man has to voice for the rest. "If you were only well liked within this room, we would not have nearly so much writing to do." he says to Xiaomu, before looking to Psyber. "Please, if there is something you would ask of us, I would hear it quickly, such that I have to leave these ones out of my sight for as little time as possible." He says, practically picking up Xiaomu's number one fan and putting him to the side, so he can follow out into the hall.
Staren	Staren nods. "Of course, I didn't mean... I just meant you should be provided for, because of your important work." He looks at the Collector's Editions. "Ah... you've been learning about economic strategies of the wider world, I see. Still, I mean it, if you need anything I can easily provide..."
Guest Psyber	"No, unlike Sephiroth, I'm comfortably assertive enough that when I tell people to back off, they will." Psyber notes flatly as he looks to the older man away from answering Staren and then tilts his head. Xiaomu prompts him over the radio and his hands fall to his pockets again, "Actually, yeah. We were hoping to get some idea of the process you used to generate the legends about us. Where you got the information, who you asked, what you were basing it all off of. If you're going to be writing about us." "Particularly about our relationships with the existing gods and rulers of this world."
Tomoe	Tomoe humms for a moment a they bring up the point, it's not somethign she thought about as she's from. It is easier than hard manual labour. She pauses and semes to understand. "I can undertand that, I think I understand better now." She will not keep them from their work for long or so she thnks. "Yes it's what brought us here today."
Xiaomu	Good, good, thinks Xiaomu. Let somebody who can focus on the business of why they're here hande addressing said business with the clerics. ... which lets Xiaomu herself go back to, perhaps, paging through one of the volumes that's been completed. At least she isn't still making noise about snacking on fried tofu while she's here. She's also, to judge by the angle of her ears, still paying attention to what's actually being said.
Priscilla	"Economic what?" comes one blank reply to Staren. Another replies to the other "He means that rich people will pay a lot for the same thing but prettier." "Oh!" "You can have one if you want, though! I mean, it only seems fair." "Alright, but you have to illustrate it." "But I'm already behind!" The man Psyber asks, however, seems to find something about his question almost amusing. "I would have thought it obvious, where to ask for the source of the tale. Of course, bits and pieces meander in from here and there. Tributaries of information from the scholars let into these former Duke's Archives, the challengers of Sen's Fortress, the competitors of the Battle of Stoicism, add their fragments, but there a number who know far more." "Is it not true that you knew a holy woman? One menaced by Seath, who held daily mass in the Parish from there on after? Why should she, as a missionary of the Way of White, not record such deeds, and tell the faithful of them to restore their hope? Is it not true that you bargained with the Witch and her Sister, who presided over the blighted town which is now safe to travel, and speak with its people? A man from the East who worked under Alvina, for a time, had much to say of your flirtations with the idea of Abysswalking. A man from the Great Swamp detailed your courage in purging the root of Chaos, and saving him from it. A knight of Catarina seems to have paid close eye to the way you conquered the Duke. One of our very own here is a primary source of your bargains with the First of the Dead, as even Hollows have memory, even if not the means to express it. One even claims to have spent a time evading his end in the ruins of New Londo, and spoke so eloquently of the Serpent as to be impossible to ignore." "Individually, perhaps, these would be fanciful tales, but when the gods sought he who had triumphed over Sen's Fortress, and defeated the Iron Golem, to bequeath him just reward, all that was found was a note of his departure, and a weighty journal recording all of these very same things; one full more of curses and praise, hopes an annotations, by the end, than maps or notes. You did not make your journey entirely alone, and that is why it is worth telling of."
Staren	Staren smiles a bit. "It's okay. I'll borrow it and then donate it back with an autograph or something for you to auction off, how's that sound?" One of his ears turns to the man talking to Psyber, and then Staren turns his head. "Oh Izalith and her people are well? Glad to hear it." He moves to put his hands in his pockets before remembering he's still wearing his armor. "I suppose it makes sense... it shows we did a good job, if people all over remember us so positively..."
Kushiko	If Kushiko could frown, she just might, though for the most part she's a bit content to see that they don't mention some of the more clandestine dealings that were had. At least, not presently. As she awaits more information on what legends were made of her--of Valkyr, she listens, and thinks on it. There's parts of it she has yet to fill--parts she suspects she'll need to speak with Psyber directly on. And barring him, perhaps Priscilla. But it seems to her, that... well. Time to voice those thoughts elsewhere.
Guest Psyber	Psyber looks to the man and smiles, "It's true, those things happened. But we should not be revered as Gods for it." He tells the man, "Nor were any of those things possible for us to know about and work against on our own." Psyber folds his hands behind his head, "We were called upon by the Gods of this world, and their descendants, to save it. When Seath grew mad, it was his daughter that called to us to help him. When Gwyn's light dwindled, we were the ones he turned to to end him in a way that would save this world." "I think it's important we sit down at some point and fill in the truth, the context, of the legends. To let you understand how they have truly worked within your world. What they truly mean. History requires accuracy. Do you not agree?"
Tomoe	Tomoe looks at Staren for a moment sighs inwardly but says nothing about his comments on it. She will fall in with Pysber for a moment.. She listens and she nods in time with what Pysber said. "We should yest take a change to speak and tell you a first hand accounting. Psyber has the long and the short of it though." She seems to turly mean it too. "I would be more than happy to help in such an effort." She'd also like to get to know some of the people of this world better as most of her time until recently was dealing with hordes of undead and other horrible things.
Xiaomu	Xiaomu's ears perk up a little more as she listens in on the discussion. This is, indeed, how legends are born. Scattered witnesses, mismatched scraps of what was seen to happen; maybe one witness knew enough to 'see' the truth, maybe not. What was seen but not understood is filled in from the edges of conventional knowledge. Certainly there were plenty of witnesses at the final battle against Kalameet, and the Elites whom Priscilla gathered were hardly alone for many of their other sojourns in this world. Nobody here might know how, say, Staren's rifle worked - Xiaomu herself only knows that it was super effective at the moment when it was used - but they have frames of reference that they try to extend to encompass what the Elites did. The one thing with which Xiaomu might disagree, if she were still actively in the discussion, is whether it's 'history' and 'accuracy' with which they should be concerned. History degrades over time; legends only grow stronger ...
Priscilla	The people gathered around really do run a very large age range. Many of them really are too young to be doing any of this, both in terms of social access and in terms of having had the time to learn. Nowhere is that more evident than a couple of the lowest end of the range fighting over a pair of finished copies sitting on one partially cleared shelf, and which one is more worthy of being given to Staren. Considering almost everyone here had been kicked out of their home countries for being Undead at some point, it seems practical skills went up before maturity did. Eventually, one of the pilgrim clerics wins, however, and manages to beat his compatriot to Staren through the crowd. Much of the group, however, parts instantly to allow the passage of a much more elderly member. Sun baked skin, graying but not receding hair, broad shoulders and the stoop of someone used to hard manual labour, he pushes his way through to join the scribe whom Kushiko had been talking to, and drops a small stack of heavily inked papers in her hands, scribbled over with amendments at least three times over. With his hands free, he picks up an old battered spear lying propped against a corner desk, leans it over his shoulder, and gives Psyber a very long, very appraising look, before saying only "Congratulations. I thought it wouldn't take that long." and then moseying on to the back of the crowd, still benefiting from a mild sphere of reverence around himself. The larger gentleman claps his hands together with about the same startling effect as a gunshot, splitting a wide grin at Psyber's suggestion. "If you would not think it uncouth to your sensibilities to dictate your own exploits, I can guarantee you this, that you will not be lacking for those willing to record the words. Perhaps we could even do so in the presence of the Queen!"
Staren	Staren isn't sure whether to say he can take both, or just let them have this. He still finds it weird that they're handwriting these instead of printing them. He takes the book with a smile though, glances in it, and nods before tucking it away in his bag. He simply nods at the suggestion that they share what happened... Whoever's in charge of interviewing Staren is going to end up watching an (edited) movie while Staren comments, though. As for the book he's been handed, he's going to scan it for more convenient reading, and then wait until he's done before returning it. Unsure if they'll all understand the idea of him just copying it to read later.
Kushiko	Well, this is a good start at least! <"Thank you, ah, Samuel, yes?"> At least that's what she recalled hearing, looking over the papers in her hand. If her Warframe could display it, there'd definitely be a moment of dumbfounded blinking as she watches the figure arrive, drop papers, make an appraisal and leave. <"It might be for the best, make sure some things are, ah, accurate."> Granted, this might have the effect of making some of the more eagle-eyed realize that she has a deeper connection than expected. Maybe not! Nonetheless, she takes a full accounting first of the sunbaked man before he finally recedes from the gathered scholars proper. "Why do I have a feeling I'm going to see him again..." is a more private musing, far and away from the crowd here and in the confines of her ship. Shaking off that notion, she turns her attention through the Somatic Link to the papers. Lots to dive through here. Either way, she's going to do much like the others have; to alter her own place as someone in the shadows, there to help but not a position of godhood herself.