GLoG 89

[Earl of Purple]

Baccata's Yew

"There's a recipe for a potion of living death. That might work, but I only know the ingredients, and some are rare and hard to find. Or have their own dangers." Baccata is not a fan of fire, and most require fire to boil the potion.

"Baccata is more linked to life than I. Death I know, life I know less." Stellax doesn't interact with living mortals very often, and due to her kitsune nature Jinkei doesn't quite count. "Parallel worlds cause much confusion." Stellax doesn't have to worry about that sort of thing for himself. He's got multiple duplicates, but each is tied to a seperate set of planes so they can't interact directly.

[Cyber Punk]

[Baccata's Yew]

"Tell me of them. I will find a way to obtain them, if I haven't already." Fortunately, Jinkei has the means to make fire, and she has the foresight to do it away from Baccata or her tree...

"To live is something great indeed, a privilege. I could show you life, tell you about it, if you wished, Stellax." She offers, unable to hide her enthusiasm.

Then the topic of parallel worlds! "You don't know the half of it. I was afraid to come out when I first arrived in the Nexus, after getting a nasty shock: a lynchmob was out for my head just because my twin was going around taking lives with reckless abandon, never mind the fact that I was visibly far weaker. It kept happening until I realized my kitsune heritage and learnt to hide myself with fur." She sounds relieved, even after all this time.

[Earl of Purple]

Baccata's Yew

"There's a girl here who arrived at GLoG after her shape was used by a demon in a plot to abduct GLoG's children and sell them into slavery. But I don't think she knows about the demon." Seriously, nobody's told Natalie that Nephrim used a shape identical to hers, and her name, to mind control a group of children and carry them to a travelling slaver's fair. The group ironically included Jamie (Natalie's best friend), and others who either aren't around any more or who I can't remember. The response her arrival garnered was not what I was expecting.

"I exist beyond life and death. I live, for some definitions, but not bound by death. I spend more time with the dead than the living." Stellax is a psychopomp and a divine messenger; such individuals aren't worth much if they aren't immortal. And immortality, life unbound by death, isn't truly life any more.

Baccata opens the gate and takes a step closer to the yew. She reaches out, and her hand merges with the tree's trunk and when she pulls it back she has a notebook and a pen. She then returns to where she was before and starts writing. She's sticking her pale wood-coloured tongue out of the corner of her mouth as she forms crude words upon the page.

[Cyber Punk]

[Baccata's Yew]

Jinkei gasps out as Baccata tells the story. To enslave children against their will is despicable. To enslave anyone, period, is despicable, but children?

She can't prevent the tears that fall from her eyes. "That's... horrible..." She wipes her eyes. "The poor girl. Being disliked and distrusted without knowing why." If she met the girl, she'd give her a hug and not let go for a while.

While Baccata writes down her list, Jinkei ponders Stellax's words. "I suppose that for someone who exists beyond life and death, they can be one and the same. Being more or less in undeath, still being life, but not. Somewhere in the middle, I guess."

[Earl of Purple]

Baccata's Yew

"She doesn't know because nobody's told her. Nobody's told her because everyone knows she's not the demon- the demon was banished from the campsite, and can't return. The girl lives here now." The response upon arrival was a near-universal 'Let's be friends.' Part of the initial motivation may have been to keep an eye on her (I can't remember), but there was not the rampant distrust, dislike and borderline bullying I actually expected when I introduced her.

"Undeath is different. A mortal attempt at the state I was created into. I did not hatch, I have no parents besides Stjornu-Skeggi, I do not age, do not grow, will not die. Should I be destroyed, I shall not die. My soul shall return to Mother until She recreates my physical form." He is truly beyond life and death, whereas intelligent undead seek to find life beyond death.

It didn't work, anyway. It triggered several powerful Papa Wolves and when the first was to be branded for sale, her cybernetic implants took over and they all broke the mental compulsion.

[Cyber Punk]

[Baccata's Yew]

Jinkei nods, sighing in relief. "That'll make her stay more pleasant, but... will she ever be told? Now that she lives here... no, perhaps it's best she didn't know."

"Aha, I think I understand." She says to Stellax. "A spirit being, existing beyond the realm of the mortals. A messenger of your deity, the mother." She nods. "I am similar: born and raised as a mortal, but handpicked by the Allfather to serve under The Nine for eternity before the end of my life. That could be centuries, so I have enough time."

[Earl of Purple]

Baccata's Yew

"I don't know. She hasn't visited me; I've got this through gossip with others." The campsite is protected by some spirits that Waterstrider summoned, and is haunted by a variety of ghosts which don't show up so often any more.

"And He has not given you further instruction? I am not familiar with this Allfather, nor these Nine." Stellax and the others like him were created with all the knowledge they need for their duties, which in turn keep them busy enough that they rarely get bored. When they do, typically they go socialise with other messengers, psychopomps, divine guardians, avatars and similar creatures.

[Murkus]

[The Sapling Cabin]

"We could hunt mice!" Tuskfang squeaks. "Keo hunts mice."

"So what do you want to be instead?" Brinika asks Gwydion.

"Who's Keo!" Cernunnos asks, furrowing his brow.

Gwydion merely manages to look shy. "I guess bein' a source-ress like Aunt Cessie wouldn't be so bad..."

[Gullara]

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