Video | UN: aweful

[necroprince]

[She’s been here for over a week now. Time to get the lay of the land. The video opens up to a particularly tall blonde woman with a golden skeletal arm and a smirk. She's here to cause problems on purpose.]

Greetings, hello, salutations. My name is Ianthe Naberius. I’m new in town, twenty two, a princess of Ida, unfortunately single and dreadfully bored!

Now, I come to you today, not only to introduce myself, but to ask something of all of you.

Who do you hate most in Trench and why? I’m trying to meet people, network, but it’s so hard and overwhelmingly positive! So consider this an open invitation. Warn me about that dangerous scoundrel who kicked your puppy, seethe about how much you despise me for whatever reason, tell me about your parasocial hateful fixation on one of the local divinity. It can be a minor slight you want to complain about, a friend of yours who owes you two perfectly intact human skulls, or it can be an actual danger to this lovely little community of ours.

Now, before you try to say “this is childish and stupid!” You’re absolutely right, but it is a necessary part of self care to allow oneself to be an absolute cunt once in a while. [Or all the time, if your name is Ianthe.] So let’s not make any grand claims to being above something like this, mm?

Feel free to use the anonymity feature. Or the privacy feature, I guess, if you’re shy or worried about being fileted like a fish.

Comments

[necroprince]

[She considers how to respond to this because she's not about to commit heresy out in public even if everyone else seems okay with it. (Different worlds, she's used to it, Blood of Eden calls the Lyctors Liches and everyone in the Nine Houses zombies.)

Her plan can't come to fruition here and it doesn't seem like getting home is an option, at least not at the moment, so things are different. Lower stakes. But the Emperor and his traitorous saints are still here, herself included.]

I prefer to take a more practical approach. I'm an academic. We're annoying that way.

It's just another hierarchy, nobody in the Empire is exempt from it. People are just also weird and vaguely horny about it. Whatever gets their rocks off, I guess.

[fogsong]

The academic brand of annoying is much more tolerable than the blind faith one.

What do they believe in? I'm guessing there's no torture or burnings of nonbelievers?

[necroprince]

Nothing like that. Our God is a bit squeamish about torture, actually. It happens, obviously, but it's not a religious thing and it's not technically approved of, but war is war.

The central figure of the religion is the Necrolord Prime, he who brought humanity back from extinction, the father of necromancy. Or more commonly known as God. Some houses are more superstitious in their beliefs than others.

The Ninth House is a collection of miserable nuns and monks and the most boring place in the galaxy, the Eighth House is a collection of zealous fanatics - they're a bit more on the "burning nonbelievers" side of things where their definition of "nonbeliever" is not being a lunatic. The Third, where I'm from, is more of a hub of trade, gossip, fashion, politics - so there's various interpretations within the actual house itself, ranging from insane to lax.

Regardless, there's not really "nonbelievers" in the actual Empire.

[fogsong]

[ oh ]

You're one of those.

I've heard a lot about the Ninth House, though I don't think they liked it much, but haven't heard much about the others. Gotta admit none of that sounds all that great but The Third sounds better than the others.

What about people who dislike God? I mean, surely there have to be a lot of those.

[necroprince]

I suppose you've met my colleagues, then.

Don't worry. The Third is a nightmare in it's own right. I just live there so I know more of the details. [And she's not quite as willing to go into the horrific nature below the surface of the Third's lavish parties and fashion. She is still a patriot, even if her home treated her like absolute shit.]

You've all been told a great deal of very deeply guarded state and religious secrets that even Kiriona, Nonagesimus and I weren't officially given clearance for, so I suspect you'd think God a more controversial figure in the Houses than he is. Every citizen of the Empire knows that they exist because of him, which isn't hearsay, it's objective fact.

People can dislike God if they want (he's a slut), but within the Nine Houses there's not many that would actually do anything about it or shout it out in public.

[Mostly because they'd die. But to be fair, that would also happen if someone publicly stated their discontent against Ianthe's parents or any other wealthy family from Ida. Or, for that matter, she knows that on the other side of the war they treat "zombie sympathizers" pretty much the same.]

[fogsong]

He's kind of made himself a controversial figure here. The chatter I've heard on the network hasn't really given me much information on how he's viewed back in your world. I just know what I personally don't like and I can be a judgy bitch when it comes to religious bullshit.

...but did you really just call him a slut? That's not some weird form of blasphemy?

[necroprince]

Hmm, no, you should be. Stay clever, don't be a blind subservient imbecile like anyone who throws their life away on blind stupid faith. My advice to you, stranger.

If anyone calls it blasphemy, they can take my place actually living on the same ship as him and understand that it's objective fact. When last I parted ways with him, he was fucking a senior citizen. Multiple, probably.

[fogsong]

Don't worry, there's nothing I look down on more than blind stupid faith.

Different strokes for different folks... I guess... But ew.

[necroprince]

Old people should be shot.

[fogsong]

Hey! There are some pretty cool old people here.

[necroprince]

I stand by it. Like who?

[fogsong]

I'm sure you know Duty. He's kinda adopted me. [ no kinda about it ]

[necroprince]

[She calls him Duty and then claims he's adopted her. Interesting. This poor, poor girl.

She lets out a small nasty laugh of contempt.]

Needs to make up for the last three, I suppose.

He's a very picky eater. Harrowhark made him a lovely bowl of soup and he never even finished it.

[fogsong]

The last three? [ she won't touch the soup comment because it sounds like some sort of inside joke and she doesn't play that game. she dealt with enough petty shit like that in high school. ]

[necroprince]

His last little family unit, and how that all turned out for them. I would have thought he'd have mentioned it. I suppose he moves on quick.

[fogsong]

That'd be like saying that I've moved on from my adoptive family because I let him adopt me. Don't be stupid. Families grow.

[ notably, she does not address the fact that he's never mentioned them ]

cw for mild gaslighting

[necroprince]

"Grow" implies they're included in your brand new family unit. Or you're included in theirs, I guess, if you're feeling pessimistic about it.

Well, I'm sure he has his reasons.

rood

[fogsong]

Oh no, I'm suddenly full of doubt about our relationship. Whatever shall I do.

she's petty

[necroprince]

What was all that about blind faith you were on about? I suppose that's how it is with family.

Never mind, I guess he really has adopted you.

[Trying to tell Kiriona that John is just using her yielded pretty similar results, so, maybe parental figures just make people monumentally stupid. Couldn't be her (Not like any of them even pretend to give a damn about her anyway.)]

Anyway, that technically makes you my niece. Call me Uncle Ianthe.

uncle. dear god. sharon is gonna wanna punch her

[fogsong]

It's called trust in this case but whatever helps you sleep at night, Uncle.

[ the one, the only time sharon will use that term with her. ] It's Sharon Da Silva btw.

i'm sorry sharon

[necroprince]

Cultists trust in their cult leaders too, and in their gods. Trust and faith are the same thing when you get down to it, my darling baby niece. There's a reason religious positions often use familial roles.

I mean, me personally, I hate Duty for reasons I'm sure he won't share with you, so I'm biased in the opposite direction, but I'm not lying to you.

It really comes down to this. You trust him, but do you feel like he trusts you?

[fogsong]

Yes, I feel like he trusts me. If I didn't, I wouldn't trust him and I certainly wouldn't have agreed to what I have.

And don't worry, dear Ianthe, I don't think you're lying. If I asked Duty, he'd tell me. Why don't you tell me, though? Why do you hate Duty?

[necroprince]

And yet you know so little about him.

Why would you ask me when you could ask your trusted father figure? I just don't know if our relationship is ready to progress there yet... besides, you're my niece!! (scandalous)

If you must know he left me to clean up his mess for seven months. The others were dead, his excuse was that he was running. And he took my remaining sister's body in the process.

Also he shot me and his boyfriend is boring as hell.

[It's not entirely rational, the blame lies at the feet of multiple people. John most of all. Augustine and Mercymorn were dead. Pyrrha ran away, and tried to take Gideon and Harrow with her. Even if she'd succeeded, even if she hadn't abandoned Gideon to become Kiriona Gaia, Ianthe would still have been the only one left to deal with John's rage and grief.

It's not like she's unused to being the afterthought.]

[fogsong]

I got a feeling you enjoy a good scandal.

Why'd he shoot you? [ that is very much a 'what did you do to make him shoot you?' question. ]

ntn spoilers

[necroprince]

Who doesn't?

[She can tell. Infuriating! Oh well, time to double down.]

I was just having a chat with my bestie, then suddenly his pet had a seizure. He got very pushy and shot me in the head. I had a headache for sixty seconds!

That's our world, though. Hardly matters here. When we get back, I'll probably feel better after lobotomizing him and killing all his friends. But here I'm totally chill.

[The real answer is complicated on either side, with Ianthe wanting to keep John from either reaching full strength or murder suiciding the empire, and Pyrrha desperately wanting to save the planetary ghost inhabiting Harrow's body no matter what. But she's not saying shit.]