video; un: lady (backdated 2/16)

[dohaeris]

[it's sansa and lady, back to normal size and levels of composure, sitting on their usual couch with the direwolf-and-weirwood backdrop. does sansa have a name tag with an illegible palimpsest of names on her charcoal wool dress, embroidered with ravens and capped with the feathered collar madame generosity gave her? it's not important.]

Hallo, this is Sansa Stark. I was wondering if anybody had made any plans to do the ritual for sealing Riteoir away again this month, and if they needed any help. I made some small dark bloodstones we could use. I have heard some people were interested in building a road from the Outpost to the new city, and I think that could be very helpful.

[she hesitates a moment...something seems to be troubling her.]

The portal in the temple is a path for Riteoir to enter into our world. I don't think it would be very safe to leave it alone once we've sealed it. We should think about how we might hold the city, or the temple at the least. It may be that it's only Riteoir's power keeping dangerous creatures and Beasts away from the city, and that once he's gone it may be no different to any other wild place outside of Trench. I don't know that The Tower is capable of extending his protection to another city, or that he'd think it was a good use of magic. And I don't know if it would help to destroy the temple, or if that would only make it harder to find if he were to use that path again. I don't know if there is anything special to that place or if he might try it somewhere else, but I don't know if we can afford to abandon it.

[sansa knows that if this were the north, she'd send a garrison to look after it, but she doesn't have that power, or those numbers, here. one thing she can do is send ravens there, especially if the hostile presence leaves with riteoir.]

I could scout there sometimes with magic, if that would help, but I do think we would be wise to set up wards and perhaps guard it in person if we can. I should like very much to hear any ideas anyone else might have for how to keep it safe from Riteoir, so he can't use it to attack Trench again.

Comments

audio | un: sds

[fogsong]

We could just kill him.

audio;

[dohaeris]

[sansa considers this for a moment. it sounds appealingly simple, but it can't be that easy to get at riteoir.]

Well, we'd have to go in there and find him, first. Likely his supporters would come to his defense, and we'd have to fight them, too––in their world, on their terms. I don't know that we have enough people for that, and laying siege to a city or any kind of holdfast is always very difficult. It would be a war, and there could be a good deal of bloodshed and blood pollution. Then there's a very good chance with any Pthumerian they could be reborn into something even more angry and powerful, with all his memories intact.

[sansa is loath to wage war, here, but especially to kill a pthumerian who might not even stay dead. the idea of generations of riteoir's people plotting revenge against trench makes her skin crawl, but so does the idea of slaughtering an entire world. it has all the makings of one of the trench legends behind recurrent curses where too much blood and magic has permanently warped things. there must be a better way...]

Perhaps once the Patrons are free of his influence, Never Mind might be able to tell us how to do it so he stays dead. I don't know how much Never Mind knows about the other world, though.

[fogsong]

Riteior is difficult to locate but I've done it once. [ makima brought up the possibility of using sharon's powers to locate him and, together, after trial and error, they did. not that he stayed around to chat. but it's enough to know she can find him if she needs to. ] The real issue would be getting him to stay in one place and that's something I've been working on for the last few months.

[ there's a reason she's been visiting less over the last few months. ] I'd even be able to make it so we wouldn't have to worry about his supporters.

[dohaeris]

[sansa stares blankly at her omni for a moment. it isn't that easy for sansa to track strangers, especially in dangerous terrain where she'd rather not risk the direwolves, who are considerably better at it than vhagar but much less indestructible.]

You found him?

[perhaps sharon should have lead with that...she'll have to discuss tracking abilities with sharon sometime. still, sansa is unconvinced that killing riteoir is worth the risk.]

It's worth considering, but we can ill-afford open warfare here. I'm afraid it would create blood curses, like when that stupid Hunter tried to kill Dorothea for opening traps.

[like is it so hard to put away enough food for one month honestly]

And as I said, he could very well be reborn into something even more dangerous and come after us.

Still I should like to hear what you intend for his supporters.

[sansa suspects it will involve killing them all, but it might....not.....]

video; un: an.exorcist

[likethelight]

Sealing him is going to be a temporary solution anyway... if he was able to break it the first time, even if not entirely, he'll be able to again. Any being with that sort of power... something as simple as a ritual could never work forever.

[ Said plainly, like one speaking from very sobering experience. ]

One way or another, eventually he'll have to be stopped.

[ As usual, Allen's tone is gentle but solemn on such a topic, and covering up an underlying uneasiness. The skin under his eyes is darker than usual though from lack of sleep, and his hair is a little frazzled. He offers her a bit of a wan smile though. ]

If you're going to help perform the ritual I can travel with you this time, Sansa.

[ he couldn't in January because he was A LITERAL CHILD... that no one could recognize for Reasons and you know, he's okay with that ]

Text| un: Shadow_Puppet

[stoicsilhouette]

I agree we need to find a more permanent method then constantly sealing it away. It's a waste of resources otherwise.

But if you guys need a coldblood I'll come along and help with this month's sealing.
[ He hasn't been part of that ritual yet, and any up close information would only be beneficial.]


Also I've watched enough movies to know, destroying the temple is probably not the best solution. Those places are usually lined with sealing talisman built right into the structure.

1/3 text; un: an.exorcist

[likethelight]

Movies tell you how to seal away evil deities?

I think so too. I feel like somehow the temple itself is also part of how he's sealed away, and destroying it might break him free. I don't think it's worth risking.

2/3

[likethelight]

 

3/3

[likethelight]

And I'd look forward to that.

It'd be nice to travel together.

[stoicsilhouette]

[You'd be surprised how much he was trained on movies, and] they say all good fiction is based in some truth. And I've seen first hand places dedicated to sealing away malevolent entities. And they aren't that far off.

Given the distance, I don't think Nue can make the trip the entire way. I may have to meet up with you guys on foot at some point.

[dohaeris]

[sansa offers a grim, tired smile and a single graceful nod at allen's words.]

I flew there on Winter, the last time. He calls it 'being a dragon.' I'm sure he'd like it very much if you flew with us on Grey Ghost.

[sansa sighs.]

Once we've sealed him away properly, his influence on this world should be gone. Perhaps Never Mind might know of some better solutions then.

[a brief and sorrowful expression flutters across her face. her shoulders slump a little. she likes never mind...]

I asked him about Riteoir when they took Vi into their world, and he didn't know very much at all. It was as if he thought of Riteoir like a minor Pthumerian making some trouble for us. But the books said all the Patrons were there when he was sealed away the first time. Riteoir's curse, the sickness, it makes people forget things. It must have made the Patrons forget about Riteoir and what his curse was like. We'll have to be very careful he doesn't make anyone forget about him again.

[it reminds her a little of how the southerners see the white walkers, and a small, bitter laugh escapes her.]

Everyone in the south thinks the White Walkers are just a story. The Wall and the Night's Watch have held them off so long half the realm [a generous estimation] has forgotten they ever existed. It's supposed to be my family's job to remind them. I might have expected to be charged with something like this here as well.

['riteoir is coming' just doesn't sound as nice, though.]

[likethelight]

[ Haha-- that gets a small laugh from Allen. ]

I was going to suggest that anyway. I don't like disturbing him much for such things... but I think it'd be safer for us to ride with him.

[ But he sobers again too as her expression curtains, and he offers a small and sympathetic small. ]

I think you're right and that's why we need to be careful, even in trying to stop him for good. If he's strong enough to effect other Pthumerians in that way, even when he's still not in this world, and some of them are so strong compared to us the difference of power does feel like that between a mortal and a god...

He's probably one of the most powerful, and dangerous, of them all.

Video; UN Lothrat

[ezra_of_lothal]

Since Pthumerians can come back too if they're killed...as least with containment, you know where he is.

If you want a final solution I think you'd have to find a way to kill their, um, soul, basically.

video; private

[dohaeris]

[sansa smiles briefly at ezra in greeting, then sighs gently. she taps something on her omni, turning the feed private.]

Yes, I have wondered if Riteoir's own erasure plague would do it. I think containing that is most important, and there are people here who'd misuse any knowledge we might have of how to kill Pthumerians. I should like very much to hope the Patrons will take care of Riteoir on their own, once they're free of his influence, but I don't know if they can move fast enough. I suppose I can speak with Never Mind about it; I think it would be helpful to know what he and The Tower think we should do.

[she pauses briefly.]

I admit I am a little afraid that the Patrons wouldn't like for us to know how to kill them, either. I don't want to do anything that might make them mistrust us. And I'm afraid if we kill Riteoir only for him to be born into another form, he might go after us instead of just the Patrons. He might even have new magic we aren't prepared to face.

[sansa hates for anyone to think of her as a threat; people will try to eliminate a threat if they can. she offers ezra a rueful grin.]

It's good to see you, Ezra.

Video; UN Lothrat

[likethelight]

Stopping him does not mean having to kill him or his soul! Not when we understand so little.

[ His voice spikes not in anger, but in being utterly aghast at the idea. ]

Even if it was... I don't think I could ever be okay with that. Maybe it's naïve, but it's at least worth trying to understand where the strength of their powers comes from. Or if perhaps he's been corrupted and his soul could be exorcised.

[ Once an exorcist, always an exorcist. He hasn't seen Riteor or the city itself yet, and it's something he needs to perceive with his own eye to feel satisfied on the state of his soul. ]

But they're supposed to be like deities, right? Even if they aren't, when some try to say the Tower is as strong to protect the city as he is because he has so many fanatics that believe in him to the point that they would create blood factories that butcher people... doesn't it seem likely their power might come from belief? And if that's true, it's likely Riteor could even be as powerful as he is because he has similar fanatics in the world he's been sealed in.

Stopping him doesn't have to be about killing him, it could just be about weakening his powers to the point where something like sealing him can be a permanent solution.

audio | un: sds

[fogsong]

I wonder if splitting their soul would be effective. [ ...you may have just given her ideas, Ezra. ]

Text| un: Shadow_Puppet

[stoicsilhouette]

Thank you for putting this information out there. I was wondering what others might have been thinking regarding Riteoir. It's better to get a group on the same page and have a plan.

text;

[dohaeris]

That's kind of you to say. Some people here seem to think they can do anything themselves, but on my world you need an army for things like this. We'll all need to work together if we want to hold the city against Riteoir, or even just the temple.

un: eudaimonikos | text

[eudaimonikos]

Well, I'm always willing to help out, but I'm a darkblood too. Might not need me on this one.
Happy to pitch in some other way, though.

text;

[dohaeris]

I'm a Paleblood; I just make a little bloodstone. I apprentice with an artificer in town. So far I've only talked to Palebloods and Coldbloods about doing the ritual, though I should think if people from the Outpost want to make a road to the city, they've likely made their own plans for it. I wanted to offer them the bloodstone in case they didn't have any.

Regardless, I'm sure we could all use your help in securing the city against Riteoir. Thank you very much for offering it. Do you know anything at all about setting wards?

[eudaimonikos]

Oh, I see. In that case, sure, I'm around!

Don't know anything about wards, though. The magic in my world wasn't so ritualistic as what they've got here.

text;

[likethelight]

[ oh!!! ]

Palamedes can help with wards if you haven't asked him yet, Sansa.

I think he actually really enjoys doing so.

video | un: graham crackers

[possessum]

( Getting involved with things like this still feels so far out of Peter's comfort zone. It's— not his role, he's not brave, not wise, not capable. He doesn't really have powers, not technically anyway; they aren't his. The only other time he's been a part of something like this was the whole Mariana debacle....

...but something needles at him, even as he spends some time after reading this post and its various responses. Peter has the unique (and highly unfortunate) situation in that he is housing something that functions very much like the Pthumerians in its ways.

It's also something that has experienced what it is to be handled wrongly. And though this may be Riteoir's own doing, it's wrong. It upsets a certain balance, breaks certain rules. It would potentially change the way this world works, should the Pthumerian accomplish what he seems to be. Paimon has studied Riteoir extensively, even translated those ancient texts about him.

Peter finally turns on the feed to reply, and he's visibly nervous and strange, eyes a little funny, seeping at the corners. Not crying — just, full. Paimon is an oppressively dark ocean that watches all of this with him, an alien thing staring back at Sansa. )

I'd like to help. And him— he'd help, too. He'd do anything it took. ( He knows Sansa will know who he's talking about, but he won't say the demon's name publicly. But yes, Paimon can be a huge asset; the demon king is a very powerful thing. Less and less, Peter is attempting to swallow that power back. )

...Riteoir's followers. Do you think there's a chance they'll come through the portal? Or that maybe they already have?

( Peter can't quite hide the edge to his voice, the strain. Maybe it isn't fully his own. )

[dohaeris]

[sansa smiles gently; her eyes soften a bit when she sees how nervous peter is.]

You both have my thanks. It's no easy thing, to hold a city in the wilderness here. And I think if his followers could come into this world, they would have done. They wouldn't be opening portals under anyone in the city. We'll have to learn more about how Riteoir was getting past the protections the Patrons set down originally, so that it won't happen again, but the ritual we've been doing should help to stop him doing anything to our world.

[she leaves the 'for now' unspoken. she thinks it's kinder that way.]

[possessum]

( She doesn't have to say it aloud; Peter feels the echo of the words whisper against the shell of his ear, or maybe from inside his own head. For now.

It won't last. Something's building — something big. Peter swallows, tries to gather himself a little. )

Yeah, I'm— we're there with you. For more ritual help, or guarding the place. Might be good to team up and do some guard rounds like that.

( He hesitates, tongue pressing against the back of his teeth for a moment. Considers making this next part private, but there's no real use for that, other than that it makes him uncomfortable to share details of himself. But... maybe other people need to know what he's experienced. Maybe it could help. That's what they're all doing, isn't it? Coming forward out of their own experiences with things like this, however those may be. Trying to help. )

Back in my world, there were.... people. A cult, like his followers. They were hidden, I didn't— didn't realise they were there. Watching me. Preparing things. I think it took them... a long time to prepare things. ( How long? Looking back, how long were those people watching him? Waiting to give him to the thing they worshipped? To bring it in? )

A while back, I was... kept, in one of their temples. Riteoir's followers. I saw what they're like, how... ruthless they are. ( He swallows. ) There's still a chance that some of them might be here, right? Could've slipped through more easily, since they're not as powerful as him. Or a chance that they might come. Any day now. Maybe to.... watch. Get information. Get things ready.

( His hands are trembling, or is it his voice? Maybe both. Beneath him, he can feel the ripples of Paimon, and a soft thing that feels like a growl deep in his throat. )

If Riteoir's preparing to try and take over, then they'll be preparing to try and help him. Maybe we should.... be looking out for them. And preparing for what to do if we find them.