[EMPIRE!] Across the Anga Lingine

[zabbarot]

Hushyarr sat back on his haunches deep in meditation. The declaration of war by the King of Carmine hadn't been a complete surprise, but something he had hoped could be avoided. The crux though really seemed to be the assassination, but it didn't feel right. Chancellor Ethmorl had no knowledge of the attack, and the Senate had not ordered it. The Oldest Guild was rarely hard to trace as they accepted extravagant gifts for their duties, but they had no new lands, no sudden spur of income or resources at their disposal. So the attack must have come from somewhere else.

So now he sat in a quiet room within Miji Mkuu saturated with osuro. He ate, drank, and breathed it. Before him the universe unfolded. The vast will of Asili Mkuu, the anga lingine.


Great Ancestor, boundless and ageless,
You from whom all things flow,
You to whom all things return,
Allow me to fathom the infinite depths of reality,
Grant me safe passage through your will,
This I ask as but a humble drop in your vast ocean.

Hushyarr sank deep into the anga lingine. I seek the soul of Li Huanle. Guide me to her. He sat motionless suspended in the aether as the anga lingine filtered through him. Hopefully he could find her swiftly.

[QuintonBeck]

Hushyarr, Xochiconetl, Shvedrishti, Mosi, within the Anga Lingine he appeared to be all four at once and yet none for his soul was apart from the mortal forms it had clung to in life. Beside this image, holding hands to make a great link was Nissa Rodilsignya, Greta Cardion Divonorum, Yosi Cedro, and stretching further into the hazy background of the Anga Lingine the Avatars of old. Before them stood Asili Mkuu* Mwalimu great plumage spread wide.

"Greetings to you within my realm again good Mosi, I feel your thoughts and desires strongly. You desire to speak with the one known as Li Huanle Jarrow in her life? I shall attempt as always to guide you my friend, but the souls of mortals can be difficult to find within this realm. Perhaps while we journey we might talk? It has become quite crowded with spirit pieces of the Blazing Avatar and the Blazing Incarnation and I fear we have not had time to speak and think of greater things so consumed have you been by the works of the mortal world."


*I can't remember where to find the spirit Mosi fused with to allow his reincarnations and learning of the Great Ancestor if I remembered the wrong name pretend I remembered the right one.

[zabbarot]

Mwalimu. She's got her own Holy Order. :smalltongue: Asili Mkuu is everything. He is effectively what Radurja has named the universe. One, probably big thing though, the past Blazing Avatars join with the Lord of Fire when they die, so none of them would be here though the image is nice. The Blazing Incarnation is a separate divine soul that merges with them for the duration of their life, then basically finds a new host once they pass through the gate.(A sort of nondescript place they go, maybe the entrance to fiery heaven? Morph never said)

Also gonna work that shapeshifting in now, because this is a good place to start it.

Of course, old friend. I am sorry for my absence. The wars of mortal men tax me greatly, and even now that is what spurs my search. You remember the Tzalteca? You were right not to trust them. They spurned our gift and now have constructed a war against our allies. I hoped I could reach out to them, but it has failed. Alone they would not be a threat, but they have found powerful allies. You've seen as much though...

Hushyarr drifted aimlessly feeling outwards in every direction. He knew little of Li Huanle Jarrow, but Asili Mkuu knew all.

I hope you can forgive me, there is still much on my mind and I fear too many lives rest on our successful search. Was Huanle a child of Kina who would seek reincarnation? Or would she have traveled through the Fiery Gate to seek final rest? Perhaps she went to the Silver Throne. Come Mwalimu, I will be your senses if you will be my wings.

Hushyarr reached out his hand to Mwalimu and she cloaked him in her petaled plumage. Together their form was no longer shifting, but one amalgamation, an ebony skinned man with a mane of vines and bright flowers, and opalescent eyes.

Is there anything in particular on your mind, Mwalimu?

[QuintonBeck]

Mwalimu. She's got her own Holy Order. :smalltongue: Asili Mkuu is everything. He is effectively what Radurja has named the universe. One, probably big thing though, the past Blazing Avatars join with the Lord of Fire when they die, so none of them would be here though the image is nice. The Blazing Incarnation is a separate divine soul that merges with them for the duration of their life, then basically finds a new host once they pass through the gate.(A sort of nondescript place they go, maybe the entrance to fiery heaven? Morph never said)

Also gonna work that shapeshifting in now, because this is a good place to start it.

Of course, old friend. I am sorry for my absence. The wars of mortal men tax me greatly, and even now that is what spurs my search. You remember the Tzalteca? You were right not to trust them. They spurned our gift and now have constructed a war against our allies. I hoped I could reach out to them, but it has failed. Alone they would not be a threat, but they have found powerful allies. You've seen as much though...

Hushyarr drifted aimlessly feeling outwards in every direction. He knew little of Li Huanle Jarrow, but Asili Mkuu knew all.

I hope you can forgive me, there is still much on my mind and I fear too many lives rest on our successful search. Was Huanle a child of Kina who would seek reincarnation? Or would she have traveled through the Fiery Gate to seek final rest? Perhaps she went to the Silver Throne. Come Mwalimu, I will be your senses if you will be my wings.

Hushyarr reached out his hand to Mwalimu and she cloaked him in her petaled plumage. Together their form was no longer shifting, but one amalgamation, an ebony skinned man with a mane of vines and bright flowers, and opalescent eyes.

Is there anything in particular on your mind, Mwalimu?


Well, we'll pretend the previous Avatar appearances are just the Anga Lingine vision interpretation of the Blazing Incarnation then :smallwink:


"I do not know to where the child Huanle sought resolution in her afterlife. She were a mortal born of many lines and many events did act upon her. But my friend, I feel an inkling pulling me to seek out Kina for it was her mentor that is one of much devotedness to the dark mother," the one who was many drifted down and the Anga Lingine began to grow darker around them.

"Yes my friend, it is the disruptions of your realm I wish to discuss. Or rather, their effects upon Asili Mkuu. Our Great Ancestor ebbs and flows with the tides of the spirits, this you know. But lately the great sea has grown disturbed. Many spirits are rising up and claiming more. Look around," the one being turned to view the closing darkness around it, "Many spirits small and plentiful once washed through here but now Kina's shadow stretches further and further up and out. The Fiery One who had faded is becoming more bold, I sense conflict brewing between he of flame and her of frost, as well as she of darkness. And ties have been made between some of the greater spirits, aligning themselves against the lessers. The Ancestors and spirits of little power are encroached upon on all sides and forced to join or be pushed out. The Great Sea is becoming tumultuous Mosi. Our teachings are needed to calm it."

[zabbarot]

Sounds good to me. Also, I am about to take a massive leap in defining the cosmology... At least there is nobody around to stop me :smalltongue:

She of Silver, Yphine, and Kina are the moons as was mentioned in the main thread.
The Lord of Fire is the sun. He is a personification of a shard of the big bang. So I assumed every star in the sky is similar. I'll call them the Infinite Host.
Father Dunia is a name I've just come up with for Telluris. The spirit of the planet. Dunia=Earth in Swahili

New plan! [Faith] Colonize Anga Lingine. :smalltongue:

Yes, I fear Yphine grows jealous as her sisters grow closer. I will write to the astronomers of Ashenia to see if the imbalance is reflected in their moons. Such a thing could be catastrophic. And why would any of them encroach upon the Lord of Fire. They have known their roles for aeons. Are they so easily swayed by mortals? To war... How can a moon fight the sun? What of Father Dunia? I hear his rumblings in my dreams. So far he is not taking sides? The Lord of Fire remains silent on this, perhaps he is bound by the laws of the Infinite Host.

I fear our teachings will have a hard time spreading in the realm of mortal men. Even now thousands face death should this war be lost. The Tzalteca have no mercy. Perhaps we could spread it here? Amongst the small spirits?

[QuintonBeck]

"It is not the spirits who need to understand what we know my friend. All those of the small spirits I might reach have heard our teachings and flock to it. Many more remain beyond that I cannot reach them. They are unknown to me and have not been enlightened for their forms remain tied to Father Dunia and none there have reached to them and talked of their position within Asili Mkuu."

"The struggles of the three sisters and the Lord disturbs much but we cannot hope to corral them by robbing their power where we have none of our own. The spirits outside my reach must be guided and those that know of them taught within your realm my friend. If together they are taught then we might bring them to stand together and calm the great sea from the rustlings of the restless spirits. I do not think drawing at the spirits captured by the disturbers will grant us what we need. We must reach out to those left abandoned and unenlightened that we might hold fast."

As they descended smaller spirits appeared once more around them though many appeared to be in chains or trapped within the realm of Kina and further below wafted the spirits of mortals come to Kina for judgment, swirling ever downward alongside Hushyarr and Mwalimu.

"We must keep sharp, the mortal you seek may be close."


In case it wasn't clear Mwalimu's advice is to spread Radurja far and hard against Pagans, thus incorporating their local gods into Radurja and strengthening the might of the "small spirits" who can't resist conversion rather than struggling directly with the organized faiths (except where necessary/appropriate). Whether you take that advice or don't is up to you. Unlike the mortal Charles Mwalimu is obviously far more on your side so if you ignore him completely it won't make a difference.

[zabbarot]

Once we're done here we will travel far and wide to get a better handle on the changes. Unfortunately the Eldest Child of Kina is probably the only religious leader who would work with us, but I'm certain he would be willing. I admit I know little of the clergy of She of Silver, and Yphine's priestess has been... cold to say the least.

Something different caught hold of Hushyarr's senses. Something stronger maybe... It was no normal soul...

I think we may be close.

rolls? not sure if I need to (or can) : P [roll0]

Also lt_murgen is interested in doing a spirit journey kind of thing with me later. :smallbiggrin:

[QuintonBeck]

Once we're done here we will travel far and wide to get a better handle on the changes. Unfortunately the Eldest Child of Kina is probably the only religious leader who would work with us, but I'm certain he would be willing. I admit I know little of the clergy of She of Silver, and Yphine's priestess has been... cold to say the least.

Something different caught hold of Hushyarr's senses. Something stronger maybe... It was no normal soul...

I think we may be close.

rolls? not sure if I need to (or can) : P [roll0]

Also lt_murgen is interested in doing a spirit journey kind of thing with me later. :smallbiggrin:

"I trust you will do what you are able and bring more of my lost brethren into the enlightenment and more of yours into understanding," Mwalimu agreed.

The spirit looked around, Hushyarr's eyes trained with Mwalimu's own and they each spotted an ethereal figure, who looked to match the memories Hushyarr had brought of a image of Li Huanle Jarrow.

She was spiraling about in the dark edges of Kina's shadow and the two travelers drifted towards her.


Zab, you can do a greeting or not, Morph should be coming in to play Huanle. I'm going to PM him to let him know its showtime.

[Morph Bark]

The darkness of the spirit world was unlike the darkness of the real world. It had been one of the first things Huanle had realized about it, as she had felt Kina's presence wrap itself around her in a motherly embrace, even as distant strings of fire and silver tug at her softly. The second thing she had known was that this state was to be temporary, and eventually her spirit would find its way to the Great Beyond and truly be one with her Mother. Because of Her influence, she was still paler than she had been in life, before her first turning. Well, as pale as any with naturally dark brown skin could be.

A presence disturbed her peaceful rest as she awaited her greater journey. She felt a burning at her back, as if the fiery string stirred her soul and drove it to an agitating song. She spun towards the direction she could feel the presence, accompanied by another and itself shelled, as if the fieriness she sensed was not all of that. "Who goes there?"

[zabbarot]

Sorry to disturb your rest, but I seek the soul that was Li Huanle Jarrow. I am Hushyarr, once Mosi Nia-Rohana. I am here to learn of the circumstances of your death. Men march to war because of it. He did what he could to control the light he emitted. Briefly he remembered the first time he looked up on the Blazing Avatar in the anga lingine.

[Morph Bark]

"I am Li Huanle Jarrow, scion of Houses Markov and Varinel," she replied. She looked him over, and felt a warm tug. "And you are Hushyarr, the Blazing Avatar. You say men march to war because of my death? Would that they had done so while I yet lived." She smiled, but the gaze in her eyes was a tragic mixture of sorrow and harsh spite. "What is it that you would ask of me, Blazing Avatar?"

[zabbarot]

I hope to learn of the circumstances of your death, to find those who murdered you or failing that at least learn who you think may have wanted to harm you. Hushyarr drifted a bit closer and took a sitting position. With a wave of his hand he conjured a Genivanan style low table and cushions. Please make yourself comfortable.