synopsychic | (no subject)

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Yo. Everyone. Listen up.

Just been told a few things that're going down around here, and we could have trouble. ... More trouble than just endin' up on the edge of Hell.

Does the phrase 'the Name of the Divine' mean anythin' to anyone? 'Cause it ain't just a name. It's somethin' that's real here. It's something powerful. From what I've heard, there's ninety-nine parts to it.

And one of 'em is missing.

Even that one bit of it's got enough power to wipe this place off the map.

Unfortunately, I ain't got any info on what it looks like - if it's somethin' that's been written down somewhere, or something else. But there's at least one angel who's actively lookin' for it 'n trying to get it back where it belongs. It's gotta be the reason that everything was so tense when we got here, with the mail shut down 'n the security and all of that...

So that's the deal. Think we might want to keep a look out for information on this thing, though I ain't sure what we can really do about it... anyone heard anything so far?

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I assumed the mail stoppage was probably a clue, if not actually what we were here to sort out. But I haven't heard anything about that. It sounds like a code name to me... the way you name something you don't want to actually talk about specifically. [At least, that was his experience. He couldn't say how much overlap there was between megacorporation secret projects and power struggles between the sort of factions this place had.]

Huh. When ya say it like that, it does sound like that sorta thing, doesn't it? Person who told me this stuff seemed t' think it was legit, but yeah, that's a thought...

I'm sure it's 'legit,' it's probably just something they don't want to call by another name. Which in my experience implies it's nothing good. The fact that it comes in pieces... it could be some sort of machine? I'm not sure exactly what sort of technology level they really have around here.

I see what you're gettin' at, but I haven't seen a lot of high-tech stuff around. No electricity and all. When folks here have all the powers they have that ain't as much of a big deal...

Machines don't require electricity, necessarily. It could be driven by any number of things. And maybe 'machine' isn't the best way to think about it. But... something that does something when all the pieces are together. A construct of some sort? We should probably be more worried about the 'what it might do' part than what to call it, precisely.

And just one piece of it's gonna cause enough trouble without the rest. Yeah. We ain't got a clue what sorta thing it'll do...

Does it seem like the piece alone can cause trouble? Or is it simply that someone has it that's the trouble?

Any one piece has this kinda power. That's what I heard.

Hmmm. That's very interesting. [What it meant, he didn't really know. Just a bunch of identical things that all had the same abilities? Maybe.] I'll have to keep an ear out and see if anyone's talking in less vague terms.

Sounds good. I'll keep listenin' myself.

I'll let you know if I hear anything. Even if it's rumors, we might be able to piece a better picture together.

Indeed we should. I do not know what form this "Name of the Divine" is in. Locating it definitively will be difficult without this knowledge.

The loss of it is doubtless what caused the decision for the mail to be stopped, but that hardly precludes it being moved about. With official channels closed, the most logical place to track it would be following the paths left from illegal trade.

Edited 2015-06-12 07:35 (UTC)

Kinda hard to look for a needle in a hay field if ya don't know what a needle looks like, huh.

Makes sense, though. Gotta be a lot of shady business goin' on in a place like this...

Wherever there is profit to be made, someone will find a way to make it and the bounds of the law will not stop them. Something like this would be considered extremely valuable. And many unsavoury sorts would love to have something so supposedly powerful at their disposal.

Has anyone spoken to those in the business of transporting goods? Even those with legitimate jobs will do a few things under the table.

Tch. Ain't that the truth...

Haven't talked to anyone like that myself. So... delivery folks? The guys runnin' the ferry service? Gotta be some others.

The river ferries would be a good place to look, yes. And any other trade routes that may exist. Also business-people who would be receiving goods from them. I've learned of one who calls themself the Heretic, evidently someone well-known in these circles.

Folks at the markets 'n all that, yeah. And - Heretic, huh? Doesn't sound like someone who you'd wanna get on the wrong side of. Good call.

A deliberately chosen name, to be sure. [Makes him sound intimidating, one who dares to flout the established authority. Near honestly isn't impressed; he'd himself openly opposed someone who had the nerve to call himself a god.] Nevertheless, one does not survive in competitive underground business without intelligence, ruthlessness, and effective people working under him. Any approach will have to be a careful one.

I agree. Though tracking illegal trades presents its own challenges...

It does. And anything such as this would have precautions more carefully observed and more precautions than normal put into place.

...Do you know if its power is purely destructive? Or can it be used for other things as well?

Ain't got any details on that, I'm afraid. All I heard was that it's crazy powerful... and yeah, that could mean anythin', really.

We should be careful about making assumptions regarding what we're here to do. If the name isn't just destructive, maybe we're not here to stop it from being used, but to ensure it.

Or to ensure it's used in the right way, at the very least.

Man. That's a good point. Scary point, but ... we don't know anythin' about what this thing is.

We've just had to deal with one bomb. Nothin' sayin' this is another.

Exactly. We can't let our experiences with the last jaunt sway our expectations here.

Right. We've gotta get all the evidence we can. Angels are probably gonna be doin' better things with it than demons are, that's kinda the point of angels, but ... gotta be sure.

That's... the point of angels?

[Sorry, Kanji, he's from a world with no religions like Christianity - even the concept of angels is foreign to him.]

Yeah. The mythology's all about 'em being the good guys, on the side of the religion's big god, divine justice and... stuff like that. Demons and devils are bad sorts, rebels fighting against them. I mean, I ain't an expert, but that's the basics.

...Isn't it likely that's an oversimplification? Nobody's wholly 'good' or 'bad'. Those are just categories we use for people who are or aren't convenient to us. People are more complicated than that. It may be that angels are more inclined towards actions we see as 'good' and demons are more inclined towards actions we see as 'bad' - but everyone has their own motivations for what they do. Even angels and demons.

It... it seems to me it's more likely that's just a narrative constructed to make people feel better about the things that happen in their lives. Something black and white, that's easy for them to understand. The real world isn't like that.

[Kanji's quiet for a moment before he replies.]

Probably some truth in that. The lines between myths 'n stories and reality can get kinda fuzzy, sometimes, but ... People're just people, even if some'a the people are kinda different.

Right. As long as we remember that, and keep an open mind... well, I think that's our best chance of really understanding what's going on here.

Edited 2015-06-14 22:18 (UTC)

Interesting... If it has been successfully smuggled into the city, I think we can safely suppose it to be quite small. Though that does very little to help us find it, of course.

As for what to do with it... Well, that depends on what it was stolen for, does it not?

Yeah. There's any number of reasons someone could want somethin' like that... I don't think I even want to start guessing yet.

Yeshuite scholars tell a story that the Sacred Name, which could command the angels, even Michael, was written in the Lost Book of Raziel. But they reckon it a tale for children - an allegory, perhaps, but no more. And the Lost Book held other powers - but I would be hard-pressed to name them, and know not at all if the Name was their source or not.

Phedre may know more.

It's a start, anyway, if there's somethin' like it in your world, too. Commanding the angels, huh... man. That could screw this place up in five seconds, never mind anythin' else.

If this is a destructive power, it may not be the same.

Yeah, true. Don't really know what sorta power it is...

Um... excuse me...

I don't know anything about that, but I guess I just wanted to ask--um, is that...enough?

[There's a pause, and then she realizes how little she explained herself.]

I--I mean, so many people are miserable here, can't we...help them somehow?

...

[Mentally sighing.]

Yeah. I kinda know what you mean. All the fightin', everyone gettin' pushed and pulled around, and the poor damn Peregrines...

I dunno what we can do. But it's gotta be worth lookin'.

...Thank you... I'm not sure how we can help them yet either, but...we must be here for a reason, right?

It wouldn't be right to just...leave them all to suffer, I think. If we can help it, I mean.

[goodness knows sometimes they just end up dragged back into Liminal Space regardless of what they want.]

[Thoughtful-]

That's kinda the thing. Where do we even start on somethin' like this, huh?

[It's something that'd take more than a few weeks to sort out...]

... I don't know. I was talking to someone, and she said that they were all trying to take steps forward towards heaven, but... I just don't know how to help them.

[But she feels really bad for them, so she can't just stand by either.]

She said more than anything, they need...hope.

...Hope.

[There's a hint of a mental sigh coming through. That's touched a personal topic.

Hope for the lost.]

We keep lookin', then. We help them where we can. Hell if I know if that's what we're here for ... but there's got to be something we can do.

Edited 2015-06-18 21:06 (UTC)

... I think so too. I'll do whatever I can to help here, even if...it's not that much.

[A moment later, there's a touch of embarrassment to her mental tone.]

Um... I'm Mai, by the way. It's nice to meet you. Let's...do our best together, okay?

Kanji. It's cool t' talk to you, too.

Then...Kanji-san.

[If they were in person, she'd be bowing her head; such pleasantries are hard to get across over their mental network, unfortunately for her.]

If I...fine anything else, I'll tell you. And...thank you for listening to me.

This is something that I have done much study on... [ She hesitates. He won't care about Hyacinthe, or why she searched for the name. ]

It is a subject of much depth, and not much clarity. I will be of what help that I may, but I fear it will be little.

Even if it's just a bit, it's more than we've got at the moment. Sure.

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