[At first, only a noncommittal noise as the centaur approaches just shy of Claude's emotional space, only barely feeling out the muted sadness and regret. But he will not sit himself for now. Instead he also glances at the sky with his head tilted -- the view from here is unfortunately dim compared to that of the planetarium, and he cannot see the watchful arrow of Sagittarius from here, either, but...]
(He raises his head, looking up at the sky. For a while, he doesn't say anything but it's not from lack of knowing the answer. His eyes dart from one spot to the other, clearly searching for some sort of familiar market in an illogical, ever changing sort sky.
Finally, he finds one. Of course, it isn't where it should be but he raises a hand, pointing to a group that, interestingly, might seem familiar to Chiron.)
There. The Pegasus. (He's become so accustomed to having to help others see what he's seeing, that he naturally begins to trace the shape with his finger in the air,) Usually, it's in the west, opposite of the wyvern.
(And he points over towards the east,)
I've seen it here a few times. Never both in the same sky, though.
(The sky here doesn't really make much sense.)
The stories are different depending on where you're from. Sometimes they're retreating and sometimes they're returning after a victory. (And he shrugs,) Either way, they're going home.
[There is a humor to his voice as he follows Claude's finger, watching the dim constellation that's settled in the sky]
My world also has a constellation by that name, though I assume the myths are quite different. There the pegasus was born after the fearful Medusa's neck was severed by the hero Perseus, and he took the animal as his divine prize.
A pegasus would never let a man claim it. Only the purest maidens can tame one. (... And he laughs lightly to himself, as if appreciating a private joke,) I'm not sure why one would let Hilda anywhere near it, then.
(Don't tell her. Also I guess Claude is implying there are multiple pegasi.)
Hah! I think she would say, "Claude! Are you saying I'm not a maiden?" And I would say, "Ah, Hilda, of course, but pure? I can see through your tears."
(He can imagine their fight already, sharp and playful. Out of all of his classmates, she was certainly one of the ones he got along with the most.)
But yeah, there are a bunch of them. A lot of countries have whole battalions dedicated to them. If they don't have pegasi, then they have wyvern instead.
(A beat,)
... Those are dragons, by the way. (He's had to explain that enough times already,) Not the same dragons from legends or anything though. I'm pretty sure that would be sacrilegious. Wyvern are lesser dragons, common and hardly divine. I still wouldn't want to get on one's bad side, though.
I'm aware of what wyverns are, but I thank you for the explanation nonetheless.
[Spoken with a hint of amusement]
They were not apart of my mythology -- not usually -- but I have knowledge of their existence... and I would agree, most dragons would take being counted as a wyvern to be a great insult.
... Though now I wonder: what dragons are famous upon your lands? Perhaps a few share a name with the ones I'm familiar with.
(Why is he not surprised that Chiron would know? He seems to know everything.)
Hmm... (He taps his chin) Long ago, the saint, Seiros, made an appearance during the Guardian Moon. She'd been summoned by the Goddess whose soul was suffering from the war raging in Fodlan. From above, the wings of the Immaculate One appeared and became the winds that guided Seiros into battle.
The Immaculate One became the dragon on the Church's seal and you can see it on one of the tapestries at the monastery but everything else about it is lost to time...
(But there's more to it than that and he laughs lightly,)
[Chiron tastes the name on his tongue, though his wandering tone already suggests it's not one he's familiar with. Even still he makes for a good audience and nods along to Claude's tale, thoughtful]
How interesting. It is as if the Church has something worth shielding from the eyes of the faithful.
[There is always a reason for these things, Chiron thinks, and the mystery tickles at his curiosity.]
(And he sighs, closing his eyes as he recalls all of the mysteries he'd been working on back home before coming here. None of it means anything to anyone here. After a moment, he begins to speak,)
Many years ago, the goddess bestowed mankind with Crests. Those who received Crests eventually became the ruling families of Fodlan who also inherited the Goddess' sacred weapons known as Heroes' Relics.
One of those heroes was the Liberation King, Nemesis, who waged war against the Goddess and her saints. Once a hero, he'd become corrupted by power and became the greatest villain in Fodlan's history. As for the other families, they used their blessings to rule Fodlan for over a thousand years.
(it's here that he holds out his hand in front of him. Of course, nothing happens. As long as he's been here, he hasn't been able to call upon his Crest. )
For generations, those noble families continued to hold up their Crests, coveting the power that came from them. If you have a Crest, you can rule. If you don't have a Crest, you're tossed aside. I've seen families throw away children because they didn't inherit a Crest and I've seen some of the things those children will do try and take back their places.
Miklan Gautier. He was the the first son of House Gautier but because he didn't inherit a Crest, he was tossed aside in favor of his brother. Miklan decided to steal the family's Relic and I was sent by the Church to retrieve it. That lance was... powerful. Too powerful for him and I watched it change him.
(All of this ties back into the Immaculate One some how. But to get there, there's really a lot of context that needs to be laid out.)
Perhaps human history on his world was not filled with Crests, but certainly the ruling powers would make all types of excuses for themselves through whisper of divine right and intellect. His expression stills when Claude reaches talk of children being discarded, and then he simply sighs when those tossed to the side do everything in their power to prove their inherent worth.
Once again... it is a very familiar story.
But regardless, the story is likely not finished. So Chiron cants his head with a hum, waiting for Claude to continue.]
(It's here that Claude frowns, looking at his hand and imagining-- no, remembering-- what happened next.)
Something came from it. Something dark came from the lance, latching onto him, consuming him until he wasn't even human. Right in front of our eyes, he transformed into a Black Beast. He... it was terrible. There was no trace of who he'd been before. It was the most difficult battle I'd ever fought and when it was finally over, all that was left where the Beast had been was a body and the lance.
When we got back to the Church, they told us... it had happened because Miklan didn't have a Crest. He hadn't inherited the Goddess' blessing so he had no right to wield her sacred weapon.
(And he lowers his hand, setting it down at his side and whispers,)
But that isn't true.
I found a page in the library-- a drawing of the Immaculate One that had never been seen before. On its head was what looked like a Crest, just like the Black Beast I saw with my own eyes. And I learned a story about how Nemesis wasn't the only Hero that became corrupted. Actually, there are other Heroes and they'd all become Black Beasts with twisted souls... but how could that be? The Heroes were the original Crest bearers so why would their Relics change them?
I think the Immaculate One and the Black Beasts are the same. And since I fought Miklan, I've been seeing more and more beasts with Crest markings on them... The Crests are definitely connected to it. I'm not sure how but I think... the Church is hiding what these "blessings" might really be by controlling the narrative. If I'm going to have that sort of power... I need to understand it, too. Especially if we're going to fight a whole other war because of them.
(Because he is, in fact, descended from one of those blessed heroes and destined to rule.)
[Quietly digesting this as before, except this time Chiron does have a question he wishes to ask, and he brings his eyes up from Claude's hand to his face]
As an owner of a Crest, I assume this means you have the potential to turn into a Black Beast yourself.
Maybe not exactly like that but... yeah, I think there's definitely more to these Crests and Relics than we've been told. And I don't like that the Church seems to have known all along.
(It's just one of the many things they seem to be hiding.)
Most large organizations do. They corrupt themselves either for what they believe is the benefit of the group, for ego, or for power... often times all three.
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[At first, only a noncommittal noise as the centaur approaches just shy of Claude's emotional space, only barely feeling out the muted sadness and regret. But he will not sit himself for now. Instead he also glances at the sky with his head tilted -- the view from here is unfortunately dim compared to that of the planetarium, and he cannot see the watchful arrow of Sagittarius from here, either, but...]
Do you recognize any of them?
[A pause]
The stars, I mean.
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(He raises his head, looking up at the sky. For a while, he doesn't say anything but it's not from lack of knowing the answer. His eyes dart from one spot to the other, clearly searching for some sort of familiar market in an illogical, ever changing sort sky.
Finally, he finds one. Of course, it isn't where it should be but he raises a hand, pointing to a group that, interestingly, might seem familiar to Chiron.)
There. The Pegasus. (He's become so accustomed to having to help others see what he's seeing, that he naturally begins to trace the shape with his finger in the air,) Usually, it's in the west, opposite of the wyvern.
(And he points over towards the east,)
I've seen it here a few times. Never both in the same sky, though.
(The sky here doesn't really make much sense.)
The stories are different depending on where you're from. Sometimes they're retreating and sometimes they're returning after a victory. (And he shrugs,) Either way, they're going home.
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[There is a humor to his voice as he follows Claude's finger, watching the dim constellation that's settled in the sky]
My world also has a constellation by that name, though I assume the myths are quite different. There the pegasus was born after the fearful Medusa's neck was severed by the hero Perseus, and he took the animal as his divine prize.
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(And that gets a laugh out of him,)
A pegasus would never let a man claim it. Only the purest maidens can tame one. (... And he laughs lightly to himself, as if appreciating a private joke,) I'm not sure why one would let Hilda anywhere near it, then.
(Don't tell her. Also I guess Claude is implying there are multiple pegasi.)
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Should she ever overhear that comment, I cannot promise what will happen to you as a result.
[Claude, you will deserve your death]
Interesting, however -- you have multiple of the creatures? In my mythology, there is only the one, which is why it is so sacred a Mythical Beast.
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(He can imagine their fight already, sharp and playful. Out of all of his classmates, she was certainly one of the ones he got along with the most.)
But yeah, there are a bunch of them. A lot of countries have whole battalions dedicated to them. If they don't have pegasi, then they have wyvern instead.
(A beat,)
... Those are dragons, by the way. (He's had to explain that enough times already,) Not the same dragons from legends or anything though. I'm pretty sure that would be sacrilegious. Wyvern are lesser dragons, common and hardly divine. I still wouldn't want to get on one's bad side, though.
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[Spoken with a hint of amusement]
They were not apart of my mythology -- not usually -- but I have knowledge of their existence... and I would agree, most dragons would take being counted as a wyvern to be a great insult.
... Though now I wonder: what dragons are famous upon your lands? Perhaps a few share a name with the ones I'm familiar with.
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Hmm... (He taps his chin) Long ago, the saint, Seiros, made an appearance during the Guardian Moon. She'd been summoned by the Goddess whose soul was suffering from the war raging in Fodlan. From above, the wings of the Immaculate One appeared and became the winds that guided Seiros into battle.
The Immaculate One became the dragon on the Church's seal and you can see it on one of the tapestries at the monastery but everything else about it is lost to time...
(But there's more to it than that and he laughs lightly,)
... Or hidden away.
(Not lost. Just covered up.)
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[Chiron tastes the name on his tongue, though his wandering tone already suggests it's not one he's familiar with. Even still he makes for a good audience and nods along to Claude's tale, thoughtful]
How interesting. It is as if the Church has something worth shielding from the eyes of the faithful.
[There is always a reason for these things, Chiron thinks, and the mystery tickles at his curiosity.]
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(And he sighs, closing his eyes as he recalls all of the mysteries he'd been working on back home before coming here. None of it means anything to anyone here. After a moment, he begins to speak,)
Many years ago, the goddess bestowed mankind with Crests. Those who received Crests eventually became the ruling families of Fodlan who also inherited the Goddess' sacred weapons known as Heroes' Relics.
One of those heroes was the Liberation King, Nemesis, who waged war against the Goddess and her saints. Once a hero, he'd become corrupted by power and became the greatest villain in Fodlan's history. As for the other families, they used their blessings to rule Fodlan for over a thousand years.
(it's here that he holds out his hand in front of him. Of course, nothing happens. As long as he's been here, he hasn't been able to call upon his Crest. )
For generations, those noble families continued to hold up their Crests, coveting the power that came from them. If you have a Crest, you can rule. If you don't have a Crest, you're tossed aside. I've seen families throw away children because they didn't inherit a Crest and I've seen some of the things those children will do try and take back their places.
Miklan Gautier. He was the the first son of House Gautier but because he didn't inherit a Crest, he was tossed aside in favor of his brother. Miklan decided to steal the family's Relic and I was sent by the Church to retrieve it. That lance was... powerful. Too powerful for him and I watched it change him.
(All of this ties back into the Immaculate One some how. But to get there, there's really a lot of context that needs to be laid out.)
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Perhaps human history on his world was not filled with Crests, but certainly the ruling powers would make all types of excuses for themselves through whisper of divine right and intellect. His expression stills when Claude reaches talk of children being discarded, and then he simply sighs when those tossed to the side do everything in their power to prove their inherent worth.
Once again... it is a very familiar story.
But regardless, the story is likely not finished. So Chiron cants his head with a hum, waiting for Claude to continue.]
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Something came from it. Something dark came from the lance, latching onto him, consuming him until he wasn't even human. Right in front of our eyes, he transformed into a Black Beast. He... it was terrible. There was no trace of who he'd been before. It was the most difficult battle I'd ever fought and when it was finally over, all that was left where the Beast had been was a body and the lance.
When we got back to the Church, they told us... it had happened because Miklan didn't have a Crest. He hadn't inherited the Goddess' blessing so he had no right to wield her sacred weapon.
(And he lowers his hand, setting it down at his side and whispers,)
But that isn't true.
I found a page in the library-- a drawing of the Immaculate One that had never been seen before. On its head was what looked like a Crest, just like the Black Beast I saw with my own eyes. And I learned a story about how Nemesis wasn't the only Hero that became corrupted. Actually, there are other Heroes and they'd all become Black Beasts with twisted souls... but how could that be? The Heroes were the original Crest bearers so why would their Relics change them?
I think the Immaculate One and the Black Beasts are the same. And since I fought Miklan, I've been seeing more and more beasts with Crest markings on them... The Crests are definitely connected to it. I'm not sure how but I think... the Church is hiding what these "blessings" might really be by controlling the narrative. If I'm going to have that sort of power... I need to understand it, too. Especially if we're going to fight a whole other war because of them.
(Because he is, in fact, descended from one of those blessed heroes and destined to rule.)
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As an owner of a Crest, I assume this means you have the potential to turn into a Black Beast yourself.
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(It's just one of the many things they seem to be hiding.)
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