"No, no. Much to the demise of my ego, I am wholly inconsequential. My memory is limited to what I myself have experienced; its complicated, but it stymies me becoming hyper-intelligent. Sans for the occasional fancy word in my verbiage, of course!" Skarnir laughed jovially as he dismissed a potentially mind bending capability. "Nah, the only reason I can speak on druids is because I have faced them in the past. Besides, what group that has been around as long as the druids hasn't had demons they've wanted to forget and move beyond?"
A brief flash of an ancient battle. Mists, gnarled trees, and the sound of beasts on the wind. A woman holds a shield and a worn axe. A lanky humanoid beast stalks towards her on all fours carrying the smell of rot and fell magic. Blood stains both the beast's maw and the woman's axe. They charge each other. The scene fades.
"And no, the Children of Donn as they were originally, were a sect of the druids dating back to before even my memories of this world began. They were firmly on the flip side of the coin. Believing that the best way to preserve was to treat any foreign influence a disease that must be purged so that the body survives. Preserve nature by culling the weak from the flock. Preserve knowledge by eliminating those who would steal it. Preserve their kin by destroying those who would bring change. Through fire, fury, shadow, rot, and salt the Children served the Celtic deity Donn. Oh! My refill! Thank you!"
Skarnir's mug had been refilled and returned, prompting the large man to shift almost instantly between grim oration and cheery uncle. A flash of memory. The beast lay dead. The woman slumped against a tree. Axe shattered. Shield splintered. Cold certainty. A voice on the wind. "To me, to my house, you shall all come after your deaths."
[Nishinoya's] Skål
Re: [Nishinoya's] Skål
The imagery brought a shiver to Eryl's spine. Humanoid horrors always gave her the chills, whether they were the shades of Gods, wights in the forest, or whatever Skarnir had remembered. Monsters were fascinating, but in an admire at a distance kind of way.
"That certainly seems to count as having knowledge of something that a group of mages would prefer to forget," retorted Eryl, realizing that her eyes were starting to strain at this mental gleaning. "But we shan't mince words, you described these druids as serving a God? Is that not the realm of divinity? Rather, I mean to say it is beyond the realm of the primal in which druids occupy. Deities are very much unlike a druidic aspect. More appropriately, they are very unlike them in my experience."
"That certainly seems to count as having knowledge of something that a group of mages would prefer to forget," retorted Eryl, realizing that her eyes were starting to strain at this mental gleaning. "But we shan't mince words, you described these druids as serving a God? Is that not the realm of divinity? Rather, I mean to say it is beyond the realm of the primal in which druids occupy. Deities are very much unlike a druidic aspect. More appropriately, they are very unlike them in my experience."
Re: [Nishinoya's] Skål
Skarnir waved his hand dismissively as he took a long pull from his beer; some of the foam clung to his mustache. Critical thinking was tiring, and this line of questions was beginning to venture into hypothetics. Setting his beer down, he swiped another skewer and chomped at it.
“Look, I didn’t ask ‘em about their religion while fighting them. All we knew was that not all the druids agreed with them,” the large man spoke once he swallowed his mouthful. “Well, maybe I was told more, but uh… I ain’t ever exactly been the best at listening.”
Skarnir laughed a deep laugh.
“Look, I didn’t ask ‘em about their religion while fighting them. All we knew was that not all the druids agreed with them,” the large man spoke once he swallowed his mouthful. “Well, maybe I was told more, but uh… I ain’t ever exactly been the best at listening.”
Skarnir laughed a deep laugh.
Re: [Nishinoya's] Skål
"I see."
It was at this point Eryl's deadpan gave her thoughts away, as Skarnir revealed himself. Suddenly, it all began to click, this tall, brutal warrior would have been quite at home carousing in a hexer lodge. In fact, he brought some of the more big game hexers to mind, by his size alone. Some of them had their own amazing abilities, but they contented themselves with simple, corporeal pursuits.
The Children of Don were a fascinating line of thought, but Skarnir showed no interest beyond their slaying. Like others in the hunting trade, it was not about why, but how.
Speaking of druids, she looked down at her nearly empty glass. Between the food and the stories, she was starting to sober up, and realized that a daunting task now loomed over her, much sooner than she realized.
"I believe you do yourself a disservice," said Eryl, turning her glass back and finishing it. She set the cup aside, and turned down the suggestion of the waitress going by to get another. Instead, she asked for the check, "You are a very able listener…"
The triclops gave him a coy smile, "...when you desire to be."
It was at this point Eryl's deadpan gave her thoughts away, as Skarnir revealed himself. Suddenly, it all began to click, this tall, brutal warrior would have been quite at home carousing in a hexer lodge. In fact, he brought some of the more big game hexers to mind, by his size alone. Some of them had their own amazing abilities, but they contented themselves with simple, corporeal pursuits.
The Children of Don were a fascinating line of thought, but Skarnir showed no interest beyond their slaying. Like others in the hunting trade, it was not about why, but how.
Speaking of druids, she looked down at her nearly empty glass. Between the food and the stories, she was starting to sober up, and realized that a daunting task now loomed over her, much sooner than she realized.
"I believe you do yourself a disservice," said Eryl, turning her glass back and finishing it. She set the cup aside, and turned down the suggestion of the waitress going by to get another. Instead, she asked for the check, "You are a very able listener…"
The triclops gave him a coy smile, "...when you desire to be."
Re: [Nishinoya's] Skål
With a tip of his mug and an amiable smile in return, Skarnir opted against denying the point and simply accepted the compliment at face value. A sigh escaped him as he lounged in his seat and placed an arm over the back of the cushion. The last of his beer had been drunk, and now he idly chewed on one of the skewers. He seemed to be thinking. “I suppose if I have someone interesting to talk to I’m much more inclined to listen.”
Back to thinking.
“Religion is a weird thing. As are the beings often called gods,” Skarnir began. “Going, uh, back to the comment about primal cultists seeming to dabble in divinity.”
He waggled his free hand’s fingers towards his head.
“I’m thinking. Most groups I work with have at least one smart person that likes to talk.”
The skewer danced a bit as he chewed on it.
“Most people are either wrong, or at least a ways off base. About gods. There was this one group that thought I was a god due to the whole pseudo-reincarnation thing. Obviously, I’m not, and I nipped the worship thing in the butt real quick. Suppose, on that matter, a being of significant enough importance to garner worship. Still primal in nature, say, rot and decay for this Donn of the Dead fellow…”
Skarnir chuckled at his own joke.
“Could see the druids worshiping him in the same sense that a warlock serves a patron. Primal god, primal subjects. A patron willing to support the defense of their genius loci.”
The server came by with the checks, but Skarnir snatched up both before handing the woman a few gold coins.
Back to thinking.
“Religion is a weird thing. As are the beings often called gods,” Skarnir began. “Going, uh, back to the comment about primal cultists seeming to dabble in divinity.”
He waggled his free hand’s fingers towards his head.
“I’m thinking. Most groups I work with have at least one smart person that likes to talk.”
The skewer danced a bit as he chewed on it.
“Most people are either wrong, or at least a ways off base. About gods. There was this one group that thought I was a god due to the whole pseudo-reincarnation thing. Obviously, I’m not, and I nipped the worship thing in the butt real quick. Suppose, on that matter, a being of significant enough importance to garner worship. Still primal in nature, say, rot and decay for this Donn of the Dead fellow…”
Skarnir chuckled at his own joke.
“Could see the druids worshiping him in the same sense that a warlock serves a patron. Primal god, primal subjects. A patron willing to support the defense of their genius loci.”
The server came by with the checks, but Skarnir snatched up both before handing the woman a few gold coins.
Re: [Nishinoya's] Skål
“Treasonous man!” accused Eryl as the check disappeared before she could grab it. He was one of those kind of people, which seemed to be the only kind of people Eryl knew. Few people ever let her get the bill for things.
So, she settled back into her seat, and merely smiled, grateful at least that she had found someone else in this world who could be kind to her. It was a sad kind of thought to have, but the triclops regularly surrounded herself with people she wronged, or those who wanted to kill her. This was a nice change of pace, especially considering it had been so easy to speak to the man.
“You know, I do not think I’ve heard anyone say the term Genius Loci in an age, I will have to refresh myself on the subject,” commented Eryl, “I am an arcanozoologist by occupation, but that’s not something that comes up many times these days. As a matter of fact, in this modern age there are few like them left that you could genuinely call loci. I suppose, especially in the far off yester years, those that found them would consider them as gods, or powerful beings worth worship.”
With her hands, Eryl formed a small show of lights and characters, little creatures of several colors, many of them looked like the guardians of Safeholme. “Take the Elementalia Magicus, for example, the guardians that shored up its defenses were eventually, and mistakenly, worshiped as gods. Strangely, it was that same worship that turned them into gods.”
So, she settled back into her seat, and merely smiled, grateful at least that she had found someone else in this world who could be kind to her. It was a sad kind of thought to have, but the triclops regularly surrounded herself with people she wronged, or those who wanted to kill her. This was a nice change of pace, especially considering it had been so easy to speak to the man.
“You know, I do not think I’ve heard anyone say the term Genius Loci in an age, I will have to refresh myself on the subject,” commented Eryl, “I am an arcanozoologist by occupation, but that’s not something that comes up many times these days. As a matter of fact, in this modern age there are few like them left that you could genuinely call loci. I suppose, especially in the far off yester years, those that found them would consider them as gods, or powerful beings worth worship.”
With her hands, Eryl formed a small show of lights and characters, little creatures of several colors, many of them looked like the guardians of Safeholme. “Take the Elementalia Magicus, for example, the guardians that shored up its defenses were eventually, and mistakenly, worshiped as gods. Strangely, it was that same worship that turned them into gods.”
Re: [Nishinoya's] Skål
“I know the term mostly for having crossed paths with a couple in the past,” Skarnir mentioned with a self-dismissive wave. “Relevant enough, two of them involving the druids. Then there was this third one; nasty place. Never dealt with any on demi-planes like the Elementia, but I can agree that here on Terra Firma they are either far and few between; or sequestered well away from prying eyes. Either way, that’s my take on druidic faith. One could argue the whole of Ireland itself at one point was a genius loci, and perhaps that's why the druidic cults became so militant. It could have been literal life and death for their guardians.”
Re: [Nishinoya's] Skål
“Can you blame them? I am sure there are memories in your mind of those who lived those ages, even I understand it,” said Eryl, pulling out her phone and turning on the flashlight, “Look at this.”
Blink blink blink, the light turned on and off, “With just the push of a notional button, I can make the dark go away.”
Realizing that this behavior might be obnoxious, she set the phone back into her pocket and continued.
“It was not like the druids of Ireland would know that they would become the druids of the world one day. In that age, the dark was the void. Perhaps something is out there, perhaps there is nothing, but even the mages of that era could not know that a world waited for them out there if they lost their own. I would argue that even today, mages, unlike the mundane, have maintained these static notions. It is the only explanation why they resort to such violent, barbaric practices despite the comforts of the modern world.”
Blink blink blink, the light turned on and off, “With just the push of a notional button, I can make the dark go away.”
Realizing that this behavior might be obnoxious, she set the phone back into her pocket and continued.
“It was not like the druids of Ireland would know that they would become the druids of the world one day. In that age, the dark was the void. Perhaps something is out there, perhaps there is nothing, but even the mages of that era could not know that a world waited for them out there if they lost their own. I would argue that even today, mages, unlike the mundane, have maintained these static notions. It is the only explanation why they resort to such violent, barbaric practices despite the comforts of the modern world.”
Re: [Nishinoya's] Skål
"A fair observation," Skarnir agreed as he squinted against the light in his eyes. "Personally my biggest surprise as far as the druids are concerned was their capitulation to the Occultus. Never would have thought the day would come that the Order acquiesce to an outside organization. That's what I'd put my money on for causes of the Druids falling in line with modernity. Can only imagine how much friction that would have caused back in the old days. The Children of Donn would have been chomping at the bit, I'd imagine."
Skarnir looked down into his tankard, lamenting beers gone by.
"As for the barbaric practices, that's just the natural order of things. Why, even I could be described as barbaric despite modern comfort."
Skarnir looked down into his tankard, lamenting beers gone by.
"As for the barbaric practices, that's just the natural order of things. Why, even I could be described as barbaric despite modern comfort."