Week one

[letsplayamod]

You've all met Athena, and she's made her point quite clear. She's fully committed to making this world better, and you're the ones who agreed to lend a hand. Something she's obviously quite thankful for.

It's really not so bad around here. Despite the sky, and the state of the land, things are fairly calm. You've got plenty of time to get used to it, and each other. Maybe this'll be easier than it seems.

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[raisethemoon]

[For the first several days of this week, Luna's noticeably out of sorts whenever she's out during the daylight hours. Such is the trouble of switching from being nocturnal to diurnal! Granted, she always spent some time awake in the mornings and evenings, the better to speak to Celestia and...well, mostly just Celestia. But this group is entirely diurnal! She can't just...sleep all day! Can she?

(She could. But there is more than enough to mark her as Other here, even without her history in Equestria. She's afraid to add to it.)

So by late morning, she drags herself out of bed and over to the kitchen to make some food. Usually she does not cook for herself, but she has at least learned how to use a coffee maker.]

...good morning.

[She greets, looking a bit like a Teenager Who Has Just Woken Up, without really looking up. While the coffee brews, she's sorting through the available produce. Apples and other fruit orbit in the air about her like irregular stars.

The coffee helps, anyway. The lack of duties does not. Luna doesn't really know what to do with herself, all alone in some strange world. Her hoofbeats ring on stone as she paces in and out, up and down, before finally heading off in the direction of the training grounds.]

I am...only passingly familiar with some of these.

[A sword, held in her glittering blue magic, rotates in the air. The idea is obvious, but the grip is all wrong - too awkward for anypony not a unicorn to use effectively. This place really was intended for the humans and their sort, wasn't it?

She really seems to perk up once evening falls. Luna spends much of it sitting outside, looking up at the stars. So similar to those that glitter in her own mane, yet not the same. Here, she isn't looking for or expecting company. It wouldn't be unwelcome, just - well, she's always alone in the night.]

training grounds

[necromants]

[Zvei has little interest in using the training grounds for their intended purpose, but given that it has first aid supplies and he is a healer, he should at least check them out. But he immediately forgets all about that on seeing the super-cool unicorn using magic to hold a sword which is all kinds of fascinating.]

These are weaponry primarily used by Spoken, after all. Humans and human-adjacent beings.

[Easiest way to put it for the unicorn, anyway.]

Do your kind typically prefer magic?

[raisethemoon]

Spoken? Why are they called that?

[This is more interesting than the sword, so she puts it back with the others.]

Those of us who can use it, yes! Others - well, certainly there are bladed weapons. They are just of very different design, meant to be held in the teeth or worn upon one's hooves or wings. Though, it is rare that ordinary ponies see combat anymore.

[necromants]

It is the term of the "civilized" races of mortals that live in societies spread throughout Aelios, supposedly because we are the only species capable of communicating with the spoken tongue. This has been disproven, as there are monsters capable of communicating with us, but such things are difficult to change the public opinion on so easily...

[Not that he's really tried, but that's also not the point!! He will continue to sigh loudly about this at every possible opportunity. But more interestingly...]

Is the world you come from solely inhabited by ponies and the like? Do you have any humans, or human-like species?

[A world of cute colorful ponies...]

[raisethemoon]

[Her ears tick backwards at the explanation, but he has already said that he does not agree. It doesn't seem that useful to go after the matter further.]

No humans, but there are a great many civilized species besides ponies! Dragons, kirin, bison, yaks...well, any number, really. I suppose the nearest thing to human may be...hm, perhaps a minotaur?

[Still pretty bovine, though.]

[necromants]

My, what an interesting world you come from! Dragons exist where I'm from as well, though they are not particularly fond of the Spoken. Likely because we keep wandering into their territory.

[He is likewise guilty of this...]

[raisethemoon]

Mmm, yes, they can be territorial...

[She remembers certain wars, but that was a long time ago and apparently they're at peace now, so...]

Ah, but I thought that humans came from places without any other intelligent beings? That is what I heard, at least!

[necromants]

It seems to vary based on the world! Humans are but one of our intelligent races. We also have elves, sentinels, and deimori like myself. Elves are similar to humans, but taller, with pointed ears and immense magical talent. They fall short in all things physical compared to humans, though. Sentinels have some traits similar to animals - cat ears, eyes, claws, and fangs, for example. But their body structure remains similar to a human's, though they excel at physical combat and feats compared to humans. Deimori are a bit different; we have magical talent like the elves, but it varies far more from person to person. We all have a unique physical trait that makes us distinctive both from one another and from the other Spoken. Oh, and our appearances are vastly different from both one another and from humans, elves, and sentinels - I'm actually one of the more "human-looking" ones.

[raisethemoon]

Oh! Forgive me - I mistook you for human as well.

[The second time she's done that. She should probably stop - but why do they all look so similar?]

So - a deimori may look like anything?

Evening

[tailoredfate]

It's beautiful, isn't it?

[There isn't much that can stir the husk of Aglaea's heart these days, or so she thinks. But she's certain she feels something looking up at the night sky. She can't remember the last time she saw stars...]

Are any of these constellations familiar to you?

[raisethemoon]

Nay, not at all. Terribly strange, for the one who makes the night.

[Or the Goddess of Dusk, maybe. Luna still finds it strange that her title here was shifted in that way.

But, far more importantly:]

...you really think it is beautiful?

[tailoredfate]

I do. [There's a trace of wistfulness in her voice.] It's a sight I haven't seen for a few hundred years, now.

[She can't leave Okhema. Not just because of her network protecting the city, but those jackals in the Council would most certainly take advantage of her absence the second she stepped out of the city.]

The city I live in is one of eternal daylight. A shelter, against the power of corruption trying to destroy all that's left of my world. Night still exists outside the city, but safety isn't guaranteed.

[raisethemoon]

What?

[She seems genuinely and personally distressed!]

Wh - why would anyone make such a place? [though - she knows, doesn't she - ]

[tailoredfate]

If we didn't have the Dawn Device upon the titan Kephale's shoulders, it would only be a matter of time before all life in Okhema would be overtaken by the black tide. And with that, there would be no safety or hope left for Amphoreus.

[She takes Luna's shock and distress in stride. She can understand how Okhema's neverending daylight may seem wrong to others, even if it's something she's long since gotten used to. It doesn't bother her, but she's not going to judge others for being bothered.

A pause. It only needs one look at Luna's appearance, at the way she seems distressed, for Aglaea to put pieces together in her mind. This must be someone who was a deity prior to their recruitment here. And if she's reacting this way...]

... It's not the night that brings the terror of the black tide, and not the night that needs to be fought back. The corruption would come no matter the time of day. But Kephale is the herald of a new dawn, and thus, is tied to the day.

[raisethemoon]

...I see.

[That is. Well. It's certainly better than what she imagined. It does not entirely calm the emotions brought on by such an idea.]

I am the one who brings the night, in my world. Of course ponies are not over-fond of it, but no one has ever suggested... [There's a moment, and then she shakes herself.] No matter. 'Tis not the same.

[tailoredfate]

I can't see why they wouldn't be fond of it. The beauty of the night can be quite breathtaking.

[Aglaea's not one to make empty compliments. As an artist in her chosen craft, and the bearer of the Coreflame of Romance, she thinks she might know a thing or two about beauty.]

Looking up at the night sky... I think some might feel an innate terror at the realization of how impossibly small we are. But there's also a comfort in that vastness, and the ever-shining lights above. If your work is anything like the one above us now, you must be quite the compassionate soul.

[raisethemoon]

......oh.

[She sounds - abruptly tearful? Don't worry about it don't DONT]

Thank you. That is - that is exceedingly kind.

Training Grounds

[cannotunravel]

...are you planning on getting more familiar with it?

[She's so glad these swords aren't deadly, or else she'd be really against Luna using these if she's only passingly familiar with swords]

[raisethemoon]

Nay, I think not! I have not needed any such thing thus far!

[Her magic will suit well enough!]

But, if these are the sorts of weapons used in this place, any enemies we face may wield them as well. We must also train to fight against them! Do you use them?

[cannotunravel]

Not at all. I'd sooner try to find a shield than a sword.

[Her skills are brainy, not brawny!]

[raisethemoon]

I believe there are some!

[Her horn glows again, and she just lifts all of the training stuff up so that it's easier to see everything! You know like a regular person]

[cannotunravel]

Oh, there are...!

[Soon Misane grabs the sturdiest shield she can find. It's a training shield, so it's not very sturdy like a real shield would -- and therefore much lighter, so hey, she has no trouble lifting it. The problem is the size. Misane is a short gal, and at the end of the day she still is just fifteen. She probably could huddle under the shield and that'd be more effective than her trying to use it like a real warrior would]

Try to hit it.

[Like she intends to test how good the shield is]

[raisethemoon]

Oh! Well...if you like...

[Luna is less sure that this is a good idea! But, that is how shields work. She elects to pick up another training sword, rather than try with magic or hooves, and holds it only by the hilt this time; she does know that's the idea. Without using a great deal of force, she swings the blade at the shield!]

[cannotunravel]

[Even that measured hit makes Misane step back because she's so unused to this stuff and although she braced for this, the impact rattled her a little. For a moment there's silence, until she peeks over the shield]

I'm starting to consider being away from the frontlines altogether may be a better choice.

[raisethemoon]

It may be. Are you still considered a...

[What do humans use. Probably not "foal". What's closest to a human, a minotaur?]

...caaaalf? Among humans?