animus_network | Gather around

*It's a recorded video. Enoch stands before the terminal. He eyes the screen before taking a breath and beginning to speak.*

Shall I tell you a tale, Animus?

In another world, there was a dark and foreboding tower with no name, ruled by seven Fallen Angels. Heaven sent a man to capture these rulers, but in the three hundred years this man searched for them, the Tower built its own story. Inside the Tower, people thrived, and enjoyed a life of luxury and abundance in beautiful, otherworldly lands. Each level was as its own world, and had beauty all its own. Even the land of cold steel and eternal lights was breathtaking in an eerie way. But all was not as wonderful as it seemed. The people lived luxurious lives surrounded by beauty and wonders, yes, but when they died, their souls did not ascend to Heaven. They were taken from their rightful course and sent to The Darkness, to sate the gluttony of the demon prince Belial. No one seemed to know this but Belial himself and a resident of the Tower named Ishtar. Ishtar heard the voice of God, and knew that the Fallen Angels were not to be trusted - she gathered followers. It meant severing their connection to the safe and the familiar, to spurn the luxury of trust and plenty and ease of life. It meant turning their rulers against them. But...

*Enoch pulls something from his pocket - something small. Those who look hard enough might be able to catch a faint green glow before he closes his fingers around it, and a strong female voice speaks.*

They became the Freemen. The Fallen Angels became angry and rebuked us. I knew then that God's Word was true.

*Enoch's fist lowers, and he continues.*

But the Freemen knew the truth. Ishtar died in battle against the children of the Fallen Angels, who were in such misery they ate one another to end their brothers' pain. But she left behind prophecies. Messages that outlived her, to aid the Freemen that had sworn to follow her. The prophecies promised Ishtar would return to save them, but until then, they had to work hard to survive when those who were as gods in the realm were against them. And then, when the time came, they surely would not stand by while the resurrected Ishtar fought alone.

That is the story of the Freemen, a story that I did not know of until my own intersected it. Do not forget, Animus, that there are always stories other than your own. Thank you for hearing me.

*The recording ends, showing Enoch sitting at the terminal, feed live to hear responses.*

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

That's right. West... he was in a lot of pain while the revolutions were going on. Sometimes he'd even cough up blood. [Prussia winces a little at that grisly detail. He's not afraid of blood at all, of course, but remembering what happened to his little brother is a bit rough.] Sometimes, when we're at war, we'll feel pain, but we have to push through it and fight.

The effects could be that bad... It's a wonder you could even fight in them, yourself, in all of that...

*Enoch had to fight while sick or starving or sleep-deprived, of course. That doesn't mean he'd wish or approve of those conditions on anyone else.*

Eh, I was a bit special when it came to battle. There was a point when I was called "the army with a country." You know, because of the sheer military strength my country possessed. I enjoyed fighting in wars. It was what I was good at.

That's...certainly different from any nation I've ever traveled to.

*His world was still an entirely agrarian or nomadic one though, not as if he can actually see that's what the difference is.*

Really? What kind of countries do you have in your world?

Well, a well-maintained military is nice, but most of the nations in my world are kingdoms living on trades of harvesting, fishing, or mining depending on where they are. None would dream of having their military dominate, it's too expensive to outfit them all, and untrained citizens can help if they own a weapon, if they must.

*This guy is from early, okay.*

Kingdoms and trade... huh. Your world must be really... I don't want to say primitive, but my world was only like that a long time ago. Like, a reeeeeeaaaaaallllyy long time ago.

[Of course Prussia knows his history; being a nation kind of makes you history, in a way.]

Yes, I've found I'm often from the past of nearly anyone I meet in worlds away from home. It's...interesting.

It must be interesting! Coming here must have also been kind of a shock, too... I know that, if I came here when I was young and primitive, I wouldn't know what to do with anything.

Ah, well...it helps to have been somewhere else before, even if none of the devices worked there. In any case, it's interesting, seeing new things and learning how to use them.

Eh? You were somewhere else before here? Wow. Was it like this place, or better? And it's good to see you find new things interesting. Some people see technology and dismiss it as witchcraft or something.

It was better, much better. It was a city...none of the devices worked, as I said, but it was peaceful most of the time. A kind spirit watched over us and provided us with food. The earth spirit that guarded it is here in the tower, in fact.

That definitely sounds much better. Who's the earth spirit, though? Are they a person in the tower, or were they taken in some other form?

Her name is Solas Griene, but she went by Sola when we were in Meridian. She takes the form of a young woman with pale skin and long, dark hair, or a human-like form made of plants.

Hmmm, got it. I'll have to take a look around for her. Then again, that description could apply to a lot of people. Maybe you could introduce me some time, huh?

Gladly. You could send her a note, too, if I never have the opportunity. She's a good person, I think you'll get along.

Heh, really? I'll see what I can do! Though I think it'd be better if you introduced us.

Gather around

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