Inquiries with the gods:

Sue . o O ( Can I still go up the mountain? )

Dionysus You feel an affirmative answer, but it is faint.

Sue As if it came from the Never?

Dionysus As if the two were distracted while they answered you.

Sue . o O ( Is everything okay? )

Dionysus No answer.

---

During the battle with the Sather:

23:18 <Dionysus> As the Sather appeared, Quaigor said, Shut down your senses.

23:18 * Sue did so.

23:18 <Sue> If possible?

23:18 <Dionysus> Yes.

23:18 <Dionysus> All that you are using now is void-sense.

23:19 <Dionysus> You can tell where the Gifts are by the fact that they are the huge blots of 'darkness'. Manny is a splotch of color. The rest is unsensable.

23:19 <Sue> One of the blots is floating up and down?

23:20 <Dionysus> One is moving more than the other, yes.

23:20 <Dionysus> The greed control doesn't reach your ears, for the record

23:29 <Sue> Can I see a filament of darkness stretching out from the blots?

23:29 <Dionysus> It's more like you can see where the 'light' is being sucked into them & extinguished.

23:30 <Sue> I'm looking for the magic that he uses to make the sword float.

23:30 <Dionysus> Oh, no, that's masked by the Swords themselves.

23:31 <Sue> Can I make out a reasonable guess as to where he himself is, and just try to void him? Or would that be voiding a gift?

23:31 <Dionysus> Roll awareness.

23:47 <Dionysus> And feel revulsion from the gods within you.

23:47 <Sue> . o O ( Which one is it? )

23:48 <Dionysus> Both of them hate the Sword of Wealth.

---

In Uur Sodzul:

23:51 <Dionysus> It's like appearing on the inside of a rainbow.

23:52 <Dionysus> The sky is a swirl of stars & as far as the eye can see, but the ground is a vibrant field of void-color.

23:52 * Sue looks for a void temple and/or library.

23:52 <Dionysus> You can see the void-lights of a city not far away.

23:52 * Sue teleports there.

23:52 <Dionysus> Hehe.

23:52 <Dionysus> Tall, thin greater athaks all stare at you.

23:53 <Dionysus> One curses, "Abomination!" & points to the Sword.

23:53 <Sue> Well, crap.

23:53 <Dionysus> His language is very similar to your own.

23:53 <Sue> "I'm sorry, I'll be gone soon, but I need to find a library."

23:54 <Dionysus> "Preserve us!" "Someone save me!" "He's got magic!" "Stop him!" "My children!" "Library? That way! Please, don't hurt us!"

23:55 * Sue hastens to the library.

23:57 <Dionysus> Within, you find it mostly empty of people, except for a group of athak children huddled around an older greater athak. The books, scrolls, & documents line the walls & shelves in the thousands, & the place seems to be cooled by some unknown source.

23:58 <Dionysus> As you walk toward it, you also note that gravity is weaker here.

23:58 * Sue tries to hide the sword behind his back. "Please forgive me, but is there any information on astro-engineering here?"

23:59 * Sue says this when he gets into the library.

23:59 <Dionysus> The one leading the children says, "Perhaps. Children, continue wtiting up your characters. I will be write with you."

23:59 <Sue> hehe

23:59 <Dionysus> He walks over to you, "First, Voice of the Void, you should pick a Card." And he holds out a Card deck.

23:59 <Dionysus> s/write/right

00:00 <Sue> "Wha-? Okay." He obeys.

00:00 <Dionysus> Roll a d11 & a d10

00:00 <Sue> i have to go work

00:01 <Dionysus> The Card is redon both side. The gamemaster athak takes it & says, "Ahh, the Listener.

00:01 <Dionysus> I'll tell the story & you can come back to it

00:01 <Dionysus> "Once upon a time...

00:01 <Dionysus> "

00:02 <Dionysus> "A drow lef & a sidhe had a lovely daughter, whom they named after their own worshipful patron, though none know the true name she bears. She grew up in the nation of Galdun, an ancient & proud kingdom wherein espionage was not an unknown practice. Information was more valuable than gold there.

00:03 <Dionysus> "This changeling woman grew up an information broker, one of the best.

00:03 <Dionysus> "Until one day, she met a man called the Jack of Hearts.

00:04 <Dionysus> "This man wooed her & brought her into an intricate web of power, wherein she eventually ended up having to flee to Merukis, center of First Shem's commerce, to further her network

00:04 <Dionysus> "She there met a woman known as the Prophetess of the Webweaver, at the time, a mortal.

00:04 <Dionysus> "And the two instantly grew to hate each other.

00:04 <Dionysus> "The Prohetess moved overseas & built an empire, while the Listener stayed where she was & built her network.

00:05 <Dionysus> "Centuries passed, until the Listener & the Prophetess found their influence was evenly matched. Their spies engaged in a long, deadly game.

00:05 <Dionysus> "Which continues today."

00:05 <Dionysus> He hands you the Card, "Keep this. Read it, should you ever find yourself in trouble."

00:05 <Dionysus> And then he's gone. A librarian is nearby, asking you what you need.

00:06 <Sue> I'm actually still at my desk. this is St. Theresa, right?

00:06 * Sue is in a hurry to get a really good guide on astro-engineering.

00:06 <Dionysus> Yes.

00:06 <Sue> Can I read writing here?

00:07 <Dionysus> The writing is universally readable.

00:07 <Dionysus> /Arsul/ can read his Card.

00:07 <Dionysus> Oh, not the Card

00:07 <Sue> Sorry, I meant Greater Athak writing.

00:07 <Dionysus> The books

00:07 <Dionysus> Right, you can read it passably, unless I forgot & you voided the need to understand a language to read it.

00:08 <Sue> I'll figure it out when I'm back on Shem. Is it possible to get Everything You Need to Know About Astro-Engineering here?

00:09 <Dionysus> Roll... research, awareness, something appropriate.

00:10 <Dionysus> You find an astrophysics text that seems to cover the fundamentals & advanced courses.

00:11 * Sue takes it and returns to his point of origin.