Interlude 4 - The Trials - Raven's Resolve
“… and so, wi bilieve that should our proposal bi acciptid, the funding from the crown has thi potintial to vastly improve our rigion, which will in turn provide griatir access to the miniral risourcis of the Glintspire and surrounding mountains.”
There was a long pause as Raven pretended to consider Baroness Silver Vein’s proposal, giving the sharply dressed, gray skinned, silver haired, golden eyed earth-weaver woman a flat stare. She knew about the Baroness’s project, having read the documents describing her plans well over a month before their departure.
But that was information she had kept to herself. For a woman like Silver Vein, it was better to make her think she had the upper hand in the conversation and that Raven herself was ignorant of exactly what she wanted. Raven had to admit, the baroness’s plan was ambitious. Audacious even. And if the reports she’d submitted about the quality of the deposits in the region she was intending to mine were true, could indeed enrich those living in her region, and provide Solaria with a new source of tin, tungsten and tantalum.
She’d asked Roseluck about the baroness, and her assessment wasn’t a flattering one. Which had prompted Raven to dig deeper, including dispatching covert agents to investigate Silver Vein. Yet the auditors she’d sent came back with glowing reports on the baroness’s lands and operations. And, given the way that baroness was acting, she was aware of some of Raven’s, or at least the Crown’s, agents had been investigating her, and knew the sort of glowing reports they’d provided.
Which was exactly what Raven wanted, because it meant that her other, deeper cover agents had been able to dig into her with impunity, and insert themselves into her operation. And their reports were far less pleasing.
At the most basic, the baroness was clearly quite adept at maintaining the bare minimum level of acceptable standards of living for her serfs, while also hiding that was what she was doing from any pesky investigators. And all the while funneling as much money into her own coffers as possible. Her agents had even discovered that the baroness had been under-reporting her income to the crown and Roseluck, sending only 95% of the required tax on her operations to Rose’s Blossom and Heliopolis.
The woman was clever. Far too clever. She was also greedy, yet could keep it in check well enough to avoid most suspicion. Which was not a combination that Raven cared for in the least.
There was also the question of the region that the baroness wanted to develop. Raven had examined the maps, and the mines would be skirting dangerously close to a known cragadile nesting ground. If the baroness’s personality was any indication, she might easily provoke the volatile predators into attacking the operation by dumping waste sludge into the waterways they occupied without proper decontamination. Worse still, where there were a large number of cragadiles, there was a good chance there would also be a hydra or fen linnorm preying on them. Which was concerning, since no mention of the nesting ground, or any sort of survey of the region for the presence of either draconic predator, were found in the proposal.
There was also the ever present danger of digging too deeply and breaching into Skellweb. The region wasn’t known to have any entrances to the deep underground, but the undead were constantly expanding. Giving the Cult of Endless Decay easy access to hundreds of miners to serve as fresh materials for new undead, and an easy access route to the surface, was not a prospect Raven cared for.
Raven knew could easily deny the proposal with little consequence. It was a very large request, which she suspected would only partially go to improving and expanding her mines and rock-farm infrastructure like she claimed.
If the mines were operated with fire-caller purifiers to clean the waste properly and earth-weaver geomancers in place to ensure mine safety and prevent them from getting too close to any unknown branches of Skellweb, the mine could be operated safely and profitably. And the metal resources would be worth the investment from the crown, provided they were given their proper share in addition to the tax revenue.
There was also the potential for crown oversight that could come as a stipulation with the grant. The baroness could maintain the illusion of her operations being honest and well run when Raven’s attention was elsewhere, but by accepting the funding, she’d have to accept Heliopolan involvement. That would mean regular reports and accounting of where the money was spent, and regular inspections by Raven’s agents. Inspections that could ensure that the baroness wasn’t treating her citizens poorly, or making them work under unsafe conditions.
And if there were disparities found between her audits and what the baroness reported? Well, she’d learn just how poor an idea it was to defraud the crown, and abuse Queen Celestia’s generosity. Which in turn could help steer her operations into a better place, for her subjects, and for Solaria as a whole.
“I will admit, your proposal just now was an intriguing one,” Raven said with a slight nod after what would appear as a polite length of pause. She’d have to draft the counter proposal very carefully, and ensure that there were multiple layers of language to give the crown the leverage to hold the baroness accountable if she tried to embezzle the queen’s money, or skimp on the safety measures. “However, I will need to fully review your official documents when I return to Chromos and prepare the Crown’s response. The last few months have been rather busy, you understand.”
“Of course Lady Inkwill, I undirstand,” Baroness Silver Vein said with a friendly smile. Or at least, the smile of someone who had all but mastered the act of putting on the facsimile of a friendly smile when unhappy with an outcome. “If you’ll ixcuse mi, I’ll bi on my way.”
“Queen’s light upon you, baroness. I hope you enjoy the rest of the festival,” Raven said as the baroness politely bowed and took her leave.
Opportunistic blight hag, Dylis sent as he glared at the departing baroness.
Raven sent a feeling of gratitude towards her bondmate along with, I think if we do decide to fund her project, there are going to be a few extra strings attached to keep her more honest. And a more thorough report about the swamps to the north. No sense in provoking a linnorm if one’s in the area.
And put a few more agents and auditors in place.
Regretfully, I have to agree.
Raven took a slow drink of her frostcherry brandy, inspecting the assembled Eastern and Heliopolan nobles around her through Dylis’s ever watchful eyes. She could see the wheels turning in their heads whether they should take the baroness’s departure as their opportunity to approach her to make their own attempts at earning her favor or to make pleas regarding proposals they’d submitted to Chromos for funding.
A sudden spike of awareness came from Dylis as his attention turned towards something he sensed towards the other side of the plaza.
Amara’s coming, Dylis sent, sharing with Raven the feeling of his sister’s flame approaching.
Raven didn’t need to reply, instead simply held her arm up above her head. With a gust of wind and the sound of flapping wings, Amara landed on the upheld appendage.
“[What’s happened?]” Raven asked in the phoenix tongue as she lowered her arm to bring the phoenix to her and Dylis’s eye level. If Roseluck was sending Amara instead of coming herself, it was serious.
“[It’s Sunset],” Amara said frantically, turning on Raven’s forearm. “[There’s something wrong with her. She’s been acting odd all evening, and now, she can barely stand on her own. Roseluck’s going to take her ba…]”
Amara didn’t get to finish her sentence as a blood curdling shriek of terror filled the air.
One made with Sunset’s voice.
Raven, Amara and Dylis were in the air and speeding towards the sound without another word.
“[Amara, find General Sentry and have him prepare to deploy the sun-blades and lock the city down,]” Raven said, while simultaneously sending to Dylis, Find Spitfire.
Both phoenixes diverted course to find the other phoenix-born.
“NO!” she heard Sunset shout.
I’ve found Spitfire, Dylis sent, sharing with Raven the sight of the commander at the bar with a few of her sky-strikers, each of them on their feet and looking in the direction of Sunset’s terrified screams with surprise.
Tell her that we may need the sky-strikers in the air ASAP. I’ll confirm once I know what’s happening with Sunset.
“Stay back!”
The terror in Sunset’s voice spurred her on. Yet, she forced down her own fear for Sunset and her worry over why her student was screaming like she was being attacked. Instead, she focused on drawing up a memory of a peaceful evening with Dylis in her estate, the two of them enjoying tea while she read some of their favorite poetry to him, letting the feelings of relaxation and peace flow into her flame.
She could see Sunset now, the young girl’s eyes wild and her hair violently lashing out at Roseluck, who was keeping a safe distance back. Stopping in the air, Raven began to perform a full-body spell dance, letting the flame she’d fed with the feelings of peace ignite. As she danced, the flame rebelled, and rebelled hard, resisting the spell she was attempting to form it into.
Even for someone as adept at spell-craft as she was, shaping the flame into what she was attempting was difficult. More difficult than even her paralysis spell. But with how Sunset was acting, paralysis would only make things worse.
“GET AWAY!” Sunset screamed, before turning and attempting to flee.
Holding out her hand, Raven unleashed her spell, focusing it directly onto Sunset. Raven felt the spell wrap around Sunset, who briefly fought against its effect. Then, the spell burrowed through her defenses and took hold on her body, forcing her into a state of artificial slumber.
The moment Sunset collapsed to the ground, Roseluck was at her side, holding the sleeping girl to her body. Philomena landed on her bondmate’s chest, worried trills coming from her throat as she desperately nuzzled against Sunset’s face.
“What happened?” Raven asked as she approached, passing through the line of prominence knights.
“I don’t know,” Roseluck said in a pained, worried voice. “She said she was feeling lightheaded and needed to vomit, then just started screaming and attacked me.”
‘Not good,’ Raven thought.
“Philomena, did this come on suddenly?” Raven asked.
The young phoenix turned towards Raven and glared angrily, before shaking her head no.
‘That rules out most hexes and curses.’/ “Do you know why she was attacking Roseluck?”
A nod.
“Was she seeing things?”
A nod.
“Was she hearing things?”
Nod.
“Nod for seeing things first, shake for hearing things first.”
Shake.
“Did the light headedness come first?”
Another shake of her head.
‘So nausea first.’ / “Did the nausea build up over time.”
A nod.
“Did it begin when we were outside?”
A shake.
“After dinner before we got outside?’
A nod.
“Was it mild at first, then got stronger over time?”
A nod.
“And the hallucinations? Did those come on slowly?”
Philomena quirked her head.
“When she started hearing and seeing things. Did they begin to happen slowly like her nausea?”
A shake.
‘Hallucinations came on rapidly then. I was afraid of that,’ Raven thought, the said, “Roseluck, put the city under class-7 lockdown, and have Amara tell General Sentry to deploy the sun-blades. I suspect Sunset’s been poisoned.” Dylis, tell Spitfire we need the sky-strikers above the city as quickly as she can manage. I don’t want anyone getting out by air if we can help it.
Nodding, Roseluck began to get to her feet.
“Captain,” Raven said to the prominence knight leader, “take Sunset back to Roseluck’s estate. She is to be guarded at all times. Do not let anyone other than Philomena, Roseluck or myself and our bondmates near her. If her friends Lily Valley or Flower Wishes try to enter, warn them that they cannot see her, and gently remove them from the premises. Inform the staff of the estate that nobody is to approach her other than the people I’ve designated. Anyone else attempting to reach her is to be killed on sight, no questions asked.”
“Yes, Lady Inkwell,” the captain’s three members said in unison.
Roseluck gently handed Sunset over to one of the sky-runner knights, who took to the air along with every colaurata and plumed serpent, Philomena opting to remain on Sunset’s chest instead of flying under her own power. The remaining sun-gazer portions of the knights began to make their way out of the plaza and towards Roselucks’ mesa.
As soon as Sunset was safely away, Roseluck began to perform a full-body spelldance.
Spitfire’s on her way to the barracks, as is Steel, Dylis sent. Vestian, Akari and Amara are with me. We’re heading to the Hidden Grove south of Roseluck’s manor. I’ll tell you when we arrive.
Good, Raven sent.
“Roseluck, when you’re done, I want you to watch over Sunset. Inform me when she wakes up. I will send a messenger to the kirintal and inform them that there has been an incident, that we’re locking down the city, and that for their safety, they aren’t to leave the plateau until we give them the all clear.”
“Understood,” Roseluck said as she completed her spell-dance, a sphere of blue light having formed in her right hand. Lifting the sphere into the air, the flare launched itself high into the sky, then detonated in a brilliant blue flash that could be seen throughout the city. As the light poured down, three things happened simultaneously: every flower in Rose’s Blossom changed color to match the blue of the flare, the night air was filled with a strange, wooden howling sound coming from across the city, and the nobles at the gathering began to shout in confusion, demanding to know what was happening.
“Everyone!” Raven called, her authoritative presence extending outward in a wave that cowed the sun-gazers present. “The city is now under crown authority, and a strict curfew is in effect. Return to your accommodations in an orderly manner and wait for further instructions from myself or the other phoenix-born. Roselucks’ timberwolves and rangers will escort you.”
Raven could see on the faces of most of the Heliopolans and Easterners not from the city that they wanted to protest, but couldn’t muster the will to do so under the crushing pressure of her aura. The locals were far calmer, simply nodding and beginning to exit the plaza.
“I’m heading back,” Roseluck said, floating into the air and preparing to fly off. “Once Sunset is secure, I’ll go through the standard anti-toxin spells I know. Maybe one of them will help.”
“Good. If I find anything, I’ll have Dylis inform Amara,” Raven said, turning towards the banquet hall and striding off purposefully, the sound of Rosleuck’s rapid ascent coming from behind. Despite her haste, she calmly opened the doors and entered the building, closing the doors behind her and locking them.
“Eyes, attend me,” Raven said to the open air of the corridor.
As soon as the words left her throat, seven figures appeared as though passing through a heat mirage. All of them were dressed in white, form-fitting suits and sun-touched masks that hid all of their features, save for four who had glowing, radiant wings. Of the seven, the one at the forefront stood out for the glowing eye emblazoned on their mask.
“I suspect Sunset was poisoned during dinner. You are to find whoever is responsible. If you can apprehend them, do so. If not, inform either myself, General Sentry or Commander Spitfire,” Raven said in a clipped tone as she folded her arms behind her back. “Make haste. The perpetrator has a significant head start.”
“As you command, Lady Inkwell,” the lead Eye said, making a series of hand gestures. The other Eyes nodded and faded from sight. Yet, the lead eye remained, their posture tight and angry.
“Is there something you want to add, Dawn Wings?” Raven asked the last remaining Eye.
Dawn Wings was quiet for a few seconds. Even through the spy-mistress’s uniform, Raven could tell that the sky-runner was trying to control her breathing to remain calm.
“I… I’m sorry, Raven,” Dawn Wings said, her fury clear through the distortion of her mask. “I will make this up to you, I swear.”
“Dawn Wings, don’t let your anger make this personal,” Raven said, her expression softening as she approached her friend. “How many attempts did you help Steel stop in just the last day?”
Dawn Wings shook her head, then looked down at her balled fists.
“Doesn’t matter. One got past us.”
“And the ones responsible will pay. We will see to that. If you want to make it up to me, find out who they are, and which of our enemies they’re working for.”
Dawn Wings unclenched her fists and took a deep breath, before straightening up and giving Raven a curt nod, then turning away and vanishing like her Eyes.
*****
Raven found herself in two places at once. One was in her temporary office in the Rose’s Blossom inner-city barracks, reports coming in at a steady pace from the local authorities and the Eyes. The other was a small, secure cove on Roseluck’s mesa, the dozen perathet trees in its center surrounded on all sides by awoken razor-thorn vines. At the heart of the grove was a single, rune-covered lightstone pushing back the dark of the night with its radiance. And in the branches of the lethally toxic trees were Dylis, Vestian, Amara and Akari. Any other living creature would have succumbed to the tree’s lethal vapors and toxic bodies, yet the phoenixes were unaffected by the lethal poison the trees were exuding.
She could feel Dylis’s agitation coming through their bond, but didn’t close herself off the sensation. She knew that he was feeling her own frustration just as fiercely. It was one of the few true comforts she had left in her life, knowing that no matter what she was feeling, she could share it honestly and openly with her bondmate, and that he knew she would do the same for him.
“[Steel, Spitfire, report,]” Dylis said, conveying Raven’s words to the other phoenixes, and their bondmates.
“[Curfew is in full effect, Raven,]” Vestian said. “[Roselucks’ timberwolves and my sun-blades have the streets secured. We’ve made a few arrests. Mostly non-residents trying to sneak out to see what’s going on. I’ve had them detained and sent to the local jail.]”
“[Any casualties?]” Amara asked.
“[A few. Some of them resisted, but we let your wolves handle them,]” Vestian said matter of factly, before his tone of voice shifted slightly. “[None of the idiots are dead, by the way. Just a little roughed up.]”
“[Thank you, Vestian,]” Dylis said irritably, before letting Raven’s words come through again. “[Spitfire, what about on your end?]”
“[There haven’t been any attempts to escape the city from the sky,]” Akari added, “[but we’re spread pretty thin. We’re doing our best, but there’s only so much air we can cover with how few of us were allowed to attend.]”
“[Do what you can, commander,]” Dylis said. “[Roseluck, any updates on Sunset’s condition?]”
There was a pause as Amara shifted in the branches of the tree.
“[She’s awake,]” Amara said, “[at first, she was hysterical, screaming and crying constantly. But now… now she’s just sitting there. I don’t think she’s aware of what’s going on around her anymore. But from the look on her face, whatever she’s seeing is torture.]”
Raven and Dylis saw Amara look towards the manor, her expression becoming forlorn.
“[Roseluck tried every anti-toxin spell she knows, but none of them are doing a thing,]” Amara said, the cadence of her voice shifting. “[We can feel Nitor’s heart being drawn in, as if Sunset is trying to use it to fight off the poison, but it keeps withdrawing. And if her mind is under attack too, there’s nothing we can do to help unless we figure out what they gave her.]”
“[Has Philomena been able to give you any insight into what Sunset’s seeing?]”
“[Only a little,]” Amara admitted with a sad shake of her head. “[She can’t speak enough of our tongue to really explain anything. All that we’ve been able to discern is that it has something to do with Golden Tree and the people there.]”
That’s not good, Dylis sent. That means whatever’s attacking her is using her memories and feelings as a weapon.
That doesn’t narrow it down much. There are any number of poisons or drugs that could do that, especially if they’re magically augmented, Raven sent. And that’s just assuming harmony magic. If there’s chaos magic involved…
“[We might have some good news on our end,]” Dylis said. “[Three of the servers and one of the chefs have gone missing. Of them, the two servers and chef have been found. Or rather, their bodies have been found. The Eyes are tracking the final server down as we speak.]”
“[Who?]” Amara asked.
“[A young sky-runner woman by the name Windy Skies. According to her records, she’s been in your employ for at least eight years,]” Dylis said.
“[I remember her. She was the one who was attending our table,]” Amara said. “[I never interacted with her much, but from the few we’ve had, she didn’t strike me as someone who’d be capable of something like this.]”
“[Then I hope for her sake that she’s innocent,]” Dylis said, then addressed Vestian. “[Steel, once the Eyes track her down, we may need your help to apprehend her. Involved or not, her disappearance and the deaths of the other three is too much of a coincidence to ignore.]”
“[Weren’t your precious prominence knights checking everything she ate?]” Vestian asked.
Both Raven and Dylis bristled at the question, knowing that it was an accusation.
“[Yes. But if it got past them, it’s something that we’ve never encountered before,]” Dylis responded for Raven, before adding his own thoughts. “[Even you have been caught off guard by the unexpected. Of have you forgotten what happened when you first faced Reeka and Draggle?]”
There was a tense silence as Vestian narrowed his eyes angrily.
“[Point taken,]” Vestian hissed.
“[Not to interrupt, but we’re forgetting something,]” Akari cut in, drawing everyone’s attention. “[This whole thing is unfortunately very well planned out if they actually managed to get to Sunset. And if I was in their shoes, and was trying to get out, I’d have accounted for both the air and streets not being an option. Which means they may have tried to go underground. Flower girl, have there been a breach in the rootshield?]”
“[No, there haven’t,]” Amara said. “[Nor has there been any substantial contact with its life-burn field since the shield finished growing. Getting out that way is impossible.]”
“[No barrier is completely impassable, Roseluck,]” Vestian said. “[But at least it's good to know that there haven’t been any attempted breaches.]”
“[That’ve been detected at least,]” Akari added.
“[That’s enough,]” Dylis said forcefully, before addressing Vestian. “[In your assessment, who do you think is responsible out of the groups that have made attempts on Sunset so far?]”
“[It’s only been the Gold-sun Syndicate that's made any organized attempts on her. Everyone else has been freelance hired blades. Of the latter that we managed to take alive, we couldn’t determine who hired them, since they were cagey enough not to directly meet with their hired assassins. And we couldn’t interrogate the Gold-sun members. They took their own lives before we could capture them,]” Vestian said. “[But, given that they actually got past both the Eyes and my agents, there are only three groups that I can think of that have the resources and patiences to pull something like this off: the changelings, the Cult of Endless Decay and the shadow-stalkers.]”
Raven found herself frowning.
“[That was my assessment too,]” Dylis said. “[Who do you think is the most likely among those three?]”
Vestian paused to allow Steel to gather his thoughts.
“[Of the three, the changelings have the capacity, but not an obvious motive. Mad as she is, Chrysalis wouldn’t risk a war with us. The Bitch Queen is cunning though, and could easily cover her tracks if she was involved. Or implicate another group,]” Vestian said gravely. “[The problem is this doesn’t feel like her style. Aside from potentially starting a changeling hunt, it’d be a waste of an invaluable resource. She’d be more likely to try kidnapping and replacing Sunset to convert her into a changeling princess.]”
“[Thankfully, we haven’t given her any sort of opening to do something like that. And even if she could replace Sunset, Philomena would know immediately that the impostor wasn’t the real one. And if Philomena wasn’t around, we’d know something was wrong,]” Dylis siad. “[So the changelings are unlikely to be involved. At least by themselves. What about the others?]”
“[If it’s the Endless Decay, I’d say that means Nightcrawler’s risen again,]” Vestian hissed, the thought of D’compose’s creation causing licks of flame to flow over his body. “[It has been over a century since Steel and I last killed him, so he’s overdue to return. And, he not only has the skill needed to make the kinds of poison that could affect a young phoenix-born, he’s got the patience to set up such a plan. If it is him, we wouldn’t be surprised if he hired some of the assassins that’ve made attempts on Sunset to distract us from the real poisoned needle in his other hand.]”
“[And if Windy Skies is in league with him and the Cult, it means that he’s been planting members of the Cult behind our lines without our noticing for years,]” Akari added gravely.
“[Nightcrawler wouldn’t think twice about engaging in such a long term gambit, nor would his followers object to a suicide mission if it meant killing one or all of us. I’d say that makes the Cult a very likely suspect,]” Dylis said, before asking,“[And the shadow-stalkers?]”
“[Honestly, they’re the least and most likely at the same time,]” Vestian admitted. “[They have the skills and toxicological knowledge needed to execute a plan like this. But, at the same time, everyone who enters the city and serves on Roseluck’s staff is regularly given color-blotch testing, so it's unlikely a true shadow-stalker could have come in the front door.]”
“[Doesn’t mean that one couldn’t sneak in another way,]” Amara added solemnly. “[And it's not impossible that a spectre could enthrall someone and use them as a sleeper agent to do their dirty work. And it would mean they wouldn’t even have to put themselves in danger to do so.]”
“[The question would be ‘why?’]” Dylis asked. “[The Umbrum know better than to provoke us so blatantly. So unless The King of Shadows feels that she’s a threat that makes her removal worth risking our reprisal, we can’t imagine them making the attempt.]”
“[That’s the problem,]” Vestian said with a shake of his head. “[Of the Three, The Shadow King has always been the most inexplicable, even prior to his fall. Whenever I’ve spoken with Queen Celestia about her brother’s tactics, she has admitted that he was an odious mystery whose mind was an impenetrable thicket. Even to herself and the Traitor.]”
Out of the corner of his eye, Dylis and Raven saw Amara beginning to look uncomfortable, as though Roseluck were asking her to say something she didn’t like.
“[Roseluck wants me to say that there’s… another group that might have done it,]” Amara finally admitted. “[Spoiled and her allies tried to provoke Sunset into a fight earlier today. And Ruby Prism, Amethyst Mirage and Vladamir Blueblood have enough reason to want Sunset dead. Many of the nobles in Heliopolis already hate her for being an outsider and a foundling. And they have the money and resources they’d need to make it happen, including either buying off of blackmailing Windy into poisoning Sunset.]”
“[That is a serious accusation, Roseluck,]” Vestian said, his tone shifting dangerously as he glared at his sister. “[You’re suggesting that members of the nobility would be willing to attempt the murder of a phoenix-born.]”
“[We know,]” Amara said, looking Vestian in the eyes. “[But fourteen of them, including the head of the Council of Light, were willing to blaspheme to such a degree that Queen Celestia felt it appropriate to use mourning glories on them. It's not impossible to imagine that others would be capable of something like this. At the very least the attempts not made by the Gold-sun Syndicate seem like something a baron or higher could fund.]”
Dylis and Raven remained silent, their attention shifting between the other phoenixes as what Roseluck had just said sank in. Vestian was all but unreadable, though they could tell that he was displeased with the thought, though exactly why she could only venture a guess. Amara, by contrast, looked unhappy about having to voice such an accusation. And finally, there was Akari, who looked distracted in the way Amara had just moments before, likely because she and Spitfire were having their own silent conversation.
“[Spitfire wants me to add that it’s possible it was the kirintal,]” Akari said forcefully, drawing the attention of the others. “[Their isolationists have been pushing them to withdraw from the alliance and re-seal their borders with increasing frequency, according to their own diplomats. What better way to prove to the Arbiters that we’re weak and unworthy allies than having one of our newest ascendants die within the first year of her ascension under our watch. And they have the herbalistic knowledge needed to make some new poison that Raven’s knights couldn’t detect.]”
“[Spitfire, how dare you accuse the kiritnal of such treachery?]” Amara hissed as she shot a hot glare at Akari. “[You have no proof that they’d do anything like that. And lest we forget, they’ve made a promise to honor our alliance…]”
“[…so long as the Arbiters believe that it is beneficial to both of our people,]” Akari interrupted, shooting Amara an equally searing hot glare, “[or have you forgotten the terms of the treaty that Queen Celestia and the Arbiters penned?]”
“[And you think the Council of Light is more trustworthy? At least the kirintal honor their agreements. Unlike certain members of the Council, who’d sell their own children if it got them more power.]”
“[That’s enough! Both of you!]” Dylis screeched, silencing both Amara/Roseluck and Akari/Spitfire. “[As much as I hate to admit it, you both bring up a logical argument. But fighting amongst ourselves won’t help us find the culprit. Or save Sunset.
“[For now, we need to focus on capturing the assassin or at least figuring out what they used on Sunset. Roseluck, I want you to stay with her and do everything you can to keep her stable and alive. Steel, I’ll send you a list of known Gold-sun Syndicate members and sympathizers within Rose’s Blossom. Have a few of your soldiers bring them in for questioning.]”
“[Understood, Raven.]”
“[Spitfire, do what you can to keep the sky covered. We can deploy some sun-blade and ranger sky-runners to assist when you need to rotate out your sky-strikers. I’m also going to send Nefrathel and his mates assist you.]”
Akari didn’t immediately respond, but from the look in her eyes, she and Spitfire were discussing the idea.
“[Normally I don’t like working with amateurs, or wyverns, but I can make an exception under these circumstances,” Akari finally said. “[Are they going to listen to me?]”
“[You shouldn’t have any problems with our rangers,]” Amara said. “[They know how to follow orders.]”
“[I’ll hold you to that, Flower girl,]” Akari said tersely, then addressed Dylis, asking, “[And the wyverns? Are they going to obey my commands, or do I need their handlers too?]”
“[I’d suggest including their handlers. Saetha and the other drakianas are tame enough to listen to you, but Nefrathel tends to be unruly with people he doesn’t know.]”
Once again, Akari paused as if in discussion with Spitfire, before finally saying, “[We can work with that, so long as their handler understands that we’re in charge.]”
“[They’re sun-touched. That should tell you all you need to know,]” Dylis said. “[Vestian, Akari, you can go to aid your bondmates if you want. Amara and I will remain here. We’ll reconvene here in an hour, unless something comes up.]”
Both Vestian and Akari gave Dylis a quick nod, then spread their wings and took to the air, presumably to rejoin their bondmates. Leaving only Amara and Dylis in the grove.
“[She’ll make it through this, Roseluck,]” Dylis said. “[I believe in you. And her.]”
“[Roseluck says she should get back to Sunset,]” Amara said, before looking away guiltily. “[I’m… going to go too, if you don’t mind. I want to be with Philomena.]”
Dylis nodded, then simply said, “[Go.]”
Amara gave Dylis a grateful trill, then took to the air.
Leaving the two of them alone in the grove.
Reaching out, Raven felt a silent signal from Dylis that they were alone, and that it was safe. The moment he did, Raven let her mental defenses drop. A wave of white-hot anger and grief erupted in her mind, as did painful feelings of defeat and exhaustion. She could feel Dylis accepting the tide of negative emotions through their link, allowing Raven to vent her frustrations and inner turmoil while still maintaining her outer mask of calm indifference. It was something he’d done thousands of times over their millenia of life, just as she had for him.
Slowly, the feelings burnt themselves out, dimming to a low burn instead of the raging inferno that they’d been moments before. As they died down, she sent feelings of gratitude through their link. Dylis in turn opened his link to her more fully, letting his love for her flow outward and into his bondmate. The inflow of this positive emotion helped to quench the last of her inner turmoil.
We’ll find who’s responsible, Dylis sent, his own righteous indignation sparking up.
I know, Raven sent, her own anger starting to ignite again. But this shouldn’t have happened in the first place. Sunset wasn’t ready to leave Mt. Liakeed. The fact that poison even worked on her at all is proof enough of that.
We didn’t have a choice, Dylis sent sympathetically. We could never have foreseen this sort of circumstance when the treaty was penned.
That doesn’t make it any easier. Raven took a deep breath, centering herself and letting the anger smolder and die down. We’ll just need to trust Sunset and Philomena are strong enough to hold on until we can figure out what she’s been given.
I’m sure she can. Kid’s too stubborn not to.
Let’s just hope that stubbornness isn’t what’s going to end up killing her.
We’ll figure this out, Raven. And once we do, we’ll make an example out of whoever did this, Dylis sent, fraternal instincts flaring to life at the thought of incinerating whoever dared to hurt his little sister and her bondmate. Through the link, Raven sent feelings of reassurance that she shared the sentiment. The only question is what condition will Sunset be in when we do?
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Hell yeah
A poison that makes her see and hear something horrible she probably going have ptsd now poor kid.
She just begun to accept that her life as she knew it is over and she has to walk a new path that she never imagined. She trying to manage but she is just not ready for this level of responsibility.
*grinds teeth in anger*
Whoever did this to Sunset.... there's gonna be hell to pay...
11613709
Agreed. She's still just an orphan from the western boonies after all. Give her whatever title you like, but it doesn't change the fact.
great chapter hope to see one like this again where they talk the way they did in this chapter
11613768
Yeah they are in too much of hurry to have her ready for some reason when she still thinking like a kid instead of politician.
You should uh probably fix the chapter titles. I think this should be interlude 4. Also, the capitalization of the titles is pretty inconsistent and its been bugging me xd.
Well, in the last chapter I guessed that this was revenge for Highblood, so I'm going to continue to stick with that guess.
I suspect that someone went to the place of HIghblood's execution and harvested some of the mourning glory to use for poison. It said in an earlier chapter that mourning glories are created by magic and they have only been used once before. If they don't occur naturally and have only been created twice then they would not be among the poisons that the phoenix-born are are familiar with, so it would make sense that they couldn't identify the poison and the usual remedies wouldn't work.
11613704
Glad ya' enjoyed.
11613709
I'll be honest with ya, a lot of what Sunset's going through draws from my own experiences in life. Not exactly like hers, mind. Rather, being thrown into situations that I have had no way to prepare for, and had to find my way while being overwhelmed by everything going on around me. If I'm conveying that uncertainty and pain, then I'm doing my job.
11613756
Without spoiling anything, when the one who's responsible is found, they're going to learn that even the gentlest people can be absolutely vicious when they have reason to be.
11613768
11613809
Yup. And, as Raven pointed out, she wasn't ready to leave Mt. Liakeed, but she had to because of diplomatic obligations. Had Sunset's ascension not been screwed up by HIghblood et al., and there wasn't the looming requirement of having to attend the Festival, Raven and Queen Celestia would have been able to take their time with her.
11613777
Thank you. Honestly, I like writing this style of dialog. It's just at this stage, Phoenix-born doesn't lend itself to it outside these interludes because Sunset doesn't have the skill to pull it off yet.
11613911
I think they should be fixed now.
11613918
It's as good a guess as any regarding the culprit, and the source of the poison.
11613994
Yeah but it would have been easier if they spent time preparing her for these visits instead trying to make her ready to be an immortal ruler who would work directly under Celestia. Work on the visits then hurry and get those done so that they can get the rest of her lessons hopefully before she has go be a diplomat
I’m still wonder if it might be poison infused with some sort of dark magic, thus making it harder to handle and identify. And poor sunset. I can’t even imagine what she must be seeing. I hope that they can help her soon. At this point, it might be worth bringing her friends to the capital so that they can help sunset recover from whatever this is.
So they can use their bondmates as fast action, two way radios. That's useful and a major tactical advantage. Hmmm, who done it hmmmm... And there had already been OTHER attempts. Sheeeesh. Ignorance truly is bliss.
Plot twist, it was Philomena pulling a prank by having her eat a worm that turned out to be poisonous
Does the Gold-sun Syndicate already been mentioned Somewhere? If not, I would be interested to know more on a, apparently, Solarian organisation so dead-set on killing theyre godess chosen.
Also didn't Raven have an amps that basicaly extract the truth from peoples ? Shouldn't be a problem to get the employers of the surviving assassins.
11613994
Roseluck is going to bring out the scary amps isn't she...
11614180
If it was the CoED, there's a good chance that there's chaos magic involved. As for what she's experiencing, that's in the cards for the next chapter.
11614195
I try to consider practical applications to things that I create, so it was a logical application to their link.
As for the other attempts, yup. There were a total of five, two by the Gold-sun, and three by 'freelance.' They didn't get within 100 meters of her before they were apprehended.
11614342
If that was the case, Philomena would be devastated.
11614387
Gold-sun wasn't mentioned because Sunset's the POV character, and there was no reason that she'd know about them yet. As for who they are, think of them as both an organized crime cartel and heretical religious sect. The Gold-sun believe that the induced immortality of the phoenix-born as blasphemous and unnatural, since they weren't born with immortality like Celesita or Lumina. Essentially, they want the pheonix-born gone because they believe that Celestia is the only one fit to rule Solaria.
Edit: Another reason why the Gold-sun dislike the induced immortality of the pheonix-born is brecause it's too much like the chaos-based immortality of the undead. At least as far as they're concerned.
That's where things get tricky. The amp only compels truth. If the assassin doesn't know who hired them, they can't convey that information.
I mean, Rose is very fond of Sunset, and this happened in her city. And depending on who did it, she's going to have varying degrees of history with them.
I do like the idea that people have actually taken their shot at Sunset without her ever being aware. It puts a lot of perspective on how the other Phoenixborn perceive her attitude about the whole thing. Granted, a lot of that attitude comes from genuine ignorance because nobody bothers to properly explain things. They're all too used to competing with each other that even when united in common cause they aren't actually working together. At this point, keeping secrets is as natural as breathing and the entire idea of actually explaining the whole truth is anathema.
For some reason it never occurred to me that there were undead in this setting. Interesting to have that on the table now.
The phoenixes themselves have been promoted from shoulder angels to walky talkies! That is honestly one of my favorite things about this story now.
11615098
There was also a far less sinister reason that Raven and Rose were keeping Sunset in the dark: they wanted her to be able to have fun at the festival without being constantly afraid. There was little she could do to stop anything coming her way, so why make her worry? Let her keep some of her innocence.
Yup. All undead on Nitor are chaos derived, and can trace their existence (directly or indirectly) back to D'compose. They were a major part of the Skellweb crisis, and one of the reasons that the conflict was so bloody.
The phoenixes being used for long-distance communication wasn't something I thought of when I created phoenix-born, but when I thought about the nature of their link, it made sense that they'd be able to do it. They tend not to because they don't like treating their bondmates like that. But in a time of crisis? The phoenixes are more than happy to help.
Silver Vein's accent is... a choice.
Oh dear. I hadn't realized that your world had that much Depth to it.
Well, there's a thought to keep one up at night. Also, credit to Steel for not bashing Sunset over the head with that information. As we've seen, the man is capable of nuance and delicacy.
Good/horrifying to know that that's a possibility.
I do appreciate the subtle note of one of the issues with a council of immortals: They're so used to facing the same threats over the centuries that they can neglect to consider new developments. There's a first time for everything, after all, especially when the nobility's shown unprecedented boldness enough to try hijacking the phoenix hatching for their own ends.
But who did it, while important, is secondary to the big question, one that Raven's also asked: Just what shape will Sunset be in by the time she recovers? (And she will recover. It'd be awfully anticlimactic if she didn't.
)
11616515
One doesn't survive in politics or the military without being able to do so. And, well, a*****e that he is, he knows when someone isn't capable of handing information.
There's a long blog-post about the changelings that I could do, but the short of it is that the queen is the only individual capable of giving birth to new changelings. However, all of her offspring are completely sterile, like worker bees or ants. In order to create a new princess, which can replace the existing queen if she dies, the changelings must kidnap and transform another sentient. The ritual itself is quite long, and not only requires months to complete, but the death of at least twenty regular changelings. While the ritual wipes the mind of the new changeling, they do retain their magic potential and any powers they had before. So, if Chrysalis were to convert Sunset into a changeling, she'd have not only Sunset's prodigious magic potential, but her phoenix-born powers as well.
Yup. Now, whether it's the nobility or not is another story.
Thinking on it, it would actually be pretty cool if General Sentry helps Sunset to recover after the poison wears off. Like, she starts to doubt her abilities and fears for the safety of those she loves, be he admits that he also has fears, but he uses them to work harder and become stronger rather than let them consume him. No idea if that would happen, but it would make for an interesting interaction between them.
11617068
I honestly have been considering something like that, since not only does Steel deal with things like that with his soldiers, he's also been a father (and grandfather, and great grandfather). It's just a question of whether Sunset would accept his help.
11617129
That is a good point. Given what she's going to have been through, maybe Raven or even Roseluck might try to convince her to at least hear him out given how he has likely fought some of the most terrifying enemies that exist in this world.
An interesting predicament indeed. They've considered blackmail, brainwashing and bribery, but what about blame projecting? Grief can be a strong weapon too.
IF, and that's a big if Windy Skies was connected to one of the other potential candidates, some of whom we discovered had "accidents" arranged for them. How hard would it be to persuade her into believing that the one who made it is at least partially to blame.
Something along the lines of "why was she kept safe when (insert name here) was killed"?
11618381
While I won't confirm or deny what you've said is involved, that is an astute observation of a possible motive.
11618989
Well that's why I said "a big if". I know it's just another theory, and thank you.
11619277
Of course.
The story depresses me because it shows how low humans will sink for personal advancement.
11630510
Hopefully it isn't all depressing. I do try to aim to both uplift and depress.
11636021
I mean, it's not 'a lot'. It's asking to fail. Obviously Sunset's precocious, and raised in a society that expects children to shoulder more at a younger age, but she's ten. Her brain's still only ten years old, it's only so developed. They tell her to get a handle on her temper, and expect her to be a Vulcan in a month. It's pretty silly to get mad at a child for throwing a tantrum. Taking her to a state dinner where the visiting diplomats would apparently take offense from a child, when you know she has a temper as well as knowing she's upset with you is just... Yeah. Granted she's 2000(?)+ years old so the concept of a child might be pretty abstract to her at this point, but still.
It's going to be interesting seeing which side of the coin Raven falls on as this situation unfolds. I'd like to think she's the type that can acknowledge her own failings, but I don't have that good of a handle on her yet. I guess it's going to come down to weighing appearances vs. alienating Sunset further. Humanizing herself in Sunset's eyes would probably end up being a double-edged sword, since she still needs to retain her authority over Sunset as one of her teachers and her superior in the Solarian hierarchy. Pushing authority on Sunset never seems to work out well, though.
Anyway, onwards
11636052
That's fair. Though, Raven has seen Sunset control her temper effectively at the phoenix-rite training. The problem is I don't think Raven's really accounting for Sunset's separation anxiety and exactly how much she's missing her oath-sisters and Golden Tree. After all, none of the previous ascensions have had to happen the way Sunset's did, so Raven's in uncharted waters now. And for someone that's, as you pointed out, around 2000 years old, she's a little unprepared for exactly what's going on.
11636092
Well, I'd say that during the Phoenix Right Sunset had a better grasp of the consequences of her actions. A lot of the time it seems like Raven has only really been drilling these facts into Sunset after she's made her missteps. Sunset obviously doesn't grasp the gravity of her situation yet. She's literally avoiding coming to terms with not being a regular girl anymore. Honestly it's almost comical how she derides the nobles for not living up to their responsibilities, while doing practically the same thing. Of course, in Sunset's case she's doing it half out of ignorance.
Guess we'll see if Sunset and Raven can come to terms before Sunset really kicks the hornet's nest.
Truly a great story, and I really enjoy reading it.
(Also, is it concerning that I just started to develop Marksist/Stallionist beliefs from this?)
11646966
Thank you, I'm glad you're enjoying it.
Regarding your second question, potentially. I'm curious as to what exactly you mean, because if you drill down into it, Marxism is just as oppressive as feudalism, if not more so.
11646994
Well, I do not mean it as in IRL. I do not support communism because I know the things that were done in its name. And I do agree that it is a very opressing ideology.
What I truly support are the original principles. A society where somebody does not inherit a better or worse status. Where social status is based upon ones contribution to society. Where everyone is provided with the same opportunities. Where people do not fight each other to implement what they consider is right, but work together to merge everyone's ideas into something that benefits everyone in some way. That is true harmonious socialism.
That is what I believe is the true Perfect Society. Where everyone can be what they want to be, and is accepted for it. That is what people of power would never understand.
I know this is an impossible thing, but I believe still one should strive towards it.
And the reason the story gives me this feeling is that seeing people like the nobles, who believe only they are worthy (and btw saying that someone [Non-Heliopolians/commoners] is not worthy because of the group they belong to sounds pretty akin to n*zi thoughts to me) just makes me want to change that. In the real world. To make a real impact.
Yeah, I got a bit carried away, didn't I? 😅
Anyways, I will most eagerly follow your story - it truly gave me a great source of enjoyment.
11647035
Not at all. I enjoy hearing people's perspectives.
I agree. We should strive for democratic socialism. Thing is, democratic socialism and Marxism are quite different. (See here)
Not sure if you've read any of the comments section, but Selenia (Luna's kingdom) does have… not a Marxist society, but a viciously meritocratic one. Nobody has a familial advantage because every child born is given up to the state and raised in a communal home. Not that there are families either, because marriage also forbidden. As they grow, children are given aptitude tests to determine which guild they enter, and what path they are encouraged to pursue. There is no money used in Selenia, as the resources you gain, and the privelages you earn, are based solely on your ability. But, if you are incapable of earning status through achievement, the resources allowed to you are limited.
I'd probably equate it more to classism. While they may look down on non-Heliopolans, they aren't advocating for their deaths on the grounds of perceived impurity or suffering. One of the most insidious aspects of the Reich and it's allies was that they espoused not only their own personal superiority, but laid the blame for the suffering of their people on the heads of "the other." They used the fallout of The Great War to lay blame on another group (several in fact), to give them a foe to fight against, and someone to hate without any remorse. As awful as Steel and many of the Heliopolans are, they don't reach the level of wanting to exterminate the "dirt-eaters."
11647140
Indeed, you are right.
What I meant by that is that their view strongly does resemble that of the ideology of the Third Reich. As in: There is a group of perfect people on top, who are the chosen, the Übermensch [The Heliopolian nobles/The leadership and core of the NSDAP]. Then there is the Volk, on who the leaders look down with contempt, they believe they are not worthy and capable to rule themselves, or to even know what is good for them, but they are still pure in their race [Non-noble Heliopolians/German people]. And then there are everyone who is not these, who are enemies. The other Germanic peoples [Danes, Norweges, Dutch, English/non-Heliopolian Solarians] with whom they are ostensibly brothers, but were made enemy, the foreigners with whom they saw collaboration as an unfortunately necessary measure, but they clearly viewed them as brutes and lower races [Slavs/Solarian allies] and then there is the big enemy who must be destroyed without mercy [Jews/Selenia].
It is not their policies, but rather their views that I saw as something that can be compared to the national socialist views in a certain way.
11647304
But instead of turning this into a political discussion forum, I think I will now go, and try to write down a few ideas on how a certain group would appear in the story: The Griffs. Because boy I do have a lot of ideas here. Wonder how right I will be.
11647140
How do the Selenians prevent people from forming families and wanting to keep children? Sure, there are plenty of people IRL who don't want to marry or raise kids, but there are loads of people who do feel a strong need to partner with another person. And if a woman gives birth and wants to keep the child do they force it from her?
I'm thinking of the society from "The Giver" where Birthmothers are selected to bear children, and then the children are taken to the Nurturing Center to be cared for by trained Nurturers. The assigned Birthmothers never see the children they bear, and they are conditioned by their society to think of giving birth as just another job. But in that society they use hormone suppressants to affect people's natural urges, and even so people who do feel the desire to raise children can apply for one from the Nurturing Center. Parenting is such a strong natural urge for some people that I have a hard time believing that, even with societal conditioning, eveyone would be okay with giving up their children.
I really dislike that our real-world society places so much importance on marrying and raising a family, since there are plenty of people (myself included) who simply don't want to, but a society that forbids it seems like it would just inspire a lot of rebellion.
11654447
There's a lot to unpack to answer that question, so I'll do my best to do so coherently.
When I was conceiving of Selenia and the night-weaver's culture, the core starting point to all of it was near absolute meritocracy. Everything about their culture came from that concept, and must be viewed through it.
The first part of enforcing that meritocracy was the elimination of money and personal property. Selenians have spaces and possessions that are theirs exclusively, but they don't own anything. Instead, there is a resource allowance system that determines what you are granted access to by Luna via the state as her proxy through your guild and rank within that guild. Your food, clothes, home, access to entertainment, etc. is all granted based on these two factors. This is the first way that the Seleneians did away with their need for family units, because there is nothing to pass down. Not even social status.
Another is a very open view of sex and sexuality. In a way, it's a lot like Brave New World (minus the caste system), with the added level of not having any taboos against any form of consensual sexual activity or attraction, be they hetero or homo. Marriage is also not a practice, as the purpose of a marriage is to declare monogamy, which Selenians don't believe in. Sure, individuals can have preferred lovers, but there is never any expectation that they will be exclusive.
Pregnancy is highly regimented, as is child birth. Because gloaming-type magic has time manipulation capacity (time travel is all but impossible except to one of the star-singers), once a night-weaver becomes sexually mature, they have their ovaries or testes put into a form of temporal stasis, meaning they don't produce gametes unless the stasis is released. The only ones taught the release spell are those that belong to the medical guild. Each night-weaver is called on to help maintain the population, so at least three times in their life, they are matched with an individual that the medical guild believes will produce a healthy child. Once matched, the pair are expected to mate until pregnancy occurs. When the child is born, the mother is placed into magical slumber so she cannot see her child. The child is then taken to be raised by the medical guild until it is old enough to enter the school system, where upon the responsibility passes to the educators guild.
The upshot of all this is that culturally, Selenians consider the concept of a permanent family as almost completely alien. The closest they get is friends and friendship, or the occasional bout of falling in love. But the cultural expectation of draconian self-realization means that ultimately they don't see a point to such a permanent unit, since there's no inheritance or money, they never know the children they produce and therefore cannot provided them with resources to aid them (nor would they want to, because as mentioned, fiercely meritocratic), and they can't get pregnant or have kids except if they're given leave to by the state. And most importantly, they consider all of this right, good and the best way to live, because it is in line with Luna's belief that everyone should be given the opportunity to rise as far as they are capable through their own efforts.
11654586
Honestly, that sounds horrific. Forced pregnancy is classified as a crime against humanity by the Geneva Convention, and every Selenian woman is expected to go through it at least three times? And everyone is required to mate until they conceive? Gay men, lesbians, and asexuals are forced to have heterosexual sex even if it's repulsive to them? I don't care if that's their cultural norm; it sounds like torture.
11654726
To us, it absolutely is. Again, the big difference is the underlying culture. To a Selenian, it isn't really "forced," as much as "fulfilling their duty to Selenia." They are willing participants in it because they view it as keeping Luna's nation alive. And the mothers to be are treated very well during the whole thing, and once they've given birth, they are given time to recover and go back to their lives.
But, you do bring up a good point about the non-heterosexual individuals. I suppose artificial insemination & sperm donation is one way for homosexual and asexual individuals to still fulfill their duties. Selenia isn't set in stone yet, so I'm still open to adapting details.
And I'm sure as Phoenix-born has shown, these aren't supposed to be perfect systems. They're supposed to be functional but highly flawed because Luna, Sombra and Celestia don't have their siblings to balance them out. Without their siblings to offer dissenting opinions, there was nothing to stop them from implementing what they viewed as their ideal world.
11654788
I certainly appreciate that these are flawed foreign cultures, and that a major point in the story is how flawed the societies are. I love your writing and the world you've created! (I mentioned "The Giver" before which is one of my absolute favorite books, and the Community in that is horrific in multiple ways.) And I'm guessing that part of the reason the societies are written the way they are is because there's going to be change and improvement in the distant future.
But I'm an asexual woman, and the idea of being mandated to have intercourse until I conceive is sickening. I'm not exaggerating when I say that reading your explanation of that requirement made my stomach churn.
And to be honest I don't feel that's something that can be entirely handwaved with "it's their culture and it's what they expect." In the real world people can be raised their entire lives to believe very devotedly in a particular religion or set of cultural values, but if that clashes with their sense of self it can cause them to break from their family, church, community, etc. Sexuality and social bonds are so intrinsic to human identity, and humans have an incredibly strong instinct to bond with others, whether that bond is romantic, familial, or platonic. Granted, these characters technically aren't human, but aside from the wings and magic spells they seem fundamentally human in nature. I find it very hard to believe that any amount of social conditioning could prevent people from feeling the urge to partner with others and form close-knit groups, even if those groups don't strictly follow the traditional definition of a family.
I do hope we get to see the Selenians soon. I want to meet the magical wolves!
11655428
And I value your readership and comments, because our exchanges help me think about these sort of things. I hope it doesn't seem like anything I've said about Selenia was on a whim or off the cuff, because I've spent a long time running through "if-then" statements regarding how to make a society that is as close to purely meritocratic as possible. With the added caveat that the system would be endorsed by the deity that the Selenians worship. What I came up with ended up being a sort of melding of Brave New World, Marxist, and Hobbesian ideas, with a touch of T.R. Malthus.
But, I also acknowledge that there are angles that I may not have considered.
I'd like to address this.
Selenians place great value on their friendships (Luna's virtues are loyalty, honesty and laugher after all). If anything, they cherish their friends immensely, because they live in such a cut-throat society. And such bonds can reach sororal/fraternal levels, though the Selenian language doesn't really have words for such a thing (much like a people from an arid region may not have a word for snow or ocean). Their friendships and social bonds are almost always from outside their guild, because everyone within the guild is a potential rival for status and advancement. But those outside who you don't need to compete with? Those bonds can be just as powerful as a familial one.
And as far as romantic love is concerned, Selenians are capable of it. But, the person they fall in love with may not be the person they inevitably have to bear children with (it can be, but often it isn't). That being said, you made a good point about those who may not want to go through with the heterosexual way of procreating. I suppose it wouldn't be much of a stretch to think that artificial insemination would be developed at some point by an enterprising member of the medical guild.
I hope to not keep you waiting too long to get to Selenia, because I want to start exploring that side of things too. Sadly, work, trying to get my research papers published and depression make getting my pleasure writing done difficult. But I swear to the Earth Mother, I'm going to get there.
11655593
That's an interesting setup for people to form tight bonds with those who are in a different place in society. I'm assuming that Fluttershy, Rarity, and Twilight will be friends there, the same as Sunset, Applejack, Pinkie, and Rainbow are friends in Solaria. From your description I guess that Fluttershy will be in an animal guild, Rarity will be in an artist or clothing guild, and Twilight in a scholar or mage guild. So they can be close with no competition.
How does the meritocratic system rate effort vs ability? If one person has a lot of raw talent but doesn't put in much effort, and another person has less ability but tries their hardest, and they produce equal results which does their society view as being more worthy? Or would they be rated equally based purely on end result?
Also, do they have a bare minimum standard of living? If someone rates the worst out of their group are they impoverished/homeless, or do they receive enough resources to live on? If someone is unable to contribute up to the cultural standard, say they have a severe physical or developmental disability or a debilitating illness, does the society take care of them?
I am eager to see more of this story, but don't feel you have to rush it. I know how hard it can be to work on fun projects when there's so much else going on.
11656367
Yes, that's the plan. Though, whether they start out as friends is another matter entirely. (Because I haven't decided yet).
Regarding the meritocracy, it is strictly performance based. Depending on the guild, there are certain performance "thresholds" that someone has to meet in order to rise in rank. So a member of the medical guild must be able to treat a certain threshold of injury or illness to rise in rank, while an artisan must be able to produce a certain level of product quality. Innovation also factors into the rank up process, so if two night-weavers are vying for the same rank promotion, the one who shows the most ingenuity and creative problem solving will earn said promotion. Someone with natural talent can rise in the ranks on that natural talent alone for a time, but they'll hit a wall at some point if they only rely on said natural talent.
There are also a limited number of slots for ranks above apprentice. There are three ways to rise into these ranks: one - when someone in the rank rises to the next, it opens their slot, two - they die, three- they are displaced by a lower rank individual challenging them. In this last case, a night-weaver who has achieved the requisite performance threshold to rise in rank can challenge a standing member of said rank to a "duel" of sort, where they compete for said slot. Should the challenger succeed, they claim the higher slot and the loser takes their spot in the lower ranks. Such challenges can only be issued once per moon, so that new members of a given rank cannot be repeatedly challenged by their peers.
Regarding the standard of living, the biggest factor is if you're a member of a guild. In Selenia, the guilds are effectively states, with their members being citizens of that state. All night-weavers pass through the same educational system, which helps direct them towards the skills that they show the most potential in. Once they reach the age where they can be apprenticed, they can apply to a guild or be invited to one, depending on their performance in school. Depending on the nature of the guild, the base quality of life will vary. A hyper competitive guild with few slots, like the arcanists or medics, have a higher base standard of living than a guild that is considered less competitive, like the laborers or farmers guild.
Those who don't join a guild or are not accepted into one are essentially second-class citizens. Non-guilded night-weavers have few legal rights or protections, do not have a resource allowance, and are not allowed to live in guild housing. However, should they join a guild, they are granted citizen rights. Typically, the only night-weavers that aren't part of a guild are too lazy to work, or criminals who have been exiled from their guild.
As for disabilities, they're more or less ignored if the disabled night-weaver can find achievement in another way. For example, someone who is deaf but has very good detail vision and fine motor control could advance in the jewelers guild, while someone with a deformed leg that has a knack for rhetoric and an excelent memory could advance well in the judicial guild. As long as they find a way to show some sort of skill, they can advance, because its their performance that matters. For example, one of the star-singers (the night-weaver equivalent to the phoenix-born) was born completely blind.
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Thanks for such in-depth answers to my questions. I really do like the world you've created for this story, and I'm eager to see more of it.
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Plus sunset is trying to learn everything but you try to change yourself in no time Plus learn how to do a hundred new things in no time at all. I think they should have made excuses for her not spending time with the big wigs and focused on lessons and maybe invited her friends to visit. She is trying but they been asking a lot from a child who only begun to face the world as they knew it is gone.
Headcannon: Raven’s glasses are enchanted to increase the intensity of her intimation upon others. That’s why no one questions her or has the ability to.
Also, I’m curious if Sunset will make anything recognizable from the show? Like her geode or even the mirror portal?
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That's a fun idea. Canonically, most obey her because she's Celestia's "hand and voice," and therefore her words carry authority just below that of the Queen. Though, as shown, all of the phoenix-born have a sort of authoritative aura (both Raven and Steel have used it previously).
As for making things like the geode or mirror portal, well, that's a bit trickier. I don't think she's going to make something like the geode, because mind-reading is tied to shadow magic, which she can't use. As for the mirror portal, I won't say that I'm going to include it in some way. But I'm not going to discount it either.
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All of this talk about the guilds and how Selenia society works has caused me to have a rather strange question pop into my head, how would worker's rights or labor unions even work in this society?
In my eyes the guilds seem to be in a position of terminus power over their guild members, and that amount of power will easily lead to abuse no mater how just you try to make the system to be. I imagine the threat of being kicked out of the guild must always be looming over the heads of the people of Selenia. I mean imagine if your employer not only had the power to fire you, but also revoke your US citizenship at the same time, that's basically what they have to deal with everyday.
The people who are in the lowest rungs of the guilds must truly get it the worse, and I'm talking about the farming, mining, and other labor intensive guilds here. If the people in these guilds are being overworked or being forced to work in dangerous conditions, then it's not like they can go on strike to demand better conditions. The closest thing I can image what the farmers guild must be like are the collective/communal farms that were created in China and the Soviet Union, although without the mass-deportation and other horrible things associated with them. I wonder what is it that even motivates these people to even work for these guilds in the first place? I very much doubt that a miner or farmer get that much in "benefits" from the guild and/or state. Are they just desperate? do they have no where else go? These guilds need to be getting their manpower from somewhere, and I doubt the teaching guild is so bad at their job that there are hordes of kids being told that the best thing they could be is a ditch digger, rock breaker, or farm hand.
Things must also be bad even in the "nicer" guilds above the laborers. I can easily see someone overworking the people who rank lower than them in the guild in order to show how "productive" they are, and use that as a means to gain a higher rank. The people under this person would have no choice but to bear it, not out of fear of guild exile, but out of fear that complaining or reporting it would endanger their chances at moving up. With just how competitive it is to enter and rank up in these guild, it would create a very cut throat environment to be in. Even if laws were put in place to stop any abuse would anyone be brave enough to even report them to the authorities? To go on record as the person who rated out a guildmate. It sounds like an easy way to be ostracize in the guild, and that may not be a good place to be in.
Is their any social mobility in Selenia? Do people have any chance at moving to a different guild if they want to? Or are they just stuck with what they have?