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kurloz makara

[CALL] Video; UN: wardenka

[It was an odd device. A tiny seam down the middle was the only indication it was manmade at all, it seemed so alien. Flawlessly smooth black material that, alarmingly, she didn't recognize, a glossy panel on the front that lit up and showed her things when she touched it. Spoke with a voice she couldn't speak to and showed her visions without once reaching into the Fade.

It introduced itself, in a way. A "CALL device", a means to communicate with places unimaginable. A means to go places unimaginable, if that label marked "TRANSPORT" did what it said it did. Song without singers or instruments, music captured somehow. Portraits straight from reality, with no painter's bias. Visions with no warping, events preserved exactly as they happened, a journal of sight and sound. Speech and writing across distances unreachable.

Somehow.

She touched the screen as instructed, opened a video post. If she understood right, it would be the closest to in-person interaction. She didn't want to hit that button just yet. She'd sensed no disturbance in the Veil (and Alistair would have sensed it before he left if she hadn't), so she doubted it was a demon's work. But all the same, what if something went wrong? She wanted to test first.]

[The camera looks up on a woman clothed in crimson, curious eyes searching the frame. A huge brown mastiff looms over her shoulder (showing her to be seated on the ground), watching the recording with equally inquisitive eyes - equally discerning.]

...Have I done it right?

[The dog whines curiously.]

I might as well, at worst nobody hears me. Um... [She clears her throat.] This is Warden-Commander Katherine Amell of Ferelden. This device said it could be used to communicate with others who had another one. Oh, like a tiny eluvian... [she murmurs in sudden realization, before remembering herself and focusing on the screen again.] ...Anyway, is anyone hearing this? ...I see myself on the screen, is anyone seeing the same?

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[A child with painted face, grey skin, and bright orange horns returns the call with wide grin and warm greeting.] Thy methods prove meritous! Thou art successfully showing self to us and mother fuckin all.

[He bows, princely.] I greet thee, Warden-Commander Katherine Amell of Ferelden, and your... [He squints and tries a guess.] Barkbeast lusus of equal distinguisment. I am Kurloz Makara of Bluewash, descendant of the grandest high. Welcome!

Edited 2016-08-01 21:18 (UTC)

[Oh! There's a little flashing icon on the screen now. Someone responded? The dog ducks out of sight behind her before nosing his way in under her arm to watch closer as she taps it.

The look of surprise on her face at seeing a creature that, if he didn't have hair or horns, could be a weirdly well-formed hurlock, is to be expected - Thedas doesn't have trolls any more than Beforus or Alternia had humans. And even if he was some sort of very weird awakened hurlock, who speaks like that? "Descendant of the grandest high" sounds like...what, royalty? Clergy? Probably royalty. She's not sure what to think. She's certainly never heard of this "Bluewash" place.

At being called a "barkbeast", the dog gives an energetic bark at the screen. Katherine gives him a brief amused look and puts a hand on his head, holding her CALL device in the other alone now.]

Um...thank you. You can just call me Katherine, if you'd like, and this..."barkbeast" is named Thunder. I'm sorry for the staring. I don't think I've ever seen anyone of your kind before.

[He has pleased the abnormal barkbeast lusus creature. He has mother fuckin nailed it. Surely this will get him on the ins of... well whatever she might so happen to be on the ins of.]

You are most mother fuckin welcome my sister Katherine and oh mighty Thunder. Thy gaze need not seek apology for I too am new to this pimpin ass city of fresh fuckin squish saunterers. Miracles, no doubt, have shown themselves of us and ours for purpose of ocular indulgence. Honk!

[He tacks the holy noise on at the end with no thought about it. As he's elaborated, he doesn't resist a stare himself, smiling with round owlish eyes that don't blink enough. It is as an afterthought that he goes to add:]

I am a troll, of Beforus, for referencing known.

...What?

[It's the only thought in her head at all of that. Too much of what the kid just said made no sense that it's too much to unpack. On a second thought, some of it makes half sense. The random crudeness, though? "Pimpin"? That noise he made at the end? And "Beforus" and "Bluewash" - are they country and city? Continent and country?]

Um... I'm afraid our dialects are very different! I don't understand some of your words, such as..."pimpin"?

[Oh how foolish of he. He should've known better. At least he has no issue explaining.]

Sister, such phrasing is to mean that which is most mother fuckin dope. A thing held in esteem of the wicked miraculous. That which is legit. Bitchtits. Have you fathom to my preach?

[He looks terribly hopeful.]

[...What is he even trying to say? "Dope"? "Wicked"...as a positive? And "Bitchtits" sounds like something Oghren would say - though certainly not in a positive light like this. For that matter, what is a child like this doing talking like Oghren?]

It's...meant to mean something is good, I see.

[It's that slow, lightly hesitant tone of voice one takes when one is unsettled and trying to talk one's way through or out of a situation.]

Um...Most of the language you're using is considered crude here. It's not the same where you are?

[Strangest of all is the "mother fuckin'" that seems to have absolutely no purpose at all. Emphasis, maybe? What a strange phrase for emphasis, though? Whatever happened to "absolutely" or the like?]

[Slowly, ever so slowly with all the grace of one dipping toes and more into unpleasant waters, Kurloz's smile slips away. It is not yet replaced by a frown with its lack of will to leave but it is an inevitable step.]

Crude? [He says slightly appalled. It is tempered with disbelief.] But surely it is not mother fuckin so! With conviction of the righteous I preach thusly. How could word of such holy passions be deemed of disgrace?

[He composes himself, chin high.] I must speak as befits the heart, Sister Katherine. The most shameful of all things is only to be untrue. Not all make use of word in ways deemed fit of all, but all must deem illest fit of one's mother fuckin own, yo. [He smiles at her.] Agree, thou assuredly must!

[This conversation is, if nothing else, a stretch of the linguistic imagination. She doesn't respond for a while, clearly deciphering that last couple sentences.

"Places unimaginable", indeed. Why is she even trying to tell him this, he's only a child! And one apparently raised in this religion from the very start, at that. It must be a zealous one, to call everyone "brother" or "sister" regardless of their affiliations.]

"Words only have the meaning you give to them", is that it? I'm not trying to offend you... It's only strange to hear.

[She tries to smile without it looking too awkward, attempting to be as diplomatic as she can. Being Circle-raised, and thus having the Chantry a constant presence in her life, herself, she knows the best way to defuse a situation like this with a child is to give him the opportunity to show how well he's learned his teachings.]

So your religion holds truth to oneself above everything else?

[He doesn't mind. He is patient (or at least can feign patience). Not everyone can be so quick of phrase as his brother best and his dear kittybitch.]

Church! [So he says with his hands coming together like in prayer. It becomes a sharp clap in his eagerness.

Her awkwardness is... at least a little evident. Enough he can tell she is trying. He finds no fault. He will make a friend yet, he is sure.

He falls for the bait happily, the pious noise spilling.]

Mother fuck yes, my sister! Though there is much more to be learned, for that is only one piece! There are many miracles extant as ought be heartily embraced! And how varied are they! The creative and calamitous alike! Beauty may be found in mother fuckin all! By will of the Messiahs two so it is to be! We of the family sing their praises! We who paint upon ourselves our true souls, our true mother fuckin countenance of being! We who know fear and seek salvation of the world and a righteous binding of the holy ties among us one and mother fuckin all!

[She thinks she's getting the hang of understanding it all - it helps there aren't more words she doesn't know this time. In fact, it sounds a lot here like he's at least partially quoting from an older text rather than paraphrasing for himself - those random "mother fuck"'s for emphasis aside.

It actually sounds like a fairly nice religion. Beauty in everything, ties between everyone. A kid being raised in this is probably going to turn out all right.

But then, it's absolutely possible for a religion to preach one thing and do another... (And religions that have nothing to do with Thedas intrigue her, now that she's thinking about it. It could be that absolutely nothing is as familiar as it sounds, in the end.)]

The two Messiahs? What did they save you from?

[Sister looks to be happier, which is good, wonderful even.

If also secondary to getting to speak of the Messiahs. ]

With holy writ, our Lord and Lady doth save the people! With Shangri-La, the Mirthful may preserve! Paradise shall rise by Minstrels call and the chosen shall know their glory! Say I, Sister, each mother fuckin instance of existence is owed in whole to the holy! We are indebted, and lo, forever loyal amongst the family.

[His preaching slows so that he may smile genuinely.]

What might thee conjure of reflection more miraculous than family?

[Like Meulin and Mituna and...]

With purpose and union I am lifted of all what prior ailed! I am a servent to the almighty and so I am saved.

[These "Messiahs" were a couple? She has to wonder, is that what he meant by "descendant of the grandest high"? That's...interesting to think about. What would her world's predominant religion be like if Andraste's descendants were known and celebrated, and had been a part of it for its entire existence? ...At least, that's the only real thought she has on this, because it seems to be a very disconnected, if passionate, response.]

Are you training to give sermons? It certainly sounds like you could.

[Thunder barks in agreement - he understood even less; hyper-intelligent he may be, but he is still a dog and thinks on a dog's terms. That includes, at least, an instinctual understanding of tone, and the troll-child gives off a vibe very similar to a preaching Mother.]

[She comes oh so very close while simultaneously missing the mark completely. But Kurloz doesn't know, and anyway, he's far too excited to find fault.

Especially upon hearing that.]

Yes! It is great dream of mine to one day lead the faithful family to salvation!

[He pauses to think.]

Upon such a day the Dark Carnival shall rejoice, but only once thespian desires have been slaked.

[He nods falsely solemn.]

I'm not...sure I understand that last part.

[She gets the general idea he may not fully understand it, either, at his young age, but at this point she's curious. She absorbed all she had to learn on the Dalish beliefs when she encountered them, even if she didn't believe in them, and has respected other religions' altars in her travels - at the very least, their "gods" could be spirits bound to or watching the altars, after all, and she would like to avoid starting unnecessary fights.]

[He gasps in horror. Is it over-dramatized? Maybe so. But it is nevertheless deserving after such a response. Even the hand over his chest. That too is necessary.]

Has thou never known the wonder of the thespian arts hitherto? The delicacy of drama? The wicked mother fuckin righteous wonder of the theater? This blasphemy shall not transpire no more as it is within my power to enact its revision! Preach, I had meant to, that true preaching as vocation shall follow only this, but now an issue far more dire has surfaced!

Edited 2016-09-21 04:07 (UTC)

Wait, wh- we have plays!

[For a moment, she is completely caught off guard. She couldn't imagine anyone would be so ready to interpret what she said as not knowing what "thespian" meant at all. But then again, if it's so entwined in this religion of his...]

They're just...not seen as something the Maker would wait for us to finish when he returns.

[Or maybe he would? If there's any such return coming at all, that is.]

Oh! [He blinks surprised, then settles, a slight nervous laugh tinged with relief slipping out.] Miracles.

[No being should have to go without theater.

Yet as she continues, he looks a little guilty.] A maker is not known to me. Messiahs, I presume thou must mean. The Messiahs take great pleasure in that which brings mirth. Comedy and tragedy joined together harmonious speak to the duality of our Lord and Lady!

[But...]

Procured of pan an idea that I might preform as the greatest have done, before pledging eternal to the work of the church. I am to persist vital for a fair mother fuckin age and so imbecilic I saw not the treachery. [His hands fold together and his eyes close and his head bows.] I have proven weak, irresolute. Oh Messiahs, may thy holy powers purge me of this corruption that I may serve thee forever free of sin. Rain down the righteous unmercies that I may learn from split and spill. I shalt not disgrace the blood of the family.

[It takes her a few seconds more to try to figure out what, exactly, he's saying. Yet again.]

...Isn't asking for punishment for a simple misunderstanding extreme?

[...Maybe this other religion isn't as nice as it seemed at first.]

[His head whips up. His curls bounce.] Nay, says I, for this pimp serves with deepest devotion!

[But then he hesitates.] ...Of others, it is little consequence. To them I offer only the open arms fit of the family. However, this mother fucker must prove myself worthy, for I am descendant to the Grandest and have been chosen by Messiahs to receive the messages of the age.

Even people chosen by destiny make mistakes.

[Thunder barks agreement beside her. She glances over at him with a wry, mock-deadpan:] Thanks.

[He barks again, oblivious, and she turns back to the device.]

Sorry - anyway, as I was saying, I doubt they're expecting you to be perfect. Nobody is. Nobody mortal, anyway.

[The barkbeast who speaks with her, though not at all pale as should be, can be nothing else but a lusus. Seeing their communion like this only proves it to him.

That distraction ends fast though, for she continues and he finds her assessment difficult to swallow. Perfect, of course he's not perfect, but...]

But... is it not a dire mother fuckin negligence to strive for anything but the best?

["Even the Empress is mortal," His ancestor had said once and her words call upon that. It's hard to squirm away from the weight on it. What if his only way of achieving a mere good is through aiming for perfection?]

[Who's going to break it to the kid that he's really just a hyper-intelligent dog?]

Of course you should strive to be the best. But wishing punishment on yourself for every failure isn't the same as acknowledging you need to do better.

In magical studies, that kind of thinking usually just makes your next attempt worse.

[A very good question indeed.]

...Oh.

[It is less than eloquent a response, but he truly had not consider that he might be making things worse.]

... I should proceed then only with most legit intentions to correct and improve.

You are wise, Sister Katherine.

There's no better teacher than experience. [She gives an absolutely unguarded grin for a moment. For all his weirdness and random non-vulgar vulgarity, he's kind of a cute kid.]

It took burning my eyebrows off with my own fire three times before I accepted there were some things I couldn't let myself get dragged down by.

[He laughs in surprise, covers his mouth to stop it, then surrenders, letting his hands fall so that he may laugh some more.]

I presume thee to be one of great skill then in the drawing of eyebrows.

...Thank you, sister Katherine.

[ There's a teenager on his bed in a stereotypical teenage boy bedroom. This one's got dark hair, ears that are just a little too big for his frame, and bright blue eyes. He waves cheerfully at her. ]

Hey! Yeah, I can see you. Can you see me?

["Stereotypical teenage boy bedroom" is still pretty weird by Katherine's standards. But, unlike the first person who responded to her, he's recognizably human! (Even if she doesn't realize it's in appearance only.)

It takes her a moment to figure out how to switch to responding only to him, but to her credit, she seems to be catching on quickly.]

I can! Did you just receive your device, too?

I've had mine for a while, actually. Or what feels like a while.

[ He scratches at his ear for a moment before tilting his head at her. ]

Are those tattoos?

[Her hand goes up to one of her tattoos on instinct.]

Yes, they are - I got them about...I think it had to have been eight or nine years ago? I thought they might flatter the shape of my face.

[Only partially true, but discussing old scars doesn't sound like a good time to her. At least, not with someone who isn't even from Thedas. Kurloz was a jarring example of just how different these other worlds are.]

That's cool.

[ He doesn't look particularly apt to question her on it. Just friendly interest. As it is, the general air of this one is that of someone genuine and excited to 'be' there, as the case happened to be. Even if 'there' was 'on the Network'. ]

They look nice. And they totally do.

[And it does wonders - it's a trustworthy sort of presence that makes her feel more at ease about this entire idea. Stepping into the unknown and meeting new people was exciting, but not without risk.]

Well, thank you, um...

[His username doesn't sound like a name, either. Her own only uses her initials, it isn't as if she can complain.]

I'm sorry, I never asked for your name.

[The dog whines sharply, courteous enough to not bark in her ear, and she chuckles.]

Nor did I introduce him. [She reaches up to pat the dog's neck.] Since he insists, this is Thunder.

[ He actually waves at the dog before blinking, holding up a finger, and rushing off. He returns a few moments later with a big fluffy-looking sheep dog.]

This is Shelby.

[ There's a glance around his room before he walks over to a cabinet, reaching up to pull down a large white cat who looks fussed but settles out as soon as she's actually curled up against his chest. ]

And this is Fuzzball. And I'm Clark. Sorry. Probably should of said that first...

[Thunder pants happily when he's waved at, getting drool all over the shoulder of Katherine's robes; she motions him back and he obeys, instead looking in at the device over her arm, clearly wanting to keep an eye on what his owner is watching.

As for the mage, herself, she can't help the fond look at the pets. They're so cute, after all, and that he thought to go out of his way to introduce them just made his presence seem all the nicer.]

It's nice to meet all three of you.

[A brief pause, before she adds:]

So if you've had this device for "a while", has this...distribution of them been happening very long?

[She says "distribution" with a little bit of unease - after all, it was given to her by someone entirely undetectable to an extremely intelligent dog and two people who could sense magic.]

Well, a couple months anyway.

[ He settles onto the bed easily enough with the cat still taking up most of his arms. The camera bounces a little as Shelby decides to head back down to the kitchen where his mother is making dinner. ]

I woke up with mine on the bed next to me. I don't know how it got there, but so far, everyone I've met has been pretty nice.

So far, I could say the same. [It helps, certainly, being met with such decent people. Even Kurloz isn't that bad, just coming from a very different direction.]

Mine appeared in my tent without warning, too. There was no magic, and my dog wasn't alerted at all. Nobody knows how they can accomplish this? If a strange person entered camp all of a sudden, Thunder would get my attention.

Don't know. I mean.

[ He's gonna scratch at the back of his neck now. ]

I'm pretty sensitive to strangers in the house and I didn't pick up anything either.

[Odd. He doesn't look the part of someone hyper-sensitive to his surroundings. But maybe he has some sort of low-key magic sensing going on that even he doesn't know about? Or isn't willing to share. She has no idea what his thoughts on magic even are.]

That's a little worrying. Is there any purpose to it?

[Sorry, Clark. She'll be happy to chat about giant dog care after she gets the important questions out of the way. So far, it just so happens he seems to be the one with the most experience with the device so far, based on how long he says he's had it.]

Well, the one thing I noticed was that there's some networks that some people have and some that other people have.

I've got access to HERO and CALL. Someone else mentioned a C.A.D. one but I've never seen that one.

Oh, I have that "HERO" one, too. I saw it, but this one seemed related to the device itself - "CALL" and "CALLED".

[She thinks about it - why would they need another one? She doesn't really know how these things work, but she did notice she had the option to not use a username at all...]

Why do we have others? We can call ourselves whatever we like on this one, so privacy doesn't seem to be a problem.

Not really sure. I guess I never thought about it? But there's probably a reason to it. I mean HERO sounds...

It sounds like something deliberate.

"Hero" and "cad"... Yes, they do, don't they?

[Are they separating them by morality? Or is it reputation? By what observation? It's a little unsettling - have they been watching them?]

Do you have a reputation as a hero?

HA.

[ Sorry, that's- ]

Uh, no. I'm just a kid.

[It was worth asking!]

That makes this more puzzling... I'm well-known here now, but if they have someone with no reputation at all, it surely can't be that.

...Were they watching us, somehow?

[Literally all it would take to answer this is for her to actually hit Transport and listen to the explanation that she, in relation to this world, is fictional.]

No idea.

I was just really glad to find it.

It is a fascinating device. There's a scholar in the capital who would love to have something like it.

It sounds like it's brought something good into your life.

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[CALL] Video; UN: wardenka

CALL network | Video | un: troubadourCatalyst

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sorry for all these exposition prompts...

lmao it's cool, I love reading it

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un: smallvilleguy | CALL | video

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