07.01i: The Seventh Winter (Table in the Corner)

[Rasanam]

"If he can actually afford to just... not worry about lifespan..." Rasanam shrugs. "I intend for both myself and Lyra to be immortal, but that is something I will have to work at, not a thing I can simply take for granted."

(OOC aside: Actually, Rasanam is wrong here. Anyone who has walked the pattern can expect to be immortal - in the sense of won't die unless killed - this just isn't common knowledge yet. It's also unclear if this is an effect of walking the pattern, or if it's an effect of having amber+ rank in endurance.)

[Joshua]

Morgana will nod. "I understand. There is also the confusion of if any afterlife exists for one who has walked the pattern." She thinks. "It's possible a conjuration might work, but for an Amberite, such enchantments tend to fade when we walk through shadow."

She will sigh. "Ogres tend to live short lives. Few of us have ever died of old age. Two of my sisters had their skulls bashed in by my eldest brother before he was killed by my mother for such actions. One of my brothers was beaten to death by the others during a particularly long game of rock-ball." She shivers. "Once one gets on in age, one is usually put down for the good of the tribe. It is... enough that I won't experience that. Immortality seems a pipe dream by comparison."

[ShadowOfPreservation]

Lyra looks to the ogre with sympathetic eyes. Morgana's tale of a violent upbringing is certainly nothing she hadn't heard over and over again. "Still...there is so much pain and suffering that exists across the shadows...and probably some here to a lesser extent. We need people like you to lead by example and make the world a better place for as long as you're willing. I'm sure there'll come a day when I'm ready to be united with Eilistraee, but I'd like that day to be much farther away than the lifespan I was born with. There's so much to do back in my home city alone. To be devoted to Amber and Ht'Gon alone is the task of a lifetime." Lyra's fingers trace the holy symbol at her neck. "I'm really not sure how all of this...walking the Pattern, coming to Amber...changes the reality of life and death. But I still believe in my Goddess and will hold to her principles always."

[Rasanam]

Rasanam flips to a new page in his sketchbook. "Let's see... tomorrow evening is the ball at Rebma... What do you think we should go as?"

[ShadowOfPreservation]

"Being an underwater kingdom, something aquatic perhaps? Or is that too cliche'?" Lyra finishes her sketch of the sculpture and flips the page to start brainstorming costume ideas.

[Rasanam]

"I'd say more that it's too broad a category..." Rasanam tosses down some quick sketches - all bipedal and roughly humanoid (it is a ball, after all), with designs partially mimicing a variety of creatures - dolphin, otter, sea serpent, nudibranch, horseshoe crab, manta ray, several different sorts of fish and sharks, bronze dragon...

[ShadowOfPreservation]

Lyra puts a finger on the sketch of the bronze dragon. "I think you know which I'd prefer out of that bunch." Lyra sketches a few ideas of her own, including some otter people, a humanoid tiger-fish, and a sleek blue dragon variant with gills in human and bi-pedal variants.

[Joshua]

Morgana will speak up. "Well, there are lots of air-breathing chambers in Rebma. I helped set up a number of them. So, there's no need to actually shapeshift. If you wish to explore further, then yes, some method to do so will help. I'd rack a water breathing spell just in case." She will think. "Unfortunately, there aren't any full amberites in Rebma yet. Ruben had business he needed to attend to, so... we'll be simply hosted by the chancellor."

[Rasanam]

"Well, being able to explore further would certainly be nice... but it's more of an aesthetic choice. And a political statement, too, I suppose, especially if they have so few representatives."

Rasanam sketches out a few more designs on the theme of 'aquatic dragon', ranging from full bipedal dragon (perhaps loosely based on the WoW nether drake; they've got a very shark-like look to them), to a nearly unmodified elven build featuring gills, webbed fingers, and some patches of decorative scales.

[Joshua]

"Lady Ashara is starting to get worried. They need an amberite for political protection, but any amberite would outrank her completely." She thinks. "A solution to that would go farther, but most of us don't have the time to worry about it. That being said, we have a lot more Amberites now, so it's more an issue for her now than it was."