The once vast sea of impenetrable darkness that filled the interior of the spires had gone through drastic changes. The deep black had given away to dark clouds of blue and purple, that, along with the sparkles created by clashing energies, gave one the impression they were looking into a mirror of the starry sky above.

In the monumental circle of mountains around the region, still as impenetrable as Julkofyr had designed it, it was possible to sense four buildings in opposing sides, but only one of those was completed.

Diving into the sea of stars would eventually reveal the true surface of the Pictaraika, a region of gray islands and large "[url=http://i.imgur.com/AiZ5WoS.jpg]roots[/url]" that rose from Raka, all that bathed by an eternally moonlit sea. It was a desolated expense, but at its very center, something shone. 

The structure itself, resting atop of a hilly island, could be better described as a "whimsical lighthouse", it was a tower made of brass-colored metal, decorated with illustrations, lights, and mirrors (It heavily resembled a carousel, though less mechanical). Some sort of tune played from it, it seemed to be produced by an instrument that the mortals had yet to invent.

In one of its floors, carelessly writing down a crateful of projects, sat Ilunabar. She had changed drastically since Teknall's last visit, at least outfit wise; gone was the fancy dress and jewelry, now she only wore a simple cloak. It was easy to realize the craftsman was not the only one worried about being discrete.

From the door of the room came a knock and a familiar voice. [color=Peru]"Hello Ilunabar. May I come in?"[/color]

[color=ec008c]"Teknall?"[/color] Ilunabar commented aloud, a bit puzzled that she hadn't noticed the sibling arriving. Even when distracted, she was typically able to notice such things. [color=ec008c]"Sure thing, give me a moment"[/color]

The door slid to the side and the goddess welcomed the craftsman with a hug. [color=ec008c]"It has been a while, brother. I take this is your first time seeing this area after I decided to take over what Julkofyr left behind?"[/color]

[color=Peru]"It has been a while, Ilunabar. And it is my first time visiting this place, at least properly,"[/color] Teknall replied. [color=Peru]"It seems more spacious and with less unwanted guests than the Celestial Citadel."[/color]

[color=ec008c]"Indeed! And the whole structure from here down to the connection with the Raka is built with my needs as a creator in mind. Also, no more illusory walls everywhere to keep the Djinns out..."[/color] she sighed [color=ec008c]"They were too much like their creator, some softer ones would have been welcomed."[/color]

[color=Peru]"I am curious as to what will happen once their creator returns. A personality like that tolerates no rivals,"[/color] Teknall remarked. [color=Peru]"Although, I have observed another breed of elemental which could possibly be more to your liking. They live in great trees, such as those in the Deepwood, and nurture the trees. Feminine in form, a sub-type of water elemental. You could probably make a good story or two from them."[/color]

Ilunabar immediately showed a lot of interest [color=ec008c]"That is interesting. I will surely be investigating that very soon. Hopefully, by then, Logos will already have stopped to bother us so I can see those myself."[/color]

Almost involuntarily, Teknall's hain head flicked from one side to the other at the mention of Logos, glancing around him. [color=Peru]"Yes, Logos."[/color] Teknall looked up and down at Ilunabar's simple cloak. [color=Peru]"This place isn't simply a new home for building things, is it? The deep connection with Raka makes physics optional here. This is a place you can hide from Logos."[/color]

[color=ec008c]"Hide... That isn't a word I like to use, but I think you got the idea of it correctly. After Zephyrion left and Vowzra... well, you know, I decided it would be unwise to not take action."[/color]

As she was talking, she walked past Teknall and signaled him to follow her as she started to go down the metallic stairs of the tower. 

[color=ec008c]"So I created this little abnormality in Reality, where Logos would be out of his element. Not that it would stop him from hurting me, but decisions are taken by counterweighting the rewards and risks of an action. I don't know how angry he is for what he would pridefully call stealing,"[/color] there was a hint of scorn in her voice that felt uncharacteristic to the Muse. [color=ec008c]"But I have generated a lot of potential trouble with this structure, and only a fool would think a vendetta is worth all of that.[/color]

Teknall nodded. Slowly he said, [color=Peru]"I'm also being cautious about Logos. I personally beat back his invasion of Realta, and you can imagine how unhappy he was at that."[/color]

[color=ec008c]"Oh? That is great to hear you took down those repulsive things."[/color] Following the path of the roots downward Ilunabar intended to fully showcase her Holy Site to Teknall [color=ec008c]"Logos' trouble with me was because he thinks I stole humans and brought them to Galbar, but in all sincerity, look at a human, then look at me, or at Astarte; he is the one who stole the aesthetic and design."[/color]

[color=Peru]"It is peculiar that many of us gods would share such a body structure. There is nothing especially remarkable about the human body, compared to all the possible viable permutations for a sentient species, yet somehow the majority of us, at least originally, manifested as humans or in humanoid forms. If I was more inclined to philosophical thinking, I could spend eons contemplating the ramifications of this shared phenotype."[/color]

[color=ec008c]"Ah! I knew you would also notice that."[/color] she sounded excited at the chance to share what is in her mind [color=ec008c]"It was one of the first motifs I noticed, I call it the Aesthetica Humana. For example, you must be already aware of Lifprasil's flesh ships; let's say he was to take his empire to the stars and spend millions of years under zero gravity. Can you imagine how much mankind could change under that time and conditions?"[/color] she drew [url=http://i.imgur.com/dZl9Zrv.png]something[/url] in one of the rocky surfaces of the caverns they had entered.

[color=ec008c]"Yet something tells me they won't ever be like that, even if rationality were to lead to it because most things lean to the humanoid form for reasons beyond the laws of nature, and more, twisted humanoid forms cause discomfort even in us, gods... In a way that is oddly similar to an animal's instinct."[/color]

Teknall pondered the image and Ilunabar's words for a few moments. [color=Peru]"It is strange that things would follow such a pattern against rationality. It's all rather metaphysical. The Codex never specified the human form, although it would not surprise me if by influence of being created by so many beings of humanoid form it was thus subliminally programmed to favour the humanoid form over others; life and sentience were mentioned in the Codex, so any subliminal influences would also shape such things. In fact, the only one of us who regularly breaks from the humanoid pattern is Jvan."[/color]

[color=ec008c]"Yes. Jvan is interesting, it is no wonder so many have seen her as an issue, which she might be, or might not; it is really beyond me, I'm just an artist."[/color] she shrugged. 

[color=ec008c]"I wouldn't rely too much on the Codex, though; there were things and concepts before the Codex, there are things and concepts beyond the Codex. I have a whole palette of Beyond Colors to prove it. It is one of the reasons I decided to experiment and defy the Codex when the universe was created, making the Dreamweaver with a little bit of cloth I took from the original schematic."[/color]

Suddenly she seemed distant, her mind focused on something other than the visitor by her side. [color=ec008c]"Actually, I might need to ask, did something happen to the Codex recently? The Dreamweaver started to act in bizarre ways all of the sudden, and now it... became a bit different."[/color]

As Ilunabar finished saying that the cave opened into a large area where a massive structure made of strings and brass pipes floated motionless, lit by the light of a fake sky. [color=ec008c]"It isn't exactly a harp anymore..."[/color]

Teknall looked up at the strange, musical structure. [color=Peru]"That's a bit of a change,"[/color] he said.

[color=Peru]"The Codex has been modified,"[/color] Teknall continued after a short pause. [color=Peru]"After Vulamera was consumed by the Codex, Vowzra transmuted the Codex into something else, according to Lifprasil. That something else is an artefact called the GodKiller, which the aspiring emperor says is within his city."[/color]

[color=ec008c]"Sounds like a brutish thing, I... Did Lifprasil tell me about it? I think not, otherwise, I would have made this comment already... My memory about the last time I talked to him is hazy, it was just after I had created the Pictaraika, which, for some reason, I don't remember anything at all. This change to the Dreamweaver wasn't part of my original plan, but when I woke up it was there along with a Diva I don't remember creating. Chronicle is her name, she is... vexatious, but witty... I guess."[/color]

Teknall tilted his head. [color=Peru]"It is curious that this project would deviate in such a manner. Perhaps it is the nature of your projects, or perhaps it is the nature of projects of such magnitude, or those which twist reality in such a way.

"Speaking of which, I've wanted to ask a bit about how you made this place. Julkofyr's darkness used to be nigh impenetrable in this area, and now there is barely a trace of it."[/color]

The two doubts had the same answer [color=ec008c]"It was my most demanding project to date, there was no way to change the nature of the darkness if not by sheer force. Half of the struggle was creating the connection between Raka and Reality, I had to use an Aurora as powerful as three Phantasmagorias and Vestec's help for that. The other half was stopping the flow of dreams from flooding into Galbar and possibly ending things as we know it."[/color]

She once against started to move forward, leading Teknall deeper into the Pictaraika. [color=ec008c]"Most of the Darkness is still here, but it is superimposed with my illusions, as I can create color without light.[/color]

Teknall's beak dipped thoughtfully. He inspected the place more closely with his Perception, and realised that it was indeed made largely of illusory colours. While photons had quantifiable wavelengths, the conversion of wavelength information to colour was largely one of perception and interpretation, especially with the complex array of tricks a typical mind applies to make image processing more efficient. It was a simple step for Ilunabar to bypass the use of photons and the retina altogether and go straight to influencing the perception of colour.

The next layer of the Pictaraika was composed of an empty, flowerless garden and a large building complex. Anukramanika Akhanda, easily referred to as The Index, was, in simple terms, an overextended version of Ilunabar's piles of old schematics, paintings, and maps. Except that with so much space and under the strict control of Piena, it all became heavily organized and categorized. Endless rooms hosted exhibitions of maps, scale models of entire cities, architecture and costumes of countless mortal cultures, statues of heroes along with not exactly exact biographies.

It was far from its full glory and all collections had holes, but the effort spent into storing knowledge was clear, and in a sense, similar to the one Vulamera had proposed back when there was no universe. The Muse didn't have the same divine tools that The Scribe had, but she made up for it with an extensive bureaucracy of mortal affairs, religious orders, and the Divas.

[color=ec008c]"Piena should know where the drafts of this project are, I will get them."[/color]

[color=Peru]"Alright, I'll wait here then,"[/color] Teknall replied. He watched as Ilunabar walked off into the depths of The Index. As she disappeared, Teknall went to inspect some of the displays around him. With the highly logical arrangement, it did not take him long to find the biographies of Stone Chipper and Gerrik Far-Teacher. He knew their true stroies verbatim, since he was one and he continually monitors the other. What he didn't know as well, however, was how exactly everyone else saw and remembered them.

So he inspected the myths and legends and tales told about Stone Chipper and Gerrik Far-Teacher. There were many small inconsistencies, many embellishments which had worked their way in. A few groups considered Stone Chipper as a god. Some revered him as a highly holy person. Most simply regarded him as a very wise teacher. What was most interesting that different regions of Galbar had different entries, corresponding to the different cultures and perceptions. Even different groups within the same culture saw them differently. The most stark example was in Fibeslay. The records of Gerrik from the general populace were fairly amicable, while the Chipper population, under the sway of Shammick, had a fairly hostile recount of Gerrik. While this was the biggest contrast, it was by no means the only one, with each culture adding their own flavour, their own religious and technological interpretations, modified also by what exactly Gerrik and Stone Chipper had done in those regions.

Ilunabar walked back into the room carrying half a dozen scrolls under her arm. [color=ec008c]"Sorry that my divas are so busy and can't properly greet you today. Life has been hectic for all of us down here, there is so much to be done, as you can tell from the pseudo-garden outside."[/color]

She placed the schematics on a table and opened one of them. Ilunabar wasn't the most scientific of the gods, but it was possible to follow her reasoning. Most of it followed magical patterns and the chaotic patterns of a dream, some of it, however, described the flow of what she called "energy" across the darkness, the superimposition of illusory information and real matter, some notes about Julkofyr's dimension and some vague idea of all the oddities that could happen when she caused her plane and reality to crash. 

The very last scroll was nothing but a drawing of a statue, there was no context about it, but it was odd in composition, as Ilunabar had used Beyond Colors to draw it, giving it the impression it was reaching out of the paper. 

Teknall inspected the scrolls. The phenomena discribed were esoteric and abstract, containing little connection to the physical sciences he was confident with. But that had been the very reason he had come here, to get a unique perspective. Some of these insights would likely be useful to him.

On reaching the final scroll, Teknall froze. That thing made from paper and ink was coming out of the paper. Closer to him. Reaching.

He closed his eyes, and he realised he had been overreacting. The figure was ordinary and regular, nothing eldritch about it, and it had simply been painted in Beyond Colours which gave it unnatural depth. And it was static; he had merely imagined the movement.

He opened his eyes again and looked at the image of the statue. It still appeared to pop out of the paper, but at least Teknall had figured out the illusion. [color=Peru]"What's this a statue of?"[/color]

[color=ec008c]"Hmm, I took a wild shot and expected you would know."[/color] she leaned softly against the table [color=ec008c]"I found it when exploring the spires before blasting it with an aurora beam from the orbit. There was a lot of stone rubble in a circle and this statue of a person. It is quite odd, perhaps some project Julky had, but whatever meaning it has is now lost. A Shame."[/color]

Teknall picked up the scroll and took a closer look. [color=Peru]"Hmm."[/color] He rotated it around and inspected the details. The three-dimensional image aided his inspection greatly. [color=Peru]"It was definitely made by Julkofyr. The rubble, although worn and broken, has retained some features I can identify; they were statues of the pantheon. The one figure standing, though, I do not recognise."[/color]

[color=ec008c]"Wait... Really? The rubble is formed of broke statues of other gods... That is curious, you have a good perception for such things."[/color] She looked at the mysterious shadowy form. [color=ec008c]"It is a little disturbing that we don't know who this is. I want to say Julkofyr could have imagined something, but you just never know.[/color]

[color=Peru]"It is strange indeed,"[/color] Teknall said.

She pressed a blank sheet against the drawing and copied it. [color=ec008c]"Here, just so we don't forget this entity again."[/color]

Teknall watched Ilunabar copy the image, then turned back to the other scrolls. [color=Peru]"It is interesting what you have done here. A completely different paradigm to my own."[/color] He looked up. [color=Peru]"It reminds me of a conversation I recently had with Lifprasil. We were passing by the King Trees in Alefpria. You remember those?"[/color]

[color=ec008c]"Ah, King Trees, an offspring of Niciel's Holy Trees, except with purple leaves. What about them?"[/color]

[color=Peru]"Lifprasil pointed them out to me. I remarked on the significant chemical modifications which had taken place to create the purple leaves while retaining efficient photosynthesis. But Lifprasil and I suspect that you made no such considerations; you just willed the trees to be purple. Is that so?"[/color]

[color=ec008c]"Well, I could just will it to be purple quite easily, no physical change to it, just color change. Also, Meimu must know how to make actual purple trees, she is good with the plants."[/color] 

Ilunabar smiled softly. [color=ec008c]"But the thing is that I never did anything to it, neither did the Phantasmagoria, in fact. I suspect the angels brought the Holy Tree over during the Horde War. In response to the new climate, the leaves went from blue to purple. Since the war and Phantasmagoria happened closely to each other, and my divas were very active at the capital during that time, I think the locals just assumed the new purple tree was related to that."[/color]

[color=Peru]"Is that so?[/color] Teknall's palm turned upwards. [color=Peru]"It is interesting how such events get distorted over time, truth mixed with legend and misperception. Of course, you would know all about that, since stories are your specialty."[/color]

The Muse giggled  [color=ec008c]"Or at least that is what Fate told me. Maybe my true destiny is to be a sailor and I just never gave it a try."[/color]

Teknall laughed. [color=Peru]"Perhaps. But you are good with stories regardless."[/color]

He looked back at the scrolls. [color=Peru]"The point I was trying to make, though, was how differently we work. Dreams and Beyond Colours and illusions are as strange to me as electrical engineering and quantum physics are to you. And it's not just us; each member of our family works slightly differently, or very differently, creating in different ways, with knowledge of different things. And this diversity shows through, and covers the gaps which exist in a single god's abilities. Wouldn't you agree?"[/color]

[color=ec008c]"Of course I agree. This whole building is a monument dedicated to the work we did together, not only us gods, but also many mortals. And I do my best to value the input everyone brings to our world, I don't really want to see another case like Vulamera or Julkofyr, where one's potential is lost to madness."[/color]

Teknall nodded. [color=Peru]"That is good. Our family has lost much already. What remains should be treasured. What has been made should be valued."[/color]

[color=ec008c]"The greatest challenge is that a lot of existence is based on contraposition, clashing differences tend to get increasingly distinct. We, for example, form a duality between two different methods of creation, with increasingly different paths, because you are the Craftsman and I'm the Artist. Now, beyond creation style, there is the issue of mindset, on that point we are quite similar, but you with Logos, for example, form a duality, the one who reasons and cooperates and the one who rules and dictates. We can try to search for the mistakes in Logos' mentality, but I fear that doing so will just increase the antagonism and make the autocrat a more integral part of his personality."[/color]

She took a deep breath. [color=ec008c]"I think that is why I'm down here. I'm not hiding, I'm just avoiding a conflict I want no responsibility for."[/color]

Teknall was quiet for a moment, until he said, [color=Peru]"There are some conflicts that are wiser avoided. Discretion is a useful attribute."[/color]

[color=ec008c]"Discretion and awareness, I think."[/color]

She clapped her hands twice. [color=ec008c]"But let's stop with this downer talk. So, is there anything else you need here today? If not, I would like to show you one last thing before you leave."[/color]

[color=Peru]"There is nothing else I have planned here,"[/color] Teknall replied, [color=Peru]"What is it that you have to show me?"[/color]

Without much thought she led the way forward across the layers of the Pictaraika, the destination here, was the very last one. The Purger, a pitch black land against a bright white sky and the barrier between Reality and the Raka. 

[color=ec008c]"Since you value privacy, I thought I would show you an alternate exit."[/color] she casually said as she strolled through the odd landscape. 

[color=ec008c]"But also..."[/color] In these forests the only non-monochromatic thing were the mirrors, either the actual ones or the mirrored versions of Galbarian buildings. Ilunabar picked a hand mirror from the wild, changed it a bit, and then waved it around in the air until she managed to capture some of the shining white energy that filled it. 

Immediately, she pressed it against her chest and used her cloak to envelop the mirror. A new cloak enveloped her body instantly, otherwise it would be improper. 

[color=ec008c]"Take this as a souvenir. Or as something that could help in whatever you are doing. I have no idea really."[/color]

She smiled and gave her sibling another hug. [color=ec008c]"I have linked one mirror as a one-way trip to an unassuming Hain house in the Gilt area. Thank you so much for visiting me."[/color]

Teknall hugged Ilunabar in turn. [color=Peru]"Thank you as well, Ilunabar. We shall meet again some other time."[/color]

He held the mirror and looked into it. He checked through the mirror as he might a window, and saw that the house was unoccupied. But there was the matter of how to travel through it. Even ignoring the glass in the way, it was too small to fit him, and-

He was overthinking it. Ilunabar is more intuitive than that. He gazed deeply into the mirror, and when he looked away he found that he was no longer in Pictaraika but in a hut on the Gilt Savannah. The mirror in his hand was now mundane to all appearances, displaying his reflection. Checking around him one more time, he pocketed the mirror and walked out of the hut.

[hider=Summary]
Teknall visits Ilunabar in Pictaraika.

They talk of several things, including dryads, how they're both 'hiding' from Logos, the ubiquity of the humanoid form, how there is more to the Universe than the Codex (eg. Dreamweaver, Beyond Colours), the present condition of the Codex as the GodKiller, how Ilunabar had covered Julkofyr's darkness with illusions, the history behind Alefpria's King Trees, and the role of doiversity and clashing differences. It is revealed that Ilunabar isn't so much as hiding but avoiding the conflict.

Teknall is shown Anukramanika Akhanda, aka The Index, where Ilunabar is keeping a fairly extensive record of mortal culture and lore, as well as all her project plans. Teknall inspects the entries on Gerrik Far-Teacher and Stone Chipper, noting the embellishments and region variation.

Ilunabar shows Teknall her plans for Pictaraika. Teknall finds her methods to be strange to him, but potentially useful.

Ilunabar also shows Teknall an image of a statue, recording some artefact Ilunabar found in the Darkened Spires before renovating the place. He identifies the statue as Julkofyr's craftsmanship, and the rubble around it as being statues of the gods. The intact statue, however, is of unknown identity. Julkofyr's imagination, perhaps, or maybe a forgotten god.

As the visit draws to a close, Ilunabar leads Teknall to the bottom layer, the Purger. She conjours up a mirror for Teknall to step through- a quiet back door exit- which Teknall gets to keep as a souveneer. They share a warm goodbye before parting ways.

No might spent.
[/hider]