[centre][img]http://i.imgur.com/vbnnTUq.png[/img] [colour=ec008c][i]The Muse. Weaver of Dreams. Beauty (Stories, Colors, Aesthetic)[/i] Might: 19 Free Point: 2[/colour] [hider=Summary + Might Use] Not a lot is new here, as the focus is on developing each region of the Pictaraika. CS for it should be up very soon as well with an updated info on most of the stuff of the first parade. [free action: story] To encourage mortals to recall their day right before sleep. As writing evolves this should lead to diaries. 10 Might used to level up Ilunabar (Level 6) 3 Might to get the Flowers portfolio 3 Might to get the Glass portfolio 3 Might to get the Jewelry portfolio (Counting as Jewelry: The Ring of Blooming, The Amulet given to Lazarus, The Necklace gifted to the Vascogne 0 might, 2 free points remaining. Level 6 [/hider][/centre] Now accompanied by the fourth, and very enigmatic, diva, Chronicle, the group decided to continue their search for their lady master in the still unexplored paths of Pictaraika. The diva of brass had a vague idea of where the goddess would be, so she led the other three in the deepest layer of the holy site, The Quiet Forests of Paja. This dreamscape was made of contrast, a forest of pure white under a pitch-black sky. The sense of oppression was justified by the purpose of the zone, which was one of the main components holding back and filtering the torrential flow of dreams from the nearby plane of Raka. There were some objects, however, that weren't monochromatic as the rest of the region. These were copies of certain buildings and areas of the mortal world, mirrors, crystal clusters, houses, palaces and even some ponds. The common theme between all these was the presence reflective surfaces and having one been touched by Ilunabar's presence. [color=d7dcf6]"Curious, one would think the mirrored links would be within your personal workplace, Notte."[/color] Piena noticed. [color=938c1f]"Originally they were, but it felt like too much work. I mean, I'm not even the only one who will be using these."[/color] [color=d7dcf6]"Well, neither the index and botanical gardens are only of my or Meimu's personal use. But what is done is done, I trust our lady master's decision."[/color] [color=f66529]|Down here, in this bleached land so close to the Raka, the mirrors are safer and the reflections stronger|[/color] Eventually, they finally came across the goddess in the doppelganger of Lifprasil's palace. By far the most complex of the structures in this marsh of mirrors, which was easily explained by the sheer amount of work and power the goddess had infused into the building. Ilunabar was reflecting over some recent discoveries about the many players on the world's stage. Being fully able to peek trough the reflections into the reunion of gods, she was a testimony to the entire ordeal from the moment Lifprasil returned from his dream onward. There was some beauty to it, but a lot of unsightliness too. Ever since then she had been brooding over it ceaselessly, mumbling about weaponization, bureaucracy, mortal freedom, responsibility, Amartia, Lifprasil, Astarte, and Niciel. All of it was far too disjointed for anyone to understand, including herself. Eventually, she noticed her visitors. [color=ec008c]"Oh, you are all already here. I'm sorry that I forgot about our meeting. It is just that I have been terribly busy with some newfound issues and... Wait. Who is the redhead?"[/color] Chronicle waved her had. [color=d7dcf6]"She is a diva, I thought you would know who she was, since, well, you are obviously the one who created her."[/color] [color=ec008c]"Did I? Huh... Oh well. Clearly, she exists, and I'm not one to do things without purpose so therefore she must have something to do. Uh. Dear, since you were created along with Pictaraika... Wait. Why am I calling it that name again?"[/color] [color=f66529]| I named it that since nobody else took the responsibility. |[/color] [color=ec008c]"Oh. I take you also know this whole site very well, all the layers, all the paths. Right?"[/color] Chronicle nodded. [color=ec008c]"Excellent, this mean you can lead the other three around while I solve some very immediate issues."[/color] [color=d7dcf6]"You must surely be jesting. We have so much to work with, from shaping the shrines to getting the equipment and staffing for the ateliers to..."[/color] [color=ec008c]"Oh Piena dearheart, four very bright girls like you will surely be able to solve any issue."[/color] The goddess started to float away from the fake palace. [color=d7dcf6]"Wait! Where are you going?"[/color] [color=6ecff6]"And why are you wearing a poncho?"[/color] It all fell on deaf ears as the goddess left anyway. [color=938c1f]"Che, it seems we are on our own."[/color] Chronicle whistled to grab their attention. She then signaled with her hand for them to follow her. [hr] Above the Purger was the hunting ground, Jaktterreng. This dreamscape took the shape of primeval. wilderness, where the flora was tinted in unnatural shades of vivid or pastel colors. The "sky" was still deep and dark, but the white fog emanating from the jungles gave it something very close to starriness. Across the land, the dreams of animals flowed trough in the personified form of phantasmal beasts, some stayed alone, but most circulated the forests in the form of a herd, pack, flock, swarm or shoal. Some of these beasts were almost invisible, while others looked were colored in solid, shadeless tones. [color=6ecff6]"Oh! I didn't expect to see dream energy flowing like this beyond the quiet forest."[/color] [color=d7dcf6]"Animalistic dreams are not as strong as the ones born from consciousness. They are not even bound by the Arpeggio's scale.[/color] [color=f66529]| It's also in a filtered form, that is why it takes the shapes of animals |[/color] [color=938c1f]"Look, that one is human shaped."[/color] [color=6ecff6]"That is like... um... A shaman right?"[/color] [color=f66529]| Shamanic potential, an actual shaman would be carrying tools and the body would have markings instead of being a single color tone like all animals |[/color] [color=d7dcf6]"We still need to produce the first few tools actually. Though that is an issue for later."[/color] [hr] Em'Ef was the name of Notte's personal dreamscape, the midnight carnival. A whole illusory town existed here, in the frontier between concrete and shapeless, with its scenic streets invoked both the idea of a nostalgic land lost to time and of a utopia that had yet to be. The buildings followed a similar color scheme of the wildland bellow, though here the fake sky was actually starry and the buildings despite being colored in ways that wouldn't be possible in Reality, still followed more orderly pallets than Jaktterreng. Most of the structures are hollow, but others appear to hold some purpose, like a carnival, a park, and a tavern. Some dreamers could be observed talking and enjoying these facilities, though every single one was speaking in different languages and incoherent mumbles. [color=d7dcf6]"I.... I fail to see the purpose."[/color] [color=938c1f]"Huh? You don't like my place?"[/color] [color=d7dcf6]"I see no function to it. People are just wandering around, some are declaiming meaningless words and others are enjoying ghostly soirees but I fail to see the why."[/color] [color=938c1f]"And that is what it is. A place of passion and peacefulness, where people from all sorts of places gather and talk their minds out. I have no idea of what they are saying, but surely among them, there are some of the best poems, tall tales, and intrigues of revolution."[/color] [color=d7dcf6]"But nobody is speaking an understandable language, they just babble to each other."[/color] [color=938c1f]"Of course, to put thoughts in words they would need to think about it, and if they had to think about it, they wouldn't be saying what they are saying."[/color] Piena sighed. [color=6ecff6]"The food is very good though."[/color] added Meimu who had got some sort of flavored ice snack from the nearby carnival. She offered, almost forcefully, a spoon of the dessert to Piena. [color=d7dcf6]"It is alright.[/color] she struggled to say [color=d7dcf6]"Either way, The Griffin also lives here, right?"[/color] [color=938c1f]"Yeah. In a big, tall tower of obsidian and light. Really hard to miss.[/color] [hr] Magnato could be considered something akin to the Griffin's nest. A tall structure decorated in glass and lit in magenta colored lights. The Griffin stored all the information it received from the Vascogne family as well as anything Ilunabar found wise to tell him in the countless obsidian tablets that were stored in the many libraries of the tower. Beyond that, it was still a very rough place, with plenty of empty areas for future improvements and systems. The Griffin was a very experimental project, perhaps only losing to Chroma, and as such, Ilunabar was very cautious about it. As the divas entered the tower, its guardian arrived, at first in the formless shape of magenta colored energy, but eventually taking the shape of the chimeric beast that represented ambition itself. [color=6ecff6]"Oh so this is the famous griffin huh? He is fluffier than I thought."[/color] she proceeded to try to pet the almost hologram-like creature. [color=d7dcf6]"He is a being of energy and knowledge, I'm not sure where you see fluff in it."[/color] [color=938c1f]"So, Piena, what do you think about the tower I made? Quite intricate isn't it? By far the most complex structure I have ever planned."[/color] [color=d7dcf6]"Quite a masterful work, yet still very rough. You should take some notes from all the jewelry I have produced with the Quara recently. Especially the necklace that connects the Griffin to the Vascogne."[/color] [color=938c1f]"To be honest the only thing I would get from taking notes from you would be a new mood marking called pretenzioso."[/color] she grumbled in a low voice. [color=6ecff6]"Ah... Wait..."[/color] she looked around as if searching for something. [color=6ecff6]"Where is Chronicle?"[/color] They would find the fourth diva back at Em'Ef, inside a tavern, drinking and "talking" with others. In truth, she uttered no word, but apparently all the dreamers near her were having an insightful conversation with her. [color=d7dcf6]"What are you doing?"[/color] She pointed to her glass [color=d7dcf6]"I'm aware, but shouldn't you be leading us across the Pictaraika."[/color] Knowing that it was her responsibility, Chronicle stood up. The other tavern-goers called out for her and in response, she extended her arms in a shrug, duty is duty. [hr] In the exact middle of the funnel, there was the idyllic Arcadia. Supposedly the very place where Ilunabar's palace would be built, but so far the goddess had not expressed any plan to give physical form to the throne of beauty so there was nothing in it but an imaginary woodland. At this point, the Pictaraika changed a lot with a very clear cut boundary. Here, the need to use Julkofyr's darkness to filter dreams was not so necessary, giving the opportunity for the illusions to cast away darkness, creating clear skies and giving proper colors to the flora. The area was real enough to be mostly unreachable from the dreaming mortals that inhabited the Raka and the lower layers of Pictaraika. On the other side, real and awake mortals would still find this area extremely nauseating and maddening. The oddest aspect of it all was that this dreamscape was by far one of the most vivid dreams the three older divas had ever witnessed. Even the wind and small details, aspects often absent from dreams, were perfectly simulated there. However, since there was little meaning to this area without Ilunabar, the group decided to move on. [hr] Piena's personal dreamscape was the imposing facility of Anukramanika Akhanda. The Index. In its white halls, there was the space for countless exhibits, from sculptures, to ethnic maps, to the living memory of languages, to domes that simulated the sky of Arcon and Galbar. However, being the most complex of the projects present in the Pictaraika, it was also the one that needed the most development. Only the grandiva of aesthetics could possibly plan the necessary staffing and research to fill the rooms of this museum, but even then, no amount of planning made the task less monumental. Even Piena's steel-like will felt like it was bending at the pressure of emptiness of this gallery. [color=f66529]| Calm down. We will all be working with you. | [/color] she wrote. [color=d7dcf6]"Huh? Do I look stressed? I am not, however. It is just that there is so much to do it is hard to think about even the first step."[/color] The diva of brass pointed to Notte. [color=938c1f]"Me? Che... Well... I was thinking. The easiest way to start to collect the information to fill these halls would be to make them think more about their daily lives so the memories are more vivid within dreams."[/color] Piena pondered. [color=6ecff6]"It wouldn't be too hard for us to make that a habit. It would be like praying, no?"[/color] [color=d7dcf6]"Like some sort of Diary report? Yes... I think this would be a fine start for the anthropological sections. There are still quite a lot of work to do, but I see what you meant, Chronicle."[/color] [color=6ecff6]"Just a little, little question. If this is like a library, and Magnato is like a library, why don't you ask for the help of the Griffin?"[/color] [color=d7dcf6]"That wouldn't be wise. The Griffin is a creature born from the dreams of a very ambitious woman if it had access to these indexes the power the Vascogne have would increase a hundredfold."[/color] [hr] It was possible to walk from The Index to the many gardens that belonged to her. Unlike any other dreamscape, this one didn't have a name, for Meimu, in her appreciation of the small things, considered each garden a project and a world of its own. As such, the area was commonly named The Botanical Gardens, but within it, a myriad of different names existed. Like nemurumori, the area where she tried to replicate the bleached trees of the purger, or sarano yoru, which would in the future replicate the flora of Shalanoir. The main issue was sunlight, that was in fact absent from this area despite the opposite impression the clear blue fake skies might give. Meimu had mastered the art of taking care of flowers and creating new variants, and while she had plenty of flora that fed on energies alternative to true daylight, the lack of it simply reduced the range of her work to meaningless levels. [color=938c1f]"I will find a way to get some light down here. I promise."[/color] said Notte. [color=6ecff6]"Eh? How do you know I need it?"[/color] [color=d7dcf6]"It is obvious, isn't it? I do not understand why you didn't voice this worry beforehand."[/color] [color=6ecff6]"Well, I thought I was supposed to figure the alternative myself and to just focus on dream-based stuff."[/color] [color=938c1f]"You should focus on what you want. Didn't you see my Em'Ef?"[/color] [color=6ecff6]"I guess you are right![/color] she smiled. Meanwhile, Chronicle was looking at the difference between the garden zone and the museum zone. Both had a similar design for a park but they couldn't be more different. Each was formed by a crossroad with a pond in the middle, similar at first, but the difference was in the corners. Piena's design had little metal fences meant to dissuade anyone from the neatly laid paved path. Meimu's design simply accepted that people would prefer to take a diagonal route trough grass if they wanted to go from one of the paved paths of the crossroad to another, so she had a couple of stone steps and flower bushes making sure such path was as scenic as taking the straight route trough the pond area. But sometimes Meimu just decided that no one was going to walk trough a certain path, and then her efforts to stop people from taking those routes outdid Piena on every aspect, with large thorny bushes and itchy plants meant not only to dissuade but outright punish those who stray. She had been attentive to such details in each of the sister's style trough their journey, trying to understand more of them along the path and how they perceived beauty. [hr] The orgel was something very odd, standing in a pseudo-layer between the surface and the index, it was apparently a transformed Dreamweaver, that went from a simple harp to a complex building made of brass instruments, strings, and what looked like clockwork. The divas had already asked as many questions as they could about the place, but Chronicle never knew the answer. It was a bizarre land, the purpose unknown, but Piena had a suspicion that just like the Anukramanika Akhanda, Magnato or the gardens, it would only show its true nature once it was properly developed. Unlike those three, the path of this one was unclear and so were the results. Meanwhile Piena brooded over the structure, Meimu and Notte pondered about the person. [color=938c1f]"Did you notice she walks at the same pace as this whole dreamscape ticks."[/color] [color=6ecff6]"I know right? Also, sometimes I catch glimpse of her clicking her tongue in a clock-like rhythm."[/color] [color=938c1f]"I guess machinery and music are her themes just like yours are flowers... I see a pattern there."[/color] [color=6ecff6]"Huh? Sorry, I don't follow, I'm not very good at gossiping...N-No offense, I respect it a lot."[/color] [color=938c1f]"Oh, it is probably nothing, our lady master would be very angry if she found out what I am thinking. But really... I even wonder if the caffeine addiction isn't related to something too."[/color] [color=6ecff6]"Hmmm. I think she was just necessary. Usually, a new Diva means our master is shifting her style of work. Though I do worry about what her new way is, did you see her? She was wearing only a long poncho. A poncho! Why not a robe or a summer dress?"[/color] [color=938c1f]"Eh, elegance aside, it looked comfortable."[/color] [hr] And finally, they were back to the surface world. Here the illusions of the Raka became weak and Julkofyr's darkness returned with its eternal night. This was still mostly undeveloped land and it had been this way since the time immemorial. At most, insects lived here, though most were displaced by Notte and the few that stayed perished with the beam of energy that fell from the sky or the subsequent flooding. There was little of note to the moonlit seas of Iarapahira. Most of it was sea, with stretches of land and the large root-like structures sprouting from the ground. Or so it was supposed to be, as the Divas noticed a small structure resting in the exact middle of the whole region. Clearly a Chronicle based design, it was a round structure made of metal and decorated with many illustrations, mirrors, and lights. It was similar to a carousel, but less mechanical and with no seats. The height of hill in which it was, along with the multiple floors giving it a tower-like appearance, made it similar to a lighthouse, though admittedly a very whimsical one. [color=d7dcf6]"What... is this... t-thing?"[/color] Piena said with a cringe. [color=938c1f]"I don't know but it is lovely. I need three of these in my carnival... with just a deck or two, though, not five."[/color] [color=f66529]| Some sort of aftereffect I think. I did not know it existed until now. | [/color] she wrote. [color=f66529]| It looks like a good place to start to plan the shrines, doesn't it? | [/color] [color=d7dcf6]"Shouldn't we scout the area outside of the mountains first?"[/color] [color=f66529]| It will take time until the changes start to happen. But we should relocate the bugs from the spires to there. |[/color] [color=938c1f]"Great, I will have to carry bugs around again."[/color] Notte lamented. [color=f66529]| About the shrines, what projects do you 3 currently have? |[/color] The highest layer of Pictaraika, the shrines were almost out of the darkness, carved into the mountainside a little above the maximum height that the root-like structures reached. For the moment, they were a simple collection of sixteen monolithic sigils, but the plan was to build more interesting structures in the spots. It had no proper division until now, but with four divas it was easy to simply give each one four spots to work with. The projects, however, had certain problems, similar to Piena's shortcomings back at her own workshop. [color=f66529]| You three are planning cathedrals, great temples, and palaces | | These are just shrines, they are meant to be simple and conceptual | [/color] [color=6ecff6]"Are you sure? These are quite important..."[/color] [color=f66529]| They can serve as base design and be improved later |[/color] [color=d7dcf6]"Sounds reasonable. But where do we start?"[/color] Piena stared at the black sheet of paper in front of her, basic concepts of over 7 different buildings spread trough it. Chronicle looked at that and meditated for a short while. [color=f66529]| Forget the current spot division, each one of us will get a single spot at first |[/color] The three divas protested in unison to the proposal. They were having trouble choosing what projects would fill the current four spots they had, imagine being confined to a single one. But Chronicle was keen on her idea, and she enforced it by taking away the doodles from the other divas. [color=f66529]| One for each, and it will have to be a new design |[/color] She handed the divas a new sheet of paper, this time, it was not blank as it had a proposal: What invokes beauty? A simple question, but one that forced the divas to rethink what they were doing and what were their objectives. [color=d7dcf6]"I just can't find a way to keep my ideas small. I need my structures to go beyond what you can find in nature, so I like to add perfect lines and circles, intricate colonnades and floor patterns and of course, an imposing size as it must stand out.[/color] [color=f66529]| This is not a dream world, we need resources, and resources are limited |[/color] [color=d7dcf6]"I understand, but this is as small as I'm getting"[/color] she delivered her sheet. The main building was multiple stories high and tower-like, a set of rooms subordinate to the main structure existed to its left and right. The walls were very simple, but Piena avoided a boring look by painting sharp lines and patterns on the walls as well as detailed parapets in the roof. [color=d7dcf6]"I know it is too big, but we will need somewhere to serve as a base for the parade directory, and I think this could be the place."[/color] The next one was Notte, and her reaction to the test was the polar opposite from the previous. [color=938c1f]"Eh, sometimes you people just overthink it all. Beauty is easy to spot, you look at a glinting stone, to stained glass or to a dancing flame and you immediately notice that it is pretty."[/color] Her words might have implied simplicity, but in truth, her design was absurdly complex, though only when it came to the towering windows of stained glass. The rest of the structure was somewhat simple. In Alefpriel she had created symmetrical, cathedral-like, building to hold her design, here, however, the windows were only on one side of the corridor-like rooms while the other was usually windowless and focused instead on providing comfort trough furniture. Chronicle had no complaints, the glasswork was as intricate as the ones of mosaics, but unlike the structures of stone and wood, glass was easier to control, in fact, at this point Notte could reshape it almost freely. Finally, Meimu. [color=f66529]| It's a garden. Don't you have many of these already? |[/color] [color=6ecff6]"What? It is not a garden at all, what are you talking about?"[/color] In response, the trees and flowers that occupied most of the design were pointed out. [color=6ecff6]"No, you got it all wrong. It's a temple with a garden."[/color] [color=f66529]| It is a garden with a temple |[/color] [color=6ecff6]"Can you blame me? Nature's ability to create harmonic patterns is just unmatched, of course, it doesn't do it on purpose, so you need to cut out the imperfections and find the patterns yourself, but still, it is a work worth doing, and that is why I filled my shrine with it."[/color] She pointed to the bridges, gates, ponds, pavilions and the main shrine itself, oddly small in the middle of all the structure. [color=6ecff6]"And while my botanical gardens all serve a purpose, this one is just meant to look scenic and harmonic.[/color] With that, the designing process was almost concluded. Piena and Chronicle started to plan out the resources they would need. [color=d7dcf6]"Now that the first parade is concluded, we to see the results and rethink the Grand Parade on a global scenario. Though I believe we will..."[/color] Notte suddenly interrupted them [color=938c1f]"Wait, Chronicle, you have a shrine to build too, right?"[/color] She took out a sheet of paper with her design in it. It was a tower like structure with three floors, only the second one had windows carved into the walls, and they took the shape of different symbols, like a butterfly, the petals of a flower or a swan, all of them stylized to fit into a round shape. Inside the tower, there was a ring of archways circling a void. In it, there was a sculpture formed by a helix of wind or water from which human-like shapes rose. [color=d7dcf6]"Oh? And what is the idea behind it?"[/color] Chronicle shrugged. [color=d7dcf6]"What do you mean? This is design is filled with symbols, surely they must have some concept behind them..."[/color] [color=f66529]| It means whatever you think it means | [/color] [hr] Ilunabar returned on the same day after just a short visit to Xerxes and some other locations. She expected the divas to be waiting patiently for her orders as there was quite a lot to do across the Pictaraika, but they actually managed to organize themselves properly and were already planning out materials and such business by the time she arrived. [color=ec008c]"Ah, I see you are already advancing trough the future designs of the shrine."[/color] [color=d7dcf6]"The first four are set. Now we are looking into materials while also thinking about contact opportunities that could be created on the way. So for example, when we visit the Rovaick to gather the metals necessary for the shrines, we might as well see how we can advance our influence in their society."[/color] [color=ec008c]"Oh... That is nice. Is there anything else I can do to help?"[/color] [color=d7dcf6]"If you are talking about the shrines I believe we have everything under control. Beyond that, there is plenty of other things to do on Pictaraika, we will be busy for decades by the look of it.[/color] On this moment Chronicle walked to the goddess and delivered her a list of some immediate chores that could be performed, like diplomacy with Astarte and Toun, finding a way to get sunlight into the botanical gardens, helping out Makeda, making scale models of mortal towns and other such tasks. [color=ec008c]"Don't give me orders like that"[/color] she complained [color=ec008c]"I know you are new, but I'm the one leading this project."[/color] Chronicle rolled her eyes. [color=f66529]| So what do you plan on doing instead? |[/color] The goddess stayed quiet for a few seconds before saying reluctantly. [color=ec008c]"The scale models I guess."[/color]