[color=C71585][h2]Alzria, Goddess of Nightmares[/h2][/color]

[h2]&[/h2]

[color=7bcdc8][h2]I’Iro - Goddess of Dreams[/h2][/color]

With the winter project finished, the cold in the south tamed and gifted to Arira, I’Iro had dedicated her time to travel back towards Mons Divinus, taking many detours along the way to further her understanding of the mortals that inhabited this world. As she finally approached the colossal mountain she noticed a biome she had not seen when she first left. A fungi based forest was a curious sight, she wondered if this was related to the micellean network that connected the world yet the design of this location felt different in philosophy.

The goddess would surely have been spotted already had she been flying her dragon, the turquoise trail of light impossible to miss in the night sky, but for the sake of better mortal interactions she had been on foot, exploring the land in a slow pace. This allowed her to outright, accidentally, stumble upon a mortal settlement, or at least the origins of one. She observed the creatures there with stark curiosity, non-humans, they were unlike anything she had met through her travels.


Not exactly knowing how to approach mortals still, she merely stood there, observing them in the outskirts of the settlement, just waiting for something to notice her and initiate contact. For a moment, the mortals didn’t notice, the skeleton looking things more focused on constructing buildings of stone and fungal covered wood. Eventually though one of them, their head like that of a boar’s skull, noticed, quickly alerting the others to the strange person near the outskirts. They stared for a good while, equally as unsure as how to react to newcomer, before finally, the boar headed one stepped forward, speaking. 

“Who goes there?” They asked, their voice nearly monotone and gruff in its nature. 

What a scene that was, the goddess and the mortals' eyes had met and yet they had just stared for a long time. [code]Ah. Greetings. I am I’Iro. The Goddess of Dreams. Please do not mind me for I was just observing your species to satiate my curiosity. I have no intent to interfere with your daily life. Yet. I must notice that I have never seen other creatures like your kind before. If it is not bothersome could you please identify yourself?[/code]

The skeletal mortal looked back towards their compatriots, before returning their gaze back towards the goddess. “We are Azrath,” they replied “It is no surprise that you haven’t met us before, we are not native to these lands and are relative newcomers.” 

The mechanical goddess placed a finger in her chin, taking in the words. [code]Newcomers? I heard whispers of such a species. One that came from beyond a portal. Though… the descriptions were a bit off.[/code] definitely not fluffy in the slightest, she wondered if the person who described them was blind. [code]Well. Be welcome to these lands. It is very interesting to have newcomers.[/code] she stopped herself from asking them direct questions about their mind. It would not do well to the first impression, as she had learned with some of her mortal interactions.

[code]Please tell me. Do your species sleep? When you do. Do you have dreams?[/code] this she felt was a more natural approach, it was expected that a goddess of dreams would be curious about such things.

The Azrath gave her a strange look before quickly remembering she was a goddess of dreams, “Well, we do sleep yes, and we do dream, though i'm not sure our definition of dream is the same of yours, ours are more akin to a song, we experience visions of symbols of our language and the tunes of our people, sometimes we experience visions of places from our old lands, but those are rare.” 

“And should be reported to the King” added another Azrath, their head looking like that tiger. 

“That too” 

Well, wasn’t that interesting? Humans in contrast tended to have most of their usual dreams be heavily based on spatial memory, it was such a prevailing theme in their minds that it wasn’t uncommon for them to simplify abstract concepts like time into location based words. Meanwhile this species’ mind seemed to be more focused on fully conceptual things like dreams and song, she would need to peek into a few of their dreams later to fully understand this.

[code]Thank you. It is good for me to better understand how dreams work in different species. Do not worry about the definition of dreams. Though you mentioned an ancient home. Have any of you seen such a place or is it just a shared memory of your species?[/code] while she was interested in that aspect, she was also winning some time to better analyse the species architecture and how they occupied the space given to them, to see if it differentiated in some way due to the nature of their dreams.

The species's buildings seemed normal at first sight, but as she looked at them, she began to notice carvings and symbols within the stones and wood, seemingly akin to a decorative artwork. Sadly it seemed they were not far in the building to get anymore, though it certainly seemed like the stone was rougher than usual for a building. 

“Well,” The Boar Azrath began “For some of our older members they have seen these homes, but for some of us,” They looked back towards another of their members, another boar headed one, who avoided their gaze “They see places they could’ve never seen, so, I’d guess it’d be a shared memory then.” 

It seemed like she would not be able to make enough research this early on, but, there were already many hints for her to speculate on the species. She could see hints of minds that did not visualize in height, width and depth, but in word, tone and melody, how that interacted with these supposed shared memories was not clear however. Collective imagination leading to a rare spatial based dreams was a grounded, acceptable assumption, without needing any extraordinary aspect to explain such dreams, but it would be foolish to deny other possibilities such as their language, therefore code, based memory somehow better interacting with genetic memory, or that somehow the tunes of these people could be translated into spatial-visual memory not merely by association but outright singing the geometry and shape of a location.

[code]Well. That is one possibility. I cannot say I am not intrigued about how such dreams could come to be. Though I cannot give my opinion on them as your recent arrival makes information scarce. Speaking of that. Was this fungi forest brought by your people? I do not seem to recall it in this region before.[/code]

"Not from us no, I believe Alzria created it as it was here when we met her." They paused for a brief moment, before realizing the goddess had no idea who they were talking about "Alzria is the one who took us in, helped us settle down, she is another goddess, so, one of your kind."

I’Iro gently tilted her head. [code]Ah. Is that so? I have not met an entity of that name yet. But it's good that she helped your kind. Not all gods are this cordial to mortals.[/code] 

The Azrath chuckled "She tends to keep to her sanctuary so I am not surprised you have not heard of her,” They looked towards the mountains “In exchange though, she asked that we help serve as guardians of this land, which we are not opposed to.”

[code]A sanctuary in the mountain?[/code] she too looked towards the mountain with building curiosity. [code]I wonder if I should pay her a visit. It would be rude to have interacted with her land without a proper introduction. Would it not?[/code]

“Aye, I'm sure she’d like to know you’re around here, she can get very protective of her children.” They raised their hand, pointing towards the tallest mountain in the area “You’ll find the sanctuary up there, if you can fly it'll be easy, but if you can’t well, you’ll have to take the steps, you’ll come across some more of our kin there who can help you out with that.”

The goddess nodded. [code]I cannot fly myself. I tend to simply ride my servant-dragon Nalmepror. However. I think the idea of walking by foot and meeting more of your kind is preferable.[/code] she explained with a simple half-smile to try to make herself more casual.

[hr]

After a short hike, for a god that is, I’Iro found herself reaching the highest points of the mountain, the fungal forest had changed completely as she climbed, adapting to the drier and cold of the location while remaining recognizable. She finally found the shape of the entrance to some sort of cave, though by now the presence of divinity alone was enough to guide her.

The entrance also was easily noticeable even amongst the growing mist amongst the area, a grand metal door that easily surpassed her size, a near black in its colouration. All across it were inscribed the silver images and depictions of countless beasts and monsters, many unrecognizable to the goddess, each image seemed to interact with the others, making a grand scene of monsters. Right in front of her were two large door knockers, each one looking like a monster’s head, with a circled snake within their mouth. 

I’Iro blinked a few moments, the scene was surprising to say the least but the act of knocking on the door was what really impressed her. Still, she moved forward and used the metallic snake against the equally metallic door, a loud bell-like sound being made from this peculiar combination.

For a moment, all that she could hear within were the distant sounds of creatures within. But eventually, the sound of metal creaking upon metal erupted from the door, and a smaller door within the massive one, just next to the knockers, opened up. From within a figure popped out, covered in a tattered black and purple robe, with purple skin covered in scars and blisters, chitin and fungi covered arms, bloody cloth upon their legs and eyes, a large bladed tail, and a pair of twisted wings. The divine presence was clear enough to her, this was clearly the goddess she was searching for. 

[color=C71585]”Well hello there!”[/color] the other goddess spoke in an ill fitting jovial tone. [color=C71585]”Who might you be?”[/color]

I’Iro was a contrasting sight to that goddess, a tall, neatly dressed human, even dirt did not seem to cling to her boots. Yet she wasn’t judgemental either, as she was far too data focused to get bothered by the state of her clothes or blisters. [code]Greetings. I was traveling back to Mons Divinus and by accident discovered this location. I am I’Iro. Goddess of Dreams.[/code]

The other goddess smiled, her mouth full of wicked teeth [color=C71585]"Oh! welcome to Varati then!"[/color] she gave a bow in greeting [color=C71585]"I am Alzria, the goddess of Nightmares, welcome to my sanctuary!"[/color]

[code]Oh. Greetings.[/code] she nodded politely, if not awkwardly. [code]Uhm. Nightmares? That is curious to say the least. I had never met a god whose domain is so close to my own.[/code] she stepped forward looking at the area that had opened up, though now she was too focused on theory crafting within her own head.

Inside she could see a dark passage leading deeper into the mountain, a bit beyond she could see the glow of a pale blue light. Alzria gestured towards the door [color=C71585]"Would you like a look inside? I am very curious to learn more about the other side of sleep so It'd be a nice time to talk."[/color]

I’Iro nodded politely and started to move ahead into the lair. [code]The curiosity is mutual.[/code] it felt like this talk was really inevitable no matter what, to not know each other would just breed trouble and potential for misunderstandings, she was sure all gods could reach an amicable agreement nevertheless. She followed Alzira deeper into the sanctuary without worry, the whole realm of fear was somewhat alien to the goddess of dreams, it was a deeply mortal and organic behaviour after all.

The cave path led deep into the mountains, eventually depositing the two into a massive cavern, within sat a large lake, and various other tunnels led deeper into the caverns. High above the cavern stretched upward, with various perches and ledges for what seemed to be nests. All around, there were monsters and beasts of a variety of flavours, a vast amount of slimes by the lake, Griffins and fliers sitting by their nests, some creatures sat in spots, others milled about. Alongside them there were several Azrath, seemingly caring for the beasts of the sanctuary. 

[color=C71585]"So!"[/color] Alzria spoke, clapping her hands together then gesturing out towards the sanctuary [color=C17585]"Welcome to the sanctuary! home of my children and me, and some of my Azrath helpers. Since you're my guest, I guess you can ask some questions first."[/color] She smiled once more, eager to talk. 

I’Iro nodded slowly as she took a position and turned to Alzria. [code]The most essential question in this is simple. Please define nightmares. As it is clear to me that word has a meaning to you that is notably different to my own.[/code]

Alzria thought for a moment, giving a small humm [color=C71585]”Well, Nightmares are, a, manifestation of the fears of mortals, all that terror locked away in their minds given a form. They are, in a way, alive, feeding off of the mind of the mortal, rarely do they do much beyond give a scare, but sometimes there are mortals who, either of their own free volition or not, give in to fear, that can cause more, serious, mental problems and they can even manifest themselves in the waking world.”[/color] She licked her lips, seemingly starring off for a moment, before snapping back to attention [color=C71585]”Apologies, I tend not to be able to help myself at the thought, mortals being brought low by nightmares and their own fear is a tasty treat to me.”[/color]

The mechanical goddess nodded along what was being said, slowly raising an eyebrow at the reply. [code]I see… The first things you have said are similar to my definition with perhaps an added level of romanticism. However clearly there are some elements to fear that act in a way unlike anything I work with when it comes to dreams. All the gods I had met so far were neutral or positive towards the mortal species so it is a bit surprising to meet one who has more… utilitarian views.[/code] this was all said without strong facial expressions, just I’Iro’s typical distant tone.

A chuckle came from Alzria in response [color=C71585]”I suppose you could call it that, it stems from the nature of nightmares in some regards I suppose, we feed on mortals, simple as that, don’t get me wrong, I hold no desire to destroy or kill them.”[/color] She gestured towards the Azrath within the sanctuary to further her own point, [color=C71585]”In fact, their growth means even more for me and my nightmares to consume, so, you would be right, I do suppose I hold some, utilitarian views. Anyway, I am curious about Dreams some, I don’t know much about them and would love some enlightenment about them.”[/color]

[code]Oh. Dreams are not that different from the way you described nightmares at first.[/code] I’Iro rose a hand and a playback of Alzria’s voice played [color=C71585]”Well, Nightmares are, a, manifestation of the fears of mortals, all that terror locked away in their minds given a form.[/color] the goddess rested her hand and continued. [code]See. Here you describe emotions and thoughts locked away within the mind that are manifested during sleep. Dreams are not that different to the point that before meeting you I considered what mortals described as nightmares to just be indistinguishable from dreams. They are the free flow of thoughts typically hidden away by distractions and busyness of life. The mind working at its full potential. One thing that distinguishes us… perhaps… is that I do not see an end product of Dreams the same way your value the production of Fear from Nightmares. My concern is to analyse and understand dreams and the mind and to an extant help mortals control their own minds.[/code]

I’Iro adjusted her turquoise hair with one hand, breaking eye contact for a moment. [code]That last part is perhaps a bit anathema to your desires. As among the things that come with a better self-control is the ability to contain and suppress fears. That said. I hope this does not breed animosity between us. That would be a wasteful endeavour.[/code]

[color=C71585]”Well I surely wouldn’t want to fight someone like yourself.”[/color] The nightmare goddess gave a big toothy smile, if it weren’t for the cloth covering her eyes, she would’ve surely winked. [color=C71585]”But they do sound similar in some regards, I suppose that comes from our shared space amongst the sleep of mortals, and don’t worry, I won’t feel any animosity for your work, we each have our jobs, no faulting someone for doing it.”[/color]

I’Iro nodded at the reasonable words of Alzria. [code]Ah. That is good to hear. I am not fond of conflict at all. And indeed. Perhaps one viewpoint could even be that our conflicting works help to keep each side trying their hardest. Nevertheless. I thank you for your hospitality.[/code]

[color=C71585]”Of course! My sanctuary is open to all, of course as long as you play nice and don’t care about all the monsters,”[/color] The sounds of monsters reminded the pair of the vast amount of creatures that sat and laid a short distance away from them. [color=C71585]”I do look forward to working with, or well, against you in the future, anything else you’d like to ask?”[/color] 

The robotic goddess rubbed her chin for a long moment, her eyes focusing on the many creatures around them. With some struggle she nodded, asking a question that had been on her mind for a good while [code]May I pet the griffon?[/code] 

[hider=Summary]
We catch up with I’lro right after finishing her winter project down south and heading back up towards Mons Divinus, taking a few detours here and there to get a better understanding of the world. While there she comes across the fungal biomes of Vartai and with curiosity, travels further in. 
There she encounters some Azrath! Building up a small settlement a bit of distance away from the central mountains, having never seen these creatures before, she decides to continue watching them. This leads to a beginning awkward convo which quickly becomes I’lro asking questions about their dreams and tries to gauge more about their people where she learns there’s another goddess nearby, Alzria! 
She heads up to the sanctuary gates and quickly comes face to face with the nightmare gal herself. They have a nice introduction to each other, learning they hold close domains, and Alzria invites I’lro inside the sanctuary to have a nice chat. They talk about their respective domains, Alzria “attempts” some minor flirting and overall the two agree not to fight even with their conflicting domains, instead holding some mutual respect. Ending their interaction on pretty good terms. [/hider]

[hider=MA Summary]
Ha! Made you look![/hider]