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Revue of Annihilation

Meisa Amorette

---

It was a rather boring non-answer, but Meisa let it be for the moment as she watched Camille select his brushes and paints. The movements were natural, with the practiced ease of a painter in his element. Firenze, with her experience in spy craft could tell it wasn’t fake—and Meisa, who had far more experience in sitting for paintings had a similar impression even if he didn’t compare to the elven painters of her memories. Nobody did, in this era.

Meisa nodded at Camille as she went up the ladder, dismissing his request in her mind. As she did so, Firenze decided to make herself comfortable, finding something nearby to sit on as the painter continued to set up. Most of the words and terminology that came out of Camille’s mouth flew well over her head, but she continued to preen at the attention and pleasure of being able to sit for a painting instead of her mistress. It was Meisa who had a proper court education, and although some of the developments in art were past her time, it was something that she understood well enough. Assuming she didn’t discover a serial killer’s lair upstairs, the golden-haired elf was actually feeling excited to talk to the man. He still obviously lacked culture given how she’d been ignored, but at least he knew his art.

A man with that sort of artistic fervor could start a cultural revolution…

The second floor was actually sort of cozy, with the bed, big bright windows, and a large, if haphazard library of old leatherbound books. Meisa ignored the bundle for the moment as she stepped towards the books, taking a few and flipping through them while looking at the others’ spines. The topics were remarkably archaic and dense –for a human in this era. While they might not have been typical reading even in her time, philosophy, ethics, astronomy, and the other sciences were all studies of a learned man. If this was what Camille read in his free time, then he was a remarkably civilized and learned person. From how worn and dust-free they were, she wondered…

Maybe this frivolous painter could make a good ally to her cause. The house wasn’t so bad, either.

Finally overcome by curiosity, she peeked under the blanket, expecting old paintings—and got old paintings. Curiously, they were of an older woman. There was an obvious progression in age of the subject and in the increasing skill of the art. If anything, it was an interesting window into the man’s artistic career. Carefully replacing the blanket the way she found it, she picked out a book on cuisines of her lost kingdom, and returned downstairs.

“I wouldn’t say those are dusty tomes at all,” she said, waving the culinary book she chose. “If anything, it’s remarkably varied! I haven’t seen some of these dishes since the kingdom fell.” She had a nostalgic, almost wistful backing to her otherwise chipper tone, glancing between the artist prepping and her supposed paladin enjoying herself in front of him. She gave a beaming smile to Firenze. “Firenze, dear, maybe you can help make some of these dishes again to return the favor to ser Moissan?”

She bullied right on even as her purple-haired companion began to look cross.

“Ah! Right. I couldn’t help but to overhear part of your conversation. I may not be the subject today, but I used to sit for many, and paint, too. I was taught in the classical school in my youth, though it’s been a while… It’s not often I come across a man of culture in this day and age. What inspired you?”

Revue of Annihilation

Meisa Amorette

---

Still paying no regard to Meisa, Firenze humored the painter to tell her about the long-lost homeland of her youth. “Despina is many leagues and a lifetime away. It wouldn’t be too surprising for even a scholar of history here to only know of the name,” she lamented, as if she were the unfortunate protagonist of an epic tragedy. “It was a beautiful, bountiful land of both great plains and breathtaking mountains. It was a place with works of art that you could never imagine in this this era, and fashioned by hands without magic…”

Meisa’s paladin spun a grand tale of the now ancient elven kingdom, extolling its virtues and artistry to the apparent artist, all while conveniently leaving out any mention of Meisa herself outside of token appearances. The golden-haired elf followed, with a very friendly smile on her face as she supplied additions to the story, promising bloody murder with her chipper face. However far the two of them went with their unspoken game, however, their passing of the two gates did not escape their notice. Even as Firenze regaled Camille at her charge’s expense, a hand continued to readjust the sword at her belt, sending a silent notice for the shorter elf to remain cautious. A glance behind her also gave way to the observation that the two kitsune women were following from a distance. Opportunists, or working together with the man? That look of outrage had been genuine, though.

Had they been had by a scammer dressed as a dandy, or far worse? Meisa thought that she was a good judge of character –or she would be dead a dozen times now at the hands of her own bodyguard—and Camille looked like nothing other than an overly enthusiastic womanizer. Her suspicions remained as he led them up to a small house at the edge of the district. Its condition wasn’t immediately concerning; as far as she was concerned, it was a luxury manse compared to the structures in the slums, but it was still odd.

At the very least, Meisa dismissed his concerns. “Understandable. Though, I am curious—for a man of your culture, why use a studio in such a dangerous area? Certainly, the savings in the Outer Layer are not worth the risk of owning property outside of the Royal Road or even the Adventurer’s District? I hope I'm not being too presumptuous, if it is a family issue.”

A second or third born son cast out by his family, or some sort of self-exile, perhaps? The two elves exchanged a glance as they entered behind him. It was not what they expected, but it was still something that Meisa could work with. Her nose wrinkled at the overwhelming smell of acrid paint as they looked around casually but carefully. As far as she could tell, the place was as the young artist had mentioned, although Firenze’s gaze was drawn towards the ladder, which Meisa followed.

“Ah…” The offer of tea was very tempting, but until they could ascertain the man’s true intentions, it was probably better if they avoided partaking in that sort of hospitality. Firenze shook her head. “No, thanks. Later, perhaps… So! In what style do you prefer to paint in? I’ll confess, I quite enjoy the classics as does my friend, but I’ve yet to have an opinion on newer methods and styles, truly. Of course, I know you’ll portray my visage in a truly stunning manner…”

Meisa for her part shrugged at Camille’s offer, and did a little probing of her own. “That is a shame. I am an avid reader, though, so I am curious enough... May I poke around your library? It is upstairs, I presume?”

Revue of Annihilation

Meisa Amorette

---

Oratario was just about everything that she expected. It passed for a civilization, perhaps even a successful, thriving one, at least in relative standards. Compared to the memories of her youth, though, Meisa did not doubt that even the monuments of the city’s so-called Royal Road would not compare to the civilizations and works of art of cities long gone, before the fall.

In those times, there might not have been magic to make things easier, but no amount of magic was a replacement for a healthy nation where unity reigned and the people worked together, not against each other, like this wretched shade of a city was quite an example of. Meisa had experienced the highs and lows of life. She had lived in a palace as the member of a royal family, sheltered in huts, and eventually, a more pedestrian experience living in a cottage for the better part of a hundred years. Humble she was experienced with.

The Outer Layers of this city were something else entirely, where filth, desolation, and desperation reigned. No doubt, they would be chronicled as the worst slums in history.

Perhaps it was a bit strange that the deeply segregated populations of Oratario mixed at all, even if only on the passageways. That little bit had proved a bit of a dilemma for Meisa and Firenze. Personal hygiene and good clothes were a matter of life and death for the elven people, and just as with humans, the higher up in the social strata you went, the more important it became. They had brought good clothing with them, although they had worn simple but quality garments when traveling to the city as to not soil the good stuff. When they couldn’t bathe, they would wipe down when they could. Firenze had some useful magic for personal hygiene.

That work had probably paid off, given what was happening.

After spending only a couple days in the Outer Layer, Meisa had already decided to make a play for the Royal Road and the Adventurer’s District. Donning their clean clothes, the pair of elves had made their way up to the main street to the passageway, where they’d witnessed a rather amusing exchange between the guards and surprisingly, a pair of kitsune. The guards shooing them off was… somewhat expected given their race in this era, even if they wore nicer clothes… if dirtied.

There was something interesting about the older of the pair, though. Something familiar, yet not, given Meisa had never felt such a sensation before a person before. Given her more recent inclination towards divinity, though, the golden-haired girl had her suspicions.

What was unexpected, though, was the sudden appearance of a nobleman from within the Royal Road. A dandy that looked to all involved was going to accost the taller of the kitsune with a flamboyant expression of love… until he walked right past the foxgirls and then towards Meisa. The two elves perked up accordingly. Meisa gave him her brightest, most flowery smile… and then she too was ignored, in favor of Firenze!

Meisa saw the way her paladin’s lips curved upwards until it was nothing other than a shit-eating grin in the brief moment that the purple-haired woman glanced at her. She gave her a blank eyed smile back, but rolled with it.

‘Don’t fuck this up, slut,’ she mouthed, before her own features morphed back to the perfect, prim image of a young noble elf that by all means was to be let in.

Firenze, for her part, preened, beaming at the slender dandy. She had been curious about the way that her charge had been glancing at the rejected kitsune, but they were dirty losers, and the thought of adding them to her party to get inside didn’t even cross her mind.

“My, you flatter me,” she smiled, aiming to please, although she was far too much of a personality herself to do anything demurely. “A pleasure, ser Moissan. I am Firenze of Despina. As it happens, I do not… and how could I say no to such a talented, handsome man as yourself? Me and my—” she turned to Meisa for a moment to throw her a smirk, “—Companion would love to sit for a painting.”

Firenze ignored the way Meisa briefly gawped at her.

Revue of Annihilation

Meisa Amorette

Meisa Amorette

Elf | 256 | ♀ | 157cm (5’ 2”) | 48kg (105lbs)
0th Circle | Civilization

A remnant of the lost, civilized era before the fall of the Thousand Faced God. An arrogant princess, tempered by time and the loss of an entire civilization, and one of the few to survive that historic calamity to live in the current day.

In those painful months following the death of God and the monstrous scourge that followed, the elven kingdom was one of the many that fell to anarchy and being overrun by creatures. Whisked away by her guards, Meisa was one of the few that retreated to the mountains where although besieged, an enclave of survivors formed to create a new society. Hidden away from the greater world, these survivors slowly grew to form the last city of a once great civilization. It was, and would always be, however, an existence in limbo.

Although the kings and queens were long gone, as the last royal, Meisa had a comfortable existence in exile. But to her, it was an unbearable one. Impotent. As the years passed, it was obvious to her that merely existing was not a way to live. A poor remnant, a shade of the past, a stagnant unaging population that could never move on—what was left was not a civilization, but a walking corpse, and a pitiable continuance. There was no motivation, no greater goal, and no progress to be made among those that were left.

The connections that could be made from outside were no less reassuring.

Once upon a time, she might have been an arrogant, vain young girl. In many respects, she still was. But the memories of proper civilization, and the horrors brought upon the land upon its fall that slowly seared themself to her very soul.

It could be recreated. She could do it herself and bring back what once was. She just had to shake off the coat of her own complacency. Among familiar lands was not the place to be, but instead she was drawn towards a distant city. Oratorio was far grander than what she knew now, but still a shade of what she remembered. Especially the slums.

But it was still a place to start.

Path to Ascension

0th Circle Ichor-Blessed

Ichor: 0
Wealth: 0
Followers: 0
Resources: None.
Artifacts: None
Property: None.

Divine Protection of Civilization
Harmony – Followers have a far easier time working together with others. The effect is increased when working with likeminded followers.

Starting Benefit
Treasured Companion - 1 Paladin. You've granted your grace upon someone whom you trust deeply.

Paladins:

The purple and smug you expect

Firenze

Elf | 251 | Female | 167 cm (5”6”) | 59 kg (130 lbs)
Tier 1 Paladin | Royal Bodyguard

The slight unhinged, lifetime bodyguard of her charge, Meisa. A loyal servant, if you can get past the mutual abusive master-servant relationship. Was of dubious loyalty in the past, but the death of a god and the loss of everything you held dear except for your arguably crappy mistress changes perspectives a bit, especially when said boss has the chutzpah to try and fill the vacant position.

For Meisa, at least, she really was the only natural choice to receive the spark.

Skills
Touched Mind – Firenze is particularly inventive. In logistics. In battle. In the dungeon.

Grades
STR - I | END - I | DEX - I | AGI - I | MAG - I | LCK - I

Revue of Annihilation

@ERode Yup.

Got it, edited. Workplace productivity is more on-theme for Civilization, so I'll stick with that aspect.

Revue of Annihilation

@ShovelToss it into the Character tab and go fill out the spread sheet.

@Click ThisFor the Paladin, unless you mean 'dungeons' as in literal prisons and hijinks, just remove that reference. She ain't tested in the Abyss yet.

For her Divine Protection, remove "discerning the intentions of". It's enough just to have them be more efficient working with other Followers. Mind-reading's something else. Other than that, she's good to go.

@ERode

Nah, I don't mean the Abyss.

On the Divine Protection stuff, it's more like being good at reading people, not mind reading. Or is that still too much?

Revue of Annihilation

Neither purple nor smug(mostly)

Meisa Amorette

Elf | 256 | ♀ | 157cm (5’ 2”) | 48kg (105lbs)
0th Circle | Civilization

A remnant of the lost, civilized era before the fall of the Thousand Faced God. An arrogant princess, tempered by time and the loss of an entire civilization, and one of the few to survive that historic calamity to live in the current day.

In those painful months following the death of God and the monstrous scourge that followed, the elven kingdom was one of the many that fell to anarchy and being overrun by creatures. Whisked away by her guards, Meisa was one of the few that retreated to the mountains where although besieged, an enclave of survivors formed to create a new society. Hidden away from the greater world, these survivors slowly grew to form the last city of a once great civilization. It was, and would always be, however, an existence in limbo.

Although the kings and queens were long gone, as the last royal, Meisa had a comfortable existence in exile. But to her, it was an unbearable one. Impotent. As the years passed, it was obvious to her that merely existing was not a way to live. A poor remnant, a shade of the past, a stagnant unaging population that could never move on—what was left was not a civilization, but a walking corpse, and a pitiable continuance. There was no motivation, no greater goal, and no progress to be made among those that were left.

The connections that could be made from outside were no less reassuring.

Once upon a time, she might have been an arrogant, vain young girl. In many respects, she still was. But the memories of proper civilization, and the horrors brought upon the land upon its fall that slowly seared themself to her very soul.

It could be recreated. She could do it herself and bring back what once was. She just had to shake off the coat of her own complacency. Among familiar lands was not the place to be, but instead she was drawn towards a distant city. Oratorio was far grander than what she knew now, but still a shade of what she remembered. Especially the slums.

But it was still a place to start.

Path to Ascension

0th Circle Ichor-Blessed

Ichor: 0
Wealth: 0
Followers: 0
Resources: None.
Artifacts: None
Property: None.

Divine Protection of Civilization
Harmony – Followers have a far easier time working together with others. The effect is increased when working with likeminded followers.

Starting Benefit
Treasured Companion - 1 Paladin. You've granted your grace upon someone whom you trust deeply.

Paladins:

The purple and smug you expected

Firenze

Elf | 251 | Female | 167 cm (5”6”) | 59 kg (130 lbs)
Tier 1 Paladin | Royal Bodyguard

The slight unhinged, lifetime bodyguard of her charge, Meisa. A loyal servant, if you can get past the mutual abusive master-servant relationship. Was of dubious loyalty in the past, but the death of a god and the loss of everything you held dear except for your arguably crappy mistress changes perspectives a bit, especially when said boss has the chutzpah to try and fill the vacant position.

For Meisa, at least, she really was the only natural choice to receive the spark.

Skills
Touched Mind – Firenze is particularly inventive. In logistics. In battle. In the dungeon.

Grades
STR - I | END - I | DEX - I | AGI - I | MAG - I | LCK - I

Revue of Annihilation [Faction-Ruling Demigods Vie for Ascension]

Domain of Simps.

@ERode

Domain of Wealth with extra steps.

Revue of Annihilation [Faction-Ruling Demigods Vie for Ascension]

Hello, hello.

I am, predictably, here for the Domain of Wealth. Then again, there are other potentials. Domain of Servants. Domain of Ichor-- well, the other kind.

Final Fantasy: Lightseekers

---

The conversation with Arton the previous evening had been interesting.

Despite the fact, as they moved onwards into hostile territory, Éliane put the details to the back of her mind. Each step they took now was unfamiliar land to her. Despite her experience, she had never been this far away from Skael, and the fact that Osprey was swarming with Valheimian occupiers meant that she had to be on her guard. After somewhat extended detour through the mountains to avoid the black-clad enemy soldiers, Éliane arrived with the others at the outskirts of what Izayoi said had been her former home.

Éliane had little experience with war. She dealt with her fare share of violence, and even won a full battle in the capital, but that had simply been a skirmish compared to the dual invasions that had happened in Izayoi’s home country. The sight of the ruined village and its houses was a sobering sight. The Skaelan woman remained silent as they approached, but she remained cautious, keeping a hand on the sword that rested at her hip.

It was a precaution that paid off, as Izayoi wasn’t the only one to quickly notice the Valheimian presence. The swordsman charging off solo in response was unexpected… but it wasn’t like Éliane wouldn’t have done something similar in normal circumstances. She approved! Grinning at the anticipation of imminent action and the satisfaction of seeing what had happened to this place further avenged, she took her hand off her sword and drew her gunblade. Éliane joined in Izayoi in charging the enemy. Taking aim, she shot at the nearest soldier, keeping close to the swordswoman as she kept pace with her. Although Éliane was all for charging into the fray, she preferred at least a little bit of pre-planning, but this was fine—she just hoped that the others got the memo to watch their backs as the two of them led the vanguard in this ambush.

“To us. Before they regroup!” she yelled, before firing again at a soldier that was getting close to Izayoi. Covering the last few meters, Éliane finally entered melee combat as she parried the first swordsman that approached her with a loud clang as their blades met.