Abyssal Road Trip

Amdirlain's PoV - Qil Tris - Osaphis

Amdirlain lingered on the balcony above the memorial. To the casual observer, her attention drifted across the square and balconies below while she was mentally contacting other high priests. The chats with them were along similar lines to the one she'd had with Qurar during his sermon at the community hall. Waiting for the right time for the conversations consumed far more of her morning than the conversations themselves. While she dealt with them, she listened to the ongoing discussions in various councils. The first city to harden their rules earned the removal of all its plinths.

A large male Catfolk with a tuxedo colouration and security emblems on his grey and green uniform paused near her, radiating authority. "Are you alright?"

She caught various powers among his classes, screaming at him about the danger she represented.

"I'm fine. Why do you ask?" Amdirlain questioned innocently.

"You've been standing there for an hour, in the same position, each time I've passed."

"My apologies if I've set your nerves on edge. I've been dwelling on some unpleasant personal matters while hoping that people-watching would brighten my mood."

Her calm explanation eased the tension in his body, and he produced a respectful smile. "I hope your day improves."

As another council passed sneakier laws against the faithful, Amdirlain had to groan at the indirect approach they'd taken at suppression. The council declared that gatherings of over ten people required registration to ensure attendees' safety; this registration included a district-regulated staffing fee. Penalties for non-registration included a fine of up to ten million Mana and potential charges of criminal malfeasance for endangering attendees. On top, if any violence occurred, the organiser of the gathering, not the attacker, could face sentences of up to six years in prison, with full liability for any sustained injuries. Shortly after, another city set zoning rules around religious buildings needing special hardening in case of terrorist attacks.

For those seeking a temporary haven from opposing cities or simply wanting to have a gathering, she established a hospitality Demi-Plane. Its core she modelled after a large hotel and event centre, complete with amenities and psi crystals for managing reservations. To cater for all her followers, it was bigger than some cities. She set crystal constructs dressed in maid outfits to roam the place, amusing Amdirlain with the deadliness concealed. Desks in the reception area would give them access to book spaces. She set it up so that all the faithful received images of the Demi-Plane and its purpose to side-step local gathering rules.

"I'm not sure it will. Lots of ongoing arguments, when I'd prefer cooperation," Amdirlain casually replied to the security guard while she created the Demi-Plane.

"Is your delving team having issues?"

Amdirlain blinked. "Why do you ask?"

"You strike me as a high-level delver, and I had an unpleasant time when my team dissolved. I could lend a sympathetic ear if you wanted to grab a drink or have a meal after my shift."

"Are you flirting with me?" Amdirlain asked. The energy of his presence reminded her of Torm, and she triple-checked his Soul to ensure someone wasn't playing games. She restrained a sigh of relief when it showed a local origin and a string of reincarnations.

"It's fine to laugh at the offer, that still might improve your mood. My name is Rerrus."

His name has a nomadic heritage.

"I'm flattered, but I'm married. Hopefully, you have a good day, Rerrus."

As soon as he was out of sight, she concealed the teleport that returned her to Tulne's and Jal'krin's apartment. News of her removing the plinths from the second city had already reached some of the other debating councils, and many shelved their legal discussions.

She located Tinu on the far side of the planet, healing the smallest of the Gods' War scars.

Amdirlain noted the intense strain that swam through Tinu's flesh and considered changes to the other songs in the memory crystal.

I should have included more sequential melodies in the repair music.

Rather than interrupt or sing pieces for her, Amdirlain projected a reassurance and established a healing field at Tinu's location. As her strained flesh mended, it allowed Tinu to focus on the precision of each note, easing the overall effort of the songs. Checking the demi-planes that she'd established to store hydrogen and oxygen from the split water of the celestial plane, she found Gilorn had extended the series of demi-planes holding the atoms. Each contained a density of material well below the threshold for triggering fusion reactions.

Those contain hundreds of stars' worth of accumulated hydrogen. I need to stockpile enough helium for the proper ratio mix.

Amdirlain created hundreds of new Demi-Plane seeds with True Song and scattered them into the chaos stream between planes; each with their rules set to expand into spheres with a two million kilometre diameter. The lack of experience rush brought a snort of amusement from her. Transposing the materials from dozens of demi-planes together, she applied her will and started a fusion reaction to meld the hydrogen into helium. As she took in the resonance of the combining atoms, a simple analogy for the scientific effect struck her, reminding her of some insights that had slipped away while dealing with the memories the plinth had evoked.

Isn't that the nature of life that minor elements accumulate, influencing how we behave and perceive our surroundings?

Her varied lifetimes echoed in confirmation, and she sensed the easing of a few stressed boundary points within her essence.

[Refined shards:

- Transformation: +1

- Creation: +1

- Life: +1

- Soul: +1]

Life has always been about creation and change.

Amdirlain left the fusion process to feed the produced helium into an emptied Demi-Plane and sprawled out on the guest room bed, contemplating her Ki reserves and comparing them to her essence.

Around mid-afternoon, Tinu dropped onto the bed beside her. "Thanks, mum. I appreciate you letting me finish the songs."

"You're welcome. I'll recompose those repair songs. I've done so much on my own or with Gilorn that I didn't balance them properly for you."

"I want to keep working with the ones you gave me."

Amdirlain frowned. "I felt the amount of pain you were putting yourself through, and there are other ways to strengthen yourself. How about you rebalance those compositions? Identify the elements open to sequential performance and categorise them into separate themes, specifying their dependencies. We can talk about them once you are done, and I'll provide feedback."

Tinu kissed her cheek. "Mother, you put up with more pain."

"Mine isn't a healthy example to follow. I was dealing with a lot of mental health issues, and not in a good place." Amdirlain caught her hand. "Please."

"I'll change the songs, it'll give me composition practice," Tinu allowed.

"Stubborn person."

"Strangely enough, we get that from you." Tinu created a new memory crystal and got to work. "Why did you lie down?"

"Old habits." Amdirlain's fingers traced the grasslands pattern that was embroidered into the coverlet. "It's a comfortable bed."

"Your priests can hide their classes, but are Sarah's and Kadaklan's followers going to be okay if the authorities look for them?"

"Among the precautions I mentioned, I gave all the people with faith-related classes a minor version of Profile Control and set up the crystal plinths to add the Skill to any future priests of one of us that don't possess it."

"Speaking of priests, do you think their son will come visit?"

"Your mind is jumping about," Amdirlain noted. "Are you worried about something?"

"I find the concerns of mortals strange." Tinu's shoulders slumped. "I love their vibrance, yet I can't understand some of their motivations."

"You know that most Catfolk don't live beyond a century or two if they don't have high Endurance classes. Coupled with the fact that you and your sisters mainly associated with other celestials, and only talked to the Anar and Lómë about projects, it's little wonder you find their motivations strange."

"How do I cross that divide?"

"The first thing you'll need to decide is what you're trying to achieve."

"And after that?"

"It depends on what you're seeking. It might be something we can arrange, or we might need to seek an expert. My perspective differs from yours. What to me is normal, I can understand that to you would be weird. I experienced getting irritated when particularly hungry or in pain, or mentally fatigued when things are dragging on."

Tinu hummed thoughtfully. "I thought I'd just need to listen. Yet it's not just about listening to their themes because I've not experienced the symptoms of hunger, fatigue, or other Mortal reactions personally."

"The other thing is to give yourself time. Your stay here has been very brief."

"My expectations and reality didn't mesh. Which is my fault, not the fault of those around me living their lives."

Amdirlain hugged her reassuringly. "You'll get there."

Tinu snuggled into Amdirlain's shoulder. "Eventually. Mum?"

"Yes?"

"Are you avoiding the Anar and Lómë?"

"They are a challenge for another day, but the cat is out of the bag with them."

"Why would you put a cat in a bag? Though Sarah has weird sayings as well, so not sure I want to know where it originated."

"Let's just take it as figurative language. Once a secret gets loose, you can't control it, and most people have no luck herding cats."

Tinu's tail twitched and swatted against Amdirlain erratically before she started to giggle. "Have you watched Catfolk children getting on the transports? I can see a secret bouncing between ears the way they bounce between seats and perches."

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She straightened when a Message orb from Mor'lmes appeared beside her. Within it were details of the venue, payment required, and the sensor packages the university could provide to scan the space around the stars she had planned.

"I'll take care of that later," Amdirlain said.

"You didn't even wait for me to relay the content," Tinu huffed sulkily.

Amdirlain stroked Tinu's ears. "It's alright, pumpkin."

"Pumpkin? Mum, are you looking to get scolded?"

When Amdirlain laughed in amusement, Tinu joined in.

It was late in the day when Amdirlain heard Jal'krin's theme approaching the building and wrapped up the latest subtle variations of the song she'd been rehearsing.

Jal'krin set his case on the table with a sigh. "I received a request from some members of Osaphis's council, wondering if I could pass a request along for you to meet with them."

"They're after some reassurances. I can go along and do that, yet I'm unsure if it's a precedent I want to set," Amdirlain declared. "How many other councils would then get offended when I didn't meet them in the future?"

"You have a point." His ears twitched, and he cocked his head to one side. "You already knew the request was coming. Did you read their minds?"

"I've been listening to the surroundings and themes of a few thousand people." Amdirlain nodded to his case. "How did your classes go today, Professor Jal'krin?"

"My students were slipping in references about you in nearly every question. Of course, veiled in their composition, questions about your original sets compared to covers."

"I'm glad they referenced the classics." Amdirlain set the memory crystal she'd recorded at the memorial on the table. "You once said you regretted missing my memorial performances, so I made a recording for you."

"How?" Jal'krin spluttered, restraining himself from grabbing for the crystal.

"I opened up a temporal window. The memory crystal will have more of my Charisma impact than most caster traces." Amdirlain warned, nudging the crystal across the table to him.

Jal'krin's ears dipped politely before he collected the crystal. "Thank you. What did you need the stadium for, by the way?"

"I'm not risking anyone, so bait and the demonstration. If they don't strike early, I'll make the stadium appear occupied, but I'll host the audience in a Demi-Plane. If someone comes to hit it, then I'll deal with them while everyone is safe."

"Okay, that went darker than I expected."

"Sorry, I had lifetimes on brutal worlds where death could be a moment away. I want to do my best to avoid any injuries during the event."

"Are you going to speak to them or perform?"

"I've got these fun songs a friend composed for me, so I thought I should perform them myself."

Jal'krin grinned. "Will you need some sound technicians?"

"It's fine if you want to set up some people to record everything." Amdirlain leaned forward and bopped his nose. "I'm sure you learned a lot from Jan'era, among others."

He paused, and his smile vanished. "Did she end up in your Domain?"

Though she caught Jan'era's theme in Judgement, she hadn't responded with any special attraction to Amdirlain's aura.

"No, she's still waiting for a deity who suits her nature."

"What's it like for those who are waiting?"

"You could compare it to waking up on a cold winter's day, and the blankets are so cozy and warm. You don't want to get moving, but you're caught between moving and going back to sleep. Essentially, a timeless dozing moment."

"No pain?"

"There is no suffering involved, just a drifting wait."

Jal'krin sniffed back tears. "How many are caught that way, waiting for someone to accept them?"

"It's the other way around, Jal'krin. The souls need deities that represent what they sought in life, otherwise the wellspring can't help them establish seeds of wisdom properly."

His shoulders straightened, and he blinked away the tears. "Jinfeng spoke to me about seeds of wisdom, but I didn't know they developed that way."

"There are some extremely focused deities whose wellsprings can't, or take longer to settle, deeds outside their scope. Shall we get back to cheerful topics like the show tomorrow?"

She adjusted the hospitality Demi-Plane, expanding it into a space thousands of kilometres in diameter. A few songs created a self-sustaining biome where they could practice non-combat skills in peace, and established a vast stadium at its midpoint. With the impact of her demonstration still rippling through Qil Tris, she allowed enough space for all her followers and more besides.

"A few of the councils that removed laws about faiths while I was insensible are having a conference call. I'll have them include more lawmakers and talk to them all at once. That way, they're not summoning me; rather, I'm making use of their presence for my agenda."

Jal'krin let out a cynical laugh before Amdirlain shifted location.

Despite the lateness of the day, the three receptionists at the front desk wore crisp, uniform-like attire. While mostly solid emerald, they featured the city's crest in silver on the waist pockets and gold edging on their cuffs and collars.

Amdirlain with azure fur and a silver cloth bodysuit appeared in the lobby directly before the desk. She flared her aura slightly, and they all squeaked in surprise, ears and fur on end, tails puffed before Amdirlain completely stilled her energies in the room.

"Goddess Amdirlain!" The centre receptionist squealed, her topaz eyes widening to saucers, despite her charcoal fur beginning to settle. Amdirlain knew who she was through her faith.

"Just Amdirlain if you would, Clarin."

"Sorry," Clarin squeaked, ears drooping in embarrassment.

Amdirlain nodded reassuringly. "It's fine. That address isn't an insult, but I'd appreciate it if people wouldn't introduce me using titles, or apply them when speaking to me. Titles have other purposes, but you could consider it a weird cultural thing for me."

It's so repetitive telling people not to use titles, yet discussing such a mundane subject gives people's nerves a few moments to settle.

"I'll keep that in mind."

A memory crystal with contact numbers of the heads of the other cities that weren't on the call floated in the air before Clarin. "If one of you would escort me to the council's conference chamber. I'd appreciate someone calling ahead and also arranging for these receiver numbers to be included in their ongoing conference call."

The red-furred colleague to her right was already fumbling with her caster, and Clarin passed her the crystal.

"Would you like any refreshments? The meeting has been running a while, and we've been told dinner has been arranged."

"That won't be necessary, though I appreciate the offer of hospitality. Your city is among those which has been hospitable to my followers, and I'm here to express my thanks for the courtesy extended to them."

The third receptionist had an albino white fur colouration and the reddish-pink eyes to match. She scooped up a security key from the desk, stepping out timidly and beckoning for Amdirlain to follow her.

Amdirlain let her lead the way, as the central receptionist interrupted the council committee meeting. She heard the conversation between them and the receptionist, letting the council leader know Amdirlain's reaction to using a title.

Beyond the foyer's security doors, the interior of Osaphis's council chambers was a mix of gilded stonework, polished wooden furnishings, statues, and thick burgundy carpets.

As they ascended a broad staircase beyond the doors, the receptionist finally glanced back. "Amdirlain, might I ask what other purposes titles have?"

"They project an awareness of the entity when deities or primordials use them."

"Like the way your voice shifted on the broadcast?"

"Yes, like that."

They went up two flights and along a wide corridor. Similarly attired guards with protective enchantments stood near the lacquered wood double doors at the end. Without prompting, they opened them to reveal a fancy executive meeting room. The oval table on this occasion ran the length of the large room, its doors opened to face the table's side. To the left was a bank of thirty receivers, with only a third showing individual Catfolk, while to the right end of the table were eight Catfolk with an assortment of colourations. They represented a subset of the patrons that formed the council, yet they weren't all the oldest of the prides that ran the place. Their expressions and the nervous tension that leapt from them screamed with uncertainty.

Amdirlain patted the receptionist's shoulder and washed away the medical issues related to her albinism. Without letting her know of the changes, she stepped forward into the room.

"Good evening. I hope you don't mind me taking over this discussion and extending it by inviting others who have shown themselves to be considerate." Amdirlain fixed her attention on the greenish furred male in the middle of the arcs. "Would you care to handle introductions, or should someone else?"

His yellow eyes brightened, and he straightened. "Amdirlain, I'm Hurrin of the Stonemane Pride."

He paused, and Amdirlain heard his mental gymnastics as he cut off using a title in his introduction.

The receptionist certainly got that message across.

With a cough, he motioned around the room and to the screens, introducing each without titles. Although Amdirlain already knew all their names and prides, she didn't interrupt.

"Reception advised us of your arrival and that you wanted others to join us. They're trying to contact them now."

Amdirlain nodded. "Where is best for me to sit, so all those on the call have a clear view of me?"

"Please use my spot; it provides the clearest audio in this room." He shifted sideways, and those others gathered shuffled along so he could take the position to her right.

They're being very symbolic.

As they reorganised, more of the screens at the room's far end came alive, each person announcing themselves. Once they were settled, Amdirlain appeared in the seat and nodded to those on the screens. "You are all scattered through different time zones around the world, so I appreciate you joining us. This was an opportunistic gathering, as I interrupted a meeting arranged by Osaphis for their business, primarily to speak with you all and answer some questions. You are all key representatives of cities who were forward-looking and lifted the laws against those who found faith a part of their lives. While your reasons vary, I am not a merchant to take the measure of provided services and provide relative payment. Thus, I have equal gifts I intend to provide to all involved at the end of this meeting to express my appreciation for your city's hospitality for what I see as my extended family to support your future growth."

She paused a moment to let that sink in, watching gazes dart across the screens at the far end, the tableau of faces duplicated on each caster.

"Let's work through a primary concern each. Who wants to go first?"

A female with greying fur raised a hand, and Amdirlain picked the control off the console that yielded to her. "The other cities will now attack us for being open to the faiths after your demonstration."

"I don't abandon those who have been kind to my family. As long as they remain good to others, their successes are to be celebrated, their losses mourned, and their attackers repaid. The first city to go to war with another city will have all its plinths removed as my first action. I hope that clarifies my position."

"It does, and also implies that if we attack first, we're not being good to others."

"I see you also like to be direct. It would depend on the reason you attacked. Shall we move to the next concern?" Amdirlain moved control to the second responder, a petite female with orange and white fur.

"Are you planning to attack any legislators? I mean, given your previous actions, if it seems you'd find some of our leadership unsuitable."

Yes, you're an offender I would look at, little Miss Oligarchy.

"I certainly put the Matriarch down violently, and some of you have similar systems. The major differences are that none are so profoundly abusive to the majority. You're not stripping children of their parents, nor rationing your workers to near starvation. I will, however, point out that those historical factors that once necessitated maintaining such tight control ended nearly a thousand years ago."

The lady swallowed nervously as Amdirlain paused, but she didn't give her a chance to interrupt.

"As such, I'd encourage you to expand the scope of who can have a say in the running of a city. If you are wise, you can channel your residents' desire for change into a constructive outcome that doesn't burn all of you." Amdirlain shrugged. "You might wish to consider that members of my family are living in your cities, and you won't be aware of their identities."

How the rulers treat any member of my family will determine how I treat them.

The speaker swallowed loudly, as if Amdirlain had just issued a threat. The next speaker was signalled to speak.

Amdirlain went through answering questions until they'd each had a turn, planning in the background to give her daughters a chance to play. Through her mental link with Sarah, she gained schematics that would enable the Catfolk to venture out and explore the stars.

"Your cities all have investments in the ongoing planetary transformations. Many of you also have investments in the possibility of exploring other planets. Some of this is driven through the damage the gods' wars caused to this planet, the divine energies not responding to arcane attempts to restore affected locations."

Surface images of the two planets in their system appeared hovering above the table. As they watched, choirs of a thousand Enyalië flew through gates and hovered above the barren ground. Their singing wasn't audible, but the landscape and atmosphere transformed as greenery swept across each planet.

"A gift from my daughters, and next, a gift from me. With the star chart I'll show shortly, those marked with green dots have habitable planets in their system that don't host sapient species."

The star chart sphere appeared, mapping stars within a hundred light years. Those with planets that supported ecosystems on which the local Catfolk could survive had green dots orbiting them.

Before each of the people involved in the conversation, a memory crystal appeared.

"Sarah provided me with the theoretical plans for faster-than-light enchantments to pass along. With his focus on health, Kadaklan's priests have blessings for environmental adaptation needed to handle local biological issues. Though this planet has many magically scarred locations, that won't be the case for much longer. Thus, you have multiple options for growth, but be aware, there are places and species in the realm that won't be welcoming."

"Do you expect us to share those plans?" Hurrin asked.

"While the changes to those environments are a gesture of goodwill to all, the rest of the information is for those gathered. What the cities do with the information about upcoming environmental repairs, safe planets, and theoretical FTL travel is up to you. The other planets will not be gaining direct access to the trials, so that is something else to consider. I'll leave you to your meetings."

Amdirlain vanished.