Student Flame, Master Flame

[Ress]

Resplendent fire, 10

* The group, as well as the crowd that had amassed, fell silent as The Unconquered Sun spoke, and remained so for for a few moments afterwards*

* Mild Magma was the first to break the silence, speaking up from the silence in a dumbfounded voice as he rubbed his cheek with his palm*
" Wow....."

* Honored Brother followed close behind, patting his student on the shoulder as he nodded, a glazed expression plastered on his face while his mind still reeled over what had just happened*
" I agree, Mild Magma.... I had never expected to gaze upon the greatest of gods.... this brings me to......"

* Honored Brother then snapped back into reality, then began speaking in a strange foreign language, which may be recognized as High Realm*

*Ferasada looked on at Honored Brother with a puzzled expression, then spoke up in his dialect of Old Realm, Sentinel following up not long behind with translations*
" I am sorry... I do not understand... and as the unexalted high priest, I may not speak the holy language outside consecrated ground."

* Honored Brother was taken back by what Ferasada had said, but obliged the request, replying him in his own dialect of Old Realm, but of course, their proficiency with the language allowed them to understand one another.*

<Old Realm> " So sorry... You are a high priest to The Unconquered Sun? I am impressed. I am in the understanding that you and your people have been isolated here for a thousand years and have kept lasting records of your history. You have no fear of these....'golden gods' and the power they wield?"

* Honored Brother was careful with his words, now knowing that the word 'anathema' was derogatory.*

* Ferasada slowly shook his head, smiling as he spoke*
" No, not at all. We have records of there being wicked Lawgivers in the world.... Namely one known as 'Bright Shattered Ice'... but they are not The Unconquered Sun... nor are they children with power. I understand that if you give a bushel of apples to two men, one may bake a pie, where as the other may throw them at their neighbors.
Yes, the Lawgivers had great and terrible powers... but power in the hands of those fit for it is nothing to be afraid of.
The history of Dare'Lumena's power is that it was in the hands of a man named Cho-Hi-Xo. we have a whole wing in our library full of his accolades, but he was a saint of a man who believed all mortals should be treated equally, be they artisan or prefect, child or scholar, and if Dare'Lumena is even half the Lawgiver that Cho-Hi-Xo was, then Creation is in good hands"

*Honored Brother was speechless... though he was a Scion, he was not one to disrespect his elders.. especially in a land he was a guest in*

" But what about the decree of the Dragons?..."

* As if Ferasada was expecting this question, be spoke without hesitation*
" Why would the Elemental Dragons object to a powerful being bringing good? Are not all gods powerful beings? Do they not all become drunk with power at times? That is why there are other Exalts... to keep eachother in line... as a Dragon-Blooded, can you not feel the desire to look to a higher power for guidance? The Lawgivers are this higher power... and if you do not believe it, then perhaps a demonstration by one of our Dragon-Blooded raised here can show you the long lost power handed down by The Elemental Dragons."

*Honored Brother wanted to argue this point, but these were all arguments that he had been playing in his head for many years.
Honored Brother remained silent for a few moments, then spoke up, giving Ferasada a nod*

" I understand what you are saying... and it makes sense... but you have to understand as well... I was raised with these beliefs my whole life and they will not just go away... but thank you... I think you have enlightened me... and my ward here"

* Honored Brother nudged Mild Magma, who lurched out of his silence and spoke up as well*

" I was once told that the reason us Dragon-Blooded have charge over creation is because we are divine enough to police the gods, and mortal enough to care for those beneath us... from what it sounds like, these 'mighty beings' are too divine for their own good and could disrupt the balance.... I don't think it matters wether or not they are demons or not... they are dangerous because they have more power than any one individual should... and I would be afraid to stay in this empire if it were not for Master Honored Brother"

* Honored Brother patted his shoulder and heaved a sigh, shaking his head slowly*
" Children sometimes have such strong feelings for such young beings.... but I am confident that his wisdom will grow to crush his opinions.... but thank you once more, Ferasada."

[Dal'Lumen]

Resplendent Fire, 10



*Dal'Lumen smiled slightly enough that most wouldn't notice it, he was happy that Ferasada had delivered such a meaningful message. It seemed that his idea to have the old mortal speak on the subject had indeed given the immaculates that unique perspective he had hoped for. Dal turned to Wave and Tari giving them a look of expectancy, hoping that they might be able to touch on the subject Magma had brought up, they knew first hand of his compassion for all beings.

He shifted his feet quietly and calmly clasped his hands behind his back, looking like a soldier standing at ease. Again his thoughts drifted back to his destined showdown with the Tigeress and allowed himself to concentrate on recovering his essence.*

[Ress]

Resplendent fire, 10

* Roaring Wave noticed the look, quickly popping out of the daze that Ferasada's speech put him in, then began recalling what he had thought about living in an Anathema's empire.*

" I remember first moving here, thinking that Tari and I could pretend to be mortal and just live off our fish business... That was when we thought Solars were evil... but we came here because we thought it was the one place that nobody would find us... but of course, a strange brush with fate left my wife Tari ill... and for all the strength being a Scion had afforded me, I was powerless to help her.... so I went to one being who could... and of course, this was Dal'Lumen here"

* Wave paused as he gave a nod to Dal, then put an arm around Tari*

" And when it was confirmed that he did have the power for such a feat, I knew I had to make it up to him, and fortunately, that Boots person had shown up with the means to help.
Ever since the skirmish on the river, I have felt like it is just my place to follow a Solar... and my patron Solar happens to be Admiral Dal'Lumen."

* When Wave had finished speaking, Tari punched him in his arm, then followed soon after*
" I have only recently Exalted, being a late dragon and all... but I too feel that urge to work under a Solar. It is a strange feeling, but it seems almost too perfect... having been training as a martial artist and a my whole life and raised in a water aspected house. It is as though my whole life had been leading up to this... maybe its even something that you may come to find, Mild Magma"

* Mild Magma rolled his eyes at this notion, then rubbed his chin and smirked*

" Maybe if you have a sister you can send for, maybe I could be persuaded to think otherwise, eh?"
* Mild Magma gave a great cheshire cat grin as he thought about what a younger sister of Tari might look like... hoping that perhaps she could be fire aspected, but could live with a water*

* Honored Brother sighed as he looked down at his student, an irritated look across his face*
" Is that all you ever think about?.... If you thought about your sutras and practiced as much as you do women, you would be stronger than me by now."

[Dal'Lumen]

Resplendent Fire, 10



*Dal couldn't help but snicker at this exchange. He imagined that if Tari had a sister and she was anything like Tari, Mild Magma wouldn't know what he was in for with Taris tendency toward public beatings of Wave, and shameless assaults on his manhood. He decided to break his silence.*

"Thank you, the three of you, for your words. I wanted to say that I think it is the natural order of things that in a world where so much power can be held by individual beings that there be other powerful beings to keep them in check.

I invite the counsel of all of my companions, and in some way I think that is the same reason Ress surrounds himself with those like myself, so that between all of us we might achieve a sense of accountability should we be irresponsible.

Though, even amongst mortals the idea of preventing crime by eliminating all those that could be considered capable of committing them is no way for a civilization to thrive. So to is this the same as condemning those gifted with great power as though they have already abused it."

[Ress]

Resplendent Fire, 10

*Honored Brother looked out in the direction of the Imperial Manse, his face contorting slightly as many thoughts flew through his head*
" So he knew he would need beings just as strong as himself to surround his empire... that way they could hold one another accountable?...."
* Honored Brother's face relaxed as he looked down at the ground, moving around sand with his sandal as he continued to ponder deep concepts and ideology of his faith*
" If a dragon lacks flight, there is no shame in building a bridge.... a tenant that holds true in this situation as well...
...this is another factor to take into account in my final judgement..."
* he nodded, then looked up to Dal and smirked slightly* " Looks like I must meet each golden god here in the empire for a fuller picture"

* Wave chimed in not far behind, almost unable to contain his laughter as he spoke*
" And if worse ever came to worse, us Dragon-Blooded could hold them accountable for whatever wrongs they did... but of course, that is only under dire circumstances"

* Tari shook her head in silence, then punched him in the shoulder, causing him to pipe down and rub his shoulder in silence*

* Ferasada also chimed into this conversation, speaking carefully, as if his words were teetering on the edge of blasphemy*
" And if needed, our platoons of Dragon-Blooded could be mobilized to restrain a lawgiver who has overstepped their bounds... we have retained a hand full of tools that could allow for such a thing."

* Mild Magma took his drum off his back and set it at his hip and began drumming soft and steadily*
" All I care about is people being safe.... the gods are stable, elementals are doing their job... and demons are far away. I suppose a demon against demons is not such a bad thing... but I am still not at all comfortable with so called 'solars' having their hands on resources that could rival The Realm.... I have seen dragon-blooded bring peace and order where they go... there are a few bad ones, but I have never heard of one threatening the fabric of creation..."

[Dal'Lumen]

Resplendent fire 10



*Dal merely shrugged when everyone began suggesting how they might bring down one of the Solars or Lunars of the empire if it came down to it. He glanced around at each member of the group as they put in their two bits before turning back to address Honored Brother.*

"Yes, I think you should meet them all, perhaps after that and some time in the empire, your disciple here will find some sense of comfort as well."

*He turned to look at mild magma, speaking to the opinionated underling directly for a change.*

"Most of the greatest resources the realm has now, were once upon a time created by my kind. Perhaps the rise of Imperveress is yet another example of creation finding balance in power. We may be able to rival the realm with our technology, but by no means are such things intended for the soul purpose of destruction, without it we would not be able to protect ourselves from evils in the world that would see us vanish forever.

So too is it true that our power may be capable of great and terrible things, for example if I so believed it to be necessary to protect Imperveress I could have convinced both you and your master to swear your allegiance to me three times over by now, but here you are with your free will, able to decide for yourself."

*He smiled and cocked his eyebrow.*

" We are equally capable of protecting and healing this world and the people in it. Without us, that fabric of creation you speak of would be at the mercy of much darker and malevolent forces that would cast this world into the jaws of oblivion, and there would be nothing the realm and it's dragon blooded could do to stop it from happening. That terror itself should be enough to keep your teeth chattering each night...

So welcome Mild Magma, to the safest place you may well have ever been."

*His palms faced the sky and moved up to shoulder height on either side of him, his arms followed behind them. His tone was darkly serious, but somehow when he finished speaking it would be easy to sense his honesty.*

*He dropped his left arm and put his right out in front of him, his thumb up.*

"So I may have to go have a duel with the Tigress you met earlier, you all are welcome to come along, it should be a good fight."

*The sudden change of subject seemed not to occur to Dal as a problem.*

[Ress]

Resplendent fire 10

*Mild Magma said nothing for the moment... looked down at his feet, then went right back to his drumming, looking unphased by what Dal had said*

" Well then maybe I should start training harder then..."

* Honored Brother patted Mild Magma on her shoulder, then readied his own drum and began beating it in time with Mild Magma**

" Thank you very much for the enlightening trip, Dal'Lumen.... I am afraid I will not be joining you back to your manse just yet... I feel it would be a better idea for me to meet the others who rule and see the peaceful side of the land, before seeing any sort of combat... I plan to move farther east... a family over there offered a place to stay for myself and Mild Magma. I hope to see you again, Dal'Lumen... and should you need help, do not hesitate to call upon me. I have a knack for finding people in danger"

* He gave a bow to Dal, then continued drumming*

* Wave & Tari both bowed to Dal and stepped back, knowing he may need space to call the Cumulus*
* Wave spoke up for a moment*

" And of course, I will be keeping an eye on 'The Sea Monster'. I don't trust him.... he would sell his own mother for a shard of jade."

* Tari nodded in silence... but found it to be a great opportunity to strike Wave in his shoulder again, but this time he was prepared for it and deflected the blow by pushing her wrist away with his palm*

* Farasada also gave a bow to Dal, though he stayed silent, just smiling like someone's old blue and green skinned grandfather*

* Tari soon piped up, something occurring to her that very moment* " And don't take her lightly because she is a woman... sometimes that just makes someone work twice as hard to prove themselves... and keep in mind, she may try to distract or decieve you. I know I have done that once or twice in my mortal days back on the blessed isle... give her hell!"

[Dal'Lumen]

Resplendent fire 10




*Dal clasped his fist in palm and gave them all a bow before his departure. He whistled loudly and hopped up on his cumulus once it was within range. Slowly he drifted up on it looking down on the group.*

"I know better than to underestimate women, and given our ancient history, I have every intention of evening up the score... Without killing her obviously."

*He waved, and zipped away in the direction of his manse while calling back.*

"Good bye for now, see you all again soon."

*He internalized the fight that may soon come, by no means was he going to allow Kahn this bragging right.*