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It Belongs to a Museum

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Shogeton said:
Imagine if eventually we do figure out the 'oh yeah, that's how you get the eternally youthful body, okay we got it. But we're working for someone else now, bad luck Setra'
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I feel like it would be very in character to publish the method and send it out to absolutely everyone. Or, at least, have an instructional wing at the museum. We like to teach!

[X] Beasts
[X] Plants

I am very in favor of turning our museum into a zoo and botanical garden. Also, Telsomar seems fun and I'd like to see more of her.
 
[X] Skeletons
[X] Relics

About the only one I'm against at the moment is Introductions. For all that Aelsabrim would probably be a pretty good middlewoman for them, until we've got at least a base to build on, it's hard to say which direction (and thus which contact) we'd actually want to explore in the future.
 
Boney said:
"How is the soul eating food without a body?" Talsomar asks.

"It is absorbing the spiritual energy of the food, which is released by the enchanted flames," you explain patiently.

"But why food?" she insists. You're not sure if this is part of her interrogation or if you've piqued her curiosity. "Surely as a spirit, it can absorb any kind of magical energy."

"Even when energy can be absorbed in many forms, doing so in ways the soul does not understand can distress them and have strange and unwanted side-effects. The soul is most familiar with taking in nourishment from food, so is most open to continuing to do so." W'soran and his students proved that. He insisted that taking in sustenance from blood was pointlessly inefficient when the transformations of the Elixir made them able to sustain themselves by absorbing magical energy, and even though his willpower was sufficient to overrule the thirst, over time those that did so had their physical bodies wither away until they resembled corpses.
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Hunh. That little bit of soul and vampire minutiae feels like it has some fascinating implications.

If deriving energy from something non-food like ends up with an inhuman vampire, then that would explain not only the corpse like figures of the Necrach, but also has implications for the why the Stirgoi are like that.

On the flip side, it would also imply that a vampire that knew exactly what they were doing might well be able to push that same force into appearing (almost?) entirely human. Just by taking pains to turn their sustenance into something their bodies recognize as food before they eat it. And of course, the vampire in the best position to know that... is Nefereta, who talked to her uncle Paht and might have shared speculation with him about why W'soran was turning out like that.

It might not be the only force acting on a vampire's form, and it might tie into Liche priests in Nehekhara decaying too after Nagash's ritual, but the rule being "you are how you eat" just as much as "you are what you eat" feels like it one of those little things that goes a long way.

And who knows, maybe it means there's a vampire chef somewhere out there. Roving around for thousands of years, utterly indistinguishable from human~ And very good with the blood pudding. :V

But also the question of "ooooh, so what if you wove the magical energy you're using for sustenance into food and then ate it?" (If only you had some kind of food specifically good at absorbing magic to test it with.)

I could probably go on for pages, but this little morsel is so delicious.


[X] Skeletons
An image leaps into my mind: A museum where the dinosaur and whale skeletons on exhibit are also the security guards.

[X] Relics
Every good museum needs an ancient artifact of dubious origin, and even more dubious import. Or vice versa. Annoyed home cultures optional.
(A children's toy or a chariot. A ritual implement or a "ritual implement," either way is good.)

My criteria for these two choices is ultimate simple: I sat down, and asked: How is this option incredibly camp?


[X] Introduction - Sith Rionnasc (Old World)
[X] Introduction - Cothique
[X] Introduction - Eataine
[X] Introduction - Yvresse
I feel like there might be a better choice among the three mainland Ulthuan options from a politics, knowledge, and exports perspective, as well as advantages to each, but right here and now I just want to pick up ties to high society in general. I don't expect it to win, but I have a spot I stand, and the opportunity is there.
 
Orbmorb said:
Uncle Paht keeps up with the hip youth slang
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"I'm out here flexing on death, no cap. I used to be big deal royalty in Lahmia, keeping unalived folks safe from the opp, but that was my basic era. Still slaying after 4000 years though, don't even need a glow up cause this glow never left. I'm all about that journey life now, picking up hobbies and taking on students who hit different along the way." -Pahtsekhen's TikTok, probably
 
BurnNote said:
To the regret of everyone who also had to live through that history.
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Oh come on. Sure, you teach a few people the wrong thing, and it's suddenly a big deal and nobody will let it go. But what about all the people Paht taught that used his knowledge for reasonable, sane things, like (for example!) preserving their husband's spirit safely? I assume they're out there, anyway. Probably.
 
[X] Skeletons

Reading montage, I know this might sound weird, but my first thought was "This has great DunMeshi Vibes". It's showing a master of his art in his own element, effortlessly displaying his raw expertise but with little or no arrogance involved. All in a very casual tone you can almost forget they're talking about the preservation of a dead person's soul. Sprinkle in a curious question from the other people in the room allows the master to expound on the "Why's" for the audience in as simple terms as possible.
 
[X] Introduction - Cothique
[X] Introduction - Fortress of Dawn (Southlands)
[X] Introduction - Tor Elassor (Sea of Dread)
[X] Introduction - Elithis (The Far Sea)

[X] Skeletons
 
I voted for that, but it wound up being way more wholesome than I was expecting. Clearly, Uncle Pat didn't make it this far by being creepy and weird!

As for this vote:

[X] Skeletons
[X] Relics

We don't have much in the way of infrastructure, yet. Live exhibits can wait until we're a little more built-up.
 
Blackshard said:
I voted for that, but it wound up being way more wholesome than I was expecting. Clearly, Uncle Pat didn't make it this far by being creepy and weird!
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To be fair we are seeing this from his PoV, it probably looks a lot creepier from the perspective of Aelsabrim's attendants:

An ancient man, not living and not dead appears in port, looking for trade, he is a creature of strange breed, quiet, soft spoken, they cannot even see the mark of Dhar on him. The princess demands to speak to him and of what they spoke none know for she sent all witnesses away. Time passes, the princess asks something of her uncanny guest who agrees most readily, a tomb is built and the soul of the fallen prince kept close.

They are in the creepy music and mounting dread part of the horror movie. :V
 
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