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Twistey's inclusion of Staar-Wos in her tale led me to place both it and Staar-Tric on the map of Weab. Then I realised that not only was Staar-Tric the source of the Marizu in the first place, but that both nations could be said to be in the same state as the Potterverse: let down by their creators, and thus defected entirely to the Marizu League.

(I mean, I quite like Voyager, but it and Enterprise are fairly consistently regarded as bad. And the Star Wars prequels certainly count, if The Cursed Child does.)

So I wanted to write their story, or maybe the full story of the Marizu League. But as I began, I realised that there was more to the story: I couldn't write the history of the Marizu without creating the history of the Empire it spawned from.

So... I did. :D

The Rise and Fall of the Scholars' Empire

AKA hS has great fun working out what the late 19th-century equivalents for chunks of the internet are.

hS

"Ah, here we are. A little connection trouble there; nothing to worry about. Ahem. I shall speak to you now with the voice of Neshomeh." Her own voice faded to a whisper, and what had been a whisper rang out as the very tones of the Baron herself.

"Greetings, barons, knights, civilians. My time is short, so I shall come straight to the point:

"First, we must dispute the distribution of Barony July. July was ever our fast friend, and we grieve most sorely at her departure. In her absence we would take all of her lands into our fold to hold and to make fair in her absence. Her folk in the Riding are well known to us, and we feel we are best suited to lead them.

"However, let it not be said that we are avaricious or coldly seeking our own aggrandizement. Our heart goes out to our friend Baron Huinesoron in these troubled times. We wish him solace in his new home, and as he has not claimed the city of Borrd, we shall cede him that portion of Barony July west of the Larninkurvs to round out his new holding.

"Let Barony Eshakhar be be formed of the lands once held by Cassie and Thanasius; this we support wholeheartedly.

"If Lady Iximaz will not accept any portion of Huinesoron's former lands, then let the southern parts pass to the Poor Cynick along with Thanasius' former territory along the Wattufs, and let the northern parts pass to Baron Phobos, whom I know will make good use of them.

"We are in accord with the Cynick in the matter of the Mords and Protector Tomash: let them sit among us. Invite my archivists, too, if you will, but only if you desire endless interruptions to check the facts, to debate the proceedings, to clarify this detail or that. Truly, none could dispute the outcome of a council in which the archivists took part! As for the Beytahs, I am one myself, and I shall speak for them faithfully as warden of those lands in the Riding I claim from July."

The Djenni shook her head, and when she spoke next her own voice was foremost again. "I think that's everything."

(( Well, why shouldn't Baron Neshomeh have lands in the Riding? She is a Beytah, after all, and she does have a lengthy and fraught campaign to support. The Mines of Spyration in particular would be an excellent asset!

(( She's against including the archivists as voting members of the Council, but it would be a bit gauche of her to come out and say so. Someone else will have to take the hint and swing that vote if necessary.

~Neshomeh ))

A fairly simple update: I've just updated the Burning Sun of Ozerbord to match the Ozerbord flag, and placed a reduced star-circle of the Discord in the middle.

The flag is now symbolic at least three ways:

The Five Nations of the Union: the Sword of Jay for Borrd, the Arrow of Acacia for the Riding, the Tome for Wechi, the Burning Sun for Ozerbord, and the Starry Arch for the Discord (and also for the Five Nations).

The Five Eras of Rule: The Tome for the rule of the Protectors, the Arrowhead for their three appointed Triumvirs, the Sword for the direct rule of the barons, the Sun for the first Union, and the five stars for the newly expanded Council of Plort.

The Five Ages of Plort: The Sword for the Golden Age, the Book for the Elder Age, the Arrow for the Age of Revolution, the Sun for the Age of Union, and the Stars for the Age of Change.

Subject to approval by anyone who wants to argue. ;)

hS

Here, for anyone else who the picture's not working for.

(Bear in mind the shield isn't set in stone - feel free to suggest changes.)

hS

A point of light appeared in the chair below the arms of Baron Neshomeh. It grew into a molten pinwheel and spun itself into the shape of a glowing red-gold fox. It sat primly in the chair and surveyed the room with eyes of emerald flame.

"I am the Djenni," it said, its voice seeming to echo itself in a faint whisper. "I speak for Baron Neshomeh. Her campaign against the Subjugator has grown long. The foe is crafty, and the fall of Air'ihpotre has granted it new strength. The Tungsten Monk has gone astray we know not where; Ilraen and the Supernumeraricon grow heavy in Neshomeh's hands; yet she presses on through the mires of Odd-Ault Fanvik. Thus it is that she remains absent from these proceedings, and sends me to bear her will to the Council."

The fox-shape cocked its head as though listening to something at a distance. The echo vanished from its voice. "That is, I will when I know what it is she wants me to say. Please hold."

(( I'm here! Sort of! {= D Meet Djenni, my avatar, who belongs to the PTerry School of Making Common Names Seem Foreign/Magical by Sticking On a Silent Consonant. This probably isn't the first time anyone has seen her IC, but, well, Phobos and I only came up with the name in the last week. *shrug* She also belongs to the Phobos School of I Have Always Been Here.

(( So, yes, more tomorrow. ~Neshomeh ))

A black-clad figure emerged not from one of the designated chairs, but from near one of the side walls. His face was obscured by a hood, but the features that could be made out were very clearly those of Baron PC, the Poor Cynick.

"The silence is unnerving, is it not?" he asked. "A similar quiet has fallen over Worhkshap in recent months. Bustling activity replaced with empty rooms and unread tomes. So few now seem interested in learning the art of Beytah. Or perhaps it's just my presence that they cannot stand? Regardless, it is a great shame in either event."

He paced past Huinesoron, as if not noticing the man, and faced the map. "Four barons, vanished. And so few of the remaining actually here!" A sick smile came to his face, which looked unsettlingly off in the pale light of the room. "This does not seem to be a position that engenders longevity."

After a moment, he pulled a stylus of his own out of the sleeve of his robe. It flared to life with a green light, similar to the color of the gemstone representing Worhkshap. "If Baron Iximaz is unwilling to accept the western discordant lands, then I can take them under my wing," he said, redrawing the borders to reflect his suggestion. "It is not as if I am unknown to the Mords, after all, nor they to me. There is some measure of respect there."

The stylus vanished back into his sleeve. Baron PC stalked over to his grand chair and took a seat. "I have no objection to the other territorial proposals. Nor do I protest the addition of the Mords and Baron Tomash to this council. The archivists and Beytahs, however, are better suited where they are. Wechi already has a representative, as does the Riding."

He looked around at the other chairs.

"I think they do, anyway."

((Baron PC might have gone a little kooky away in his castle by himself. Possibly. But he would insist he was completely sane if asked!))

((Possibly.))

the reporting requirements for incursions by eldritch entities. (from what I remember of the Ispace project).

(Because it isn't showing up here.)

Alrighty, all of that that you said makes sense. See you on Twyla's page.

-Twistey

1. The original spear is an occult artifact that one can use to summon demons, but is better off safely stored in the iD Software 'verse than in the hands of any Boarder. Thus, the replica is just a decorative item you can display in your virtual self's room to impress people. Just make sure you label somewhere that it's only a replica, otherwise the iDSoftware!US Government will be after you because they'll think you stole the original, and the only people who have ever stolen the original Spear of Destiny before are the iDSoftware!Nazis.
   
   2. Cool! Worldbuilding is always nice. Ahaha, I too have my own writing tropes... most of them are essentially the constant aversion of a friend's tropes, because my friend's tropes are pretty annoying, especially if one has been analyzing her work for as long as I have. T_T
   
   3. Thanks for the replica Silmarils. I should probably read the Silmarillion once I'm done with Return of the King, to figure out what action of the original Silmarils is replicated by the batteries in these. But anyway, thanks!
   
   -Twistey

Okay; I'm sorry for drawing a connection between the current announcement and a past piece of Doctor Who fiction that you don't find amusing.

I believe the /other/ regeneration to female was after being shot by a Dalek, in Curse of the Fatal Death. The Cyberman-shooting in this instance matches that pretty well, too.

hS

where they specifically arranged the letters so that they don't expand in the correct order for just about everyone (such as UTC).

Come to think of it, I mis-named the thing slightly. It's the Inter-Metaversal Seminar on Universe Topology.

The general concept of the thing is that there seems to be a good bunch of meta-fictional or otherwise plothole-aware organizations running around, and a good bunch of them probably have at least one person who's interested in how the various universes you can visit are shaped and how they connect to each other. And thus, the Seminar. (and the Chair. Who is the Chair? I don't know, and neither does anyone else. They just coordinate meetings)

I have not actually written anything with this outside of references in #rudis, so feel free to ignore the idea, bastardize it, what have you.

(I don't currently expect that the records of the proceedings will happen soon, but I won't completely rule out the possibility that a relevant plotbunny will grab me. A few data points on HQ's layout might happen, because I've already thought of how it'd start.)

- Tomash

Arell has been taking a lot of his time lately. Well, this and the fact he doesn't disagree with anything here and doesn't have decision powers anyway.

I've actually had an easier time with the recovery for this eye than I had for the other one. We'll see what the doctor says at my check-in tomorrow, but I am feeling pretty good about where I'm at right now.

-Phobos

Stream-of-consciousness notes:
- I'm liking the concept of Targir
- The pre-mission "bunch of agents complaining about work" is nice
- I've never seen the console changing the fic before, but I can't see why it wouldn't happen
- The bit about not threatening the authors is a good touch
- "... the bombs were no less deadly" was a somewhat funny line
- The agents slipping into the present subjective is a neat variation on the usual present tense gag
- "Now she has a point to her." Good bit.
- Wait, what's going on with the DORKS ... oh , É and S did a thing and are parents now. It'll be interesting to see where this goes
- Showing canon being back to normal at the end like that is good

General review:
This was rather good overall, and there were a bunch of funny and clever bits. However, one complaint I have is that it feels like there should be a tiny bit more mission in the mission (snark, the occasional badfic quote, etc.). I didn't get as good a sense of the fic as I usually do, even though I've still figured out generally why it's bad.

Speaking of subjective complains, it seems like the "I just found out I'm pregnant" bit could use a bit more narrative weight. That seems like a really important event in the story, but it doesn't even get a paragraph to itself, or much description at all. Makes the revelation a bit underwhelming (unless it wasn't meant to be a revelation, and was supposed to be a normal-ish thing, in which case ignore this comment)

- Tomash

Baron Me is just feeling whingy; I know that people actually have other things they do in their lives. Hope everything's going okay!

hS

A scrawny teenager in the heraldry of Baron Phobos steps forward into the light. "Apologies, m'lord," he says, looking like he would very much like to be anywhere but here. "The Baron Phobos will not be attending this council. He has sent word...um...through myself, I suppose...that he has more important matters to attend to."

"I'm sure he would have sent his apologies, if he had not been so busy...? I've been given no other instructions as to what matters he wishes brought up or how he might vote on any of the matters at hand."


((My absence is due to timing. You started this thread the day I went in for my second eye surgery. I have been working on a Baron Phobos story for a little while now, and I am going to try and get it finished in the next week, because it lines up well with this Council.

-Phobos))

It had been less noticable in the first hour: broken by Ye Scape-Grace's presentation of the flag of the Discord, and Baron Huinesoron's intervention; broken by Hieronymus' proposed flag of the Riding, and his unanswered soliloquy on voting law; broken by messengers from Barons Iximaz and Eshakhar. But now the second hour had rolled around, and in place of lively debate, stillness blanketed the hall of Otik.

Huinesoron looked up from a whispered conversation with his wife. "Is there no business?" he asked into the quiet. "Is there no argument - nothing to say at all?"

He got to his feet and walked out into the centre of the chamber. The great seats around him were mired in gloom, the figures enthroned upon them barely visible beneath the backlit banners of their heraldic arms.

"Baron Phobos," Huinesoron said, facing the shield of the Dice and Daggers. "Have you no words? Long have you argued concerning the division of Barony Araeph - will you now let the matter pass unnoticed? And Baron PC," he turned to the Apple and Axe, "will you not speak for Ozerb- for the western discord? If Lady Iximaz spurns the rule, will you not step into her place?"

Silence, deep and thick. The baron let out a cry of distress and span, striding across the stone flags towards the banner of the Fox of VixenMage. "Someone in this grand council must have an opinion! If not, why have you come here at all?"

He passed into the shadows surrounding the tall chair. A moment later, a startled shout echoed through the chamber, and something mint-green fluttered out of the darkness to land in the centre of the pool of light.

Baron Huinesoron followed, bearing with him an upright stave resting on a wooden base. He crossed to the crumpled pool of cloth and retrieved it, hanging it on the wooden assemblage. The cloak billowed down; in the shadows, it would have looked just like a seated figure.

Huinesoron turned slowly on his heel. The banners above him were still; the torches flickered softly on the walls; no movement came from any of the chairs.

"In the name of Kanun and Spelin," he whispered, clearly audible in the silence, "is there anyone else here at all?"

((^_^ And yes, that's confirmation that both flag proposals happened in-universe. ~hS))

It is technically called "outside the world" but there is a slight technicality here. The root is the source of all souls, all phenomena, it is everything and nothing at the same time. Everything because it is the source of all things and where everything will return to. Nothing because, well, everything that exists came from a blank slate, a state of nothingness. To touch the root is to recieve knowledge of everything and essentially become god. At the same time, touching the root "returns your soul to whence it came" thus causing one's death. So a person will become god, but will cease to be a person; his or her very concept will be altered by the experience. The first and fifth magics draw directly from the root, the second, third, and fourth magics are means to reach the root. Some people such as Void Shiki have an intrinsic connection to the root.

As a side note, it would be very difficult to PPC Nasuverse fanfic because of how the world works, unless DoSAT has got something to circumvent that.

Yes magecraft is getting weaker as humanity grows stronger. However this does not actually affect magic as the phantasmal species that are governed by mystery simply moved to the reverse side of the world. It is only humanity that has lost touch with magecraft and mystery due to Alaya-shiki's interference with the laws of Gaia's reality marble. Species that are not human such as those connected to Gaia (i.e. True Ancestors) still have a hight level of mystery. At least until Angel Notes and/or Tsuki no Sango happened, but these two events happen only in some timelines.