In Limine

[Imogen]

It was about an hour before Imogen arrived, which surely qualified as reasonable alacrity when speaking of intercontinental travel. It was, to most accounts, a perfectly ordinary act of Traversion- but to Finn's sense of the slipspace, it was precisely backwards. Before the witch arrived, he felt the dimensions within the shrine reconfigure themselves- the tunnel began to form in Ailos, then stretched northward, until at last it arrived at its destination. The light within the building shifted subtly as power surged in the earth beneath it, aether leeching out of Dawn Peak to forcibly align a Railway across the great gulf of space. It would have been totally invisible to anyone without the appropriate runes until the portal itself opened, save for the fact that the energy pouring through the floor quietly transmuted a thumb-sized chunk of marble into Dawnstone.

The Orkhan woman stepped out of the portal a few moments after it had finished forming, looking entirely relaxed. Imogen wore no armor or robes, just a white sundress and a large straw hat with a floppy brim. The outfit didn't really do much to compliment her muscular build or emphasize her tremendous occult knowledge, but it did look comfortable.

Less comfortable, by anyone's measure, was the lemur perched on her shoulder. It was light-furred, with a golden splotch of color upon its head and a stubby white tail, and it wore a small sword on a belt at its hip, alongside a set of tiny golden epaulets. As soon as the witch exited the portal, the monkey hopped down from her and bounded past Finn and Karmordi, running outside as quickly as it could muster. Imogen watched it go with a bemused expression, then turned back to the party.

"Karmordi, you've made good time. And Mister Finn, I see." Imogen cocked a brow, "I would have thought you'd be all taken up by matters of state, so forth. There's always someone going on and on about the Senate floor, surely?"

"We got here very quickly- with Finn's help." Karmordi added, clearly not wishing to look as though he were taking credit from his friend. "And together, we have slain the Liar-Beast, as you asked. It was a harrowing-"

"You got the tongue, then? Preserved?"

The berserker paused, then nodded. He removed the large box from the rest of his supplies, which he had set down on one of the stone pews, and presented it. Imogen took the box and examined it carefully before peeking inside. Her involuntary shudder of disgust confirmed the trophy's authenticity.

"Dreadful blighters, ain't they? Came over you talking about your pride and insecurities, I shouldn't wonder?"

Karmordi grimaced, then nodded. Imogen gave him a reassuring pat on the shoulder, then closed the box back up, placing it down on a bench. "You preserved it well enough, I think, so a deal's a deal. I'll teach you how to best a Primal, and then... well, let's not get ahead of ourselves. What do you know about the primals? Actually- Mister Finn, what do you know about the primals?"

[Finn]

Fascinated with how the wayshrine seemed to act like some artefact from a runeforger's workshop, Finn stilled and paid keen attention. Ever since Zef had given him the Rune back when he was a lover rather than a fighter, he had begun to pay keen attention to maps, to landscapes, to the space around him. Anomalies of Traversion would perforce catch his interest.

He crouched, collected the little chunk of illumite, and stood. His examination ended when Imogen appeared, and his fingers closed over the morning glow to savor the comforting warmth of it. With a smile and a small bow to the Venerable and Decrepit High Witch, he murmured thanks to Decius, who came to take the stone and semble it to ensure it wasn't something that might harm the royal legate. Satisfied, the Sentinel made it disappear and fell back to a position with his back to a wall much as the others who had accompanied Finn did.

"An outsider opining on the native kaiju?" he asked with a mild smile. "Massive beasts who roam western Ecith, each connected to an elemental plane. There is diversity among them. Some might be malicious, but most are dangerous because we are like ants to them and they hardly notice our presence. Sometimes they rampage. Isn't there one near Kythera's ruins that's a dragon-killer?"

In Kalzasi, they were spoken of as nigh mythical creatures. Few were those who could claim to have reliable first-hand knowledge of them. In Solunarium, most spoke of them as aberrations, proof that the Commonwealth was a place of chaos, where even nature was outsized and out of hand.

Part of why Finn was supporting his friend now was to learn the truth of things, even if he had to get past Liar-Beasts to get there.

[Imogen]

Imogen nodded along to Finn's description, waiting for the end before she spoke.

"The Queen of Kythera, you mean. Yes, she's a dragon-killer, but that doesn't distinguish her- actually, the early natural philosophers of the tribes decided whether a particular monster qualified as a Primal based on whether it was willing and able to hunt dragons for food. We're a bit more sophisticated about it in the modern day, though. Ord Kruv, the oldest of the Primals, is--to the best of my knowledge--totally disinterested in hunting anything at all."

The witch leaned backwards against the altar, looking up towards the light pouring in through the shrine's ancient windows (which were, miraculously, still whole and unbroken after all these years.)

"Nobody knows where the Primals come from. Every so often, someone manages to kill one and take their power, but there's always a new Primal to replace the old. Most of the Primals are titanic in stature, but they vary wildly; the Voniad Koid is the size of a hill, the Sky King is ten times bigger, whereas the Kegumu Rekaka is perhaps two or three times bigger than me. Some, like the Sky King, are dangerous only for their vast scale and powers. Others, like the Silent Fisher, will aggressively hunt men for food or sport."

"There is only one absolute commonality, and that is the profusion of elemental aether within them. Each of these creatures is an inexhaustible wellspring of power, capable of reshaping the ecosystems in which they dwell. Ord Kruv, for example, is directly responsible for the existence of the rainy season. Likewise, Voniad Koid found the rainy seasons of the western forest uncomfortable, and raised an entire volcanic mountain from the marshes simply to avoid getting wet."

Karmordi listened intently, even though approximately none of this was new information to him. No, there was really one main thing he wanted to know.

"So how did they do it? How did any of the old chiefs beat a monster like that?"

Imogen sighed.

"Let me wax philosophical for a moment, yeah? I'm gonna say something which sounds a little wild, but just accept the premise for a bit." The witch opened up her right hand and displayed her palm to Karmordi and Finn, revealing the Cardinal Rune of Elementalism. As all cardinal runes, it didn't look quite like anyone else's design, but they knew the significance of it at a glance. Imogen's was stylized like a bird made of fire, a memory of the Spirit of Searing which had bestowed it upon her as thanks for its rescue.

"The purpose of the Cardinal Runes is to teach mortals, to help them understand the world better. When the Dawnmartyrs held Ailos, the first Rune they granted to each applicant was the Rune of Reaving, because that is the rune which teaches you the shape of your own soul. From there, a student could branch out, learn about space, or fire, or the body or mind. The value of the Runes, to the Dawnmartyrs, was not so much in the power they granted the initiate, but in the way it broadened the new Knight's perspective. By better understanding the world, they could see new ways to approach problems, new resolutions which were previously unavailable."

"Slaying any monster requires two things-" The witch held up a hand, extending one finger.

"Understanding, the ability to see what it is you're fighting and discover the way to defeat it. This comes from within, but-" Imogen raised a second finger, "-you also need leverage, or power. That comes from without."

"When I fought Voniad Koid, I spent weeks talking to the villagers nearby. I knew well that it hated water, but I didn't try to beat it with Elementalism. Even for a Grandmaster, it would have been like pissing into a volcano. Instead, I flooded the river, driving it away. When I fought Kegumu Rekaka, I studied its legends and habits, and I learned of its rather more esoteric weaknesses. So I had to scour the world for materials to forge a proper weapon myself."

"So, if you want to slay a Primal, those are the things I need to help you obtain. Understanding of how to kill one, and a power great enough to actually do it. You can get both on Ailos."

[Finn]

Finn nodded along as he listened. If he had learned anything from his years of studying song and history, it was that everyone had a different perspective. Imogen had experience with them, it seemed. That might be the best one could hope for without knowing who or what created them. He assumed it was Aedrin, perhaps subverted from their original purpose by Thultu.

Hunting them didn't seem wise to him, not without good reason. Even the village he had grown up in, the houses were all built away from the shore of Udori and not on the sort of earth that was liable to wash out from under a home in a particularly rainy season. One had to learn one's environment and work around it or with it—if Primals could call downpours, floods, and the like, one would have to learn how to work around the Primal or with it, or just avoid it altogether. It was similar with Gods, sometimes.

He just hadn't been able to avoid Aværys in the end.

The Primals were another Pyramid.

Finn hadn't received this sort of philosophy with his own Rune of Reaving, but then the Solunarians liked to do things their own way, even if his Gods had made peace with Dæmon, whose Dawnmartyrs historically wielded it.

This was Karmordi's quest, but...

"Do you have a Primal in mind, Karmordi? If they are all singular, we had better learn all about so you know what sort of power you need to defeat it."

If power was being offered, Finn was inclined to take it as well. His God demanded it, Hungered for it.

If Finn could take down a Primal, that might be statement enough to impress the Senators, as well. But he wasn't going to snatch his friend's quest out from under him.

[Imogen]

Imogen watched Karmordi's face carefully as his brows drew together- thinking. It was a bad sign, and not just because that wasn't Karmordi's strength. Those who hunted Primals generally did so for a reason; for revenge, to save their village, to achieve some great quest. If he really intended to fight one simply for the sake of having bested one...?

That reflected pretty badly on his chances.

"I was thinking..." Karmordi began, slowly, "The Queen has kept Kythera closed for a generation and more, now. If I could reopen it-"

"Killing the Queen would win you eternal fame, a place on the Senate, the favor of the gods." Imogen interrupted Karmordi, but her voice was not encouraging, per se. It was tinged with something close to skepticism. "It would be good for Master Finn's own goals too, actually, even better than either of you know. Unfortunately, it's utterly impossible."

Karmordi blinked. "So you don't know how to defeat the Queen?"

"Let me put it to you like this- the Queen is the size of Kythera itself, heals faster than you can cut her, and commands an army of thousands of parasite-infested revenants. Even if Mister Finn could loan you the entire Solunarian army and Raxen granted you the Sword Legions, you'd be hard-pressed to get close enough to do the job. Without...? Well, best I can say about that one is your drowned corpse would probably have some nice flowers growing out of it by the end."

The other ork seemed somewhat put out- perhaps he'd imagined that the Great and Ancient Witch Innogen could simply cast a spell which made it possible for him to overcome any danger? Well, she wished she knew a spell like that, but she didn't, and that wasn't really what she'd promised anyway. Anyway, it wasn't that she couldn't think of any way to effectively fight the Queen of Kythera. It was just that every plan she'd ever considered (idly considered) was even riskier than just letting the big plant sit there.

Karmordi thought long and hard about his next answer. The Queen was the one on everyone's mind in the present day, of course. Nand Uvaeh was similarly infamous, but a battle against a swarm of bugs wasn't really the kind of glory Karmordi fancied, even if the witch could somehow figure out a way for him to do it. Uncle Who and the Sky King were more Karmordi's speed, but unfortunately nobody particularly wanted them to die. Killing the Lake Baby would probably get him exiled.

That left few options. The Fleet Breaker was right out, since he wasn't a strong swimmer and didn't want to deprive Ailos of its protection. The Silent Fisher, by all accounts, had trained its focus exclusively on the Great Witch, and he didn't presume to get in between whatever was going on there. The viper... well, he'd heard the tales of that. But what about...

"You say you've fought Koid, right? How about the Blood of the Earth?"

Imogen's expression changed, suddenly becoming searching, thoughtful. She brought a finger to her cheek, musing on the idea, rotating it in her mind. She did know Koid, knew it all too well. She knew its secrets, its weakness, and she knew exactly why fighting it was a terrible idea for Karmordi.

But-

"Yes, you could probably fight Koid." And if I do this right, you'll both come out better for it.

[Finn]

Finn's head canted to the side when Imogen mentioned the death of the Queen of Kythera would serve his aims. In for a penny, in for a pound, he thought to himself; perhaps she assumed that he would stand by Karmordi's side and battle whichever primal he chose.

But she pooh-poohed the idea. Finn tucked it away for a later date. He would do his research and perhaps suggest the idea to the Crownwyrm and the Divine Twins. Perhaps riding Alikhandrian with boons from he might slay—or, given Varvara's domains, bind—the creature. If that would win Karmordi eternal fame, a seat on the Senate, and the favor of his gods, what would it do for Finn and his 'Solunarian question' before the Ecithian Senate.

Perhaps he needn't slay it at all. Perhaps he could broker some sort of understanding, much as he hoped they could do with the ancient creatures of Ugrimal in the Zonam Mysterium. But he was careful not to think too much on them; he had wards and his control of Mesmer was masterful, and yet there were greater powers than him in the world.

"Pardon," he begged. "I was happy to help Karmordi with the Liar-Beast, and I think our preparations for that were certainly preparatory for whatever comes next, but can he claim the glory if I fight a Primal at his side or is the nature of this beast the solitary journey?"

He glanced at Karmordi, brow furrowed. It was not that he would back down if his help was required, but there were risks to be calculated. Karmordi was on this journey, but nobody was depending upon him. Finn carried the weight of divine and temporal responsibilities, and had, all unknowing, founded a new gens. Were he to die or be rendered incapable, many would suffer for it.

[Imogen]

Finn's question made quite an impression on Karmordi. At the start of all this, he had expressed doubts about Finn's help, afraid that it would somehow cheapen his accomplishments, or make them meaningless. Since then, it seemed, he'd grown more and more used to the idea that his friend would simply... always be there.

"It's not-" Karmordi said, a bit haltingly, "It's not about the glory, for me. But I wouldn't dream of imposing on-"

The Great and Ancient Witch Imogen Ward did not wait for Karmordi's magnanimous and carefully-phrased reply.

"I've got very little advice about glory, gentlemen." Her tone was brusque, clearly indicating her low opinion of the topic. "As far as I'm concerned, the only thing which should compel you to risk your life against a monster is duty. If you're lucky, you get rewarded for doing your duty; if you're not, then you should find someone you can complain to, but it's got to be done anyway."

Karmordi frowned. It was hard to justify fighting a Primal as a matter of duty, surely? The Shield Legion certainly wouldn't ask him to do it. "But I don't have any such duty, so are you saying you won't help, after all?"

Imogen grinned, and it wasn't a pretty grin. It was leering, toothy, distinctly orkish. It was the smile of a spider, sighting the gnat struggling upon the webline.

"You want to fight a Primal, but you haven't got a good reason to and you know it. Well, good news! I can burden you with that purpose you're looking for. I can give you a good reason to fight Koid. And you and Mister Duke Finn here can work out between yourselves what risk of glorious death you're willing to shoulder."

"Since we're all resolved, let me explain myself. Vonaoid Koid is the Primal of Fire, the Blood of the World, the great beast of the hot flow which forms the mountains and tears them down. It is the Obsidian Titan, with skin of rock and ember eyes, which was driven from its own lands long ago to dwell in the fire-marshes of the northeastern jungles."

The witch turned away from the two men and back towards the altar of Ysandre, and waved. A huge metal shield materialized over the altar, a great round instrument of war almost as tall as Finn himself. Imogen spread her hands over the surface of the shield and Finn felt the Slipspace move, ever-so-slightly, as a Window formed upon its surface. She took only a few moments to adjust it before she stepped away, revealing the image therein.

Rather than the wayshrine, the pact shield now reflected the image of a great stretch of Ecithian jungle- but not as Finn had ever seen it. This jungle was stunted and ruddy, growing in cramped groves amidst a great, brackish, oil-covered marsh. In the center of the image, most striking of all, was a basalt mountain. Not a huge mountain, not anything like the scale of Dawn Peak or Mt. Sorokin, but still an impressive chunk of volcanic rock.

"This is the beast's lair, where it hides during the rainy season. It leaves in the Searing to rampage with its herd, to burn and destroy- or, it did. But it hasn't come out this year."

"The reason is quite simple. Although Ailos was protected from the voidspawn of the Great Eclipse, this Primal was not so lucky. They drew close to it while it slumbered and suckled upon its fire, exchanging it for their own, tainted aether. Koid has been poisoned."

"Perhaps it will recover with time, and emerge to rampage again. Maybe it will die. Maybe whatever comes out of that mountain won't be Vonaoid Koid. As for me, I think someone ought to check up on it."

[Finn]

Whatever he might have said in response to Karmordi, the Great and Venerable Witch steamrolled over the opportunity. With a gentle smile for his friend, he told himself he would have to explain where he stood on matters at greater length, perhaps after the wily witch had gone her own way once more.

That smile made him wonder how much of Zaichaeri anti-witch propaganda came from some kernel of truth. Anyone who proved a thorn in the side of the Zaichaeri government made him smile grimly, but he didn't know enough about their current government to know whether it was still evil. It was still nominally an enemy of his homeland, but the idea of the enemy of my enemy is my friend could get someone into trouble.

In any case, "Checking up on it is one thing, killing it another. Have its rampages around its new territory, the northeastern fire marshes, threatened settlements?"

Fire-marshes in jungle territories didn't sound like a place right-minded people would want to live. Then again, he had made his home in the middle of a desert, so he couldn't really speak to that without some hypocrisy. All he knew about the fire-marshes were that they hosted rodents of unusual size.

Imogen seemed to know an awful lot about the current situation of Vonaoid Koid, and her 'suggestion' sounded vaguely suspect. She clearly got around as well as hearing a lot of Ecithian news from another continent. He wondered why she would send Karmordi to 'check on' Vonaoid Koid rather than do so herself if she was concerned and was easily capable of doing so.

[Imogen]

"Oh, yes, but it always does that."

Imogen's reply to Finn was blasé, as though it were hardly worth mentioning. After a moment, Karmordi cleared his throat.

"I have never been to Koid's stomping-ground, but I think that what the Venerable Witch-" Looking away, Karmordi did not notice Imogen's sharp glare at this, "-means is that it is actually unusual for Koid not to be threatening the nearby settlements. I have heard it is one of the more aggressive primals."

The witch nodded, reluctantly moving on past the new and unasked-for epithet. "The legends say that Koid used to hold territory somewhere else, that it lost some great battle to another Primal, was wounded, and had to go to ground in the swamps, which it hates. Every year, it leads its herd out into the jungle and burns as much of it as it can manage, until it is forced back by the rivers. But this year, it has remained dormant."

Surprisingly, this all actually did seem to be causing Karmordi to perk up somewhat. Although her story gave no concrete reason why he was the person qualified to investigate this phenomenon, there was no doubt that the change in the titan's habits should be investigated by someone

(The fact that Imogen herself was probably better-qualified and clearly more up-to-date on the Primal didn't seem to enter Karmordi's mind at all. The man was simply not a plotter.)

"The village closest to Koidhome is Gihah K'uvfoi'uv Fi'uv, best known for its cider and rum." the orkhan woman turned to look at Finn, "They are protected from the Primal by the power of the rivers, but they do not dare chase it to its lair. In other words, the Primal of Fire is wounded, poisoned, and bound to its lair. Certainly, it's the Primal Karmordi has the best chance to slay."

Imogen shrugged. "...but you know what happens if you do that."

[Finn]

Finn hadn't delved into Imogen's symphony, aware only of those surface impressions she gave off. It was more a heightened level of intuition and emotional intelligence at that level, he had found, and thus not morally suspect. He could also sense the wheels in Karmordi's head turning as he cogitated.

The Witch was hiding things, but of course she was. His grandmother the witch had also hidden things. It was in their nature to obfuscate. While Finn had the tendency to burn with the light of his solar deity, he was wed to the darkness, and he worked well with the noctian twin of his God, as well as her Tethered.

"Well, Karmordi," he finally said, "are we going to try the cider and rum of Gihah K'uvfoi'uv Fi'uv?"

While not yet fluent in Ecitharese, the bard's tongue shaped the sounds as well as the bard's ear heard them. Communication was one of the gifts of his God, though. He wondered if he could use the divine gift to speak to a Primal...