Sorana

The scroll was slightly warm in her hand, smelled like wonderful, old paper. Ku's name was written on it, in twirly letters, whose decorations and additional lines made it hard to read. She held it out towards the god, offered it to him. It detailed information about a division of the complex, consisting of ten people in total. At the moment they were working on a plan how to catch the next god. They didn't know another weakness and so they were focussing on a younger god with a specialty that made them appear weaker. On the scroll their diagram and the plan they were writing down, appeared the moment their pen touched the piece of paper they were working on. Leila frowned when she realized that they used "target" for the god, instead of writing their name, or anything hinting at their identity down. Wise, and yet annoying. She reached out for the one holding the pencil, touched his soul with her own, searched for something they could work with. The man wasn't writing a lot, but there was someone else, someone with a diary. Her scroll displayed a part of the names of the ten, where they met, what some of them ordered at a restaurant. A woman, Erica, had dyed her hair violett, and was envied her freaky punk-style cloths. A man who called himself Tobias was hard to judge, usually wearing a business-like suit with a tie. There was Solora, who looked like a grey mouse, but who knew how to handle a gun better than anybody else, and Marco who was their head, the one doing most of the planning and who was in contact with other division. Arnim who was there without any obvious reason and finally Tamara, who told everybody, that she had always known, that gods were weak and that humans were better than they all. Last but not least there was another name. Su's cookie parlor. The one writing the diary, calling him or herself Talon, mentioned the place twice, apart from that only hinting that they grabbed a coffee, or that they had to wait for a while. "This should be enough for you to start. Although I would suggest that you don't go alone." @EXPERIENCE_THE_SHARD

Leila tilts her head towards Ku when he slips her a message and suppresses a smile at the act of handing her a slip of paper. She knew what he was writing the moment the words appeared on paper, but still, her fingers take the message and she lowers her glance to read it over. "Yes." she agrees. "Once we learn who is part of them and where a good place to attack them would be." "The humans have captured several of ours." She explained for Aiwass, but also for Ku. "And while the God Complex is deserving a part of our attention, our first goal should be to free those held in captivity. And to eliminate these humans and their knowledge of our weakness." "Our current state of planning involves several stages. One, we are looking for the captives, two we are preparing an army and three we will try to spy on the God Complex." Folding the paper she slid it into her pocket and turned her head when she felt Balhaan's presence near her door. It took nothing more than a thought to momentarily disable her defences and allow him to open the door and step back inside. "The mercenary you mentioned," she adressed Aiwass, "Are you able to backtrack her to some other members?" It was a chance, a possibility for Aiwass to proove herself. Not failproof but hopefully a hint, a first step to show if she wanted to help, or if she had sided with the other ones. Standing up she reached out for her book and then extended a hand, a scroll appearing in mid air and falling into her empty palm. She gave a short nod in Balhaan's direction, indicated that she was nearly done here. =========== @Dr. Dapper @Nathrangking @Darth Woodrack @EXPERIENCE_THE_SHARD @kenod

Leila felt Balhaan's prayer like a gentle breeze running over her skin and she closed her eyes for a moment, remembered times when humans had prayed to her daily. She had had so many names in different cultures, but in the end it had always been her. Names were just a method to refer to something, instead of discribing it in detail. "Of course, Balhaan." She replied in the same tongue, directed her words to him, while following Aiwass into the room. "Should I sum up, the current state of our planning for you?" She asked Aiwass and sat down again, reached for her book and tracing her finger along the lines that had appeared while she had been out of the room. Resting her eyes on Aiwass figure for a moment she then added a longer description of her, how she looked and moved, the way she talked with that quiet self-confidence that fit her perfectly. It had been a while since a new, or more or less new player had entered her stage and she made sure Aiwass got as much space as she deserved. @kenod

"Of course." You find yourself smiling at his words and finally turn away from your covered creating. You are done here for the moment. He saw and while you're not comletely sure if he really understood, at least he didn't turn around to leave. This is as much as you could have hoped for. "Outside of these rooms you can wear whatever you want." Slowly you close the distance between the two of you, partially because he is standing between yourself and the door and partially because you want to. "I have to admit, your coat suits you a lot better." You add with a slight grin, while you take in his appearance again. He looks so different from your brother, from your father who share the same light hair you have. He is fresh, unblemished by memories or associations on your side. And maybe even more important - he is yours. You found him, you talked to him, you decided to bring him here. Your father didn't choose him, didn't pick him because of some virtues, or because he wanted to strengthen the connection between two families. Still smiling you walk over to the door and make a sweeping gesture for him to step through, a feeling of excitement in your chest. A whole evening where you can relax and talk to somebody with some intelligence behind his eyes. A whole night, if you stay up that long. You can barely remember when you did that the last time, when you talked to someone because you wanted to, without any second thoughts in your head. "Let's head back upstairs." You suggest and straighten again, satisfied with the feeling of this movement. Just like you practiced. Your thoughts return to your next glass of wine and you inwardly shake your head. Some water first, or you will be a drunken mess within a couple of hours. And this evening is too great a chance to ruin it by getting completely drunk. Silently you rest your eyes on his figure, enjoy the moment, the way he is standing here in this place nobody but Taron entered until a few minutes ago. And despite the risk, despite the power he now holds over you, you feel nothing but satisfaction, nothing but a content excitement. It was a good decision to bring him here, to show him. Maybe the best.

"That sounds lovely." Leila smiled and closed the door again, made a gesture towards the room where they had been meeting. Balhaan was standing in the doorway, and it appeared as if it was over, but you never knew. With new information, they should go over their plans. "Do you need protection?" She added softly, worry crossing her face at the mention of a mercenary holding her weakness. This was bad, really bad. It would be interesting to learn why and how Aiwass knew, but maybe her weakness was something special, something not as easily exploited as her own. Another shivver ran along her spine and she hoped that Balhaan would take the time to talk to her. "If yes, we can see what we can come up with to help you survive."

Shana turned her head when Cassie and Edwin joined the fight and gave them a quick thumbs up, before she turned towards her next enemy. A bullet grazed her arm and she found herself screaming, then took care of this threat. There weren't too many left, the fight would be over soon.

"Humans have started to hunt us." Leila summed up the situation. "We met to discuss how to deal with the threat." She hesitated and then stepped aside, made a welcoming gesture inside. One more god to keep an eye on, but for now she couldn't change it. They needed whatever help they could get. "Please, you are welcome to join our council, if you are willing to help or fight alongside us. If you aren't -" She gave a slight shurg, "We are glad over any information you might be able to obtain, and if you prefer to stay out of this conflict, then I can only adivse you to keep your eyes open. We lost too many already." Apologetically she smiled at Aiwass to soften her words. "It grieves me, that we meet under such circumstances. No matter what you decide, I would love to hear your story one day and to write it down."

Leila perked up at the knock and stood, leaving the others, still discussing military strategy behind. "I'll be back. Before you leave - I need a word with you in private." She murmured in Balhaan's direction and then headed over towards her door. War. There would be war and it would be long and awful and terrible. But for now - she turned her thoughts towards the door, and the visitor waiting outside and frowned when she felt for them. There was power, strong and definitely not belonging to a human. And yet, contrasting the others she had trouble placing it for a moment, and she paused, closed her eyes and let her power flow through her and her libraries for a moment, searched for a ressonance. She extended a hand and a book fell into it, while understanding dug out the thoughts that been burried. Aiwass. Rarely mentioned, mostly refered to by an english occultist. A mystery and a god she'd never met before. She gently brushed her fingers over the cover of the book and then opened the door. "Yes, I am home." she said while drawing her powers around her again, unsure whether Aiwass knew what was going on, whether she, or maybe he, for she had the appearance of a female, was here to help, or maybe even to destroy. Her knowledge of Aiwass attributes was vague and she suspected that a lot of Crowley's reports were unreliable. "I am Leila." She introduced herself, without stepping out of the doorway or inviting Aiwass to come inside. "I would be glad, if you could tell me, why you are here?" @kenod @Nathrangking

Gilgamesh of Uruk. Leila's thoughts moved to this old sumerian epic. While it hadn't captured the truth completely, she still admired the skill and the taste for art of the poet. Of course it had polished some facts here and there, just as it was always done. The victorious ones decided which story would be told in the future. For a moment she considered to call the epic to her, but then decided against. It wouldn't do the old pages well to be moved around and it wasn't as if she couldn't recite it, if neccessary. She kept quiet and left the military planning to those that had a sense for it, only turned her head towards Ku when he adressed her. "In my collection of contemporary poetry." She replied smiling fondly at the self-filling shelves around them. "This is obviously the newest part. You can find everything written the last -" her hand made a vague gesture to indicate, that the next number wasn't to be taken literally, "thousand years within these halls." She made a slight shrug with her shoulder. "I had it all in one place, but the more literacy spread within humanity, the more poetry was written and at one point I decided to divide it. It could have fit in here as well, but it just felt better to split it up." Straightening she leaned forward. "But to answer what you really wanted to know - I doubt that it will help our cause if you tell them to come here, because obviously our enemies aren't. I would suggest that your men and women meet up with those Ashlyn can provide and then we can transfer them all to a different location, should they end up on the wrong continent. But to ask them to come here, wait for hours, maybe even days for them to arrive - " she shook her head. "At one point we need to get them all in one place anyway, or at least set up a meeting between the officers of the different forces we call. It won't help us, if their strategies align. And as much as I like my books, this is the wrong place to gather an army." @EXPERIENCE_THE_SHARD @Nathrangking @Dr. Dapper @bees?

Here's your rating (in green)

Leila found herself smiling when Ku finally decided to join them and she closed her portal with a slight touch of her mind. Let the others find their own way. "Why don't the rest of you sit down as well?" She suggested and made a gesture towards the room Balhaan had never left. "Including you, Ku." She turned around and walked back to Balhaan, sat down next to her friend. Tut'Kor'Anuumo words have a strange taste to them, despite the logic embedded within. Spy on their enemies. It was logical, and yet, it also lead to a different train of though, that made skin crawl. It was logical and yet, none of them had even considered the possibility that they were being spied upon until this very moment. She ignored Ashley's military planning, instead considered this thought of hers. Spies. She trusted Balhaan and Sangus, Ku and Tut'Kor'Anuumo were a little more difficult, but in the end, she trusted all of them to a certain extent. She was sure that none would be willing to die and she knew that they all would act according to their own rules. And that meant - Leila opened her book and started a new chapter. It meant, that at one point one of them would betray them, simply because it was their nature, or because they saw a larger gain somewhere else. She leaned back in her chair and once again was glad, that she had decided to meet here. "What we shouldn't forget with all of our planning." She said quietly, in the silence after Ashley's words. "Is that we still don't know for sure where to attack." @Nathrangking @Dr. Dapper @bees? @EXPERIENCE_THE_SHARD

Leila looked up from her book, and grimaced at the strench that slowly crept into her nose. She knew it, would recognize it anywhere and she slowly closed the collection of poems and sorted it back in the shelf. It wasn't the newest one anymore, others had appeared, their spines and covers as different from each other as their languages were. With a little twist of her wrist her fingers closed around a quill, a beautiful checkered one this time and she drew her own powers around herself like a cloak. She met Balhaan's eyes sternly for a moment without saying anything and then stepped outside into the hallway, not loosening her grip on what was hers. She inclined her head in greeting at Sangus and Luna, then moved her gaze to the one they had brought here. Another woman and from the way she held herself and Balhaan's reaction another warrior. "Welcome to my place." She took a single step back and made an inviting gesture towards the room she where she had been waiting for them to arrive. When she spoke again she made sure that she was talking to them all. "I would greatly appreciate if none of you harmed any of mine." @Nathrangking @Dr. Dapper

Standing up, Leila slung her bag over her shoulder and lifted her quill. Quickly she left a series of marks in the air, old symbols of scripture that had been forgotten centuries ago. She had to describe her location, which made it difficult if she hadn't seen the place, if she had no picture in mind, but it made it easy when she knew exactly where she was going. A circular portal opened up in the air in front of her, rimmed by golden symbols. Stepping through she found herself smiling and the scent of old books that hung heavily in the air. It smelled like home, like safety. She stood in a long hallway with every inch of wall covered by shelves crammed with books. It streched on and on, with a turn visible at the end of it. Several doors led into rooms, each opening spilling some light into the hallway, although they couldn't quite banish the shadows in the corners. Leila extended a hand, gently touched the spines of the books close to her. The oldest ones here had been written several hundred years ago and she could faintly sense her own spell preserving them. Walking along the hallway she entered the first room of the place. Same as the hallway it was dominated by shelves, but only a small part of them were filled, with new books appearing every other heartbeat. Armchairs placed in front of the windows waited for her guests, as did pillows and some blankets. Leila sent a small sphere of light outside, indicating the right door and found herself reaching out for one of the new volumes of her collection. When she opened it, it made that sound of paper moving against paper, of the spine bending for the first time. It gently smelled after the ink used to print it and the glue they used nowadays for the spine. She leaved through the pages, reading some of the poems. They were - alright. With a sigh she put it back and picked up another one, that manifested between her fingers only to sigh again after a while. There was beatuy within these lines, beauty in the rhymes and the way the toyed with words and she loved the ideas, loved the emotion captured on these pages, but in the end - there was a reason why they were meeting between contemporary poems and not in one of her places dedicated to tales. Poems rarely spoke to her as a good story did.

Leila considered his words for a moment and then inclined her head. "As you will invite mortals -" she placed several sheets of paper on the table. "I suspect something they can grasp easily will be advantageous." It also meant, that she could keep her own place out of this story for a while longer. Without hesitating she wrote down an adress on each of the sheets and pushed them over to Balhaan and Sangus. The house was located in a quiet neighbourhood in a town just large enough that people didn't ask questions about each other. She had rented the flat years ago and mostly used it to collect volumes full of contemporary poems. "If you want to notify your friends or head to the place by yourself." She explained and added. "If they spill it's location no real harm will be done. But if you cherish their bodily condition, it would be beneficial if you each had the adress in your pocket when you try to open the door." Or they simply waited for her, but you never knew - it could easily be possible that they didn't have the time to wait for her. Reaching out for her book she quickly filled another page, made sure she had the whole process that lead to this discussion covered. "If anybody wants to head directly there, you can always come with me." she offered, blew on her ink to dry it and then shut the book and stowed it away. It seemed as if this chapter was over for now.

Leila dipped her quill into her inkpot and closed her eyes for a moment pictures what she wanted to write, which tone she wanted to set. Opening her eyes again they had changed their colour were a pale mixture of yellow and brown, just like paper that had spent too much time in the sun. And then she started to write. Words quickly filled the page when she spun a tale. A sad tale that started with lost friends and gruesome murder. A dark tale that continued with shed tears and grieve so strong it brought those left behind to their knees. A beautiful tale, for then hope arouse, hope and courage to save and protect those that were left, to find the missing ones and make sure that they would survive. Leila gently wove a little strand of power into her words, subtly making them a little more compelling, a little more touching than they usually would. She found a wry grin touch her lips when she started to gently sneak some lies between the half-truths she used to ask for help. Lies that hinted at brave heroes splitting up and looking for their friends on every continent. Lies that spoke of rising and army in a secret place and starting to train them to be ready for a huge, history changing battle in a few months. And then finally, the most heartbreaking truth of all, admitting that they didn't know where the lost ones were, a little exaggeration on their fear and desperation hoping that their enemies might think them weak and careless. She finished her tale with a plea and another spark of hope, a hint of light at the horizon. When she was done she lifted a hand and wiped a tear out of her eye, feeling raw and empty. Not quite meeting the eyes of the other gods she read through her tale and then gave one, quick nod, satisfied with her creation. It was good. Emotional, strong and hopefully close enough to the truth that the lies would blend in completely. Walking over to the table she put the scroll down in front of Sangus. "It is done." She announced softly and then with a slight pang of loss she let go of it. "I will wipe them them out." Leila didn't raise her voice, but it was strong with conviction. "Once you are done with them, I will erase their names from history. I will neglect them their heritage. Noone will think of carrying on, of living up to them. They will be nothing but nameless shadows lost between all the tales that deserve to be told. We will know and we will remember this warning, we have to, but they - " Finally looking up she met the eyes of each god around the table. She was no warrior like Balhaan, not as strong Caeli or Chao and she certainly had less followers than any of them. She wasn't wise, had no idea how to wield a weapon and her ressources were meager. But there was one thing she could do. "They will be forgotten." @Nathrangking @Dr. Dapper @ZincAboutIt @bees? @Blessing of Potency

Leila found herself smiling as well. "Then let me write something for your followers." She extended a hand and a scroll appeared in the air and fell into her hand. "I can tell a sad story of lost friends and brave souls trying to find them. I can tell a story of unjust violence and gruesome murder at nights. It will touch their hearts and nudge them in a fdirection favorable to our cause." She set her book down and slowly unrolled the scroll. "And if your followers prefer to talk, I can provide the right words for that as well. A story can be told many ways, and this one will spread quickly and fast."

Temeria whirled around when contruct spoke again, instinctively reaching for her sword with one hand while moving Ember to her chest in a protective gesture with her other. She relaxed when she saw that it wasn't doing anything, only watching them curiously and silently scolded herself for her reaction. It wasn't like she had forgotten about it. It was more - so far it had never done anything without being adressed first. Reassessing her first impression of what it could do, she gave a curt nod and let go of the hilt of her sword. Her eyes didn't leave construct while she tried to figure out what to say next and then, when she couldn't think of something appropriate, she simply nodded again. She made a vague gesture with her hand while she tried to decide what to do next and looked down at Ember again, watched his burning body for a moment and found herself grinning slightly. She could always start with the obvious, and decide later what else she might need to learn as well. But for now, there was only one thing she really needed to learn, if only to make Ember happy should she have no candle at hand. "Can you show me, us, how to make a magical fire?" She asked and remembering Ember's words about a different fire she quickly added. "Both ways if possible." @Voidus

Pensively Leila looked up. "But what if we used the crowds?" She asked and stood up again, walked over to the window again. "What if we used the means of this society to find those ripped from us?" Turning around to face them, she made a quick note in her book before continuing to speak. "Even with all of our ressources combined, we don't have the means to see and hear everything, but they," she made a sweeping gesture outside, "they do." "We could publish a letter, maybe pictures, ask everybody if saw them, and if they have clues to contact us." "It's not without risk, but it also doesn't hint at our current level of knowledge, and maybe we will end up with a vital clue. I doubt that every person out there is part of our enemies, and if we tread carefully we could use such an action to cover up on the other things we do. Like targetting their supply chain." @ZincAboutIt @Nathrangking @Dr. Dapper @bees?

Leila started to note down their words, made sure she managed to capture the mood of the situation. The drive, the fierceness, but also the caution and the danger they knew they were toying with. She lost herself in her words, quickly covered a page and then a second one, ended up with a longer description on Sangus and how he sat there, fully trusting his followers. Balhaan how he tried to look at the situation from every angle, to make sure they were save and Caeli. Leila loved how she looked outside, her path of action clear and vivied in front of her eyes. Tut'Kor'Anuumo who spoke less, but whose words were well chosen and transfering everything that needed to be said. She only looked up when the discussion came to a halt, when they needed to decide and nobody stepped forward to snatch up the crown. Fascinating. And wonderful. She found herself smiling at this fact alone, that they wanted to hear every voice and gave everybody a chance to speak up as well. It took a several sentences to capture this fact alone and she finished them first before adding her own opinion. "I don't know if we are ready for a battle." She started slowly. "But on the other hand, I don't know if they expect us to attack just know." She made a vague gesture with her hand. "I agree that we should wipe out their hiding points, but at the moment, at least I don't know where they are." Her eyes moved from Sangus to Balhaan. "The same with their supplies. As long as we don't know which goods they need and which supply chains they rely on, we can hardly destroy them." She gave a slight shrug. "I think we only have two options here. Either we lure them out in the open and then follow them back to one of their hiding places and from that one try to find out more, or we try to gather all intel we can find and hope that we can puzzle some clues from it." @ZincAboutIt @Nathrangking @Dr. Dapper @bees?

============== Leila considered Balhaan's words, not turning around. They all had followers, had managed to preserve that little piece of their past. There might be fewer of them, than there were before, but still, they had them. Not for the first time she regretted that she had let this part of being a god slide, that instead she had focused on other parts of her existence. She didn't regret what she had done instead, but the nagging feeling that she should have cared a bit more didn't go away. She lifted a hand and brushed her hair out of her face, finally turning back to the others turned around when she heard someone else enter the room. A smile crossed her face at the sight of Chao, and she inclined her head in greeting. "I am glad you are here." She stated calmly, although Chao's words suggested that contrasting Leila she had attended the meeting. She liked Chao, found that creating books often needed a little bit of Chaos to work, that good tales used that spark of unplanned events to really work. Focusing her matter back at the situation at hand she walked over to the table and sat down, carefully choosing a stool that allowed her to see the mountains outside. "Why don't we set them a trap?" She asked. "Then we can choose the next battlefield and prepare it to our advantage." Her eyes darted to Balhaan, wordlessly asking for his opinion. She knew the stories of war and fighting, had moved over countless battlefields, but it was nothing compared to his experience and knowledge. @Nathrangking @Dr. Dapper @Blessing of Potency

You don't follow him when he steps back, allow him the distance. At first you want to reply that you still wish you knew how you looked before, if your hair was darker or if it always had been this light. That you sometimes stand in front of a mirror and try to see the brown eyes you remember vividly. You got used to your body, trained yourself with it, until you know how to move each muscle, how it's a tool you know how to use. It's only a body. And yet, it's a symbol, a reminder who is in charge and who is not. But then your words leave you when he continues to speak, quickly, as if he is agitated. "I understand." You incline your head. It's the reason you invited him over in the first place. "Of course I do. If I didn't care, if I didn't face the same situation, I would never have asked you to come with me in the first place." Because it's so hard to find someone interesting. Someone who speaks their own mind with intelligence coloring their words and not the hunger for power. Someone curious, who walks the streets with open eyes. You notice the way he stresses that he cares, only to soften it with his next sentence. But the word remains in your head. He cares. So maybe you didn't loose your gamble, at least not all of it. Maybe you actually managed to win some of the cards he placed on the table as well. He is still looking at you, leaving his words hanging in the air between you, their implication heavy and alluring. You are tempted to push the matter, to drag everything out in the open, but instead you let the topic slide, leave it to him to bring it up again. Instead you allow yourself a slight smile when you extend your hand towards the door leading back in an inviting gesture. "Would you care for another glass of whiskey?" You ask. "Or something to smoke?" @I think I am here.

Mike nodded and finally reached out for the gloves, put them on. They were cool to his touch, but they fit him well. He extended his fingers once, twice and finally took them off again and put them into his pocket. "Thank you." He said quietly and perked up when his device made a soft sound. He wants me to practice with you. But I don't know. Only if you really want to. He typed back to Wes, afraid that Xanas would push his friend to do something he didn't want to. Where are you? He put the device away again and followed Xanas over to the forested room. He was about to step inside, when he realized what he was seeing and stopped, mouth opening in awe. The trees were large, looked healthy despite everything he had expected in a place like this. "You want me to climb the trees?" He asked, unsure how a hedge clipper might help him to pluck some kind of fruit. Carefully he took a few steps inside, the strong scent of ripe fruit and a forest nearly overhelming. From library to forst in nothing but a few steps. Turning around he made sure that the door was still there, and while it was, it looked strange, as if missplaced, despite the ceiling arching overhead. Following Xanas example he plucked a brown fruit from the same bough and took a bite. It was sweet, with a hard seed hidden inside. Grinning at its taste Mike found himself pluck a second one and shortly afterwards a third. He hadn't noticed that he was starving, had spent nearly a day running around, fighting, and running around some more. "This is fantastic." He admitted loudly, although he made sure to keep an eye on the guards. You never knew. And he wouldn't be too surprised if they started to walk around soon. @18th Shard @I think I am here.

Leila reached behind her and picked her scroll out of the air, took it with her. Maybe they would need it later on, and if not, if never hurt to have a possibility to note down the plan they agreed upon. She left her bag and scroll ona chair next to Balhaans but stepped over to the window for the moment, looked outside. The mountains streched as far as she could see, calm and seemingly eternal. She had watched mountains rise and vanish again, and she liked their gentle and in comparison slow movements. It was a different rhythm, a different tale, one spun slow and steadily. "I don't have a lot of ressources." Leila admitted. "I might be able to access their planning or coordination, if they write it down." It depended, but with their actions influencing history on a large scale the chance wasn't neglectable small. Falling silent she watched an eagle swoop down towards an unseen target. "And I am able to offer another hideout for us to use." She gave a slight shrug. "Apart from that - if you're looking for a specific book I am always happy to help." @Darth Woodrack