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[micelus]

Ketemos looked completely confused. "But you never said anything!" He shouted as the dragon walked away. Knowing it would have no effect, he sighed and crossed off any plans of cooperation he had with the dragon in the near future; his rage would last for some time.

Distracted from his study, Ketemos decided to conduct some other business while his mind was not in a studious mood.

Roaming the castle, he located the Nexus member known as Panther Lionpaw. Ketemos knew little of the man beyond his area of study and as a son of Telen he was bound by his nature to discover more.

"Panther Lionpaw I presume? I see you've decided to stay for a while in our not-so humble abode. Since you are here, I'd like to inquire about your work. Tell me what is it exactly you know about."

[Weirdsound]

Ketemos had expected some form of carcass in her room but a dismembered living harpy?

Ketemos waved away at Ketari's offer. "I'd rather not."

Turning to the harpy itself, Ketemos could not help but feel sympathy, seeing the pain in its nearly human eyes. Regardless, he watched as Ketari continued with her interrogation, interjecting only when she inquired about who the harpies warred against.

"They war against Chimeras Ketari...But why? Tell me harpy, why?"

Ketari snarled. "If there is a siege there is war! Who are you warring against? Do you gods take the field? How does the war go?" She slammed the harpy against the wall, then brought her face millimetres away, her irridscent eyes wide open.
"Tell me anything and everything, you wretched little morsel! The secrets of your gods! The strengths of your people! I will know all, or your sister's sufferign will seem paradise compared to your consumption!"

The hunger howled in her. She'd forgotten about her guest completely, as her teeth ripped away more meat.

Get information on the harpy gods, their opponents, and leading harpy figures - any important information about the harpies. For every hesitation, bout of begging, whatever, take a bite.

"THEY ARE WICKED AND COLD!" The Harpy cries out, "They see other life, all other life, as we would rocks and trees; Raw materials. When their armies get free, they steal wings from the Harpies, Limbs from the Orcs, Fangs from the Beasts, and even Bark from the trees, and use it all to make more of their vile kind!"

The Harpy howls in pain for a few seconds before Ketari gets it talking again. "My tribe is not directly involved with the seige. I don't know much, but rumor is we are outnumbered, but control several important tunnel chokepoints, and meerly pick off anything that exits. I've heard tell of them sending their gods to break through, and us sending ours to match it, but that was a long time ago... before I hatched."

"Elementalism," the general spits again, "is a Barbarian Magic, in that only Barbarians practice it. The ideal Bellian form, the divine excepted of course, has no inherent magic. A true Bellian then must draw power from elsewhere if he or she seeks to cast. Sorcerers, or Barbarian Mages, are Bellians, or members of the closesly related common Barbarian race, who have mutilated and mutated their own souls for power, but have left their bodies untouched. The most common Sorcerers are the elementalists of which you speak, but Sorcerers who warp their soul to be in tune with their will, their emotions, the heavenly bodies, various beasts, and even the basic forces of the universe itself are not unheard of. Sorcerers, by law, are Barbarians; They are only allowed on Bellian lands as slaves, as corpses, or as invited guests of some god or king."

The general begins digging through his pouch again. "Most Bellians who cast are priests... of some sort or another; They take advantage of a framework set up by some god who wants powerful followers, but doesn't want to take the time and effort to empower each notable follower individual. These frameworks, however, can outlive the being that made them; At which point they can be exploited by any mortal or group of mortals who can figure out how to power and control them, and the mortals who do so are the Dark Mages."

Fishing his small book back from the pouch, the general begins leafing through the pages. "Before Agrippa came along, 'Dark' was used to describe our magic as one would describe a bar or restaurant after closing time, but the Vampire is a very skilled Framework Manager; She has set it up so that the blood drawn by her brood feeds the abandoned frameworks that support Necromancers, Nerve Mages, and Shadow Mages. Because of this... mages in those three schools no longer have to make offerings to power the framework themselves, and as a result the overwhelming majority of Dark Mages practice some combination of the three. Beyond that you still see some pirates practicing the Brine Hexes, and many elemental sorcerers practice Smoke Magic, which is very similar in effect to the Barbarian Magic of Flame, so that they may double down on elements. There are, in fact, over thirty abandoned frameworks I know of, but most of the rest are redundant with the Priesthood of an Active God, or too costly or complicated to be practical for mortal use."

Finding the page he was looking for, the General opens the palm not occupied with the book, and loudly recites "Laudo azure friprist shadinver!" Nothing happens. "Sorry 'bout that. I'm garbage at casting myself. Much of it is in pronunciation and emotional control, neither of which I excel at... I think I forgot to roll the 'r' sound... *ahem* Laudo azurrrre frrriprrrist shadinverrrr!"

A ball of dark blue flame erupts in the man's hand, and promptly begins to cast coolness and shadow as opposed to light and head. The mortal lets the flame linger for a few seconds, before clenching his fist to banish it.

Pyrite frowned in contemplation. Mutating the soul sounded fascinating, but he wondered what the side effects were, if any. Dark Magic, on the other hand...

"Hrm. So it's just a crutch... or, well, a tool, I suppose." He worked his jaw for a moment before shrugging. "Fair enough, I guess. How difficult are these frameworks to create in the first place?

And that of course brings me to my next question: Just what is a vampire, and how is it created using Dark Magics?"

General Nightcharm nods. "Isn't that what everything boils down to in the end? Tools and crutches? I'm nowhere near powerful enough to be creating frameworks myself, but I understand the nuance behind it. It isn't hard. These gates your brother made... They are a very basic framework. If Ketemos were to drop dead, I could figure out how to make them work in his absence."

He offers you a frown when you ask exactly what a vampire is. "On a technical level, I suppose a Vampire is a Barbarian as much as a Sorcerer is; Perhaps even more so as the body changes as well as the soul. This is not something my family likes to discuss, as we count many Vampires among our Kin. I suppose it is also the reason Agrippa is so eager to turn Bellian Highborns in the first place, nobody would dare accuse somebody with a family name of being Barbarian.

I can't tell you exactly how they are made. Agrippa keeps the exact technique to make her kind under wraps; She has put a handful of limiting failsafes on her brood, so they may not rebel against her, or simpily whipe out mortal kind by feeding to fast, and it is probably for the best that nobody with less than her level of responsibility can make them. We do know, however, that the process uses all three of the schools that vampire's feeding fuels, and the more frameworks involved in a spell or ritual, the harder it is to reverse engineer."

The general smirks, "Of course, Vampires do not need to start from scratch to reproduce. The blood and other fluids of a vampire who is well fed and fully consumed by his or her instincts become corrupting and can turn any living or very freshly dead being that they come in contact with. Most vampires are made when a sporting predator tips off his or her potential victim that they might live if they break their attacker's skin and partake of his or her blood. People looking to become vampires, however, tend to know how to exploit a vampire's biggest weakness, and approach a potential sire when it is powerless to hurt them. In this situation, a Vampire will typically offer its new spawn a vein to bite, or turn it through more erotic contact."

Distracted from his study, Ketemos decided to conduct some other business while his mind was not in a studious mood.

Roaming the castle, he located the Nexus member known as Panther Lionpaw. Ketemos knew little of the man beyond his area of study and as a son of Telen he was bound by his nature to discover more.

"Panther Lionpaw I presume? I see you've decided to stay for a while in our not-so humble abode. Since you are here, I'd like to inquire about your work. Tell me what is it exactly you know about."

Panther nods, "You got the right man, your glory. I do alot of exploration and field work around the island, or I used to, before the siege. I have two major published works. The first recounts a visit I paid to the Orcish Lands, where I did in depth studies of their crops and livestock. The second is an index of all theh species of jungle tree I was able to find. Of course, I know far more than just that about the living things on the island..."

[micelus]

Ketemos winced as the Harpy cried out; if this didn't end soon he was sure he'd kill the damn thing himself.

"One question more: do the Chimera kill to get these parts?"
---
As curious as he was about orcish agriculture, Ketemos sensed that there was more to this man.

"Truly? Would it be the kind of knowledge best discussed....discreetly?"

[GiglameshDespair]

Ketari's hunger was growing overwhelming.
"Name a goddess of yours who fights at the seige," she growled.

[Digital Hellhound]

"I do. Go to Selma's Gate, bribe some pirates to transport soldiers, fight themselves, or both. Their largest fleets are enormous, from what I've seen. Then some combination of pirate and soldier lands behind the Orcs at night, we seize them in a pincer movement, and the Orcish army is crushed and hopefully captured. I claim the prisoners for my own personal army, which I use to suppress factional infighting in Kiatown.

How we'll deal with the fort I'm less certain of, and no doubt some part of this plan will fail, collapse, catch on fire, and then scald me with sizzling grease at some point, but I'm rather sick of this situation. I feel like being reckless and messy."

Tulwor had eyed the general's show of power with some interest, but this talk of vampires and souls was not of interest to him. Now he spoke to respond to Pyrite's proposal.

'This business of bribery and cajoling is not for me. I suppose these pirates have little interest in aiding us, otherwise. Even if we paid them, it seems they would make an unreliable lot to have our backs. Well, well,' Tulwor said. He frowned. 'I have to ask... why cannot we simply destroy this Orcish fort and drive them into the jungle? I planned to forge a weapon for the arena, and I may as well make it into something useful, now. If I were to shatter those walls,' and now his eyes turned to the general, 'the Bellians could charge in while the Orcs were dazed - and us too, son of the Devourer. I can promise you great fighting.'

[IronyOwl]

General Nightcharm nods. "Isn't that what everything boils down to in the end? Tools and crutches? I'm nowhere near powerful enough to be creating frameworks myself, but I understand the nuance behind it. It isn't hard. These gates your brother made... They are a very basic framework. If Ketemos were to drop dead, I could figure out how to make them work in his absence."

He offers you a frown when you ask exactly what a vampire is. "On a technical level, I suppose a Vampire is a Barbarian as much as a Sorcerer is; Perhaps even more so as the body changes as well as the soul. This is not something my family likes to discuss, as we count many Vampires among our Kin. I suppose it is also the reason Agrippa is so eager to turn Bellian Highborns in the first place, nobody would dare accuse somebody with a family name of being Barbarian.

I can't tell you exactly how they are made. Agrippa keeps the exact technique to make her kind under wraps; She has put a handful of limiting failsafes on her brood, so they may not rebel against her, or simpily whipe out mortal kind by feeding to fast, and it is probably for the best that nobody with less than her level of responsibility can make them. We do know, however, that the process uses all three of the schools that vampire's feeding fuels, and the more frameworks involved in a spell or ritual, the harder it is to reverse engineer."

The general smirks, "Of course, Vampires do not need to start from scratch to reproduce. The blood and other fluids of a vampire who is well fed and fully consumed by his or her instincts become corrupting and can turn any living or very freshly dead being that they come in contact with. Most vampires are made when a sporting predator tips off his or her potential victim that they might live if they break their attacker's skin and partake of his or her blood. People looking to become vampires, however, tend to know how to exploit a vampire's biggest weakness, and approach a potential sire when it is powerless to hurt them. In this situation, a Vampire will typically offer its new spawn a vein to bite, or turn it through more erotic contact."

Pyrite pondered the implications of vampires using those three schools. Shadow Magic, Nerve Magic, Necromancy... Shadow Magic was probably what he was shown; fire that cooled and dimmed sounded shadowy... and possibly even hinted at inverting or warping something's nature. If so, that'd certainly explain some of a vampire's qualities- they might well be twisted reflections or inversions of living creatures, or at least possess some inverted qualities.

Nerve Magic was harder to guess at, but he was familiar enough with the biological structures to know one could accomplish a lot through manipulating them. It wasn't hard to believe something had seen fit to create a framework for just such a purpose... but he wasn't entirely sure what use vampires would have for it, especially if they were living things inverted. Perhaps it was a broader or entirely different school than he was assuming, or perhaps it was used rather cleverly.

Necromancy was the most obvious ingredient, but he couldn't guess at just how it was being used and didn't dare assume something simple. The core of something this elaborate, created by something that cunning, was likely to have been wielded with surgical precision.

"Interesting... Are you aware of any other transformations using frameworks as a method? And what is a vampire's greatest weakness?"

Tulwor had eyed the general's show of power with some interest, but this talk of vampires and souls was not of interest to him. Now he spoke to respond to Pyrite's proposal.

'This business of bribery and cajoling is not for me. I suppose these pirates have little interest in aiding us, otherwise. Even if we paid them, it seems they would make an unreliable lot to have our backs. Well, well,' Tulwor said. He frowned. 'I have to ask... why cannot we simply destroy this Orcish fort and drive them into the jungle? I planned to forge a weapon for the arena, and I may as well make it into something useful, now. If I were to shatter those walls,' and now his eyes turned to the general, 'the Bellians could charge in while the Orcs were dazed - and us too, son of the Devourer. I can promise you great fighting.'

Pyrite grimaced. "I'd hoped to keep us out of it, lest we goad the Orcish deities into following suit. But I guessed that might not be your style, and if you're fighting there's little sense in me keeping out of it...

As for the fort, I wonder how easy it'd be to crack the walls. Even rubble or ruins can provide an obstacle for the right creatures... though I suppose we'll have to deal with that somehow anyway, if we want to take it. Trying to countersiege and starve them out might be even less pleasant, depending on their stores." He glanced at the general, wondering if he had any insights there.

[Weirdsound]

"Interesting... Are you aware of any other transformations using frameworks as a method? And what is a vampire's greatest weakness?"

Tulwor had eyed the general's show of power with some interest, but this talk of vampires and souls was not of interest to him. Now he spoke to respond to Pyrite's proposal.

'This business of bribery and cajoling is not for me. I suppose these pirates have little interest in aiding us, otherwise. Even if we paid them, it seems they would make an unreliable lot to have our backs. Well, well,' Tulwor said. He frowned. 'I have to ask... why cannot we simply destroy this Orcish fort and drive them into the jungle? I planned to forge a weapon for the arena, and I may as well make it into something useful, now. If I were to shatter those walls,' and now his eyes turned to the general, 'the Bellians could charge in while the Orcs were dazed - and us too, son of the Devourer. I can promise you great fighting.'

Pyrite grimaced. "I'd hoped to keep us out of it, lest we goad the Orcish deities into following suit. But I guessed that might not be your style, and if you're fighting there's little sense in me keeping out of it...

As for the fort, I wonder how easy it'd be to crack the walls. Even rubble or ruins can provide an obstacle for the right creatures... though I suppose we'll have to deal with that somehow anyway, if we want to take it. Trying to countersiege and starve them out might be even less pleasant, depending on their stores." He glanced at the general, wondering if he had any insights there.

Tobbin Nighcharm pauses briefly in thought, "Vampires have no true weakness; You can't melt them with salt or burn them with the sun; Although daylight can be detrimental to many of their shadow powers. What they have is checks on their behavior to keep them from running completely amok. The biggest one is that if you know somebody is a Vampire, and have good reason to feel safe and secure in their presence regardless, they cannot betray your trust and harm you. A Vampire will not harm its invited guest, nor a host who invited it. Kin tend to be safe as well; I've actually fallen asleep in the presence of my daughter when she was in a feeding frenzy with no ill consequences. The same principle allows crafty gods and priests to protect their followers from Agrippa's brood. If somebody you trust as an authority on the matter tells you that a particular substance or holy symbol protects you from vampires, it will protect you from vampires."

The General offers a sly grin, "of course, none of this works if you do not make the vampire aware of the fact that you know what it is.

On the matter of other framework transformations, there more forms of undead brought about by Necromancy alone than I could even begin to tell you here. Nerve Magic can sort of do transformations; A skilled enough mage can transfer, or even copy, a mind from one host to another. And although most Dark Mages don't care much for sorcerers, one can easily blast a soul with Shadow Magic to make an Ice or Dark elementalist."

The man's voice grows deeper and more authoritative as the topic shifts back to military affairs. "Using divine powers on the fort would be a great boon for the Kiatown Army, but if you intend to charge the fort yourselves, take out the Orcs on the beach first. That way, our men can back you both up or even fight along side you. Even if you crush the fort, if the Orc Army is still holding our men back, their is a fair chance they could rebuild it before we could repel them for good."

He looks at Tulwor, "I agree that pirates are less than savory or trustworthy, but the Orcs on the beach are too deeply entrenched, and have numbers and size over us. Our current commander in chief is content to sit behind our barricade and wait for them to act, and although I disagree with that particular idea, I do think we need something a little more forcefull or clever than a straight forward charge to even have a shot at victory. Before I found myself having a conversation with two of my gods, Pirates were my best option..."

Ketari's hunger was growing overwhelming.
"Name a goddess of yours who fights at the seige," she growled.

Ketemos winced as the Harpy cried out; if this didn't end soon he was sure he'd kill the damn thing himself.

"One question more: do the Chimera kill to get these parts?"

"Youch!" The Harpy screams, "I've heard all their names mentioned in the old Seige Legends, but I'm not sure what is accurate!"

(Sorry. Premature Post. Thunder and Lightning Outside. Gonna Shut off and Unplug my PC now. Will finish later. Sorry.)

[GiglameshDespair]

Enough stalling.
She waited no longer.

With a savage wrench, she tore the harpy's head from it's body as a acknowledgement of the information it'd told her. Then was only crunching, gulping down raw gibbets of meat. A few giblets splattered, and a bold barker nipped at them with it's thorn-teeth, lapping with a vine tongue and the drips.

Laughter bubbled from Ketari as she feasted. This. This was what she wanted - the spark that had lead the young gods to the Isle of Plenty.
"Ketemos..." She growled through the gore. "You can tell your Chimera they have their ally." Another burble of laughter. "Ah, what a feast this island is!" Her hunger had only grown as she'd eaten the Harpies, though with the second mostly devoured her actual appetite felt satiated for now. She dropped what remained of the corpse on the smooth tiles, landing with a wet squelch.

"Dennis!" She roared, in high spirits. "Attend your goddess!"

Boon power: Birds, tell me of Illith, of Birth, Death, and Desperation and her actions.

[micelus]

Perturbed by Ketari's madness Ketemos simply nodded before returning to his room, knowing that he had ensured an alliance with the Chimera...for now. He was not sure if the Chimera would betray them or if it would be prudent to crush them when the Bellians had the chance. He did not want to turn on a new ally but if the Chimera were the murderers he feared they might be, then they would have to be defeated.

---

At the end of the month, before Mortus set sail for the mainland, Ketemos chased after him as he readied his ship for departure.

"Admiral! Before you leave, I must ask that you give these to my mother." Ketemos gave the god a satchel filled with answers to her question he had gathered, the most visible being that of Vincent's. It also contained general information about what had been discovered on the island since their arrival, including the goddess Patches. It was always better to tell mother directly rather than waiting for her to find out.

Handing them over, he also queried Mortus. "Also, would the rest of the pantheon be open to allowing their followers to use my Nexus Gates?". Ketemos explained what they were.

[Weirdsound]

As curious as he was about orcish agriculture, Ketemos sensed that there was more to this man.

"Truly? Would it be the kind of knowledge best discussed....discreetly?"

The scholar/adventurer smiles, "Funny you would ask that... but then again, a son of Telen must be hungry for knowledge, and a naturalists wouldn't hang around the domain of the gods for no reason when he could be outside.

But yes, I have learnt a few things about beings of this island that might scare the general populous. I suppose I could share a good secret or two. I have one morsel of truth that may be of interest to your brother, one that Auratus might find intriguing, one the concerns the rivers, one the concerns the trees, and one the concerns the mountains."

He sighs, "I have read some of your earlier writings, and although I respect your knowledge and power, your focus on social issues and the plight of the masses is of little interest to me. I feel none of the new gods are a good fit for my worship. Perhaps Ketari, but her reputation is a bit bloody for my tastes - Anyway, my point is, these secrets are for sale. I'll gladly share one of your choice as a teaser, but beyond that, no freebies."

The scholar leans against the wall, and offers a respectful smile, "I'm trying to set up an expedition to the Fortress of the Little Folk, and the western waters beyond, to investigate the sea-monster they worship and his kin. I have a boat, but able-bodied men are hard to come-by during a war; I'll happily tell two more secrets to you or any other god who can provide me a crew."

Enough stalling.
She waited no longer.

With a savage wrench, she tore the harpy's head from it's body as a acknowledgement of the information it'd told her. Then was only crunching, gulping down raw gibbets of meat. A few giblets splattered, and a bold barker nipped at them with it's thorn-teeth, lapping with a vine tongue and the drips.

Laughter bubbled from Ketari as she feasted. This. This was what she wanted - the spark that had lead the young gods to the Isle of Plenty.
"Ketemos..." She growled through the gore. "You can tell your Chimera they have their ally." Another burble of laughter. "Ah, what a feast this island is!" Her hunger had only grown as she'd eaten the Harpies, though with the second mostly devoured her actual appetite felt satiated for now. She dropped what remained of the corpse on the smooth tiles, landing with a wet squelch.

"Dennis!" She roared, in high spirits. "Attend your goddess!"

Dennis limps in several minutes later, and takes note of the carnage. "I am here to serve, m'lady. I'll take it you enjoyed your meal?"

He clearly looks to be in even worse shape than he was in last month. You suspect a stiff breeze might topple him.

At the end of the month, before Mortus set sail for the mainland, Ketemos chased after him as he readied his ship for departure.

"Admiral! Before you leave, I must ask that you give these to my mother." Ketemos gave the god a satchel filled with answers to her question he had gathered, the most visible being that of Vincent's. It also contained general information about what had been discovered on the island since their arrival, including the goddess Patches. It was always better to tell mother directly rather than waiting for her to find out.

Handing them over, he also queried Mortus. "Also, would the rest of the pantheon be open to allowing their followers to use my Nexus Gates?". Ketemos explained what they were.

Mortus takes the package of letters, and briefly ponders your quarry. "I'd be glad ta let my followers use yer thing, but I'd be very wary 'bout inviting ta others. Many o' our friends back on the mainland have their own designs for the island, and it is only the orders o' Rexxis stopping them from dropping other duties to interfere here. I'd think carefully 'bout any action that could be considered an invitation ta get involved. The last thing this place needs is Alvin, Autumn, or, no offense, yer father running amok 'an stiring things up."

[IronyOwl]

Some time after his discussion with Tulwor and the general, Pyrite made his way to Mortus.

"Hello, Mortus. Any messages for me?

And as long as you're here, I was hoping you could tell me more about souls. Specifically, I've heard that it's possible to warp them to allow their bearers to perform magic. I'm rather curious on the nature and side effects of such a thing."

[Weirdsound]

Some time after his discussion with Tulwor and the general, Pyrite made his way to Mortus.

"Hello, Mortus. Any messages for me?

And as long as you're here, I was hoping you could tell me more about souls. Specifically, I've heard that it's possible to warp them to allow their bearers to perform magic. I'm rather curious on the nature and side effects of such a thing."

Mortus frowns and mutters under his breath, "Ah Feck, we have damn sorcerers setting up shop on ta island now, don't we? They do enough damage to themselves, that I have a hard time telling who is an' who isn't Bellian, and Glaciana gets pissy if I screw that up under ta wrong circumstances..."

He pauses pensively, "There are side effects. Nasty ones too. Most soul warping is rather crude; As I understand it, depending on ta person performing the rites, ya have a 30 ta 70 in a hundred chance of coming out of ta process a madman or a vegetable, and even if you survive, yer mind and emotions will show scars that yer body wont. Of ta most common modifacations, I know that Earth Elementalists become cautious and paranoid, Wind Elementalists constantly seek thrills, risks, and pleasure, Fire Elementalists are power hungry bastards, an' souls bound ta water tend ta be weak-willed and submissive."

The vulture faced god pauses briefly, remembering your first quarry. "No messages. Yer mother was busy taking notes on a comet so dim ye'd miss it without a telescope, and wouldn't see me. Yer dad told me ta pass along his reguards, but didn't have nothing specific ta tell ya. He talked me into delivering some stuff ta that sister of yers though; She got some new lace undergarments, and some scented soaps made from rendered Bellian fat."

[IronyOwl]

Pyrite laughed at Mortus' mention of traditional Air Elementalist traits. "I see! Well, that explains some things... but is that really so bad? The risks sound excessive, but in my experience, at least, some traits can have their advantages." He gave another bout of chuckling, before becoming a little more serious. "Ah, but really... you say they're 'damaged,' but what exactly does that entail? What's the difference between a Bellian and Barbarian soul in the first place? Are there subtler ways to... improve the soul, in a way you wouldn't consider 'damaging?'"

He smiled on hearing about his sister's deliveries. "Well, that sounds nice. Might help brighten her mood after I let Orcs run amok in here. Do send my regards to any of my parents you meet next time."

[Weirdsound]

Pyrite laughed at Mortus' mention of traditional Air Elementalist traits. "I see! Well, that explains some things... but is that really so bad? The risks sound excessive, but in my experience, at least, some traits can have their advantages." He gave another bout of chuckling, before becoming a little more serious. "Ah, but really... you say they're 'damaged,' but what exactly does that entail? What's the difference between a Bellian and Barbarian soul in the first place? Are there subtler ways to... improve the soul, in a way you wouldn't consider 'damaging?'"

He smiled on hearing about his sister's deliveries. "Well, that sounds nice. Might help brighten her mood after I let Orcs run amok in here. Do send my regards to any of my parents you meet next time."

Mortus shrugs, "There is honestly no clear difference between a Bellian Soul, and the soul of ta common Red-Headed race, but I can usually tell 'em apart by mannerisms and behavior. Beyond that, however, I can easily tell ta original race of a disembodied soul based on size, shape, color, and texture; I was a trained Necromancer before I was a god, and since then have made souls my business anyway, so I can examine and interact with them without expending any large amount o' divine energy."

The Ferryman offers you a grim laugh, "Her Iciness sets ta definition of 'damaged' not me. Usually when performing experiments or building something elaborate, she wants large quantities of nearly identical souls, so anything that isn't perfectly Bellian is useless to her. For the last decade or so, she has been rearing another kid, and hasn't been doing too many o' the large scale soul projects. I can more o' less take whatever souls I want now, but that bastard will be o' age soon, so I suspect she will become demanding an' picky again soon."

He looks you in the eye, and lets his beak hang open briefly before speaking again, "If ye wanna mess with souls lad, I wont stop ya. Just make sure to clean up your messes when yer experiments kick the bucket. Sorcerer souls can make nasty ghosts, and may take decades to fade away ta the point where they are harmless, and I might not always be permitted to take em off yer hands."

[micelus]

Somewhat amused, Ketemos replied to the naturalist."Tell about the rivers, scholar...As for your expedition, I might be able to arrange something but you need to tell me first about these Little Folk and their 'gods'. It would not be prudent to allow your journey if its more trouble than its worth after all."

---

"Hmm, I see...well would you at least see to it that my mother hears of my request? Surely her followers using my Gates wouldn't cause too many problems."