✘ Round 9 | [Audio]

[glacius]

Greetings, residents of this city-prison. Now that we have been transported to a new land, an environment that I imagine must be significantly harsher for most of you, I feel that it now may be a pertinent time to make an offer.

I am not bothered by this climate; in fact, I thrive in it. [He's not going to switch on the video and show why; even after years of being stuck here, Glacius is still wary about how and to whom he reveals himself.] So, I am offering my services as a hunter and forager to those that may be worried about their abilities to provide for themselves in the long-term. There is wildlife here that can be hunted for their meat, pelt, and parts; I can procure and deliver such items to you, should you need them. I estimate that I could feed a handful of you every couple of days without risking overhunting; I am capable of providing more, and every day at that, but we do not want to abuse and deplete what resources are naturally available to us. [Every hunter should know how to respect the lands, after all—especially when they do not have not-so-benevolent god-beings to magically manifest things for them. Glacius has always tried to remain self-sufficient from them wherever possible; now it is time to help others do the same.]

So ask of me if you have need, and I will manage the logistics of providing as much I can without overhunting. I already hunt for my partner and I and regularly patrol to be sure that no threats prowl too close to us, so this is not far out of my way.

[He seems like he might leave it at that, but after a moment he adds on:] Ah, and as far as plants go... they exist, as I imagine most of you know by now, but they are sparse. I have managed to absorb nutrients from some of them, but you are likely better relying on the orchards and perhaps the gardens should you make an arrangement with their owners. I have also determined that water is available deep under the ice of frozen bodies of water, but I am not certain whether or not it needs to be purified to be safe for your consumption.

So these are my findings and my offers. Rest assured, we can survive just fine without the absence of the gods, and I will do what I can to make it so.

Comments

[glacius]

What was it like—that is, what did it look like, and how did it feel to... interact with it? Was it a physical artifact? Something that could be destroyed, or manipulated? How exactly did you test it.? What happened when you did..?

[The way Glacius trails off suggests that he has plenty more questions he could ask, but has chosen to exercise some self-restraint so that Kate can get a word in. This Door is clearly something he has put a lot of focus on, and is intensely interested in; it seems he would devour any scrap of information she could give him in this regard.]

[dedikated]

( It's one of the many places they share similar interests, and Kate can understand his need to ask questions, even if all of the questions mean that she needs a moment to sort through them. )

Were a floating sphere. ( With the components of itself they picked up from the islands and a whole load of power. ) Being around it... It fucks with your head. Makes you hear things. Stuff like that.

( The taste of blood in her mouth is something which still sets her heart racing. )

Touchin' it's what nearly killed me. Wouldn't have been able to do it without Tranquility. Gods can't even stand being around it for too long.

( Constant moving back above ground, resting and recuperating. )

[glacius]

A sphere. Was there a—a sort of pull to it? Similar to a portal, for example? [The connection between planes that he has long been surmising it to be, perhaps? The other issue she brings up is one he is less enthusiastic to ask about for obvious reasons, but... they are already deep into this, so he might as well press.]

And... can you describe... how it nearly killed you? Was it painful? Draining? Did it affect the gods the same way it effected you? [He is notably less afraid to ask about the harmful effects it has on their torturous overseers. Using it against them is something he is certainly curious about, though he knows better by now than to ask Kate about such things; her defense of the parasites is still something that puts them at odds, as much as it chafes him.]

[dedikated]

( Kate can't say she's ever stood close enough to a portal to know. But she can explain a little better. ) ... More like it were trying to keep us away. Protectin' itself.

( Maybe that isn't quite correct, because maybe that's just what it is as a being, but that's certainly how it felt. Dissuading them from coming any closer with the visions and the imagined taste of blood.

And then there's that question, and she bites her lower lip in thought. )

It were the power drain, mostly. ( A little of column A, a little of column B, so to speak. ) But going near it... were like I was going mad. Gods felt it too.