Once more with feeling/Logs/Small Group/In Denandsor/Shining Lord and Invisible Crow Hunter

Invisible Crow Hunter walks into Shining's Library, taking a seat in front of his pulpit, lighting up a rolled cigarette
Shining Lord: "Leinhart, I know you can get by my guards, you don't have to prove it anymore, just let Florviet show you in next time." Shining says not lifting his eyes from the large tome in front of him. He sniffs, sensing the tobacco. The young man look up at Crow. "You're not Leinhart"
Invisible Crow Hunter: "I think we should speak." Crow says, the shadows in Shining Lord's study twitching back for an instant when Crow lits a match to light a rolled cigarette.
Invisible Crow Hunter: "No, I'm not. But I am a lot more congenial."
Invisible Crow Hunter: "You know this Leinhart guy then?"
Shining Lord's eyes narrow. "Perhaps, what is it to you? And what do you want that is so important that you ignore all ettiquette and manners, sneaking into a Sorcerer's Manse?"
Invisible Crow Hunter: "I just saved your guards the trouble, finding my own way in. You're the only sorcerer around here, and I think we can have some...interesting conversations."
Shining Lord: "I am not the only sorcerer, and most certainly not if we include those of the Celestial Circle. But I am one of the few that focus on this call of life. And don't care about bothering my guards, they are demons after all..."
Shining Lord: "And you haven't answered my question."
Invisible Crow Hunter shruggs. "just to talk. What do you know about Necromancy?"
Shining Lord: "Some, Enough, Barely scratched the surface. What do *you* know of Creation?"
Invisible Crow Hunter: "I've been around this Direction, mostly. I did some stuff in the Bayou of Endless Regret."
Invisible Crow Hunter: "Corvid Rasp handles most of the sorcery stuff, but you seem to be more focused"
Shining Lord: Shining smiles at Crow's answer, which was clear he hadn't truly understood the question. "I am. So, what is it you wish to know?"
Invisible Crow Hunter: "Tell me about the other Deathlords."
Invisible Crow Hunter: "And the Realm. Not connected to each other, of course."
Shining Lord: "There are 13 Deathlords that we know of, all very powerful ghosts with vast armies of undead. The Mask seems to be the most powerful one. Considering the advance of the wyld who knows what changes that has wrought."
Invisible Crow Hunter: "Well shit. Does the Wyld damage the underworld?"
Shining Lord: "I don't know, but it sure eats away the Shadowlands the Deathlords use to connect their Underworld dominions with Creation. If they lose armies here they lose influence there for sure."
Invisible Crow Hunter: "It would be messed up if this all ended up working out for the best. It's completely insane, but if we let the Wyld sweep over Thorns, we might be able to cut off the Mask's best entrance into Creation itself. It would take ridiculously good timing and co-ordination with that thing the Scarlet Empress has...or had, in any case.
Invisible Crow Hunter: "I've spent all my time concentrating on the Mask, and finding out there's 13 of them was a huge kick in the pants."
Invisible Crow Hunter: "Until now though, I couldn't find any information on them, besides the Mask, for obvious reasons."
Invisible Crow Hunter: "Do you smoke?" Crow ask as he take a pull of his cigarette
Shining Lord: "Not much to know, I hardly know the names of any." Shining ignores the cigarette. "Some of this I just... know. It is hard to explain."
Invisible Crow Hunter: "All those things, they're like a cancer on Creation, and here we are at each other's throats while they do...well, they're like supercharged Spectres, as I understand."
Shining Lord: "And if we let the Wyld sweep up that far... well, I wouldn't at least. Besides, mopping up Shadowlands and killing ghosts are what I do best."
Shining Lord: "Perhaps they are, but I at least feel most of the throat grabbing is done now."
Invisible Crow Hunter: Crow smiles grimly and takes out a gun, holding it in a non-threatening manner. "I have some experience in ghost extermination myself."
Shining Lord: "Not on the scale I am capable of, you aren't"
Invisible Crow Hunter: "Perhaps, but good enough to get the job done. In any case, we're both on the council, so this had best not turn into a competition. We can help each other."
Invisible Crow Hunter: "And by help each other, I mean that we can keep things running smoothly."
Shining Lord: "Oh, a bit of competition can always be good to drive up effectiveness." He smiles, closing the large book in front of him. "I think you will have a hard time keeping up once I get to Lookshy, though."
Invisible Crow Hunter shruggs. "Listen, I'm older then most of you, so I can tell you that I'm not in this to do 'better' then the others. I'm here to get a job done. We need to stop the Wyld and then we throw the Mask out of Creation."
Invisible Crow Hunter: "We can't stop at destroying Shadowlands, we both know that.
Invisible Crow Hunter: "It's a bandaid solution. Like a tourniquet to stop someone from dying of blood loss." Shining Lord: "You're proposing what then?"
Invisible Crow Hunter: "What is there to propose? Eventually we have to take the battle to the Underworld."
Shining Lord: "There were Exalts who tried that during the First Age, and they didn't have to face the Deathlords"
Invisible Crow Hunter: "We get rid of the Deathlords, one by one. Step by step. We should've kept that Infernal thing around, if you ask me.
Invisible Crow Hunter: Could've given us some information. While that crazy bitch-Lunar gets to walk free."
Shining Lord: "Perhaps, but we didn't. That does not matter now. We'll come around to killing the Deathlords later. First we need to save creation, then we'll have to get around to protect it."
Invisible Crow Hunter: "Of course.
Invisible Crow Hunter: "There's just the question of what to do about Lookshy, if there is a Lookshy left when we're done.
Invisible Crow Hunter: "However, if we can infiltrate the Empress's secret base-fortress-whatever, we might just be able to stop most of them from doing anything."
Invisible Crow Hunter: "We could smack them down the minute any large spectral incursions rear their head."
Shining Lord: "Lookshy will hold, if any place, Lookshy will hold." Shining sighs. "Not forever, but until I get there. And when I get there there will be no siege."
Invisible Crow Hunter: "You seem awfully confident." Crow notes.
Invisible Crow Hunter: "Have you been there before?"
Shining Lord: "No, I have not. My father fought with them several times, however, and my Master had been there. Lookshy's armies are the best equipped and trained in the whole of Creation. Ours will be better, of course, but not yet."
Invisible Crow Hunter: "It disturbs me sometimes, how much of our stuff is just 'better' then everyone elses. Does it never make you feel strange?"
Shining Lord: "We are chosen by Sol Invictus, why wouldn't we be better?"
Invisible Crow Hunter: "It's not about the why, it's just the feeling it creates. You can suddenly do everything so much better then everyone else. You get the feeling that everyone normal is just window dressing. I don't like it."
Invisible Crow Hunter: Crow looks outside the hallway, to see an erymanthoi idly scratching itself while guarding a corridor.
Invisible Crow Hunter: "But then, you seem to have your own way of dealing with it."
Shining Lord closes his eyes, thinking. "I understand what you mean, I have felt it. It is important that we do not forget where we come from, that we must care about those we are charged with."
Shining opens his eyes again, the solid golden circles watching Crow carefully. "But we have become this for a reason. And we must not forget that, especially not in these days." Invisible Crow Hunter nod solemnly. "The world needs us."
Invisible Crow Hunter: "But all that stuff Mendicant mentioned about the First Age. Was it true?" Invisible Crow Hunter: "About the Exalted doing horrible things."
Shining Lord: "Some... yes. Some could be interpreted that way. But we should not let the sins of our predecessors dirty down our own work."
Invisible Crow Hunter: "We'll need to watch each other then."
Invisible Crow Hunter: "It's just that if so many of us want to bring the 'glories of the first age' back...it's important that they not close themselves off to the dark side as well.
Invisible Crow Hunter: "I don't really care that much, personally. The present is what's important."
Shining Lord: "The glories are fine, we'll just have to think about certain things."
Invisible Crow Hunter: "What's Wyldhand?"
Shining Lord: "Sorry?"
Invisible Crow Hunter: "Mendicant mentioned something about Wyldhand. Said it was something awful that the Chosen did thousands of years ago."
Invisible Crow Hunter: "Could it have something to do with the Wyld invasion now?"
Shining Lord: "I do not know, my knowledge of the first age is limited, I do not know every project."
Invisible Crow Hunter: Crow can only shrug while looking out a window. "I could ask Splendor, but he's a prickly sonuvabitch. Maybe that Sera girl."
Shining Lord: "I doubt they know either. But if I find out something I will tell you."
Invisible Crow Hunter: "Good. I'll be watching." Crow said, still looking outside at all the people settling into Denandsor. "It's disturbing, nothing from any other cities. We opened up the motherlode of First Age artifacts, and not even a Guild representative has come around."
Invisible Crow Hunter: "They have bigger things to worry about, but the quiet, it doesn't feel right."
Shining Lord: "They'll come, eventually. We've barely been here any time yet."
Invisible Crow Hunter: "Word travels fast. Very very fast, and I am a very fast runner."
Invisible Crow Hunter: "In any case, can you see if you can turn up anything about the Deathlords in here? Apparently they didn't exist in the First Age, you say?"
Shining Lord: "No, they didn't. And I will see if I can find something out."
Shining Lord: "Now, if you excuse me I have work to do, Octavian, show him out."
Invisible Crow Hunter nods and then sweet a hand at the massive 2nd circle demon. "Do you know that Mendicant thing, then?" He ask it.
Octavian materialize beside Crow looking down on him. "Ne'er 'eard o' 'im. Dis way o't suhr."
Invisible Crow Hunter: "I'll keep in touch, Shining." Crow say with a bit of a smirk on his face as he follow Octavian out.