Azizos's ears pricked forth, curious as ever and catching every thing that this odd creature said. She spoke of times long-gone, her magic being triggered in her absence. Now... "how is that so?" he chimed in, a soft but fervent question, "how does one imbue their magic in something like this? Is it akin to the manner one gives life to another's stone?" It seemed to make sense with that reasoning: these pillars were crystalline in nature and, subsequently, likely formed of gemstone.

His ears shifted back slightly, confusion creasing his brow rather dramatically. "Who are, quote unquote, they?" Other Elders, perhaps? Duties were an entirely different matter. Such a thing confused the lion-stag, drawing his silvery gaze away from the maternal being and toward his own chest. He scuffed a hoof against his chosen box of trinkets and goodies. Azizos looked back up after a pause, unable to find any inherent purpose other than what he had discovered on his own. His head tilted, asking in a fluting voice once more, "what sense of duty are we to have?"

A sideways glance was spared to the spider. "I'm not worried but--- what is there to be concerned about, here? Safe?"

Then, he sputtered slightly. How rude of him to just start demanding answers to questions, even if this was a very friendly individual. "I forgot to introduce myself, I suppose; my name is Azizos."

Confusion rattled at Lethe's head. Why had the spider screamed at her? What had she done? Why was there so much blood in her mouth?! She spat out the salty, tangy stuff, although it seemed that it was hers, since it was still coming. Did someone stab her in the mouth? Why had that happened?

She looked back towards Thothaga, a faint expression of fear for the massive arachnid passing across her face for a moment. "Huh? What? Wait..." But then she was passing around her towards the strange creature surrounded by smoke. She squinted and tried to figure out what the fuck was going on.

She was guilty. She felt crushed by it. It was so intense that her eyes were starting to sting and her body trembled. She looked around but nobody seemed perturbed. The hybrid thing and the spider were talking to the giant. There was no one else here and Lethe was pretty sure that nobody else had been here.

She took some deep breaths, totally sure that she was missing something and turned away. She couldn't talk, she was so choked up for some reason that she could barely make any sound that wasn't a sob. She shook her head, confused, with absolutely no memory of what had just happened.

She bounded away, then, still trying to work out why she was there in the first place.

*exit

The velociraptor stood as still as she could, watching as the canine held tight to the green weasel. The... thing bristled, and in a motion that was quite familiar to the beast, caused the ground to shake and tremble, a familiar rattling shaking the velociraptor--who still remained still, for fear of choking on the box.

She listened as it yelled and spoke, being addressed by the binturong (although she did not know what that was), the hybrid, and the spider. And The Ancient addressed them, again, answering their questions. Catalyst went to tilt her head, trying to understand her, but then remembered how bad of an idea that would be, and stilled.

The Binturong left, while the hybrid stayed, addressing The Ancient. Catalyst dared a step forward, eyes wide and pleading, as her jaw began to cramp, tightening on the box. "'el'."

@Azizos

Bolormaa's ears twitched, and she nodded. "As a matter of fact, yes," she answered, sounding surprised, but impressed, by the young one's intuition. Then, the questions. Oh goodness, the questions! These new children were certainly curious, though Bolormaa supposed that they had the right to be.

As the young hybrid asked about duty- about a sense they were supposed to have, her eyes lit up. "Oh, young one. For you-- none at all. And it is a beautiful thing to see. You are free to live as you choose, without anything to control or drive you."

She turned her gaze slowly, longingly, up at the pillars, as though longing to use it again, now that it was finally freed.

She glanced up briefly in surprise as one of the other lingering creature left, disappearing off down the tunnel and into the dark.

She studied the two that remained; the hybrid, and the bipedal reptile. "You seem to be interested in magic." She looked towards the hybrid with a sparkle in her eyes. "Tell me, though. Can you sense it here? In the pillars? In the air?"

She paused for a moment, flaring forward her ears and raising her whiskers. The sparkle in her eye grew a little brighter as she felt it, the wonderful magic that flowed through this place with its origins in her very core. A magic that was so grounded in the stones and earth, and yet mystical all the same. "...if you so wish it, this place can become a place of union once again. I think the children here would find use in it again."

As the hybrid introduced himself as Azizos, Bolormaa blinked and smiled, slightly tilting her head. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Azizos! I am Bolormaa, although many in the past have called me Momma, so you can too if you wish." She looked from the hybrid to the raptor, still clutching at its little box.

Bolormaa has used the spell, Detect magic!
Users can cast this spell to detect other magic active or being cast in an area. Experienced users can identify the magical element in use. This spell can also determine if a gemstone holds magic, whether as life or something else.

This Spell is now available in the magicka shop! Using it here will reveal that the air is alive with magic with its origins being the pillars themselves. It is a lively yet gentle sort, still echoing with vague cheer that hints to its original purpose in the caves.

@Thothaga @Azizos @Catalyst

So, his hypothesis had been correct! Azizos preened at this, though slightly: he stood a little straighter, a slight smile on his face. Even so, his brow was furrowed, then quirked. "How does such a thing work? I believe we can only give life to stones, not magic--- or... does it require specialized knowledge and practice?" Maybe it was an Elder-specific thing, to know of enchantments.

The lion-stag was somewhat displeased with the response he had received from the motherly creature, that he had no purpose or duty at all. Why would she mention it, only to dismiss it? His father, at some point, had said something about fate, right? Or, rather, the Kings had. Someone in that game of telephone had said something about fate. Such a thing seemed inescapable, inevitable. A grumbling sound manifested at his side, startling him slightly. Ah, that odd lizard.

Azizos squinted into Catalyst's eyes, pleading for something--- to remove the box? He obliged quickly, stretching his neck up to take the gift by the rim and tilt it so that the raptor could actually move her jaws. Once the unfortunate object was removed, he gently placed it on the ground. "Where did these come from?"

He was, indeed, interested in magicka; so, he nodded. Then, he frowned and shook his head. "No, I can't---" as if on cue, his stone buzzed softly against his forehead. It thrummed with a warm sensation, magnified as Azizos fixed his gaze on any of the magic-imbued pillars. "It feels... kind," he murmured, for lack of better wording, "reassuring." Nothing like the overwhelming surge of magicka offered before. "I wonder... if, perhaps, the magic that controlled us moments ago was from its sudden release."

Curiously, he looked up at Bolormaa. "Union? How so?" He couldn't help but smile again, though, nodding, "it's nice to meet you as well, Momma."

@Catalyst

"There is a lot you don't know, my dear. But many of these things will come with age, and yes, practice. Some things may remain out of your reach, and I believe that's for the best. But... let me say this. Magic and life are quite closely entwined. By giving life to a stone, you are in turn giving it a small amount of your magic."

She offered a nod as the young one aided the raptor; a kind gesture to help with a problem that she had, quite unfortunately, misunderstood. Ah... well... A moment of nervous guilt fluttered in her chest. She nodded apologetically to the creature. "Ah... I'm sorry," she murmured, folding back her ears.

A moment later she looked back up at Azizos as he presented her with yet more questions, this time on the wonderful little box. "Also a part of my magic! They were first designed as gifts for the bonded couples I united here. A small but lovely gift for a joyous occasion."

Her eyes twinkled with glee as he managed to tap into the magic that she had woven, being the first to reawaken a sense that had lain dormant for many cycles. "Yes! That's right. Good, good!" she said, offering a small and excited clap as she sat back on her haunches.

"It was a ceremony, in which bonded couples would come and pledge their undying loyalty for one another. Usually, it was lovers; other times, best friends. Families and friends would come to celebrate together, and it would end with them sharing their magic and stones, giving their love a whole new life and form. It was beautiful. And perhaps, it will be again."

She couldn't resist a smile as he spoke. It had been far, far too long since anyone had called her Momma; and she had missed it terribly. "The pleasure is all mine, young Azizos."

Bolormaa may now also be called upon to hold Bonding Ceremonies!
If your characters return to this place again with the wish to be married, please tag GM Moonlit so that Bolormaa can conduct, or discuss the ceremony.

@azizos

With age, hm? Magical influence did come with the cycles, then? Azizos flicked his ears back, tail swiping through the air. At least magic and life's coexistence and parallels weren't unheard of: "one of my fathers shed a piece of his stone, and my other father gave it life. I seem to be attuned to his --- my second father --- energetic magic." So, theoretically, life (therefore magic) could be given to any sort of object, yes? He'd have to try this out later on...

The union had been some sort of ceremony, to celebrate a pledge of allegiance. From the sounds of it, it was often a declaration of love or the swearing of fealty. Not to add another slew of questions to the pile, but... "was it simply vows or was there magic involved beyond the creation of children? I can imagine that the sight is beautiful--- and I would be happy to help you clean it up." There was, of course, dust and bits of ice and stone lying all about the circle; not to mention the half-tilted pillar (his fault, entirely.)

"Or, if you'd like, I could spread the word about this place? My life-giver would be interested in seeing this place, I believe..."

He turned to take his leave, if so requested.

;exit azizos(?)
@Game Master Moonlit