Log:Oracles and Unicorns

2020/05/11 	 Radical|Connor Grimm Cartesian|Randal

1

Grimm, Randal, and Connor are sitting in Randal's living room in Green Acres...and everyone already has a cup of tea. Connor smiles, "So, what was it that you wanted to show me?"

Grimm sets down her cup of tea and fishes out her phone, then pulls up something. "That video from the ritual. We haven't got any audio, but I thought maybe you'd recognize something from the ritual," she says as she slides it over to Connor with the video queued up and waiting to have the play button hit.

Both Randal and Connor take a look at the video. Both of them are familiar with magic rituals...but Connor can also read lips. He tries to keep track of both.

Connor furrows his brow. "I'm going to need a little time with the video. Can you send it to me?"

"Yeah, sure," Gabrielle takes the phone back. She looks to Randal. "You want a copy, too?"

Randal nods. "Please. It would help quite a bit."

Grimm forwards the message to both the Durans. "I learned something else about the gatekeepers themselves, but I may be at a dead end for myself."

Connor nods. "What did you learn?"

Grimm takes a deep breath. "Well. I thought maybe we could find the Obsidean door, or at least find out what dimension it's in and where the gatekeepers are if we can't find out qhat they asked in the video. All the research kind of conflicts. But supposedly there's still a high priestess of Apollo we could consult."

Connor tilts his head, "Do you think she knows where the door is?"

Grimm shrugs. "Could be. Or she could maybe consult Apollo. They say within the shadow of the central pillar at noon, at the original temple of Apollo in Delphi, the Oracle slash Priestess will answer one question. Problem is...she only answers questions from those of 'good character, with the ability to see her'."

Connor nods. "Well, Half-demon won't be able to ask the question, then. So, she would need an intermediate. A hostage. If she goes that route.

Grimm nods slowly. "A hostage may be a possibility. I think that's why she did the ritual, though. Since the Oracle didn't work? I figure...-I- won't be able to ask the Oracle."

Connor nods. "Why would someone not be able to see her?"

Connor says, "The oracle, I mean."

"I think you need to have the ability to see the unnatural to notice her," Gabrielle comments as she sips her tea.

Connor nods. "That...might not include me, then. Not sure. Depends on what would be needed."

Grimm raises a brow. "Really? But you're able to see this frickin' elder thing that has a hold on me."

Connor smiles. "That means I can see across dimensions. Is this oracle in another dimension?"

Grimm runs her finger along the rim of her tea cup as she thinks. "Well, the research wasn't totally clear on that. Maybe they mean only people pure of heart can see her," Gabrielle smirks faintly in amusement. "Or maybe you just need to be magically inclined. If she's still here after all this time and has such weird working hours? I think there's something supernatural about her."

Connor nods. "Maybe? But if she's like a unicorn, we'll need a virgin woman to find her. Something like that. We don't know the restrictions."

Grimm snortlaughs, and is about to make a comment before blushing and realizing her company. "I'll have to dig deeper and find out."

Randal chuckles and sips his tea. "Young'uns. See what you can find out. It wouldn't' do to show up to ask a question and find out you forgot to bring the right person."

Grimm laughs at Randal's comment. "Or bring the right person, ask the wrong question."

Connor chuckles. "'How's it going?' She says...'Good, good.'"

Grimm laughs and facepalms. "Totally!"

Grimm grins slyly. "So...know any virgins we can sacrifice--I mean ask, if it comes to that?" she jokes.

Connor laughs. "Sacrifice isn't necessary to meet a unicorn. Seriously."

Grimm says, "You sound like you speak from experience....have you actually seen a unicorn??"

Connor shakes his head, "Not personally, no." Randal shakes his head, "I haven't either. But they supposedly run off from anyone who doesn't' meet their standards."

Grimm's shoulders sag, looking a bit crestfallen. "I guess I'll never see one."

Connor shrugs and smiles, "I suspect if you want to, you might need to talk to the folks in Undermoon."

Randal chuckles. "I'll see what I can do. I might have something in a book about it."

Grimm shivers. "I'd rather not deal with the fae. They're...stuffy." She looks at Randal and smiles. "Ohhh?" she asks excitedly.

Randal laughs, "No promises. But I'll see what I can find."

Grimm smiles sweetly at Randal. "No promises expected. I just appreciate the thought."

Grimm taps her tea cup in thought. "Another thing I found out is it was an alliance of men, titans, and greek gods to imprison Ares. It took them all because he was the most powerful. There was this weird tome saying Ares is, by a modern definition, the god of war crimes, characterized by the more brutal side of conflict: blood lust, slaughter, and pillage."

Connor furrows his brow, "I always assumed Zeus was way more powerful than Ares."

"That's what I thought. I mean, he's like...the big guy," Gabrielle says and shrugs.

Grimm sips more of her tea. "The research wasn't specific, but it claimed the only way they trapped him was from some sort of trickery or deception."

Connor blinks. "Well, clearly if that's the case, my understanding of Greek Mythology is limited."

Grimm nods. "It kind of blew everything I learned out of the water," she agrees, looking discomforted by that thought.

Grimm says, "Do you think that Titan guy would've been a part of this? Maybe the name is just due to size, though."

Connor smiles. "Well....it's also possible that there's more than one version of Ares. So...what we know MIGHT be true about one of them." He pauses and takes a deep breath as Titan's name is brought up. "Rumor is that he's connected to the Greek gods in some way. But that's all I know."

Grimm nods. "Well, there's Mars, the roman God of war. In some cases, Mars and Ares are assumed to be almost the same, but there are supposedly two greek gods of war."

Connor nods. "Athena and Ares. Mars is the Roman name for Area. Rome took all of the Greek gods and renamed them."

Grimm nods slowly. "So...they never existed, technically? The roman gods? Or manifested from belief?"

Connor chuckles. "It's the same gods with another name. I think?"

Connor says, "Sort of like how I'm 'Connor' and 'Radical'."

Grimm mock gasps. "You're Radical?" she says, but can't help but giggle and ruin the ruse.

Connor chuckles. "Damn, my secret is out."

Grimm laughs. "All part of my evil plan to ace my math courses."

Connor chuckles. "A better example: Yahweh, God, and Allah - all really refer to the same Deity. Despite what some people claim."

Grimm nods. "Okay, makes sense. I get it. Just like I go by different titles sometimes in other dimensions."

Connor nods. "Exactly. Different cultures have different names for the same person."

Grimm nods slowly at the different names, slowly sipping from her tea. "Well, the only good news about all of this is the Morbanes that were sacrificed were from our dimension. Two of them were local residents. The undead ones doing Halfdemon's bidding, though....they were from some other dimension. Detective Lewis shared that some of the recovered undead bodies had cell damage consistent with cryostasis. Also severe radiation damage and exposure to biological and chemical warfare environments..."

Connor nods. "So, unless the bodies were from some irradiated location here someplace, likely another dimension.

Grimm nods. "I could sense they were from another dimension. I still don't get how Halfdemon has the loyalty of a Demon Lord yet. But...well, that's magic for you."

Connor shrugs, "Some kind of deal? Sold someone else's soul? Her own? Hard to say for sure.

Grimm chuckles. "With how she looks? I'd guess her own."

Connor nods. "Maybe? Hard to say. I don't' think demons are that particular."

Grimm grins. "Like any soul will do?" She glances to Randal. "You deal with any demon lords in your time? Chaos ones or other?"

Randal nods sagely, "Oh yes. A couple. Probably not relevant to this, sadly. I mostly dealt with Chaos demons."

Grimm shivers a bit and holds her tea a bit closer. "Man, Chaos demons. Creepy..."

Connor nods. "Creepy enough. I've dealt with regular Chaos demons. Nothing that powerful. Randal dealt with a couple of the ones that might count as Lords."

Grimm's eyes widen. "Wow. I only got attacked by I think the regular ones. What're the, uh, 'Lord' level ones like?"

Randal smiles. "Bigger. More powerful. Often have lots of minions. Then again, it's Chaos...so there are few things which are...standardized."

Grimm shivers. "The bug ones are seriously gross. And already big. I'd hate to run across a bigger one."

Randal nods. "None of them have been bug related. Tentacles...liquid...mud-like. That kind of thing.

"Oh? I thought I heard some look like giant Mantises. The ones I fought once were just like shadows or liquid ink, I think," Gabrielle tries to recall. (See Issue #5 of Chaos Reigns).

Connor nods. "Some of them are bug like. Well, the regular demons can be."

Randal nods in agreement. "Right. The more powerful ones...no. At least the ones I've had to deal with personally.

Grimm rubs her chin in thought. "I guess that makes sense. They'd be even more chaotic and formless or...bizarre...than lesser ones?"

Connor nods. "That seems to be the pattern, if you can call it a pattern."

"I thought the point behind Chaos was to not have patterns," Gabrielle grins.

Connor chuckles. "Usually, yes."

Grimm finishes her tea. "Well, let me know if you pick up on anything for the video. I think I need to research more about this oracle and what to ask her. And I got to find others who were involved and let them know some of the details." She smiles to Randal. "Thanks for hosting, and for the tea."

Connor takes another look at the video. "Wait...hang on."

Grimm pauses a moment. "What's up?"

Connor points at his PDA, "I couldn't get a good read on her, since she's facing away...but I can read the Gatekeepers. They're angry. And apparently...the quests are only given one at a time? The first quest is to find and destroy something called the 'Spear of Woeful Fury'.

Grimm peers in closer. "Well, that makes sense. I mean, they're not supposed to help evil people. Maybe the ritual forced them to give the quest?" Gabrielle gasps suddenly. "Does that mean if we can't stop her, she'll have to cast this ritual three more times?" She looks to either of them. "Have either of you heard about this spear?"

Connor shakes his head, "Not immediately, but I can do some research." Randal nods in agreement, "Same for me. I'm afraid I don't know the name."

Grimm nods. "I'll look into it. Maybe that's the first question to ask the Oracle. Where do we find it so we can stop Halfdemon. Maybe lay a trap."

Connor nods. "If she doesn't destroy it, she can't get the next step, I think."

Connor says, "But perhaps she can if someone else destroys it? I'm not sure."

Grimm nods. "I imagine it just being destroyed by some means would still satisfy it? Though...maybe she does have to be the one. My research said the quests were different for every person who gets them."

Connor nods. "It's really hard to say, then."

Grimm frowns worriedly. "And she's got a whole army to back her up. Maybe this is one of those times I should hop to a dimension that runs at different times than ours so I can catch up. She for sure is doing it."

Connor nods. "Well, at least we know what the first step is. And I suspect that spear is on this plane. But that's just a guess on my part.

"Right," Gabrielle agrees, hope in her voice. "It'll be a lot more complicated if it's not. Knowing my luck, it could be some quest that takes us to Hades and back," she smirks.