[Video] Eos Files: The Case of the Missing Gods

[kingkingcxiii]

[When the video starts, it shows Regis is settled into one of the chairs in the back room of the new house he, Cor, and Ignis so recently moved into.  There are several papers just visible on the table in front of him and there is a notebook propped against the knee he has casually crossed over his other leg.  It's obvious he's been going over the notes in front of him for a while.  If nothing else, all the large windows in the room show it's now well after dark.]

"Rawna granted me strength of heart and Ainea gave me love to guide it. Diacht taught me honor and Ohma the wisdom to wield it. Mighty [NAME ILLEGIBLE] molded the weapon to my fingers and [NAME ILLEGIBLE] pointed it at my enemies. Thus I am victorious when none else are, and so by rights I claim this land for us and all our generations after. Though far we have fallen from our original grace, forever shall we prosper."

[The words he starts the message with are spoken with the air of someone who has said them many times before.  Those from Eos will also likely be struck by the similarities the passage has to certain events in their own history, both past and future for those who know it.]

This is the passage I found when we were allowed into the Archives a few months ago.  I was not able to post it to the network at that time, but it and a passage found by Emet-Selch mention gods that we have, until this point, been told nothing about.  After discussing the passage with several people, I came to the decision we should look more into these missing gods both to find out who they were, but to also find out why we are not helping to strengthen them as well as the four we are all more familiar with.  Ardyn, Ignis, Emet-Selch, and I have all spent the last month and a half or so speaking with various natives, priests and scientists on this matter and have come to the decision we should share what we found with everyone in hopes of sparking more ideas.  As three of us are from the same world, there is also a very real chance we could be biasing our views without meaning to.

[Regis pauses to motion at the papers scattered in front of his propped up tablet and then lifts the notebook resting on his lap briefly before settling it back down.]

Our results were...  To be honest, they are rather disturbing in both their similarities and the completeness with which the natives--priests, normal people, and scientists alike--believe what they told us.  Not a one of them can recall who these missing deities are.  Some of the priests were kind enough to run diagnostic checks on themselves and the only thing they found is that they must have purged any related information centuries ago because it was no longer needed.  Even more worrying, some of the scientists we spoke with found that the areas in their memories related to such information were corrupted and unaccessible due to disuse.  They actually needed to purge those sections while speaking with us.

On Eos we have our own, not missing, but exiled god.  Even once his fellows killed him to stop his rampage, he was not erased from our history.  In fact, his story remains a very important part of said history which makes me very suspicious of how thoroughly these two gods have been erased.  The passage I quoted above makes it quite clear that these two gods care little for love and kindness.  As we have no names for them, I will use those that Ardyn gave them when we spoke: 'Wrath' and 'Retribution,' two forces that are strong in their own rights, but in a very different direction than those represented by the gods we currently know.

[His gaze turns from the tablet for the first time, and those who have been out to the house may realize that he is looking in the direction of the wall and where it failed in October.]

The natives may not remember who these gods are, but if anyone can challenge the strength of one god it is that of another.  I cannot help but wonder if there is some kind of link between those missing gods and the attack we witnessed in October.  After all, there is no better way to harm your enemy than destroying what they hold dear and we have seen just how thoroughly everything outside of the wall has been destroyed.

[Regis turns his eyes back toward the tablet.]

This is where I would like to ask for the assistance of the rest of you.  Do you have further ideas as to how we may pursue information on this topic?  Have you come across something that might tie into our investigation?  Even stories of how fallen gods are treated upon your own worlds are welcome.

I thank you in advance for any help you may be able to provide.


(OOC: This post is open to all and anyone from the investigation group may answer a tag.  If you wish a response to be private or directed to a certain character on the team, please mark that in your subject heading.  Thanks!)

Comments

[twistedempathy]

[Two missing gods that have not only been nearly entirely erased from history, but even from people's memories? Corrupted and disused pieces of memories that were forced to be completely purged when they tried to access them again..... That's disturbing. Even Will can't help but feel chilled by the very thought.]

We have an exiled god where I'm from, too. Some people are even afraid to use his name, in case they attract his attention. He was one of the first three Pokémon Arceus willed into existence. He bade Dialga to create time, Palkia to create space, and Giratina to create antimatter, the void. They all did their jobs, and helped Arceus to create the universe, along with the others Arceus created to assist them.

But while Dialga and Palkia became bitter rivals, Giratina's aggression knew no limits. Nobody knows exactly why he was so angry or destructive, but Arceus wouldn't allow him to lay waste to the universe they had worked so hard to create. Because he couldn't bring himself to kill one of his own children, Arceus locked Giratina away in his own realm, instead--the Distortion World, where he could see the rest of existence, but not reach it.

[scourgingstars]

But th-...

[THANKS HE HATES THIS.]

I...I mean...do you think perhaps something similar is why this place is sealed off in such a manner? Like the situation you describe, but in reverse; that the other four sealed off what they might yet salvage, or perhaps some other reason I fail to quite grasp.

[twistedempathy]

Hmmm?

[What's so bad about Giratina, aside from how violently it clashes with Eos cosmology?]

I suppose that could be possible. If these missing gods really are something like Wrath and Retribution, even the combined strength of the four we know might not have been enough to defeat them, or even drive them off or seal them away. Maybe it's all they could do just to hide and protect this place so everyone here has at least a chance to survive.

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[necromanswers]

The planer systems I've visited had dozens, if not a hundred gods, and plenty of them were dead or exiled themselves. When you get entities that big and beefy with so many conflicting ideologies, there's bound to be conflict. I'm mostly surprised that it isn't the violent ones who came out on top.

[Gods have never especially interested her, though, so her knowledge of their dynasties is limited to experience over hundreds of years rather than actual study, unfortunately.]

What I'm more interested in is the lost information. Is it that the text was illegible, or that your minds can't process or remember the content of it? Because I know a creature that can erase what it consumes from the collective consciousness of every living being across multiple planets. You feed it a name, and everyone forgets that person ever lived.

What if you fed the name of a god to something like that?

[scourgingstars]

An interesting--and frankly, terrifying--concept. I presume it would be as you say, should such a thing have occurred.

[hello it's the resident demon hobo uncle]

I find it unusual that at least one god could be erased through conventional methods, but not improbable by any means. So I would not discard the possibility of such a situation, though I would wonder if such a thing could exist here. What manner of creature is it?

[unsunderworld]

At least in the case of mine, it was illegible to the point that the Gift yielded no further information - though that is not uncommon in documents old enough that their author's intent has dispersed.

[Audio]

[original_is_best]

I have found this matter disturbing as well.

...

We may need to speak in person to discuss methods of investigation. A wall can always be torn down, and we must be prepared for what is on the other side.

[Audio]

[kingkingcxiii]

As one with experience holding a wall, I know just how easily they can come down. That is why I would like to know more about what caused the breach in October even if it turns out to be unrelated to these missing gods at all.

[Oh, he knows Cor is not going to like this next part if he comes across it, but...]

Did you have a meeting spot in mind? I would suggest the house, but I'm not certain you would feel comfortable there.

[Video]

[unfavorableinstigation]

[Guess whose jam this also is?]

I haven't come across anything new yet, but I do have a story like that- a Power like that, that had Fallen - back home.

[She stares at the screen with an intensity she hasn't used before today.]

I can't say right now if I know how to help, yet, but I can offer you that much: another comparison.

[Video]

[kingkingcxiii]

I would be glad to hear your comparison.

[Regis gives her a friendly smile despite the serious topic.]

First, though, may I have your name?

text;

[astralera]

An expedition to search for the remnants of Havenwell's sister cities would likely prove fruitful.

If we work under the assumption that we are located in the 'home base' (which is sensible, given the temples), then Colony #09'07'1UB would likely be the closest, as according to the archives there had been an established trade route between them.

There is also Colony #90'13'7KV.

If we can find access beyond the barrier I would be capable of sending scouts a fair distance, though to maintain them beyond a certain range for an extended period would require more aether than my current reserves can provide.

also a text reply because he's nice like that

[unsunderworld]

I would ask you to refrain from sending pieces of your soul out until we can be certain that those will be not damaged as well, my dear. You've sustained enough in that regard already.

[unsunderworld]

My seemingly related fragment, for the curious;

When bold and brave - unfortunately illegible - ruled the skies, wily and cunning - equally illegible - slithered in the dirt, afraid of rearing His head lest it be rent from His body. But He knew that Time was patient and just as cunning as He, so He made a pact and He waited. Millennia passed and a millennia more, and still bold, brave - still illegible - scanned the skies, keeping watch over Aellyn. His Time would come soon though because He could feel it stirring in the air, in the water, in the very hearts of the creatures that plod the ground above Him. Soon the Rending would come and then He would take His rightful place.

I would guess that 'wily and cunning' is the first god of Regis' passage, who made the weapon, and 'bold and brave' the second, who directed it. But that is little more than conjecture.

[Text]

[unfavorableinstigation]

I see what you mean.

Man, this is familiar.

Would Time be considered a separate god as well? Though, perhaps the author was anthropomorphizing.

text;

[shroudedsecrets]

There is no trace of these missing gods or what they may have represented here in the current flow of energy that can be found within the barrier. There is an imbalance in the united energy, that indicates that of the four, one is far stronger than the rest, but no more than that.

Although we yet have not gained further insight in regard to that attack, or how it was able to find a weakness in the barrier. We would need more access to the area beyond the wall to discover if anything different can be sensed upon the other side of it, but all of the energy generated seems to currently relate to what our presence here provides.

text; username is 123456

[iustaegis]

I can confirm this! The energy found within the barrier consists of only four. There were no more found there, and there appears to be no counter or opposite to this energy. [ From what they had analyzed, anyway. ]

If there are an additional two sources, they must be either beyond the barrier or intensely dormant somewhere in this city.

text;

[kingkingcxiii]

It is good to have confirmation that others sense the same as I have when it comes to the wall and the powers supporting it. I wish there had been more time to attempt readings at the time when the wall broke and on the hand that caused the break. I would very much like to know if there was a foreign energy reading then. If so, it would give us something specific to look for once we can explore outside more freely.

text; username is 123456

[iustaegis]

[ Wow seems like lots of worlds have a bunch of gods... She definitely can't help with any stories relating to that, but she does find it all fascinating. ]

I wonder more about the use of "weapon" in this passage. Does it still exist in this world, and if so, is it still operational? As much as I care for this world's gods and histories, if that weapon is pointed at this city, directing it away should be a priority. Perhaps those who have access to the archives might discover more.

[scourgingstars]

I had thought it to be a metaphorical weapon, but upon consideration you raise a good point. If it should indeed be literal, that may be something to keep in mind as we continue to explore our options for further detail.

video;

[overlordad]

Heh, I just got here but any idiot could tell there was more going on then the Terminators are telling us. Glad to see some investigating was happening.

Can't say I know shit about gods though. Maybe if I actually made it to Heaven I could tell you more- but I had more important things to invest in than that place.

video;

[kingkingcxiii]

[What the what is a terminator? Is it some kind of magitek?]

There is more investigation going on than meets the eye. That I am sure of. Ours was a matter that could not be investigated and hidden from the natives at the same time. It is likely not so with all matters.

video

[begguiling]

That sure is something to think about! I'm going to see if I can't get access to the archives as soon as I can get an audience with the council. I was headed there anyway, so now I'll make sure I keep an eye out for anything related! I'm especially interested in this world's history, and now I'm only more interested if the natives can't even keep track of all of it themselves. Funny how convenient that is, huh? Not for us, of course.

video

[kingkingcxiii]

Indeed. That something I couldn't help but think myself.

[So very convenient the natives couldn't give them even a scrap of knowledge. He's dealt with this kind of thing enough back on Eos that absolutely no information turning up just makes him want to look farther into things. If the natives, or the gods even, meant to discourage him, they have failed.]

I thank you in advance for keeping a look out. I would like to get back in there sometime myself, though it may be a bit of time before I can do so.

Video

[wakemelater]

[It's a miracle he even figured out how to reply, so please excuse the terribly tilted and out of focus video.]

I'm new here, so I don't have a good understanding of what's going on here yet. [He has managed to find some network posts - and then accidentally navigate away from them - but he'll figure it out. Eventually.]

I don't know if it's useful to you, but deities are pretty prominent where I'm from. One was cut up into a thousand pieces and scattered when he was defeated. But ... usually they're imprisoned.

Video

[kingkingcxiii]

[Don't worry, Nico. If anyone is going to understand, it's Regis who forgets the Network and his tablet even exist half the time. Technology is not his thing.]

Is there something in specific you would like to ask questions about? I was in the first group that arrived here, so I will be happy to fill you in as I can.

[Regis ponders this. Cut into a thousand pieces and then scattered. Boy, that is one horrible punishment.]

This may seem like an odd question, but the god that was cut up, did that kill him? We once thought one of our gods dead and then he returned under the control of another. It seems the idea of true death becomes more of suggestion when one is dealing with gods.