#k'thalu

[lominsianlily-blog]

Void. Absolute nothingness. No colour, no light, no warmth nor cold, no sense of gravity or direction. No sound. Not even the sensation of breathing or a palpable heartbeat. An absence of everything. Not even the mother crystal is here.

This was a dream she knew. She’d had it less after befriending the source of the fear, but the fear existed. 

Except it didn’t. Nothing existed here. She didn’t even exist.

She reached out, she reached out, she reached out, she reached out. She tried to define the space by its absence, to navigate it by what she couldn’t know. She reached out. Nothing reached back. No sense, no darkness, no cold or even fear. 

Everything had something. The vastness of the cosmos had stars. The darkness even had substance. This was none of that. This didn’t even have Iris. This had nothing.

Still she reached out.

A part of her tried to scream, but she didn’t have a mouth. She didn’t have lungs. She didn’t have air. She didn’t exist in this space.

She reached out.

She screamed. Nothing happened. But screaming itself was something of an improvement. 

Mariea Gardener. K’thalu. The absence of things. That was what this dream always meant. And that attempt to define the space was defied by it. This was not K’thalu. This was not Mariea. This was not her friend. This was nothing. This was reaching out.

This was a true hell.

(( @nikmaybeapadjal ))

[lominsianlily-blog]

in: FIELD NOTES Subjects V188-02: K’THALU and V188-03 SYNCLAIR 10 6U 7AE3

The test of the Prison and Cannon, filed under W624, was a success. 

V188-02 opened a rift into the world of the dark and facilitated a showdown between a number of enemies of Synclair and the nascent ascian that remained in his place. Though a long slog for sure, the creature seemed wholly unable to avail himselves the power his mantle ought have provided, posing the theory that some specialized training is required, and the abilities ascians possess are not merely instinctual. 

This was why he was a rather easy mark to slay with the proper tools. 

In truth, the battle yeilded a few interesting points for follow-up study, which will be more seriously documented as such study occurs. First, the power of pseudonecromancy possessed by Kotone Shimayasu is an interesting one that I, personally, lack and can be of great asset to my research into some other matters. Second, the abilities of Rheya to overcome her normal limitations in a state of heightened rage are worth further study, albeit without being the source of aggravation, one hopes. 

Lastly, the Mothercrystal actually listened to me. I think. Andromeda manifested the Blessing of Light with the aide of supercharged auracite. She was able to purge V188-03 from existence. If this is a one-off manifestation of power of if Hydaelyn has chosen her to serve some calling remains to be seen, but either outcome provides valuable information on the nature of the Blessing of Light. 

Regardless, the theory about how to destroy V188-03 and that the Ascian Buster of Sharlayan design being functional were both proven through experimentation tonight. Sadly, I cannot leave these for other scientists to replicate my results, as I happen to be fresh out of V188-03 and one of the two pieces of auracite was destroyed. 

Sadly, there was a problem with K’thalu. Synclair struck subject V188-02 very gravely. Kotone and I were able to stabilize the being for transport and she is currently being tended to by advanced practitioners who aren’t drained from combat, but given the scope of her wounds I give her even odds of survival. 

I am supposed to maintain clinical detachment, especially from this particular subject, but I should note for the record that not only would the world lose and invaluable resource if Mariea dies, but I will lose someone I’ve come to consider a friend. 

This closes the case file on V188-03.

(( @nikmaybeahcerealkiller @rexnorh @kisskissrommie @kotone-shimayasu @paradymeshift @rheyatayuun ))

[lominsianlily-blog]

in: FIELD NOTES Project W624 VOID PRISON and ASTRAL CANNON 15 6A 7AE3

Responding to the threat posed by Subject V188-03 Nikolas Synclair and to conversations over the past moon with Subject V188-02 K’thalu an amount of White Auracite was procured at no small cost to House Blanchimont. I like as not have angered Paracelsus yet again and frustrated Audrey with my fiscal irresponsibility. Alas, my lack of caring for such trivial concerns is not increased by their bluster. 

The two White Auracite crystals I’ve obtained are being used as a bifurcated weapon that is herein dubbed W624α Void Prison and W624β Astral Cannon. Should I successfully prove the model posed by the Students of Baldesion, I should be able to also prove the rumored ‘Ascian Buster’ weapon designed by the Scions of the Seventh Dawn is plausible and even able to be employed against the creatures of the Void, albeit at extreme cost. 

Item W624α required only minor modification from its basic form as a contained piece of auracity. I did add some small modifications to extend the duration that the auracite can hold a complex aetheric pattern, but even so it will put us on a clock the moment the physical body of V188-03 is destroyed. The process of absorbing the discarded soul is relatively a simple one and even thouse with minimal aetheric ability should be able to perform the task, although for the purposes of safety I would encourage only those touched by Hydaelyn use the Void Prison in combat scenarios as the added power of Light may allow a slightly longer time of sequestration. 

The other crystal, Item W624β was more a construction, and canabalized several items I needed for Project IG001. The Gran Grimoire will have to be placed on the back-burner in order to develop the Astral Cannon. The Canon it sipped on either end by an Astral and Imbral node, and adorned with spent crystals of each aspect, aligned to their astral or umbral affinities, and pure astral and umbral crystals as well. 

I have designed these crystals and nodes as an apparatus that will function as a capacitor for the auracite, allowing it to be ‘overcharged’ with aether and hopefully extend the storage life of aether to be absorbed into the cannon. It’s dangerous, admittedly, and will probably destroy the auracite, but lacking enough favor with the Mothercrystal to channel Her power myself these capacitors ought to function well enough. 

To charge them up and discharge them in a Blade of Light will take a massive amount of aether. In order to gather it, either a whole lot of people have to die or I need to take the imprisoned V188-03 to the World of Darkness and trust that K’thalu can give me the amound of energy I’ll need to tear a hole in the universe, and then to get us all home. 

The other option, which I must needs pursur at least in part, is to seek out the Blessings of Mother. Someone with the Echo ought to be the one operating the Cannon, and if I can get just a little more of Her Grace over me, it may make the difference between the capacitors exploding in my face or discharging properly. 

A scientist oughtn’t rely on God. Still, this is bigger than theorycraft. This is a nascent Ascian. It must be destroyed even if that means dinner with Mom.

(( @nikmaybeahcerealkiller ))

[lominsianlily-blog]

in: FIELD NOTES Subjects V188-02: K’THALU and V188-03 SYNCLAIR 14 5U 7AE3

I conducted the initial assessment of [MORTAL NAME REDACTED] early on the morning of the fourteenth. My initial theory supported by the evidence given by Hydaelyn was that the subject was undergoing possession by a voidcreature, likely a succubus. However, I attempted to disprove other reasonable explanations first. 

In an effort to disprove an affliction levied by a voidsent, I studied the subject’s aether with several forms of monitoring equipment. The aether responded as would be normal for a magically inert mortal being, not as someone possessed of a voidsent mind. However, as the power of the Echo has thusfar been an infallible source of accurate information, I could not rightly discard the information that something was deeply abnormal about the subject. 

Upon intense questioning of the subject, I revealed my ability to commune with the Mothercrystal and overstated the information I had received. This tactic proved illuminating, as it caused the voidsent creature, K’thalu, to identify itself. 

The creature is, tentatively, being assigned the V188 - IRREGULAR classification I have heretofore been using only to file information on Mizu. According to its self-description, K’thalu was a servitor of Diablos, who was stored by the Mihachi and later the Sharlayans before being discovered by the third V188 entity Nikolas Synclair. Nikolas fed K’thalu the aether of mortals in an effort to restore the voidsent, but managed to trap the mind of the voidsent in the corpse of a victim, [MORTAL NAME REDACTED], and feasted upon its power. 

K’thalu is presently being tended to by my newest research assistant, Para Dyme, and is tentatively helping the effort to contain or destroy Subject V188-03 in exchange for allowing its continued existence, and likely enabling revenge.

The matter of Subject V188-03 is still largely speculative, but I wonder if this is how nascent Ascians were forged? Human minds, with human ambition and human instability, given the immense power of the Void? To such end, in order to prepare to contain or destroy V188-03 I am preparing research on a weapon of Sharlayan design used, in theory, to purge Ascians from the universe altogether. 

The nascent entity, formed of human will and voidsent strength, is also an imminent danger to several innocent bystanders and potentially the city of Ishgard. Despite its immense scientific value, this researcher is highly encouraging it be terminated on sight. 

V188-02, however, may prove to be an immense asset to our scientific endeavors going forward. 

(( @nikmaybeahcerealkiller @paradymeshift also might interest @rootstorm ))