VIDEO | SEELIE + HERMIONE-NET (backdated to the 25th)

[aslandish]

[ The video opens to the woodlands surrounding Caer Glaem. Aslan rests not to far away from a shrine to the White Hart, which is visible in the distance.

His expression is grave, indeed, but his address is made with poise. ]

To those of you to whom I have never spoken, greetings. My name is Aslan, and I arrived in the drabwurld approximately a year and a half ago by this world's reckoning.

I speak to you now, to those who may be unaware, of events that may be coming in the near future.

Earlier this month, I dreamed a dream like unto the visions that came to a number of individuals at the turn of last year. In my dream, I saw great beasts made of metal ravaging the lands with fire. They destroyed everything in their path, and the light of their eyes glowed like unto the very Shards we bear.

I cannot say when, but I believe this vision will come to pass.

I give this warning so that you might not fear, but prepare.

The End comes, and we must be ready to meet it.

[ He lets his words sink in a moment, then- ]

Be well, all of you.

[ With that, he ends the feed. ]

---

[ ooc: Please check out Aslan's permissions post if you would like him to know your character, and make a note in your tag so I know to look! c: ]

Comments

[chilledout]

And by meet, we allllll mean stop, right? Right?

[There's a lot in this message that he has to deconstruct. One, that a lion just talked to him, because that's freaky, but maybe not the weirdest thing he's ever seen (also, he looks like a talking icicle, it'd be hypocritical), and two, that there's a giant fire ravaging monster on its way. That's super freaky. That's incredibly freaky. None of it sounds good!

Plus, he melts. He's Iceman. Fire is bad.]

... So, how are we gonna stop it? [He knows about what their cause is supposed to stand for, but he's just arrived and ending and ends and all of that is just bad. Bad. He doesn't want to end. So he assumes they have time before they have to "be ready to meet it." A lot of time.]

[aslandish]

The End of this world is not meant to be stopped.

[ He says it quite calmly. ]

It is by this End that all worlds shall be reborn. To stop it would disrupt the cycle of life, death, and rebirth upon which all of existence hinges.

If that happens, all existence will fall into cold darkness. There will be Nothing, and no life will ever come again.

[commandertoolbelt]

Beasts made of metal? What kind of beasts?

[ That gets his attention. The fire is another thing, too - no one can use fire magic since Verla was lost, unless they've activated a shard and gotten the training. The only other way is if Kaio is -

...No, he's not going to think about that. Besides, Aslan said they had shards for eyes, and it's not unheard of for someone to be able to use a shard without being a shardbearer. He's heard stories about it, but he hadn't thought much of it, until now. ]

[aslandish]

Great monstrosities made of metal and iron. Machines that bring smoke and ash and fire in their wake, with jaws like unto the dragons of legend.

Large enough to crush buildings beneath their feet, I saw them ripping the Citadel asunder.

video;

[reticence]

You were not alone in this vision. I saw them too. The creatures were unlike anything I have ever known before. Unnatural.

video;

[aslandish]

I expected there would be others.

[ There was no sense of connectedness like his previous vision of the godswar so he could not tell for certain. ]

If the vision is any indication, we may be the first in line for their assault.

[ The Seelie, that is. ]

compass, audio;

[babbylon]

You welcome it, don't you?

compass, audio;

[aslandish]

[ Aslan considers Gilgamesh with a solemn, weighted gaze. ]

I do.

[ As Gilgamesh may very well know, Aslan does not lie. ]

[vengeance_driven]

Why is it that I get the feeling that no matter what side I am on, I will be surrounded by assholes.

[Niko, don't call the allegory for Jesus an asshole.]

[Also it is a lion. Why is there a talking lion in his locket?]

[Probably for the same reason he has a winged horse and a magic locket. Might as well roll with it.]

Do you know what will fix all this shit in the end? Because I got enough on my conscience without entire lands of terrified innocent people. I do not want to think they will spend their last moments miserable and that is all for them.

People say it will come back. It will come back as normal? Immediately?

[aslandish]

[ He has been called much worse than an asshole before, Niko. It is your great fortune that he is not easily offended. ]

It will come back.

[ He says this with great certainty. ]

I have heard it said by the queen of the Seelie Court that the worlds, once consumed by the Void, will be reborn in fire and that such has been the cycle for many ages past.

The cycle of death, life, and rebirth is not a new concept. It is older than time itself.

compass;

[notyetlegend]

So it does come.

[She doesn't sound comforted by this. Merida purses her lips together, a frown forming on her face that makes the scar on her forehead wrinkle.]

[aslandish]

It does, dear heart.

[ A soft rumble. This news may not reassure her, but he will offer what comfort he can. ]

It is not the time to doubt yourself or fear.

lockets; video

[keybearing]

[Ah! It's a huge lion! That talks! Excuse the staring. But. Yeah, Sora is staring before he registers what Aslan is actually saying, about how long he's been here, the dream he had. Fire? Hadn't Merida said fire magic was affected by the death of the previous god, replaced by that puppy or something? That he would get access to that again once he practiced with his shard more? And, well, shards as eyes sounds rather ominous, given that would assume to be that those who previously held the shards would be dead for this to happen.]

Well, I'm not sure when it might happen, but appreciate the warning all the same, Mister.

[Is...that right? What to address a talking lion as? Well, besides his actual name, anyway. Sora gives a shrug before a small smile curves at his lips.]

Riku and I are always prepared. We'll figure something. At least now we know about it, right? So I reckon we'll be ready for these metal beasts.

[Fighting is straightforward enough. Something Sora has plenty of practice with, even if at this point he's still from so early on his adventures before arriving to the Drabwurld. It's no wonder he's younger and still rather cocky in a sense. But he always is, when it comes down to it, between him and Riku, confident they could face nearly anything together. Let alone if everyone else knows about this and can ready themselves and work together.]

[aslandish]

[ It is indeed a huge lion that talks, Sora! He also seems rather bemused at the title "Mister" you have bestowed upon him. ]

My name is Aslan, young man. If you wish to call me that, you may.

[ "Mister" sounds a little too stuff for someone like him. ]

I have met your friend, Riku, not too long ago. I would advise you both to stand together and look out for each other in the times that lie ahead.

The battles will not be easy.

[accidentalqueen]

Are you asking people to simply prepare to die, or prepare to die violently? There is a difference in how one consigns oneself to the end.

[ There's a distinct feeling that lying down and taking this is akin to suicide. She does not approve. This letting things happen does not feel right. ]

[aslandish]

I expect all of those present to prepare and fight for that which they believe in.

[evenslimmer]

[ For some reason, that feels like that sounds familiar. That feels like that sounds a bit like Sentries. And Sentries might be damned difficult to defeat...but they're still defeatable. ]

That's it? There aren't any more details than that?

[aslandish]

Given that they possess Shards as eyes, I believe they are creatures forged from powerful magic.

I saw them attack the White Citadel, but beyond that, I could not say.

hermionenet.

[rube]

[ben knew after he saw the vision of the shuck eating the white hart things would not end well. the vision of the strange, live machine creatures terrorizing this world came and his hope that there was a chance to stop the end faltered. everyone is seeing the same thing now.]

Don't get how the two courts are still fightin' when we got bigger things to worry about.

[like machines that are working outside the station and killing everything.]

[aslandish]

[ There is a chance to stop it, a very slim one, but for himself, Aslan does not wish to see it stopped.

This world is dying, and for new life to flourish, the old must first pass away. ]

It is the End of the Age, Ben Hawkins. The vision is a but a sign of the times.

hermionenet now that i know he has a compass to mooch off of

[individualist]

So you saw it as well.

awww yis

[aslandish]

I did.

[ Lucifer is the one of the only individuals who understands these things as he does. ]

Time is very short.

audio

[enervated]

Great. Just what I fuckin' needed to hear...

[He mutters that bit - it barely more than a collection of half growled words before he speaks clearly.]

Thanks for the heads up. Appreciate it.

[Looks like he needs to keep an eye out for large machines of destruction in the distance soon-ish maybe. Not something he looks forward to.]

(ooc: I filled out the permissions post!)

[aslandish]

It is something for which we all must prepare.

[ He doesn't exclude himself, either. ]

Acquit yourself well.

video;

[thetruestbeliever]

[ Henry is absolutely amazed to see a talking lion. He's not surprised, though, because he's seen some pretty strange things in his short life so far. Still, this is pretty cool but he only takes a moment to acknowledge that fact because the message being broadcast is one he takes very seriously. ]

Thank you. For telling us. [ There's a somewhat somber and determined look on his face. ] I'll do everything I can to fight and help people.

[ ooc: Also filled out Aslan's permissions post here! ]

[aslandish]

I would not have you unprepared.

[ Or unaware of magnitude of the situation. ]

Be mindful to take care of yourself as well.

[foraneye]

Why do you believe this vision is true? What makes you so sure of yourself?

[Her tone is sharp, but she'll make no apologies for that. This is too important of a subject to just take the word of a talking lion at face value.]

[aslandish]

This is not the first time I have seen events such as these come to pass.

» video, compass

[skjalf]

( This is a lion. A talking lion. Aside from being the symbol of her family's arms, to see one outside the Tower of London is a surprise. To see one which can speak, well.

Forgive an Unseelie for taking a moment to stare, wide-eyed, and process not only the fact that he exists and this is happening, and what he is saying. Once she has done that, her expression shifts at once from wonder to a grim sort of solemnity. )

Such visions have come to me at home; but I was in no position to change aught. Here, we are in a much different position. We can alter the fate you have seen if we work together.

( She shakes her head. )

I cannot accept that, and thus condemn my little sisters and cousins to death. My friends, and loved-ones. Our lives are precious—all of them.

( The way he talks—ah yes, a Seelie. Elziabeth is bound to disagree. )


( ooc: I've replied to your permissions post so that he can know her! )

[aslandish]

[ A talking lion, indeed, but so very much more than that. Aslan considers her with fathomless golden eyes, and of course -- being a Seelie, they are bound to disagree. ]

It is the fate of all living things to perish at least once. [ He should know; he already has. ] We do not choose that time, anymore than we choose the time that we are born.

You may forestall the End, even delay it for a season, but the drabwurld itself is dying as we speak.

Fight to preserve your life and theirs as you will, but should the Void be stopped, a far greater condemnation lies in store for those who remain.

All life is precious, but it is not meant to last forever.

Video

[psalmed]

...how certain are you of your dreams? Of your visions?

[Probably very certain, if it has come to pass before. Her hands twitch against the beads of her necklace.]

Is there any way to change them?

[aslandish]

As certain as I am of the sun which rises in the east.

[ Some things simply are. ]

The things I have seen are events already set in motion. They are but a sign of the times for which we all must must prepare.

[transmarine]

[Arthur just lets everything sink in a bit. The End comes, that's a charming way to be introduced into the war. The king figures Aslan means well, but in a situation that is just as much a draft as it is a hostage situation, it's not very reassuring.]

Saying to be ready to meet it isn't the same as actually being ready. What of the metal beasts? Anything else you think we need to look out for?

[Because well.

Arthur could probably skewer them a little.]

[aslandish]

The metal beasts are forged of magic and the power of the Shards. Fearsome enough, when it is by the power of the Shards that all the worlds were made.

[ And not easily defeated is the implication there. ]

The powers of this world shall be shaken. As life wanes, instability shall spread.

Death itself was out of balance only a month ago, and so as time draws to a close, we shall see the signs of the drabwurld itself coming to the end of its lifespan.

[Compass | Private]

[prissykid]

[Joshua really likes these compasses. It helps keep certain opinions he may have off of the Seelie network, especially as he's going to be talking to Aslan, the only creature in this world he'll ever be absolutely truthful with.]

I saw that, too. Yet, I have a hard time imagining that they are on the same side as the Unseelie, let alone on the Seelie's side.

[He shakes his head.]

We're at quite the crossroads in this world. If these metal golems can't be stopped, then we may well witness the annihilation of Order and Chaos in this cycle. Or else it'll be a terrible slaughter before any victory is reached.

[Compass | Private]

[aslandish]

There is always great bloodshed in times such as these.

[ Though he isn't necessarily frustrated (it takes a great deal to truly put a dent in Aslan's patience), it is an amazing thing how many believe the End should not come simply because they are not ready.

He understands it well enough, the struggle, the denial, but the End will come no matter how many wish to avert or deny it.

It is not a cruelty -- it is simply the way things are. ]

The metal beasts are born of fire and Shard magic and so they come for us all. If their creators are indeed whom some believe them to be, I would not be surprised if a mass slaughter of the Courts is their intention.

3rd August; Private Compass; voice

[depicted]

Do you have a minute?

Private Compass; voice

[aslandish]

I am here.

What would you ask of me, Dorian Gray?