BECMI Chapter 433 – Some Passing News

“So, did anything dramatic happen in the ten minutes I was gone?” I asked archly, as we stepped out of the Portal into Mirror Base One, home to the Operator Teams who were so important to the security of our little Eismark Alliance.“Priests of Delphanna have been making noises about Zanzyr,” Sama replied to the rhetorical question, because of course.

I stopped in place, arching an eyebrow.

“Windrose herself related the fact, which shows you how important she considers the matter,” Sama went on coolly. “Got word of it just after you left, of course.”

“The implications of a major Delphan Church coming out to speak against Zanzyr are very dangerous, and is probably the worst indicator for war that we’ve seen.” Given the crap Immortals had been pulling trying to get such a war going, that was saying something. “Siricil will likely intervene to protect Zanzyr if it can, setting up the imperial conflict so many Immortals want to see. This needs to be nipped in the bud,” I sighed, shaking my head. “I’ll go.”

She pursed her lips. “Not going to have Windrose attempt to defuse it?” she asked once.

“Not a chance. She’s still considered a mortal by the Delphans, and a mere Elemental slumming among them by the Immortals. Delphanna probably thinks she should be joining the effort calling for war, and Windrose has no way to defend herself, given her efforts are concentrated in keeping Delpha passive, not in Zanzyr.

“I’m known as Zanzyran-trained, but I have my own elven realm, I am not subservient to them, and I am definitely involved with the revolution against the current extremes of the magocracy. Delphanna will have very little choice but to listen to me, especially if I start actually telling her about the Nucleus.”

Sama gave me a measuring stare. “And you have her Truename,” she smiled slowly and cruelly.

“And I have her Truename,” I agreed coldly, something I’d gained over a thousand years ago, before Siricil was an empire, and she was still a young wizard in her mortal life as Pellucia Alannaiya Moishtaenar, Faer of Colisnitraa. “Things are not going to go well for her if she doesn’t at least listen to me.”

Given she was trying to incite a war between mortals to do what she could not, I was going to absolutely hold her responsible if such a thing started because of her…

I had been in Delpha on tours several times over the centuries. Planting my lived-lines in their cities in the past was very useful, especially as they built up and over many such things, and now my lived-lines led to many places people were certainly not supposed to be able to get to.

I might’ve had advice on when and where to do that, based on what was important in the future.

Delphanna’s temple in Vinndsvoll dwarfed any temple to any Immortal on the opposite coast of the Sea of Dawn. There were some on the western coast of Olos, theocracies with massive veneration of the Immortals, that were larger, but there hadn’t been anything of that size built on the west side of the Dawnbreak Ocean since Sythia was burned away from the memory of mortals.

It was also sitting about a hundred feet in the air, the millions of gold spent to accomplish such a thing merely a minor sign of the favor of the Immortal Patron of the current Delphan Empire and their congregation.

Any competent wizard could fly, so getting up to it was not an issue for its adherents, after all. What, normal folks couldn’t do so? Well, go work for a wizard and get a magic item that could help you do it then, like anyone sensible.

My appearance was unique enough and colorful enough to attract attention from the lay priests waiting to see to the whims and desires of the powerful mages who were visitors there. A large number of them actually worked at the Imperial Palace not far away, being among the minority of Delphans who had some sense of responsibility for their nation and wanted greater things for it.

It was why Windrose noticed the changes in the speeches by its priests so quickly, given she was on the Delphan Council of Overmagi. Speaking right to the mages at the heart of the government, Delphanna could have her desires known very quickly by mortals, even if she didn’t explicitly say so.

My outlander attire and the scarlet and blacks, combined with my complexion, was certainly eye-catching among the traditional styles of Delphan robes. Delphanna’s priests affected white and blue chased with purple, alluding to noble ties and its role in Delpha, naturally completely overstating the relationship.

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“My Lady, how may the Temple of Delpha’s Destiny help you this day?” a tall and saturnine pure Delphan, hair dark blue and skin pale, edged in blue, asked with a faintly snobbish air. I was obviously an elf, and so while automatically a noble in Delpha, I certainly could not be compared to the true powers of Delpha. There was only one elf who sat on the Delphan High Council, after all.

“I am the Lady Edge, and I have come to speak with your Immortal Patron. I would like to know if there is a convenient chamber for us to confer in when I summon her.”

The priest blinked at me in utter confusion as I glided right on by him, trying to place my accent and image and what did I just say about calling their Immortal goddess and Patron to me like a common servant?

“You… what did you say?” he repeated, having to hurry to catch up with me.

“Little Priest.” I gave him just a glance before he could burst into a tirade about spewing blasphemy or something. “Delphanna and I need to speak. I am doing so here as a gesture of respect to her and her office. Now, where is your chamber set aside for consultations with your Immortal Patron?”

Just the way I said it, as if it were something completely normal and to be expected, did as much to shutter his anger with confusion, and catching a direct glance from me made his face go ghostly pale.

On the other side of the Dawnbreak, he’d be an Archpriest and a very important person. Here, he greeted the powerful of Delpha at the door.

“I, I do not know if we have a chamber set aside for… personal consultations with Delphanna Herself,” he managed to choke out in some disbelief.

“Then your very best such consultation chamber with mortals will have to do. Choose one Delphanna will not find lacking and guide me to it, Priest.”

There was an undercurrent in my voice that was making the spells in his head tingle to the cadence of my voice. It was a sign that I wasn’t anything like he normally dealt with, and he’d best be taking this seriously.

“I will have to confer with Hierophant Ylissia,” he tried to stammer and pass off, delaying matters.

“I do not need a priest’s power to call on Delphanna. I need a room in Her temple to pay respect to where Her authority is manifest. Now, guide me to such a chamber.”

“Of, of course!” he finally answered the reasonable , pointing ahead of us as we broke out into the main center of worship, capable of handling ten thousand of the faithful, broken up in tiers of power as was so common among the magical set. It was built more like an opera house than a true church, with magic buttressing flying columns and fantastic murals of Delpha’s history flowing on the stone walls in brilliant colors, along with Illusions and Holos here and there with statuary that itself might be moving to tell of things like the names of every Emperor of Delpha and their history, and nobles, always wizards, who had contributed greatly to the nation.

The priests looked a little startled as I was led back into the more private chambers of the temple, where outsiders rarely went, and those who did would be among the more powerful supporters of the faith. I definitely wasn’t one of those, but my guide was very focused as he brought me to a large and sunny room with much crystalline furniture and lighting, draped in very colorful fine silks of Delphan make that rarely were sold out of the empire as a matter of good taste, barbarians unable to truly appreciate the wonders of fine Delphan cloth.

“This should do,” I looked around with a sniff. The place oozed Delphan styles and history, glamour and illusions accenting the very real craftsmanship and rare materials and objects on display here. The whole room had probably cost more to put up than an average castle. “Be off with you, and do not disturb us.”

“Of, of course, Lady Edge,” he bowed hastily, still wondering why he was giving me such respect. He closed the door of weirwood behind him, while I fought sneering at him.

They wasted weirwood on a DOOR. That was arrogant wizards for you!

The spun up before me in the next second.

I wasn’t going to expose my true Caster Level or higher Valences, but the Sublime Chord by itself was enough to ignite the interest of any spellcaster, and Delphanna had taken the traditional path to power of those of Delpha, which was through Energy as an Overmagus. She would naturally be interested in whatever was providing the effect I was using, but still, she was an Immortal.

“You are not one of my own,” Her voice promptly echoed around me, not unkind or uncurious, but clearly warning me to know my place. “Why do you call upon me here?”

“Because we need to talk, and on the mortal plane, this is the one place your fellow Immortals are going to be the least able to listen in on you,” I replied without a great deal of deference as the to Her home realm swirled open before me. “And please do not indulge in a light show. I am not a peasant.”

There was a moment of intrigued interest from the other side, and some of the swirling lights that were starting to increase there actually dimmed. A moment later a figure strode through the interplay of lights and punctured Veils, and the Immortal Delphanna stood in the chamber of Her greatest mortal temple, glowing blue eyes that almost exactly matched her sapphire hair orienting on me instantly, and promptly dousing me in Immortal Aura.

It was very potent, clearly enhanced and meant to force even an Overmagus to kneel before Her, acknowledging Her status and reminding them of their own all at once.

I absolutely ignored it, which checked her a moment in shock. I literally should not have been able to resist her boosted Aura at all, and not only was I doing so, I could meet her eyes without flinching in the slightest.

I was, however, polite, and so I bowed deeply to her, deeper than I would to the Delphan Empress, which dispelled some of her rising hauteur at my conduct.