Chaldean Chronicles: Cadence of the Lostgrail

A memorial has been built for the fallen tribe, Hippolyta and Surtr.

In the evening, the survivors gather around it to leave behind something for their loved ones and friends to take with into the afterlife.

@Game Ping 2 @Baka | Olga, Theisoa

King Hassan stood there in slight disappointed, not disappointed because of the fallen but due to himself couldn't protect them with this manifestation. His body right now was just a husk of mana and ether, nothing special, he was annoyed because he can't project his real self to aid Chaldea and the people "Thy soul may rest in the grace of the Reaper"

A figure approached the monument, somehow more ghostly those the spirits of those that had fallen. He was in a long trenchcoat that drifted along in the breeze as he stood alone at least and in silence as he stared at it. A feeling. A ping with his knack at knowing where people were, the old scout in him coming out.

Francis Pegahmagabow

Remaining Level 1 Spell Slots 1 ◉◉◉〇 (-1)

"How long have you been standing there servant?" Francis would ask, not looking behind him.

8:39 AM

@Squig

Erik will quietly place flowers and what tokens he had found at the battlefield on the memorial, staying silent as he solemnly prays for the souls of the departed. He did not have much else he knew of he could do for the deceased, but he hoped this gesture at least would be good for them

King Hassan was just standing there, he was looking at the monuments before the soldier noticed his ghostly existence "Time is something so vast yet so shallow, to acknowledge it during a time like this is to ignore the duty of a grave keeper" King Hassan said before coming out of the shadow, despite this he still has the very grim aura around him

8:49 AM

@TheInsanityThatLiesOutside

Francis couldn't help but scoff on the inside, "Very well. But I just can't help but feel... why even bother, Grave Keeper then? I understand the respect, these were brave men and women, but the dead are dead and there's nothing left for them. They're gone and there's nothing we can do to bring them back. That's just the way war is, people live and people ide."

9:24 AM

@Squig

King Hassan looked down onto him with blazing blue eyes after his words. If not for Francis being a Servant of Chaldea, he may grant him a scold with his sharp blade "Thy mouth was fulled of such gloom tone, thou can't bring them back but thine respect should never fade away. I am a grave keeper not because I can bring such unlucky fate back, I am a grave keeper because I help delivered the soul back to the Lord's grace" King Hassan said with a clear but cryptic tone. His words weren't angry, sad or disappointed but it was just cryptic. The dead will stay dead, King Hassan understand such mortal concept the most but he won't trample on the fragile mortalities of the decreased

"Father of all, we pray to you for these souls, and for all those whom we love but see no longer. Grant to them eternal rest. Let light perpetual shine upon them. May his soul and the souls of all the departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen." Francis muttered and then turned around. "Sorry, I must have misspoke this 'gloom' of yours." he sighed, "It's just... I've seen so many graves... been to too many of them... made too many of them... eventually you... you just stop caring and it all feels numb."

9:58 AM

@Squig

As the infamous Ghost of the Trenches spoke his words, an ashen blonde caster walked upon the scene. He held a neutral face, a trenchcoat billowing behind him. As he treaded upon the soil, a wreath of mana condensed around his hand, before an ethereal blue bouquet of flowers took shape upon his hand. "Indeed, the lifespans of those bound by death are ever so fleeting. Over my existence, I've seen many companions of mine waste away by the vise of time or strife, both of mortal and divine nature. The countless funerals I've attended and held, at times seem to simply bleed and blur into a collective mass . During my younger years, I had sought a doctor of Greece, said to have found the secret of reincarnation, but by the time I had discovered them, they had long since perished, by the Greek Lord of the Heavens no less, leaving nary but ashes. The secret of resurrection has been lost since then." He knelt at the memorial, placing the ghostly pale flowers at the shrine, before closing his eyes and muttering his prayer. "Homage to thee, O soul of everlastingness, O thou who art mighty in thine hour, thou great and mighty Prince, dweller in An-rut-f, lord of eternity and creator of everlastingness. O grant this proud warrior your reprieve. On mine name of Hermes Trimesgistos, successor of Thoth, Judge of Duat, O' Osiris, victorious one, may you grant this proud noble soul your grace and reprieve." His prayer finished, he gave a final bow of respect before standing up, and continuing his tirade from where he left off. "But, even though their story may have concluded, their candles of life flickered out, though we may not be able to reverse their demise, I believe it to be my duty to remember their names and what they've accomplished, if nothing else, as the base amount of courtesy I can offer to the departed. That is all I can promise, and thus, what I shall always provide."

"There's a reason only the Lord reserves true immortality for Himself. It is a heavy burden. You can have everything you could ever want, but what does that matter when all crumbles and you are left alone in the dark," Francis looked up to the monument and touched the edge of it with respect and a slight bowing of his head. Endless of white crosses Open graves Mounds of mangled and mutilated bodies Burial pits In a way maybe they had it easy. They didn't need to live with what they had done. For them the war was over, but for so many, it wasn't, not even after the peace accords had been signed. "You are right... we owe the dead that at least. And not just in memory, that's not enough. But with action, to prevent more from unjustly joining them."

@Baka | Olga, Theisoa (forgot to ping)

Hermes nodded in response, and gave a wry smile at the fellow servant of Chaldea. "Indeed, you are correct, to simply be held in our memory would not be enough. It's why I had called it the base amount of courtesy I could provide, as it is what I can always promise to those who've fallen in the singularity. The prevention of unjust deaths is the ideal, and something to strive for, and a reason for why I've agreed to answer the call of my master and manifest - of course, my desire to research the lives of mortals past the Age of Myths played a role in that too. But regardless, to simply sit around and puff one's chest over merely remembering the dead, I say would be the mark of sloth rather than respect, and only serves to bastardize the reasons those fallen warriors had fought for."

@TheInsanityThatLiesOutside Ack it's fine, I should've noticed it, sorry for responding so slowly as well

"They remembered and respected our deaths... but they never acknowledged the reason we had to die..." Francis muttered under his breath. "I suppose its better to kill, fight, and die for the cause rather then just stand around here griefing our hearts out. The dead are dead, they have no more say in this world, let us not have them be in vain at the very least."

8:19 AM

@Baka | Olga, Theisoa

"And to that notion, I believe we both can pledge our service to." Hermes nods once more to confirm his agreement, though a brooding expression followed. "Though, I must forewarn, Ghost of Trenches, it's best you don't stray too farther down the path of extremity. To grieve is to be human, in the eyes of pragmatism, it may be nothing but a waste of time that can be used alleviated the cause, but to all else, it is only natural to mourn the fallen, no matter how pointless it may seem. 'He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster,' or so I believe the saying goes. Quite an apt quote, for this conundrum… well, of course, there remains the possibility that this could all simply be the rambling of an out of touch deity. What would be your take on this subject, Old Man of the Mountain?”

@Squig noticed you haven’t spoken after I joined, wanted to try to fit you into this conversation (edited)

Erik will leave 3 potions of Greater Healing at the memorial. The remaining potions that the Tribes People had given them for the fight. They had saved a few lives, but maybe they will be able to save a few more if the people use them. He then says his goodbyes, and heads out into the sunset, requesting a rayshift back to Chaldea. He needed to train more and to figure out what he was going to do next, he could not stay in the singularity and continue to be a burden on those around him while he did so.

King Hassan carefully listened to Francis's words. He wasn't blaming him for his negativity despite being slightly annoyed by it "Death is a cycle of doom and gloom, those who can't find salvation in life can only hope for the mercy of the Lord. Being numb to it isn't something unexpected but uncaring about the fallen is simply too much" He noticed the Caster from the previous battle joined in, he simply looked at him once before continuing to observe the grave "Thine words were accurate under your Class as a Caster. We manifested, we strived, we continued to fight not because of us, we were ghost of the past but we continued to fight not because we wanted to be recognised, we pressed on in the memories of the fallen. Holding death at hands, everything I saw is so fragile but with the Lord guiding my blade, I can't ever stray out from my path. Beliefs are what I believed modern world would use for this"

He stared for a long moment in silence after hearing their words, the wind blowing his trenchcoat. "Standing around here will not bring them back to life nor fulfill what they died for," he said grimly as he continued to look on, "This place has enough ghosts, let us leave them some room them."

On the way to the memorial, Epona and Vee cross paths with Erik just as he requests to be rayshifted back.

"You're leaving?"

@StarryCleric @Vormal/Asstolfo/Morban/Sword/Cat

"Yes... there is nothing more I can do here for the people. I will only get in the way of others as they try to work. I need to train to get stronger, and perhaps find a new Partner to assist me in battle." Erik says, there is a pained look on his face of someone who feels utter defeat as he stands looking at the memorial. For such a big man, he really feels rather small in compared to those who lost their lives because of him

Veronica understands. She feels the same, but she can't return to Chaldea as long as there are people here that still need her help.

"Thank you," Epona says. "For helping us. And.. I'm sorry."

"And farewell."

@StarryCleric

Erik lowers his head to Epona "Make sure to enjoy the time you have here until the Singularity is ended. I don't know what will happen to you after that, but value the life that so many have worked to protect. That is what I am going to attempt to do."

"Be well, Erik. Thank you for your Hard Work."

With Erika being rayshifted out, the wind blows over the grass leading to the memorial site. 

"Is this it? You must have all put a lot of effort into this."