[video, un: billy & un: clary] open to stars & moon

[driving]

- does this really go out to everyone? Okay. Anyways, hey, I'm Billy.

Sure does! ( Helpful, Clary! She turns to the video feed properly, giving a not-very-cool-at-all half wave. ) And I'm Clary. I know I've talked to some of you before, especially about the branded and what they're up to. And... there's seriously no good way to say this, but we have some updates on that.

They were involved in the attack last month, and probably the famine, too. At least, the monster that killed me had that same brand. [ And the whole 'it killed me' business is as good of a segue as any to the topic of Death itself. ]

I was brought back by Death. It told me that the branded had something to do with Temperance. Death used to have her soul, but it was stolen a few months ago.

Which is probably around when the branded started showing up during harvest. ( The takeover between them is smoother than it has any right to be; an easy back and forth as the information is shared. ) As some of you know, a few of us got blank tarot cards from a guy named Vuzor after he said 'balance comes for us all'. Well- ( Clary holds up her tarot card. Temperance is displayed across the front in all its glory with gold writing over it saying TEMPERANCE RETURNS. ) Temperance stands for balance, usually. Keeping it. Which is sort of the theme that the branded have been running with. ( As though needing another ominous piece, Clary turns the card around to the back where a countdown is happening. ) And now we might have a deadline.

Death says we need to prepare ourselves and from the sound of things, it was dead serious. [ Okay, he covers his mouth to stifle a laugh. He didn't mean to make a death pun, really. This is very important information. ] So we've got less than a month to get our shit together, find out what we can, and either try to stop this from happening or get ready to face something that makes everything else we've fought so far look easy.

So if you know anything, or find anything, you better cough it up. [ He stands with his fists clenched like he's about to steal everyone's lunch money, before he clears his throat and his stance relaxes a little. Maybe threats weren't the best way to go about this. He's still getting used to being nice. ] I mean, shit, this doesn't sound like something any of us can face on our own, so it'll be better if we work together.

( And Clary has to turn away from the screen to hide her dumb smile at the bad joke, gaining her composure back in time for Billy to finish. ) Which we've all been doing a lot already, so we should be getting pretty good at it! But like Billy said, if you know anything we haven't mentioned, or find anything out, please let everyone know.

( With that, Clary will reach forward in order to turn the video feed off. )

Comments

video | un: celdori

[bubblyoutlook]

So basically we've got to kill Temperance again, right? Before it kills us. And Death'll thank us for doing it a solid while we're at it.

[enkelis]

But does anyone actually know how to kill a God? ( Clary heaves a breath.

She feels like they're getting way ahead of themselves, but what does she have to say against it? She's seen the branded first hand. )

[bubblyoutlook]

Same as you'd kill any old thing -- you hit it really hard until it dies. ( she says, with all the practiced confidence of someone who has killed a god. or the closest thing one can get to a god in her world. they're gearing up to kill another, too; it's not her fault azeroth has a bunch of them. ) Maybe it's a little more complicated -- Argus killed me once, after all -- but the gist is the same.

As for, um. Everyone who got brought back. They're not like, still dead but alive, are they? Only I've had enough of the undead to last a good long while if it's all the same to you.

[enkelis]

Um- No, Billy seems to be a normal human. ( From what she can tell, anyway?? How do you know for sure that someone isn't just a walking dead-but-not person?

He looks normal, so. She'll stick with that! )

[bubblyoutlook]

There's a surprising lack of non-humans among the people brought in, have you noticed that? Anyway, good to know.

[driving]

I'm not a zombie or anything like that, if that's what you mean.

[bubblyoutlook]

It's close enough. Good to hear it though, being anything like the Forsaken would be terrible. They'll lose a jaw and just let their tongues hang out. Gross.

[driving]

That sounds kind of badass, in a "would make for some cool album artwork" way. I'm glad my tongue's not hanging out, though. I think I look better with my jaw attached.

[bubblyoutlook]

There's a few metal bands made up of undead, if that's what you're talking about. ( things azeroth has: metal bands. things they do not have: metal albums. ) Sure, for a human.

( she's teasing. probably. )

[driving]

Okay, sorry if they're your enemies or whatever, but that's fucking rad.

[ Maybe when he dies for real he can come back as a metal band zombie. ]

[bubblyoutlook]

Don't worry, the Forsaken are allied with the Horde. Er, well, most of them. ( it's complicated. ) But they're the only undead who still know who they are, up to a point. The rest are just zombies, or whatever it is you people call them.

[driving]

Yeah, I'm not anything like that. Just a lucky bastard who got a second chance.

[ Third chance, actually. ]

[bubblyoutlook]

Good, I'd hate to have to watch someone like you start to smell and fall apart.

( That's always off-putting. )

[chronosynthesis]

I... have some experience. [Don't tell mom.] But it isn't easy. If that countdown is the time until Temperance is returned to life, we should uproot the seed now instead of waiting until we have a violent god on our hands.

[enkelis]

But there's no guarantee she's violent, right? ( A beat. ) Her followers, sure. But if Death thought that she should just be killed, wouldn't it be able to do that? ( Once her soul was back in a body, anyway. ) Maybe we're supposed to stop them from raising her again.

[chronosynthesis]

There isn't, but given who seems to want her return--I'm reluctant to assume the best.

[Does he ever assume the best.] I think we should stop them before they get the chance to resurrect her, yes. So first, we need to find out what it takes to bring a god back to life.

[enkelis]

I think it's also worth trying to find any immortals, or mortals slower to age, who might remember her when she was last on the planet. If they know what she was like and if she's someone to fear or someone we need to protect from... whatever these branded people are doing.

( Because someone has to remember, there can't just be a gap of no knowledge. )

[chronosynthesis]

History that might be more accurate than the most popular depiction in their books? [That's fair.] I would ask the Priestess, but... she still hasn't returned.

[enkelis]

The Emperor hasn't, either, but. I hear the Warlock has?

So maybe it's just a matter of time for the two of them to come back. ( And while she really doesn't want to go back to 'hiding friendships' and all that, she is looking forward to the stability that the Emperor brings to their faction. )

[bubblyoutlook]

Oh, finally! I was beginning to think I was the only one here who'd done the whole kill a god thing.