Carnival nights and Olympian Imps

    As night set on the third night of the carnival, and the cold winter eve's begin to set in there is a hustle and bustle through out the street to bring warmth back to the patrons. Large bon fires are set up for people to group around. Cold beverages put aside for hot tea and coffee, even some mulled wine. Finally of course several entrepreneurs begin to pull out the emergency winter wear for those silly adventurers who were not prepared. Rizadoman himself is currently trading some coins for a pair warm cups of tea, the new Moon Tree leader having come to realize that there was a bit of insanity to hold such an event in the middle of November. Moving along the street he makes his way to the largest bonfire and sits rather close to the fire as he waits for the evenings company to arrive.

Carnivals are all well and good. The promise of food and fun is something the Imp Archaeologist sorely needs right now, but she'll sooner eat a slime than admit it. The cloaked and overly mysterious figure walks through the area, having acquired a mug of hot tea and sipping at it quietly while she observes...

And then Rizardoman finds the Imp sitting down beside him. "A good enough night for a celebration." She comments, the fire dancing in her eyes as she stares into it. "I've often been wondering what celebrations mean to Landers. Do they love life like we do?" A pause. "Well, some do. And some of us do not. The answer to that question, like many, are more complicated than one would hope."

There is a pause, and Proteus stretches for a moment like a cat, emitting a low grunt as she arranges herself. "So. How are you this evening, Rizadoman?" She asks. "It hasn't been long since we were last working together. Anything of interest happen lately?"

    Rizadoman turns and smiles nodding his head in a greeting as he leans a little closer towards the flames as his own heritage has been making him consider migrating to the desert for the winter. Sipping his tea for a moment as Proteus begins the nightly conversation with some philosophy and Rizadoman seeks an answer for the Imp, " The people of the land, celebrate many things. I choose to believe that if someone is celebrating then they at least must have the ability to love life. However in the end you speak the truth. I am sure the answer is complicated and changes from person to person. "

At the question of what is new Rizadoman nods his head and sets the cups on the ground, before he begins to make movements in the air, indicating digging through his inventory. " A new possible threat and a new puzzle. So I am quite pleased the most knowledgeable member of Olympus is here. Ah there it is. " Withdrawing from his inventory is a skeleton knight's bone. "This is from the wave? You were busy at time I am unsure if you noticed or had reason to pick one up. If you did though, I am curious how close did you look at it?"

Proteus simply smiles at the initial response, saying nothing to the lizard-man's opinion on the matter, nodding along for several moments... And then replying, finally, "You have a much more holistic view on the matter. I suppose in this case it mostly matters on where one begins to figure out where one ends."

There is, however, the matter of the bone. Proteus flicks a hand to one side, and then runs it down through the air as if simply paging through a list, before she pulls a bone out of her own inventory, one of the same type as Rizardoman possesses. "You mean this bone? Yes, I've taken a look at it. I assume, then, you have some concerns about the provenance of the material?" She asks. "I have not had the leisure to do any research on the information contained within it, though I am wondering if you have, considering your clear concerns."

    Rizadoman seems to have moved on from philosophy for now and focus on the matter at hand, "Ainz Ooal Gown. " The way the lizardman says it you would expect the wind to howl and the flames of the fire to flicker and dim for a moment as if the name was cursed , but none of that happens. Instead after the dramatic pause is over the story teller continues, " This item is not the first time I have heard the name. A few months back I was helping Orcbolg, Erufu, and a few others clear up the goblin nest that was apparently the source of the poison in the near by forests. " Taking a breath Rizadoman rubs at his shoulder for a moment as the memories come back, " There I met Lupusregina Beta and she , as many do, broke many laws that day. If not for some magical alchemy of the Slayer's we would have all died, instead of just myself. The last words she said to me was threatening me with that name, the name of her master. " He takes a moment to let the story sit while he sips his tea and shakes the memories of dying by explosion.

"... Ainz... Ooal... Gown." Proteus mulls the name as she listens to the story of the Rizadoman. She goes quiet for a short time as she hears the fullness of his experience in dealing with the minions of such a being. "... So they were responsible for that, too. Much of what that being does seems to be related to both the insurgence of strange behavior of monsters as well as..." There is a frown. "... Lupusregina /Beta/? I am surprised that you survived..." She grunts again, taking a sip of tea. "So the mind behind many of the actions against us in the world seems to be that one." She frowns. "But surely if they are capable of creating effects like this, we would be grossly incapable of dealing with them, correct?"

    Rizadoman shakes his head at the mention of survival, "I didn't , I had to hold her there in hopes of destroying her with an explosion while the others retreated." He does wait for her to finish the rest of what she has to say without interupting before he picks up the conversation, " I think whoever or whatever Ainz Ooal Gown is, they are keeping a very low profile. I have spent a month looking for information on them and their is nothing. No record, no one has ever heard the name. The same is almost true for Lupusregina, only recently does her name appear. Have you met her before?" Taking a moment and watching the fire he adds, " I would have accepted that they were on par with the undead Queen, if the bone had not shown up. The fact that they are involved in the cataclysm waves, greatly worries me. Maybe whoever this Lich is..." The lizardman shakes his head and doesn't finish his theorycrafting as he chooses to sip his tea more.

He didn't survive. Proteus reaches up, her leather-shod hand clasping onto the lizardman's shoulder and giving him a squeeze of comfort. "You did everything you could. It looks like it was enough... But be careful. We don't have unlimited lives. Spend them wisely."

"I have not met them before, but I do know the dangers of anyone or anything with the Beta designation. There was a time we did battle with an ogre that attempted to cast Fireball Beta..." A pause. "We would have died there, if not for the Priestess that was there." There is a pause. "There is a good chance that, considering the prevalance of the breaking of the Laws, that he might not be part of this world at all. He might be part of another world, invading ours."

    Rizadoman nods his head at the mention of unlimited lives, feeling like he had given someone else that advice only days ago and can't help but a feel like a hatchling as he is reminded of himself. At the mention of the ogre though it does jog his memory, " I remember the ogre, I had not remember it had used a skill wwith the word beta in it." With the mention of another world there is an audiible groan from the lizardman. " Another other world? How many does that make now? Plus the goblins on the moon. I swear , just to many threats to this land, and to many invaders."

There is a nod, and Proteus pats Rizadoman again. "I am doing what I can to remember these details. Memory... is important." There is a murmur from the Imp as she ponders this. "As for how many other worlds... Three, plus the Moons, I believe?" She shrugs. "Maybe more. Only the Travelers truly know."

    Rizadoman blinks at the answer as he ticks off the worlds he knows and understands for a moment. " I see I guess I never thought of it." With a sigh he stands up slowly and gives a bow. " Thank you for humoring me with this conversation. I greatly appreciate your company. I hope you stick around and enjoy the rest of the carnival. " With that said he goes to swallow everything Proteus had told him, and what it all means.