we are not truly immortal

[dark_light]

After Glass's party is over with, Amariah and Kas go home.

Amariah fetches down their alethiometers.

"It's about time I took care of Alethia's afterlife, whatever it may be," she says quietly. "What can the alethiometer tell you about what I'll find?"

Comments

[truthwright]

He lives at the top of a flying mountain that travels between worlds. And there's stuff the alethiometer doesn't know about him.

[lifes_sake]

...I thought it knew everything, within the Alethia worldsheaf...

[truthwright]

Yeah. But it doesn't actually say it knows everything, just that it knows - lots of stuff.

[dark_light]

Does the mountain ever come here?

[truthwright]

It's - been here. But not for a long time.

[dark_light]

How long is a long time?

[truthwright]

Since harpies.

[dark_light]

How long is that?

[truthwright]

Uncountable time ago, apparently.

[dark_light]

Well, that's obnoxious. So I think a trip to this mountain is called for - what can it tell us about the safety rating and hostility and so on of said mountain's inhabitants?

[truthwright]

What's on the mountain is... angels, says Kas. Not like Angela. It's impossible to hide from them if you're close enough to see, but they're physically fragile. Except for their leader - 'angel' is a submeaning of 'messenger', and it calls him 'voice/messenger'. Apparently he could kick my ass in a fistfight. He's not the Authority; he's some kind of second in command. Uh, and if he knew you exist he'd hate your guts.

[dark_light]

Could he kick my ass in a fistfight? With my boosts? What about - Golden's not here, but Elspeth's in the house, could he beat her up?

[truthwright]

He couldn't beat up Elspeth, he reports.

[dark_light]

What about me, though, I don't want to ask Elspeth if it's not necessary.

[truthwright]

He could beat you up easier than he could beat me up, if we were both unarmed, Kas reports.

[dark_light]

Hmm. Okay. Might ask Elspeth, then. Is beating up definitely going to happen if we show up or does the alethiometer think we could come to a nonviolent agreement?

[truthwright]

It can't see the future, he reminds her. Why not ask Aianon? Aianon could beat Elspeth up. Aianon arm-wrestled the Joker's sweetie and won one out of two.

[dark_light]

Oh, good idea. Is Clouded Mountain all weirdly spacey like this place? Will we be able to teleport there?

[truthwright]

No teleporting.

[dark_light]

Does it prevent wishing too?

[truthwright]

Yeah, but differently. You can't wish on a coin that's in the afterlife; you can't wish on a target that's in the Clouded Mountain. I don't know if you can cast wishes while you're there; it isn't saying.

[dark_light]

Hmm. Is there non-physical danger there? I don't mind a bit of a fight if I have to fight, but I'd really rather not be harpied or anything like being harpied.

[truthwright]

No harpies, he says. Don't know about things like them.

[dark_light]

Does the alethiometer know why it doesn't know much about this place?

[truthwright]

It just says there are things there that are hidden from it.