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[[Open]] MANTA Promots and Catch-All
Who: Dongfang Qingcang and you!
Status: Open
Where: All Over!
What: MANTA Quests and Crew-Related
Warnings: None at current; will update as needed
A Strange Shopping List
Having been convinced by Rem that a ship of their own, set up with the equipment and libraries needed, would be more useful in conducting the research they were interested in, Daqiang has done his own research into how mortals of the world go about acquiring one. There were the usual mentions of sometimes having ships stolen out from under a captain - particularly if a Corsair was boasting about taking a ship previously owned by a Paladin. But the most common consensus was that if you wanted a ship that would match your needs, you should gather appropriate materials and 'offer' them to the God-Beasts.
What sort of materials? Well, besides the usual wood and cloth and such, it seemed that items and components that would have significance or relevance to the ship the God-Beast was creating for you were just as important. As such, Daqiang had inquired with Rem and then Kimmuriel about what they felt was appropriate and came up with a short, but very odd, list: Magitech Items (still determining what sort), Stainless Steel, Black Jade, and one Dragonfly. And since it was so odd, gathering the materials became an exercise in visiting multiple ports for both information and discussions with merchants.
During the first half of December, Daqiang can be found on Elah, Eltrut, Nogard, and Antam speaking (or arguing) with various merchants over the costs of stainless steel, out in the wildlands of the leviathans chasing down rumored veins of black jade. Maybe you've chosen to help him in acquiring the materials and that's why you're knee deep in mud while Daqiang releases yet another dragonfly you caught because it's 'not good enough'.
Recruiting
If you've been invited to join the Raiders of the Lost Arts or have heard the rumors of them recruiting, and have yet to meet the strongest in the Three Realms, the great devil and Moon Supreme, Dongfang Qingcang, well he's not that hard to track down. His inquiries into procuring a ship have made it easy for anyone unfamiliar with him to get pointed his way by most merchants and port authorities.
On Nogaurd he is easiest to find onboard the Stormbringer as he still has a cabin there. If he's not immediately available, go ahead and hang out with Deathstar, the large, black, warrior cat that Daqiang took on as a 'servant' but whom gets treated more like minor royalty himself. He's very friendly and affectionate and would enjoy a shoulder ride even if he's too big for shoulders in question.
On Elah or Eltrut, he is largely keeping to the merchant quarters and around midday, you're certain to find him enjoying a meal at a private table set up where he can watch the various mortals walk by. He's the perpetually grumpy one dressed like he just walked out of a royal court.
MANTA quests TBA and Linked from Comments
Bite-Sized Blessings (General)
Fey Fighters (General)
Picture of Dorina Grey (General)
Magitech Madness (General)
Coins of the Crescent (Corsairs)
A Steamy Winter's Heist (Corsairs)
Poke 'N Prance (Corsairs)
Untitled Goose Bounty 2 (Bounty)
Wildcard
If the non-quest prompts aren't catching your fancy and the quest prompts aren't what you want either, feel free to put up something else and we'll go!
Status: Open
Where: All Over!
What: MANTA Quests and Crew-Related
Warnings: None at current; will update as needed
Having been convinced by Rem that a ship of their own, set up with the equipment and libraries needed, would be more useful in conducting the research they were interested in, Daqiang has done his own research into how mortals of the world go about acquiring one. There were the usual mentions of sometimes having ships stolen out from under a captain - particularly if a Corsair was boasting about taking a ship previously owned by a Paladin. But the most common consensus was that if you wanted a ship that would match your needs, you should gather appropriate materials and 'offer' them to the God-Beasts.
What sort of materials? Well, besides the usual wood and cloth and such, it seemed that items and components that would have significance or relevance to the ship the God-Beast was creating for you were just as important. As such, Daqiang had inquired with Rem and then Kimmuriel about what they felt was appropriate and came up with a short, but very odd, list: Magitech Items (still determining what sort), Stainless Steel, Black Jade, and one Dragonfly. And since it was so odd, gathering the materials became an exercise in visiting multiple ports for both information and discussions with merchants.
During the first half of December, Daqiang can be found on Elah, Eltrut, Nogard, and Antam speaking (or arguing) with various merchants over the costs of stainless steel, out in the wildlands of the leviathans chasing down rumored veins of black jade. Maybe you've chosen to help him in acquiring the materials and that's why you're knee deep in mud while Daqiang releases yet another dragonfly you caught because it's 'not good enough'.
If you've been invited to join the Raiders of the Lost Arts or have heard the rumors of them recruiting, and have yet to meet the strongest in the Three Realms, the great devil and Moon Supreme, Dongfang Qingcang, well he's not that hard to track down. His inquiries into procuring a ship have made it easy for anyone unfamiliar with him to get pointed his way by most merchants and port authorities.
On Nogaurd he is easiest to find onboard the Stormbringer as he still has a cabin there. If he's not immediately available, go ahead and hang out with Deathstar, the large, black, warrior cat that Daqiang took on as a 'servant' but whom gets treated more like minor royalty himself. He's very friendly and affectionate and would enjoy a shoulder ride even if he's too big for shoulders in question.
On Elah or Eltrut, he is largely keeping to the merchant quarters and around midday, you're certain to find him enjoying a meal at a private table set up where he can watch the various mortals walk by. He's the perpetually grumpy one dressed like he just walked out of a royal court.
Bite-Sized Blessings (General)
Fey Fighters (General)
Picture of Dorina Grey (General)
Magitech Madness (General)
Coins of the Crescent (Corsairs)
A Steamy Winter's Heist (Corsairs)
Poke 'N Prance (Corsairs)
Untitled Goose Bounty 2 (Bounty)
If the non-quest prompts aren't catching your fancy and the quest prompts aren't what you want either, feel free to put up something else and we'll go!
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the joke of it going right over him."Oh, that's fine, too," Miss Dorina Grey replied, smiling at Rem with a twinkle in her blind eyes that said she understood the humor. "You can tell a lot about a person by the way their friends speak of them."
Daqiang gave another under-his-breath scoff, but waved his hand where Rem could see it. She was clearly intent on continuing this farce, so she may as well say whatever it is she thought she knew about him.
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"The title of 'Moon Supreme' is fitting for Dongfang Qingcang," Rem begins her description with what he's already volunteered, and she rises from where she had been sitting, lowering her hand from the clasp at her cloak to smooth out the pleats of her skirt. Rem passes behind the young woman, stopping beside her left shoulder and leaning down a few inches as if to observe Dongfang from the artist's perspective. Her smile remains kind as her eyes observant as they sweep over him once, only to drop to the blank canvas set in front of them.
One cannot describe colors to one who is blind, not in the traditional way, and one also cannot describe a person's appearance in comparison to another's for the very same reason. Thus, Rem must only offer abstracts. This poses a new sort of challenge, but after a moment of thought, she finds that her answers come rather easier than she thought. "...Because he's as untouchable and pristine as moonlight."
Oh, she's well aware of how easily she can sabotage this, make it so that the artist has only the silliest, most pompous of descriptions, as Rem could certainly do for other of her friends. A playful roast is all well and good... but not for this man, which brings her to her next description. "Some might call him serious, and... I suppose that's an accurate description," her voice drifts to a thoughtful lull, and she pauses here, shaking her head once. "But it's more than that, Miss Grey, it is. Seriousness is the tempered iron in his voice, but that's how he sounds, not how he speaks."
Next to the canvas is a table neatly stocked with brushes, sponges, and other supplies. Upon its shelves are all manner of different mediums of art, from charcoal to watercolors to acrylic paints. It is difficult to guess which Dorina Grey might select, but Rem wonders regardless as she continues to speak.
"I think that you'll find that everything he says is honest, a refined sincerity you'll find in no one else. Sometimes, it is so sharp that it feels like a knife to your throat." She lets out a short breath. Impossible not to recall the times when he had been a little too blunt in his delivery or direct in his queries; nevertheless, she finds herself raising her gaze to behold him once more. "But more often, it's like... the sound of a hollowed crystal, pure, reflective. He speaks the truth as he sees it, and there's nothing more earnest than that."
Rem's smile turns fond, fleetingly, before it settles into something more reserved. Distance hollows the tone of her voice— "The moon's presence is known even when obscured. Beyond reach, it has no use for things that are not useful...."
—But then her head tilts to the side as her tone softens. "But you'll still find him giving light to the loveliest of plants, and when he so chooses... warmth." Rem places a hand upon the shoulder of the artist, leaning in once again. "And that warmth-- it feels like..." She appears to struggle with a description. How does one depict warmth to someone who cannot see the brilliant colors of fire, let alone harmonize it with the pale coldness of midnight light?
"...It feels," she continues slowly, looking at Dongfang, "...like how a cello sounds."
The description finished, she nods contentedly twice, a satisfied smile returning to her lips. Rem holds this expression for one, two seconds more before a playful glimmer appears in her eyes, and she quickly adds:
"Oh, and his ears tend to be just slightly more pink than the rest of his face."
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...it made him uncomfortable.
Weren't you arrogant to this venerable one before? Now you're afraid?
My lord, I was wrong!
No. This venerable one hopes you treat him like you used to.
Rem's shift to describing his words as honest, sometimes painfully so, eased the tightness that had begun to gather in his chest. Only to re-seize for a moment as she described his presence as cold. It fluttered some, as she moved to describe his warmth as a choice he made. And then stalled out at 'cello'. He got the sense of the word meaning some sort of instrument but it was not one he was familiar with.
It distracted him enough that he almost didn't catch the teasing comment about his ears. At which point he stood and protested, "That is not all true! This venerable one's ears are just the same as the rest of his skin. There is no discoloration to be had."
Miss Dorina Grey's lips stretched into a smile and she reached over to her carefully laid out supplies, letting her hand hover over the various brushes, pastels, and charcoals.
He straightened his shoulders and shook his sleeves out before tucking one hand behind his back, "This venerable one's appearance is pleasing to the eye. His hair dark and uncut. His face symmetrical, his nose long, and his lips neither too large nor too small. His eyes are sharp and dark. His skin healthy, like the first rays of the morning sun warming the sands on a beach. There is no oddity in colors to be found."
"That's good to know. It means won't need to use as many... inks... yes, inks suit you," Miss Dorina Grey replied, fingers settling on a brush set that she pulled a little closer before carefully picking bottles. She continued with, "You can both sit back down. Why don't you tell me more about what the two of you have in common?"
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At the artist's request, Rem takes her seat.
"Miss Dorina Grey, what he says is absolutely correct. He is a very handsome man--" With pink at the very tips of his ears, she almost adds, but decides better of it. She knows not to test him too much. Still, her tone is airy and playful, exactly the way she would tease a childhood friend. "--which for someone so practical and quick to display other feats of power, he doesn't use to his advantage."
Think of all the free things he could get by just being nice to the right person and using pretty privilege! Her chest rises and falls with a sigh, theatrical enough to imply what a shame in a non-serious manner, but then she straightens. "So, ah, I guess you could say that he's honorable."
As with all teases, she's happy to assign the appropriate compliment in turn. Never does she mean to poke fun at another's expense.
Of course, none of this answers the artist's question of what they have in common, mostly because----Rem knows better to not insult him with such a comparison. She doesn't know many immortals, but an immortal like him doesn't seem keen on having things in common with someone who isn't.
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Daqiang sat, leaning back in his chair in a casual lounge, as he would his own throne. He leaned one elbow on the chair back and folded the other into his lap after crossing his legs. He paused only to gather his words before continuing, "This venerable one reached true immortality before his 20,000th year and is older still, and cannot die or reincarnate. How old she is, this venerable one cannot tell. Only that there is great weight and age in her spiritual presence. But her current self is mortal. Thus she has not reached true immortality and as such, is less powerful than this venerable one."
He waved his hand in a vague manner, "The truth of her actual mortality and immortality is difficult to assess. We are not from the same worlds and how her soul carries her power and memories between lives is unknown to this venerable one. This venerable one can only speak on how he understands it to be in his own world. She feels both mortal and immortal to this venerable one. She does not care to speak on this because, for her people, public talk of death and matters related is not appropriate."
Daqiang did not consider the current private audience to be 'public'. But he did have a sudden thought and turned to look at Rem with consideration, "And perhaps she does not remember enough of her past lives to understand how it works, either. When one is reincarnated in the Three Realms, memories of past lives and time between lives is erased so the current life is unburdened of all but the karma they have earned."
Of course, because he saw these things as simply facts of their existence, he gave little thought to having shared it with a stranger when they were supposed to be 'sharing' for the sake of the having their 'true self' drawn.
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She can't even deflect by forcing a laugh and saying something along the lines of oh, he's only joking, because as she had mentioned, the man is truthful. Truthful to a fault, with a glaring fault being that he does not joke. Her own words, "He speaks the truth as he sees it", return to haunt her with a vengeance, but as to what this 'truth' he sees of her means...
The thrumming in her mind is now thunder, making it obvious that it had been her wretched heartbeat all along, quick and erratic, preparing her body for flight. Contradictorly, she feels simultaneously frozen to her seat. Upon her lap, her knuckles are a bloodless, stark white from gripping the fabric of her skirt.He keeps on talking. From where she sits in her chair next to his, her hand shoots up from her lap, and suddenly it's her palm pressed flat to the center of his chest, perhaps in a universal sign to stop, or-- ...Three of her fingers curl back into her palm.
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"..Is this some elaborate way of calling me old?" A laugh, and withdrawing her hand, she leans in, her eyes sparkling with mirth. Really, she knows he doesn't mean anything by it. And look at that, this means they do have something in common, if only in some abstract way, because aren't all souls traditionally regarded as 'old', regardless?? Crystals, she doesn't know why she'd suddenly felt... so scared back there. It's nothing. It's fine.
"You should know that's rather rude to say to a woman."
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The poke in the chest and her laughter, with all signs of discomfort drained, left him frowning. She had clearly been upset. Yet, she was acting as if it were something to laugh about. Perhaps... it really was something rude to say about a woman? He wasn't sure how that made sense. To immortals, speaking of one's age was a way of indicating their power, wisdom, and experience. Perhaps for mortals, it was different?
Pursing his lips, he looked down at where she had touched his chest, and then up to meet her eyes. He held them for a moment before very carefully lowering his gaze and nodding his head forward, "This venerable one was not aware of such standards among mortals. There was... No insult was meant."
It was not an apology - he didn't give those - but it was very much an acknowledgement that he had crossed a line he had not intended to.
Easily sensing that a point of tension had been reached, Miss Dorian Grey spoke up again, "Alright, how about you talk about what you two do when you spend time together? Other than come visit artists for a free painting, hm?"
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Non-apologyExplanation accepted! Especially since she is not truly insulted. She had meant the comment as a method to veer from the topic, a means to not address... everything else he had mentioned.She's not thinking of that. Not now.
Rem tucks a strand of hair behind her ear, looking away from him. "Hmmm, we usually address those 'MANTA' quests, but, oh, the other day we cooked together. A dish with rice, spices, and veggies." Her hand falls back to her lap, resting with her other. "It was delicious, it was. The Moon Supreme has the makings of an excellent chef."
Her head tilts, and she glances at him from her periphery, pausing to allow him to contribute anything as an answer, himself.
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The hand resting in his lap picked a bit at his sleeve, causing lines that he had to smooth while he kept his gaze averted. His tone, however, betrayed no nervousness to match his fidgeting. He sounded just as bored as he ever did, "We are a compatible team for handling MANTA requests. We have also agreed to conduct research together on..."
He paused. The tombstone was related to death and Rem disliked speaking of that and he'd overstepped himself on the subject of death already.
"...ancient texts. Shipping logs."
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"Oh, that's right," Rem nods in agreement. "We're something like two researchers working on the same project..."
Her lips press together. Labeling them as mere peers doesn't sound right on her tongue, though, so after a moment's consideration, she amends, "Wait, wait. Research buddies."
Rem's smile brightens, and now she looks at Dongfang properly again. While she notices he looks slightly more aloof than moments before, that doesn't deter her from adding: "He's a good friend, after all."
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Daqaing chose, instead, to not address it at all, and asked Miss Dorina Grey, "Have you heard enough now?"
"Almost," she answered, leaning sideways so they could see her grinning in their direction before she moved back behind the canvas. "You two seem to have so much in common. I wonder if it's because you have similar backgrounds or simply a matter of... let's call it 'fate'. Even if it isn't. Tell me about your childhoods and what kind of education you had that prepared and brought you to your positions in life."
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Rem turns her head in the young woman's direction, a polite apology carrying in the undertone of her voice. "If it's all the same to you, I think I'll pass on this one."
It's a little too painful to think of her world, right now. "Oh, but I'm happy to listen to whatever the Moon Surpreme shares."
Funnily enough, she finds herself more than curious! His upbringing probably had been quite fantastical. The man sitting next to her is near perfect in poise, power, and presence; but surely he, too, had his own set of growing pains. Or maybe he didn't, maybe immortals like him are built differently.
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"This venerable one has already said he was raised to be the Moon Supreme. Between him and his younger brother, this venerable one was the one that could wield the Hellfire Sword and as such, the only choice to succeed his father," there was, for the first time, a hint of something in his voice. A curl of emotion that matched the curl of his lip as he all but sneered, "This venerable one was not the one his father wanted on the throne, but he could not fight what was this venerable one's rightful place. Just as he could not stop this venerable one from killing him and taking the throne that was always meant to be his before this venerable one's voice could crack."
His gaze, focused on the wall beyond the blind artist, grew cold and what emotion had begun to break through the ice of his heart frosted over once more. Leaving nothing but a frozen wasteland echoing in his empty, bored tone, "This venerable one made himself what others have called a monster, without the distraction of emotions that those who ruled before him had."
Just as his father wished for him.
"This venerable one mastered Hellfire."
Just as his father wished for him.
"This venerable one went on to conquer the Three Realms and bring it to its knees."
Just as his father wished for him.
"Is that all?"
...
"Yes," Miss Dorina Grey answered, smile still in place. "I think that will be enough. Why don't you ask the staff for some refreshments in the foyer. Give me time to finish. I do have two portraits to work on."
no subject
(Except for that one part, that one, fleeting part in which she hears a sneer in his tone-)
He may claim that emotions are unnecessary, but it still seems that there are moments when he can still feel them. The cold tone with which he speaks gives away nothing, but if, on the off chance that below the icy, polished surface, he is boiling alive... she doesn't wish him to be hurt. Being emotionless does not mean he cannot feel pain. Given his long life, this is probably not even half of what he's endured. Even so, he's already suffered enough-- it should have stopped the moment he picked up that sword. He should never had needed to, especially not because of the throne.
Or. Maybe there is some necessary component, given what politics he describes. Still, all of it twists her stomach because it also feels unnecessarily cruel. It feels... heartbreaking, and she cannot reconcile the two sides.
Silently, Rem reaches out to his hand that's near his lap. As he speaks, her fingers brush gently against his, tentative at first to allow him to withdraw, and when he doesn't, they reach further to curl around his palm. Like this, she holds his hand even as he calls himself a monster, even as he tells of his mastery of Hellfire, even as he speaks of conquering the realms, and when the artists bids them to wait in an adjacent room, she rises, releasing his hand.
She's quiet as they're ushered out of the studio and into the foyer. When they're finally left alone, only then does she speak.
"...Moon Surpreme.... I-- had no idea. I still don't." Her head lowers, then raises as she elevates her gaze to meet his. "But I wanted to say one thing because I do know this. You're not a monster."
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2/2
"This venerable one is a monster," he refuted, head tilting to the side as confusion wrinkled his brow. "Only monsters could kill their own father and not feel any guilt for the act."
For him it was an absolute truth of his culture. Only monsters could violate the tenants of filial piety so thoroughly and feel absolutely nothing about it. Because he could do that, nothing was beyond him. No violation of heaven's rules could be so utterly horrendous and antithetical to life, society, and the way of the universe.
"You should not let it bother you," he continued, recognizing that for some reason the idea that he could be and accept his position as a monster was upsetting to Rem. "This venerable one has already told you, once, that it was worth it."
1/2
Not only had he needed to sever his emotions, but part of that necessity had also been to kill his father. Does it have to do something with the sword he mentioned? Hellfire? Something else...? She knows she mustn't ask, and so she quells these speculations from being voiced on the spot.
Thus, she's struck silent for all of a few seconds. How ignorant she is, truly, to so much about him.
no subject
And she extends that disbelief to him. Rem cannot claim to know the intricacies of political power and rights of succession, but--
"Monsters also don't willingly sacrifice themselves," she counters, holding her ground. She steps up to him, as if the proximity would add great emphasis to her point. "To do what is necessary."
His 'tree', he said, had been severed. This must means that at one point in his life, he experienced all the good things that bloomed from it, feelings of joy, of hope, of love. Maybe he does not recall what treasures they are now that he cannot feel, but at one point, they must have existed. At one point, he must have cut the boughs out from his heart, sacrificing them as he had needed.
That... is not a monster, she believes. Not in any sense.
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"Maybe," she confirms in a vague tone, exhaling softly through her nose. Quite possibly, she has indeed met none who are monsters. That, or she's never regarded them as such, even if they possibly were. Either way--
"But you're not one of them."
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And he saw no point in attempting to convince her further. She could believe what she wanted. It did not effect him or the truth.
Fortunately for him, the door to the salon opened and Miss Dorina Grey's assistant called them over to receive their portraits. Daqiang waved his hand for Rem to go first.
1/2
A monster? Him? It's absurd. Absurd as she and class zero being called monsters themselves....
no subject
She supposes, given what Dongfang had said of their commonalities (rather, what he saw as them), it's not a terrible rendition. Cobwebs usually signify old things. The spiral, though.... He'd mentioned to Miss Grey something about reincarnation. Again, she'd rather not think about it.
Overall the painting, done in acrylics, is rather abstract, and Rem can only guess that it's because no physical description had been given of herself. Or perhaps she is simply not cultured enough to understand.
"It's, erm, lovely, Miss Grey, it is."
Rem is nosy enough to peer at Donfang's portrait. Maybe he has better luck!
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Making a 'not bad' face, he stepped around her to accept his own. It was, at first glance, very nice. An ink wash
shh, just pretend it's the right styleof a single frozen tree on a frozen island in a frozen sea. But then, under the tree, stood a single, recognizable figure rendered the way a childor a beginning artistmight depict an adult.The door to Miss Dorina Grey's salon was firmly shut by the time he lifted his head to glare in her direction. The lights of the foyer were being put out, as well, and the assistants had begun to encourage them to leave as the lady was done for the day.
With a barely restrained snarl, he tossed the painting to the floor, turned around, and walked towards the exit. Teleporting away in a burst of black smoke and red sparks before he even reached the front door.
(no subject)