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[darer]

[ now there's a new face on the network. if you've had to do with smiths lately you may have run into Thorin before, but that's about it. he's got a gruff look about him, somewhat unimpressed. ]

Since one of the librarians has taken it upon himself to ban me from the relevant sections of the library, [ that may have been a wry smile there but it's gone very quickly, ] I was wondering if one of you could tell me something about the history of Union. The story of the Saviour aside.

[ was there anything else- right. yes. perhaps he should give his reasons. and his name. ]

My name is Thorin. I came here from Caldera a few months ago, but have not had the chance to ... immerse myself in the culture.

[ not that he's all sure he wants to. something off to the side catches his eye, and he closes the feed with a nod. ]

Comments

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[warriormouse]

That depends on what you want to know.

[Do not adjust your warp band. That is a man who is glowing slightly.]

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[darer]

[ ... he's not a big fan of people who glow generally speaking. but, well. answers are answers. ]

That depends on what you can tell me. Perhaps you know why Union has no standing army. Perhaps you know what festivals and traditions people observe here.

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[warriormouse]

We've never needed a standing army. Until we made contact with Caldera, we thought we were alone in the world. The Swords work well enough.

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[roadsprings]

[ there may or may not be a muffled groan from this direction. Thorin, why. ]

I - That was a misunderstanding and it was for all of about five minutes, honestly.

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[darer]

Was it? You seemed quite serious about it.

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[roadsprings]

Well, it's more than a little alarming for there to suddenly be a strong smell of smoke in a building full of books. [ beat. ] I may have panicked a little.

[ there were brief but vivid mental images of arson and it was terrible. ]

I said Hayato but decided to give you amicable hobo jesus instead

[underwearfortomorrow]

[Hello Thorin, have a man that is very clearly enlightened with a number of draconic traits.]

I won't claim to be a historian, but I've certainly lived here a good portion of my life. Do you have any questions in particular?

This still works

[darer]

[ ... a dragon of all things. well. he'll try not to judge. ]

Are there any customs here that I should be aware of? Yearly rituals or celebrations?

[underwearfortomorrow]

[The biggest hippie dragon you will ever meet.]

Ah! We have lots of those! If you were here these past few months, you may have observed Salvation, which is a celebration of the Savior. It marks the end of the war and it's meant to represent togetherness as well as the strength of our bonds with one another.

There is also Soulfasting, which is around the end of October that is meant to give respect to those we've lost and to celebrate the union between the living and spiritual worlds. It's a week of festivals, food, and passed down rituals.

[Video] Sorry it took all day!

[rainsrespite]

[A young woman crops up onto the feed next, dressed in what seems to be a white traveler's outfit with a Ranger's insignia visible on the shoulder. Thorin might have seen her around the Industrial section, as her father Ryu owns one of the larger artisan smithys (Sugasawa's Fine Steel) in the district so she frequents the area.

She wrinkles her brow in vague recognition too, having seen him around but never being introduced.]

Nice to meet you, Thorin. My name's Yuuna Sugasawa, Ranger's Third Division. If there's cultural tidbits I can help with, please don't hesitate to ask. I was trained as a Historian, so I may be able to help clear some things up.

[Video] No worries there!

[darer]

[ he inclines his head in greeting. while he hasn't been able to commit everyone he meets to memory, the more frequent encounters he can remember at least. ]

Related to Ryu Sugasawa, I imagine. Perhaps you can tell me something about the Rangers. If there are divisions, are there ranks as well? What exactly are your tasks?

[Video]

[rainsrespite]

[She blinks. And nods in reply.]

He's my father, actually. [A smile, and she rubs her chin. Some sort of smith?]

Well, there are ranks, yes. Same as most military organizations, but we tend to be slightly less rigid. As for tasks, you don't know already? Most of what we do is keep trainers out of trouble and scout. Exploration and preservation, as well as search and rescue.

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[ladyofluminosity]

[ This one looks a bit young to be a historian. Even still, the blond smiles into the camera. ]

Banned you, really? That wasn't very nice of them. What were you trying to find? What are you interested in, I might be able to steer you in the right direction.

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[darer]

I'm sure it was merely out of concern. [ he still looks a little amused though. ]

What I was looking for were general history books, to start with. I don't know much about this city or how it works, all I've heard is that it's apparently run by a council, and that there's a variety of things for ... for Enlightened to do. Anything you could tell me would be helpful.

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[ladyofluminosity]

Concern? For what?

[ Blink. ]

That's a pretty generalized request, but I can probably steer you in the right direction. Although, if you've been kicked out of the library, that might be a bit difficult...

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[aerial_ace]

[ Cordelia noticed him during one of her visits to the smithy, while she was doing normal maintenance on her spear. She thought he seemed a bit out of place before, but decided not to say anything. ]

I must ask, why did the librarians felt it necessary to bar you from your research.

[ Because seriously what did you do/who did you piss off, Thorin? ]

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[darer]

[ ah, another familiar face. ... even if they haven't exactly spoken. Thorin gives a snort at the question. ]

You'd have to ask him. ... But it seemed like he was convinced I would set something on fire.

[master_tactician]

That's curious, I've not known the librarians to ban people from the library.

[darer]

Neither have I, until now. Apparently he was convinced I was setting books on fire.

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[bleeding_heart]

Something about the history of Union? Can it be anything at all?

[Merrill scratches her head briefly.]

Oh, but maybe I'm not the best person to ask. I'm not originally from here either. But I do know quite a bit about history! Just... mostly not Union's history. I have learned a few things, though.

[Chipper and unhelpful: that's Merrill.]

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[darer]

Where is it you're from, then?

[ he'll take any history. even if he sounds slightly exasperated. ]

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[creamsouda]

The hell'd you do to get banned from a library?

[Shocked face aside, Souda shrugs.]

Whaddya mean, history? I can tell ya about stuff like tech, if you're interested.

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[darer]

I smelled like smoke and ran into a librarian who jumped to conclusions.

[ simple, really. and then straight on to the next point. he hasn't had anyone to ask about Union technology so someone straight up offering? absolutely yes. ]

Warp bands aside, what is the most important piece of technology Union has?

[Video]

[allergictoloveletters]

Welcome to Union, Thorin-san. I am Ami Mizuno, a medic here at Union. If you have any issues or find yourself in need of assistance please know that the center is always happy to help in what ways we can.

Union is very different from Caldera in many ways, which I'm sure many have explained.

Have you had sufficient answers so far as to Union's history?

[Video]

[darer]

Thank you. There've been plenty, yes. And since my ban has since been revoked, I'll be able to answer any remaining questions myself.

I admit the amount of responses surprised me.