paradisa | seventieth labyrinth

A brief report on the recent changes to the Insolitus

[Away from First Gen's]

Some of you may recall the updated report last month included mention of a new set of doors inside the Insolitus. And if you are not I suggest you acquaint yourself with it. Given the incomplete nature of the information I went to see them for myself. The Insolitus seems to be providing a marked path to the area, with arrows that can be seem plainly in any illumination. The five doors exist within one large chamber within the maze, each bearing a unique symbol. I was able to record, unfortunately, all but one of the symbols, which appeared too obscured by debris to make out with any acuity.

As mentioned one of the symbols was this one, which was discovered at Lastlook last year [He includes a sketch reproduction of the following]:

The second was unique among the five for being the only one the exhibited a glow, which intensified on contact. There is what I would say to be an unmistakable feeling of magic emanating from it:

The third and forth and thus:

Now it begins the beg the question of why these doors are there when they were not previously, or at least not visible to us, and what is they lead to. The latter may be easiest to deduce.

To me, the possible answer is suggested by a number of factors, not least of which is the number of doors themselves. Five doors. Five other castles, as was also mentioned in the one piece of lore we have access to.

A valiant Knight of great honor and strong ambition, whose reputation was highly regarded; men aspired to be like him, and women aspired to be his.

A fierce Dragon of great power and might, but with a gentle soul to those who regarded him with their utmost respect, rather than their hatred or fear.

A vivacious Bard of great loyalty and endless generosity, whose songs would be sung for generations and who would be remembered for placing others before himself.

A wise Wizard of great magic and insight; often underestimated by those around him, he proved time and again his willpower, and provided great council for his peers.

A beautiful Princess of great strength and endless kindness; a woman of the blade to the surprise of many, one who always stood for the greater good."

The knight, the dragon, the bard, the wizard, the princess. If I may suggest, the Lastlook symbol was connected to the plague we experience that was traced back to Cair Draconis. Draconis as in, the library tell me, from the Latin root "Draco" for dragon. If the first symbol is draconis and thus the dragon, then I would hazard to guess the second symbol is wizard, if not only because of the magic coming from it, but from the suggestion of an eye which is connected to magic in my own world as well as several Earth cultures. The others are a bit less clear but if anyone has any insights on the remaining symbols or would be interested in researching them, it would be all to the good.

In a related piece of business, the doors themselves are all locked and tightly sealed. As it happens, Hellboy was given a key in Terre Haute which he has since bequeathed to me. There seems to be no indication of what it goes to, but even given the geographical distance involved, I cannot help but question the timing. The castle seems to be doing all it can to lead us to these doors, when usually the maze seems to do it's best to evade proper navigation otherwise.

I'd like to invite anyone with any kind of divination, precognition, or any such ability that might be able to read the truth or future of this key to come examine it. If it's true that it opens one of those doors I would not like to do so without some idea of what it may connect to.

[Phoebe]

I think...I'd like to have that conversation I mentioned.

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

[It takes her some time to look over those pictures and process all of that information before getting to the filter.]

Thank you for putting this together, Felix. It's interesting that the second symbol, the glowing one? That one looks sort of like an eye. The other two look like a peacock feather and a heart. I wonder if that means something. I'd be willing to take a look at that key if you'd like.

[she pauses]

And I'm free whenever you'd like to talk.

I'd appreciate it. I had your foresight in mind.

Tonight, if you can get away. [He needs it to be soon. Spilling it to Mark some time ago had been once thing, but for another reason. This was someone, he thought, that might have a better chance of understanding the complications of feelings he was trying to sort though. They might scatter him to pieces otherwise]

You think the doors might lead to the other castles? Like uh, teleporters or something?

[That makes her smile]

Well I'm glad you thought of me. It'll be nice to put my powers to good use. It's been a while.

[But her smile wanes as she continues]

I think I can get away for a little while, yes. Peter found out that one of his friends went home but he's taking it better this time than he has in the past. Where would you like to meet?

[He feels guilty for asking now, but there's no way to go but forward] It can wait a day or so if you need to I just... [He sighs] Somewhere we can talk alone. And drink. I believe I promised you the wine. Chimera, perhaps, or the Nines?

[She quickly reassures him] No it's okay, really.

Hmm. Maybe not the Nines. Barney is back so there's a good chance he might interrupt us. I can meet you at Chimera, though.

Something of that nature, yes. One of my acquaintances showed me he can connect two points in space via a door, essentially by bending space. Given the castle does much the same on a daily basis, it's not out of the question. I have no idea how your teleporters work.

I suppose the how isn't exactly the issue.

As long as people don't bring back any more strange diseases.

Okay, if the Castle wants us to open the doors? We shouldn't open the doors.

...Interesting.

Not that I wish to go on any of your silly little jaunts to wherever the fuck those doors to, I suppose I can have a look at it. See if there's anything sinister about it.

I had no immediate plans to leave the castle myself, but it's something that bears investigating. If you would like to see the key you can come by any time. The more eyes on this the better.

I understand your distrust, but there have also been cases in the past when the castle has worked to our benefit, although rarely. Alternatively, it could be a coincidence. It's a chance to learn more about our host, regardless.

I am hoping to avoid such things. But if my theory is correct, just think of what we might be able to learn...

Good to know. So long as I'm not expected to go through the door. Or even be anywhere near them when you use the key, I'll come have a look.

Ah, yes of course. [He'd spent quite a bit of time keeping Crowley company while he holed up in there last month, and quite forgot it was no longer unclaimed space]

Then I will be there later tonight.

Doors go both ways. Can't help but wonder why they were hidden in the first place.

But yeah, it's pretty fuckin' cool. Even if it's just a short cut for exploring more of the place.

...I worry it's a trap. Rather than connecting to something... It might hold something inside.

I can try my skills on the key - though I'd likely have been able to glean more in conjunction with the doors.

[He sounds a little passive-aggressive. You teach him the best skills, Felix.]

'Draconis' would indeed be 'dragon'. 'Cair Libet' also contains a Latin root - 'libet' is roughly 'it is pleasing/agreeable'. The most likely connection seems to be with the mentioned Bard and his generosity, though it's tenuous at best. 'Ivera', however, isn't a word in any language I'm familiar with - which is quite a lot.

The third symbol appears to be a peacock tail feather - it has a large number of meanings depending on region, though the most modern one would be male vanity and pride, which I'm sure you're already aware of. But it's tail-feathers were used as armor decoration by European knights, as well.

The last one bears at least passing resemblance to Celtic iconography, but unfortunately not any I'm familiar with myself.

[Katniss let out a long, long sigh.] All right, then if we're going to open one of the doors - let's be extremely well-armed and prepared.

Well, I see you've been using your down time productively.

I can try the key, Felix, but I cannot promise anything. My FarSight is not my strongest gift, but perhaps I will get something.

Well, I had to do something.

Libet makes sense, considering it was said to be a kinder version of Paradisa.

Hm, that would make it a good candidate for the bard or the knight. The feather could also be reminiscent of a quill, which could be used for song-writing. A bit of a stretch, though, I admit.

Celtic iconography I am...not familiar with, however. I suppose that is yet another thing to add to the list of research.

[Don't give him the tone. He hates the tone]

I had no idea what would be in there. I am, however, amenable to a return visit at a later date.

[He can do the tone too]

Edited 2013-07-13 08:52 (UTC)

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seventieth labyrinth

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[Ashura]

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